Unfortunately, in the world we live in - being a member or supporter of the LGBTQ paints a target on our back. The constant harassment and assaults that our members face around the world puts us in a constant state of fear of what may be done to us if we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.
An article posted on WGNT on December 27th of 2019 reports an incident in which a man named Colin Harnack (29) broke into transgenders rights activist Julie Bermans (51) home and assaulted her and caused grievous injuries to her head that ultimately led to her death.
An article posted by Anchorage Daily News that was also posted on December 27th, 2019, regarded LGBTQ activist Tammie Willis (51). In this article, Willis explains that during a power outage, she went outside to see if other houses had been affected. When she stepped outside, she was attacked by a large man who slashed at her with a knife before punching her in the face and running away.
So what should we do?
If you or someone you know is the victim of a hate crime, contact the police first and then your local chapter of the Anti-Violence Project for additional help.
However, waiting until after an assault to get justice means that you or someone has already been affected, but what can we do to prevent these events from even happening?
My suggestion is to invest yourself into self defense classes. Whether it’s in person, online, or through books (in person being the best of the latter) it is vital that members of our community learn to protect themselves because it could very well save your life.
There are many options and styles that you could follow to learn these types of defenses. One of these possibilities is the art of Judo - which roughly translates to “the gentle way.” Judo focuses on things such as throws, chokes, and locks (arm bars, leg bars, etc.) in order to defend yourself from your attacker. Judo is meant to teach you how to use your body in such a way that regardless of your size and the size of your opponent, your can throw/subdue your opponent with ease.
Another good option is Muay Thai. Muay Thai is also known as the “Art of Eight Limbs” because it involves both of your elbows, knees, fists, and legs to face your attacker. This art focuses more on striking and hitting your attacker as opposed to subduing them like in Judo. It teaches one how to use their body to generate enough power to damage even the largest of foe and shows methods in which to trap and control your opponent using your hands and legs.
Another amazing option is the Haganah Fight style which is a martial art developed for the Israeli military. This art focuses a lot on dealing with aggressive attacks with and without weapons such as knives and guns. This art is a little more brutal than others, focusing on virtually destroying your attacker to ensure your safety. Shown below are a few videos that I took with some local friends who practice this art in order to give you a chance to see what it’s like. Of the following videos, the first is a step by step walk-through, followed by a full execution of the defense against a choke.
The following videos depicts a defense against a knife attack. As with the videos above, first is a walk-through followed by a full execution.
I would highly advise every member and supporter of this community to go out of their way to learn how to defend themselves. It is unfortunate that this is what must be done to help ensure our safety, but sometimes you have to be your own hero.