About Us

Welcome to BENT Collective, home of Leeds Queer Wrestling and Leeds Queer Self-Defence. We are a queer and trans-run organisation that has one simple aim: bring LGBTQIA+ people together across the north of England and teach them to fight!

We provide something more than standard combat sports gyms: we are a community of like-minded queers, teaching practical and performance skills while also helping each other thrive.

Our history

We originated as Leeds Queer Wrestling in 2020 when Ash and Roma - two of our directors - got together to run wrestling classes for the local LGBTQIA+ community. These were a big hit, and we quickly built a community of local queers who liked to grapple with each other. Two of our members even took part in what is arguably the first wrestling match in the UK between two trans women (as far as we know)!

In early 2023, we added self-defence to our curriculum after one of our members, Zoë, became a qualified instructor. We began running weekly classes for Leeds Queer Self-Defence, and quickly grew our community even more.

June 2023 marked the first CAMP, a fully queer pro wrestling and drag cabaret show co-organised by Ash. Our members had their first pro wrestling matches, and it was a resounding success! We have had another CAMP since then, and have a third in the works.

Throughout all of this we have continued to run inclusive classes for the queer community in Leeds and the surrounding area. If you’d like to join us, please get in touch; you’ll be welcomed with open arms!

OUR VALUES

No dickheads, no cops

The only way we can keep our spaces safe and inclusive is by having zero tolerance for those who would risk that. We don’t accept intolerance or bullying, and believe that queer liberation is incompatible with the police.

Community and liberation through sport

“There must be an ongoing recognition that everyone influences the classroom dynamic, that everyone contributes. These contributions are resources.” - bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom.

We’re here to build community and to help liberate each other, and these are always our top priorities. Our coaches aren’t dictators in the gym, and don’t expect obedience or any respect that isn’t earned. We’re here to share knowledge and learn from each other, free from hierarchy.

Move with care

Combat sports are violent and training them has to be done with care, kindness and consent. Our classes aren’t about smashing each other and proving we’re the hardest people in the room. They’re about working together and looking out for each other, making sure every movement is done carefully and with care taken to avoid harm.

Taking our time

We’re not here to get as good as possible as fast as possible. We train for empowerment, not for competition. We take things slowly and move at the right pace for everyone so our classes can be as enjoyable as possible.

Change and evolve

We exist to serve and grow our community, and we don’t want anything to get in the way of that. That means being flexible and changing to meet our community’s needs, with members’ support and guidance.

Our team

  • Ash: Director & Lead Wrestling Coach

    Ash is a pro wrestler, drag king and performance artist with a passion for making wrestling something that can be enjoyed by everyone, not just the usual cadre of straight cis men. They have been wrestling for seven years, and in that time have worked to create an inclusive training space in which everyone can be comfortable.

  • Matt: Director

    Matt was one of Leeds Queer Wrestling’s first members, and has been attending since the first ever session! He has watched our classes grow and evolve, and has become a fantastic member of the team. He has found community and support in our classes and is excited to give back wherever he can.

  • Roma: Director

    Roma is an artist, community organiser and researcher currently undertaking an AHRC-funded PhD in Material and Visual Cultures at Northumbria University. As a director of BENT Collective, she provides opportunities for queer and trans people to access combat sports training in Leeds and nationwide. In 2023 she became a personal trainer specialising in helping queer and trans clients feel more confident in fitness spaces.

  • Zoë: Director and Lead Self-Defence Coach

    Zoë is a self-defence instructor and skills trainer specialising in diversity, equity and inclusion. She has worked with companies all over the UK to help make them safer and more equal environments for marginalised employees, and has taken the same approach to her self-defence classes. Her focus is on providing people from marginalised groups the confidence and practical skills they need to safely navigate a world that can be hostile.