FAIR OAKS, Calif. — Hayden Glenn said he felt like he was being bullied at his gym after people found out he was transgender. With his background in sports psychology and as an athlete and health coach, he hoped to create a fitness center specifically for Sacramento's LQBTQ+ community.
"People found out that I was transgender -- night and day different experience," Glenn explained. "The staff went from being really friendly, like 'how's your day going?' and 'have a great work out,' to trying to push me out of the gym."
Based in Fair Oaks, Glenn is the founder of Relentless Performance Coaching, where he provides in person and virtual personal training services. He said he first noticed disparities among LGBTQ athletes while working on his master's degree in sports psychology.
"LGBTQ people are just so much higher at risk for anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, all of these things," Glenn explained. "Exercise combats all of those symptoms, but when you have a community that isn’t comfortable going to the gym or isn't comfortable even going to get healthcare services, you run into a really big problem."
He said it was a problem that he hopes to tackle by creating an LQBTQ+ friendly gym.
"Just so queer friendly and people who are in the same boat as you," Glenn said.
According to an online survey conducted by the Trevor Project, a national nonprofit focused on LGBTQ youth, out of 34,700 adolescents and young adults, 42% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
Glenn has started fundraising, with a goal of $50,000. He hopes to open in the midtown area in Sacramento to provide a full training space that is all positivity and zero judgment.
"We’re all here for the same purpose and with COVID, the mental health part is so important now," he said.
To help Hayden Glenn hit his goal, visit his GoFundMe.
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