{"id":93874,"date":"2019-08-12T10:25:25","date_gmt":"2019-08-12T14:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/equinox-execs-cover-for-trump-supporter-stephen-ross-in-leaked-call-with-freaked-out-employees\/"},"modified":"2019-08-12T10:25:25","modified_gmt":"2019-08-12T14:25:25","slug":"equinox-execs-cover-for-trump-supporter-stephen-ross-in-leaked-call-with-freaked-out-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/equinox-execs-cover-for-trump-supporter-stephen-ross-in-leaked-call-with-freaked-out-employees\/","title":{"rendered":"Equinox Execs Cover for Trump Supporter Stephen Ross in Leaked Call with Freaked Out Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Equinox Execs Cover for Trump Supporter Stephen Ross in Leaked Call with Freaked Out Employees<\/b><\/p>\n

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Equinox executives tried to alleviate panic among employees freaked out that gym members were canceling memberships in the wake of news that Chairman Stephen Ross was holding a Trump fundraiser in the Hamptons.<\/p>\n

The Cut reports on the call and has details<\/a>: \u201cIn the days since the\u00a0Washington\u00a0Post<\/em><\/a>\u00a0first reported Ross\u2019s fundraiser for Trump, employees have called for\u00a0protests\u00a0and swarms of people have\u00a0canceled their memberships, compelling Equinox president Scott Rosen and COO Judy Turchin to hold a call<\/a> to assure employees with messaging of unity and company values. And yet, they attempted to do so while also defending Ross\u2019s values and insisting he does not align himself with Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said one employee on the call<\/a>: \u201cI know it\u2019s not our views but this goes beyond just LGBTQ, it goes with children being put in cages, people being deported, children dying, mass murders happening because of rhetoric that [Trump] states. The whole thing is that even though [Ross] is an investor, the money that people pay to Equinox still goes in his pocket, and they know that, and that is the problem. Equinox can say, \u2018We don\u2019t view this, we don\u2019t view this,\u2019 as much as they want, but the problem is that the money people are spending is enriching him, and he is giving it to this person that is really polarizing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Replied Rosen: \u201cI will tell you one thing: He\u2019s actually a very good guy<\/a>, he\u2019s making a huge mistake here. He actually doesn\u2019t agree with a lot of what Donald Trump says, and I actually think he voted for Hillary. Not that it matters, because he\u2019s maybe made a stupid move here and it\u2019s not us. We define us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Much more about the call<\/a> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In related news, Trump joked about the controversy at the Hamptons fundraiser, the New York Post<\/em> reports<\/a>: \u2018Noting the relentless attacks on himself by the media, Trump quipped, \u201cSteve Ross got into a little bit of trouble this week, I said, \u2018Steve welcome to the world of politics!\u2019\u201d\u2018<\/p>\n

And one New York City Councilman is making it easier for people to cancel memberships<\/a>. \u201cI am drafting legislation that would make it easier to cancel memberships at businesses, like gyms or fitness clubs,\u201d New York City councilman Keith Powers\u00a0tweeted<\/a>\u00a0Friday. \u201cThe recent Equinox experiences highlighted what many New Yorkers experience daily \u2014 a complicated maze just to cancel a single membership.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I am drafting legislation that would make it easier to cancel memberships at businesses, like gyms or fitness clubs. <\/p>\n

The recent Equinox experiences highlighted what many New Yorkers experience daily \u2014 a complicated maze just to cancel a single membership. t.co\/36Bs3bi5M3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Keith Powers (@KeithPowersNYC) August 9, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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For the New Yorkers that tried to cancel their Equinox membership, they ran into a familiar wall: there\u2019s no way to cancel online.<\/p>\n

Subscription businesses, like gyms, should provide easy online cancellations. This way, consumers no longer get the run around. t.co\/ijK6WQMfvk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Keith Powers (@KeithPowersNYC) August 8, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

And writer, activist, and radio host Michelangelo Signorile took matters into his own hands.<\/p>\n

Wrote Signorile on Facebook: \u201cSomething I did the other morning on my run: I had printed out a stack of an NBC News story about the Equinox boycott because of the owner\u2019s Trump fundraiser. And I went to Equinox\/Soul Cycle in Chelsea and handed them out to people entering and exiting. I did this for 45 minutes and had 4 people who went in and came out and had canceled their memberships. Other people were coming to cancel, say goodbye to trainers. The manager came out and told me she called the police. I was on public property, as I told her, and there wasn\u2019t anything the police could do. (They never did come.)\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s the most important point,\u201d Signorile added. \u201cWhile many knew of the Trump fundraiser in the Hamptons, many did not, and were horrified. We think in this age of cell phones and TVs everywhere that people are paying attention to everything. They are not. That\u2019s indeed one reason we got Trump! This underscores why it\u2019s important to get in the streets and engage people, still to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne guy<\/a> was an asshole (Angrily dismissing me with an, \u201cI\u2019m not political!\u201d),\u201d Signorile continued. \u201cAnother guy<\/a> said \u201cI don\u2019t support Trump but people have a right to donate to who they want,\u201d blah blah and claimed to be a Dem fundraiser himself and with the DNC\u2019s LGBT whatever committee (Screw you!). Others clearly didn\u2019t want to engage. But most were open and friendly. Two women<\/a> who came to the juice bar said that\u2019s it for them with Soul Cycle. People talked to me for a while, and while some, as I said, did cancel right away (according to what they told me upon exiting), others said they would think about it and were leaning that way. One guy<\/a> asked me permission to take one more class (haha.) I said fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Signorile: \u201cThe manager said to me, after a woman<\/a> had come out saying she canceled, \u2018Think about the people you\u2019re hurting!\u2019 Mind you, all I was doing was informing people of something and engaging them in discussion \u2014 not hurting anyone. I guess she meant the workers \u2014 but we\u2019ve been through this many times with boycotts. It\u2019s unfortunate, but we have to send a message to owners and they are the ones hurting everyone, including their employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Signorile suggested people do what he did: \u201cAnyway, any of you can do this \u2014 just print out copies of your favorite articles. It\u2019s a few minutes of your time on the way to work or whatever. Be polite. The customers aren\u2019t the enemy \u2014 even if some might get nasty \u2014 and obviously they like their gym. (I\u2019m a former Equinox member, so I understand; I gave them suggestions on other gyms). But many also understand why this is important and will at least think about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Equinox Execs Cover for Trump Supporter Stephen Ross in Leaked Call with Freaked Out Employees<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Equinox Execs Cover for Trump Supporter Stephen Ross in Leaked Call with Freaked Out Employees<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n