The fourth episode of the QFP features guest, Ryan Frankland, an amateur powerlifter and co-creator of the Out Lift Leeds LGBT lifting group. Find him on instagram @ryanjulien1 or @outliftleeds. Follow the podcast @queerfitnesspod. The Queer Fitness Podcast is an interview podcast all about queer experiences with sports, fitness and our bodies.
Support the show on Patreon.com/queerfitnesspod to hear bonus content from this episode.
Transcript coming soon! (at queerfitnesspod.wordpress.com)
The fourth episode of the QFP features guest, Ryan Frankland, an amateur powerlifter and co-creator of the Out Lift Leeds LGBT lifting group. Find him on instagram @ryanjulien1 or @outliftleeds. Follow the podcast @queerfitnesspod. The Queer Fitness Podcast is an interview podcast all about queer experiences with sports, fitness and our bodies.
Support the show on Patreon.com/queerfitnesspod to hear bonus content from this episode.
Transcript coming soon! (at queerfitnesspod.wordpress.com)
Welcome to the queer fitness podcast. I'm your host Elise. And each week I'll be interviewing a queer person about their experiences in fitness and sports. This week I talked to powerlifter Ryan Franklin from the U K
Speaker 2:[inaudible].
Speaker 1:This episode of the queer fitness podcast is sponsored by our Patriot. For just$1 a month. YouTube could become a patron of the show and get access to bonus content. The queer fitness podcast is co-produced by Eden Robinson and many thanks to our newest patron Sarah tooth.
Speaker 2:[inaudible].
Speaker 1:Could you introduce yourself, uh, your name, your queer identity, or any other identifying words about yourself?
Speaker 3:Uh, yeah, so, uh, my name is Ryan and I, um, I suppose I call myself a trans masculine guy.
Speaker 1:Um, any other words about you, um, maybe hobbies or what you're doing or as you said, you were a student?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah. So, um, I'm a physiotherapy student. I've just started, um, I mean my kind of fourth week of my first year, it's all very new. Um, I, um, I suppose I call myself an amateur powerlifter and I just started running a powerlifting group for queer people. Um, on Saturdays that we just had a second session this week. Just go ahead.
Speaker 1:That's really cool. Uh, just so I'm clear, what pronouns do you prefer?
Speaker 3:Hey em, usually. What about yourself?
Speaker 1:She, her, yes. How did you get started with power lifting?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Uh, so I probably, so I start it just going to the gym and trying to build a bit of muscle. Um, four years ago I think it was, uh, so I had, uh, decided to start drinking and go healthy and stuff. Um, and I thought men had a bit more money cause I was working full time. Um, so my, I ended up going to see a personal trainer who ended up being Cassinia. He's my friend who we ended up doing the outlet clip with, but we kind of didn't know anything about each other at the time. We didn't even know each of us was queer or anything. Right. We trained together maybe for a year and a half. And then, uh, then we made friends and started just kind of going to the gym anyway and uh, just kind of stumbled across powerlifting quite. I remember what it was, but I think they came to me one day and was like, do you want to try this? And I was like, well that's ridiculous. And then got really with it. Um, I uh, and then found this, I don't know if you've seen it, it's the LGBT powerlifting championship. I have not. Uh, okay. So it's basic. It's only three years old, but it's run by some, uh, queer powerlifters. He would just kind of kicking ass on the world stage anyway. They were just winning world championships and stuff. Yeah. Many of them. And they were like, Oh, we need to give back and support others. So they put on the, yeah, the LGBT power lifting championships and it's kind of grown each year. I, I've lifted in it two years in a row. It's really cool. Yeah, it's really, it's really good because there's, um, the gender neutral category, so I lift in that, um, polishing as in any sports, really gendered most of the time. Um, you kind of have to pick a side if you kind of, if you don't feel comfortable with that, you just have to go over that. But, um, yeah, they're really good. They're, um, they, it's, I think it's, I don't think it's not led fully by trans people, but there's like, I want to teach, I'm slipped as in that he have helped to inform that side of things. And, uh, it made a big difference to me actually. I went along to a workshop originally and, uh, they, they kind of pushed me a bit more in this like, come, come, uh, apply to be at the competition. And it's really good cause you, they welcome anyone. There's no kind of qualifying toe. So I'm not really that strong and bipolar things done. But I, I'm just really obsessed with that. And that's all the caravan.