I’m not mad, I just really need to get this off my CHEST. Recently, I met a new friend, and we got to chatting. They asked me that classic icebreaker: “So, what do you do?”
I told them I just launched a fitness app; one specifically built for queer people.
Their response? “Oh…what does that mean? Like, what is that? Are gay workouts different or something?”
And here’s the thing: they weren’t being rude. They weren’t trying to offend or come for me. They were genuinely confused; they just didn’t get it.
It’s not the first time I’ve had this conversation. It’s actually pretty routine when meeting new people. It usually comes from cis, straight people. And every single time, I get this internal twinge like, maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe I’m creating something that doesn’t need to exist. Maybe I’m just making it weird.
I start to doubt myself…maybe I missed the mark. Maybe there really isn’t a need for a queer fitness space. Maybe we’re fine just squeezing into what already exists.
And then every. single. time. I remember.
I remember that the reason they don’t understand is because they’ve probably never had to think about it. They’ve never had to worry if they’ll feel safe in a gym locker room. They’ve never wondered if their trainer is silently judging their body or gender. They’ve never had to decode if a space is actually safe, or just pretending to be.
Creating a queer fitness community isn’t about making workouts gayer. It’s not about rainbow dumbbells or Pride-themed protein powder.
It’s about making space.
It’s about taking up space.
It’s about building a room where you don’t have to shrink yourself down or mask who you are just to get through a set of squats. It’s about unapologetically showing up in your full self and feeling like you belong there.
And sure, our workouts might look like the ones on any other fitness app. Strength training. Yoga flows. HIIT circuits. But they come with something else: intention. Safety. Community. Celebration. Representation.
That’s what makes it different.
Creating a queer community is about taking up space - because we deserve to - and we should feel proud and safe while we do it. If you don’t understand, it’s probably not for you, and that’s okay!
