What is Beyond Masculinity

Beyond Masculinity is a movement that hosts community groups for anyone who wants to connect and explore authenticity beyond the constraints of patriarchal masculinity. We welcome and invite cis, trans, and non-binary folks who want to build community, grow together, and foster accountability in a space that centers collective healing over shame and isolation. Beyond Masculinity was created by Justice Roe Williams and John Bridger

In-Person and Virtual
Each local branch of Beyond Masculinity is a part of a larger collective that meets virtually a few times a year to further deepen the conversation and connect across geographical divide, cultural perspectives, and intersecting identities. Currently, there are monthly in-person groups being held in Boston, MA and Flagstaff, AZ

• Evolve Flagstaff - 824 W Rte 66 Suite A1, Flagstaff, AZ
• Jamaica Plain Branch Public Library - 30 South St Jamaica Plain, MA

Justice is a highly experienced intersectionality consultant with a sharp focus on dismantling patriarchal masculinity as bell hooks defines it.  He has been a facilitator for over 20 years and, in that time, has worked with colleges, universities, non-profits, businesses, gyms, and movement spaces to move "beyond inclusion,” creating socially equitable environments for all.  As a black man of transgender experience, he interweaves his narrative while helping individuals think critically about how intersectionality is a part of their personal experience and the importance of making social justice a daily ritual in our lives. He is a poet, writer, author, and now co-editor of his anthology, Deconstructing the Fitness Industrial Complex: How to Resist, Disrupt, and Reclaim What It Means to Be Fit in American Culture .” published May 2023. He is excited about his new manuscript about masculinity and healing to be published in 2025 with North Atlantic Books.  He is a body-positive activist who continues to create safe spaces for all bodies through his work with Fitness4AllBodies (F4AB). A key component of his work has been working with people of all backgrounds to address and dismantle toxic masculinity and how it operates within a white supremacist patriarchal culture. His work has been featured in The Boston Globe, the New York Times, Men’s Health Magazine, African Voices Magazine, NPR, Refinery29, Good Housekeeping, Pink News, the Boston Neighborhood Network News, and more.

 Justice will be facilitating Beyond Masculinity in Boston and co-facilitating the larger virtual meeting with John. 

  John Bridger is a trauma therapist who holds a PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology. John owns Bridger Counseling, LLC and offers in person and virtual mental health services out of Flagstaff, AZ. John strives to lead with humility and prioritizes being an active and authentic member of his community.

During his training, John specialized in group development and facilitation. He has facilitated groups including interpersonal process, tools for success, existential purpose, dream exploration, general support groups, and groups for athletes exploring mental health. For the last few years, John has been co-facilitating a men’s group with Justice Williams through Fitness 4 All Bodies. This group has evolved into Beyond Masculinity as Justice and John both want to push beyond the limits and harm of a binary understanding of gender. 

John also coaches and collaborates with his local gym, Evolve Flagstaff, to push fitness spaces towards being more trauma-informed, authentically joyful, and accessible for all bodies. John is a contributing author to the 2023 anthology Deconstructing the Fitness Industrial Complex: How to Resist, Disrupt, and Reclaim What It Means to Be Fit in American Culture.
 

John will be facilitating Beyond Masculinity in Flagstaff and co-facilitating the larger virtual meeting with Justice.