Including the Excluded

A “little Instagram” that turned into a movement. No matter who they love, Edinburgh’s Queer Skate Collective has people falling for skating.

Words by Rachel Flint

Skateboarding has long been associated with the hyper-masculine, beanie-wearing, ganja-smoking, social-misfit stereotype which has defined the sport for decades. The cliché undoubtedly made its mark, with many now pushing for open minds and acceptance. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, everyone here shares one common ground: the love of skating. Edinburgh’s Queer Skate Collective aims to provide a safe space for queer people to skate freely, as themselves. Created in October 2020 by friends Jude and Valia, the collective worked around the pandemic to host socially-distanced skate meet-ups to accommodate all skill levels. This included upcycling old parts and providing ready-to-skate boards for newcomers donated by existing members. I sat down with Jude to discuss the “ever evolving collective.”

“We really just wanted to skate and thought we’d see if anyone else wanted to skate with us, so we set up a little Instagram.” Believing not much would happen, it was a surprise when 20 people showed up ready to take part.

It has continued to grow ever since, with sister collectives appearing in Newcastle, Glasgow, and Dundee. “At the heart of it all, it’s all about community. The dream, for me, has always been creating a community space for queer people. This, right now, is the perfect interim, where we can start amassing that community and saying it’s okay to be queer. It’s okay to be queer and outside and visible doing sports because queer people are often put off sports. I think it’s just a big exercising community, teaching and learning.”

The club aims to raise awareness surrounding the queer experience in Scotland through the short documentary Queer: Here and Now which is still in the making. The collective organised charitable events such as a “SKATE-A-THON” in July, skating from Crammond to Portobello and raising £420 for Teenage Cancer Trust.

People who don’t conform to the skater stereotype often face issues trying to integrate and find their place

in the sport. With little representation or encouragement, many are pushed away. “I think a lot of people have this perception that skating as a queer person is ground-breaking. I think the idea of visibility is groundbreaking but generally, if you’re in the right scene, there are few problems as a queer person. We’re trying to operate a space that changes the perception aspect more than anything else,” says Jude. The club remains adamant about creating space for everyone, “I think “The dream, if you can get behind the idea of Queer and what that means outside of “it for me, has means you’re gay”, I think you can see how anyone is always been welcome, you just have to get with the vibe.” creating a There’s a space for everyone in the collective. With community its one-year anniversary approaching and skate space for meet-ups set to continue, Jude maintains hope for the future coming out of queer restrictions. “The pandemic has been really hard people.” for so many people, but I’m grateful for the opportunities that it’s allowed us … to build new space and potentially challenge spaces that were there. As much as it’s been such a truly awful and non-repeatable time, I think it has changed the status quo and I hope we see more of a change as we progress. Just keep skating!”