NOTE: In order to retain secrecy, all members of Fags Fight Back have requested anonymity. All names featured in this article are pseudonyms.
On a blissful Sunday, I arrive at a secret outdoor location. To the untrained eye, it’s an insignificant patch of grass surrounded by shrubbery and filled with silence. For a solid moment, I even question if I’m at the right place. But after some needed patience, this barren area is disturbed by another person; many more start trickling in until we become a group of 15 people.
These visitors don’t just bring themselves along; they come hauling comically large Ikea bags filled to the brim with wraps, shin pads and boxing gloves. Once the blue tarp is laid out, it’s finally time to swing some fists and roundhouse some kicks, for this isn’t some picnic gathering, this is a combat sports group; a very unique one at that.
Amongst the many decking it out are people with appearances just as diverse as their identities, some are transwomen, others are gay men, lesbians and a whole lot of they/thems in between. If you haven’t guessed by now, this is a combat sports group made for and run by the LGBT Community.
They’re brazenly known as Fags Fight Back and for several years, it’s been the go-to group for queer people to learn self-defense training. For many, they’ve learned a lot of valuable moves ranging from hooks to low kicks.
But swinging heavy blows isn’t the only thing that attracts a turnout, a sense of comradery resonates deeply with the members.
“It’s meant a lot to me. It’s helped me not just get fitter, but a lot more confident in myself.” says Sade, a longtime group member.
The origins of the group trace back to one Mauy Thai loving transwoman named Quinn. After spending time in several martial arts circles, Quinn would go out to start her own martial arts group.
As Quinn describes: “I use be in broader leftist martial arts groups, they all sort of fell apart when the pandemic started. […] I moved in with people who owned all the gear. So, I inherited it all and around about the same time I transitioned, I’ve seen other groups that were just for queer and trans people, and I thought they were really cool. And there was also at the time (as there still is) a big uptick in transphobic rhetoric and violence towards us. So, I thought I use my limited skills and somewhat less limited equipment to start the group.”
Being able to learn self-defense training in an inclusive environment helps a lot of members to feel like they can be in a space that breaks masculine stereotypes.
“It’s not meant to be this hard serious thing. […] I’m aware of other gyms being very macho, very stoic, sticking to the program. We’re a lot more lighter; that’s by design.” says Ash, another veteran member of the group.
Establishing a queer space for combat sports may hold a very crucial contribution to the community.
NSW Police estimate that nearly 200 attacks against LGBT people have occurred statewide since 2023.
With threats of violence constantly looming over an already vulnerable minority, many who attend Fags Fight Back feel solace in knowing they can defend themselves.
Learn more about this tight-knit group via the sports episode on AFTRS FM.
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