TORONTO — From the doorway of the Newsgirls Boxing Club, all the trappings of a standard boxing gym are in view. The full-size ring is to the immediate right, its red, white and blue ropes and black mat at once festive and menacing.

Speed bags, heavy bags, double-end bags and a punching mannequin form a pathway — adorned with posters of female boxing champions as well as of Muhammad Ali — to the less traditional gym equipment in the back, like a piano, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and sewing equipment tucked in along the lockers.

The signs on the bathroom door welcome all gender classifications, and a separate changing room is available for those who seek more privacy, especially the many transgender people who have found sanctuary and empowerment at this gymnasium.

Most come to box, but they may also gather around the piano for the Saturday night choir. They can join the sewing circle or quietly resupply their own cupboards with cans of spaghetti sauce and jars of peanut butter from the bins that form a food bank, set up to assist the more impoverished people who go there.