(Trans)forming fitness
Intersectionality as a framework for resistance and collective action
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5285390 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Deniece Bell (University of Toronto, corresponding author), Saidur Rahman (0000-0003-0002-8997, University of Toronto), Rebecca Rochon (0000-0003-0125-7564, Florida State University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Pages | 944782-944782 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2624-9367 • E-ISSN: 2624-9367 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fspor.2023.944782 |
| PMID | 37564917 |
| OpenAlex | W4385282687 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 36 |
Fitness is a lifelong pursuit, yet many LGBTQ2S+ 1 individuals are averse to group fitness or experiences in big box gyms. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual fitness programs offered the potential to facilitate opportunities for the greater inclusion of such individuals and the chance to connect, collaborate and advocate for a change in who and what defines fitness. Justice Roe, owner of Fit4AllBodies, utilizes the term fitness industrial complex to provide a framework to discuss the problems of exclusion. His explanation supports research documenting that bodies that are not "the norm", defined by ableism, classism, (hetero)patriarchy and racism, fueled by white supremacy, are oftentimes viewed as "less than" in the fitness and recreation world ( 1- 3). Applying an intersectional framework, this article explores the possibilities for transformative collective action in fitness communities that removes barriers and challenges the injustices that contribute to racialized LGBTQ2S+ individuals feeling unwelcome. With the need to shift to virtual training spaces as a result of a global pandemic, and the rise in the public discourse surrounding racial injustices both on and offline, a sense of belonging and community is important, especially among groups that often face exclusionary practices, such as racialized LGBTQ2S+ community members. These individuals are at greater risk of losing opportunities to access fitness programs that can provide immense health and psychological benefits. What could an intersectional perspective on resistance in sport look like? Using the example of LGBTQ2S+ access to online fitness spaces during the prolonged global COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020, we suggest that explicit coaching education and intentional communities, centered around social justice, are needed to address the historical roots of systemic oppression, accessibility, and social constructs tied to fitness
Ableism · Collective action · Intersectionality · Oppression · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Racism · Resistance (ecology · Sociology · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Gender Studies · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sport and Mega-Event Impacts · Sports, Gender, and Society
Fit for Postmodern Selfhood
Black Skins, Black Masks
Fitness Culture
Toward a queer inclusive physical education
Sport and Social Exclusion in Global Society
Intersectional Microaggressions and Social Support for LGBTQ Persons of Color
Healthy cities and instrumental leisure
Game to play? ’
Gendered spaces
Awakening to Elsewheres
When Black + Lesbian + Woman ≠ Black Lesbian Woman
Getting Physical
Who We Are and From Where We Speak
On misogynoir
Other" Knowledges, "Other" Critiques
It's Just Safer When I Don't Go There
Fitness and the Postmodern Self
Learning from the Outsider Within
People have a knack of making you feel excluded if they catch on to your difference
Queering Sport
Body Lessons
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |