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Bender Defenders

Bender Defenders is a queer and trans martial arts community empowerment movement. We confront rising hate crime by teaching martial arts to queer and trans people and running self defence classes for our community. We emerged in 2020 out of Queer Night Pride protests, and are a collaboration between community activists, coaches and community centres.

In our regular Muay Thai, karate and boxing classes, and our on-demand self-defence workshops, queer and trans people feel the benefits of training a martial art in an inclusive, community centred space.  We get fit and release emotional burdens and anxieties through practising movements, pushing ourselves, connecting with our bodies and with each other. Testimonies from our regulars show how important this space has become for their wellbeing.

We love punching and kicking things, but most of all Bender Defenders is about queer community and joy! We are all stronger together than alone. We connect queer and trans people through sport – something many of us have felt excluded from in mainstream spaces.

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Featured Programme

Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund

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