Meet the Trainers Creating Safe Fitness Spaces for Trans Gym-Goers
It’s been 10 years since Harry Nicholas transitioned, but he still feels anxious whenever he walks into the gym. Those anxieties were still present when he attended London Pride Ride, Misfits’ biggest LGBTQ+ group fitness event to date, held at 1Rebel gym in Victoria.
‘I had the usual jitters you get when entering a new space for the first time, but I also had trans-specific anxieties – things like [wondering if] the showers are private, or whether others will judge my body shape and visible surgery scars,’ he says. He needn't have worried. ‘From the moment I entered, I instantly felt safe and like I belonged.’
Warranted or not, gyms have a reputation for being intimidating places – hyper-masculine, elitist. But in recent years, many spaces have been working to change perceptions, whether via one-off classes (such as Psycle’s accessible spin class for the deaf community) or long-term initiatives (Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, aimed at closing the gender fitness gap).
For many LGBTQ+ folk, however, there are still barriers keeping them out of the gym – from childhood trauma and bullying, to anxieties around gendered spaces, such as changing rooms. Out For Sport, who are part of Sport England and champion LGBTQ+ access, found that one in four queer people identified ‘negative experiences of sport in school’ as the reason for avoiding exercise in adult life, with one in eight LGBT people say they avoid going to the gym because of fear of discrimination and harassment.
Misfits wants to change that. Formed by the charity Not A Phase and ‘powered by Nike’, this collective of fitness professionals delivers training, wellbeing and self-defence programmes across the UK. It’s a vital resource for its gender-diverse members, who want to move their body and feel safe while doing so.
The London Pride Ride brought 40 trans people together from across the country. Part spin class, part queer rave, riders were treated to an energising set from DJ Xzan – best known as the resident DJ at queer party space Galpals.
‘The class space was really cool,’ says Nicholas. ‘It was dark, much closer to a club vibe. And just like in the club, I appreciated the anonymity of the space. I felt like I could mess up or slow down, or speed up and nobody would notice or care. The darkness was freeing.’
A Community of Misfits
There’s a real sense of camaraderie through the Misfits sessions, says Dani St James, chief executive of Not A Phase who co-created Misfits alongside husband and trustee of Not A Phase, Alix Maddison Anson-Jones. ‘Our goal was to give people a place [in which] to develop their confidence, and we hope people leave with a belief that they can achieve anything.’
Matt Williams and Megs Mason are the Misfits trainers who led this year’s Pride Ride. Williams started working with Misfits as a yoga teacher. ‘Knowing how anxiety-inducing it can be navigating life as part of the [queer and trans] community, yoga and meditation felt like a perfect tool to offer,’ they say. Mason, meanwhile, is keen to ensure everyone has an opportunity to achieve their fitness goals, without their bodies being critiqued or judged, ‘because the benefits of exercise are life-improving.’
Gender dysphoria (a feeling of distress when one's gender identity doesn’t align with one's assigned sex) is often exacerbated in gym spaces. ‘Providing a safe space, where we can encourage growth and reconnection with the body, can help break down those barriers,’ says Mason.
‘Gyms and sports in general can also be very hyper-masculine, male-dominated and very binary spaces,’ says Williams, adding that the lack of judgement at Misfits extends not just to one’s gender identity, but to one’s fitness ability too. ‘As trainers, it’s our job to make sure everybody feels seen and looked after in our classes.’
Simple Acts of Allyship
As well as being a Misfits member, Nicholas is also part of West London Warriors, an LGBTQ+ touch rugby team. He says being part of the team has played a pivotal role in his life as a trans man. ‘Since physically transitioning, I've managed to return to sport – but only thanks to LGBTQ+ specific sports groups who welcome trans people, are understanding of these barriers,’ he says.
Many trans-masculine folk go through gender-affirming procedures such as ‘top surgery’, which is the removal of chest and breast tissue; others work out wearing binders, a compression vest that flattens the chest. Additionally, some people may feel more comfortable in gender-neutral locker rooms. A general awareness of these experiences is something all gyms can help to implement.
At the Pride Ride events, Nicholas describes feeling a sense of ease and belonging. ‘I used the male changing rooms. There were a few trans guys in there and it was quite nice to see people with bodies like mine – people with chest scars and hairy bodies, bigger bodies,’ he says. ‘It felt completely normal. It was nice not to feel like I had to hide my scars or put the towel around my waist to hide parts of myself. I could just be as I am.’
For the remainder of 2024, the Misfits events calendar is stacked, with free classes across the UK throughout, including introductory sessions for trans swimmers in Bristol, ‘Mindful Movement’ classes in Brighton and self-defence classes hosted in the Nike store at Battersea Power Station.
But outside of these spaces, the situation can seem less optimistic. When the US gym chain Planet Fitness announced its inclusive locker-room policy earlier this year, it received a number of complaints from members. This intensified when a member who posted a photo of a trans gym-goer online was banned for violating the gym’s mobile device policy, which prohibits taking photos in the changing rooms.
In the UK, gym chain David Lloyd recently had to clarify their position on trans members’ access to the changing room that aligns with their gender identity, after claims in 2019 that members would have to produce a gender recognition certificate to gain access. The chain has since confirmed that trans people are welcome to access the lockers rooms of their choice.
Trans people’s accessibility needs may make their experience unique, but what’s evident from Misfits’ events is that a shared passion for movement and self-expression has the power to transcend boundaries of gender and sexuality, and remind us of our shared humanity instead.
Find out more about Misfits and Not A Phase here, and check out their full calendar of UK events.
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