Last week I went to this award ceremony and fundraiser at our badass plaza, to accept an award for my awesome friend, who started this girls' skate group.
A friend of mine didn't have her board, so we went to my car to get a spare board. On our way back to the park, we were dorking around on the way, and a group of a dozen or so adolescent boys on bicycles passed us. One of them saw me and shouted, "That's a f---in' ->-bleeped-<-!" The rest of the boys followed suit and shouted similar mean things.
I was bummed. I sat down. My friends encouraged me to keep skating. I couldn't do it. It sucked. Then they came back, circled me on their bikes, and shouted more mean things. "You're a f---in' ->-bleeped-<-! You're a f----t! You're gay!" I slammed my board on the ground and screamed back at them, "I'm a human being!"
It really, really sucked. Some of them threatened to beat me up, I think. Honestly, I don't remember all of it. One of them charged at me on his bike and did that thing where they turn and skid to a stop. It was scary. I wasn't having it. I stomped his spokes, hoping to bend them.
They took off. We went back into the park. A ton of skaters and a few bikers too, consoled me and gave me words of support. My friends and I went back to where the event was. One of the security guards asked me what happened. He was really sweet. He got the other guy and told him what happened, referring to me as "this young lady." That was nice. I explained further, pointed at the kids on bikes in one corner of the park. They waved at me and took off. Shortly after that, about seven cops showed up and stayed for the rest of the night. I guess they didn't want a repeat of what had happened at Rittenhouse.
An hour later, we were onstage accepting the award for our friend, who is away at college. Everybody we skated with was rad. After the award ceremony was over, the lights went out for a few minutes. I said, "This is so heterosexual!" and a bunch of skaters joined in on the fun. Then the lights went back on, and we declared that "gay." I jumped up and down, cheering, "Yay! It's so gay!" Much laughter was involved.
I was pretty shaken and upset over the incident, but so many rad people helped me through it, and we had a fun night.
Then my car wouldn't start.
Okay, here's something way more fun:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php?topic=174712
