Beyond Masculinity at EVOLVE Flagstaff
Once a month on Tuesdays, we close the gym to host a men's group called "Beyond Masculinity." This movement organizes community groups for anyone seeking to explore authenticity beyond the constraints of traditional masculinity. I'd like to explain why we believe this is an important and valuable use of our gym space.
Why beyond masculinity is so important to us
John Bridger, PhD, an EVOLVE part-time coach and licensed psychologist, approached Abby and I with the idea of hosting the group in our gym.
John pointed out that historically, gyms haven't always been welcoming to everyone. Many people find gyms intimidating. These spaces can be uncomfortable for female identifying individuals and those with diverse identities. We're not criticizing any gym in particular, but acknowledging a common sentiment: many people feel uneasy in gyms for various reasons. A significant factor is the traditional masculine culture that emphasizes competition, aesthetics, and “machismo” behaviors, leaving little room for emotion, tenderness, or support for all individuals pursuing better health and fitness.
John felt it was important to host Beyond Masculinity in a gym setting as a small step toward changing the narrative and culture of fitness spaces.
I'll be candid: We received some complaints about the gym closure when we started the group. This was partly due to our poor communication about the closure—we're improving on that. After hearing the complaints, I initially wanted to move the group to a back office to keep the gym open.
After reflection, I realized John was right. EVOLVE's mission isn't just to run a gym. We aim to help our community grow stronger and healthier together. While we usually do this through fitness services, nutrition, physical therapy, and acupuncture, we can also fulfill our mission by making our space inclusive and hosting groups like Beyond Masculinity and the Body Respect Group.
Beyond Masculinity isn't about criticizing or demonizing men. It's a space for men to open up, connect, share their experiences, support each other, and explore how masculinity affects the world around us.
Consider these sobering statistics:
Males are responsible for between 75-95% of all domestic violence.
Males account for 98% of mass shooters.
Men are more likely to have alcohol use disorder, twice as likely to die from alcohol-related causes, and involved in 79.5% of drunk driving fatalities.
Approximately 80% of all deaths by suicide are male.
Males commit over 95% of all road rage incidents.
15% of men report having no close friends, a 5x increase since 1990. Loneliness has been declared a national epidemic, with older men perhaps most at risk.
Men are much less likely to seek care for mental health issues.
These figures are a call for help, and rather than accusing men or calling men out, our goal is to call men in. Men need a place for exploration, support, community, growth, connection, and healing.
So, once a month on a Tuesday evening, we'll close the gym to host Beyond Masculinity. We'll post the schedule at least a week in advance and update it in our app. If you usually work out at 7 PM on Tuesdays, we apologize for the monthly closure. We hope you understand why we believe this work is important. We invite any men to join us.