Tag: sexism

fitness · sexism · swimming

Stay in Your Lane!

Diane HarperLeave a comment

No this is not a rant about my provincial government and its overreach into municipal affairs, especially in ways that make it less safe for people using active transport such as walking or cycling. Sam Covered that on Monday.

It’s a rant about the fact that far too many men* assume they should be in faster swim lanes and the women** who are obviously much faster assume their place is in a slower lane.

To be clear, I don’t mean the people who miscalculate their speed and move quickly to the correct lane. I’m also not talking about the people who take advantage of empty lanes but move when faster or slower people arrive.

It’s also important to note that most public pools, at least, have signage for fast, medium, slow and leisure lanes. Many also provide instructions on which direction to swim when sharing a lane, how to pass safely, and a reminder to assess your speed against other swimmers and move up or down a lane if you are passing (or being passed) regularly.

It’s not hard to figure out whether you are where you should be, if you are willing to be honest about your abilities.

Occasionally lifeguards will even intervene to sort it out; in my training, this was considered one of the most unpleasant public relations activities because of the egos involved.

Intervention can be necessary because being in the wrong lane makes swimming more dangerous and prone to crashes as faster swimmers try to navigate around the slower ones.

At best, it sometimes minimizes conflicts between the people who are there for a steady workout and those who like to sprint past, only to stand at the end of the lane, blocking space so other swimmers can’t do efficient turns. Or those that see no need to move to a slower lane when working on drills or slower strokes.

This seems to be a common phenomenon. I see it regularly while lifeguarding or lane swimming, and it often arises as a concern in large swimming forums I belong to.

Interestingly, it is much less of an issue in swim club practices – probably because coaches are ruthless about sorting swimmers into the correct lanes. The women I know who refuse to cede the lane to slower men are almost always club swimmers.

My plea to women swimmers is to acknowledge your power and claim your lane. And to those who seem to think those swimmers don’t deserve the space: stay in your lane.

A bus lane swim in a gloriously large pool. Image is from https://outdoorswimmer.com/coach/how-to-have-a-happy-public-lane-swim/

*not all men, but almost always men

**not all women, but almost always women

athletes · Olympics · sexism · stereotypes

Funding for Women’s Sports Around the World

Diane HarperLeave a comment

A friend posted this article about the Indian Women’s Cricket team winning the Women’s World Cup.

This AP photo of the women celebrating their World Cup win is from the India Today article linked above.

“Three years before this moment, back in October 2022, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made a bold and unprecedented move during its 15th Apex Council meeting. They unanimously passed a resolution to introduce pay parity between India’s men’s and women’s cricketers. For the first time, the women who wore the blue jersey would receive the same match fees as their male counterparts.”

“This triumph was not accidental. It was the result of a carefully constructed ecosystem designed to elevate women’s cricket from the fringes to the forefront. The BCCI’s [Board of Control for Cricket in India] equal pay decision was only one piece of a larger puzzle: improved facilities, better coaching structures, and the advent of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), which gave Indian players consistent exposure to world-class competition. The WPL, in particular, provided an arena for rising stars to play alongside and against international icons, sharpening their skills and instilling the poise needed for high-pressure moments like a World Cup final.”

The article got me thinking about other low and middle income countries with powerhouse sports teams. I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but discovered that Kenya has a national strategy and several funds (public and private sector) to support women athletes. Jamaica announced a fund to support women’s soccer earlier this year, just two years after the national team had to crowd-fund its way to the Women’s World Cup.

Most seem to rely on non-governmental funding, which is more about empowering women and girls rather than producing elite athletes. That is arguably a far more important goal. But as interest in women’s sport continues to rise around the world, I look forward to seeing other countries and corporate sponsors putting resources into equal funding for women’s sport.

I’m already a fan of the Olympics, where there are serious efforts to ensure gender parity in the competitions and on individual teams. Future games promise to be even more interesting, as the traditional dominance of countries that have (relatively) strong support for female athletes is tested.

fitness · gender policing · pseudoscience · sexism · trans

Women can’t compete in “Men’s” Sports? Really!?!

Diane Harper

The whole “women in men’s sports” and trans women in sports has gotten completely out of hand

A post on social media commenting negatively on a news article about a woman cyclist in Belgium who was stopped in a race because she was catching up to the men who had a 10 minute head start.

Next up, we have Trans women banned from women-only chess. Why do we even have women-only chess? Even if you accepted that women of similar size and training couldn’t compete with men in a physical activity, what is it about chess that is so physically demanding that women need their own category?

But wait, there’s more! Not to be outdone, The World Darts Federation has Banned women from women-only darts. Again, what is the inherent advantage men have over women that means they need their own special category? And why can’t trans women play with the women? What physical advantage do they have in darts?

