Free LGBTQIA+ Self-Defense Classes taught by people from that community.
While we did do pre-registration in the past, we will no longer be doing that. Just show up and we’ll do our best to accommodate everybody, even if the class must spill out into the parking lot. Scroll down for our over-capacity procedure.
Please be familiar with the gym rules & our training guidelines below.
About the class:
Is it your first time learning self defense or martial arts and need encouragement and sensitivity? Did you study a martial art in your past and are looking to re-enter the practice? Are you an advanced martial artist looking for LGBTQIA+ community?
Join Traction Project at Unicorn Jiu Jitsu to participate in our free LGBTQIA+ self-defense class! This class is every Friday at 7:30pm. Stay tuned to our @tractionproject instagram for last minute announcements.
Fridays 7:30pm
at Unicorn BJJ
9220 SE Stark St, at 92nd Ave
Portland, OR 97216
Masks are required, and will be provided. The gym is shoes-off. Wear clothes you can move in (like a tshirt and gym shorts, with no metal zippers or jewelry). Expect to sign a waiver if it’s your first time. Once doors open, you will have 15 minutes to take off your shoes, stow your gear, and use the foot wash station before stepping on the mat. Warm-up begins at 7:30.
- 7:15pm — doors open
- 7:30pm — intros & mobility flow
- 7:45pm — training games (think: team freeze tag plus foam footballs)
- 8:00pm — technique lesson (usually: grappling while talking)
- 8:15pm — breakout groups & skillshare & open mat (ie. learn to spar, punch bags, or practice what you know)
- 9:15pm — clean up
You are welcome to bring a dedicated training partner and work exclusively with that person. You can also just sit and listen to the lesson without participating. You can skip the lesson and just come for the skillshare at the end. There will be a non-LGBTQ class wrapping up at 7:30.
The class is open to all LGBTQIAA+, including questioning & allies, so please don’t worry about being queer/trans enough to attend. The technique lessons will be from the Traction Project Curriculum, which was developed for trans women who are BIPOC or sex-workers, and prioritizes controlling the repercussions of defending yourself (so expect it to be much different from mainstream self defense).
The lead instructor for Portland classes is Scout Tran (ey/em/eir), editor of “A Self-Defense Guide for Trans Women” available through Silver Sprocket. You can view many of eir lessons about verbal & strategic defense on tiktok at @queersneverdie or traction-project.org/downloads. The breakout groups & skillshare at the end of class is an opportunity to learn from other people besides Scout — if you’re an experienced martial artist, consider leading a breakout group!
Unicorn Jiu Jitsu features large, clean mats, non-gendered single changing rooms, and plenty of parking. It is all first floor (no stairs), but scents are present. Unicorn is on the #15 bus route, or is half a mile from either the Max Green Line or the #72 bus (82nd Ave).
Gym Rules
- No metal or hard things on the mats, including hard zippers, watches, jewelry, etc.
- No shoes past the carpeted entryway. No bare feet outside.
- Foot Wash! Only step onto the mat thru the blue Foot Wash bucket. If you step off, go all the way back to the foot wash again.
- No bare feet in the bathroom. Use the sandals provided by the bathroom door.
- Cut your nails to protect training partners. If you have any cuts, tape them up.
- Wear clean clothes. Shower ahead of time. Please don’t wear scents.
- Wear a mask. This is close-quarters martial arts, please protect each other.
- Don’t come in before 7:15pm, and respect the class before us.
- Respect the space. Don’t trash it, don’t fight the neighbors, don’t do anything that could affect Unicorn’s business, we need them to keep this place open.
Training Guidelines
- Continuously ask if participating. Create an “opt-in” environment.
- No sexiness / No cruising.
- If you don’t know someone’s pronouns, avoid any pronouns. Example: say “hold the arm” instead of “hold their arm.”
- Anyone can give feedback on how we teach the class. We only take feedback on what we teach from Trans Women & Transfems who are BIPOC or sex-workers. Exception: anyone can lead a skillshare, on any topic.
- Tap out before it hurts, either physically or emotionally. Tap your training partner firmly and repeatedly on their body (rather than tapping the floor).
- Play Gentle! Injuries decrease everyone’s survivability. Note size & age differences and ask about previous injuries. Use cleverness instead of speed or strength.
Over-Capacity Procedure
Our building capacity is 40 students at a time. We were over building capacity in the past, but after trying a pre-registration system for a month, we’ve decided it’s not what we want (the pre-registration was selling out a week or more in advance, but only half of the people signed up were actually attending, so we were effectively reverting to a walk-in system anyway). If you want to attend, just show up.
Instead of just turning people away, our over-capacity procedure will be: The first 40 people will be let in at 7:15pm (class starts at 7:30). Anyone after the first 40 people will have the option of doing an auxiliary exercise in the parking lot from 7:30-8:15 (rain or shine). At 8:15, the parking lot class will be invited to swap with indoor class, and both the indoor technique lesson and the outdoor auxiliary exercise will be repeated at that time.
Our over-capacity schedule is:
- 7:15pm — doors open
- 7:30pm — warm up & training rules / begin auxiliary outdoor exercise
- 7:45pm — training game (ie. modified freeze tag, relay grappling, sock wrestling).
- 8:00pm — technique lesson
- 8:15pm — swap with outdoor class
- 8:30pm — repeat indoor technique lesson & outdoor exercise
- 8:45pm — skillshare breakout groups, indoors & outdoors
- 9:15pm — clean up