Once upon a time in Amsterdam, a large public skatepark was built. Everyone who loved skateboarding was delighted. Upon realising that, like all good sports facilities, the skatepark would do well for having toilets included, the local council set to work building a urinal for the comfort of male skateboarders everywhere. Job done...
...or not. Enter Nanja Van Rijsse of Women Skate the World, who vowed to 'SMASH THE PEE-TRIARCHY' and stand up for female, non-binary and LGBTQ+ skateboarders everywhere, who experience barriers to skateboarding on a daily basis (such as this incredibly blatant one).
If ever you've experienced barriers to skating as a result of your gender/sexual identity, Women Skate the World have your back. This week, Nanja sits down to explain all of the great work that her non-profit organisation are doing to make skateboarding more inclusive: gaining representation from a range of skaters during council consultations, building actively inclusive skateparks and reaching out to members of the inclusive community which they have been busy fostering. She's even kind enough to offer suggestions for those of us who exist inside the 'old-guard' of skateboarding, providing tangible steps to ensure that you are part of the solution; not part of the problem!
Ultimately, to paraphrase Nanja herself, "We don't simply want women and LGBTQ+ people to accept that we will tolerate them in skateboarding. We want them to know that we will fight for them."
WARNING: There are some sound issues with this episode, as some of Nanja's audio was recorded on the go. Bear with it; it's worth it!
