In just under a month, members of the Queer community will travel from as far as Europe to Seattle for one purpose: fighting. March 7—8 mark the latest semiannual Queer and Trans Martial Arts Tournament, a huge event featuring Muay Thai and Brazilian jiujitsu.

Gwendolin Roote, the founder of Queer Fight Night, began the tournament last year on a special day in her life.

"Last year, around this time, I wanted to have a jiujitsu birthday party," Roote told the SGN. "And so we organized the first Queer and Trans jiujitsu tournament, which was publicized to everyone on the Queer Fight Night network."

Since last year, the numbers have more than tripled — from 35 competitors to 44 Muay Thai fighters and 91 jiujitsu fighters in the upcoming tournament. The event has gained sponsors and lengthened to three days, and will feature over 65 matches with different styles of martial arts. "We're really getting to be a center for folks to come do the thing others get to do whenever they want — competing in this sport," Roote said.

Creating a safe space for martial arts

For Roote and hundreds of others, having their own space to compete is vital.

"All of the sanctioned Brazilian jiujitsu tournaments are explicitly transphobic," Roote said. "They don't let anyone fight as anything other than their assigned sex at birth. They require paperwork and basically do anything they can to keep Trans people from competing in a way that feels good to them."

Events like Queer Fight Night provide a space for Queer and Trans people to participate in the sport free from prejudice or judgment. Even so, in the current climate, the organization comes face to face with a fair amount of negative sentiment.

"It's really daunting how targeted we've been," Roote said. "It's been a big barrier for people starting martial arts, and it's such a relief to have spaces where you don't have this outsider feeling."

Roote, who identifies as a Trans woman, noted how martial arts can help people feel empowered and confident in their body.

"It's really powerful to feel like you're in control of your body," Roote said. "It makes me feel safe knowing my being is a weapon."

The event, open to any and all who wish to attend, is entirely volunteer run and has already landed eight sponsors, as well as raised almost $3,000, which goes to running the event and providing transportation and registration costs for low-income people who want to participate.

"Anyone who wants to wiggle around on the mat with a bunch of Queers, send them my way," said Roote.