|
Mission Statement // 3.13.07 // max San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women's Motorcycle Contingent is an organization committed to creating a local, national and international community of women motorcyclists and friends of women motorcyclists. Our mission is to support philanthropic endeavors in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and women's communities and beyond, and reach out to empower a community of diverse women through rides, charity events, Pride events and education. : ............................................................................ : Membership & Meetings // 2.27.08 // max Riders are considered a Dykes on Bikes® General Member just by registering for the SF Pride Parade. We meet at 7:30 PM on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month until April when we get into full
swing and meet every Wednesday. Meeting place SF
Eagle Tavern
For more information about membership and to get on the Dykes on Bikes® mailing list contact:
: ............................................................................ : SF Dykes on Bikes® Womens Motorcycle Contingent History // 4.09.07 // soni In 1976 a small group of 20 - 25 women motorcyclists gathered at the head of the San Francisco Pride Parade and, unbeknownst to them, a tradition began. One of these women coined the phrase “Dykes on Bikes®” and the San Francisco Chronicle picked it up and ran with it. For the next several years, riders just showed up and rode—no formal organization or registration. It was this way for several years until the middle to late 1980s; however, as, SF Pride became more structured and our numbers kept growing, the need to organize Dykes on Bikes® became necessary; thus, the Women’s Motorcycle Contingent (WMC) was born.. However, in the press and LGBT culture, we continued to be know as Dykes on Bikes®. The WMC was started by LB Gunn, Kalin Elliot-Arns, Christine Elliot, Sabine Balden and Mel. This name was used to make the group appeal to all women motorcyclists. The first meetings were held at a private home and then moved to an upstairs room at Amelia’s, a dyke/lesbian bar. When Amelia’s closed, the meetings were moved to The Eagle Tavern, at 12th St. and Harrison St., where meetings continue to be held. In 2003, the organizers voted to recognize our long history by changing the name To the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent (SFDOBWMC).. Today we register and organize over 400 bikes for the San Francisco Pride Parade. Since 2003 we have been trying to trademark the name Dykes on Bikes®, a name by which we have been known since 1976. The need to trademark our name became evident when a woman in Wisconsin tried to trademark “Dykes on Bikes®” for personal gain. With the help of Oliver Crain PC, we succeeded in getting her to drop her trademark petition. The organizers wanted to keep the name for non-profit use by any group of women riders that wish to use it for non-profit endeavors; therefore, we submitted a trademark petition of our own. After rejecting our petition three times one the grounds that the word “dyke” is derogatory and offensive, the Trademark Board reversed their decision and approved the application for trademark! We celebrated! As part of the trademark process, the Trademark Board must publish a notice at which time anyone can file an objection to the issuance of a trademark. One letter of opposition was submitted in 2006 and, one again, we found ourselves in a fight to trademark our name. To read more about our efforts, go to Dyke
Drama: A not-so-excellent In September 2006, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board granted our motion to dismiss the opposition to our Dykes on Bikes® trademark application. However, the story does not end on a ‘Happily Ever After’ note (yet). The opposer filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in November 2006. Thus, the Dykes on Bikes® are going to federal court. Stay tuned as we continue to write our history. See Also Women in Motorcycling
History : ............................................................................ : Contact Information // 01.21.08 // max Dykes on Bikes®
