Personal fitness instructor Josh Jones Forbes wasn’t always athletic.
As a gay man, he felt gyms and sports were often inaccessible to him.
"I was not a sporty kid," the 32-year-old Cleveland resident said. "I was always intimidated by the gym — definitely liked to feel well and to move, but didn't have a lot of outlets for that."
But during the COVID-19 pandemic, shuttered at home, Jones Forbes found solace in working out. He said physical health was essential to his mental health, and he wanted to share that passion with his friends and neighbors in the LGBTQ+ community.
"Most people have tried Planet Fitness once and didn't go back," he said. "Gyms like that are very gendered, and also there's a lot of gender performance happening."
So Jones Forbes decided to create the Out Fitness Collective, a gym created by, and for, queer people.
"I had this idea that we deserve our own space," he said. "Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be fancy, but has to have privacy."
Studies show that LGBTQ+ people are less likely to participate in school sports and get less physical exercise than their heterosexual counterparts, which can at least be partly attributed to fear of harassment or discrimination.
That's what Jones Forbes was hoping to address when he opened the private gym in 2022.
Located just blocks from the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland in the Gordon Square Arts District, the building's owner said she's proud to offer an inclusive wellness space.
"This floor used to be a doctor's office for the local neighborhood, so I really loved imagining what would a queer wellness space be like here," said Bridget Kent Márquez, who also runs Northwest Neighborhoods, the neighborhood's community development corporation. "This was the opportunity to support the creation of a space that can provide an important element of that wellness for folks."
Members can sign up for a time slot to work out in total privacy, or with Jones Forbes as a personal trainer.
The cardio room and a strength training room are outfitted with dumbbell sets, a cable machine, a rowing machine, a stationary bike and more. All the equipment includes QR codes with instructions on proper use.
Most of the equipment first came from Jones Forbes’ home gym, but he’s upgraded with donations from the community.
Those donations make it possible to keep the gym operating at an accessible, flexible price point for customers. The average cost of a gym membership in the U.S. is $65 per month, but patrons can work out at Out Fitness Collective for as little as $6 per hour.
"We're here in Cleveland, which has a high poverty rate," Jones Forbes said. "We have friends who would not be able to afford some of the boutique studios here in the neighborhood."
Jones Forbes said more than 200 people have worked out at his gym since he opened his doors. He currently has 75 members.
Those members don’t just include people in the LGBTQ+ community. Jones Forbes said they also cater to fitness novices, or people who are uncomfortable in a traditional gym, like 26-year-old Sariya Khansar, who identifies as a straight woman.
"I love the privacy about it because I get stressed out going to regular gyms because I just feel lost there," she said. "So I wanted a place where, you know, I do my thing and there is no stress of someone watching me."
Khansar said having a consistent workout routine has helped her overcome a decade-long eating disorder — and she no longer has anxiety about going to the gym.
That's the whole point of Out Fitness Collective, Jones Forbes said.
"I enjoyed sharing that passion with other people, but knew that we were short on spaces, especially for folks who are LGBTQ and don't feel that spaces are made for them, because they aren't," he said. "But this space is."
