Introduction
“For your next competition, are you going to sign up for the male or female division?,” my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) asked me when I was talking about competing.
The question of which category--male or female--to choose at a competition is not a concern for most people. But for transgender people who have just started transitioning, like me, this question could be at the forefront of their minds because they might not fit into either category.
The transgender spectrum is wide. Some folks don’t identify on either side of the male/female gender binary. They may identify as “non-binary,” “agender,” “genderqueer,” or “gender expansive.” These folks are a fluid mix of genders, or otherwise transgressing binary gender norms. They may or may not be on hormone therapy.
When you exist somewhere in the middle of the gender binary, picking a name and pronouns--much less the male or female category at a jiujitsu tournament--is not as straightforward as it might seem.
Trans and non-binary people are an important and often invisible part of the jiujitsu community. Furthermore, they remain untapped talent that could benefit the grappling world if they knew that they would be welcomed. Creating inclusive environments for gender non-conforming people at jiujitsu gyms and competitions means growing the sport and the community.
Why does gender matter in a sport like jiujitsu where all genders train together?
With a sport like jiujitsu where players wear an androgynous kimono and people of all genders train together, it can be easy to say that gender “doesn’t really matter” or that “gender is a personal thing.” Why is gender identity in jiujitsu spaces important to talk about?
Indeed, the other day I was rolling when I saw someone I didn’t know who was sitting on the side of the mat looking directly at me. The person pointed at me and Sam overheard them ask their friend, “Wait, is that a boy or a girl?”
I just kept rolling and didn’t really care what the answer was or what the conversation was about. But I asked in my head, “Does it really matter what my gender is?” The truth is that, on the jiujitsu mat, whether someone was born male or female--and indeed, what their genitals are presently--certainly doesn’t matter. And that is one of the beautiful things about jiujitsu: equality. The way we all roll the same is what brings the jiujitsu community together. People from all walks of life--disability status, race, gender, and sexual orientation--can come together and roll. These labels don’t matter when we’re focused on our technique.
The main thing that matters in that moment--that suspended time warp of sparring--is just the time spent on the mat and the sweat and blood you spent to get to where you are. The thing that matters is the connection that you share with the other person. At the end of the day, jiujitsu is not even about the color of the belt nor the medal at competitions, it’s about a shared community coming together to make the world a more kind and connected place through the beauty of martial arts.
Nevertheless, our identities and the experiences that have been shaped by our identities contribute to who we are as a fully integrated human.
The people on the mat are more than just a bag of limbs and techniques, but whole people with experiences which affect who they are, the life they face and how they're treated by others. Ignoring gender is analogous to being “colorblind” to race, which ignores the experiences that People of Color face in their lives and overlooks the privilege that white people the world over enjoy.
Trans people have a different experience than cis gender people. Full stop. Therefore, creating environments that treat trans and non-binary people as equals is essential to incorporating a richer and fuller jiujitsu community.
Why inclusivity matters in the jiujitsu community
I am trans masculine and use they/them pronouns. He/Him are okay too.
With this in mind, I come to you as the humble author of an article set out to share some of my experiences as a genderqueer person who trains jiujitsu. In the end, my goal is to assert that transgender inclusion is within reach of the standard practice of jiujitsu, including competition settings. I will conclude with a few policy suggestions that will help the community as a whole attract and retain more people in jiujitsu for the betterment of the sport and its practitioners.
People who are trans, questioning, or genderqueer will be more likely to start and less likely to quit if jiujitsu communities start with a baseline of inclusivity. This baseline can include a few basic practices that help people who are different from the mainstream feel more comfortable, such as asking for and using correct pronouns and celebrating mixed gender competition divisions. Inclusive practices help diversify the training environment and competition scene, ultimately helping everybody improve and elevate their own jiujitsu game.
GENDER, COMPETING, AND TESTOSTERONE
Here are a few facts about myself to help situate my background and where I’m coming from in writing this article:
● I was Assigned Female At Birth.
● I primarily use they/them pronouns.
● I am transmasculine and genderqueer.
● I’ve been on testosterone for several months.
● I am from the United States and I live in Central Europe.
● I’m a purple belt in jiujitsu.
As I socially transition into life as a male, I have gone from being perceived as a relatively strong woman to a weak and skinny guy. Thomas McBee also writes in his book Amateur about boxing as a trans athlete and his experience of masculinity in a fighting sport, where aggression and vulnerability coincide. Relating to what McBee writes about, I regularly get my ass kicked on the mat and I love it.
“Competition is ‘força’ (power) and then some technique,” my jiujitsu professor wrote to me when I told him my intention to compete in the male division. “Realistic goals are the key to success.” My heart sank. He didn’t think I was capable.
