Curves, the Texas-based fitness franchise that has been popping up all over the country, was in the headlines recently because of the pro-life beliefs of its owner Gary Heavin. The usual suspects were calling for blood because Heavin dared to give his own money to organizations that do not perform or promote abortions. Ruth Rosen and Jon Carroll of the Chronicle both produced hysterically inaccurate columns on the subject, which eventually led to an embarrassing correction on the part of the newspaper. But it is an entirely different matter that makes Curves the subject of today’s column.

I joined one of the Curves in San Francisco several months ago and have been happily working out and losing pounds ever since. I was attracted to the Curves concept, which includes an all-female environment. At least that’s what I thought until I went in to work out last week and a man popped up on the machine next to me. He was wearing a skirt-like item over his workout pants and had the look (which I’ve become all too familiar with living in this city) of a wannabee female. But for all intents and purposes, this was a guy. And when he changed back into his regular clothes (in the dressing room shared by women), he looked like any other man on the street.

The owner quietly assured me that he was a "transvestite," as if that would explain everything. It didn’t. Apparently, I wasn’t alone in my confusion, because other women starting asking questions as soon as "he" left. After telling us that he usually attends another Curves and was just visiting for the day, the owner added that, "he doesn’t want to make any of the women uncomfortable." To which, I piped up that he did indeed make me "uncomfortable." No doubt shaken by my audacity in bucking the "transgender" orthodoxy of San Francisco, the owner looked surprised. But I pursued the matter and came away with some interesting information.

According to the owner, it seems that Curves does not have an all-female membership, as I had formerly believed. Not in California anyway. Due to several lawsuits that ensued soon after Curves came to the golden state, Curves franchises in California were forced to make their membership all-inclusive. Before last week, I, and no doubt most of the other female members, were unaware of this policy and had we known, it’s safe to say that it might have affected our decision to sign-up.

I decided to write to Curves International about their overall gender policy and I received a prompt response. It seems that while Curves is "especially designed for women," they do not "discriminate against men." So, although women are the main customers at Curves, men are also welcome. And those who are somewhere in between can come on down as well. It’s one big happy family.

This scenario sheds light on an often overlooked aspect of "transgender rights"--women’s rights. That is, if real women have any rights anymore? For instance, it’s apparently okay for transgenders to use the women’s bathroom, changing room, locker room, and so on, but it’s not okay for women to complain about it. If they do, they’ll automatically be labeled "hateful" and "intolerant." Of course, transgenders’ intolerance for the 99.99% of us that subscribe to the old-fashioned concept of gender, is perfectly acceptable, but we’re all supposed to recognize their sexual dysfunction as normal. And don’t even get me started on the ridiculous pronoun pandering that comes with the territory. If the transgender in question still has a you-know-what, then as far as I’m concerned, he’s a "he." Enough said.

But discrimination against women masked as protection for transgenders is not only the rule of thumb in San Francisco, it’s the rule of law. According to the City and County of San Francisco Human Rights Commission, any resistance to transgender activity is labeled ''gender identity discrimination.'' This includes of course, ''the right to use the bathroom/restroom that is consistent with and appropriate to their gender identity.'' So in other words, all a guy has to do is put on dress and a little lipstick and he can walk right into a women’s bathroom for an eyeful, and claim ''gender identity discrimination'' if anyone complains. Memo to men: peepshow time!

Although I can only speak for myself, I think I can say with certainty that most women do not want to share a bathroom, locker room, and especially what they thought was an all-female gym, with a man--whatever his "gender identity." But it seems that us plain-old females have no rights, because transgenders and their view of womanhood take precedence. Forget pregnancy, childbirth, or motherhood, when it comes to transgenders, it’s the clothes, shoes, and makeup that make a woman.

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Note: Curves International wrote to clarify their gender policy and included the following statement: