Ep. 20 - Gender-affirming fitness with Syd Young
#20 Meet this episode’s guest, Dr. Syd Young!
Syd (they/them) is the proud owner of OutWellness, Austin’s friendliest and most inclusive wellness center and gym.
Syd has a doctorate in physical therapy AND a passion for creating safe spaces for queer people to address health and wellness needs. Um, more of that, please!
Hear how they’ve created a safe fitness space plus catch their call to action for allies.
You can reach Syd on Instagram @outwellnessatx and via the OutWellness website: outwellnessatx.com
Resources mentioned in this episode:
OutYouth
Everyday Trans Activism is a production of Parents of Trans Youth, a social impact business providing learning, support, and community to parents and caregivers of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse kids.
Host Mandy Giles (she/her) is the Texas parent of two transgender young adults and a fierce advocate for trans kids, their families, and the transgender community.
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
Mandy: Hey y'all and welcome to Everyday Trans Activism. I am your host, Mandy Giles. My pronouns are she/her, and I'm the parent of two transgender, young adults and the founder of Parents of Trans Youth.
Today's guest is Syd Young. Syd uses they/them pronouns and is the owner of OutWellness In Austin, they have a doctorate in physical therapy, and they are a personal trainer.
They also have a passion for creating safe spaces for queer people to address health and wellness needs. Syd, welcome. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today.
Syd: Oh, yeah, I'm so excited to be here.
Mandy: So as you know, this podcast focuses on people who are working for trans rights and trans equality in their own way. And it sounds like you are doing that in your business. So I wanted to hear more about OutWellness, what it's all about. And I just want to know.
Syd: Yeah. Thank you for the very broad question. I appreciate being able to let my thoughts linger. Yeah, so OutWellness we're based in Austin, Texas, and Texas is a very restrictive state in terms of just being a trans person and so as the Texas legislation got more and more restrictive on trans existence last October we decided to take a larger stance on creating a safe space for trans folks just because it felt more and more important as the legislation, so like, you know, it was like an inverse relationship.
So we created trans masc workouts which are a safe space for trans folks to come work out at no cost and create community. We've since built on that. That was about, that, we started those about two years ago. So now we have a trans femme workout as well. And now what we're trying to do is incorporate kids into that, and so once a month we're doing, like, the last Sunday of every month we're making the workouts inclusive of all ages in hopes that, you know, I think it's so cool now to see trans elders because, you know, or queer elders even, just because they don't really exist because of our history or lack thereof.
And so I think it would be really cool for young people, young queer people now to see like, you know, I would, maybe I'm an elder to somebody, you know, like whatever that looks like. And so just creating community in that way. But yeah, a lot of what we do is community building and creating safety.
We do, we're a health and wellness center. So physical therapy, personal training, massage, acupuncture, with the hope of adding on more services as we continue to grow. But the real goal is that everybody feels safe and affirmed coming into the space.
Mandy: wow, I want to go. I, that all sounds really good. Okay. Now I have so many questions. Okay. How about, let's start with, tell me how you make a safe space like you or what does that look like in the fitness and health wellness space?
Syd: I think that's a really good question. And I think there are two big things that we do. One is physical and literal safety. And so we have doors that automatically lock everybody needs their own code to get in. And so, you know, literally making it a physically safe space for queer and trans folks to come, I think is really, really important.
And then beyond that and maybe a little bit more nuanced is what we do within the space. So day to day it's little things like checking in on people's pronouns, checking in on the names that they use, things like that. Just like periodically, like just makin' sure, you know you know, I changed my name not too long ago.
And, but it's also things like I I'm a big believer in authenticity. And so like when you told me you don't edit this podcast, for example, I was like, great. Like, that's actually what I prefer because I'm a big believer in being authentic. And so I'm a bigger body, I'm a bigger body queer person who really likes to move my body and like it doesn't always feel good It hasn't always feel good felt good I've been ostracized in plenty of communities for the way that my body does or does not move. And so I think I take that and put it into making people feel not that way in this space and just validating all of the things that people are coming from.
A lot of times people most of the time people are coming from other places and they're like this just didn't feel good or this wasn't right, especially queer people and especially people in bigger bodies they go to other places and they're like, okay, of course you want to lose weight and they're like, Actually, I don't like that's not a that's not a goal of mine.
And and so the health and wellness industry as a whole is very like fat phobic queer phobic, and so this space is specifically designed to not be that way. And I would say the main way that we do that right now is pulling from the lived experiences of the people that work here in creating, in like changing our space to not be like the others.
