Gender identity can be an awkward topic to broach, but it is absolutely necessary in 2026. Some people are unaware, and others are avoidant. It is one thing to say your business is inclusive and another to embody the meaning. People who don’t fit into boxes defined by culture can feel the difference between a sign on the door that signals inclusivity and a tone lurking beneath the surface in a fitness setting.
Health and wellness professionals steward physical health, which means mental health is intertwined. While we aren’t mental health counselors, we need to be mental health advocates. There are many factors beneath the surface of mental health, such as illness, access, awareness, literacy, stigma, stress, and identity. Identity includes many factors, including race, gender, sexuality, class, age, ability, and religion. Each of these factors can be defined as privileged or marginalized. That is a topic for another time, but in short, it refers to advantages or entitlements that are awarded by the dominant culture. This marginalizes minority groups.
The Professional’s Challenge: Moving from Resistance to Inclusion
When I recently facilitated a group discussion on gender identity in a room of wellness professionals, I was met with both acceptance and discomfort. Some people expressed their love for all humans, but also expressed disinterest in the details behind gender identity. They indicated that it didn’t feel necessary to discuss or examine the nuances. This is fair, and yet I wonder if it stemmed from discomfort.
Named acceptance without adequate education can feel and seem dismissive. Especially when people express binary gender identities and sexualities that cause uninformed judgment and unfair treatment. As health and wellness professionals, we need to understand someone’s identity in the same way we understand their cancer, depression, or grief. Not as mental health counselors, but as compassionate listeners. The path to comfort around these topics often involves education and a willingness to discuss what feels uncomfortable.
As fitness professionals, we don’t need to be experts in every biological concept to foster inclusion. We do need to be experts in human connection. Resistance is often just a sign that we are being asked to stretch our perspective. When we move past that discomfort, we create an environment where every body feels safe enough to focus on the movement, rather than worrying about their safety or belonging.
Gender Equity and Identity: Two Unique Topics
Amanda Vogel, MA, raised the topic of Gender Equity in 2018. Years later, Staff (2022) stated, “Forty-seven percent of men surveyed who work in the fitness industry are in leadership while 36 percent of women are in leadership.” These articles stick to a binary view of gender (male and female) and do not explore the multidimensional identities that exist. The only other major industry article in the past decade to approach this conversation from a sexual identity standpoint was Being LGBTQIA+ in the Health and Fitness Industry by Jen Kates in 2023. All of these topics matter. Why are they not closer to the surface and part of the public conversation? Perhaps discomfort is at play again.
Gender Identity 101: Education as the Foundation
When a human is born, they are assigned a gender based on their genitals. This is called sex assigned at birth. This sometimes aligns with gender identity (which is a choice), but it does not account for the actual chromosomal makeup of that human body. 1-2% of people have chromosomes that create genitals that appear somewhere between a penis and a clitoris (these are the same tissue in utero). This is the same number of people who have the gene for red hair. This percentage is noted as being rare, but is it? Especially for someone living with the discomfort of being confused and criticized by cultural norms. The Gender Unicorn is a fantastic infographic that broadens your awareness of the five different channels related to gender. Where do you fit into each of the five?
Trainer’s Action Plan: Fostering an Inclusive Space
How do you translate this into your daily training practice?
Here are four actionable steps:
Be Curious and Courageous
Plenty of information is available to educate you about gender identity, sexuality, and pronouns. Study the Gender Unicorn as a starting point if you haven’t already. Contemplate how you identify in these five different categories. Once you have a foundation of information, be compassionately curious with people who are different than you. Don’t expect them to be your mentor and comprehensive guide, but be willing to ask one or two mindful questions, such as, “When did you realize you identified that way?” or “Would you tell me more about that?”
Normalize Pronouns
Include space for preferred pronouns on your intake forms. Consider introducing yourself with your pronouns when you meet a new client (e.g., “Hi, I’m [Name]; my pronouns are she/her”). It signals that you recognize that identity is not something to be assumed. Name tags and Zoom titles can also reflect this awareness.
Focus on Function, Not Gender
Audit your cues. Instead of gendered language like “ladies, let’s tighten up those glutes” or “guys, let’s build some chest power,” shift to functional, anatomy-based cues like “let’s engage the posterior chain” or “let’s focus on chest strength.” Use words like “everybody”.
Create Inclusive Facilities
Ensure your facility policies—especially regarding changing rooms and restrooms—are clear and communicated. If your space has gendered restrooms, consider making them gender-neutral or single-occupancy to minimize stress for clients who may feel vulnerable.
Closing the Discomfort Gap
It may not be possible to eliminate all of the discomfort when it comes to this topic, but taking small steps toward awareness, education and change make a huge difference out there. Being on the mission of spreading health and fitness requires an open mind so that the reach can be far and wide and so that everybody can have access. Get the conversation going with people in your community and be okay with expressing your discomfort and vulnerability toward topics that are touchy for you.
References
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/embryo-tales/intersex
