CrossFit 'Researcher': LGBT 'Pride Is a Sin'

Russell Berger, a "legal researcher" for the fitness chain, defended an Indianapolis gym that canceled a Pride event.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

June 06 2018 8:51 PM EST

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May 31 2023 8:28 PM EST

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CrossFit's legal researcher, Russell Berger, was fired after making his dislike for gay people public, Buzzfeed reports.

Berger, a de facto spokesman for the successful fitness chain, initially spoke out in defense of an Indianapolis CrossFit location that canceled a Pride event with reasoning that appeared homophobic. In a now-deleted tweet defending the decision, Berger called Pride "a sin."

\u201cLooks like @CrossFit's @BergerRussell deleted that tweet so here's a screenshot icymi\u201d
— Chris Stedman (@Chris Stedman) 1528310424

Berger wrote more tweets: "Thank you #CrossFitInfiltrate for standing by your convictions and refusing to celebrate sin by hosting an @IndyPride workout. The intolerance of the LGBTQ ideology toward any alternative views is mind-blowing... The tactics of some in the LGBTQ movement toward dissent is an existential threat to freedom of expression... Thankfully I work for a company that tolerates disagreement. I have homosexual coworkers who I love and respect, and as far as I am aware, they aren't demanding I be punished for my views."

Punished he was -- CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman placed Berger on unpaid leave before firing him Wednesday evening. Glassman also gave an interview in which he called Berger a "zealot" who needed to "shut the fuck up."