Mandy: I can see how that's especially important for queer and trans folks coming from places where they are not comfortable. And like, that sounds really good to me as being a cisgender straight person, as someone - I'll get a little personal here - as someone who is learning about like intuitive eating and, and the whole diet industrial complex and everything, you know, maybe that's not everybody's goal to lose weight.
And that's, doesn't have to be the marker of, of being healthy. So that in particular hits home for me. And I can imagine that, that, that would be very comforting to a lot of people that that's not drilled in at OutWellness the way it might be in other places.
So, so yeah, I can imagine.
Syd: Yeah, I mean, I actually don't take clients whose only goal is weight loss. Yeah, I, it's just a tough one for me and I, and the reason I don't take them is because I don't think I'm the best person for them to reach that goal.
I, and I try to shift it, right? Like, I'm like, okay, well, why do you want to lose weight? Is there something that you can't do? Because you, because of your weight, is there something that you want to be able to do? Like, like, what are we working towards? And if we can put a more functional goal to it, I'm in. Like, I'm like, let's do this. Let's, let's work towards this functional goal. But what I've learned about myself, somewhat from past trauma, and like gaining and losing weight myself. And also just in the way that I function as a professional, I'm just not the best fit for those people. And they exist and that's great. And I have great referrals for them. But I am not the best person for the people who are exclusively working out to lose weight.
Mandy: Mm hmm.
Syd: Yeah which is, I mean, fun to know about myself too, right?
Like, I, I, you know, I do much better with the people who maybe losing weight is one of their goals, and I think that's totally fair, but they want to be strong, they want to play with their kids, they want to go play pickleball, they, like, whatever it is that they want to do, right? They want to just be generally healthier and happier, they want to explore moving their body for the first time.
Like, what, there are a million things, right? So if losing weight is one of those things, I think that's appropriate. If it's the only thing I think it can get a little bit sticky.
Mandy: And it sounds like when you dig a little deeper, okay, well, if you're doing that so that you can, like you say, play pickleball or whatever it is,
Syd: Exactly. And then if we associate it with function, then our objective parameters also shift. So instead of being like, well, you need to step on the scale every morning or you need to measure your body, or like, whatever it is, we can be like, Hey, how many times did you play pickleball this week? And how did your body feel when you did it? And, you know, like, it turns and then we, like, shift this whole thing. And then hopefully in the process, movement actually becomes really fun and meaningful, instead of just, something that we have to do to meet this number goal that is pretty much meaningless.
Mandy: So tell me about, you said the trans masc and trans femme workouts, are they, are they different than I guess, what would you call it? Like mainstream workouts or or how are, how are they different? Are they different? Is it just more, tell me because they sound really cool.
Syd: they are really cool. I am super passionate about this. I, I say every week at these workouts, I think it's the absolute coolest thing that we do. And I, I really mean it. The community is just so special and meaningful. So, and I could talk about that for a long time, but the workouts, Yeah, they are different.
So I find that in the trans community at large, there are a lot of times body goals that are associated with a social or a medical transition. So for trans masc people or trans men, usually they want a bigger chest, they want a bigger upper back, and they want to kind of slim down. They want to be less wide, right? So they don't want as big of hips. They call it the Dorito shape. So if you can kind of picture that so so those are the things that we generally focus on. I will say I, so I run these workouts, I will say they are not exclusively that. I still want to teach people how to be well-rounded people who go to the gym outside of OutWellness. And so we also like, do stuff with barbells and I teach them new movements and all of those things. But those are definitely the body parts that we try to gear towards to try to help with dysphoria.
But I, I think the biggest thing about both of these workouts is the community building. We have a big Discord with everybody in OutWellness. So whether you go to these workouts or not and just the way that people interact with each other. It's so fun. Like, they got together and went out for somebody's birthday the other night. Like, it's just a very fun community, and I think that is the most important part of these trans masc and trans femme workouts.
Like, so for the trans femme workouts, we do a lot of lower body. We build hips. We build a little bit of abs.
Mandy: Mm-Hmm
Syd: So, body-wise, we're working a little bit of different muscle groups, for sure. But really, the overall goal is the same, and that's to move our bodies in meaningful ways, with like-minded people, in a space that we know is safe.
