PT Mark Hughes has channelled personal experiences as a gay man into creating a fitness community with a social purpose. Not only is he encouraging the LGBT+ community to get fit, he has also developed a unique business ethos the wider fitness world could benefit from

From as early as he can remember, Mark Hughes was made to feel different because of his sexuality. At school, being attracted to boys rather than girls became an invisible barrier between him and many of his classmates, especially in PE where old-fashioned gendered thinking meant football was the only sport on offer.

Hughes hated football, so therefore he loathed PE. But unfortunately, it couldn’t just be left behind on the pitch. Playing for the school football team also dictated social hierarchy, making you one of the popular kids, and things were made even worse by uncomfortable situations in the changing rooms. So, Hughes simply decided the best course of action was to actively remove himself from this negative environment.

“Speaking to others in the queer community highlighted how insecure many people felt in gyms”

“It became easier to beg my mum for a sick note rather than go through the pain of attending PE,” he says – and after sharing his experience with others in later life, it turns out he wasn’t alone. “A lot of people of my generation in the LGBT+ community went through similar problems. Traditional sport and fitness are very masculine environments. It often seems like there’s no space for others to be part of this world, but that’s rubbish. I love sports, just not football. Luckily, I had other opportunities to pursue my passion outside of school: first with competitive swimming, and then gym and weight training.”