The project
Do you want queer people to be able to do cool head kicks, bodyslam each other and defend themselves from attackers? We do too, and we need your help to create a safe community space that will allow all of that to happen.
We’ve been running classes since 2020, but have always faced instability and increasing rent costs that have prevented us from having a permanent home. We’ve also been making do with second-hand and donated equipment, including boxing gloves and kick pads, and we have no access to a wrestling ring, preventing us from training key aspects of pro wrestling.
Our goal is to open a sustainable, long-term venue for LGBTQIA+ people to train in combat sports, pro wrestling and self-defence. We want to create a community space where every queer person is welcomed and able to improve their fitness, socialise, develop their skills and learn how to keep themself safe. We already have the ability, the enthusiasm and the plans, we just need the funding!
Our story
We are Roma, Ash, Zoë and Matt, the organisers of BENT Collective, a trans-run fitness and community non-profit. We run physical, fun and accessible activities across Leeds for the LGBTQIA+ community. Over the past four years we’ve brought together over 150 queer people to take part in pro wrestling, self-defence, Muay Thai and boxing classes.
We all share a love of wrestling and martial arts. However, we’ve also struggled to find spaces to train in which we can be safe and truly ourselves. While many gyms have made great strides in becoming more inclusive, we’ve still found a base level of homophobia, transphobia and toxic masculinity that makes it difficult to feel at home in a gym.
This puts so many LGBTQIA+ people off starting their own training, which is a huge shame as we know how amazing learning a martial art can be for a person’s physical and mental health. We also know that having a community around you is so important, and queer people struggle to find that in a gym full of cisgender, heterosexual people.
All this led us to start up our own classes, and carve out a space for ourselves in the martial arts landscape. Starting with pro wrestling in 2020, we’ve grown to offer self-defence, Muay Thai and boxing classes for LGBTQIA+ people in Yorkshire, and we’ve found a consistent appetite for our classes among the queer community.
“Leeds Queer Self-Defence is a safe and welcoming space for friendly queers who want to learn to flip an entire person should the need arise. I’d fully given up on fitness classes before coming here but Zoë and Roma are like the antidote to intense martial arts/fitness wankers. They’re knowledgeable and encouraging, they guide you through moves with unending patience, they adapt to suit everyone’s needs with no judgement, and they’re emotionally gentle, mindful and informed of the potentially triggering nature of self-defence discussions and consensual violence. It’s given me new skills, new confidence and lovely new pals, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.”
— Hobie
What we do
Pro wrestling
Under the banner of Leeds Queer Wrestling, we run LGBTQIA+ pro wrestling classes focusing on queer-specific storytelling that incorporates aspects of drag and other performance arts into simulated violence.
These classes are taught by Ash, AKA Rich Tea, a pro wrestler and drag king with over seven years’ experience. In addition to wrestling for a variety of promotions, they are also part of the team that runs CAMP (the Coalition of Angry Macho Pussies), a wrestling promotion that blurs the lines between wrestling and drag performance, allowing our members to showcase the skills they have developed and to develop cross-interest audiences, adding to the vibrant Leeds queer art and drag scene.
Grown out of a project supported by Arts Council England, The Tetley, Yorkshire Dance and Curious Arts in 2020, Leeds Queer Wrestling has expanded to have a membership who travel from as far as Sheffield, York and Manchester for our classes. We aim to counterbalance the macho and often transphobic world of professional wrestling, focusing on creating community and participation for all.
Self-defence
After spending time in the martial arts and self-defence spaces, we realised that what works for others doesn’t always work for us. A huge amount of modern self-defence is taught by instructors from a military or law enforcement background, which means they are led by carceral logic, always expecting danger and being ready to cause as much physical damage as possible. Often these classes are aimed solely at cis/het men, with the assumption being that participants need to learn how to avoid getting into bar fights. This is not what LGBTQIA+ people experience or need.
Instead, we offer compassionate, community-focused self-defence based around grappling and MMA. We want our participants to be able to hit hard and do damage when needed, but also to have the tools to harmlessly subdue a loved one who might be having a mental health crisis. Instead of always expecting danger, we train each other with the skills to become more confident and assertive, and to form a strong community that can be relied on in an emergency.
These classes are taught by Zoë, a qualified self-defence instructor and martial arts practitioner with over 10 years experience in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA and Muay Thai.
