I hear what you are saying, but also believe strongly that Bike! Bike! doesn’t have to be perfect to be useful, educational, inspiring, or even transformative. Because of this, I hope you will still consider attending a future event.
The vast majority of attendees are quite pleasant and reasonable. I prefer not to experience the sexist or racist nonsense, but can tolerate it for a few days at a time.
I hope that one day the few bad actors will see the error of their ways and amend their behavior.
—Gordon
>>Are you KIDDING me??? I did not attend and now I’m so glad I didn’t, because upon reading this email, I can undoubtedly see that a prime example of oppression and inequality was clearly exercised at the Bike!Bike! 2019! Persecution, maltreatment, racism, oppression, and inequality based on a person’s gender, race, or sexual orientation, is exactly what I see here. You “punished” someone based on their perceived gender. Being inclusive and equitable means what is done for one, is done for all. This is clearly not what was practiced at the event. Claiming to be anti-oppressive and saying one is fighting inequality, doesn’t make it so. It’s in the actions, not the words.
Kathleen (California)