Zipping around an indoor skatepark in Amsterdam, skaters take advantage of a new space that welcomes LGBTQ and women to a sport that, despite its laidback image, has long battled with sexism and homophobia. "When I was still identifying as a girl I would even get standing ovations because I could ride on a board" says Flip, who is trans and manages the park, "I'm super happy that we have a place now."
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 [SOUND]
00:10 >> There's no like,
00:22 judgement, you can just skate here every week.
00:25 And it's the same people, so
00:27 it's the same like comfortable environment where I feel like I can learn to skate
00:33 without the, I guess the, the icky
00:39 vibe I get in public skate parks when there's other people.
00:42 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:52 [SOUND]
00:59 Back in the day, cuz I'm trying to, when I was still identifying as a girl,
01:03 I would even get standing ovations because I could ride on a board and
01:08 I'd never felt taken seriously.
01:10 I'm super happy that we have a place now where I do feel seen,
01:15 I feel understood, and I feel like I have the space to be myself and to skate and
01:20 to have fun with friends, which is all we want.
01:23 I hope that in a few years this is not a unique concept anymore, or
01:27 that this is not needed as a unique concept, and that we can all just be open,
01:33 be inclusive, be respectful in the whole skate scene.
01:36 But skating has been here for such a long time that I think
01:40 that will take a while before we're there, so until that point, here we are.
01:45 [SOUND]