Gay roller skating
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“So I thought, ‘Under the EYE is the perfect spot’.”
At its first meet-up, the club already drew a crowd of about 25 participants of diverse genders and racial backgrounds. Its popularity within the LGBTQ+ community continues to flourish globally, reflecting the growing awareness of LGBTQ+ rights and experiences. It’s a very freeing hobby.”
She believes that the free-spirited and queer nature of roller skating is evident in the neon-coloured crop tops and sparkling skates of the 70s and 80s, too.
“In those videos, you see masculine men who aren’t necessarily queer dancing very elegantly in skates,” van Gorkum enthuses. Every body serves a purpose – large players can knock people down, thin players breeze past their opponents in a flash. Skating has provided a platform for self-expression, community building, and activism, making it a lasting symbol of resilience and celebration within the LGBTQ+ community.
INTERNATIONAL
Roller skating has long transcended being merely a pastime or a sport; it has become a vibrant cultural phenomenon intertwined with various social movements. "Every Wednesday night is like this."
Under the neon lights, advanced skaters swoop and swerve through the crowd, often skating backward or on one leg.
“The skate culture of those days is on the rise again in the queer community because we want to – and dare to – make ourselves more visible,” she says.
Getting out there and gliding across the concrete lanes and streets of a still-hostile world is, understandably, a great way to represent your community. Every Rainbow Skate Night features an advanced backward skate, where the best skaters have the rink to themselves as they fly around the wooden rink backward.
Regardless of skill level, the evening is designed as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
"Some of the people from the community asked me for a gay night.
From its roots in the 1930s to the colorful roller discos of the 1970s, roller skating has historically been a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves freely. The evening attracts all ages, from first-timers to skaters in their 80s. Its popularity waned over time, but queer people revived it in the early 2000s, transforming it into the inclusive and diverse sport it is today.
In derby, people can explore their inner ruthlessness and aggression, even if they’re not typically like that outside the rink.
Disco and roller skating celebrated a fluid expression of gender and identity, fostering an environment where self-expression was embraced. “I also missed having a place where I could recognise myself in others, because there aren’t that many queer spaces in the city, and during COVID, they were all shut down.”
Visser thinks that derby players all over the world had the same idea as they did, which is why so many new queer roller skating clubs popped up in public spaces.
I said, 'Oh, okay, we'll just start one,'" said Cangelosi.
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In a groundbreaking move, Selzer encouraged women to participate in the sport alongside men, opening the door to roller skating for groups otherwise facing discrimination.1970s
The 1970s saw the rise of the disco era and the integration of the LGBTQ+ community into the roller skating scene.
Notably, in 1974, Seattle's first Gay Pride Week featured a roller-skating sing-along atop the Volunteer Park Water Tower.
1980s
The 1980s continued this tradition, with roller skating being featured in prominent LGBTQ+ events. “In that sense, roller skating is much more fluid than inline skating, which centres mostly around speed and tricks and is much more performance-oriented.”
Unsurprisingly, roller skating has become pretty big on TikTok, too.
Underground roller derbies, such as the Los Angeles Derby Dolls—a mostly all-women roller derby run by the lesbian community—kept the sport alive.