After reading and thinking about these issues for quite a while, I remain convinced that most of the hysteria (and I have chosen that word deliberately) is because men are afraid they will be beaten by the women. And there is a long history of coming up with ridiculous reasons to keep women out. For example:

A recent episode of “We Regret to Inform You” on CBC radio was about Bobbi Briggs and Kathrine Switzer, the two women who fought to run the Boston Marathon. In addition to being a really good episode, I finally learned where the advice about not running so your uterus won’t fall out came from. It was Switzer’s doctor. For the record, Switzer ran anyway, it didn’t fall out, and she ran the Boston marathon at 70 (her ninth time).

‘As soon as they begin to be your equals, they will have become your superiors,’ warned Roman senator Cato in the 3rd century BCE, as women protested a law limiting their access to certain goods.

Well. The idea that improving women’s status in society is somehow a first step on the road to total female domination clearly has had quite the shelf life, hasn’t it?

Sat with Nat

Nat shares a cycling moment that did not feel safe

natalieh (she/her)3 Comments

First, I am ok.

Second, I’m going to share an interaction with a man who spoke to me while I was on a solo ride. End of story. Nothing graphic or physical happened.

So read on if you feel ok about it and please do scroll on by if you don’t feel ok reading my story.

It’s last Saturday, I’m out for a 20 km solo ride in town. The weather is amenable. I was looking to build an easy loop I can repeat during the week.

I leave my home and head up to Cheapside. It’s a great way out of town in my corner of London. Light traffic and a cycling lane makes it feel luxurious. I hang a right onto the road of many names Sanford/Second/Fanshawe College Blvd/Saskatchewan? It really changes names too much.

This road is sinusoidal, gently wandering south with a bike lane. I love it.

As I cruise along I see pylons at Oxford Street. Maybe a detour?

My route was blocked by a fence, equipment and a very large hole. Huh.

I pull over to the sidewalk and assess my options. I’d really just gotten going and didn’t want to turn around. Oxford Street was compressed to one lane with fences and heavy traffic. Neither east nor west were options.

I then see on the east side of the intersection there is a temporary pedestrian crossing that takes you past the construction. I could make this work!

I walked my bike over Oxford, through the fencing following the path and get back onto the original road. VICTORY!

I gave myself a little pep talk as I got back on my bike. As I was about to roll a man called out to me asking if he could talk to me.

He approached me friendly and smiling. He looked about my age. He asked if we could be friends. His accent told me he had lived in other places than London, Ontario so I chalked up the unusual approach as a cultural difference.

I said I was a friendly person and then he asked for my phone number. He stopped an arms length from me and eyed my ring finger, watch and phone mounted on my bike. His hands were behind his back. He smiled reassuringly.

I put my foot on my pedal and declined to give him my number.

He asked if we could go on a date. I said no. He asked if I was married and checked my hand again. I said I was happily married and then pedaled off.

It was weird and off putting. I didn’t feel safe. I was so distracted I missed my turn to catch the bike path and ended up riding west on Wavel.

I was kind of lost but just went with it. I got to Eggerton and remembered if I took it south I could catch the bike path at the bridge.

I eventually ended up in a morass of construction at Wellington St where an older cyclist was shaking his head.

“This may be done in five to ten years!”

I laughed. It did seem like it’s been this way for a long time. I wished him luck as I decided to find my way to Colborne and head home.

I debated sharing this story. I scoff when people ask if I feel safe riding/running/walking on my own. I do. But I’m annoyed that this particular hazard is gendered.

Michel and I spoke about this. We’ve both had moments where people eye our bikes or look like they are angling to cause a ruckus. But he’s never been hit on.

I am kicking myself for being polite and kind. It’s a strategy that can cut both ways. I won’t use it again.

I honestly think I could have handled myself had he gotten closer. I’m 280 lbs of fuck right the fuck off.

He may have been after my phone or my bike. Or me? I remember he told me I was beautiful.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks on the mental health front. I did not need this interaction.

I told Michel about it when I got home. I felt silly not feeling safe. On the surface it was simply an awkward interaction at a moment when I was navigating a cycling route. Michel told me to trust my instincts.

This is the shit that discourages women participating in sport. So my message is not to stay home. And it’s not to expect predators at every turn. It is about recognizing when a situation doesn’t feel right and trusting yourself.

So I will keep riding solo but I won’t be entertaining any conversation from passersby.

I’m a sweaty mess smiling at the camera in my cycling jersey.
Becoming a cyclist and claiming space
cycling · Fear · fitness · movies

Becoming a cyclist and claiming space

elan.paulson5 Comments

I bought my first road bike today. It’s shiny, light, and a little bit intimidating. I’m entering my second year of riding in a cycling club, and now I have the kind of bike that many road cyclists have.

I am working through the difference between doing cycling and being a cyclist, and what it means to step toward something before I feel entirely ready.

