Damien McClean, the Brisbane man who claims he was told to stop making people “uncomfortable” by dancing between sets at a branch of World Gym, says he’s still attending and is now “wiggling” his butt in protest at “toxic masculinity” in gym environments. 

Last month, McClean claimed in an interview with Q News that staff at World Gym in Ipswich asked him to stop dancing as it was “putting people off”. 

The 44-year-old, who identifies as queer, tells PinkNews that he consciously wears sparkly jewellery and chooses to paint his nails as a mark of pride in being queer. 

He said he attends the gym in a bid to build muscle as a form of rehabilitation from injuries he has developed due to working as a horticulturist.  

“I find the gym to be quite an unpleasant place for people who have an aversion for toxic masculinity as Australian gyms reek of it,” he says.

“I live for dancing and I live for drag. My dancing is a celebration of queer expression and a celebration of life,” the expert in garden cultivation said of dancing at the gym, adding that he chooses to be “visible” in his queerness to show others in the LGBTQ+ community that they have the right to use spaces without “fear of intimidation or ridicule”.

“So, with this in mind in between my sets I like to wiggle my hips, shake my butt,  step touch side-to-side and practice my lip syncing skills. I ensure I never encroach into anyone’s personal space, ensuring I’m at a respectable distance,” he shared, and emphasised that his dancing is “sexually suggestive”. 

McClean described his dancing as a “protest” and an act that enables him to expose “bigots to openly queer men who are not ashamed of their queerness”. 

McClean claimed that World Gym’s management has “ignored” him, leading to him seeking legal advice. 

World Gym Ipswich told PinkNews: “World Gym Australia is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members and staff across our locations and has a zero-tolerance policy to discrimination. We take all concerns raised by our members seriously.

“Each World Gym location is independently owned and operated under a franchise model and individual gym owners are responsible for day-to-day operations and enforcement of policies. However, World Gym Australia works closely with all franchise locations to ensure that our shared commitment to diversity and respect is upheld.” 

The spokesperson added that “in the rare case that concerns are raised” there is a process in place to ensure the incident is “investigated thoroughly and addressed appropriately” .

“World Gym Australia values diversity within the fitness community and welcomes members of all backgrounds, including the LGBT+ community,” the statement continued, adding that the gym will continue to work to ensure its environments are safe for all.”

Happily, the incident hasn’t put McClean off going to the same gym. “It’s something that I need to do and I refuse to allow [people] to intimidate me and dictate how I act in public. So, I’m still there, and still wiggling my butt,” he says. 

“I chose to go public to shift the culture to where it’s normal to see openly queer people act queer in the gym space.”

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