Third Ward gym empowers LGBTQ+ community with self-defense
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A gym in Third Ward is teaching the LGBTQ+ community self-defense skills.
Why it matters: Andrew Degar co-founded Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu with his spouse to create an affordable, inclusive space for LGBTQ+ people. He found that traditional martial arts studios often felt uncomfortable for queer and transgender communities.
How it works: Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu, a nonprofit, has five instructors and offers jujitsu classes and free monthly self-defense sessions for LGBTQ+ people. It plans to offer those sessions twice a month soon.
- The gym also offers weekly self-defense classes for anyone, as Degar says "people need to know how to defend themselves."
- The studio focuses on comfort, teaching techniques before sparring and encouraging open communication about what feels manageable and what doesn't.
The latest: The studio last week announced its expansion into the building next door in 2025, adding 50% more mat space. An open-ended fundraiser has been launched to support the project.
Context: After the presidential election, Degar emphasized the gym's presence and commitment: "Nothing has changed since we opened. We just know we need to be more proactive in our community."
- The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which President-elect Trump's allies have touted as the incoming administration's agenda, would vastly roll back rights and protections for LGBTQ+ people if implemented.
Flashback: Degar started training in jujitsu in 2009, aiming to learn a self-defense sport that didn't involve getting hit in the head.
- "I'm a smaller framed person. I had always been interested in different martial arts, but I wanted something that was less focused on strength, more leverage and mobility, to be able to defend myself against larger people," Degar tells Axios.
- Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu opened its doors for the first time in early 2020, but closed during the pandemic. It reopened in late 2021 and has been growing since. The LGBTQ+ monthly classes now see dozens to nearly 200 people.
What they're saying: "There are great gyms that aren't toxic. It's not every single gym is going to be the worst, but for a queer person to try and find that, they have to go in, train, figure out the room. As opposed to us directly having a message out there saying that we are a safe space, we are supportive of the queer community," Degar says.
- "Our motto for Third Ward Jiu-Jitsu is community self-defense, and that means we all have to be a community, especially within the LGBTQ community. It's about uplifting and protecting each other. So we like to say that we protect us."
The bottom line: Degar aims to position the gym as a self-defense resource for the LGBTQ+ community, urging people to "use us."