Hi All,
After 10 years of teaching time that serves everyone B!KE is finally endeavoring to carve out a space just for women! We have often managed to strike a pretty excellent gender balance in the shop but interestingly recent growth has the shop feeling very male dominated. We are adding a bunch of hours for the on season and planning to make some of that time specifically for women.
As a cis-gendered female mechanic, I feel pretty confident about hosting space, and defending the need of a space, that is for women only. I know that many other shops combine their women only time with trans/non-binary/femme time and I am feeling a bit concerned about a few things. How do you addresses these things:
2) Do trans & non-binary people get their needs met? Or are they still second to women?
3) How much time is spent explaining gender identity and pronouns to baby boomers?
4) Is it better to have a women only time that excludes trans folks OR a women, trans, non-binary night that sort of includes them all?
The language I am currently leaning toward is that this shop time is for "all women-identified people". I am curious what issues and resolutions have been found in other shops.
Please share with me about your knowledge and experience in this matter!
Best,
Tegan
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B!KE: The Peterborough Community Bike Shop
293 George St, Peterborough ON
(705) 775-7227
communitybikeshop.org