Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Teaches Classes For Free To Transgender People To Learn To Defend Themselves

Nov 01, 2020BJJEEArticles

“Jiu-Jitsu is for the protection of the individual: the older man, the weak, the child, the lady, and the young woman: anyone who doesn’t have the physical attributes to defend themselves.” -Helio Gracie

Transgender people in Fortaleza, Brazil are receiving free Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes, with the aim of working on their own self defense against physical threats and abuse.

The workshops are taught by BJJ instructor Milton Leite and four more volunteers. Classes are divided into two parts: first, there are theoretical concepts and trans people need to reflect on jiu-jitsu, when to use the techniques and all the moral and ethical discussion related to the sport. In the partsecond, it is the practical part. “We have this discussion so that we can get closer. We focus on themes, such as prejudices, a whole theoretical part about the trans world and sport.

Then they move on to practice. “The classes are not adapted, we apply everything from the sport of BJJ ” , explains professor Milton Leite , responsible for teaching the classes.

In addition to teaching transgenders about self-defense, Milton also says that the environment is being a lesson for him: “Every training session there is a paradigm break. It is a very intense physical contact. Gradually, everyone is seeing that respect is valid for everyone. There are really cool moments in that exchange. I challenged them in jiu-jitsu and they challenged me in hairstyles ” , he jokes.

Milton wants the course to be extended and wants the sport to remain with them even after the workshop. “The idea is that they will continue training bjj. I stay there until someone from the group is ready to reproduce the same work that I took there ” , he says. The idea of taking jiu-jitsu to transgender people came when Milton learned about Casa Transformar’s actions: “We started chatting on Instagram in March. But the pandemic came and we had to stop the negotiations. We returned now in October after a round of donations of equipment ”, he recalls -“ I have been working for 20 years in several [solidarity] projects. People ask me why and I answer whenever I do everything I can to get close to some groups and get people off the street ” – he said.

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