Pride Athlete Feature - Ryan Natale

Auxiliary prides itself as being a community that strives to nurture a space for inclusion. What brings us together is one inalienable goal, to improve our lives through fitness. For Pride Month, we celebrate our members with a special Pride Athlete Series. We are especially lucky to have so many athletes who want to share their stories.

“It’s hard to be comfortable and confident in yourself when you’ve lived the majority of your life as someone you aren’t” - Ryan Natale

In his own words: “I’m Ryan. I self identify as a transgender bisexual man. I am visible so other people within the LGBTQ can see they are not alone and that they are just like everyone else. It’s hard to be comfortable and confident in yourself when you’ve lived the majority of your life as someone you aren’t. Crossfit has helped me have a positive outlook on how I see myself. Before my transition, I always had a vision of how I thought people saw me, but how they actually saw me was quite different. Through incorporating Crossfit and healthy eating with my transition, I am finally seeing me I had always envisioned in my head. For me, Pride is about being unapologetically you no matter what.”