No Judgment Fitness by White Center is no ordinary gym.
“Do you want a donut?” I asked owner and trainer Sophia Walker, and she presented a pyramid of cake to two of her clients and myself.
Sometimes the donuts exist, but more importantly, Walker created a space for people who didn’t always feel safe or comfortable in the gym.
“There is a group on Facebook called Seattle Queer Exchange, and a few times a month, trans and non-conforming people are posting, begging for a safe place where they can work,” Walker said. Because they are in the weights area. People don’t really like cameras, they don’t like lip licking, they don’t like questions about upper surgery, and they don’t want to be watched about the locker room they go into. They want to feel safe in the shower. Why are these things so difficult? “
About six weeks ago, Walker opened No Judgment Fitness and already has over 50 clients.
“I wanted a place that puts transgender and non-gender compatible people first and also [prioritize] Walker said. “I wanted a place where there were no weight loss challenges, and it wasn’t possible before and after pictures of you. And I didn’t want mirrors because when you lift weights, one of the important factors is to have a double chin. Once there are mirrors, people stop doing it, And you could end up hurting your spine. There are no mirrors I can find for something safe.”
Lauren Shea hasn’t been to the gym in years.
“I was talking to my therapist recently and I said, ‘I really want to go back to a place where I find joyful movement with my body,'” Shea said. “I’m recovering from an eating disorder, I’m trans and non-binary, I’m gay, and gyms have been, historically, unsafe places. Too much for me. Talk to me about, like, “How much is your goal to lose weight?” And I’m like, I’m not trying to lose weight. I’m just trying to move my body.”
Since then, Shea has taken quite a few lessons with Walker.
“I think I cried three times during our first session together,” Shea said. “But it was out of gratitude for creating this space where I felt safe. I felt like playing. Sophia is, like, the best human publicity and I just love being able to come in here and be myself, have a really fun time, and I’m getting really strong and seeing The difference, from one category to the next, feels great.”
Walker’s goal is to make the experience as inclusive as possible.
“It’s as accessible as I can get,” Walker said. “I currently have one client in a wheelchair who comes in. Gay arms is a really accessible class because you don’t use your lower body.”
Yes, there is a class called Lesbian Arms.
“So, Lesbian Arms is just an arm day, it’s going to be arm and core,” Walker explains. “It seems to me that everyone, regardless of gender or sexuality, really loves the look of a lesbian arm. You know what that is! You picture them now. Those arms are incredible, I want them!”
She also has direct, gender-balanced clients.
“The cis women’s experience seems to have been a very sexual and presumptuous experience
Because they are in that space, they are available. A bunch of my clients have been photographed, and too many of my clients have been hit. So, it seems like the straight woman experience really wants to come somewhere where she can exercise and be about herself rather than for the enjoyment of everyone else out there.”
But back to the cakes! The No Judgment Fitness logo is a pink donut with some missing bite.
Ultimately, my philosophy on fitness is to quote Oscar Wilde, ‘No smoking and no drinking doesn’t make you live longer, it makes you feel longer. “I’m not doing this for not eating pizza either. I’m doing this so I can have pizza,” Walker said. “Action and denial, that makes absolutely no sense.”
Walker wants fitness to be accessible to everyone, so she’s offering a limited number of free classes to those who can’t afford them, funded in part by donations.
Listen to Rachel Belle’s James Beard Award-nominated podcast “Your Last Meal.” Follow yourlastmealpodcast on Instagram!
