What do those flags mean?

If you’ve ever trained in our gym, you know we have a BUNCH of flags up. We have flags representing each branch of the military, the POW/MIA flag…even flags and banners about Jiu-Jitsu culture and products. The two flags we’ve gotten a few questions about are the “Thin blue line” flag and the “Progress” flag (rainbow).

The Progress flag was designed in 2018 by American artist Daniel Quasar and is based on the 1978 rainbow flag representing the LGBTQ+ community. The message behind this flag is a call for more inclusivity of people from all groups, including marginalized ones.

The Thin blue line flag (police) is in support of the law enforcement professionals we regularly train with. In fact, this flag was a gift from one of our LEOs. This flag was originally a tribute to fallen officers who died in the line of duty. We have come to realize that this flag is controversial in some circles because certain hate groups have co-opted it for their own uses. We do not support their use of this flag. 

We want to make it very clear that the owners of Rally Point BJJ will NEVER support hate groups…nor any abusive, racist, sexist, homophobic or xenophobic behaviors. Harassment at our school will not be tolerated. We choose to have all these different flags up because we want people from all groups to feel safe training with us. Sometimes, you don’t know if you are going to be safe somewhere unless you see representation. The beauty of Jiu-Jitsu is that you can find people from every different walk of life on the mats. When we get to know and train with people who are different from us, we learn and grow…as Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and as humans. We hope this makes things clear.

We’re happy to answer any questions you might have about training with our community. Happy Rolling!