Muay Thai
We have recently added Muay Thai classes to our offering, and have been delighted with the positive reception they’ve received. Muay Thai is a Thai martial art that is similar to kickboxing, with the addition of elbow and knee strikes. As well as being great for self-defence, it is a fun way to improve your personal fitness, increase your confidence and meet new people.
Muay Thai often involves sparring, and we were able to take some of our members to their first multi-club sparring event recently. We hope to be able to do this more in the future, as well as hosting our own queer martial arts events.
These classes are taught by Sam, a Muay Thai practitioner for over a decade who has pro fighting experience. Sam recently spent some time in Thailand training in a traditional Muay Thai gym, and has also got a solid background in Kyokushin Karate.
Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
We’ve learnt a lot over the past few years about the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community in fitness. At a time of trans exclusion policies in sport becoming more common, the trickle-down effect to grassroots sports means that trans people are unserved by the majority of the fitness industry. We provide bespoke training to organisations and individuals who want to meet the needs of the trans community in sport.
In the past our members have delivered EDI and gender awareness training to organisations including HSBC, BT, Nestlé, Mind, Card Factory and more. In 2024 we also began working with England boxing to help apprentice coaches run trans outreach sessions during their training. With this knowledge and your support, we will develop sports industry specific EDI training for organisations as passionate as us about helping more trans people get into sport.
“Since leaving prison, I have found it hard to make friends. After I got top surgery, I began to feel even more isolated and excluded and wanted to get back into fitness. Finding Leeds Queer Wrestling was so exciting. It was everything I had been too scared to do pre-surgery. My first lesson was exhilarating, everyone was so supportive, and I felt like I was a part of something. I couldn't stop smiling. This was a community, a safe space, and a lot of fun. It is giving me back my confidence after years of being told I was useless. After struggling with mental health issues, I actually began to feel like I could be anything. I can't thank them enough.”
— Dalton
Why we need your money
We are asking for your support so that we can open our own LGBTQIA+ community space. Your money will pay for:
- Rent for our own space. Our aim is to open up a venue and keep it running for nine months. By that point, our aim is to be self-sustaining and we have the financial plans for us to do this, but we need funding to keep us going for the first nine months.
- Replacing necessary equipment to continue to keep our members safe as we grow. We currently need to replace our floor matting, our kick pads, our boxing gloves and our crash mats.
- Acquiring new equipment to improve our sessions. We want to purchase heavy bags for kickboxing, strength and conditioning training equipment (such as free weights and kettlebells), knee and elbow pads for wrestlers, and if we had the money we would most of all want to purchase our own wrestling ring for both training and events.
- Extra training. We love our queer community and want to offer them the very best training available. We have already been in touch with pro wrestlers and martial artists who would happily provide us with workshops and seminars. We also want to be able to provide our coaches with extra training, such as in Catch Wrestling, a martial art developed in the UK that has sadly seen a decline in popularity.
“Queer Self-Defence is such a wonderful place. Zoë is really encouraging and good at instructing how to do complicated things. I have been scared to do any sort of fitness or self-defence class for years because of my disabilities but Queer Self-Defence is so welcoming and so accessible. I’ve never been made to feel like I’m the problem for not doing certain things. Queer Self-Defence isn’t just somewhere to learn new techniques, it’s a lovely, caring community.”
— J
What do I get out of it?
We wouldn’t be asking for your money without something in return; here’s what we are offering for anyone willing to make a donation:
(Note: All of these designs are rough, and are yet to be finalised, they're just there to give you an idea of the final product)
£10 tier: Sticker Pack
For £10 you can not only help us, but get an awesome pack of ten stickers designed by our members. (Designs not finalised yet, we'll be getting our members to submit them as the crowdfunder runs)
£15 tier: BENT print
We have an amazing banner designed by one of our members, and we're going to turn it into a print you can put up anywhere you like!
£25 tier: T-Shirt
We’ve got a pair of t-shirts to choose from, each designed by a member of BENT Collective. One features our logos for the group and for our self-defence classes, while the other features our very own wrestling villain, Tami the TERF. If you want to show Tami who’s boss, there’s no better way to do it than with this shirt!
£40 tier: Hoodie
Would you like something a bit warmer? You can get the same designs as above printed on a hoodie.
£375 tier: Sponsor our mats
Would you like to help us outfit our venue and get some advertising as a bonus? You can get your company name and logo printed on our vinyl matting, becoming an official sponsor of our gym!
