How Dykes on Bikes® came to be…
“In 1976, the first, courageous women rushed their motorcycles to the front of the Gay Freedom Day march.
The SF Chronicle called them "Dykes on Bikes". And a movement was born.”
When, in 1976, a group of 20 - 25 womxn motorcyclists gathered at the head of the San Francisco Pride Parade, a tradition began. For the next several years, riders just showed up and rode—no formal organization or registration. It was this way for several years until the middle to late 1980’s. As SF Pride became more structured and numbers kept growing, the need to organize Dykes on Bikes® became necessary; thus, the Womxn’s Motorcycle Contingent (WMC) was born. However, in the press and LGBT culture, they continued to be known as Dykes on Bikes®.
San Francisco is the mother chapter for the Dykes on Bikes® community and they successfully fought the US Patent Trademark Office for the right to trademark the name “Dykes on Bikes” for non-commercial use. After initially being denied by the US Patent Trademark Office, The San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® and Brook Oliver Law Group, P.C. took the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and then eventually to the Supreme Court, where after a long legal battle, finally allowed legal registration of the name.
This journey took 5 years (spanning 2003 to 2008) and was supported by many people and organizations, including the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Townsend and Townsend and Crew. The SF DOB community, as well as the DOB chapters across the globe, are grateful to the incredible legal team and the hard work of the patch holders, Board of Directors and Officers of the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes. They fought hard to reclaim the term dyke and for the name Dykes on Bikes®.
Just as they fiercely support non-profit, community, and education efforts in the LGBT and womxn’s motorcycle communities, we stand together in the fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The WMC was started by LB Gunn, Kalin Elliot-Arns, Christine Elliot, Sabine Balden and Mel. This name was used to make the group appeal to all women motorcyclists. The first meetings were held at a private home and then eventually moved to Amelia’s, a dyke/lesbian bar. When Amelia’s closed, the meetings were moved to The Eagle Tavern, at 12th St. and Harrison St., where meetings continue to be held. In 2003, organizers voted to recognize the ruch history of the group by changing the name To the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Womxn’s Motorcycle Contingent (SFDOBWMC). Today they register and organize over 400 bikes for the San Francisco Pride Parade.
