POSE star Billy Porter told Variety his solution to the controversy over Equinox/SoulCycle owner Stephen Ross hosting a campaign fundraising event for Donald Trump is simple: “Leave.”
“That’s what activism is. It doesn’t work unless you hit these people where their bank accounts are.
"You don’t get to have these views and rape and pillage from us. That whole business is built on queer people, people of color, the whole business is built on that. So we need to go. It is an us and a they. That’s what it is. I didn’t do that part.
"That’s where we are and so therefore, my Equinox membership is canceled.”
The owner of Equinox Fitness Clubs has announced he is hosting a big-ticket fundraiser for President Trump’s reelection campaign this weekend and folks are not having it.
Stephen Ross, reported to be worth $7 billion, owns a majority stake in Equinox gyms as well as SoulCycle, Blink Fitness, PURE Yoga, and the Time Warner Center.
The billionaire, a longtime friend of Trump’s, will host a fundraiser in Southhampton for Trump where tickets range up to a whopping $250,000 for “lunch, a photo and a private roundtable with the president,” reports the Washington Post.
Stephen Ross (image via YouTube)
The fundraiser is quite the change-up from Trump’s stance in 2016 when he criticized his opponents for accepting massive campaign donations due to the implied access and influence donors may expect.
Equinox has long been a favorite of LGBT gym bunnies, but now that tide may turn.
Instagram users are now circulating a message encouraging people to boycott the trendy fitness venues.
Additionally, LGBT activist, actor, and Equinox member Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery, My So Called Life) has launched a petition on Change.org urging Equinox to end its support of Donald Trump.
In an open letter to Equinox on the petition page, Cruz says Trump’s anti-LGBTQ policies are incongruent with the spirit and base of the Equinox community.
“We don’t understand how this company, which owes its success to its LGBTQ membership especially in its largest markets in California, New York, Miami, Chicago and other big cities around the world thinks its appropriate to be tied to this fundraiser,” wrote Cruz.
We should add, as others have noticed, Cruz takes his workouts very seriously as his Instagram account will attest.
After the Instagram account for Equinox was innundated with negative comments about the Southhampton event, the company posted a statement which read, in part, “We want to let you know that Equinox and SoulCycle have nothing to do with the event and do not support it.”
“As is consistent with our policies, no company profits are used to fund politicians,” the statement continued. “In fact, we are committed to all our members and the communities we live in.”
Calling Ross a ‘passive investor,’ the statement concluded with, “We believe in tolerance and equality, and will always stay true to those values.”
