From our favourite muscle queens to the hotties in Love Lies Bleeding, queer bodybuilding has made a resurgence in the 2020s, but the sport has always had an LGBTQ+ history.

It starts with muscled hunks flexing biceps and flipping tires on sandy So-Cal beaches. During the ’40s, there was a fitness boom that took the world by storm. People were more focused than ever on body mass and macros. But, what about the queer people? Well, they were doing it long before it became a trend.

Using it as a way to blend in, men would masculinise themselves in the gym. Femininity was associated with homosexuality, but a set of abs and massive forearms could distract from the other parts of these men that would make them suspect.

This history wasn’t all about hiding, gay men found a way to share their muscled achievements with not only the LGBTQ+ community but the world. Queer people took the idea of a muscle mag and tweaked it enough so that it could work as pornography without being incriminating. This media was made by gay men for gay men, but it was passed off as athletic appreciation.

Publishers took notice of the popularity of muscle magazines, and they leaned into the eroticism of the male body. Even if it wasn’t intentional, it felt inherently queer. With the rise of bodybuilding as an art form, the male body was sexualised in the same way a female body would be on screen. This was later the subject of legal persecution, as the US Postmaster claimed that it promoted homosexuality.

Back when men were afraid of being labelled as gay, there was a certain stigma towards queer people in bodybuilding and sports in general. It wasn’t acceptable to be visibly queer, but there was a trend of hustling among bodybuilders behind the scenes. Oftentimes, because bodybuilding didn’t pay the bills, some of these men would turn to wealthy gay men for their income. It was called “gay for pay,” and it was an open secret in the industry.

To be openly gay in bodybuilding was considered a career-ender, but some brave athletes challenged that. Chris Dickerson, a Black bodybuilder from the southern United States, came out during his successful career in the 1970s. Almost 10 years later, he became the first openly gay man, the first Black man, and the oldest man to win Mr. Olympia at 43.

Bob Paris became the second most famous bodybuilder in history, and now he spends his time sharing his personal experience in writing. The former Mr Universe stayed in the closet for most of his career, but after he had made the switch from sweaty stage to silver screen, Bob came out in a 1989 issue of IronMan Magazine. He and his former partner Rod became gay icons overnight and took the fight for marriage equality to the mainstream.

 

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With female bodybuilding, it was judged differently. If a competitor had muscles that were unladylike, they were unlikely to win. They could be muscular, but not obscenely so. Some women, like Bev Francis, challenged the status quo.

Even in a sport that pushed the boundaries of the human body, there was an adherence to the gender binary. Francis broke records with her pure muscle mass and strength, yet she never won the coveted title of Ms. Olympia.

By the way, Bev Francis came in 8th because there was no reason for her to NOT make the finals but they clearly rigged the scores against her out of spite.

She would break more than 40 world records in her athletic career as a powerlifter. pic.twitter.com/8237Sscg6B

— Harmony Colangelo (@Veloci_trap_tor) August 2, 2024

Like the queer men before her, Francis pushed the limits of what masculinity and femininity meant. With misogyny and an over-emphasis on masculinity in sports, bodybuilding can break the mould. What started as a testosterone competition now has the chance to provide a safe space for queer people in athletics. With the rise of transphobic legislation and bans worldwide, trans people have fewer safe spaces to practice sports or even exist.

Bodybuilding provided a stage for Neo L. Sandja, a trans man who started an association of trans bodybuilders and powerlifters internationally, the IATBP. Now, non-binary people can compete in bodybuilding, something often discouraged or outright banned in sports. Trans athletes are more prevalent than ever in the sport, and their visibility can help pave the way for inclusion in other sports. If you’ve ever wanted to be larger than life, now’s the time!

 

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