Exercise is good for everyone – but too many LGBTQ+ people still don’t feel they belong

The world is increasingly polarised, and there is no shortage of misinformation. But on movement, exercise and sport there is complete clarity: the evidence shows that movement and exercise is absolute gold for our bodies, our brains, our sense of wellbeing and belonging.

Yet our recent survey with YouGov also shows that nearly half of people in the LGBTQ+ community don’t do the amount of vigorous exercise that the government recommends. Some 76% of LGBTQ people have also experienced mental ill health.

Too often, people in the LGBTQ+ community feel – and often are – unwelcome in sport, exercise and movement. Fear of judgement, exclusion and stigma continue to hold people back. And when people don’t feel they belong, they don’t move – and their health and wellbeing suffer.

Read more:

• Transphobia and homophobia are terrible for the economy, report finds
• The UK used to be the most LGBTQ-friendly place in Europe. Now, it’s not even close
• Young LGBTQ+ people are made homeless because of who they are – but official stats don’t show it

Our iconic Rainbow Laces campaign, which has already done so much to encourage visibility and awareness on LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport over the last 13 years, seeks to change that and help all of us reap the benefits.

Through Rainbow Laces’ Move with Pride, we want to create a network of belonging, so that everyone can be comfortable and confident to get involved, move with pride, and access the health and wellbeing benefits that exercise and movement brings.

My personal passion is horse riding. Ever since I was put on a friend’s pony when I was six or seven I have never wanted to get off and that lifelong love has never waned.

I am incredibly fortunate to now be the proud ‘dad’ of two horses, Obi and Boris, and together we get a lot of joy from competing, with others who share our passion, at grassroots eventing and showjumping competitions.

The happiness it brings me has a huge impact on my mental health. When the horses are out of action for some reason, I really notice the difference in how I feel; and of course, the physical benefits are huge.

It can be difficult, apart from all the other barriers, to find the time to exercise, we have so many competing demands also try to integrate physical movement – walking and cycling into my work routine as I can, and I do a strength training class twice a week to try and maintain muscle mass and bone health.

This sounds like a lot, and I am incredibly lucky in that I feel and am welcome in the places where I workout with others – and that I have access to nature and day-to-day exercise.

I know that not everyone has that, and that is why we believe that building this visible network of belonging. Using rainbow laces as the simple signal can help.

Exercise and movement offers me a number of important things. It helps look after my body and keep fit. My brother died of heart failure in his 40s and although Mum died of cancer, she lived with the same heart condition as my brother. My dad also died with cardiac arrest, so we have a family history, and I want to keep my heart healthy.

It helps look after my mind. Exercise, especially when riding, requires me to put down my phone and give my mind time to join up the dots, process information and switch off from work, the world and everyday life for a moment, which is incredibly important.

And it creates a sense of community and belonging. Through horse riding and the strength classes I have built community and friendships. I have a lot of fun, and I challenge myself to lift heavier (but not very heavy!) and to go up a level with the horses.

So often when people talk about movement and exercise, they talk about running as the universal panacea. It works for some of us but not for all.

For some of us, it might be moving on our own, going for a stroll with the dog or a friend; for some it may be dancing in a group, and for others of us it might be a team sport – some for fun and some competitively. For me competing is part of the fun. For others it isn’t.

The Rainbow Laces campaign is about encouraging us to whatever makes us feel good about ourselves and others; and encouraging others – thorough using the laces or through the Proud Pledge – to signal welcome and belonging so that we can access those things comfortably and with confidence.

For me, the Rainbow Laces campaign is about creating a visible network of belonging where we can be encouraged to be curious and playful, to connect with our bodies and feel the benefit it brings to our health and our minds.

It is about trying new things, connecting with the freshness of nature or the joy of getting sweaty in a workout class. And this has never been more important than now. It’s been a difficult time for our community, and many of us are feeling worried and uncertain.

Looking after our mental and physical health is important, and even more so in this context. I want as many people as possible to feel that they belong that they are welcome and that they can take advantage of the huge health, wellbeing and social benefits that movement can bring and move with pride.

And Rainbow Laces is about encouraging all of us to find joy in movement and exercise and to be able to say, feel and believe that we belong: with confidence, with pride and maybe with the odd bead of sweat on our forehead.

Simon Blake is the CEO of Stonewall.

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