And I think this, this safety that we've built, and worked really hard to build is the reason that we've been able to build the community. So I actually think that's the most important part of the workouts, and I think a lot of people would say that. Like, it's a good workout, but like you said, I mean, you can find a good workout a lot of places. Like, this is certainly not the only place you can find that. But this is the only place where we say this space is for trans femme folks. So if you're a trans femme or an ally, Welcome. But understand, if you're an ally, you're in the minority here. Like, we are catering to the trans community here. And I think that was a really important sticking point as we were thinking through how to run these workouts and what to call them and like all those types of things.
We want the trans people in the room to feel like the majority. And we want them to feel like this workout is for them. And everybody else who comes is like, maybe I'm figuring it out. Maybe I'm gender nonconforming. Maybe I'm nonbinary, you know, like we're, we all know gender is a huge spectrum and we do not have time for that right now.
But yeah, I, I mean, the community is just the big point. And I think it really shows how large the gender continuum really is because if you just look at a picture without knowing a lot of the people who come to these workouts, you would be shocked at who shows up to these trans masc workouts. But it's people who are learning what about what trans masc is for the first time. It's about people who are two days on estrogen and came to the workout for the first time and built community. It's people who have transitioned two decades ago. Like it's people all along this spectrum who like find community in the same place and I think that's really really beautiful.
Mandy: And I know that is so needed. And like you said, I think the safety part is huge. I mean, my gosh, having a locked door is just that I think is, is huge and I'm sure a large attracting item in, in the space as well. So I know that you also have I don't know if it's, if it's PT or wellness services pre and post-surgical care, is that part of the, the workouts or is that something separate? Tell me a little bit about that.
Syd: Yeah, so that's separate just because they almost always require a little bit more one one-on-one care sometimes pre-op the workouts feel really good. But it kind of depends where the person is starting and what their goals are post-op. So, sometimes the trans masculine or trans femme workouts can be appropriate pre-op, but post-op it's a lot of one one-on-one care because their needs are just so specific at that point.
But yeah, so I do pre and post-op care for top and bottom surgery for trans folks. And that looks really different depending on the person, but it's a lot of scar tissue massage, it's a lot of regaining range of motion, and it's a lot of talking. It's a lot of, like, top surgery is a great example of this, actually because people get top surgery, trans masc folks get top surgery, and they're like, I want to do a million push-ups. I want to do as many pushups as I possibly can. You know, and I'm like, Hey you can't raise your hand above your shoulder right now. You're not doing pushups. Right. So like, it's a lot of like, the euphoria is real.
Mandy: Huh.
Syd: I get, I sometimes like get emotional talking about it because it's truly like one of the most incredible things to be able to like, especially when I see people beforehand and then like, seeing them after as well is incredible.
But it's a lot of like, hey, your body is not ready for this. Like, let's just take it a little bit easy and, you know, like work through this together. So some, a lot of it is like scar tissue mobilizations and range of motion, and then slowly building back into strength. And the other part of it is like, let's not go too fast.
Let's let's let's take a beat. Let's enjoy the process. Let's enjoy your euphoria, you know, and then we can like slowly get back into it. But yeah that's probably the the biggest thing that I see is is they come in they're like two weeks post op most of the time when I see them and they're like they're like, I'm ready and like your restrictions for what you're allowed to lift aren't even removed yet.
Like you can't, you know, so it's just, it's very funny and endearing. But yeah, so I do a lot of that care as well.
Mandy: Do you have to have any kind of specialized training or does it exist out there? Cause I, I talked to someone in Houston who provides a similar service and it, but, but it sounds like it's just few and far between. So I wonder if that's something that you have put together yourself or is there training out there?
Syd: I, you don't know this about me. And I'm about to blow your mind. You didn't know to ask this, but I'm doing two things in this regard, because the answer right now is no, and I think that's completely unacceptable. I'm a big believer in, like, our community having all of the same things as our not-queer counterparts.
So I'm doing two things. I am working with a gender-affirming care, primary care physician. And we're creating PT protocols for all of the gender-affirming care surgeries. So there are a lot of protocols that exist that surgeons will give to the client and the client will take home and do.
PT protocols are actually for the PT and in the orthopedic world, which is actually my background. Yeah, so my background, I did my residency and my fellowship in sports and orthopedics. And so what happens is like, if you tear your ACL, for example, you can Google “PT protocol ACL” and there are like 18 different protocols that come up and you can just click on one and the PT can download the PDF and know exactly in weeks zero through four, these are my goals. And these are the exercises I'm allowed to do. And it goes through the entire, the entire thing. So that's what we're doing for gender-affirming surgeries.
