New Class of 16 LGBTQ+ OUTAthlete Recipients Announced

16 LGBTQ+ young adults have been accepted into our OUTAthlete program which provides fitness memberships through The OUT Foundation. This is our largest class to date.It can be hard for many LGBTQ+ young adults to find a place where they feel comfortable participating in fitness, and The OUT Foundation’s mission is to remove the barriers that block individuals’ access and participation in health, wellness, and fitness to ensure their success.In service of that mission, we are continuing our OUTAthlete program and facilitating year-long gym memberships for a new class of 16 deserving LGBTQ+ applicants.“The nearly 5,000 small donations from our fitness events have allowed us the ability to facilitate this amazing program,” said Will Lanier, Executive Director of The OUT Foundation. “The support from members of the greater LGBTQ+ community and our allies is pivotal to the success of these young adults, and being able to harness that spirit of giving to set them on a path to health and wellness in an inclusive environment is why we do the work that we do.”After reviewing applications from a diverse group of 56 applicants and facilitating access to gym memberships through partnerships with local gyms, 16 recipients comprised of gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, intersex, and pansexual recipients ranging in age from 22 to 31 years of age across 12 states were chosen.The OUT Foundation works closely with our recipients to provide weekly goal coaching and nutrition counseling through Brave Fitness, three months of healthy meals from Kettlebell Kitchen, and more to set our OUTAthletes up for success.“I went out of my comfort zone to try CrossFit two years ago, and it has given me a second family, supportive coaches, and a place to feel welcome and comfortable,” said recipient Jordan Windham. “I never thought I would have the opportunity to be a part of something so much greater than myself, and it means the absolute world to me to be able to represent The OUT Foundation as an OUTAthlete.”This program would not be possible without the local gyms that have partnered with us to make their communities accessible to our recipients.  We want to thank CoCo CrossFit (Concord, CA), Trojan Athletics (Los Angeles, CA), Decima CrossFit (Littleton, CO), CrossFit Petram (Middleton, DE), CrossFit Waterside (Orlando, FL), CrossFit Defined (Chicago, IL), Invictus Fenway (Boston, MA), Easy is Evil CrossFit (Austin, TX), Rocket CrossFit (Seattle WA), Strive and Uplift (Seattle, WA) and Above and Beyond CrossFit (Little Rock, AR) for being examples of the generosity and inclusivity of fitness."CoCo CrossFit, like many CrossFit gyms, is a community - and that should mean all are welcome. Fitness is for everyone, and it's important for to us that our members know they are what makes our gym what it is,” said Brynn Brothers of CoCo CrossFit in Concord, California. “We are proud to support the LGBTQ+ community and have Jordan as an OUTAthlete. Hopefully this program will inspire other gyms to actively show that they are welcoming and inclusive spaces for everyone to come as they are.”The OUT Foundation accepts applications for the OUTAthlete program twice per year. Learn more about this program and the work of The OUT Foundation at www.iamout.org.