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SAFE SPACE: ‘Queer’ Gym Removes All Triggering Mirrors

   DailyWire.com

A California gym dubbed “America’s first queer gym” is garnering much attention in recent days for their super-progressive decision to remove all mirrors from the premises. A fantastic move, since we all know how triggering reflections can be.

The gym, called The Perfect Sidekick, not only has a strict no-mirrors policy, but the ultimate safe space also hosts events like “Taco Tuesday” — known for its effectiveness in weight loss among the fitness community — and makes certain each trainer knows a user’s “preferred pronouns” before directing any workouts, which I’m sure come with trigger warnings.

Like if you’re coming!!

A post shared by The Queer Gym (@thequeergym) on Mar 21, 2017 at 1:01pm PDT

“Our mission is to make happy, healthy homos, and yes, straight people can come too,” says ​founder Nathalie Huerta in a promo video for the gym. “We provide a safe space to work out with a community that gives a damn about you. Since 2010, we’ve been providing fitness coaching to over 150 queers and allies. So, if you’re looking to get swole with a bunch of homos and homies, you’ve found the right gym.”

We popped @fatchancecoaching’s cherry today! Shout out to everyone that came to her first class at the queer gym.

A post shared by The Queer Gym (@thequeergym) on Apr 16, 2017 at 10:12am PDT

The locker-rooms at The Perfect Sidekick are, of course, non-gender specific; all are welcome to strip down: male, female, two-spirit, agender, transgender, third gender, or [insert made-up gender here].

The LGBTQ gym has worked tirelessly to make their members feel fully included at their facility, as opposed to “normal” gyms, which have a rigid “one size fits all” approach, notes Vice in a feature on the fitness center:

For people who may already feel excluded or marginalized on a day-to-day basis, the heightened aesthetic and physical pressure of massive gyms may end up exacerbating those feelings. That’s part of why The Perfect Sidekick has no mirrors—by de-emphasizing the aesthetics of fitness, the gym cuts down on that physical pressure.

Additionally, The Perfect Sidekick permits all their trainers to undergo “sensitivity training,” “covering topics like preferred pronouns, asking for permission to touch another’s body, and tweaking gendered terminology to be more tolerant.” For instance, instead of using the patriarchal term “man-maker,” coaches will use the term “homie-maker.”

I kid you not.

“Gyms like The Perfect Sidekick are hoping to bridge that gap in awareness and inclusivity,” gushes Vice. “It’s a heavier issue than you may think—one that demands you pick it up, bear its weight and learn to embrace the slow burn of inclusivity.”

H/T Red Alert Politics

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