So that's the first thing that I'm doing. And then the second thing that I'm doing is I'm working with Texas State, their PT program,
Mandy: Texas State University?
Syd: Texas State University. And by the way, I will tell you what I'm doing, but huge shout out to Texas State because they are, a public Texas school and we are creating continuing education classes right now for gender-affirming care, but we're also in the process of creating a residency program for physical therapists and gender-affirming care.
Mandy: Wow. Oh my gosh. That blows my mind. Oh, yay.
Syd: and it's a year, that's a years-long process and it requires lots of funding and they have without hesitation taken on quite a bit of the load just because of like what it requires and we had a really honest conversation at the very beginning about like them being a state school a Texas state school and like what would that look like given the all the stuff that's happened around DEI, you know,
Mandy: Yeah, exactly. Does that, So how does that work around our DEI law?
Syd: So they chatted with their head counsel, their legal counsel, and apparently gender doesn't actually fall, gender, and I think they said sexuality as well, don't actually fall into that language explicitly. So like when they say diversity, equity, and inclusion at least in the Texas State, part of it.
They were like, you can kind of do whatever you want. And I was like, okay. And then the head of the PT program was like, I will fight tooth and nail for this. Like, this is something that I very much believe in. So I will say huge shout-out to them because this is not something that I would ever be able to do on my own.
Like I definitely bring passion and I definitely bring like, like I'm a workhorse. So I'm like, give me the stuff to do. Like I will happily do it. But, this is something that you cannot do without the backing of, of an educational institution. And so the fact that they were so, I mean, so they brought on like three faculty members that are now part of the team too.
So like it's very, very cool. So the answer is no, the long-winded answer to your question is no, there, you don't need a specialization to do this yet, but hopefully as we get some of the stuff off the ground people will be, people will be able to specialize because we can specialize in a lot of things and I think this should be one of them.
Mandy: Oh, definitely. Can you imagine just the, just having kids who have needed that care in the past to know where to go or to know someone to say, okay, they have that certification, that training or whatever. And like, okay, good. I'll go to them. I know that they're doing the right thing rather than just some rando who's like, what? Oh yeah, sure. You can start doing pushups now. You can't lift a milk jug, but you can, you know Yeah, exactly. Oh, that's so cool. Okay. So how many hours do you have in your day? Do you have more than the average person that you can do all this stuff?
Syd: Yeah you know, I feel like when I say yes to things I do feel like I have more hours in the day. Yeah but I listen my job is my passion project and I I take on a lot because I care and I really want to serve this community in a meaningful way. And like, while I do believe that I'm doing that through the work that I'm doing, I also believe that we can move the needle more.
And I think educating the next round of healthcare professionals coming up is the best way to do it. You know, like I can get information out to current, current healthcare professionals, but I'll be the first one to tell you that we are kind of unwilling to change at a certain point, you know, we’re kind of set in our ways.
And so these people in school still who are being forced to change and learn. and so I think, I think that's where we go. And if it means a little bit more work for me right now for better care for my chosen family down the road, then I'm in.
Mandy: Oh, it's going to be so cool. So tell me what was the timeline for that? Do you have one yet for how the rollout?
Syd: Kind of, yeah. So, so the continuing education course should be done. I just finished doing the content and then the Texas State folks get it into, like, education jargon, basically. So hopefully that should be done by, like, fall-ish time. That's not super time-consuming at all to do. Yeah. I mean, the part one of our education is language.
It's, like, what are the definitions of all of these things? Pronouns, using the word queer, you know, like, very basic things. And I was, like, I'm just pulling from my life like it's you know, you know,
Mandy: Yeah. Yeah. Cause that's a huge part of affirming care too that people I think maybe don't understand and especially, well, this is a whole other subject, but especially when talking about kids that that gender-affirming care in quotes doesn't have to mean surgery. It can mean, like you said, like knowing terminology and having your name used correctly and having your pronouns used correctly. So I think I interrupted you, go on.
Syd: that's okay. I I will say I will finish your question, but I have a lot to say about that, too so that should be done by the fall and then the residency will take a few years. I actually just had another PT reach out to me who is doing research. She's at another educational institution and she is going to use her research to try to propel the residency forward a little bit more, which is super cool.
So usually it's a three to five year process to get the residency approved. I'm hoping because I am a very I don't want it. It's not loose cannon. What's, what's the word where like, you know, you just annoy people.
