With all eyes on him judging his every move, Daniel Purcell — a junior majoring in public relations as well as psychology — pulls himself up on a pair of gymnastic rings to perform a set of rows. Surprisingly, this is exactly where Purcell wants to be. 

The LGBTQ+ Lifts club held its second event at the Hub L.A. Figueroa gym Feb. 16. Members of the club participated in an hour-long workout led by Purcell, club founder and president. He led the group in multiple exercises, demonstrating correct form and offering tips and encouragement as others followed suit.

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The event kicked off with Purcell leading a stretching exercise while making sure to bring each member of the group into the conversation. Once they warmed up their muscles — and to each other — the group split off into pairs and began a circuit exercise. Club members connected with each other in the process, talking about the difficulty of each exercise while offering support, aided by Purcell’s seasoned advice. After completing the circuit, club members joined together to congratulate one another. 

Purcell’s interest in health and wellness inspired him to begin the club. He also made the club in hopes of combating the overarching stereotypes LGBTQIA+ students can encounter in the fitness community that discourage them from working out, especially the idea that the gym only belongs to cisgender, straight men. 

For Purcell, making the gym a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people was even more important, since the gym was an integral component of his recovery from eating disorders. 

“​​Most of my life, I was very overweight and I struggled with eating disorders and I wasn’t really into fitness,” Purcell said. “And then [when I was an] upperclassman [in] high school, I started getting more into fitness and I loved it. It wasn’t forced, it wasn’t pushed. I just really enjoyed working out, and I had a lot of supportive people in my life to help me get into the world.” 

Inspiration struck Purcell last summer to build a community on campus after he received numerous comments upon his arrival at USC regarding his involvement in the fitness community, especially as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Though Purcell saw the idea of a gay person in the gym as commonplace, the sheer amount of requests for advice in the gym proved to him that many believed otherwise.   

“Freshman year of college, once I got here, a lot of people at home and here were being like, ‘Oh, how’d you get into working out? How are you muscular? How do you do this?’” Purcell said. “I was kind of stunned because I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m gay and I work out.’ But it was, and a lot of people were really inspired by me and wanted to ask for tips.” 

After spending time helping others interested in fitness, Purcell came to the realization there was a need for a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community at USC. Though members of the community exhibited an interest in getting involved, they faced two main challenges: a lack of support and widespread stereotypes regarding queer people in fitness. 

“There’s so many people that want assistance that want to get into the health and wellness world but there’s such a stigma on queer people lifting and working out, and that stigma [pushes] them [to] never even wanting to go to the gym and never even getting their foot in the door,” Purcell said. 

Heather Mimikos, a sophomore majoring in narrative studies as well as journalism, noticed this energy while working out at the facilities on campus. She joined LGBTQ+ Lifts to be able to better her health while in a safe environment. 

“I hope to just have a little space to exercise where I don’t feel like the ‘gym bro’ energy is [too] overwhelming, like at the Village [Fitness Center] or at the Lyon Center,” Mimikos said. “I get intimidated to go to the gym, so I don’t usually practice [lifting].”  

This feeling of discomfort at USC Village Fitness Center and Lyon Recreational Center was a common sentiment held by members of the club. 

“So many gay people talk about how they don’t like going to the USC gym and how it just feels very icky and weird,” said Carlo Meglio, the vice president of LGBTQ+ Lifts and a junior majoring in cognitive science. “The main purpose of this club and the main goal of it is so that gay people can feel better about going to the gym.”

This widespread feeling of not belonging in the campus gyms spurred Purcell’s resolve to organize a club where people afraid to go to the gym could eventually build the courage to do so. 

“I wanted to create a community that can break down that stigma and break down those barriers to instill a sense of confidence and a foundation of lifting and working out so then that can be followed through for the rest of their lives,” Purcell said. 

Even deeper than the obstacles LGBTQIA+ people face when going to the gym is getting them to join a club explicitly labeled as LGBTQIA+, Purcell said.

“A large majority of gay men, they really have this thing in their mind that [they’re] not going to join anything queer or gay, but [they] want to … and the way that I was able to break through that barrier towards so many queer men specifically was really inspirational,” Purcell said. “The fact that I was able to actually get them over and they actually ended up signing up and coming to a meeting made me feel really good.” 

In the future, the club plans on having regular workouts as well as events with queer gyms and personal trainers. A fundrager with other LGBTQIA+ clubs is in the works for late March as well as a class specializing in strength and conditioning. 

Club officials emphasized one main message: Anyone is free to join and the main goal is to become comfortable with themselves and the gym environment. 

“Over time, as I started growing muscle and I started understanding how to work out, I felt like I belonged in the gym space,” Purcell said. “If you are doing what you need to do, you’re doing the workouts right, you’re not bothering anyone, you know your gym etiquette, there’s no reason to feel uncomfortable and you should feel comfortable in your own skin and you should freely be able to work out and be yourself.”