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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. We take the Month of December off.
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®
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Message from the President //10.10.08 // vick germany This is a hard message to write—it is my last one as President of the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent. After 5 years, I am stepping aside. Little did I know when I raised my hand in response to an inquiry from Soni about volunteering to become President (at that time there were very few people attending meetings on a regular basis) that I would occupy that position for 5 years. It has been a ride with many twisties, hills and valleys! There have been good times, especially in the rides rode, parades ridden, and friendships made. The icing on the cake has to be the winning of our nearly 5 (almost as long as my tenure as President!) year battle to trademark “Dykes on Bikes®” earlier this year. There have also been some harrowing patches where it felt like the organization and I were skidding out of control. Luckily, the shiny side remained upright. Now with the bylaws approved, a 14-member board of directors, including one newly minted patch holder, a branching out of the SFDOBWMC, it is time for someone else to lead this particular ride. Perhaps I’ll ride second to last (Soni always rides sweep) and enjoy the view of all those Dykes on Bikes® in front of me, sweeping around corners, pulling out of turns, and racing down the straightaways to a new destinations. But, before I ride off into the sunset, I must finish my last President’s message! One of the personal valleys I’m currently riding through is the fact that my mom (‘Proud Mom’ from the SFLGBT Pride Parade) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease the beginning of September. The diagnosis certainly explains why she was not able to lift her leg onto my peg when she rode with me in the parade this year. Since she first rode with me back in 2000, she joked that I would have to get a sidecar for her when she got too old to get onto the back of my bike. Although she is 72, I thought we had a few more years before that happened. If she is able to walk in the Relay for Life next year, you can bet that I will be putting on a fundraiser to help her meet her personal goal of raising more than $1,500 (that is the goal she set for herself after this year’s Relay for Life walk and before she found out that she has Parkinson’s). On Saturday, September 20, Carrie, Toni, Janice, Laura, Max F (also a b’day girl), Djuna, Max C, Jenel, Ren, Katie, Jeanette, Stacy (a buddy), Paige, Kate H, Sandie M, Patty, Kate W, Erin, Margaret, Carol, Sandy C, Liz, Sandra, and myself (I think that’s everyone; my apologies if I left anyone out!) rode to Alice’s Restaurant for Soni’s 60th birthday brunch celebration. The weather was foggy in SF, and drippy along Hwy. 35, but Alice’s was all sunshine. Tegan and Rose met us at Alice's. We took over the back patio and had a great time! It was an empowering feeling to have over 20 Dykes on Bikes® take over a section of Alice’s! I know photos were taken and I hope we’ll get some up on the website! Soni ‘conducted’ a rousing rendition of ‘Happy Birthday.’ For someone who did not want us to go to any trouble for her 60th birthday, she certainly enjoyed herself! Later that night, Soni, Sandy C and her girlfriend, Kate, Bronze and I attended the Folsom Street Fair Gala starring Joan Rivers. At SFDOBWMC meetings, Kate is in her work clothes (she works for Harley Davidson), but at the gala, she was in this cute black dress, that had me doing double takes and working hard to keep my hands to myself! Sandy C wore a dress, too, and I had to watch my hands (I swear they have minds of their own!). I was dressed in formal leather. Sandy M and Ren were there representing other aspects of the community. The food was wonderful (although the line moved slowly) and so was the crowd. Joan spared no one from her wicked sense of humor. It was a great event celebrating 25 years of the Folsom Street Fair. Speaking of the Folsom Street Fait, the following Sunday, September 28, the SFDOBWMC worked the motorcycle parking area and helmet booth for Folosm. My thanks to the following people who volunteered: Anthony, Sandie M., Sandra, Sandy C., Zach, Raven, Rondi, Rose, Liz, Paige, Katie, Joy, Kate H., Carrie, Jackie, Kate W., Max F, Kelly, Leslie, Cordelia, Sharon, and Soni. We parked over 100 bikes and checked a number of helmets and probably some clothes, too. I was there for most of the day, but ended up volunteering for about 2 ½ hours at the Alameda County Leather Corps’ beverage booth, which was down the block from us. They thought they were getting a single booth, but got a double instead and did not have enough people. Man—it was non-stop—there were many thirsty people at the Folsom Street Fair! I’ll take working at