An Irvine, California, LA Fitness member says they ended their membership after repeatedly seeing what they described as neo-Nazi clothing in the gym and receiving what they viewed as a dismissive response from corporate management.
The account was originally shared on Reddit by user Goat_Overlord in the Orange County, California subreddit. The post centers on an incident at the LA Fitness Crossroads location in Irvine, where the user said they observed a man wearing a sweatshirt tied to a brand identified as Curb Stomp MFG, which they described as neo-Nazi-affiliated apparel.
According to the Reddit post, the user wrote, “Just an FYI, I had a rather disappointing experience with LA Fitness. Nazi gear is fine there.” They said they saw the same individual wearing what they called a neo-Nazi sweatshirt on multiple visits. The user added that they confronted the man directly.
“I saw this hero wearing a neo-Nazi sweatshirt on multiple occasions at LA Fitness Crossroads in Irvine,” the post stated, with clear sarcasm. “I straight-up asked him if that was a neo-Nazi sweatshirt, and he proudly said yes, and that he specifically hates Israel.”
Front desk: “Can’t do anything”
In the post, the Redditor says they reported the incident to front desk staff, but felt the response minimized the concern. “Front desk employees told me that they really couldn’t do anything since ‘there’s a guy that wears OnlyFans shirts,’” the post said.
The user responded that “wearing neo-Nazi attire is not remotely the same thing as wearing OnlyFans gear.” They also claimed they were told management was unavailable and that the issue would be logged. The user said they were ultimately referred to corporate for further action. “My only recourse was to email corporate,” the post stated.
LA Fitness: ‘a neutral stance regarding personal attire’
In a written response attributed to LA Fitness corporate and shared in the Reddit post, the company said it maintains a neutral policy regarding member attire.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We understand your concern and take member safety seriously,” the response read. “Our facility maintains a neutral stance regarding personal attire. While we do enforce basic dress code policies for safety and appropriateness (such as requiring shirts and shoes and restricting explicit content due to minors), individuals are generally permitted to wear clothing of their choosing, as freedom of expression is protected.”
“That said, any behavior that creates a hostile or unsafe environment is not tolerated. If you ever feel unsafe or if an interaction becomes confrontational, please notify our staff immediately so we can address and escalate the situation as needed,” the response stated.
The Reddit user said they received no further follow-up and ultimately canceled their membership, citing disagreement with the company’s stance. “I understand a policy of freedom of expression (not to be confused with a constitutional right, which is different than a private company’s policy). However, I don’t want to support a business that is fine with overt Nazis,” the post concluded.
Published: May 12, 2026 02:18 pm