Becky is a Horsham-based female personal trainer who aims to create a safer space for a variety of people accessing her services. As a commitment to this, she recently undertook some CPD to improve her LGBTQIA+ inclusion…
Pride Month may have ended for another year, but the work to make our spaces safer and more accessibly is a year-round activity. During June, I had the opportunity to attend a training session run by Brighton-based Proud Wellness, and I thought I’d share some of the things I learned…
Allies in Action
Proud Wellness’s mission is to ensure that every LGBTQIA+ person in the UK has access to inclusive, affirming and accessible wellness services. As part of this, they provide training for those who wish to improve in this area. Educating ourselves about what we could improve upon and how is important for ongoing development, particularly given that the fitness industry is historically poor in terms of accessibility and inclusion.
The first training that Proud Wellness offers is an introduction to what allyship is, and some basic advice on how to make our spaces safer and more inclusive. I’m pleased to say that my knowledge in this area was already reasonable: I’ve been able to learn some key lessons about allyship within my personal and professional life, and head already incorporated some simple practical things within my business. It was great to have some key takeaways affirmed, and for some new tips to be added in.
Key takeaways on allyship and inclusion
It’s often said that, when it comes to the Trans community in particular, cisgender people (those of us who align with the gender identity we were assigned at birth) tend to assume that inclusion can be distilled simply to pronouns and bathrooms (similarly, people mistake the only issues pertaining to those with a physical disability as ramps and bathrooms – we all seem quite hung up on bathrooms…), but this really isn’t the case.
Frankly, those of us who haven’t lived as a Trans person, or had a close personal relationship with one, cannot come close to understanding the litany of issues that Trans people face on a daily basis. Being Trans is incredibly challenging, and it also isn’t a fun recreational life choice that people make for the sake of it. It’s really important to understand that, and have compassion for the fact that so many things that are straightforward and often taken for granted by the rest of us are not so simple when you are Trans…
At the same time, Trans people aren’t the only ones that we can and should aim to support. As allies, we have to look at the broader picture of inclusivity and safety when working to become a safer space. That language alone is key: to call yourself a “safe space” is a big, definitive statement. Whilst we may think that our space is safe, we sadly can’t fully guarantee it, as we aren’t always in control of who enters our space and what their thoughts and feelings are. This was something that I found important to learn – I can declare myself to be a “safer space” comfortably, but to say that I am a “safe space” carries a level of risk.
Something that I’d already learned, and bears repeating, is that one of the biggest things that we can do is not make assumptions. Gender identity doesn’t necessarily link in the way we would expect it to when it comes to someone’s name or appearance – it’s ok to ask (respectfully!) how someone would like to be addressed and what their pronouns are (mine are she/her). Additionally, sharing your own pronouns as standard can help someone to feel safer. Again, you may think that your pronouns are obvious, but we play by the rule that no assumptions are made, and that people can change their mind; sharing your pronouns at an opportune time ensures that we are clear on how to refer to each other, and accepting of what someone else may say. It makes a statement, as well as offering clarity.
Allyship: where do we start
One of the most important things to bear in mind is that, whilst you may well get things wrong, particularly when you are learning or making changes, that isn’t a reason to not try. We all have to start somewhere, and the most important thing is that we do start, and that we keep going.
A great example of this during the training was a discussion about the acronym LGBTQIA+: I had learned a couple of years ago at a different talk that this was currently regarded as the most up to date and inclusive acronym. Many of us have grown up being familiar with previous iterations though, and the facilitators patiently explained that, with the embrace of increasing identities, we are now best using LGBTQIA+, rather than other versions.
If you’re looking to increase your own knowledge, the course I did will soon be running as an online event – you can find out more details here. I’d recommend this as a good step for all fitness and wellbeing professionals – you never know who is going to request your services, and being prepared with knowledge of how to welcome and accommodate people will absolutely increase your confidence as a practitioner.