Over the weekend, author and model Mark Turnipseed shared advice and stories with celebrity beauty expert Tim Quinn at the Sweat with Pride Fitness Expo at FTX Wellness and Performance in Boca Raton, Florida.
The event promoted LGBTQ inclusion in the addiction recovery and fitness communities, and it was also a fundraiser where all proceeds went to Gay & Sober and OUT South Florida, who split the profit 50/50.
“Tim and I share a passion for using fitness to combat addiction,” Turnipseed said. “Our personal stories make us particularly sensitive to the risk faced by LGBTQ persons. We are deeply disturbed that LGBTQ people are 20 times more likely to engage in drug abuse than non-LGBTQ people. They are also less likely to seek professional help due to stigma around their sexuality in the healthcare industry.”
Turnipseed details his battle with depression, addiction, and coming out in his tell-all memoir, My Suicide Race: Winning Over the Trauma of Addiction, Recovery, and Coming Out. He also talks about how fitness helped turn his life around.
“Fitness was an essential part of my recovery from heroin addiction, but I did not know if being my gay self in the gym would be risky,” he said. “That’s why celebrating Sweat with Pride is so important to me.”
Quinn has also been significantly affected when his life-long partner and brother lost their lives to addiction. He left his 20 year career and position as Director of Make-Up for Armani to give back to the addiction world by building a more inclusive presence in the beauty and wellness field.
Turnipseed and Quinn are currently creating a company that brings together people interested in recovery, beauty, fitness, and inclusion to help them achieve their dreams and help others find hope. They are planning their first major retreat, as well as developing an on-line platform that will offer coaching, clothing and beauty products, and peer support.
Although the event is over, you can still make a donation by clicking HERE.