Mandy: I'm trying to think
Syd: Squeaky wheel. I'm a squeaky wheel.
Mandy: A nice positive way to say that. Okay.
Syd: Yeah, I'm a squeaky wheel. I'm hopeful that we can get it done a little bit faster but it's a years-long process with a lot of like research components to it.
So that's more of like a long-term goal. But in the shorter term running these continuing education classes, getting it out to bigger corporations like the Baylor Scott and White. Like I've done talks with Baylor Scott and White before but it's like, hey take this continuing education course instead and you know like getting it out to as many people as we can hopefully getting in into like PT schools and med schools and just making it part of curriculum I think is really important.
But back to what you said about gender-affirming care. That I could not agree more. I and I talk about this all the time I actually when I first started I actually had the words gender-affirming care in my on my website, Because I fully believe that's what I do. And I actually had a lawyer, a queer lawyer, reach out to me and say like, I really think you need to change this language.
And it turned out he was right. I was really upset, but he was right. But yeah, so he reached out and it was right before all the stuff with the Texas lege started happening. And he was like, he was like, you are just going to have to be really explicit that you don't treat minors. And I was like, well, I do treat minors.
And so like, it just got a little bit convoluted and like, I don't want to say that I don't treat minors because I do.
Mandy: Got it.
Syd: And when I talk about gender-affirming care, I'm talking about exactly what you were saying, like, What's your name? What are your pronouns? I'm going to use those exclusively.
Do you want to try out something here? This is a super safe place to do that. Like let's talk about all of these things, right? And so like, when I talk about gender-affirming care, especially in minors, a lot of times that's what I'm talking about. It's just the safety of the space and of course puberty blockers and all the things which are super valid, but like just in terms of what I do I think it's mostly that, and I think that gets lost in translation often which is really sad because that's, you know, I think the most important thing and the reason why we're putting such an emphasis on language in the continuing education course is because I think you can be a quote unquote exceptional PT or anything, and if your interpersonal skills are bad, you immediately become bad.
And so, and, and I think the opposite is true as well, to be honest with you. Like I, I've seen PTs who I'm like, I'm not super sure about your skills, but like they talk like, but they relate to their clients and they get people better. And it's just,
Mandy: Mm hmm.
Syd: one of those things where. Of course, like, there is a certain competency level that I am assuming all of the people in this analogy are, are at, right? But I do think interpersonal skills are huge and I think they're not harped on nearly enough in the medical profession and language is just such a big deal.
Mandy: Mm hmm.
Syd: Yeah. So I think that's a huge part of gender-affirming care.
Mandy: care Yeah. Oh, I have so much to say. Okay. So that's really interesting that the lawyer reached out to you and that was probably very smart, even though y'all both knew like, okay, you're not providing medical care or the medical care that's been banned in Texas, which for those who don't know, is puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries for adolescents, for children under 18.
And so any provider of that care, that's what's under the bill. So that was smart so that you wouldn't get, you know, criminalized. Even though, yeah, you wouldn't, anyway, yeah, you don't want, you don't want lawsuits. You don't want to, you don't want to deal with all that.
Syd: Was the thing that he was saying. Yeah.
Mandy: because even though you're in the right, if someone accuses you of that, then you would have to sue, Oh my gosh, it would be tied up forever.
I mean, you'd probably help us like win and all that. You don't want to, do you want to be that person? I don't know.
Syd: Yeah. God, that's, that does seem like a little bit of a tall order. I guess if, I guess if somebody would represent me pro bono.
Mandy: I might have, let's talk after the podcast. I might have some names of some certain organizations that could help. Okay. Okay. I think also the whole thing about gender-affirming care for kids, just using their name. And that can be as a, from a parent perspective of the, a battle that we go into any space, but especially places that base your records on legal names. Or some kind of school records or whatever.
Like one of my kids was going to a consultation for a gender-affirming procedure and it was at a children's hospital and one of the things that this hospital does is when the child comes in for anything, they'll write your name in crayon on the exam table paper. And so we walk in and there's my child's dead name on the paper.
We were like, the, Oh, the irony of the situation. They were able to laugh. We actually thought it was sort of hilarious, but not so much. And so I ripped off the paper, threw it in the trash and went out and was like, listen, you people, this is what we're here for and you get my kid's name right. So. So I would imagine that's the kind of thing that you would do in the all ages class for the kiddos. Have you had many kids come, tell me what the, the reception has been for that class.
