[yummyfajitas]

Just go to that dark corner. I'm a skinny guy (less skinny now), I was intimidated by that corner as well.

My observation: the vast majority of those "mostly-large-males" are extremely nice, even if they do sometimes make scary faces while lifting and look like Danny Trejo. If you pick the right gym (typically in lower class neighborhoods), they might even critique your form, which is incredibly valuable.

[ebiester]

It's a lot different being a woman. Pick the wrong gym, and there's a lot of harassment that can happen, unfortunately.

[Nrsolis]

So don't go back. You could make the same argument about a lot of restaurants/bars/public places, etc.

Honestly, I know a lot of VERY big guys who lift a heck of a lot of weight. Without exception, every single one of them is the nicest, most even-tempered, welcoming fellow you could imagine. The stereotype of a angry, musclebound meathead is just that, a stereotype.

If you're really too scared, go find yourself the most convenient Crossfit gym and drop by for a free workout. You'll find that MOST Crossfit gyms are well over 60% female and that there are several women there that are leading a lot of the men in weightlifting and overall athleticism. I'm a guy and I've most definitely been shown up by a lot of the women at my particular box and I'm not alone.

Believe it or not, weightlifting/getting fit is going to make you VERY uncomfortable for non-trivial periods of time. You might as well get used to it. Seeing a whole cadre of women lifting heavy and doing it fearlessly might really do you a lot of good from a psychological perspective.

Greg Glassman always said that the biggest adaptation a Crossfitter experiences is between their ears.

[yummyfajitas]

I'd strongly suggest not letting the fear of possible harassment deter you. Wait until it actually happens. Worst case, you complain to the front desk and homeboy gets out of his yearly contract 11 months early. (They usually have cameras everywhere, so it wouldn't even be a "he said, she said" issue.)

Most of the very large men have no need to harass random women - all they usually need to do is walk into a bar and say "hello". And I've never met a guy at the gym who would even be tolerant of such harassment, let alone participate.

tl;dr Fitness is too important to let a one-in-a-million bad event deter you. Statistically speaking, your biggest worries are poor fitness > harming yourself due to poor form/bad luck > getting harassed at the gym.