Dykes on Bikes

Common card · No. 488216

Dykes on Bikes (DOB) is a chartered lesbian motorcycle contingent with 22 chapters, numerous affiliations, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. They are known for their participation in gay pride events such as pride parades, and significant LGBTQ+ events like the international Gay Games. The loud bikes and presence remain at the front of the parade for security and logistical reasons, and a celebrated place of honor today as a symbol of LGBTQ pride, defiance, liberation and empowerment. The contingents are fiercely independent and self-reliant in the DIY and feminist traditions and have been studied as a social phenomenon as a "complex, multilayered form of consumption-related cultural resistance that raises awareness of social injustice and discursively informs social meanings in everyday life outside the festivals." Along with drag queens, the DOB have been criticized for not portraying a more acceptable image of LGBTQ culture. Supporters counter that they are highly visible icons of gay...

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