Syd: So we actually haven't
Mandy: Oh, oh,
Syd: it yet. It starts the end of this month. No, that's, it's great. Yeah and it's really cool because OutYouth, OutYouth is in the middle of a big transitional moment right now, but once they get settled I believe starting next month we're gonna work together to get some kids out into those spaces so I imagine that as with anything it's going to be a little bit of a slow start.
And then once kids, a couple of kids start to come and then they tell their friends and then all of a sudden, right. And then it grows over time. And yeah, and the hope is like, we have a little bit of like a mentorship, like an unofficial mentorship program going on where some of the elder queers have taken on a mentorship role to some of the younger ones that are coming right now.
And so you know, like they're like, Oh, we went and got coffee. And, you know, I told them about a little bit about my journey and I think it's just really important that kids see the older versions of themselves thriving and not just surviving, but like thriving and like hearing about their experiences.
So yeah, the first one is at the end of this month and then, so I guess this upcoming weekend and then there'll be every last Sunday of the month from there on. Yeah.
Mandy: that'll be great. Okay. Well, after the podcast, then I will hook you up with some other organizations in Austin so you can get the word out.
Syd: That would be great.
Mandy: think not it's, Oh, that's good in so many ways to have that mentorship, to see people who are older than them and see the future and see the hope and hopefully meet other kids too.
Cause parents ask me that all the time. How can my kid meet other trans kids, queer kids, whoever, just to have that peer support and then of course, being able to move their bodies and for health and and everything that, that you had talked about earlier and just and positive, safe space. So that is really exciting for sure.
Syd: Yeah, it is.
Mandy: Yeah. I was wondering, kind of backing up, I probably should have asked you this at the very beginning. How, how did you start your business and where did it, have you always been in Austin? Tell me, tell me your story.
Syd: Yeah, so I grew up in Austin. And then I went and I played college tennis in Connecticut. And then I went to grad school in San Angelo, Texas. And then I came immediately back to Austin and I started working for a big like pretty stereotypical physical therapy clinic, like what you might imagine it to be like.
And I was there for two years, and I did my residency and my fellowship while I was there in sports orthopedics and manual therapy. And while I was there, I, just saw a lot of um, general mistreatment of all marginalized groups. And I'm not going to say it was just queer people, although that was, so we saw a lot of queer people and a lot of Spanish speakers, and so I am a queer person and I was also the Spanish-speaking PT at that clinic.
So I was directly involved in a lot of those scenarios where doctors were, like, misrepresenting information because they couldn't understand the client, or Or, you know, like, queer people, like, I, I tell this story all the time, so, anybody who's heard me talk literally anywhere has heard this story.
But there was a, there was a trans masc person who was seeing a coworker of mine who had disclosed to me his gender identity, but not my, my coworker. He was there for shoulder pain. He had had top surgery like three weeks before that or something. And I was like, that is probably related. Like, you know, that's very, like, I was like, you should probably tell him. So he ended up not telling him. And so we do this some, some PTs, but me and my coworker both do dry needling. And so on the consent form, it asks if you're pregnant, because it's one of the contraindications to doing it.
And my coworker did this thing where when anybody who he assumed to be male he'd be like, Oh, like, Oh, like, of course you're not pregnant. Right. And so this trans masc person, like literally had to educate him on like, why it could it be possible that he was pregnant. Right. And so like, it was just this whole huge, like cringey mass. And then he took off his shirt and like, his scars were there. Right. So like, it became
Mandy: hmm.
Syd: right, yeah, and I just was like, man, this person disclosed their gender identity to me, like, immediately, right? And so, like, what can we do so that that's always the case, so that people always feel safe enough to do that?
And so, after my two years there, honestly, I was really burnt out. And I was like, I can't, I can't be in this system anymore. And I had a garage gym at home and I was like, I think I can do better. Like, I think, I really do. Like, I think I can serve my community in a really meaningful way. And so I did.
And I, I just started treating people out of my garage gym. Started out small and built. I was there for almost three years in my garage gym. And then we just moved on June 17th into 1900 square feet which is where we are
Mandy: Oh wow. So that's recent. Okay. Oh wow.
Syd: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So now, yeah, we have almost 20 times the amount of space that we did before.
So we can offer a lot more, do a lot more group things in air conditioning, which is really beautiful.
Mandy: Yes. Mm
Syd: Especially in Texas in August. Yeah. And so yeah, but that's, that's very generally like how, how I came to do what I'm doing now.
