I am not a jiu jitsu student, but I have heard very good/kind things about this gym.

https://www.jiujitsuphilly.com/

Just curious why the queer friendly requirement? The gym shouldn’t care as long as you pay and you show up to train….?

Because believe it or not safety and having your identity respected is important when joining a place you’ll spend regular time at.

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I get that but I’ve never been in a martial arts gym that cared whether or not you were queer. And it’s not like I was going out of my way to look for someplace queer friendly.

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Second this - I only trained there for 3 weeks, but they had a very inclusive atmosphere and were super beginner friendly. Beginner/fundamentals classes were well organized - they rotate through a "curriculum" where they focus on a different position/skill each week and do lots of drills and positional sparring, which is probably a more efficient way to learn as a newbie than long sessions of free rolling/flailing around. Very safety oriented, no aggressive meatheads. Owners and coaches were all friendly and approachable too

Who you sleep with does not matter in jiu jitsu. Your attitude, willingness to learn, and personal hygiene are much more important.

and especially a place where there's locker rooms

If you're being trained to punch things it's best to know that the people being trained to punch you don't already have it in for you just because you're queer

Yeah until there's that one homophobe who "accidently" breaks your arm.

I wish you were right

That’s a good question! I’m pretty visibly transgender and if people have negative feelings towards that I’m worried about the physical damage they would cause me. I know that sounds hyper vigilant but it has happened to me and friends of mine before!

Thank you for the tip I’ll reach out to them!

Ahh ok thank you that is definitely a valid concern. Good luck and hope you find something!

Ty :)

Shortys in west philly. Awesome instructors and super dedicated members. Any orientation will feel welcome for sure

Thanks so much for the share!

Thanks so much for the kind words!

Hi! My husband and I own the Jiu Jitsu co in Old city! We are absolutely inclusive to all and would love to have you come by and check us out. We have a lot of friendly and wonderful folks all dedicated to making a safe and fun space for everyone who might like to get into Jiu Jitsu.

Feel free to message me with any questions! There are also many LGBTIQ students I can put you in touch with if you would like to ask any questions of them as well.

Thank you so much for the recommendation:)

Thank you! We appreciate the kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed the school and vibe!

Came to recommend the same place. The owners are total ace humans and the place is fantastic for folks of all ages and abilities. Super welcoming.

Not sure about queer specific but shorty’s in west Philly is great. Mike the owner is a cool dude and one of the instructors. Everyone I’ve met is kind, they have a nice mix of skill levels and genders. Also have individual changing rooms instead of locked rooms. They let you try 3 classes before signing up (although I think most places do)

You’re gonna get a physically damaged regardless lol. Combat sports usually include that

🙄🙄🙄

I’m telling you as someone who has trained for nearly a decade and been at several gyms. Sexuality is totally irrelevant.

With all due respect, your thinking here is just not representative of reality. Sure, arms can be broken accidentally, but it won’t be because someone is a homophobe.

I have literally been bullied out of a gym for looking trans. I respect your love of the sport but this is simply not true and a dangerous thing to tell young trans people. Sorry to burst that bubble for ya

Oh my god this is awesome! Thank you for the tip :-)

Perhaps that’s an exaggeration but I urge you to consider how much violence there has been against trans people in the past year. It’s not random and it’s a pattern I would not like to be part of.

Yeah I prefer it when it’s motivated by teaching and learning rather than hatred for my identity

I'm not saying there's a systemic problem in jujitsu with homophobia, I'm saying there's a large problem with people being homophobic. It could just be a person who hates queer people for no reason and just do happens to train in jujitsu. This is the same threat that queer people face in their daily lives everywhere and that's why they try to find places that are queer friendly because then they don't have to worry about things like is this person going to hurt me for no reason.

This sub is the absolute worst when asking for LGBT / minority / female friendly recommendations. Without fail you will get mouthbreathers explaining that it doesn't matter.

Damn haha thank you for the commiseration feels good to hear someone say it

That's a tough question. I love my gym but the only people who bring up politics there are right wing conspiracy theorists, a couple students and coaches. I'm pretty sure they are in the minority but it really only takes a couple people to ruin the vibes. There are gay and lesbian students but with all the fearmongering around trans people I don't know if it's safe.

I myself am open and accepting to any training partners who respect the sport.

What would you think about my asking coaches at my gym?

I just saw in another comment you said your trans. The context definitely helped me understand better. Given that information, I 100% urge you to not give up on finding a spot to train. Everyone has a right to defend themselves, and jiu jitsu is a great way to learn those skills.

I’d say look for a “Gracie” affiliated school, and focus on the self defense classes. A more competition geared school is more likely to have the dude bro types that throw heel hooks and crazy submissions. I still don’t think those folks are being malicious purely because of your gender, but they’re definitely more likely to injure you.

Thank you!

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