How Houston’s LGBTQ+ Fight Club Is Turning Self-Defense Into Protest
In the face of mounting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, Third Ward Jiu Jitsu Gym in Houston is harnessing self-defense into power and queer survival.
In Houston’s Third Ward, a jiu-jitsu gym is doing more than teaching self-defense—it’s becoming a frontline for queer resilience. Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu, a nonprofit founded by Andrew and Sarah Degar, opened in 2020 with a simple goal: make martial arts accessible and affirming for everyone, especially LGBTQ+ folks. What’s emerged is something even deeper—a space where community members don’t just learn to protect themselves; they process rage, fear, and grief over the hostile political landscape targeting their rights.
Since August 2023, the gym has hosted monthly LGBTQ-only self-defense classes, offering more than physical technique. A queer ‘fight club’, if you will. These sessions have become a ritual for many—an outlet for the stress and exhaustion of living in a country where anti-trans bills and attacks on bodily autonomy are becoming routine. In a world that often polices queer existence, this space invites people to take up room, to move freely, to fight back in the most literal sense.
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The mission has resonated. Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu tied for “Best Gym” in OutSmart Magazine’s (Houston’s LGBTQ+ magazine) 2024 Gayest & Greatest awards, and it’s expanding fast. With five instructors and a growing student base, the gym plans to double its LGBTQ+ classes and increase mat space by 50% in 2025. Support from the Better Fight Fellowship allows them to fly in LGBTQ+ guest instructors nationwide, bringing new skills, styles, and stories to the mat.
For many, it’s become more than a gym—it’s a safe haven. It’s a place to throw a punch at everything trying to break you down and then breathe through it with people who get it. The gym holds space not just for fitness but for frustration, power, and healing. It offers a rare kind of solidarity: one where sweat, technique, and community become tools for survival.
In a time when LGBTQ+ rights are under attack, Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just training bodies-it’s helping build a movement rooted in resistance on the mat. One breath, one grounded person at a time.
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