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, and one of the things that I've found even in the couple of interviews that I've already done is that with sports being so gendered, there isn't even a place for LGBT or just trans people to fit in. And it's so cool. But the gender nonconforming category exists, right?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's really Lish. Uh, it's, it's really unique to be on it. I feel really lucky that we have it in the UK as well. Cause I think like for example, in the U S um, the spa has had a lot of a spotlight on it lately. Like, I think us, I don't know, I thought Cribbet but I think it's USA powerlifting is horrible and transphobic and like bond anything. Even people that are mildly kind of not transphobic, they've been from taking part and it's just, it seems really awful. So I feel lucky that we've got a platform of here. So, you know,
Speaker 1:did you grow up doing sports? You said you made a change like four or five years ago, but were you active as a kid or anything?
Speaker 3:Eh, kind of a, no, so I really hated P, uh, school, uh, you know, uh, I don't know if you call it that video. Yeah. Physically. Yeah. Um, yeah. Uh, because it was just the main kid and I really didn't want to get changed and all that kind of stuff. But, um, I got into running, I think I never really settled with it. Had had loads of issues with body image. Um, and yeah, sports just felt really, yeah. And also struggled a little bit with eating disorder type stuff. So sports always felt a lot about losing weight and all that kind of stuff. And, but I think the good thing about lifting, especially power lifting is it's, it's highly focused on what you can lift. No one cares what you look like. It's all like how, how much body fat you've got, anything, right. It's nothing to do. And so I think that's been a really powerful thing for me as well. Um, as a trans person or someone who has struggled with kind of body image issues in anything. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Is there an impact that your um,
Speaker 3:yeah,
Speaker 1:your change in physical activity has had on your transition or your body image now as you're, um, more physically active or doing power lifting or weightlifting?
Speaker 3:Um, yeah, it's been really powerful. Um, it's kind of given me a big focus and like I said, it's, it's like the first time physical activity has had nothing to do with um, really what it looks like, but kind of by default it built muscle strength training so it's going to do it anyway, but it's kind of a really beautiful side effect. You know what I mean? Um, it's been really good for my mental health. Um, and I think, uh, it's really early days for the outlet degree but that has been really amazing. Like, cause I knew and I have been working on that with uh, I think we first had the idea about a year ago and we've slowly been chipping away at um, getting it set up. I don't know if you know much about how
Speaker 1:I th I did see the Instagram for the out lift group keep, keep going because
Speaker 3:it's been a big part of like feeling good around it because I was really aware that I do, one of the reasons I was able to get into lifting, cause obviously you have to have to be safe. You need expertise around D and I had the cashflow for that retirement, you know what I mean? And so, and I'm, I'm really acutely aware that a lot of queer trans people, etc. Don't have that for various reasons. Um, employability is quietly, and I'm not employee, but like employment rates are quite low. Um, so, uh, I wanted to make it accessible and as cheap as possible and things like that. And that's not the only barrier. Obviously we've got, um, fear of gyms for various reasons. So anyway, um, I think working on that project and having the knowledge and skills and contacts to work on that project has been really awesome for me as well. I really enjoyed being able to give back and see the positives that it brings to people in the community. So that side of it, it's been really good.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. Um, so you're doing organized lifting sessions on Saturdays? He said.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Uh, so we, uh, we've got a coach, we applied for some money so that we could get a kind of strength and conditioning coach. So, cause I knew as a personal trainer, but this kind of different expertise to extend them into it just means that they, they solely focus on that side of things. Um, and cause we, we just wanted it to be as safe as possible. So, uh, we've got a guy, Alex and um, and it's been really oversubscribed actually. We've got maybe 35 people signed up to the class and we've only got spaces for maybe 20 is really cool, but it's less. There's uh, we had two timestamps and people away. So we're looking at ways that we can expand it and get more equipment and things like that. Right. Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's really cool. So could you talk about some of your best experiences you've had as in the past couple of years with power lifting? Like what have you, what have been your happiest or favorite moments?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it definitely my favorite moments. Powerlifting have the um, the two big LGBT international competitions, uh, did so, uh, one of them within London. Um, that was my, probably my first proper competition and policy and that was just such an amazing experience cause there was loads of kind of people that had been in the sport for a long time and had been to massive international competitions and it was just really amazing to be around them on lymph. And then, but also I had no idea what I was doing. I realized that I was almost like, wow, I probably shouldn't be here, but also O L I've kinda got the goods that is, you know, when you kind of don't know what you don't know and then you, yeah, you're like, Oh, okay, wow. And, but luckily at that competition, uh, a guy who I kind of knew friends were friends had just come along to watch and he, I, you probably felt a bit sorry. Um, he, uh, he decided that he wanted to help me out with, um, with programming and coaching and stuff. So he lives in London. I live in Leeds there like two hours away. We don't really see each other very often, but pretty much every single week he sends me a new program. And checks on my progress and stuff. And he's been competing in powerlifting for for many years. He is, he's really good. So, so that was really positive as well. Yeah.
Speaker 1:You've got a good coach and a friend out of it.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah. Really blessed, really blessed. Uh, I hope he gets the father. I think he enjoys seeing me progress and stuff like that. It's a positive experience for him as well. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So you mentioned that you feel like you're not, um, lifting as heavy as, or something you said something similar like that you, that you felt like
Speaker 3:I'm not very strong.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Something like that. How do you feel in,
Speaker 4:yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm somebody who has transitioned, um, that you don't really fit into the, the, the weight classes for either gender and that you're, the sport that you're in, even though the LGBT, um, international competition has your category, that there are sort of these defined, um, markers for both genders do.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's a, I think clearly it was just correct me if I'm saying Rob, but, um, so I have actually competed in the, in the men's of the competition. It's like in a novice, so like beginner word is funded and uh, that was completely terrifying actually. Like it, I felt like everyone was so nice. No one made, no one did anything on purpose to make me feel it. But uh, it's
Speaker 4:okay.
Speaker 3:It's, it was really, yeah, really intimidating and I definitely have got quite some way to go. Like I've been on testosterone maybe more than a year now, but I've got some way to go to kind of build up my strength to fit in you might say. And like if I was to compete in a men's category or not feel really, really self conscious intense levels, um, I actually don't have any issue with competing in the men's, but that's my biggest issue. Right. The other reason I think is in the cave and that there is federations that you can compete and like if you're trans like as a trans guy, a lot of federations, sorry, as a trans guy that's on hormones, there's a lot of federations that would just say, no, you're not allowed cause you're on steroids. Even though there's zero evidence that while I am taking, gives me any advantage whatsoever men. But they see that as like, whether it's transfer because of just sheer ignorance or whatever, they don't like it, so they don't allow it or there's not provision for it. So the only options I really have, or in federations, which are in critical, untested, which basically means everyone's using something. So I base against this men who are on,
Speaker 1:yeah, I read some about the, like the divisions between all of the federations and that there are these untested and tested federations. That's, Oh, that's so interesting. I didn't even realize that that would be the case.
Speaker 3:Yeah. It's good in a lot of senses. Cause I think there's lots of sports where they work. Everyone was pretending that no one's on anything. Whereas enlisting that like, yeah, we'll just put you in different grades.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So for that reason it's like extra intimidating to like, I'll just do a little transport and on TV. Yeah. And I'm hanging out with these massive guys. He was super nice.
