Lesbian Gym Lockdown: Submitting to the Gym Queen

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Ted married an Italian actress, Gina Cerrato, in 1953 (they had a daughter, also named Gina, a year later) and the couple ran the club with Gina’s right-hand woman, Smithy, a former member of the US Air Force from California. They turned it into a women-only venue in 1967. After Ted’s death in 1979, Gina kept the club running but its last night was in 1985. She died in 2001.

Whether you’re into strength sports, collegiate athletics, or plain old professional sports, Outsports has got you covered for your LGBTQ+ athletics news. From testimonials from queer athletes to fun stories like that of a lesbian weightlifting couple — who deadlifted in full bridal gowns at their wedding — Outsports will definitely give you some athletic feats to aspire to. LGBT SportSafe Inclusion Program There was always speculation about the relationship between her mother and Smithy. On her death bed, her daughter finally asked her about it. “I said: ‘People always ask me, Mum, and I hate to ask you but were you and Smithy lovers?’ And she said: ‘Everybody always assumed that Smithy was madly in love with me and that I was playing her along. But no we weren’t, and the reason for that was that Smithy didn’t want it.’ Strength sports are an excellent source of joy, empowerment, and confidence-building for so many people, not to mention the physical and mental health boosts a solid lifting session (or several) will give you. I recall him looking in through our lounge window and he saw us being affectionate towards each other. I believe that is when he started behaving in this way.Like many women, Shear is no stranger to rude—even crude—comments from men in athletic situations. She told me about a particularly unnerving instance from her early running days in New York. Powerlifter and co-director of Pull for Pride JayCee Cooper is responsible for extensive advocacy for trans and nonbinary powerlifters, as well as some pretty badass lifting. Rob Kearney Trolls aside, social media platforms have helped educate and promote positive messages about the LGBT community. I regularly see top gay female athletes – from Billie Jean King and Llana Kloss, to Caster Semenya and her wife Violet Raseboya – share their daily life with their fans, which includes talking about and sharing their relationships. For the young people following their sporting idols they will see what I never did: women of all different shapes, sizes, races and religions being completely at ease with their sexuality. Sarah and Maria explored several areas of the gym and even tried out a few moves on steppers before Jen finally asked the employee to take a closer look at the duo’s outfits. We didn’t even know how we became friends, let alone best friends. Attending anatomy classes together and spending long hours over big fat books inside an eerie library decorated with skeletons brings people closer. It helped that we both came from a small town and were staying in the same hostel. One day I told her how much I love drawing and would like to sketch her. She stared at me for long before agreeing to be by muse. But that came with one condition—she wanted to see me naked. She thought I wanted to draw her nude (and I didn’t correct her).

It is presented by Sandi Toksvig, who recalls her own visits to the club, and has interviews with former members. It is sharp, snappy, sassy and sexy – oh, and of course, very sapphic, too. The Gateways Grind, we learn, was a particularly popular dance there where tightly meshed groin action became literally orgasmic.The victims have had to move house following this. There was hostility at the time. It seems the defendant looked through their window and saw them being affectionate to one another."

It was only after a few days that we discovered what was going on—we were being called the lesbian couple. Someone in the hostel might have seen us stepping out of the bathroom. She was 13 when she discovered for the first time about the club’s clientele and purpose. “It was Sunday lunchtime and my mother and I were washing up after lunch. She said: ‘I want to talk to you about something because you’re going to hear about this at school. You do know what the club is, don’t you?’ I said: ‘What do you mean?It’s a club,’ and she said: ‘It’s a lesbian club, Gina.’ There are also several powerlifting federations that allow trans lifters to compete in untested divisions (so those taking exogenous hormones need not fear disqualification) or apply for exemptions to compete. Fitness fans Sarah Reilly and Maria Luciotti partnered with renowned body painter Jen Seidel for the social experiment at a gym in Baltimore, Maryland where they worked out with only body paint as their clothes. That’s some awesome painting work! As an LGBTQ+ lifter, you’ll give yourself all the mental health benefits of working out, which includes reduced stress, better sleep, and increased serotonin — not to mention that lift (see what I did there?) in confidence when you pull a heavy deadlift. Increased Body-Mind Connection/Decreased Dysphoria

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If you’re a trans bodybuilder or powerlifter in the US, the International Association of Trans Bodybuilders and Powerlifters is a lifting community and annual competition in Atlanta, Georgia designed just for you. The world’s first trans bodybuilding competition was hosting by IATBP in 2014, and (with a gap in 2020 because of COVID) hosts both bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions every October. The OUTFoundation isn’t a gym itself, but the LGBTQ+ fitness org can help you find inclusive gyms (and trainers) near you — both IRL and online. If you want to learn from and work out with LGBTQ+ trainers during the pandemic, The OUTfoundation is featuring Zoom fitness classesby different LGBTQ+ instructors each week (as part of a campaign that is called, naturally, #werkfromhome). The OUTFoundation’s inclusive gym locator will also help you find a queer-friendly gym near you, so you don’t have to take those terrifying first steps into a potentially queer-phobic club without having your homework done for you in advance. Neatly, it was a story in this newspaper about The Killing of Sister George and the club that persuaded Gina’s mother to explain.

When I went to other people’s houses I would find them extraordinarily suffocating and conventional. There’d be this ghastly father who was a boring old fart and a mother who was terribly uptight,” she recalls. “I was glad to go home to the laughter and fun. There was a lot more conversation, and I had a lot more access to my parents than my friends did to theirs. I could say what I wanted as well.”

As a transmasculine powerlifter — with a bunch of trans friends who lift — I know that the empowerment that comes from getting under a barbell that weighs much more than you is… immense. If you’ve lifted and have loved it, no matter your gender, you probably know the sensation of literal empowerment I’m talking about. For me and a bunch of trans lifting pals, strength sports create a connection with your body that is more about what you can do than what you can look like or what gender people assume you are. For me, lifting has massively decreased my dysphoria, which is another great advantage of lifting for trans folks. Community-Building When I was 12 years old my mum said to me: “Never be afraid to be different.” She was talking about dancing at a school disco, but those six words had an instant impact on me. Why? Because I felt different to other girls. From strongman training and the potential of losing gains during COVID, to lifting with chronic illness and ableism in sports, the Disabled Girls Who Lift Podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in forming a sense of community while unlearning ableist tendencies you might bring on the platform with you. The Queer Gym Podcast If you’re anything like me, you like learning about fitness… while you’re doing fitness (#HowLiftersRun). When you’re figuring out what strength sports podcasts to listen to, navigating the terrain can be tough — there’s some low key transphobia, homophobia, and misogyny out there. The following podcasts will give you excellent strength sports stories and tips, all while providing your daily dose of queer joy. The Queer Fitness Podcast