the motorcycle parking area over slinging margaritas and cosmos any time. In the afternoon on October 1, I attended the civic celebration of the life of Del Martin, wearing my Dykes on Bikes® colors—my way of paying tribute to a woman who paved the way for later generations of lesbians/dykes to live out lives and for organizations like the SFDOBWMC. It was an incredible experience to be in the Rotunda of City Hall, looking at the assembled dignitaries, but more touching was to see so many women who may have left work early like me to attend. While there were a number of speeches from those dignitaries (Newsom, Rev Cecil Williams, etc), the one speech that stuck in my mind was by Del’s daughter—Kendra Mon. While talking about her mom, she said that “… Mom was not an extraordinary person, but rather a person who accomplished extraordinary things. This is important because each of us is needed to continue her work - - our work. It would be a shame if you left today, thinking that Mom was somehow bigger or bolder than you could ever be. In my view, what was extraordinary about what Mom did, and what Mom and Phyllis did together, is that they had clarity of purpose, set seemingly impossible goals and then just never quit.” With those words ringing in my ears, I attended my last SFDOBWMC meeting as President later that evening. On the evening of October 1, the SFDOBWMC elected its first Board of Directors. The new directors are (in no particular order): Sandie M, Liz, Kate H (I got to give Kate H her patch as one of my last acts as President), Sandy C, Paige, Eleanor, Soni, Katie, Kelly, Sheila, Rose, Glenne, Zach, and I. There are 3 new officers: Sandy C (President), Katie (Vice President) and Sheila (Treasurer). Sandy will take over the duties of President at the October 15 meeting, so she will be writing the monthly President’s message. Nearly everyone’s photo is on the members page, except for Zach, Kate, Sandie M, and Glenne. Their photos will go up soon. I hadn’t planned on making a speech, but I did, and if you asked me what I said, I honestly can’t tell you. Soni asked for it for me to write my ‘speech’ for the minutes, but I had not prepared anything. The themes I touched on, however, were the good and hard times noted earlier in this message. I also expressed my optimism for the organization because of the incredible women who are currently involved. I am looking forward to seeing where they will take the SFDOBWMC. I exhorted each of them to realize that they can do extraordinary things—what better way to honor someone who helped shape our lives today and to pave the way for those who come after. On October 9, Katie, Sandy C, Paige, Kelly, Zach, Glenne, and Sheila will be representing the SFDOBWMC at the GLBT Historical Society’s Gala. Me? I’ll be over in Oakland meeting and greeting hundreds of butches and femmes at the Annual Butch-Femme Bash that runs from October 9 – 12. The weekend of October 11 – 13, Kelly is representing the SFDOBWMC in the Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley. The "official" ride starts on Castro Street between 17th and 18th Street on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. The next SFDOBWMC ride will be on November 16 . Kelly will be leading a ride to the Harley Goat Farm. Details to be posted on the Events & Rides page soon. As part of the November 16 ride, Kelly, in association with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, will be auctioning off the back of her bike at a fundraiser on November 8 from 2 – 10 pm at Wild Side West (424 Cortland, SF). Join Sister Sara Femme and the Sisters of Perpetual indulgence as they present "Puss in Boots": a kinky cabaret to benefit San Francisco Women Against Rape. An evening of Power and Empowerment with emcee, Bubblinsugare, and performances by Simone de la Getto, Twilight Vixen Revue, Fat Chance Belly Dance, Madame Butterfly, Miss Gay SF Bebe, Sweetbriar, Simone Campbell, Palm Theresa, the Bay Area Derby Girls, and more! Catering by Captain's Fun in the Bun. Services by IMsL Boot Black Miss V. For more information call 510-282-1020. This should be a fabulous event! I hope to see you there! Mark your calendars (in our soon to be released SFDOBWMC 2009 calendar!) for the following SFDOBWMC rides. Details will be posted on the website under Events and Rides as the ride details get worked out. Here are the dates:
As I noted above, coming this month is our very own calendar! Yes, you will be able to purchase a 2009 SFDOBWMC calendar featuring some of the members of the Dykes on Bikes®. We’re printing a limited number of copies; so once we have them, don’t delay in ordering yours! It has been a pleasure writing these messages and I hope you’ve enjoyed them as well. In closing, I hope each one of you do something extraordinary. After all, we are Dykes on Bikes®! Well, for the final time, I hope all of you Ride Safe and
Ride Proud. See also |
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