Speaker 1:It's just yet, but they're on that. They're probably on steroids. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Could you talk like a little bit about the, what you're hoping for in the future from out lift leads or out out lift, I guess?
Speaker 3:Uh, I think it would be, well two things. I think, uh, building a nice lifting, not just the thing, but th this community in Leeds would be really great. Like maybe carving out more of a space for ourselves cause the moment we've just got that space on Saturday or I'm aware of projects in places like Birmingham and Manchester in the UK where they have more established spaces and even chitons a kind of queer spaces. I mean that would be a very long term pipeline plan. Right? Something not really great and it wouldn't just be lifting. It'd be like, yeah, you go swimming. But um, yeah maybe in the show at uh, building a, an established community where people feel comfortable with meeting up and going to the gym together and stuff like that would be really great. Yeah. And Oh yeah, let's not forget getting people to competitions as well. That's, that's a big one. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I was going to ask you about like your comfort level in gyms has that, can you talk a little bit whether that's increased or
Speaker 3:um, anything? Yeah, so I think a lot of the time I spend a lot of time training on, I do have training partners lightening cause I need to bring together quite a lot as well. Um, but it's, it's quite deeply uncomfortable quite a lot of the time. Like I have to work in and be in a set and Headspace and sometimes I'll have panic attacks and for various reasons like I have to, I don't use changing readings in gins cause I just, I don't feel comfortable with that. And I guess even just the energy in the, it's hard. I mean most people probably know, I mean like if you go into the average weight wary, I know a lot of women I speak to don't feel comfortable going, stepping foot in weight rooms. And so it's not just queer people in general. I think most people that just don't sit then probably. Um, but yeah, I, I have, I have to really bow with myself to get in the book. I love it so much and I, I thrive off the actual training so much that it's worth it. Um, it kind of, I think it does get easier with practice, but, um, I think I have like Ksenia and I have been so particular about what we want, what we wanted out of this group. And I think that that's, cause we both know, um, what the barriers are because we experienced them as well. We just push through them cause we're obsessed. You know what I mean? But that's why we with the outlet group, we are in a totally private space. Um, we've been really lucky to get this private space in the gym. No one's there. Uh, we've got totally private changing rooms so there's no one working in or we're running sessions and stuff. So, and I like, um, and I think even just kind of two, three weeks in and I've had a few moments outside of that space and being like, Oh my God, you know, when you realize you don't realize how, how much you've missed something from your life until you get it and you're like, own it all the time now. So I had a few moments in the gym room like men, but yeah. So baby steps.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Uh, could we play a game of trivia and I'll ask you some questions about powerlifting and LGBT UK focused history.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Probably be terrible, but okay. Yeah. There's Joe. That's fine. Yup.
Speaker 1:It's okay if you get them all wrong. It's totally fun. I'll alternate between powerlifting and LGBT questions.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:What year was the first genuine power lift power lifting meet and where?
Speaker 3:Uh, it's probably the, yeah,
Speaker 1:probably like 1963 or something like that. So you're really close. That's 1964 in York, Pennsylvania. Yeah. Um, okay. And then in the LGBT history, when were the last two Englishman hanged for sodomy in the UK? We go from like,
Speaker 3:so it was made legal in 66 or 67, but I don't think they were killing people.
