When asked about the most valuable part of her mission within her community, Reverend Cheryl Kerr says, “where my passion sits is in justice issues, and especially justice around minorities.” Then, she adds, “especially around minorities that have traditionally and historically been oppressed in this country and across the world as well.” Cheryl has done a lot of work and research around racial injustice, as well as queer and trans rights. Like racial injustice, trans and queer injustice has always been around, shape-shifting and changing to reflect the current societal changes. Much of the injustice toward trans and queer rights hasn’t been acknowledged until the last 10-20 years.

Before starting CrossFit Cheryl had been a runner and ran the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2014. She was unable to complete the 2013 Boston Marathon because of the bombings at the finish line. Cheryl was only one mile from the finish line when the official shut down the race. She knew she needed to switch gears from the repetitive motion of long distance running while still feeling challenged. She found CrossFit fit her craving for something more whole-body, as she was looking to gain strength across the board. In 2015 Cheryl walked into a small  gym named CrossFit Craic and since then she has believed in the power of the CrossFit community.

A couple of Cheryl’s favorite Benchmark Workouts include Jackie and Kelly.  Jackie, being quite row-intensive, appeals to her. Says Kerr, “rowing is my jam”. Even though she spent her high school years playing trumpet in the marching band rather than committed to an athletic sport, she completed her first CrossFit 2000m row in about 2:04. Cheryl also favors Kelly for the true grit it takes to get it done. She says, “I like Kelly because it’s just a long grind.”  Cheryl is a mother who, at the time, had three young kids. When they were quite little, she “would get a babysitter for three hours just to go for a run.” Many fitness-inspired and long-distance running mothers can probably relate to that feeling of  “literally running away from the exhaustion of being a mom.” 

Around the same time that she became a CrossFitter, she also became Reverend Cheryl Kerr. She experienced a large and heavy transformational shift in her life. One of those ‘all is lost’ moments like “when you’re in a totally pitch black place it feels suffocating until you realize it is infinite”. Cheryl found hope in a dark place. She realized that she “could do anything”. She said, “I had the whole world in front of me, nothing can stop me.” Her work as a reverend fulfills her in so many ways, especially the gift of leadership. Cheryl not only attends church each Sunday and gets to love on the people in her community but she is also running a business with a staff of volunteers who need guidance. 

Cheryl is passionate about uplifting her community, which includes all demographics and groups. She understands that as a leader in her community, she must use her platform to give a voice to the underserved minority groups, such as trans and queer groups. Says Kerr, “A lot of the oppression and violence that moves towards that community comes out of the Christian church and faith communities as a whole so it is of the utmost importance that – as an ordained leadership within the Christian church – we do something different.”

In January 2025, CrossFit reversed its policy to allow athletes to compete based on their sex assigned at birth, rather than their gender identity. This change went into effect for the 2025 CrossFit Games. The new policy states that all athletes are welcome to participate, but must compete in the division that matches their sex assigned at birth. The policy change is a reversal from the 2018 policy that allowed transgender athletes to compete in the category that aligned with their gender identity. The CrossFit Open for 2025 has also experienced a significant drop in registration. According to “Bar Bend*, “ The unofficial 2025 total Open registration is 233,815, down from 343,496 in 2024. That is a 32% reduction in Open registrations year over year and the lowest total since 2014. This is only the second time in CrossFit’s history that total Open registrations decreased this steeply year over year. The first time was the 2020 Open.” 

Reverend Cheryl Kerr, who banned registering for the CrossFit 2025 Open,  believes the two occurrences are connected to one another. She says, “I love CrossFit. We love the concepts of CrossFit. The foundational ideas of CrossFit are all so valuable and important.” However, this new policy they put into place around Gender Identity doesn’t sit well with her. Says Kerr, “the archaic language they used around it” is not right. It “feels like the decision-making & the writing of it did not come out of the foundational values of CrossFit.” She thinks it’s important to do what we can to express that that’s not who we are. As a member of a CrossFit affiliate, she chooses “not to put my money in that direction (of the Open)”. 

If she had the opportunity to speak to those at CrossFit HQ, Cheryl would ask, “how does this new policy affect your competition at the elite level?” The vast majority, maybe 90% of CrossFit athletes are not competing at the elite level.” She would also add that, “as a global organization, you purport to be an extremely inclusive sport and you do that very well through adaptive sports, adaptive CrossFit. Your affiliates are open to all ages and I’d like to see you do better with gender because it feels contradictory and even hypocritical.”

Kerr went on to say, “as a person of faith, in my mind these issues of justice are not politics, they are humanitarian issues. This is where I try to explain to folks, when you work in a field that is humanitarian-oriented – which I think CrossFit is – we are looking at bettering human life. It is really easy to shy away from making statements because of politics, but when you look at it through the lens of it being a humanitarian issue that requires justice then it’s not that anymore.”

Reverend Cheryl Kerr shared the following local organizations you can support to help the LGBTQ local community: Gender Support Department of Children’s Hospital (nationally recognized), GLAD Law, BAGLY, Alliance for LGBTQ Youth and the Waltham House.

*Cited Sources: 

1. Mike Halpin, “2025 CrossFit Open Registrations Down 32%; Lowest Total Since 2014” Bar Bend, March 6th, 2025. https://barbend.com/2025-crossfit-open-registrations-down-32-percent/?utm_source=morningchalkup.barbend.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=2025-open-registration-drops-32