How the climbing gym has become a safe haven for queer people

“I first got into it about three years ago through a queer social group,” says Morgan, 23.

“There is a lot of verbal encouragement as well as collaboration … so that definitely helps to build trust,” he added.

A survey of 60 people conducted by The River found climbing was the sixth most popular sport among queer people, behind more expected answers like “weightlifting,” or “going to the gym”.

Bouldering gyms offer short, indoor climbing walls for people to climb, sometimes with a rope.

Asked why climbing has become popular with queer people, Jess said they’ve found it gives them “a lot of gender euphoria in terms of seeing and feeling my strength grow”.

Gender euphoria refers to a feeling of joy or internal peace and satisfaction that arises from living as your own gender.

One respondent to our poll said: “Things such as broader shoulders, bigger arms… brings me closer to not only my desired aesthetics, but to other people identifying me as a man.”

Another reason for climbing’s popularity with queer people, Jess says is “most team sports tend to have gendered competition. Climbing doesn’t.”

For queer people, particularly transgender people, gendered competition in sport can be stress inducing.

Last year, at the Paris Olympics, trans women were not allowed to compete unless they had medically transitioned before the age of 12, which the IOC said was to prevent any unfair advantages which may arise from male puberty.

One respondent to our survey, who is a closeted trans man, told The River he only exercised in his room, where he has privacy.

“I don’t like to exercise with other people around because I become too aware, and afraid they’ll know I’m trans,” he said.

He explained how at a gym “having to use less clothing or more adjusted clothing because of the heat makes me aware that someone could notice my chest and therefore doubt if I’m a man…which could lead to transphobia if seen by the wrong people”.

But climbing gyms seem to foster a stronger sense of community.

Jess told The River: “I loved the actual sport but also the people at the centre were always super kind.”