Speaker 1:You guys are hanging ma'am, even. Yeah, I hadn't even then, it was probably, I was in like 1912 or something like that. So that was 1835 and there were two that were hanged in 1835. Um, and you were writing it was very long time. Yeah. Um, so yeah, it was still illegal until 1967. You were again really close on that date to when was the first uh, world power lifting championship held outside of the USA and where, uh, it was supposedly that[inaudible] thing like that. And what year? Uh, 1979. Uh, so it was 1975 and in Birmingham, UK. So the first two world championships were held in the U S and then the third one was in Birmingham. How many out politicians were there in parliament in 2017? I'm only asking 2017. Cause those are the numbers that I have. Is this British? Yes. Uh, or just say an estimate. 10. Sure. There were 45. And that's a world record. Yeah. Alright, cool. Um, back to power lifting. What assistance equipment was invented in 1983
Speaker 5:Oh,
Speaker 1:no idea. Sounded like resistance or the bench shirt. Yeah. Do you use any assistance stuff like the shirt or the I've read about knee. Yeah. Yeah. I use
Speaker 3:some things like that. That adventure is like really old schools. They're like, uh, the quipped with lifters. Um, they basically squeezed in in T really tight stuff. It's really bouncing and they lift like much, much heavier and it looks really hardcore. It's any, but I've never[inaudible].
Speaker 1:That's cool. Yeah. I use nuclease and new apps and belts and things like that. But Ben shirts I next level. What is the estimated trans population in the U K again? Just an estimate or a guess.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Yeah. Uh, is it like 10,000?
Speaker 1:No. So it's between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And so LGBT population in the UK is around 7%.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah. I think I kind of knew that. I didn't realize. Is that any tense people? Yeah, that was quick. Cool.
Speaker 1:Um, and with the number of various, um, federations, could you name four or five? International powerlifting governing bodies who? Federations
Speaker 3:for the Federation? International. Yeah, yeah, yeah.[inaudible]. Yeah. Um, GPC, it's a global powerlifting Korea a, uh, I think that's a lot of guy. I only know the IPF. I've got a whole list in front of me. It's British public stigma that science nationally.
Speaker 1:Um, so a couple more majoring major ones. World drug free powerlifting Federation. There was the world world power lifting Congress. Um, and then you had one that you were one letter. You ha you got the global power, power lifting committee, but there's also the global power lifting Federation. Yeah. Um, and there's many others. There's one, there's a couple of[inaudible].
Speaker 3:Rob is there. Was I? Oh yeah. Gee. GPCs was, I have lifted in[inaudible] like nobody's computation with, sorry, not, not lifted with them, but yeah. That's cool.
Speaker 1:So last question, and this LGBT again, um, in 2019, what percentage of people have received pardons after the 2017 policing and crime act went into effect? And so that act,
Speaker 3:um, allow people who have sodomy convictions from old laws to be pardoned. I remember the, I don't know how many people, is it like a plethora percentage of percentage of people who said it's the people was alive.
Speaker 1:So the question is what percentage of people have received pardons?
Speaker 3:Oh, that was with, so a lot of people are dead by now, right? It's a 1%. So actually the, the um, that act allowed people who would already passed away to have those convictions automatically. People were still alive. They could not apply the kids and families. Right. So actually less than half of people who applied did not get those sodomy convictions overturned. Oh really? Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think maybe it was Irish. It was Northern Ireland specifically. Only like two out of the hundreds. I got them. Yeah. They did this massive thing. Like they were like, yeah, but that's, but that's a very recent news. So it was June of 2019 these articles came out about people not getting pardons that they were supposed to be allowed. Where can people listening find you or outlive to leads?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Out lift is on Instagram. So that's at outlive Leeds. That's cause there's another lift in Linden actually. Um, and I think on Facebook is the same. Yeah. But if you want to follow me, so I just like post little videos of myself squat English. Um, I'm Ryan Julian one. So,
Speaker 1:ah, thank you so much for being on the podcast and letting me interview you, ask you some weird questions.
Speaker 3:No, no worries. I think that's very interested. I was really surprised, but it's really cool.
Speaker 6:This episode of the queer fitness podcast is sponsored by our Patriot for just$1 a month. YouTube could become a patron of the show and get access to bonus content. The queer fitness podcast is co-produced by Eden Robinson and many thanks to our newest patrons and Sarah Toothman.
Speaker 4:[inaudible].