This blog has always been a space for those who identify as women. Creating a space for women in cycling has been a practice that has taken me years to build on so that this space is more inclusive and representative of those who participate in it. These days, working on Cyclista Zine has been an eye opener and an evolution of what I’ve built through City Girl Rides but aims to be more inclusive of WTF and BIPOC narratives. Getting to this point has taken me years to learn how to be an ally to various marginalized voices in cycling and I realize that just like starting this blog, it’s a process that I’m learning to be part of everyday. Starting CGR didn’t just happen overnight. It was out of needing a voice and space for women identifying people who needed resources, to rant, to help each other navigate male dominated spaces in cycling. I’ve written a lot here about what I learned through clubs, groups, bike shops and blogging that readers ask me how they can be better allies to women, poc, trans and queer folks in cycling on a daily basis.
First, let me say that it’s not enough to have a conversation about how the cycling industry and media should expand inclusivity and representation when it itself holds up the status quo. When folks find out about the representation and inclusivity conversation, that was built on years of labor and education done by those not centered in cycling media, they say a few things about it, get applauses, and go on about business as usual. I recently exchanged a few messages with a reader saying that the dialogue of representation and inclusivity lacks experts, history, and accountability. Often the conversation lacks depth and doesn’t lift up the voices of those doing the work and rarely recognizes when tokenization has taken place. It’s the same stuff perpetuated in the rest of our lives that seeps into cycling too.
Just like the #METOO movement, cycling has yet to have its reckoning with its own complicity. There are many of us wishing for the day when women’s teams will receive equal pay and coverage. When the death toll of cyclists is zero. When the gender gap in cycling is balanced. When stories of working class folk are part of the narratives of cycling mainstream. When more WTF, BIPOC are in the pro races, media, and advocacy tables making decisions that will encourage others to get involved without worry of discrimination, harassment, or abuse. There are many who have good intentions when they share good things that do happen to expand equality and inclusivity but rarely know how to be an ally. So, if you want to be an ally for inclusivity and representation, you have to be willing and ready to the work at the side of WTF and BIPOC folks. Here is what you can do support and conspire with them:
- Believe women’s, lgbtqia, and bipoc (black, indigenous, people of color) stories when they tell them. Just because you have not gone through that experience does not mean that millions of others haven’t. Your opinion or input has no value so learn how to de-center your feelings. Listening is the best thing to do here.
- Acknowledge your privilege. Being white, cisgender, straight, able-bodied, educated, not poor, and thin are all forms of privilege rewarded by society. Some forms are more valuable than others but it just means that you are given more opportunities and tools to navigate through certain experiences and spaces safely than those who don’t have the same privileges. Use your privilege for good.
- Be open to being wrong and learning from it, often. Don’t let your ego or good intentions block you from receiving criticism, even when it’s coming from a place of anger. Listen first, react later. This could be hard but sometimes our good intentions are more harmful than helpful.
- Make space for others concerns, criticisms, and anger. Be worry of microaggressions and don’t tone police under guise of civility and positivity about things that are not civil or positive, that’s silencing.
- Never use phrases like “I have a female/black/gay/fat etc. friend” to justify a point you want to make. It does not absolve your responsibility.
- Be of service, seek out and ask how you can support them and then follow through. I can’t tell you how important this is and it’s incredibly meaningful to those who feel supported by you.
- Get used to the fact that when you call things out and speak out against tokenization, exclusion, or misrepresentation etc. it will make people uncomfortable or angry.
- Talk about these issues on social media. Often these conversations are being had in vacuums and labored by people to do the educating and conversation that keeps the burden squarely on them.
- Support athletes, organizations, zines, blogs, writers, small businesses of WTF and BIPOC owners. Throw expendable dollars, regularly, at single-issue organizations founded by people directly doing the work of dismantling injustice and/or providing resources to those lacking. Activist and local orgs are great places to start as opposed to large charities (I share a few of my favorite below and see my list of women owned brands).
To get more specific about cycling, all of the usual suspects are at play: classism, racism, sexism, and so on. Cycling media and culture is behind on everything. It does not know how to be part of the larger conversation of social change so these narratives are rendered irrelevant to bicycle media, advocacy, and planning which has allowed this mode of recreation and transit to become a symbol of toxic masculinity, privilege, policing, and gentrification. Yes, there’s more representation of people of color in media, but that doesn’t mean they’re being invited into the boardroom or making decisions. There’s still extremely little representation of queer and trans people, or anyone who wears plus-sizes. These powerhouses are doing more to support the work of cycling grassroots groups and organizations, but they still shy away from naming the historical and institutionalized oppression informing these problems. We won’t change anything at surface level if we are not willing to go deeper. So here where you can start:
- Self-education is necessary. Melody L Hoffmann has an amazing book, Bike Lanes Are White Lanes, highlighting bicycling culture and its advocacy as focusing on the interest of white upwardly mobile bicyclist when the majority of bicyclist’s are working class people of color. You can read more books on race, gender, and cycling over at Cyclists Zine’s resource page which is full of resources and syllabi for you to learn how to do better.
- Change who you follow on social media. Changing your feed will change your life! Follow organizations and affinity groups on social media, especially on Instagram, addressing cycling issues that matter to you. The cycling influencer fantasy reel has been done over and over and isn’t changing cycling for the better. In fact it’s making cycling a toxic consumption culture of privilege and complicity. Normalizing the image of everyday people sharing their adventures can do a lot to reshape our ideas about who is riding and how they’re doing so. Some of my favorites are @wtfbikexplorers @blackgirlsdobike @decolonizebikes @psycobrigade @bicas_wtf @levelup_cyclingmovement @peopleformobilityjustice and @cyclista_zine. Most of these can be found on other platforms, too.
- Again, support and donations is always a good call, but only for organizations, groups, and people doing grassroots work. Most of the groups/orgs I named above accept and rely on donations. These days I’m all about this especially knowing what it takes to build something from the ground up.
- Acknowledge the land you cycle on. Who are its original stewards? What do they call these lands? Native-land.ca is a great resource. Be sure to explore the links they provide. In America, we all benefit off the theft of stolen land and the marginalization of First Nations of Turtle Island (America). Being Native American myself, I know the importance of first nations relationship to Mother Earth’s resources and gifts that make the land a vital source of life and tradition.
I know, this is a lot and probably seems daunting, but many of you asked and that’s the first step. Now you’ve got to back it up. You have no reason not to now. I know we are in an interesting time when our we are confronting the dark underbelly that has upheld the status quo but we must confront and dismantle it. This is a process and we cannot ignore it when our safety and rights are being impeded upon day by day. Proceed with courage, humbleness and love. I believe in you.