BOSTON — For Pride Month, many businesses are supporting the LGBTQ community. That includes Barry’s—which is a gay-founded and led gym that works to create an inclusive environment.
“I’m a runner,” admitted Kelly Whittaker, the Chief Instructor at Barry’s Downtown Crossing.
To put it modestly, at the age of 37, Kelly Whittaker has already completed 39 marathons—including the Boston Marathon in 2013.
“I finished and crossed the finish line actually 8 seconds before the bombs went off,” said Whittaker. “So I was right there. As you can imagine, that really impacted me. It took me a little while to like find my purpose with that, but ever since I’ve really tried to make running my focus in life.”
Kelly quickly realized that sitting at a desk all day for her job in finance wasn’t her passion. So she took a big risk and started teaching at Barry’s shortly after it opened in Boston.
“Once I started teaching here, I really never looked back,” said Whittaker. “I knew it was something that ignited my passion and it got me excited to wake up in the morning and thank God it worked out because here I am.”
It also worked out for Kelly personally—it’s where she met her wife. And she eventually got her dream job—becoming the chief instructor.
“So not only do I get to teach classes, I also get to train new instructors, which is also super fun.”
The workouts in the Red Room—are like being in a nightclub. The music, the lighting, and the social atmosphere provide an alternative to the party scene—which is what the gay-founded and led fitness company wanted to create.
“Being able to open our doors to people, to come in and find a space that, you know, not only gives you a good workout, gets you really sweaty, but you I feel like we’ve created a community here where people come and they make friends in there and they keep coming back because they get that, you know, that various friendship aspect of it and support,” said Whittaker.
During Pride month—Barry’s is doing the ‘United we sprint challenge’ where a charitable donation is made to Lambda Legal. It also helps promote awareness and acceptance.
“One of the reasons why I love it here so much is it’s always felt super inclusive to me,” said Whittaker. “Me and my wife have been coming here forever and we’ve always felt very welcome.”
Kelly says the doors here are open to everybody and that was so important in her journey not only in coming out but also dealing with the mental impacts of the marathon bombings. Barry’s has served as her second home—creating a support system she says she’s thankful she found.
“I hope that, you know, inspiring others to be their authentic selves in whatever that means to them,” said Whittaker. “I hope that I allow others to find the same happiness that I found.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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