This “queer gym” for LGBTQ people is so amazing and so necessary
Sometimes we just need a little good news, so we’re majorly feeling this INCREDIBLE step in the right direction. Based in Oakland, The Perfect Sidekick is a queer gym, and it’s the actual stuff of dreams. A gym for LGBTQ people, TPS is creating a necessary space for marginalized folks that is so much more than just a gym. It’s a safe space, and it’s also a space to learn. We’re so here for this.
One of the main reasons this ROCKS is because it shows that gyms and small businesses can really make a difference in the world.
"I have always thought that everyone should be individually responsible to open their minds and do what they need to do, but now, with all that’s going on, TPS has shown me that it’s important for small businesses like gyms to do their part, to be responsible and open-minded and to create safe spaces for transgender people.
The gym has a huge sense of community, and is so focused on empowerment.
Morales continued,
“[The gym] has offered me something that no other mainstream gym has been able to: a safe place to lay down the stepping stones towards the body and life I've always wanted while being surrounded by the warmth of the LGBT community.
As an added bonus, the gym hosts a regular “Queer 101” workshop to help make sure all trainers (and curious gym attendees) are in the loop.
TPS founder Nathalie Huerta explained to SELF how hopeful the team is that this gym can really do something new and necessary. One way they do that is by hosting a workshop. Huerta explained,
“The whole point of Queer 101 is to create a space where anyone can ask any question they have, bring up issues they’re curious about or that they think are not appropriate. The meeting is a safe place to ask those questions and the more questions people ask, the more the conversation gets going and the community becomes visible.
We’re so, so here for this! All of the love for this ah-mazing gym.
