hi folks,

the times are changing and as we've seen at the recent tiger claw
tournament in san jose.. a strong presence of female martial artists. i also have a question about how supportive this space is for gay/lesbian folks.

two questions:
1. what do you think is the role of female martial artists in traditional
chinese martial arts?

2. is this a community open to gay/lesbian martial artists?

various opinions i've heard and inferred through observation:

- women are welcome but really it's the men that authentically carry on the lineage of our ancestors
- female martial artists are appreciated because they are feminine and sexy
- women are warriors just like men- take them seriously and promote them if they qualify
- ooh, lesbians with swords. hot.
- gay is fine as long as they stay away from me.
- wish we had more female participants
- who cares about gender and sexual orientation. this is a new era and as long as they care about the art that's all that matters.

any thoughts?

thanks,
jian