Conswella “Sway” Bennett is a powerlifter and special education teacher at Dunwoody’s Kingsley Elementary School. She’s also a freelance writer and one of the original members of Team Lis Smash.
Recently, Sway wrote an article in the Georgia Voice. about the Fantastic Beasts, the nation’s first LGBT Powerlifting Club, based here in Atlanta.
Last month we held our first fundraiser, Pull for Pride.
The Georgia Voice is “the premier media source for LGBT Georgia”.
Pull for Pride is a nationwide fundraiser hosted by the Women’s Strength Coalition. The event was held in 7 cities this year and raised over $100,000 for homeless LGBT+ youth.
In the article, Fantastic Beasts co-founder Reed Gilbert says:
“Along with facing social stigma and discrimination, people who identify as LGBTQIA also are at increased risk to experience depression, anxiety, and mental health instability, and I really think that [powerlifting] could help gay individuals build the strength they need to stand strong in the face of adversity.”
“It is my hope that through teaching and promoting the sport of powerlifting among the LGBTQIA community I will be able to instill a new sense of strength and courage for future LGBTQIA individuals to push the envelope and never be afraid to be who they are and love who they love.”
To read the entire article, visit
https://thegavoice.com/community/organizations/raising-iron-money-the-fantastic-beasts/
The next Fantastic Beasts training session is Sunday, July 15 from 3 to 4:30 pm at CrossFit Downtown Atlanta. Any fitness/expreience levels, genders & sexualities are welcome. The session is $5-20. Pay whatever you can afford. RSVP or get more info here.
