2023-08-14 16:28:25
South of Amsterdam has just opened the first skate park dedicated to women and LGBTQ+ people. In a former warehouse, a “Skateboarding is for everyone” banner advertises the color on a wall and a rainbow logo decorates one of the wooden railings.
Despite its image as an alternative sport of rebels in baggy pants, skateboarding is an environment in which sexism, homophobia and a certain macho culture reign. It is therefore not surprising that the Netherlands, the first country in the world to have legalized same-sex marriage in 2001, took up the subject.
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A group born during the pandemic
“I feel like I have the space to be myself and to skate and have fun with friends, that’s all we want,” venue manager Zonne Zuijderland told the AFP. This skate park is the result of a collaboration between the organizations Women Skate the World and New Wave, which began with impromptu skate sessions during the summer of 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
When winter arrived, the group started to organize two parties a month at the skatepark “Noord”, on the other side of Amsterdam. But it was “far too little”, according to the 25-year-old manager. Through donations and grants, the organizations then found an empty warehouse and created a safe space there for a rising generation of skateboarders.
“Skate buddies” to get started
Female and LGBT+ athletes are increasingly accepted in skateboarding, especially since athlete Brian Anderson came out in 2016, but there is still room for improvement. “Because I’m trans, when I still identified as a girl, I even received applause because I managed to get on a board,” recalls Zonne Zuijderland. “I never felt taken seriously. »
The park is not just for LGBTQ+ people and women, even though that was the original idea. “Respect is the biggest goal,” regardless of gender, according to the manager. The place also offers “skate buddies” to help learn the basics of the sport away from the “intimidating” atmosphere of traditional skate parks.
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