A CrossFit spokesman was fired after landing in hot water for spouting homophobic remarks on Twitter.
Russell Berger, the global fitness company’s former chief knowledge officer, expressed support for an Indianapolis CrossFit gym’s decision to cancel an LGBTQ pride workout, calling it a “sin.”
“As someone who personally believes celebrating ‘pride’ is a sin, I’d like to personally encourage #CrossFitInfiltrate for standing by their convictions and refusing to host an @indypride workout,” Berger wrote in a tweet. “The intolerance of the LGBTQ ideology toward any alternative views is mind-blowing.”
Berger’s remarks followed a major fallout among CrossFit Infiltrate members over the cancellation of the celebratory workout.
Gym manager Johnnie Martin sent a notice to members saying the gym’s owner, Brandon Lowe, had decided to cancel the event.
“We believe that true health forever can only be found within humility, not pride," the note read CNBC reported.
The announcement stirred members to action.
On Sunday, June 3, member Ryan Nix, who had organized the Pride workout, blasted the gym’s decision on Facebook.
“Last week we received an email from the gym cancelling our PRIDE workout. We emailed the owner since it seemed that there was an issue with people who may be LGBT. You can see from his response that there is,” Nix wrote.
He added that the gym’s coaches and general manager quit over the owner’s stance.
“Many of us are leaving the gym due to the owners. Please tell your friends not to join this place,” Nix wrote.
As a result, the gym closed.
Lowe weighed in to say, “The unfortunate line that is being read about the gym grossly misrepresents what CrossFit Infiltrate stands for and what it believes. The majority of the reviews and statements being read about the gym largely point out that Infiltrate’s community has been incredible and welcoming and that the decision not to host an Indy Pride event is the reason we are called bigots or discriminative.”
CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman took to Twitter to express support for his gay members following the incident.
“I am crazy proud of the gay community in CrossFit,” he said, according to the branded fitness regimen’s official Twitter account.
He referred to the incident, saying: “The whole company is upset,” BuzzFeed reported.