Mandy: what a story. And, you know, that makes me think of my next question of what advice would you have for people who want to work for equality and like you said, equal access, equal opportunities for the queer and trans community? Not necessarily, you know, on the steps of the Capitol with a megaphone, but people can do that too, but doing what they can with what they have. Do you have any advice for people wanting to get started?
Syd: I will say, I, I maybe have advice, but I will say that if you believe in equity and equality for the trans and queer community, you absolutely should and have to be at the Capitol at least sometimes supporting your chosen family when it matters. So, I, I'm a very big believer in that we need vocal allies.
And if you're not a vocal ally, you're not an ally. And I believe that wholeheartedly. So I do believe that absolutely we need people at the Capitol. We need people showing up and even if it's just showing up and dropping a card, right? Like we're not asking everybody to put in 11 hours at the Capitol.
But even if it's just coming and hugging your chosen family or, you know, what, whatever you can give at the time. I will say I personally am not the best at those types of things. I usually leave pretty emotionally drained, but I'm there. And I think it's really, really important to, there's strength in numbers there.
So I will start by saying that. And I think, I really think it's important to just jump in. I was actually just talking to somebody about this. I think wherever you start, you always feel like you're in the middle. Like it's never like, Oh, like this feels like a natural starting point, like, I'm just gonna start here.
Like, I certainly didn't and don't feel that way. I think, and I think another thing is that like it's okay to be wrong and it's okay to mess up. And I think that's a common misconception in our community is that like we're asking for perfection or we're asking for like all of these things that feel unattainable and I, I don't want to speak for the whole community, but I think I can speak for a lot of the community when I say that's not what we're asking for.
We're asking for good intent and we're asking for safety. And safety comes from feeling seen. And so like when people misgender me, which happens often like I know their intent is good. I don't expect people to get it right a hundred percent of the time and we just move on and everybody's happy and it's fine.
And so I think being willing to mess up sometimes shows us you're an ally and you're willing to make the mistake and you're willing to be corrected. And I think that's really important.
Mandy: You know, someone, I think it was even, they might've even said it on this podcast that you have to get it wrong to grow. And that is a hard thing for really anybody to do, or, well, let's say those of us with perfectionist. Qualities or flaws or however we want to say that tendencies that like, Oh, you don't want to make a mistake.
You don't want to offend anybody and it comes from a good place. But like, even parents that I talked to, like, maybe don't use their kids name or pronouns at all because they don't want to mess up. And I mean, that's, that's a little bit of a different subject, but you, you, you have to, like you say, just jump in.
I think that was a really good way of putting that, that there's no real starting point that, okay, see, this is what you have to do first. This is what, and then you could do this and then you have to go one, two, three. It's like the river is flowing. You just got to jump in. And definitely, I'm glad you said that about showing up at the Capitol.
For sure in Texas and in any state really where there are these anti-LGBTQ laws, specifically laws against trans people and trans kids, because you know they're coming in this next session and sometimes the Capitol building is not a safe space for trans people or at least I know a lot of people don't feel safe there and so that's where I think allies can step in, like you said, they, if you're an ally, you need to speak up and need to be loud because that was going to be my next question of what allies should do or can do.
And. I mean, that, that is so important I mean, you can put a rainbow thing around your profile picture in June, but if you're not taking action and actually doing something to, to extent of your ability, like, not everybody lives near Austin and can't drop everything, but you can submit written testimony.
You can give your testimony to somebody else to read or get a proxy or something or, or just tell people when those things are happening. because it's important for us to speak up and so that queer and trans community are not shouldering that whole burden themselves. So I think that's really
Syd: yeah, I mean, I think that's the most important thing and also vocal allyship shows up in ways outside of that as well. I think the biggest one in, in my personal life is like when people misgender me, my partner has this great quality where she will immediately use my name and pronoun, my correct pronouns in the very next sentence.
And it's a very gentle way to correct people. And she does it every single time. No matter where we are, no matter who it is, every single time. And, it is, it's such a relief to not have to correct people all the time. It's so nice for somebody to take that on for me, and I think that's a really awesome way to be a vocal ally and one that's really, really needed. Because you're showing somebody that you're willing to like, have a little bit of an uncomfortable conversation with somebody. So that the person doesn't have to, right. And so I think that's really important. And so yes, vocal allyship is certainly showing up to the Capitol and I don't want to diminish that at all.
