A YMCA in Scranton, Pa. has banned mainstream media television channels from playing in the facility due to concern for the physical and emotional safety of its members.
The Greater Scranton YMCA's board of directors sent a letter to its members regarding the facility's new politics-free zone policy.
Mainstream media channels such as CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News are now banned from the facility due to "raised concerns about the safety, both physically and emotionally" of the members.
"Members said the ban came after some political discussions in the locker room turned contentious," the New York Post reported on Monday.
The YMCA spoke with a local Pennsylvania news station regarding the decision.
"It will definitely stop all the problems here, because that's what everyone's fighting about, about changing the TV channels. If they stop that problem, it won't happen anymore, no more fighting," Joshua Worobey told WNEP.
CEO Trish Fischer told WNPE, "I’ve been here three years now and I really didn’t hear much about this until six months ago. So, we just want people to feel welcome here and I think this might help."
Fischer said she wanted members of the YMCA to feel like a community,
"I think because this is a safe haven, and people want to come here and feel safe and feel part of a community," she said.
According to WNEP, "Members we talked to say the gym should be a place to work out your frustrations, not develop them."