From football to Cher workouts, the pain and pleasure of getting physical

Nov 13

Nov 13 From football to Cher workouts, the pain and pleasure of getting physical

As part of our Telling Tales programme we are encouraging LGBTQIA+ people to develop stories about their experiences of sport and physical activity. Sport isn’t the easiest subject for me. I had a bad relationship with it when I was a kid, which was most definitely related to my queerness.

segregated changing rooms — **Segregation**

From junior school onwards I had always identified more with girls and most of my friends were female, so any sports that involved gender segregation would fill me with dread. Without my friends I was isolated. Team sports just seemed to emphasise that I was different and not like the other boys.

I had no idea how to play football and would usually spend most of the match wondering what was going on, visualising Mary Poppins in the clouds above my head. I was never actually told the rules of the game and didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I found it a humiliating experience.

And then there were the changing rooms. I hated to have to undress in front of other boys, who seemed to relish the opportunity to prove their masculinity by getting their kit off in front of each other. I remember one boy joking about how I would try to cover myself up. In hindsight I should have questioned him on why he was so keen to get a ‘full frontal’ view of me (oh the irony, rolls eyes!).

I became more fearful of boys and physical activity - I couldn’t ride a bike, play sport or swim (but I could do a cartwheel!). I’d rather spend time sitting at home watching the Golden Girls, eating Cornettos than playing out in the street. The puppy fat grew and made me feel more self conscious. I still have body issues from my experiences.

So why am I asking people to develop stories on the theme Let’s Get Physical? Because I know it’s a really important part of growing up and interacting and one of the first things that we have to do where gender really starts to take centre stage. like myself, many queer and trans people experience humiliation and exclusion due to the way we gender segregate and teach sports but I know that there are many others who have positive stories to tell. And for me, It’s not that I didn’t enjoy physical activity - I was dancing like a badass in my living room - I just didn’t have the right outlet to express my physicality.

And now you can’t stop me moving. I practice yoga and calisthenics, l’ve been to aerial classes, climbing ropes and hanging from a trapeze and if I’m not at a circuit class I’m skipping in the yard or doing handstands in the living room. It all started in the early 90s when I bought Cher’s workout VHS video and I’ve never stopped moving since. You see I am actually great at physical activity. I just needed someone in a see-through unitard with big hair to show me the way.

So if you would like to develop your own oral story about getting physical, book your place for our online Telling Tales workshop. Places are limited so hurry.