radical allyship

If you’re tuned in to the building crescendo of chaos and destruction coming at us like a daily tsunami from the current U.S. Administration, it is very clear that nobody is safe from their wrath.

Anyone who is an immigrant, part of the LGBTQ community, or who is not white or wealthy is not new to this reality, and these communities very much remain in their crosshairs. But the latest policies and DOGE cutbacks now also include a lot of folks who may have never been targeted like this before: seniors, veterans, children, people with disabilities, those that suffer from chronic illnesses, park rangers, government workers, scientists, teachers, union workers, the list goes on…. The dismantling of our systems of support for not only the most marginalized and vulnerable in our country, but people of all kinds, is in full swing.

📷: (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times), (Linda F. Hersey/Stars and Stripes), Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, David Zalubowski/AP

This is why the HANDS OFF!, Fighting Oligarchy and other resistance marches and demonstrations are so urgent right now. These are urgent calls to action that require all of us to come together and stand as allies united in common cause of resisting this Administration’s blatant cruelty and destruction. The pervasive myth that we must remain divided and defend only our own or risk losing what’s ours is a ruse. The greater our numbers, the more power we have to dismantle the forces that seek to keep us apart.

Protesters attend a "Hands Off" rally to demonstrate against President Donald Trump on the National Mall, on April 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 📷 Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

We know that coming together can be even harder at times like these. One of the most basic human urges is to seek comfort and safety among our own. But it is now more than ever that we need to find ways to unite. Division has always been a tactic for domination and destruction of the communities that are most marginalized. Coming together is the only way of creating a solidarity that can defeat even the greatest forces of monopolization, oligarchy and dictatorship.

This April and beyond, we are focused on exploring and celebrating radical Allyship. Allyship has always been a core principle of our community. It is no accident that we aren’t called THEM or even US. We are EVERYBODY by design, because we understand that it will take ALL OF US to change systems that are rooted in oppression, cruelty, violence and domination. 

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RADICAL ALLYSHIP IN OUR SPACE

You may be asking a fair question: What does it really mean to be an ALLY? Our social contract talks about this in our fifth Guiding Rule for membership:

“5. Be aware of the privileges that you carry and how these privileges affect your experiences. This may be new for folks who have never had to consider what it means to be part of a community that not only includes, but centers, people who are marginalized. This is an opportunity to become an ally. An ally is a person who acknowledges, accepts and understands their privileges as things that are not universally experienced and who strive to create equity among those who do not enjoy those same privileges. It is critical to our community that allies of all kinds are a strong and supportive part of the culture we are collectively creating.”

— EVERYBODY SOCIAL CONTRACT

Everyone who enters our doors is given our Social Contract. Available at our Front Desk in English and Spanish.

Of course there are many many ways to be an ally to a diverse community such as EVERYBODY. We like to say that people tend to be an ally in one or multiple ways to our community since there is so much diversity represented in our space. 

Gender Neutral bathroom signs and locker room at EVERYBODY, ALL BODIES are welcome on-site and at our off-site events.

Allyship can also sometimes be awkward. It can be hard to accept the allyship of others who don’t share your experience as a marginalized community and trust that it is genuine. Building this trust takes time.  Folks who are new to understanding their privileges (male privilege, white privilege, cisgender privilege, able-bodied privilege, to name a few) also may have trouble sharing space with people who they fear view them as not part of the “real community” that they think is intended to be served.

They may feel defensive about their participation in a diverse community. They may not yet have developed the skills to look beyond their own ‘main character syndrome’ and understand how they can best serve a diverse community in their role as ally. They may make mistakes, and react with hostility or impatience instead of listening and leaning into the vulnerability of no longer being in the majority.

‘Brave Space’ vs. ‘Safe Space’

There is a lot of opportunity for growth in this kind of vulnerability. There is so much room to grow and learn and expand your sense of who you are and how you engage with others who don’t share your identical experience. These moments can be milestone moments, sometimes dressed in the most banal of human exchanges.

I’m thinking of the numerous times we’ve had members feel too awkward to ask to work- in with other members who are on machines and come to us for assistance, or in some cases mediation. It can feel so charged to ask someone for something as simple as more space to work out within, or to share the space equally with.

It prompts the questions:  Who deserves to take up space here? Why do some people feel comfortable asking for that and others would never dare? How can we create a community where everyone has the tools to ask for what they need and not feel like they are intruding or excluding by doing so?

Inclusive signage in our space and on social media. ‘Know Your Rights’ Red Cards are available at our front desk in English + Spanish.

We encourage you to dive a little deeper into these questions this month. We will be talking with members about allyship and would love to hear from you about your experiences sharing radically inclusive space with each other!

After all, besides simply being a gym,  EVERYBODY is a radical place to practice sharing space that we don’t get to share outside our walls!

TRANS AWARENESS MONTH

November is Trans Awareness Month and Nov. 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance.

On these days where we remember and honor those who have come before us, we pause to acknowledge how far their lives have taken ours. Especially at a time when their very existence was discouraged and denied. We honor their legacy by recognizing all the services and access and language and visibility that we enjoy today as beautiful gifts they have given us. May we honor the privileges we enjoy of being and becoming who we are even as we face forces that continue in vain to try and dim and extinguish our beautiful and eternal light. 

brief HISTORY

Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999 by a small group, including Gwendolyn Ann Smith, Nancy Nangeroni, and Jahaira DeAlto, to memorialize the murders of Black transgender women Rita Hester in Allston, Massachusetts, and Chanelle Pickett in Watertown, Massachusetts.

Remembering Rita Hester and Chanelle Pickett

VIA Transremembrance.org: What began a quarter century ago continues today. Activists and organizations around the world work collectively and independently to honor and remember our dead. We share names and stories, talk to loved ones, scour news and police reports, and build networks in our communities. Still, the work is never done, and the list is never complete.

Black trans women are more than the victims of anti-trans violence; they have always been at the forefront of the movement – building community, advocating for policy change, and organizing to protect our rights. Read more here.

90’ TRANSITIONING TBT

A note from Sam, EVERYBODY Co-Founder: In 1998 I remember standing in a line and then sitting in a row of chairs for up to five hours or more to be seen in a clinic on “Transgender Tuesdays” at the Tom Waddell Clinic in San Francisco.  This room was a sanctuary for people like me seeking care that was not yet available anywhere else. 

Tom Waddell Health Clinic in San Francisco

I remember how it felt like such a gift that the only cost was the endless wait. This was only made bearable by the gorgeous array of people in the room. Everyone shared their beauty tips and pointers for how to pass, where to get surgery and who to avoid. The jokes were nonstop, the comments searing and riotous. The stories were heartbreaking and hilarious in equal turn. The range of lived experiences in the room was vast and there were huge chasms of privilege between so many of us and yet there we were together, all in desperate need of the same free services the City of San Francisco was openly providing us. What a time to live through. I’m so grateful for this experience.

‘Transgender Tuesdays’ highlights the personal stories from and services provided to the Trans Community during the 1990’s at the Tom Waddell Clinic in San Francisco.

Today I want to honor those people who shared that room with me, 25 years ago as I know so many of them are no longer with us. We have lost too many of our elders far before we should have. Too many have been victims of mental illness and  forces of violence beyond their control.  And some of us live on, still fighting, still pushing forward and insisting on a more inclusive world. Sabel Simone Loreca (pictured below) was there with me in that room then, and I’m so grateful to still share space with my beautiful sister today.

Trans Community Advocate and Personal Trainer Sabel Samone Loreca

Thank you to Trans Advocate, Activist, and EVERYBODY Personal Trainer Sabel Samone Loreca for continuing to build and fight for safer communities, access to gender affirming health care, and resources for our Transgender community since the ‘The Bad Old Days’ of the early 90’s . Please follow Minority Aids Project and G.L.A.M.O.R. MAP for more.

TRANS AWARENESS MONTH & BEYOND

We are Trans and Woman owned and actively hire within the wide spectrum of our Queer and Trans communities. We are currently connecting with local orgs in ‘Red States’ to offer free online programming to Trans youth in need while locally continuing our sponsorship program for Trans folks at the Gym. We will also continue to support LGBTQ founded and focused orgs including Pink Haven Coalition: community defense, mutual-aid, and alternative systems of care for gender diverse people, Border Butterflies Project: an arm of the Trans Law Center assisting LGBTQ+ asylum seekers at the U.S. Border, and Miry’s List: assisting new arrival refugee families.

Border Butterflies Project

When we first opened our doors in 2017, we faced similar circumstances to the ones we find ourselves in today- a government taking power that openly opposes and blocks access to care for so many in our marginalized communities that are in struggle and need: the trans community, the immigrant community, BIPOC folks, disabled folks, survivors of sexual abuse, the elderly, the list goes on...

We will continue to show up for all our communities in need, to provide safe harbor and access to resources for hope, strength and resilience. We will continue to offer opportunities for our community to explore and expand relationships with our own bodies as sacred, inspired, whole, and a source of connection to all beings everywhere. May our movement practices deepen our compassion for ourselves, for each other, and provide a gateway to our own refuge and recovery.

May we continue to shine for our ancestors, transcestors and for each other, always.🏳️‍⚧️