Announcements were made that food would be served to women, trans, and gender non-binary folks first, as is the rule for the group who were providing the food during Bike!Bike! 2019. They had forgotten to announce this on the first day of the conference. It would have been helpful if guidelines like these (any specific guidelines related to the spaces we were using in Tijuana) could have been communicated via email, the website, or the B!B! handbook for attendees.

Anyone attending Bike!Bike! should have a fair understanding of anti-oppression and ways that our community works to fight inequality. "Treating everyone the same" is not a way to change our systems of oppression. Creating greater access or exclusive access (like Women & Trans hours at our bike projects) is one step that can be taken to be inclusive and equitable.

There's lots of great writing available online and in your libraries if you are rolling your eyes at offences such as being put at the back of the lunch line while considering yourself to be an ally.

Ainsley (Toronto)

On Wed, Oct 16, 2019 at 3:54 AM Gordon Hamachi <gordon.hamachi@gmail.com> wrote:
It troubles me that anyone was kicked out of Bike! Bike!  I hope that we can get an official explanation from the organizers, explaining their reasoning, because the story as told reveals nothing that would warrant banishment. 

I myself have the dubious distinction of being kicked out of one Bike! Bike! 2019 session with the reason given that it was for women only. Evidently this was for cis women only, as nobody bothered to have a conversation with me about my gender identity. I also feel that if women want to improve the world they need to be willing to raise the consciousness of all through education. 

Since I am venting, a relatively minor third thing along these lines that bothers me was when I was standing near the front of a newly-opened lunch line, when some woman loudly declared that all of the men were to go to the back. I get that gender discrimination is hurtful to those who may have experienced It, but what sense does it make to impose the same hurt in return, upon different people who are innocent of offense?  The men in line obediently went to the back of the line, many with eye rolls, thinking that these women were ill-mannered or unable to fairly queue up and take their turn. 

In the future, I would like everyone to treat everyone else with more courtesy and respect, without regard for gender, race, or former occupation. 

—Gordon Hamachi

____________________________________

The ThinkTank mailing List

Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.org