My name is Leo Petty; I’m a neurodiverse, non-binary asexual person, a parent, and a librarian.  I’ve been ‘out’ as queer for the past 5 years and started my transitioning journey then. Doing so has been rewarding, but difficult due to restricted medical help that can be offered to people over a certain BMI.

My whole life, I’ve struggled with disordered eating, and being told I was going to be restricted from life-saving care unless I lost weight sent me into a downward spiral of disordered eating again after I have been in recovery for years. I struggled and got to the right BMI to be accepted for surgery, but despite how it saved my life, I was still scared from the weight stigma and the fall back into disordered eating. It was also hard because I have nerve issues in my back, so a lot of exercises only hurt or sent me into waves of pain. I could not afford a gym or personal assistant.

I wanted to be active again, and not for weight purposes but for mental health. 

heard about Safe Gains and decided to try it, only with the goal of attending weekly, even if I didn’t do any work, I needed social connections and to get out of the house. There, it was friendly and relaxed, and the accommodation for my back needs was exactly what I needed. I’ve been able to learn how to exercise without causing damage to my body, and made friends I would not have met otherwise.

I’ve met some outside of weekly classes and just had a hike through Arthur’s Pass yesterday with one of them! The people running Safe Gains are so lovely and friendly. I cannot begin to tell how they have positively impacted my life in many ways.  I also finally had gender-affirming top surgery and still attended class each week. They helped make sure I slowly reintroduced motion back into my body in a safe and positive way. I feel so much happier now, and that’s been so positive in my life, both physical, mental and emotional.