Alternative Fighter Association

Started in Seattle, WA at the end of 2024. Alternative Fighter Association has already grown from its humble DIY roots in the American Pacific Northwest. Having already held and collaborated on events in the USA and Germany, AFA is excited to announce our next event will be on Asian soil. OVER THE ROPES #1 takes place in Bangkok, Thailand on February 6th 2027.

Transgender athletes around the world have long suffered implicit exclusion from competitive sports. Although our visibility in the public eye has grown, so have what were once merely implied exclusions. Becoming ever more pronounced, explicit and prohibitive over the past years, there has rarely been a time when being a trans athletes was more difficult than it is now.

Often treated as nothing more than a side show or spectacle at best, trans athletes have rarely been given a stage to showcase our talents. The AFA organization is guided by a need for safe and fair competition for martial artists from all backgrounds and walks of life. Specifically those who would never find them otherwise.

Founded by members of the Queer and Trans community in Seattle, WA during a time of pronounced discrimination and marginalization in the United States. AFA is made for everyone but centers athletes from the broad, indomitable tapestry of LGBTQIA+ identities. In collaboration with coaches and athletes from around the world, we are forging a new path. Our mission: create a global network of events for trans athletes and our comrades to compete outside the restrictive, unethical boundaries of commercial combat sports.

We are grateful for the opportunities that have allowed Alternative Fighter Association to become the world’s first international combat sports organization, created by and for queer and trans fighters, coaches and our athletic comrades in arms.