But like also day to day, there are ways to be a vocal ally and show up for this community. And so like, I don't just want it to be like, Oh, well it only happens at the Capitol, right? Like it happens all the time. And I think, I do think showing up and being vocal is absolutely the best way to also start treating this community.
Like if somebody is looking to, I don't want to say target, but like, engage with this community in their work or like in something that they're doing being a vocal ally is absolutely the best place to start. And that's essentially what I've done is I've just like, yeah, I sh I was showing up at the Capitol, but like, we've gotten feedback on our trans masc workouts that people have been upset that I have allowed gender nonconforming, nonbinary, or femme presenting kind of people in these workouts.
And I made a very public, very public, in our Discord, but very public statement about, not policing bodies and not policing genders, and like, this very, very public thing. And you would not believe the responses that I got from our community. They were like, I didn't even know I needed to hear this, but I needed to hear it or, you know, like whatever it was.
I actually did it because I wanted to make sure that the person who heard this feedback felt supported and like they were welcome in this space. So I didn't do it for any kind of feedback, but like even just being vocal in saying like, I don't police gender and I don't police bodies. If you are a person who is like, I want to come to a trans masc workout, I believe you that you're, that you should be at this workout.
Like, I
Mandy: Huh.
Syd: can rest assured that if you're showing up to something called the trans masc workout. You probably belong here, right? So like I think there are a lot of different ways to be a vocal ally and I think it takes a lot of practice but I by far and away that is the most meaningful way to interact with this community
Mandy: You know that, gosh, that makes me think of even if you're not in a a space, or if there's not an opportunity to make a big proclamation of whatever it is, like, this is what happens in this space, whatever, just that, that believing people and, and believing that they belong where they say they belong. I think that's huge.
And that's so it shouldn't be huge because it's so fundamental. And that's like, God, the root of, I think so many things that are going on right now and our legislature and the schools and blah, blah, blah. But yeah, just believing that like, okay, Hey, you come on in to the trans masculine trans femme.
Great. Come on in. Or just to not police other people's bodies or decisions or identities or whoever they say they are. And it's so simple. Can't? Why can't everybody just do that? No, it solves so many things, wouldn't it?
Syd: Right and like what my main point in all of that is that gender is a spectrum right, so like just because I look this way, like, I have, I've been very vocal about, like, I, I am, like, comfy in the nonbinary, but, like, I actually think nonbinary is an anchor, and I, like, maybe lean toward transness, depending on the day, right?
Like, like, I'm somewhere on the spectrum, and I don't know what the anchors are, but, like, you know, I, I will say that I lead the trans masc workouts, and I feel better in that community than I have in any community ever. And, like, I don't know if that makes me trans, but I certainly love this community and think I belong there, right?
And I think a lot of people are similar, where they're, or they're like, I can't medically transition because I have these other things going on. Or they're like, I just want to socially transition and try it out. Or I'm two days on T. I don't know yet. Like, there are just so many ways to be all of the things that, like, who am I to arbitrarily say, like, You know, like who, like, what am I, the Olympics?
Like you have to be transitioned for however long to be able to come to this workout. Right.
Mandy: Oh
Syd: And so, right. And we
Mandy: Yeah. Oh my gosh.
Syd: but but like, yeah, we just don't police bodies. We don't police genders and they know what the workout is called and if they want to come anyway, I can safely assume that they belong there.
Mandy: Yeah. Oh, if only it were so simple in the rest of the world. Oh my gosh. This has been such a wonderful conversation, Syd. Thank you so much for your time. Okay. If people want to find you find OutWellness where should they go? What should they do? What are you promoting right now?
Syd: Yes. Well, our Instagram is OutWellnessATX. Our website is OutWellnessatx.com we are in south central Austin right by Cosmic on Pickle Road and St. Ed’s, so that kind of area so if y'all are in town stop by say hey. I answer well yeah, I try to answer all the Instagram DMs. I'm, I'm like okay at it, but DM us, get in touch whether you have an idea for something you want us to do, you have questions about what we offer, anything like that really just here to serve this community at large.
So whatever we can do to support folks in that I'm here for.
Mandy: So, and I'll, I'll put all that in the show notes and in the episode descriptions that people know where to find you and how to find OutWellness. So, listener, if you want to show gratitude for Syd and their work and just their amazing time and energy and all sorts of things that they've given today, then please go check OutWellness.
If you are around the Austin area and pop in, it sounds like a great place. So again, thank you so much. And I I just appreciate you.
Syd: yeah, thanks for having me. This is really fun.
Mandy: All right. See you later.