For example, clip-in pedals. Everyone has an opinion on them. I am already preparing to face today the well-intended male employee fitting me on my new bike who has already twice insisted—insisted—on clip-ins.

But I’m nervous about them. Two cyclists were hit by cars in my area of recently. Every time I roll to the edge of the road, there’s a flicker of fear. It’s not just about falling in traffic but feeling unseen, or worse…seen but then dismissed by drivers.

Riding a bike means having to take up road space in my city. However, I was encouraged by an awesome documentary, Breakaway Femmes (2025), which retrospectively reveals the space women had to take up to be part of the male-dominated Tour de France race during the late 80s. That film showed how cycling is about taking risks for the sport one loves. It’s about choosing to move forward, even when standing still would feel safer.

So today I am moving forward on a version of myself I’ve been imagining for a while now. And first space I must claim for myself as a cyclist is the one in my own head. So here I go.

diversity · equality · feminism · fitness · gender policing · inclusiveness · sexism · stereotypes

The Harms of Gendered Sport and How We Could Fight Back

Diane Harper

Cate’s great post from a couple of weeks ago, combined with the latest over-the-top reaction to a trans athlete who hasn’t even competed since 2022 (aren’t all reactions over the top when people are complying with the rules?) led me down a rabbit hole of the harms gendered sports do more generally.


University of Pennsylvania’s Lia Thomas competing in 2022. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump suspended about $175 million US in funding for the university over the participation of Thomas in its swimming program back in 2022. (John Bazemore/The Associated Press)

I have written about it before, here, and about Lia Thomas and other trans athletes. As a good analyst should, I am putting my biases on the table: I have trans friends, both men and women, who have gone from being suicidal and afraid to use a public washroom or change-room, to being happy and physically active. But as Cate said, and the “punishment” of the University of Pennsylvania shows, the whole trans athlete garbage isn’t really about trans athletes, especially at the elite level.

So what if we were to fight back by refusing to play along? What if we developed more all-gender sports, like we have already done for ultimate frisbee, mixed curling and many other new team sports, and which has been the standard in equestrian sport for decades? What if we changed the rules so that sports valued artistic merit, endurance and flexibility as much as they do upper body strength? What if women could do throws in figure skating, or compete in pommel horse? What if we then changed uniform rules so that men could wear sequins and women could wear pants (or at least shorts that covered more than most of the crotch)?


China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong competing during the Winter Olympics at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing. Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images

What if we simply stopped having men’s and women’s categories for things like shooting or fencing, where gender seems completely irrelevant? What if people like Katie Ledecky could compete against male swimmers? It is entirely possible she doesn’t know for sure just how much she is capable of because she races at different distances than men, and so outstrips many of her competitors that she may never have pushed herself to her absolute limits.

What if these rule changes led to much more equitable funding for sports traditionally segregated to women, or seen as too feminine (gymnastics, figure skating)?

There will undoubtedly be pushback, just like what we are seeing now against the LGBTQ+ community, from men who think they are losing something when women gain something. We will need to keep up the fight for fairness in sport. It’s a fight worth having for men, women, everyone.

cycling · feminism · fitness

The gender gap in everyday cycling

Diane Harper

I went out for a ride with my big kid bike gang last night and once again was struck by the gender gap in our cycling group. Out of 24 people, only 7 were women. Sometimes, the disparities are even greater.

Part of our cycling group relaxing at the end of a ride.

It’s a pretty casual bunch of people mostly between the ages of about 30 and 60, and most of them are strong advocates for everyday cycling (a demographic that includes a lot of people who identify as women). So why aren’t the women out for a ride?

Among my friends, some of it boils down to child care. Even with a supportive partner, getting an evening away from the kids to go ride a bike can be difficult. If your kids are big enough to ride on their own, they may not be up to riding to a distant start point and home again after the ride. If they are younger, they might be easy to carry on a cargo bike, but their bedtime falls in the middle of the ride.

There may be other reasons keeping women away, or they don’t even know about our rides. Or they know and just aren’t comfortable joining us. I admit that I was intimidated about showing up for a ride around town with a bunch of strangers the first time I went.

If this happens to women who love riding bikes and use them for transportation every day, imagine what it’s like for women who are more fearful about their safety, more intimidated by harassment and close passes, or who simply don’t have the same opportunities as boys and men to ride bikes at all.

This Shifter YouTube video is an excellent summary of the issues, with their sources in the description.

Have you noticed similar disparities where you live? What has worked to help change that? I would love to hear your ideas.

cycling · feminism · fitness

The End of the Fancy Women’s Bike Ride

Diane Harper

I was late to the concept of the Fancy Women’s Bike Ride, which I joined for the first time last year. And now it’s ending, and I have very mixed feelings.