£2,500 tier: Your own personal wrestling event
For £2,500, your generosity will be rewarded by your own wrestling event, themed around whatever you want! We will run a full-length wrestling show, featuring our members, to your specifications. You will have as much creative control as you like, and even sell tickets!
£5,000 tier: Sponsor our wrestling ring
Our wrestling ring will have space for four ring skirts, and for £5,000 you can have your company name and logo printed on one and become an official sponsor of our wrestling events. When we run shows, your company will be seen by the attendees throughout, and we will be sure to give you a shoutout as one of our sponsors as well.
Here is what some of our members have said about what we do (they make us blush)
“Initially I thought my disability would hold me back too much; however, Ash has been really understanding and patient with me. Now I have a lovely circle of new friends and confidence in myself.”
— Pete
“From the first session I felt included and part of a great community of peers. Queer Self-Defence has been a great way to make friends and get a workout in an open, ‘no question is too stupid’ learning environment.”
— Samantha
“Queer Self-Defence has such a supportive atmosphere, it’s great for building the confidence required to act when you need to. In addition to the instructors being great teachers, there’s a real collaborative feel to learning among the attendees. A space full of wonderful people; would recommend it to a friend.”
— Stevie
“Queer Self-Defence is such a wonderful place. Zoë is really encouraging and good at instructing how to do complicated things. I have been scared to do any sort of fitness or self-defence class for years because of my disabilities but Queer Self-Defence is so welcoming and so accessible. I’ve never been made to feel like I’m the problem for not doing certain things. Queer Self-Defence isn’t just somewhere to learn new techniques, it’s a lovely, caring community.”
— J
“Leeds Queer Self-Defence is a safe and welcoming space for friendly queers who want to learn to flip an entire person should the need arise. I’d fully given up on fitness classes before coming here but Zoë and Roma are like the antidote to intense martial arts/fitness wankers. They’re knowledgeable and encouraging, they guide you through moves with unending patience, they adapt to suit everyone’s needs with no judgement, and they’re emotionally gentle, mindful and informed of the potentially triggering nature of self-defence discussions and consensual violence. It’s given me new skills, new confidence and lovely new pals, and I’m so glad to be a part of it.”
— Hobie
“Leeds Queer Wrestling has been of immense personal benefit to me. Being in a specifically queer and trans-friendly space has made me feel comfortable in participating in physical activities that I previously would never have taken part in. It has made wrestling accessible. In particular, it has made me grow more more comfortable in engaging in a sport that requires physical contact between myself and others, in a way that I would never have felt comfortable or safe in engaging in a group that wasn't explicitly queer.
“It has given me self-confidence, a sense of achievement, and connection to my body, which as a trans person is often a challenge. In particular, it helped me get back into exercising after top surgery, which was a time where I was feeling physically low, as despite being very happy to have had the surgery, recovery is slow and frustrating. Leeds Queer Wrestling has improved my physical and mental health, and provided me with a sense of community and support.”
— M
“Since leaving prison, I have found it hard to make friends. After I got top surgery, I began to feel even more isolated and excluded and wanted to get back into fitness. Finding Leeds Queer Wrestling was so exciting. It was everything I had been too scared to do pre-surgery. My first lesson was exhilarating, everyone was so supportive, and I felt like I was a part of something. I couldn't stop smiling. This was a community, a safe space, and a lot of fun. It is giving me back my confidence after years of being told I was useless. After struggling with mental health issues, I actually began to feel like I could be anything. I can't thank them enough.”
— Dalton
“Before I transitioned, I was fairly heavily involved in martial arts and combat sports, but when I realised I was trans I lost all my confidence to train in such a cis-male-dominated environment. Finding Leeds Queer Wrestling was so incredible, and let me get back into a hobby that I'd always loved. Not only that, it provided me with a community. I had struggled to find other trans people (especially as this was during the pandemic) and joining LQW gave me a group of people who I love and who have my back. It's such a positive, welcoming space and I'm so grateful for it. And thanks to the wrestling group, I've got my confidence back and am back training martial arts for the first time in years.”
— Z
“LQW is important to me, as a queer, dyspraxic person it's rare to find physical activities where I feel safe and comfortable to be myself, and everyone is so welcoming and understanding. It's wonderful in that it also helps with confidence as wrestling is about big characters, as much as it is about physical fitness, and it's such a brilliant thing to be able to do with other LGBTQ+ folk in a space made for us.
— PJ