One Membership Does Not Fit(ness) All Which local gyms give gay couples the same membership preferences as straight couples?

A local lesbian couple got more than a workout when they recently attempted to get a family membership at Bally Total Fitness on North Shepherd. In fact, they were given the runaround because they were not legally married.

Christine Burchette and Sherrie Davis, partners for the past four years, went to Bally on North Shepherd and asked for a membership at the couple rate. They both felt it would be no problem because they already had a family membership at the YWCA on Waugh for several years.

"We only wanted to switch because Bally has more equipment," said Burchette. "We joined the YWCA as a family and they had no problem with it."

At Bally, the couple met with a sales representative who first asked if they were sisters. "We said no, we are married," said Burchette. The rep said that was no problem, but that he’d need to see some proof of their union.

"Sherrie stayed at Bally’s and I went home to fax a copy of our MCCR union certificate," said Burchette. It seemed to Burchette that everything was okay once the sales rep saw the certificate.

In fact, it was so okay that they signed a three-year contract and paid the $100 deposit for a family membership.

However, when they returned the next day for their I.D. cards and to work out, they were told the manager needed to see them. "The manager said, ‘Well, this isn’t going to work; we’ll have to redo the contract,’" Burchette said.

He said the union certificate was not recognized as legal in Texas and therefore they could not join as a family unless Burchette changed her last name on the contract to match Sherrie’s last name. "Then we could join as sisters," said Burchette.

According to the couple, the manager also said, "You don’t have to worry, people like you come in here all the time. We help people in your situation all of the time."

"Our contract was not valid when we told the truth, but it would be if we lied and said we were sisters," said Davis with an amazed tone.

The manager then asked the couple for another $100 saying their first $100 would be refunded in a week or so. They refused to give more money and refused to sign another contract as "sisters."

Davis said they were then offered a 14-day trial membership to think about the situation and that "it’s been well over a week now and we still haven’t got the $100 back."

OutSmart calls to Bally on North Shepherd were referred to Bally local headquarters where questions were answered by George Hinds, operations manager for Bally Houston.

Hinds said it was their policy to give family memberships if the last names were the same. If not, he continued, they required a marriage certificate or a union certificate as proof of the union. When informed of the incident with the lesbian couple, Hinds said, "We as a company accept a union certification. It doesn’t matter what the state recognizes; we do. Maybe the manager at that location was new. Sounds like we should have given them the membership."

But then Hinds said he would do some checking on official policy and call back. When he returned the call, he said he had spoken with national Bally headquarters in Chicago to check on their "official" policy. He then reversed what he had earlier said.

He said they would accept a state or government-issued union certificate for family membership. However, they would not accept a church certificate that was not deemed legal in Texas.

Based on these criteria, he said, they "wouldn’t qualify" for a family membership. He added that he was sorry he couldn’t help the couple. He did say that the manager at the North Shepherd location was wrong to treat them the way he did, that he needed some counseling on how to deal with such situations.

Fortunately, not all local fitness centers follow Bally’s criteria for family memberships. "We more than welcome same-sex couples," said Mary Ann McBee of Fitness Exchange, "and of course offer the reduced discount for partner rates."

Tim Fletcher, manager of Houston Gym, said that of course they offered family memberships to same-sex couples. "We don’t differentiate–man, woman, beast, or child–it doesn’t matter. We have a universal nondiscrimination policy."

At 24-Hour Fitness (formerly the Q), family memberships are given if the couple shares the same address.

Muscle Mechanics does not offer memberships as such. Instead they work one-on-one with clients. "Gay or straight, it doesn’t matter to us," said John Villarreal.

The Downtown YMCA does not recognize either same-sex couples or heterosexual couples if not legally married, said Mandy Bogatin, vice-present for members and marketing. "The YMCA recognizes families as legally married or a dependent who is claimed on their income tax." Bogatin added that the Downtown Y’s policy is mandated from the national YMCA.

Even though the YMCA does not recognize same-sex couples, the YWCA on Waugh does recognize same-sex or heterosexual unmarried couples, said Valeria Spell, assistant to the executive director.

"We don’t have anything in our policy against it and we don’t require proof of marriage. We make no difference at all," she said.

So, will Burchette and Davis join Bally as single members? No, they respond in unison. If they can’t join as a family, they will go elsewhere. Davis said that when she left after talking to the manager at Bally, he asked her why she was so angry.

She took a deep breath and said, "I am angry that in the year 2002, I am being asked to call my wife my sister in order to work out in this gym." Burchette added, "What a wakeup call. I couldn’t believe it."