I'm a skater, I also happen to be a
feminist; and no, the two things aren't mutually exclusive. The
statement that “LGC is sexist”, is one that crops up far too
often and the very fact that people feel able to make it actually
highlights why we need LGC in the first place.
Here's
why:
There is no such thing as reverse sexism. Period. There
is no all pervasive system of matriarchy that marginalises men and
privileges women just for being female... It just doesn't exist. Sure
women can be nasty, intolerant and discriminatory towards individual men (just so you know, this
is bad too), but without that all important matriarchy to back up
these negative behaviours it's a bit like throwing up into the teeth
of a gale. You end up stinking of vomit after it ends up straight
back in your face.
Sadly there is such a thing as the patriarchy,
a system so ingrained into our various cultures that it is all but
invisible, and it does exist to marginalise women and their voices,
and gives systemic privilege to men just because they're men.
Now before I go any further
let me categorically state that longboarding is generally quite open
minded and accepting. However, it doesn't exist outside of the rest
of society (well at least not until the time where we all move to
Cali, kick out all the non-skaters and secede from the union), so
things that are part of wider culture are part of longboarding as
well. This doesn't mean that longboarding is a reflection of some of
the nastier aspects of sexism, and it doesn't mean that every guy out
there is a hurtful pig, deliberately being sexist (or indeed the
girls who think the same way are being deliberately hurtful... Yes
women can be misogynistic too). Most of the sexism in longboarding is of the unthinking everyday kind that has just been normalised because if
you don't intend to be sexist you can't be sexist,
right?
Wrong!
Regardless of intent, something is sexist
if it marginalises women's voices and ability. You may think that
telling the lady shredder that comes out to some sessions with you is
“...good, for a girl” is a compliment, but you're judging her
based on her gender. If she rips, she rips and tell her... She may
not be the best skater on the hill, but she will have put in the
blood, sweat and tears to get to the level she's at, just like you
have, so respect that.
Oh and on the subject of judging
ability on gender, please refrain from bitching that a female skater
was “...only sponsored because she's a girl”. This may actually
be the truth, certainly in surfing female pros almost always fit the
stereotypical image of the surfer babe, and as longboarding gets more
commercial this may happen as well. Just because the sexism has
benefited her, doesn't change the fact that it's sexism, if you have
an issue with companies sponsoring girls whose ability to skate is
eclipsed by their ability to look pretty, take it up with the
companies, not the riders. Support brands who treat their female
riders as riders rather than marketing opportunities.
Side note: Adverts for skate
gear that needlessly objectify women are not legitimised if said
company runs an advert that needlessly objectifies a guy. Both are
wrong and that's why I won't buy Caliber trucks.
So where have we got so far?
There's no such thing as reverse sexism, and not intending something
to be sexist doesn't mean it isn't. So how does this tie in with
Longboard Girls Crew, and why if we have LGC don't we have a
longboard guys crew. Well the reason there isn't a guys crew is
because it already exists, I like to call it the bro club and it's pretty much called all of longboarding. Now before the red mist descends and you wittily post a comment calling me a man hating, dyke bitch (to save time just
email all your hateful bile to Idon'tGiveAFuck@TalkToTheHand.com),
consider how many female skaters regularly turn up to the sessions
you go too. Now consider how many guys turn up to skate, particularly
to gnarly, high speed skids kind of sessions. I would be pleasantly
surprised if in a group of say 30 skaters at a session more than 5
were girls. The fact that I went to a freeride at the start of
September and out of nearly 140 riders I was the only girl kind of
suggest that things need to change. Especially as everyone wanted to
see more girls on the hill and having fun.
Everyone, unless you really
are a hateful, misogynistic twat, wants to see more female riders out
there, having fun and taking part, but we have a long way to go
before we have parity. Heck, if we ever get to the point where a
quarter of riders at an event are female we'll have improved things,
and maybe LGC won't be as necessary as it is now. But until then it won't be going anywhere.
