QTIBIPoC Bike Tour Experiences
This space is intended for black, brown, indigenous, queer, trans, and/or intersex cyclists to meet and discuss our experiences as bike explorers. This is a POC autonomous space that centers the experience of queer and trans people. Cis-het POC allies are welcome to join with the intention of listening to the experience of QTIBIPOC to better their position as allies. This session meet at the lake deck and head out on bikes to a picnic spot to share food and stories. Tez and Teo will have suggested topics prepared but will allow conversation to flow where it wants to go.
In WTF and other intentionally gendered spaces, some of us bring sun energy, or “masculinities” informed by patriarchal culture. As two spirit, non-binary, trans folks who lean into the direction of Sun and queer/trans ‘masculinities’, we seek to heal ourselves and be healthy contributors to the bike communities around us. We seek and sometimes we fail! In this session we intend to engage in a discussion with others who build bike community to examine how we can honor ourselves while acknowledging and supporting gender inclusive spaces. ** This is a loving space for all Black Indigenous People of Color – full gender spectrum inclusive- for self-affirmation and loving accountability around sun / masculine / male energies within bikelandia.
Being white is not a problem. Whiteness is a problem. Let’s talk about it.
In summer 2015, Stanford researchers published a study elucidating the connection between time spent in nature and decreased the likelihood of depression symptoms. Many QTBIPoC have long known of the benefits of spending time in natural settings, whether we were conscious of this awareness or not. In fact, many of us have spiritual roots in the natural world; we’ve found home there. In this session, we’ll break down the study a little bit, discuss our collective experiences with nature as a source of healing, and begin naming and addressing the barriers to access many in our communities face. The session is planned as an interactive discussion in which all participants are seen as experts with valuable contributions based on their real-world experiences.
Healing Trauma and Building Resiliency
This session is about self-awareness, support, and celebrating biking. Nicole will share her experience of ongoing healing and facilitate conversations on the body’s response to trauma/stress and how to harness your strengths to challenge this response. We will also talk about how biking can support healing and explore ways to show up for yourself, and others, while biking. CW: Session will include discussion of the impacts of trauma on the nervous system. Attendees are encouraged to take care and participate however they can.
WTF Writers Craft Our Stories
During this session, we will discuss how writing, for both personal pleasure and money, can allow us to reshape the stories we tell about ourselves. We will start with conversation about the importance of storytelling, the colonial roots behind travel and adventure writing, and the lack of WTF, POC, and queer, representation in outdoors & bicycling media. We will then split into smaller groups – Kai will lead workshop exercises related to visual art and journaling and Mary Ann will work with nonfiction writers and travel writers looking to write for public platforms. We’ll conclude with sharing resources, including contacts (with editors/publications) and personal contact info, for folks who want to stay in touch and exchange work.
What is toxic masculinity? This session will hold space to share experiences and ideas on how we can and have worked to dismantle toxic masculinity from within ourselves and our communities. Together we will explore ways we can do better. Open to all with an emphasis on trans and non binary identifying folks- whether they are out or not..
Join Maria for a discussion about the transformative power of storytelling. In Dancing on our Turtle’s Back, Nishnaabeg scholar Leanne Simpson explains the importance of narrating our stories of struggle, growth and survival: “Storytelling is at its core decolonizing, because it is a process of remembering, visioning and creating a just reality… Storytelling then becomes a lens through which we can envision our way out of cognitive imperialism, where we can create models and mirrors where none existed, and where we can experience the spaces of freedom and justice.”
