Photo credit: Vancouver Pride Society

Happy Vancouver Pride! 

The Vancouver Pride Society’s Pride Festival runs from June 24 to August 6, 2023, culminating with the Pride Parade on Sunday, August 6 - the theme this year is  #Reconnect.

“#Reconnect symbolizes Vancouver Pride Society’s ongoing commitment to amplify the voices of Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities. The organization will continue to #Reconnect Pride to local grassroots organizers and 2SLGBTQAI+ groups, focusing on community care and relearning how to navigate life with empathy.” - Vancouver Pride Society.

It’s an exciting time to celebrate the 2SLGBTQAI+ community and to reconnect with queer cycling groups across the region.

We’d like to highlight local biking organizations like our friends at Chill Rides Vancouver, Our Community Bikes, Kickstand, The Bike Kitchen, and Gravel Buddies. 

• Chill Rides Vancouver hosts no drop rides for Gender Diverse, Women, and LGBTQIA2S+ folks regularly. Their social cycling group rides welcome all bikes and abilities to their rides across Metro Vancouver. Chill Rides also hosts monthly BIPOC rides for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. Their goal is to promote diversity, equity, and access in outdoor spaces where people of colour, LGBTQIA2S+, and other diverse identities have historically been underrepresented. Learn more at instagram.com/chillridesyvr
• Our Community Bikes bike shop provides workshops for women, trans, and queer folks to learn mechanic skills from their peers.  Women and gender variant mechanics staff the shop and hosts WTQ (women, trans, queer) nights on the 1st & 3rd Wednesday of each month. Additionally, they host other access nights like Deaf Access Nights for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people with leadership provided in ASL. Learn more at ourcommunitybikes.org/access-nights
• Kickstand is an East Vancouver volunteer-run community bike shop. They are a non-profit society that removes barriers and provides affordable workspace for repairing or working on bicycles. Kickstand hosts women, trans, and queer social nights every Thursday from 6-9pm. These events are aimed at folks who are not traditionally a dominant part of the cycling industry. Learn more at eastvankickstand.org
• The Bike Kitchen is UBC’s community bike shop. They provide an accessible environment where students and members of the wider community can learn to fix bicycles, share resources, and work together. The Bike Kitchen hosts access nights with sensory-friendly lighting and music for Pride Night on the 4th Wednesday of every month for anyone in the LGBTQ2S+  community to use our shop resources for free in a relaxed environment facilitated by queer mechanics and volunteers. Additionally, there are Gender Liberation Nights on the 2nd Wednesdays of the month for cis-women and trans and/or non-binary people of all genders to use the Bike Kitchen’s shop space and tools, supported by informal mentoring. Learn more at thebikekitchen.ca/access-nights
• Gravel Buddies is an organization that hosts group rides on trails for women, non-binary, queer and allies. Their social rides started after they recognized the need for more gravel riding. Check out their upcoming events if you’re interested in connecting with nature and finding calm areas around the city to ride. Learn more at gravelbuddies.ca

All of these organizations are creating safe spaces for queer people who might have felt marginalized by the bike industry because of their gender or sexual orientation. The Vancouver cycling community can be an exclusive place for people. There are barriers for many 2SLGBTQAI+ people, particularly those with intersecting identities like those who are disabled and/or racialized. Statistically, a large percentage of people who cycle are cis males. By building safe bike infrastructure that is comfortable for most (like separated bike lanes), educating people who cycle of all ages on the rules of the road, and advocating for legal changes to protect people who cycle, HUB Cycling is addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. These changes make it easier for more people to cycle more often, and diversifying our community by removing barriers to entry. 

This Pride, check out these groups, #Reconnect with the 2SLGBTQAI+ community, and join us in supporting biking diversity by getting more people cycling more often!