radical allyship

If you’re tuned in to the building crescendo of chaos and destruction coming at us like a daily tsunami from the current U.S. Administration, it is very clear that nobody is safe from their wrath.

Anyone who is an immigrant, part of the LGBTQ community, or who is not white or wealthy is not new to this reality, and these communities very much remain in their crosshairs. But the latest policies and DOGE cutbacks now also include a lot of folks who may have never been targeted like this before: seniors, veterans, children, people with disabilities, those that suffer from chronic illnesses, park rangers, government workers, scientists, teachers, union workers, the list goes on…. The dismantling of our systems of support for not only the most marginalized and vulnerable in our country, but people of all kinds, is in full swing.

📷: (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times), (Linda F. Hersey/Stars and Stripes), Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, David Zalubowski/AP

This is why the HANDS OFF!, Fighting Oligarchy and other resistance marches and demonstrations are so urgent right now. These are urgent calls to action that require all of us to come together and stand as allies united in common cause of resisting this Administration’s blatant cruelty and destruction. The pervasive myth that we must remain divided and defend only our own or risk losing what’s ours is a ruse. The greater our numbers, the more power we have to dismantle the forces that seek to keep us apart.

Protesters attend a "Hands Off" rally to demonstrate against President Donald Trump on the National Mall, on April 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 📷 Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

We know that coming together can be even harder at times like these. One of the most basic human urges is to seek comfort and safety among our own. But it is now more than ever that we need to find ways to unite. Division has always been a tactic for domination and destruction of the communities that are most marginalized. Coming together is the only way of creating a solidarity that can defeat even the greatest forces of monopolization, oligarchy and dictatorship.

This April and beyond, we are focused on exploring and celebrating radical Allyship. Allyship has always been a core principle of our community. It is no accident that we aren’t called THEM or even US. We are EVERYBODY by design, because we understand that it will take ALL OF US to change systems that are rooted in oppression, cruelty, violence and domination. 

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RADICAL ALLYSHIP IN OUR SPACE

You may be asking a fair question: What does it really mean to be an ALLY? Our social contract talks about this in our fifth Guiding Rule for membership:

“5. Be aware of the privileges that you carry and how these privileges affect your experiences. This may be new for folks who have never had to consider what it means to be part of a community that not only includes, but centers, people who are marginalized. This is an opportunity to become an ally. An ally is a person who acknowledges, accepts and understands their privileges as things that are not universally experienced and who strive to create equity among those who do not enjoy those same privileges. It is critical to our community that allies of all kinds are a strong and supportive part of the culture we are collectively creating.”

— EVERYBODY SOCIAL CONTRACT

Everyone who enters our doors is given our Social Contract. Available at our Front Desk in English and Spanish.

Of course there are many many ways to be an ally to a diverse community such as EVERYBODY. We like to say that people tend to be an ally in one or multiple ways to our community since there is so much diversity represented in our space. 

Gender Neutral bathroom signs and locker room at EVERYBODY, ALL BODIES are welcome on-site and at our off-site events.

Allyship can also sometimes be awkward. It can be hard to accept the allyship of others who don’t share your experience as a marginalized community and trust that it is genuine. Building this trust takes time.  Folks who are new to understanding their privileges (male privilege, white privilege, cisgender privilege, able-bodied privilege, to name a few) also may have trouble sharing space with people who they fear view them as not part of the “real community” that they think is intended to be served.

They may feel defensive about their participation in a diverse community. They may not yet have developed the skills to look beyond their own ‘main character syndrome’ and understand how they can best serve a diverse community in their role as ally. They may make mistakes, and react with hostility or impatience instead of listening and leaning into the vulnerability of no longer being in the majority.

‘Brave Space’ vs. ‘Safe Space’

There is a lot of opportunity for growth in this kind of vulnerability. There is so much room to grow and learn and expand your sense of who you are and how you engage with others who don’t share your identical experience. These moments can be milestone moments, sometimes dressed in the most banal of human exchanges.

I’m thinking of the numerous times we’ve had members feel too awkward to ask to work- in with other members who are on machines and come to us for assistance, or in some cases mediation. It can feel so charged to ask someone for something as simple as more space to work out within, or to share the space equally with.

It prompts the questions:  Who deserves to take up space here? Why do some people feel comfortable asking for that and others would never dare? How can we create a community where everyone has the tools to ask for what they need and not feel like they are intruding or excluding by doing so?

Inclusive signage in our space and on social media. ‘Know Your Rights’ Red Cards are available at our front desk in English + Spanish.

We encourage you to dive a little deeper into these questions this month. We will be talking with members about allyship and would love to hear from you about your experiences sharing radically inclusive space with each other!

After all, besides simply being a gym,  EVERYBODY is a radical place to practice sharing space that we don’t get to share outside our walls!

MONSTER BASH wRESTLING RECAP!

The Reviews are IN! And so is Queer Wrestling! Thank you for making MONSTER BASH a SMASH!!

