Queer Boxing club coming to Halifax

Amos Zell had three unique conversations that led to him starting up a Queer Boxing group in Halifax.

He’s never boxed a day in his life, but looks forward to sharing the experience with a big group of new 2SLGBTQIA+ friends this month.

“My friend (Chris Pypher) is a co-organizer, and has been boxing with Queensberry Rules for three years. She’s been talking with me about her great experience,” he said in an email interview.

“Another friend recently tried boxing at a different studio, and shared they were uncomfortable in the environment as a trans man. Then a third person in my circle asked if there were queer-friendly places to box.”

It got the wheels turning for Zell, who began to think about whether there were enough people interested to fill a program. He had done Queer Yoga in another city, and loved the experience. He hoped to replicate the atmosphere.

When he contacted Queensberry, they were excited about the idea.

“The studio and owner Julie Houde were super excited, and totally on-board from the get-go. The motto on their website says, ‘boxing is for everyone’,” he said.

“I think they understand that if we want to include a group – in any arena – that’s traditionally pushed out of it, we have to intentionally create spaces that are specifically welcoming to correct that.”

Houde was excited when Zell came to her about the idea.

“Many people from the queer community come to the gym, and everyone is super close. I thought it was a great idea when Amos came to me,” she said. “I just thought it was great the queer community wanted to learn to box.”

She said Queensberry offers a safe space for people to come and try it out.

“Boxing can be a scary thing to begin with, and so can gyms. For people to know this is somewhere they can come is important,” she said.

“I feel like, especially with COVID-19, there's nowhere queer people can go and see people like them. If we can provide the space and follow protocols, maybe people can enjoy themselves and learn a sport at the same time.”

Pypher and Zell initially figured they’d get 10-12 people, but soon realized they’d underestimated the popularity of the idea.

“Within a day, we had around 130 members on the Facebook group. Everyone was just really excited for this,” he said.

Curtis Cartmill is an administrator of popular Facebook group Get Out Halifax! and founder of Loose Ends Curling and the East Coast Rainbow Softball Association. He says having 2SLGBTQIA+ spaces to do sport and feel comfortable is crucial.

“We just need safe spaces in the city to come where it isn’t all about our sexuality. You can be who you want to be. To see other groups springing up with those values is amazing,” he said.

“Activities give a great way to be social and make friends. People can come together, and it’s easier than the bars or meeting online.”

He says not everything in the queer community needs to be about dating, and he aimed to create something where people can just go enjoy themselves.

“It’s amazing that we now have curling groups, softball, dodgeball, Get Out Halifax for walking and biking, the Mussels for hockey, and now boxing,” he said.

“There are just so many options for people. There are so many different activities, and the more we have, the better for the community.”

Cartmill started curling for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the winter of 2006 and softball in the summer of 2007. He’s seen the grow exponentially, and he’s happy to see others spring up.

“I’m excited to hear that groups are doing this through the pandemic,” he said. “It’s amazing, even though it’s likely challenging. It will just add to the variety of activities in the community.”

For Zell, putting this group together was to help the community have a queer space to do sports and get together in general.

The first program filled up in a few weeks, and he says future programs and regular gym times are also possible.

“Gyms are a weirdly hostile and hyper-macho place often, and in sports there’s often a binary-gender separation and lens that leaves many of us out,” he said.

“It’s a very powerful experience to be able to freely be yourself and bring your whole self to whatever it is you’re doing. I also think people are just stoked for activities where we can safely socialize and sweat together.”

He also thinks it’s important to get people out and in-person together right now.

“I think it's detrimental to our physical and mental health to be with our people, especially marginalized people who experience isolation with and without the added pandemic,” he said.

“Right now we are learning to balance those needs with the need to minimize the spread of the virus, protect each other and care for one another's health, especially if it's already compromised.”

The program is currently full, with 24 registered participants, due to COVID-19 capacity limits. It will run from Feb. 15 – Mar. 24 at Queensberry Rules Boxing Studio at 1565 South Park Street in Halifax.

For more information and to stay up-to-date on new classes and developments, join the Facebook page.