Help! I Was Just Trying to Help a Young Woman at the Gym. Then She Set Out to Ruin My Reputation.

"Initially, she stood out to me because of her many tattoos and barely-there outfit choices-she consistently wore skin-tight sports bras and short shorts in flamboyant colors with nothing else over them. I never ogled her-I am married, for what it's worth, and genuinely wasn't interested-but I would inevitably glance at her from time to time due to the nature of her outfits as well as her lifting form, which was not the best."

"I gave her some tips and a brief demonstration and told her that I just wanted her to avoid injury. She didn't seem put off at the moment, but the next time I was there, one of the owners pulled me aside and told me that a "female patron" had complained that I was sexually harassing her. I was taken aback and asked if it was because of this interaction, and I was told that, for confidentiality reasons, they couldn't confirm who complained about me."

A middle-aged regular at a small, locally owned gym described the facility as a third space with a strong community. A new young woman’s revealing workout attire and poor lifting form drew his occasional glances and concern. After demonstrating a safer squat technique and offering brief tips, gym owners informed him that a female patron had complained of sexual harassment. Management suspended him for one month, warned that further complaints could lead to a permanent ban, and cited confidentiality. He wrote a respectful explanatory email and received sympathetic support from some other regulars.

Read at Slate Magazine