Free LGBTQIA+ Self-Defense Classes taught by people from that community.
This is information on the Portland class. We also have information on classes in Oakland (California) and Toronto.
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 on every first Sunday of the month at 2pm, with a 3pm open mat. Stay tuned to the @transfighters instagram for announcements.
Wear comfortable workout/yoga clothing. Training will be barefoot or in socks. We have developed our own Gender Protocol to help make grappling arts more accessible for trans* people—scroll down to read it.
First Sundays 2pm (open mat at 3pm)
at Unicorn BJJ
9220 SE Stark St, at 92nd Ave
Portland, OR 97216
Gender Protocol
Trans Fighters strives to be a welcoming place for people who may not feel at home in other workout spaces. Your presence plays a major part of what makes the gym an excellent place to be. To make sure everyone is working together to word hard, we offer these guidelines to keep things smooth on and off the mat.
- All participation is opt-in. You are in control of what you do in the gym—you can step out of any activity, with no explanation needed.
- No biting.
- During drills, allow your partner to perform the drill on you, don’t make it hard for them. Provide appropriate resistance when requested and check in with the instructors when there are questions.
- Tap-out early and often. Egos heal faster than the body.
- If you hurt someone during sparring, they won’t be able to continue to roll. We want for everyone to keep coming back.
- If you are larger than your partner, be mindful of how you are moving. Do your best to be aware of how you are affecting the other person.
- Take good care of yourself by discussing your boundaries with your training partner as needed.
PRONOUNS
- Using neutral (they/them) pronouns is generally respectful — but only if you use them unilaterally with all people you don’t know, trans and cis.
- If a person discloses their pronoun preference, please use that pronoun.
- Even if it is an innocent mistake, using the wrong pronouns can create distress and an unwelcoming environment.
- When you ask a person’s pronouns, offer up your own as well.
- If you use the wrong pronoun, correct the pronoun, restate the sentence, and move on. Excessively apologizing for misgendering someone can draw an embarrassing level of attention to them.
- If you make pronoun mistakes often, try practicing on your own rather than asking a trans person for help or forgiveness.
CLASS DETAILS
- Masks are required. 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.
- The gym is shoes-off. Wear clothes you can move in (like a tshirt and gym shorts, with no hard zippers or studs).
- This is an ongoing series, with different techniques every class. One-time drop-ins are welcome, but we hope students attend regularly (and potentially become teachers themselves one day!).
- The class is open to all LGBTQIAA+, including questioning & allies, so please don’t worry about not being queer/trans enough to attend. But we have tailored our curriculum for the more marginalized students as a lowest common denominator, by prioritizing techniques that also control the repercussions of defending yourself, so expect it to be much different from the mainstream self defense approach.
- The 3pm Open Mat is for skill sharing and training with other students. If you skip the class but come for the open mat, please make sure you know our training protocols before engaging.
- 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
- Transfighters is a martial arts and self defense club formed in 2016, now operating in Oakland, Portland, and Toronto.
- Unicorn Jiu Jitsu features large, clean mats, non-gendered single changing rooms, and plenty of parking. This is the only Sunday class, so we will not be sharing changing rooms or mat time with the rest of the student body. 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).