Our annual summit returns to York University in Tonronto, Ontario! May 19th – 21st, 2023, In-person and Online.
BPFA Inclusive FitPro Community Members are invited for a weekend of networking, education, fellowship, and fun in Toronto!
As in years past, we are filling the weekend with engaging workshops led by BPFA Professionals. We’re also planning to spend some time with our Canadian fitness friends for some hands-on inclusive fitness sessions, putting our inclusive coaching skills into practice.
There will be smaller breakout sessions with members of the BPFA fam on various topics throughout the weekend, as well as numerous opportunities to move and play.
We’re pumped to make 2023 our best Summit yet, and we can’t wait to see you there!
More details will be announced in the coming weeks, such as hotel room blocks and Summit pricing. (For reference, we’ll be in the same pricing ballpark as prior years.) A more detailed schedule of events for the weekend will hit this page in the coming months. But it’s safe to go ahead and save this date on your calendar, and plan to fly into Toronto Pearson Airport (Code YYZ) if you’re excited to hang with the BPFA crew!
Want to connect with other trainers? Join our online learning community, BPFA Inclusive FitPros and build your network! Our learning community exists to make meaningful connections between likeminded FitPros working to make fitness more accessible for all people. Make friends, ask questions, and participate in continuing education. We’re here to be your fitness family that celebrates all bodies!
BPFA Inclusive FitPro membership includes FREE access to monthly Live Learning events where we talk about a wide range of topics through the lens of our Eight Pillars. Join in for movement sessions, lectures, and panel discussions, and hey, maybe even host one of your own sometime!
“I hope that as alcohol substitutes move into the mainstream and abstinence becomes a legitimate wellness tool even for those who may not consider themselves “real alcoholics,” more people will be able to see recovery as a way to stay connected rather than a social death. I believe that this future is possible when the choice to not drink is treated with the same judgment-free generosity already extended to other dietary restrictions in restaurants, at home, and among friends.” By Kate Browne, Ph.D. (she/her)
We recognize the roots of the body positive movement in Black culture and Black body liberation. We strive to create a culture that dismantles white supremacy and centers and lifts up Black voices, including Black trans and Black queer voices. We are here to listen, to learn, and to help however we can. Our DMs are open and we look forward to continuing the conversation.
The Body Positive Fitness Alliance stands in solidarity with intersex, transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive athletes*. We believe that if a competition is divided into men’s and women’s divisions, individuals should participate in whichever gender division they most closely identify with. “Sex testing” athletes is an undue burden to the participants in question and promotes a hostile culture in sports.
UNDUE BURDEN
Asking participants to prove their gender through biological testing is an invasion of privacy and negates their humanity.
Many anti-trans activists claim to want to “protect women in sports” by implementing sex-testing barriers, but these policies foster cultures of fear and suspicion towards any women who perform “too well”, particularly BIPOC athletes.
Sex-testing advocates often invoke “fairness” as a reason for implementing testing policies, but these same competitions make no considerations for other factors such as differences in nutrition, coaching, financial support, and other human variations like height and body mechanics.
ARE YOU A COACH OR EVENT ORGANIZER LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE ON ESTABLISHING AN INCLUSIVE GENDER POLICY?
WHAT DOES A GENDER-INCLUSIVE POLICY LOOK LIKE IN COMPETITIVE SPORT?
The Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association in recent years, with the input of their membership, has evolved away from a sex-testing policy first adapted based on the International Olympic Committee policy in 2010 and instead has implemented this straightforward and inclusive framework to replace it. This sport is full-contact, highly competitive, and one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Implementing a gender-inclusive policy has been an asset to participants and WFTDA as an organization.
Further reading:
“While the evidence indicates that higher levels of naturally occurring testosterone may increase athletic performance, the Panel is not satisfied that the degree of that advantage is more significant than the advantage derived from the numerous other variables which the parties acknowledge also affect female athletic performance: for example, nutrition, access to specialist training facilities and coaching and other genetic and biological variations.” –Court of Arbitration for Sport, July 2019
Recent Comments