Candace Hansen, a PhD candidate in musicology at UCLA, recalls being harassed and forced out of a women’s restroom at their hometown 24-Hour Fitness a few months ago.

At the gym, located in Garden Grove, Hansen says they were met with unwelcoming and leering stares before entering the facility. The gendered bathroom presented a thorny dilemma: which would be the least offensive choice for other patrons, and the least threatening for Hansen? Once inside the women’s bathroom, Hansen says an older woman started yelling, “You’re a man! You’re a man!” More women joined in, screaming and advancing until Hansen was driven out.

Hansen explained the situation to the 24-Hour Fitness staff, who were sympathetic. They escorted Hansen back to the locker room to collect their belongings and offered a private place to change. “It was next to old pool parts and supplies for a kid’s swimming class,” Hansen recalls. “It was pretty dehumanizing and sad.”

Candace Hansen, 39, punches a boxing bag at Everybody Gym.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

The experience deepened Hansen’s gratitude for the gym they frequent in Los Angeles, Everybody Gym. Everybody Gym, which has been operating in Los Angeles for more than 10 years, like its name implies— is inclusive to all.

Sam Rypinski founded Everybody Gym in January of 2017, a few months after Donald Trump was elected president for the first time. As a trans man, Rypinski says that they experienced discrimination and discomfort at other gyms and yearned to connect with the trans community. “I remember a time when there wasn’t any access to healthcare. There wasn’t access to support. There wasn’t an internet where you could find community.”

Recognizing the need for solidarity, Rypinski created Everybody Gym, a space where queer people and their allies could coexist. “I’ve always been passionate about fitness, and working out has been critical for my well-being and feeling safe, feeling confident and feeling good in my body. I wanted to bring that to L.A.,” says Rypinski.

The key to its endurance, Rypinski explains, is creating a welcoming environment. “Even the burliest, cis-dude gym rats are coming up to me all the time and thanking me for creating a space where they feel safe to work out,” Rypinski says.

Everybody Gym founder Sam Rypinski inside the facility’s gender-neutral locker room.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

It’s worth noting that in 2025, hundreds of bills have been introduced at the federal level aimed at restricting trans rights. These bills have targeted gender-affirming care, bathroom access and trans people’s participation in sports. An executive order issued by Trump has required passports only to be issued to genders assigned at birth — discriminating against trans people. In December of 2025, the House passed a bill that would ban providing gender-affirming care for minors.

“As people believe they’re losing a certain control over their political life because the world has stopped catering to hatred, they look to the smallest place that they can control,” says Hansen, who has been tracking anti-trans legislation as part of their PhD. “This year is the most anti-trans legislation in the history of America.”

Sonny Koch is a trans trainer who has worked at the gym for eight years. “It makes it feel that much more important that we have this space, especially at this time where trans people are under attack,” says Koch, “It feels scary out there. It’s dangerous. It’s not just working out, it feels like a movement where we’re doing something bigger than that.”

As a trans trainer at a previous gym, Koch recounts some uncomfortable moments surrounding his pronoun use. “It’s been the biggest life-changing experience to be able to train in a space that welcomes trans people,” says Koch.

Trainer Sonny Koch, 36, smiles after leading a workout class.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

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One of the distinct features of the gym is its gender-neutral changing room, which Rypinski says is the first of its kind in the country. There are private changing stalls and showers, but the common area is open to people of all gender expressions. “We didn’t want there to be any awkward choices for folks who may normally feel like they have to make a choice that isn’t really in alignment with their identity,” says Rypinski.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Everybody Gym transitioned to a digital video-on-demand service called “Homebody.” Beginning in 2020, the gym started hosting a digital catalog of its classes. Since then, they have expanded their digital presence, shooting tutorials on a stage. “‘It’s a way to be a member anywhere,” Rypinski explains. His aim is for it to be especially beneficial for transgender people, both nationally and internationally, who aren’t always able to access a welcoming community where they live. “We’ve donated memberships to folks in the South and in affected areas where they don’t have healthcare or resources. We’ve partnered with organizations and offer those as free memberships to folks across the country,” he adds.

The gym’s holistic approach to wellness also extends to staff. Paulo Diaz, one of Everybody’s trainers, was working as a pizza cook when he discovered Everybody Gym at a trans job fair. After conversations with Rypinski, Diaz earned his trainer certification sponsored by the gym. “I have never heard of a gym doing that — paying for a person to become a trainer.”

In his new career as a trainer, Diaz had found the courage to explore his other interest — wrestling. “Wrestling is one of the most controversial sports for trans people to be in. If it hadn’t been for Sam and Everybody sponsoring me to become a trainer, I would never have the knowledge or confidence to wrestle,” Diaz adds.

Trainer Koch, left, leads a class at Everybody Gym.

(Ronaldo Bolanos/Los Angeles Times)

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Everybody’s commitment to strengthening the community reaches beyond the queer community. As Glassell Park is home to many Latinx immigrants, Everybody Gym prioritizes Spanish-speaking staff at the front desk. “We’re trying to make it clear that this is a safe space for immigrants too,” says Rypinski. “We take into consideration all of the ways gyms fail, not only in terms of gender and kind of binary spaces, but size, age, ability, ethnicity and economic situations. We try to make this affordable.”

In the years since Hansen discovered the gym, it has become something of a home for them, witnessing them through disappointments, triumphs and even grief. “It became this amazing landing pad for me in terms of giving myself the room to feel stable in who I was: emotionally, spiritually and physically.”

Beyond the elliptical machines, the sweat-inducing yoga classes or weights, it’s the community that makes Everybody Gym strong. “You hear people gossiping in the locker room, or you hear about cool art shows that are happening or dance parties,” says Hansen. “I always end up making friends.”