We have both a women's night and a trans/queer night. Mainly, because we can serve the 2 different populations better. 

Our collective has had several intense discussions around why we need such nights. I explain the bro-chisimo environment of 

fixing bikes, the masculine energy, some men's tendency to jump and offer to 'help', discomfort felt by queer/trans populations in

interacting with homophobic patrons, women's historic acculturation to be accommodating and not speak up, as and maybe I just want to hang out with my fellow women and share cupcakes, as all reasons for having these nights. 

Best,

Leslie 

Durham Bike Co-op

On Fri, Oct 17, 2014 at 1:23 PM, Judith Feist <judith.feist@gmail.com> wrote:

Good Afternoon all,

I was just wondering what shops out there have specific shop nights dedicated to a specific group of individuals...Do you have literature you hand out to folks who ask questions about this specific shop night? How do you run it? I would like to host an evening where folks who identify as women/trans are able to come work on/learn about bike maintenance/safety in a welcoming environment...

Any info is helpful. Especially concerning how you respond to negative comments pertaining to such evenings...

I hope everyone is well and thank you, in advance, for any information. It's greatly appreciated.

--

judith caroline feist

"i don' think my art is political. i think it's about the stuff that doesn't let me sleep at night." -felix gonzalez-torres

I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world...It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.~Susan B. Anthony

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