We Skate Too: A Series on Non-Traditional Skaters
Illustrations by Nat Lee
Presently, the surge of non-traditional skateboarders joining the community has been at an all-time high, as the outpouring of women and queer-run skateboarding collectives rush into the scene.
These organizations encourage anyone who doesn’t necessarily fit the mold of a typical bro who wears Dickies that clearly need to be washed, and a beanie shaped like a condom around his head, to join in. As a novice woman skateboarder myself, I owe it to these organizations for facilitating a new movement within the sport, where nearly anyone can pick up a deck and kick-push around the city.
Most of the outside world (cis men) deem skateboarding as a dangerous activity, effectively believing that if you don’t land a board slide off of a twenty-step staircase on the first try, you’re not worthy of joining the game.
This idea has been displayed for years through brand and magazine advertisements that are highly focused on these young men. This old-time notion is now being shattered by the ones who have been informed to not take part—women, trans, non-binary and queer folks.
TRASH MAG is here to inform you that cis male-centric skateboarding is dead. We formally introduce you to an all-new series featuring women, trans, non-binary, and queer-identifying individuals in the world of skate in Southern California, and beyond.
We will facilitate conversations with these powerful skateboarders who are originating a voice of their own within the community, neither looking nor needing validation from anyone else. This series will follow each individual into their path with the sport, which led them to shred, and the power they’ve gained from just a simple wooden deck with two trucks attached.
We are not the first to make a stake for better representation non-traditional folks in the skate community. TRASH MAG follows in the gender breaking tradition that came before us and is as old as skateboarding itself.
There have been a few pivotal moments in the representation of women and queer representation that drastically changed the world of boarding. For instance, the first female pro-skater Elissa Steamer, making her mark in Tony Hawks Pro Skater that changed the world of skate completely. Cara Beth, the first woman to land on the cover of Thrasher in 1988 and the first to land a signature skate shoe. Leo Baker, the first openly gender-queer nonbinary skater for Nike SB, and lastly Cher Strauberry, one of the top transgender skaters in the game who’s also been an integral part of the Oakland-based queer skateboarding collective, Unity Skateboarding.
Strauberry also released an all-new skate company Glue Skateboards with Leo Baker as of last month. Let’s not forget Strauberry’s appearance in Thrasher Magazine’s newest spread, looking punk as hell with a black jean jacket, fishnets, and a silk cheetah dress as she glides in the air with an all-new Glue board. Undoubtedly, these folks have created a shift in the way we see skateboarding completely, and frankly, it’s badass.
This series was created on the basis to remind non-cis men and myself, why we picked up a board from the local skate shop in the first place. With wide eyes, $140 less in our account, and a heavy smile as we walked out of the store knowing this was the hobby that would forever change our lives; better or for worse.
I came into the skateboarding community heavily influenced by the women who created a name for themselves. For example, Nora Vasconcellos, the first and only woman to go pro on the Adidas SB team, who rode ten feet deep bowls as if she was surfing a wave that came across the shallow shores of the ocean. It appeared effortless, and I experienced a moment where I thought, “She looks like me. I can do this.”
TRASH MAG is here to shed a light on the ones who have impacted the scene of skate not just for themselves, but for the world. Join us as we dive deep into the culture of skateboarding and empowerment, one deck at a time.