As Momentummag notes, “more than just a cycling event, FWBR symbolizes a celebration of women’s strength, unity, and resilience. It serves as a platform for reclaiming public spaces, promoting sustainable transportation, and challenging societal norms.” The ride has gone from a single event in Izmir Turkey to 200 cities in 30 countries.

That leaves out a lot of countries. The ability of women and girls to cycle varies widely around the world. I empathize with the desire of the founders to step away, but I would have loved to see their work continue. After all, “one of its most profound impacts, perhaps its most important, lies in its contribution to empowering women through cycling. By offering free cycling courses and promoting the simple act of riding a bike, FWBR has enabled countless women to challenge stereotypes, embrace their strength, and assert their independence. The movement’s slogan, “Be Women Be Visible,” encapsulates its mission to elevate the visibility of women in public spaces and advocate for inclusive urban planning and traffic management.” (Momentummag)

I am reading several books about city planning from a feminist perspective, and I help out with various women-led rides that focus on making streets safe for all ages. Those efforts to include and center women in alternative transportation and public spaces won’t end, but maybe they won’t continue to spread as quickly or as widely to places where they are desperately needed, without the joyful push of the Fancy Women Bike Ride.

Three women defying the patriarchy through cycling near Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2020. Photo: Zabihulla Habibi in Bicycling.com
fitness

Women Cycling

Diane Harper1 Comment

My Twitter friend Patty (@pattyboge), who is very active in the Winnipeg bike community, shared a couple of thoughts about biking and feminism this week.

First was an excellent commencement speech at Smith College given by Reshma Saujani on imposter syndrome. “Imposter syndrome is modern day Bike Face, just another attempt to hold women back. Just ride your bicycle, pursue what you want to pursue.

“Imposter syndrome is just two made up words on the page. Start pedalling, feel the sun in your face, feel the wind in your hair, feel the joy, feel the freedom, feel the love.”

Sam wrote about Bicycle Face way back in 2013. She also interviewed lawyer David Isaac in 2020 about how safe infrastructure and women on bikes. His key point was that safe infrastructure that connects to places where women want to go is key to getting women riding bikes. And it is a feminist issue because it can make cities more equitable.

That brings me to Patty’s second thought: « Women’s Rights activist Susan B. Anthony says it best ‘Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel, the picture of free, untrammelled womanhood.”

Patty’s response to all the people who pass two close and try to intimidate women to try to get us “off the road, B!&%!” is to say “we can’t and we won’t stop. Our bikes are our freedom”.

One of my favourite pictures of Patty, swiped from her Twitter feed. She is wearing a hot pink mini dress, sunglasses and a pink helmet with a tiara. She is riding a white e-bike with a front basket decorated with flowers. And of course, she has a huge smile.
Fat (and other) Shaming Women in Public Life: Just Stop!
fitness

Fat (and other) Shaming Women in Public Life: Just Stop!

Diane Harper

Recently a woman who serves on our local board of public health received a letter from a stranger telling her that she did believed she “cannot fulfil that role because of your unhealthy status. It is unacceptable to be overweight by the 20 pounds you appear to be carrying”.

Other women serving as elected officials in my city have been harassed in ways that range from their choice of lipstick (“makes you look like a cheap whore”) to violent threats that required police intervention.

JUST STOP!!!

It is no-one else’s business what someone weighs. There is plenty of evidence that being fat does not equal being unhealthy. How we define fatness is very subjective anyway. And don’t forget, diversity is a good thing. Having a broad range of of people can only help make public policy better by bringing their experience to decision-making processes.

Want to learn more? Skim through this blog, Google “fat women politicians” for many articles about the issue, listen to the Maintenance Phase podcast, or read Aubrey Gordon’s book “You Just Need to Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People. I’m reading it now and it is very solidly based on science.

It is true that men in public life sometimes get mocked about their fatness or some other characteristic, but it is almost always in the context of some other policy-based criticism. And there is almost never criticism of men of a similar size/ shape to the women being bullied.

I couldn’t find any images of larger women politicians that weren’t accompanied by stories about the harassment they had faced, and sometimes why they felt forced out of the public sphere. It made me so angry I ended up settling for an older photo of local open-water swimmer and former politician Catherine McKenna.

Catherine McKenna, in a white swim cap and red bathing suit, watches swimmers in at a Great Lakes Open Water (GLOW) in Hamilton Ontario in 2018.

But then I got mad again that I couldn’t find something suitable, so you get a few more images of smart, capable women.

A woman with short dark hair, glasses, and a pink jacket
Cathy Bennett stepped down as Newfoundland and Labrador’s finance minister in 2017. She has previously spoken out about abuse she’s endured online. (Bruce Tilley/CBC)
City Councillor Ariel Troster wearing fun cats-eye glasses, but hoop earrings, a green houndstooth scarf and fabulous red lipstick. Photo is from her Twitter page.