Feminists in Philadelphia have started a skateboarding group called “Shred the Patriarchy” because skate parks are male-dominated, misogynistic places that they can’t go to alone.
“I wasn’t comfortable skating here by myself,” said Sky Kalfus, the Oberlin College philosophy student who started the group this summer.
Kalfus clarified that it is not only skate parks she considers misogynistic, but “the entire world.”
The group is for “female identified folks” as well as “queer/trans/genderqueer people,” according to its Facebook page.
The feminist slant of the skate group is obvious throughout the page.
“celebrate fathers day by shredding the patriarchy!” states a post from June 14. “buy dad flowers instead of a tie, and learn to skate at paines park from 4 – 6 pm! xoxox.”
Unfortunately, for some women, even a feminist group isn’t enough to make them feel comfortable enough to skate in such a misogynistic place.
Temple University theater major Meridian Lowe said she really would like to skate, but her fear of men keeps her from trying.
“There’s all these bros and dudes,” she said. “And I have a lot of insecurity about taking up space and learning how to do something that involves my body, falling and making mistakes.”
Luckily for Lowe, Kalfus started the group not only to be able to skateboard, but also to meet other “Internet feminists.”
— Katherine Timpf is a reporter at National Review Online.