Degenderettes Self-Defense

[come early for Fight Esoterica class at 6:30pm; and/or stay late for food]

Because the stuff that works for other people doesn't work for us:

Bosses, professors, roommates, medical staff, family, partners, protected abusers, and other bullies can leverage their power over us to reduce our options for self-defense. The unspoken but time-honored techniques that marginalized communities have always used for fighting back are: teamwork defense, inconspicuous moves, rallying bystanders, psychological maneuvering, and social strategies. Degenderettes has compiled a huge training curriculum based on the actual survival stories of queers, including trans women, BIPOC, and SWers, and we practice a rotating selection of these techniques every Friday in North Portland (for those outside Portland, the curriculum is free: degenderettes.org/curriculum). Because we believe that learning happens when our nervous systems are relaxed, our training is done in a playful way, in our very own LGBTQIA-only space.

Our Friday self-defense classes are always FREE. Masks are mandatory (and will be provided). This class is for LGBTQIA adults; teens may attend only if accompanied by a guardian. Please wear soft clothes with no hard zippers or buckles.

See our regular class schedule for a deeper dive into: inconspicuous moves (via Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), redirecting force (Hapkido), moving another person (Judo), blocks and strikes (Muay Thai), melee weapons (FMA), and teamwork safety (Squad Building Hobbies). Membership for these classes is sliding scale so that we can serve our low income community. Black and Indigenous trans-fems train for free in all our classes.

Accessibility notes: Self-defense class is up a flight of stairs (and shoes off), with some ability to train downstairs in our weight room, by request. Parking lot is gravel. A kitchen is available for preparing post-workout food.