Skateboarding is more than just riding your board because Skateboarding is a lifestyle. Skateboarding is a culture, and Skateboarding is love.
Skateboarders accept everyone, but the real question is, is gender equity in skateboarding contests being neglected?
Professional Skateboarding Icon Brian Anderson Comes Out As Gay
On September 27, 2016, skate photographer Giovani Reda sat with professional skateboarder Brian Anderson, who came out of the closet, to talk about being gay in the professional skateboarding industry with his closest friends.
As a result, the 45-year-old received tons of love after admitting he was gay, and the skate community accepted him for who he was.
Non-binary Skateboarder Leo Baker's Medically Transition
Soon, the seven-time SKB street medalist Leo Baker changed his name and became an icon in both Skateboarding and the LGBTQ community as the face of Nike's equality campaign.
Baker also quit Team USA and shunned from Olympic glory to transition and that they could take hormones and have top surgery.
The Rise of Marbie Princess
On the other hand, the trans and bi skateboarder Marbie Miller has generated a vast following on social media and getting sponsored by core skate companies.
First Ever LGBTQ+ Skateboard Company
"There skateboards" started to increase their brand awareness, promoting LGBTQIA+ skaters and sponsoring them to invigorate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and others, maintaining a positive mental attitude towards the scene.
Its mission is to inform, inspire change and empower people to be themselves in the skateboard world.
Skateboarding Contest Controversy
As recently as May 17, 2022, transgender skateboarders are becoming more dominant competitors in the center of the skateboarding contest, winning a considerable percentage of prize money from the women's division.
Contest skater girl Taylormay Silverman first received backlash for calling out trans skaters and, until this day, is still fighting for her right as a woman and an athlete.
But, fellow girl skateboarder Shiloh Catori spreads love and positivity to stop the hate from trans women after losing to a 29-year-old trans woman competitor.
Cancel Culture
"Call-out culture" has been part of the #MeToo movement. The #MeToo movement encouraged women (and men) to call out their abusers on a forum where the accusations would be heard, especially against compelling individuals.
The expression cancel culture has primarily negative connotations and is used in debates on free speech and censorship.
For example, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has faced intense criticism from her fans since she began to voice transphobic beliefs, making her one of the most prominently "canceled" individuals at the center of the cancel culture debate.