SHE-E-O goes for a flying clothesline against the Riot Ghoul’s! 📷 Anna Gustafson

Happy Halloween🎃and thank you to everyone who came out to MONSTER BASH queer wrestling match last week! It was our first ever LIVE Wrestling Match featuring EVERYBODY Instructors Candy Pain, American Oni and featured students from our highly popular Wrestling 101 classes at the gym. Plus a few other folks from the community, some of whom also wrestled at Trans Dudes of LA T-Boy Wrestling earlier in September!

 ICYMI: Here is a BRILLIANT write up on that historic night in the LA Times by Jireh Deng!

🔗www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2024-10-11/t-boy-wrestling-trans-dudes-la

L.A. Times T-Boy Wrestling feat. EVERYBODY Personal Trainer Paulo Diaz. 📷 Carlin Stiehl

Planting the seeds at Wrestling 101.

We went full nelson for this one and rented a full size 18x18 professional wrestling ring, which was constructed on site at our sister space: SIBLING Studio with the help of our wrestlers and local community volunteers. Kids, adults and even a few doggos got in the spirit by dressing up, holding signs, and cheering on their favorite wrestler. We fueled up on empanadas, hot chocolate, ice cold Modelos, had our cards read by Jessica Jensen, faces painted by Paint On Your Face , and played cornhole provided by local queer league Fun Bags LA. It was giving all ages FALL FAIR FUN!

📷 All photos by Jocelyn Perich and Anna Gustafson

Best of all, we were able to donate $500 to the Border Butterflies Project after expenses! The Border Butterflies Project is an arm of the Transgender Law Center providing resources to LGBTQIA+ Asylum seekers at the U.S. Southern Border. Please follow, share and support if you are able!

MONSTER BASH featured 6 rounds of queer and campy WWE-inspired wrestling featuring Riot Ghoul’s vs. SHE-E-O, Toxic Femme vs. Feminist Killjoy, Gender Cop vs. Gender Goblin, Malady Practice vs. Creature, Leather Daddy, Macho Mummy, and more! There was even an on-site Medic from the Professional Wrestling circuit. (You know, JIC!) Thank goodness he didn’t have to move a muscle.

But you know who did? Our brilliant Halftime Show cast & crew! Thank you to our PUMP THE JAM instructor MK Lordz for a soul stirring singalong to Yeah Yeah Yeahs Heads Will Roll and Halloween by Aqua featuring haute moves from some of our members. Even our REF, Oldie Hawn jumped in! PS, You can join MK’s Pump the Jam every Tuesday & Thursday at 8p @ EVERYBODY!

AMANDITA gave us G.L.O.W. wreslting match vibes with the tunes, while our HOMEBODY VOD producer ANNA handled the 80’s inspired tones. Shout out to our Ring Daddy Abby, Yay/ Boo Applause crew LGBTQ Studies professor Julian Sanchez and local poetry night producer Karla Lamb! Thank you again to all of our volunteers, wrestlers, and wranglers!

Will we rumble for a good cause again? YESSSS!! Stay tuned on @everybodylosangeles social for our upcoming weekend Wrestling 101 classes if you’d like to get more involved.

Riot Ghouls vs SHE-E-O 📷 by Jocelyn Perich

A note from our Co-Founder Sam:

Thank you to our entire crew for all your hard work and dedication-- I know there were a lot of hours put in to make this happen. I appreciate everyone's commitment to this, and I personally think this does more than just generate income for the benefit-- it builds our community, it allows time for folks to meet and socialize, and it serves an even greater purpose beyond that.

I spoke to a lot of people after the show who had such a great time and who also couldn't even put into words why they had so much fun. I think the scripted characters everyone put together achieved exactly the tone and message that I had hoped for in our initial meeting.

📷 by Jocelyn Perich

What I think this kind of spectacle of "sport" creates is really an opportunity that we rarely get to have in our community or world. It allows us to channel some of our more animal instincts and abandon the rules a bit... of course that requires a lot of careful planning and intonation which I felt was done exceptionally well.

Watching performative wrestling like this is kind of akin to what comedy clubs can do when people are given permission to laugh at things that are forbidden, unspoken or taboo in our culture-- except the bodies do the talking with big, exaggerated movements instead of words, and they are not simply laughing but also booing, cheering and loudly reacting to what is happening in the ring (almost as another character of the show).  The showdown between “Toxic Femme” and “Feminist Killjoy” really nailed (ha) some of the more subtle tensions in our communities with true comic genius!

📷 by Jocelyn Perich

I love how the "match" gives us permission to root for the one we want to win (the pairings were sublime), and I noticed an interesting tension between some of the characters where people were not sure whether to boo or cheer... That has so much potential to mine and explore!

Macho Mummy vs. Leather Daddy 📷 by Jocelyn Perich

I thought everyone did such a great job of both playing their characters and either slightly or overtly subverting them- turning them into complications for us to reflect on even at some of their most  memorably campy moments. It was working on so many levels, really. really was blown away with what folks brought to the stage, as well as behind the scenes!

Thank you all for showing up the way you did. It means so much to me and to our incredible, diverse, weird & wonderful community.

 -SAM / Co-Founder EVERYBODY

📷 by Jocelyn Perich