{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T18:00:04Z","timestamp":1788285604951,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":5,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]],"date-time":"2026-03-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774137600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"national institutes of health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UL1TR002345"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UL1TR002345"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Health Promotion Practice"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Bills to prevent transgender youth from participating in school sports have passed in many states, including Missouri Senate Bill 39. In response, past St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed an executive order (No. 77) to support and protect transgender residents in the City of St. Louis, Missouri; this executive order addressed numerous public spaces, including the city\u2019s seven recreation centers. In this Practice Note, we describe a pilot initiative, Free to Flex, with the goal of supporting the safety and inclusion of transgender members within the St. Louis recreation centers. This initiative utilized a participatory action research framework and was guided by a community advisory group. Key elements included: Gender-neutral bathrooms and locker rooms; staff training on gender-affirming communication and care; gender-inclusive signage; updated policies; and revised registration procedures. Implications for policy, practice, and next steps are discussed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/15248399251415428","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,23]],"date-time":"2026-03-23T04:30:26Z","timestamp":1774240226000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Advancing Inclusion of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Members at the St. Louis Recreation Centers: A Practice Note on the Free to Flex Initiative at Cherokee Rec"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5939-250X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Whitney","family":"Linsenmeyer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Louis University, St. Louis MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jordan","family":"Braxton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"St. Louis City Mayoral LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Susan","family":"Halla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransParent, St. Louis MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Melik","family":"Coffey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"James","family":"Thurow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransParent, St. Louis MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Miles","family":"Rowe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransParent, St. Louis MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chelsea","family":"Freels","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransParent, St. Louis MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rene","family":"Freels","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransParent, St. Louis MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kyle","family":"Freels","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransParent, St. Louis MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"suffix":"III","given":"Lawrence","family":"Prograis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sunshine","family":"Prograis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cherokee Recreation Center, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chris","family":"Geden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Thrive Outside, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Bergman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Welcome Friend Association, Thessalon, Ontario, Canada"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sarah","family":"Garwood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Giedinghagen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gretta","family":"Strand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Katie","family":"Heiden-Rootes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_2_2_1","unstructured":"American Civil Liberties Union. (2025 August 8). Mapping attacks on LGBTQ rights in U.S. state legislatures in 2025. https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights-2025"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s43586-023-00214-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_4_1","unstructured":"Jones T. (2023). Executive Order No. 77. https:\/\/www.stlouis-mo.gov\/government\/departments\/mayor\/documents\/executive-orders\/mayor-executive-order-no-77.cfm"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0297571"},{"key":"e_1_3_2_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/lgbt.2022.0247"}],"container-title":["Health Promotion Practice"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15248399251415428","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/15248399251415428","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/15248399251415428","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T08:26:26Z","timestamp":1777451186000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/15248399251415428"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]]},"references-count":5,"alternative-id":["10.1177\/15248399251415428"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/15248399251415428","relation":{},"ISSN":["1524-8399","1552-6372"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1524-8399","type":"print"},{"value":"1552-6372","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,22]]},"article-number":"15248399251415428"}}