Eliza Hatch, Transkaters (2024)11 Images
“Skateboarding is all about failure, in the same way that life is,” says Milo, founder of London’s first ever trans+ skate meet-up, Transkaters. Skaters might fall hundreds, even thousands, of times before they land a new trick once, and this experience of failing and being vulnerable in public can be immensely anxiety-inducing. For members of the trans+ community, two-thirds of whom have experienced violence or abuse, this might be enough to deter taking part in the sport altogether.
“A recurring theme was that Transkaters offered queer and trans folk the opportunity to make those mistakes in an utterly supportive and community-centred space in which you are completely allowed to be yourself,” adds Eliza Hatch, founder of Cheer Up Luv – a photo-series-turned-platform retelling accounts of street harassment and misogyny, who documented a Transkater meet-up earlier this year. From traditional skater beanies to colourful dungarees and LGBTQ+ flag elbow pads, each of the attendees stands proudly in front of the lens, yet all share adverse experiences at other skateparks.
While a confident skater today, Hatch is acutely aware of these barriers to entry. “My journey with skateboarding has been a bumpy one,” Hatch explains, “I was told to leave the skate park by boys when I was 12 because ‘girls don’t skate’, and was put off it again as a teenager by creepy men when I went to skateparks at night. Finally, aged 27, I plucked up the courage to give it another go when I went to a skate retreat for women and haven’t looked back since.”
Milo echoes these sentiments. Having fallen in love with skateboarding as a kid, he was gradually deterred from skate parks by what he terms “misogynistic bro energy” at skateparks. “I was only managing to drag myself out to my nearest skatepark once every couple of months, and I only felt comfortable very early in the morning when there wasn’t anyone around,” he explains.
It was in this context that Transkaters was born. “I put up a post on Instagram asking if any trans+ people would like to skate with me and there was a big response. I realised that the community was yearning for a trans+ specific skate group,” Milo recalls. “Some skaters travel a few hours from outside London and, for a lot of them, this is the first time they’ve been around this many trans+ people.” Originating in Milo’s desire for sympathetic company, Transkaters has rapidly evolved into a flourishing community, receiving funding from Not A Phase to host monthly meet-ups at the BaySixty6 skatepark on Portobello Road, and even recently announcing their own skate retreat.
The profoundly public nature of skateboarding provides novel opportunities for affirmation, too. “With baggy fits and non-form fitting clothes, skate culture has tended to follow comfort rather than overtly gendered or sexualised sportswear,” Hatch explains. “An example of this can be seen at the Olympics this year. While sports like swimming, volleyball or athletics had stark differences in their uniforms, skateboarding has remained very gender-neutral.”
Despite this, the Olympics also became the centre of a controversy that highlighted just how far mainstream sports are from embracing trans athletes. “The vilification of Imane Khelif – a cis woman who doesn’t conform to society’s strict gender expectations – not only harms trans people and human rights, but harms everyone in how they are able to access and participate in sports,” says Hatch. “In the last two years, there has been a 37.5 per cent increase in reported anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes, and there has never been a less secure and more terrifying time to identify as trans or non-gender conforming in this country.”
While this hostility has unfortunately permeated Transkaters’ digital circle, with their Instagram page receiving accusations that the community are “making a problem out of nothing”, Milo is resolute. “The Transkaters community is one of the proudest achievements of my life,” he tells Dazed. “To see the confidence, friendships and skill levels blossom is more than enough of a reason for me to fight to keep this group thriving.” As they navigate the ramps and slopes of acceptance in sports and mainstream media, the Transkaters community, both individually and collectively, are acutely prepared to get back on their feet. After all, skateboarding, just like life, is all about failing.
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