When I tell close friends that I want to compete in the male division, they often protest. Several months of testosterone doesn’t compare to a lifetime of it, they insist. I will be at a significant disadvantage and I should just sign up for the female division, others say. Men and women are on steroids to improve performance, and my hormone replacement therapy is no different, they argue. I shouldn’t compete in the men’s division until I change my name on my official identification documents, some suggest.
As the advice poured in, my thoughts went round and round. In the end, I decided competing in the male division is a better choice for me...if I’m allowed. I emailed Jiu Jitsu World League to ask if I could compete at one of their upcoming competitions as a female-to-male (FtM) transgender athlete. After following up a few times, I finally received a kind response that concluded with “we currently don't have any rules regarding this situation in place.”
As an FtM, I also couldn’t help thinking: Why is this even a question? Are they really that scared about what would happen to their fragile male egos if I *gasp* possibly won? Still, I’m determined. I regularly train against men who are much bigger than me. Why is it such a big issue for me to compete against men who are the same size as me?
The thing I love about this sport is not the competitions. The jiujitsu journey is not about the outcome, the gold medal, or the podium stand. It’s about the community and connection that this art provides. Still, nobody should be barred from competing--this makes our already small community even more limited.
And this is just my experience as a female-to-male transgender athlete, where I seemingly do not represent much threat to my competitor. I am also in a relatively privileged position because I present as male in a patriarchal society. Transfeminine and non-binary athletes have a whole different set of challenges, where they face more exclusion, discrimination and hate crimes due to their gender identity.
Locker Rooms
These were the thoughts I was considering in the last several months as my body--my voice, the shape of my face, and my facial hair--has started to change with hormones. When I came out to my jiujitsu professor a few months ago, he was affirming of my gender, supportive and respectful. He agreed to use my new pronouns and name. And yet.
“You can’t use the men’s room at the gym. First of all, it’s not safe. The guys will eat you alive in there. You will be bullied and harassed, so it’s better if you continue to use the women’s room,” he told me.
I agreed, but there should be some rules or basic standards of human dignity in place so that I wouldn’t be bullied if I used the locker room of my choice.
In the months that have followed that conversation with my coach, I have continued to use the women’s room as I was told. Because the entrance to the mat space requires passing through a locker room first, I must enter the locker room before each class. Our jiujitsu club shares the locker room with a big sports complex and I often encounter people who don’t know me.
When I first walk in, I am often met with stares, giggles, or shocked faces and embarrassed looks. Then, a well-intentioned person informs me that I’m in the wrong locker room, telling me that the men’s room is down the hall. The only thing I can usually muster in response is, “I was born female.” Their eyes get big, they nod and turn away, usually not saying anything in response.
Every day I dread going into the women’s locker room. Not because I’m going to be misgendered, but quite the opposite: people see me as a guy, because I look like a guy. And I am a guy; I’m a trans guy. And women react quite strongly to the presence of a guy in the locker room for social and historical reasons. But I still must use the women’s room according to the gym’s policy--and a policy that lacks any kind of enforcement against bullying. I have considered quitting multiple times because of the locker room policy.
While women react to my presence in the women’s locker room with confusion at best and horror at worst, I have no doubt that the men’s room would not be any better, as my coach himself said, they would “eat me alive.”
It is striking to me that jiujitsu is the one place in my life where people are not fully accepting of me yet: some of the men bully me on the mat, people don’t necessarily respect my name or my pronouns. When I tell people I’ve changed my name because I’m trans, they look away in embarrassment or confusion. Competing is still only a maybe for me, and the locker room situation is awkward to say the least. Being trans is uncomfortable and I know that. However, in my experience, the jiujitsu communities in every place I have lived--even in open, liberal, urban areas--are behind most other people and communities in terms of thinking and inclusive policies, from sexual harassment to race relations to gender identity.
However, in recent days my heart has lifted with some optimism. When I returned to my former gym, they had a transgender person on staff as well as more gender inclusive language during classes. Jiu Jitsu World League finally responded to my email. They not only agreed that I could compete in the male division at one of their upcoming tournaments, but also offered to sponsor me and waived my admission fees. My professor responded to my news with “I’ll be there in your corner to support you.”
I’m pleased to see these changes and excited to compete in the male division soon. Still, there is more work to be done. My fiancée and a number of friends are male-to-female transgender athletes in jiujitsu and other sports, and their experiences are not so positive--especially when they are white belts. The jiujitsu community’s imperative to break down hierarchies and gender norms, and enforce anti-bullying and inclusivity policies for transgender people, go beyond simple solutions, and must include interrogation of racism and sexism as well.
We can do better
Let us not continue to be a backward community that continues to tout outdated definitions of toxic masculinity and gender binaries. Let us continue to progress and broaden our horizons, keeping our hearts and minds open to what is possible, so that we may expand our community and not limit it.