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Message from the President //7.08.08 // vick germany I hope everyone has recovered from celebrating Pride Month! I look forward to writing this message ‘cause it’s all about Pride and thanking the many people who give of themselves to make the Dykes on Bikes® happen! On June 15, Zach, Raven and I headed down to the San Jose Gay Pride Parade, where we met up with Sheila (SFDOBWMC) and Liz (BAWR) and other motorcycle riders. This year there were only about 15 or so bikes compared to about 30 last year. Not only were the numbers of Dykes on Bikes® down, but so was parade attendance—drastically so! For an area as populous as San Jose and Santa Clara County, the attendance at the parade was a huge disappointment. Where’s your pride people! The parade route was changed so that it felt like we took side streets to the festival and the parade started a half hour earlier than last year. There were also a few religious zealots that turned up to tell us we’re all going to hell—as if I didn’t know that already. A few of the Harley riders drowned them out. After the two minute San Jose Parade ride, Zach, Raven, Liz, Sheila and I took off for breakfast. Our first choice was jammed (oops, forgot it was also Father’s Day), so Sheila led us to another place—also hopping. After a bit of a wait, we were finally seated. Breakfast was now lunch. Once we finished eating, I lead a ride out to Almaden, where Sheila said goodbye, then our group headed over to Saratoga, where Liz headed home, and Zach, Raven and I headed up Hwy 9 to 35, where we stopped at a pullout and watched the Highway Patrol pick off the speed bikers. From there, we headed north on 35, stopping at 35/84 for a pit/water stop and to say our goodbyes. Zach and Raven followed me to 92 and they headed east and I headed north on 280. We had absolutely gorgeous weather for the ride. On June 26, there was a Dykes on Bikes® reception at the GLBT Historical Society. Again, I got to meet a number of people who came to see the Dykes on Bikes®: 30 Years at the Forefront We fought for it. We earned it. We own it. Closing day is this coming July 12. I will be part of a panel discussing the trademark case that afternoon. Come on down and see the exhibit before it closes! I want to thank everyone who came to the SF Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent’s (SFDOBWMC) annual pre-pride parade party at the Eagle Tavern on Saturday, June 28. Every year we throw a party the Saturday before the Parade and this year was extra-special for the SFDOBWMC for two reasons: 1) We celebrated the end of a 4-year long struggle to trademark Dykes on Bikes®! and 2) We celebrated 30 years at the forefront—leading off the LGBT Pride Parade! Please see the photos at our Events Page. Someone got a photo of the cake, but they haven’t sent it to me! As part of our celebration, the organizing members presented Max, our web designer, with a trophy featuring a motorcycle, for all of her work on the website this past year. Also, the Dykes on Bikes® presented certificates of appreciation to Shannon Minter, of National Center for Lesbian Rights, and to Greg Gilchrist, Gia Cincone and Raquel Pacheco (who was not able to attend), of Townsend and Townsend and Crew, for all of their work on the Dykes on Bikes® trademark case. In addition, the SFDOBWMC presented a plaque bearing our club patch to our attorney, Brooke Oliver, of Oliver, Kattwinkel & Sabec P.C., for all of her work on our trademark case and for bringing in the NCLR and Townsend and Townsend and Crew when the Trademark office ruled against us, and against us and against us. Without her spirit and support for our cause, the SFDOBWMC would not have been able to sustain a 4 year battle to trademark Dykes on Bikes® and protect this vital symbol of pride from being used in other contexts. At the party on Saturday, Kyra Gordon and the Tender Morsels rocked the house all afternoon! Great music! Great vibe! Great party! I want to thank the businesses that donated raffle prizes: MotoJava, Leather Etc., Tangerine and Virgin America Airlines . By the way, I sold the winning raffle ticket for the two round trip tickets on Virgin America. <g> Many organizations approach these businesses for donations throughout the year and we are honored they support the SFDOBWMC—a dyke club! Please check out our Sponsor’s Page for links to these businesses. I encourage all of you to reciprocate their support by patronizing these businesses. I also want to thank Eleanor for getting the food, Katie for selling raffle tickets, Sandie and Lisa for selling merchandise, Sandy for selling the Virgin America raffle tickets and designing flyers, Soni for pre-registering riders, and Ren for donating the betty/buddy/bitch sit on her bike as one of the raffle prizes. In addition, I want to thank the door volunteers and those who helped serve food. There were also friends who just pitched in whenever we needed some extra help. Thank you! By all accounts, everyone had a great time! On June 29, for the 30th year at the forefront, the Dykes on Bikes® roared down Market St. to the cheers of the crowd. It is such an incredible thrill to line-up ~400 bikes (back in 1983, the contingent was only a ½ block long!) on Market St., to hear the bike engines rev and horns blare; to see the smiles on such a diverse crowd of dyke (and men/kindred spirits!) faces as we ride down Market St. I hope all of you enjoyed the ride as much as I, and the other organizing members of the SFDOBWMC did! I loved seeing all of the wedding outfits! The Scooter Girls, once again, out did themselves with their outfits. Leading the parade this year was Eleanor and Sandy, winners of the pace bike drawing. To be eligible for pace bike, you must attend more than one half of the meetings in a year (our year starts July 1). In June, all eligible names go into a helmet, and two pace bikes are selected along with two alternates. This year we had two special guests: Chris, was on the back of Sheila’s bike. She was the lucky recipient of Jane’s winning auction bid back in May and Jillian, who was on the back of Ren’s bike as the raffle winner at our Saturday party. Special thanks to all the volunteers who helped pull off the ride. Many of the volunteers on Parade Day are not organizing members of the SFDOBWMC. They are people who volunteer to help and be a part of something incredible! First, I would like to thank the registration co-chairs Sandy and Sheila and their crew: Beth, Darcie, Dora, Eryn, Ginny, Jazmin, Jennifer, Julie, Lisa D, Michele, Nicole, RL, Sara, Teresa, and Valarie. They have the job of checking off names of those who are pre-registered, registering those who did not pre-register and giving everyone the correct line up number that tells the line up crew where they are supposed to be. So, next on my list of ‘thank you’s’ is line-up. A big thank you to line-up co-chairs, Katie and Rose. The two of you did an outstanding job. A special thanks to Paige, who as one of our newer members, not only worked line-up, but this was also her very first parade! To the line up crew: Erin, Kelly W, Renate, Kathy, Raven, and Rosangelo, my heartfelt gratitude. You have the task of lining up about 400 bikes in less than two hours! Next, on my list of ‘thank you’s; are the Road Captains, most of who saw double duty as line-up volunteers. Road Captains are the ones who ride alongside the contingent, ensuring parade rules are followed. In addition, they have to be ready to respond to any emergency that may arise during the ride down Market St. To the Road Captains: Julie, Joanne, Susan, Lori, Michael, Marc, Glenne, Calli, Liz S, Zach, Karen, Pat, Kate W, Anthony, Debi, Durga, Jennel, PJ, Sabine, Tymber, Lisa F, Terry, Viviana, Kary, Kath, and Tweave—THANK YOU. Without you, there would not be a Women’s Motorcycle Contingent! Once again, a big ‘thank you’ to Ann and the helmet truck crew! Also, thank you to Chase for driving the van that carried our gear. I offer my sincerest apologies to those who I may have inadvertently missed. If you have photos that you would like to share, contact Max at webdesigner@dykesonbikes.org. One photo I received was of me and my mom (it’s at the top of this message). The photo was taken by Mr. Marcus of the BAR. I was stopped in front of the grandstand watching the riders go by in my mirror. This is my mom’s 7th year riding with me and I almost thought we weren’t going to make it! Just before the start of the parade, she was getting on the back of my bike and was having trouble lifting her legs to put them on the pegs. She’s 72 years old. I had to reach down and grab her pant leg and pull her legs up to the pegs! I just might have to get a step stool for her next year! July 10, Scuderia West (69 Duboce near Valencia St) is inviting all female riders to a ‘Women’s Riding Essentials Program’ from 6 – 8 PM. Jody Perewitz and Nicole Hoffman will be discussing routine maintenance, riding gear, available resources, and safety tips. There will be refreshments and door prizes. Scuderia West is also giving a 10 percent discount on all women’s gear. The next SFDOBWMC meeting is July18. From now through November, the SFDOBWMC will be meeting only on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. The meeting location has also changed. We will be meeting at the Castro Country Club in the Castro at 4058 18th St. at 7:30 PM. The meeting will be a debriefing session on the Parade, so if you have any comments or questions, please email them to president@dykesonbikes.org. On July 26, the SFDOBWMC is hosting a ‘French Film Ride.’ All women (used in the inclusive sense of the word) riders are invited to join the SFDOBWMC for an ride in San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge to the lookout and back, as part of a documentary being made by a couple of French Film directors. Come out and ride and be a part of a film! Meet at Spikes Coffee on 19th St and Castro at 11:00 AM. Kickstands up at 11:15 AM. The following day, July 27, the SFDOBWMC is riding down to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. Meet at Spikes Coffee on 19th St and Castro at 8:00 AM. Kickstands up at 8:30 AM. Vick
Germany, See also |
| About | Members | Events/Rides | Pride Parade | News & Press | Merchandise | Sponsors | History | Archive | Links | Contact | Home | ||
| © 2008 Dykes on Bikes® | updated: 07/08/2008 1:12 PM Website Designed by |
|