Ask people their name and pronouns. Trust that the adults in the locker room have chosen the room that is best for them, and if they look different, they are probably more uncomfortable than you are. Allow trans people to use the locker room of their choice and compete in competitions. Be respectful and treat all people with dignity. Have a zero tolerance policy for bullying, harassment, and assault. It sounds simple, but these practices are not something I’ve consistently witnessed in the jiujitsu community.
Creating a more inclusive community starts with small things. Show people that they matter to the community and that they belong just like everyone else: a smile, a hello, an invitation to roll. Inclusivity continues with the big things like locker room and competition policies that are inclusive of trans people. Ultimately, we are striving for a cultural shift towards open-mindedness and away from prejudiced thinking in the jiujitsu community.
When you get on the mat, whether born male or female, whether cis or trans, straight or queer, it all doesn’t matter. What matters is your jiujitsu. At the same time, gender matters and is a fundamental part of people’s experiences, especially in sports, and the jiujitsu community as a whole can do more to include people from the entire spectrum of identities.
CONCLUSION
I have a few suggestions for gyms and competition guidelines that could help keep evolving the community to be more inclusive to people from the entire gender spectrum, with our ultimate goal being to recruit and retain more people into the sport. The aim of Roll the Same and this article is to encourage people to adopt behavior and policies that will ultimately elevate the sport and improve everyone’s jiujitsu by expanding the diversity of our recruiting pool and retention numbers.
Gym policies
● Jiujitsu gyms would benefit from a policy that encourages coaches and teammates to ask for and use the players’ correct pronouns.
○ Most genderqueer people are unfortunately accustomed to being accidentally misgendered on a daily basis. Cis gender people would likely be displeased with ill-intended descriptions of themselves as a different gender, such as describing a woman as “looking like a man” or describing a man as “girly” as an intended insult. In the same fashion, a culture of respecting others’ pronouns ensures that genderqueer people are not misgendered in a way that could be hurtful or insulting.
○ One way to help gym staff to fulfil this is to include a text box on membership forms which asks people’s pronouns, and include text at the top of the form which advises the student on who to contact to provide updates if any of their personal information changes. Roll call or attendance lists will include each players’ pronouns.
○ Such a policy wouldn't criminalize mistakes, but would set a precedent to endeavor to address people appropriately.
● A policy that allows people to use the locker room of the gender in which they identify signals an inclusive environment to all.
○ There is no evidence of increased assault in places with inclusive bathroom policies and allowing people to use the bathroom of their gender identity (e.g., allowing trans men to use the men’s bathroom) is a crucial part of making genderqueer people feel safe.
○ Inappropriate behavior should be handled by management. If someone makes another at the gym feel unsafe, such as through harassment or assault, that person would be removed from gym participation.
○ Gender neutral bathroom or locker room options will be provided if space and resources allow.
● Gender inclusive environments means grouping and pairing people together during technique, drilling, and rolling sessions based on size or weight instead of biological sex.
○ Unless, of course, someone has expressed an intention to learn to defend themselves against a particular gender or body type which they struggle against. All policies should have flexibility to real world application, but the idea is to have the focus on training be about body size and technique rather than gender.
● Harassment, abusive behavior, lechery and assault is not tolerated. If someone is doing things which made someone else feel unsafe, then this would be acted upon and that person would be asked to leave the gym.
Competition policies
● Competition guidelines can outline language and policies inclusive to trans, gender expansive, non-binary or not fully transitioned trans people. Big shout out to Chloe Moore who pioneered gender inclusive guidelines in her competitions. Chloe has already established guidelines based on the International Olympic Committee Guidelines for transwomen to compete. While fully transitioned trans men can usually compete in the male divisions “undercover,” it is best if a policy explicitly welcomes all trans and non-binary people to sign up for the division of their choice.
● Guidelines can also include policies for non-binary people. For example, language in the competition rules can include policies such as the following:
○ “Gender expansive and non-binary individuals are also welcome to compete, however, they will be accepted on a case by case basis depending on current exposure to testosterone.”
● Competitions, as an extension of the universal training approach that mixes male and female training partners, can offer mixed and/or absolute divisions that do not separate the divisions biological sex.
○ Again, shout out to Chloe Moore who already had this idea and is currently planning an absolute division where all genders will be included in the divisions. She wrote on the Fight Like a Girl social media channels that for the next competition she would like to “create a mixed competition division for Blue - Black belt. This division would be open to both male and female competitors, and separated [only] by weight category.”
I love this sport. I love the people in this sport. We can all evolve in our thinking and behavior to become more inclusive in order to grow our community.
Additional Resources:
Many organizations, like “Roll the Same,” are already championing equality in jiujitsu, especially when it comes to gender and the LGBT umbrella, as well as sexual harassment issues. We encourage you to check out the following groups for more information:
- Triangles Everywhere
- Fight Like A Girl
- Safe Guard
- Women Who Fight
- Guard Whats Yours
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