Celebrating LGBTQ Industry Leaders

Part VI: A Client’s Perspective (and celebrating San Francisco Dykes on Bikes®)

Kate Brown, President of Dykes on Bikes® and one of our favorite clients, reveals the story behind her coral-accented bathroom and chronicles the legacy of SF’s iconic women’s motorcycle movement.

What sparked your fascination with motorcycles?

I think it started at a San Francisco LGBTQ+ Pride parade in the early 2000s. I’d just moved to San Francisco from Colorado and I remember watching the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent roll down Market Street—hearing those engines and seeing a visible display of courage and dignity and pride from this group of women, I thought, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do that.’

Such a great moment. Were you riding soon after that?

I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class—which is great— a combination of coursework and street work. Then after I completed the course I went on Craigslist and bought my first motorcycle which turned out to be a lemon, a story for another day, and I’ve been passionate about it ever since.

For me, there's nothing more freeing than getting on a motorcycle. Unlike a car with walls around you, you’re engaged in a much different way. When you’re on a motorcycle you’re hearing everything and you're smelling everything, all of your senses are elevated on a ride.

It sounds freeing.
Can we shift gears to the San Francisco Dykes on Bikes®? Can you give us a brief history?

It started in 1976 in San Francisco at the Gay Freedom Day March (now called the Pride parade). A small group of women was tired of being in the middle of the march, so they made their way to the front and someone coined the term "Dykes on Bikes”. The group has been in the front of the parade and known as Dykes on Bikes, ever since.

In the 80s, as the Pride Parade got bigger, we needed to become a more formal organization, thus began Women's Motorcycle Contingent (WMC), although we were more widely known as Dykes on Bikes. In the early 2000s, we began to seek protection for the name “Dykes on Bikes”. We recognized the rich history associated with that name and the importance of protecting it for non-profit use in the LGBTQ community. We didn’t realize it would take us on a 13-year journey as the United States Patent Trademark Office denied our registration on the grounds that the term “dykes” was derogatory or disparaging to lesbians. Our battle involved two trips to the US Supreme Court, to seek protection and registration first of our name and then our logo (which includes our protected wordmark Dykes on Bikes®). Under the guidance of our general counsel Brooke Oliver (then of 50 Balmy Law, P.C., now at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP), and a number of attorneys and law firms that worked pro bono on our behalf, our fierce defense that we have reclaimed the term “dyke” in Dykes on Bikes as a badge of honor and pride as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Our case became part of a landmark ruling by the United States Supreme Court that struck down part of the Lanham Act and is considered by many as one of the most important freedom of expression cases in years as well as a major victory for the LGBTQ community.

Wow.

Yes, it was a journey, and the summation of having done all that work is that the “Dykes on Bikes” wordmark, logo, and other intellectual property is now protected on a global scale.

San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® WMC is the mother chapter for Dykes on Bikes chapters, across the US, Europe, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. It’s incredible that re-claiming the term “dyke” as part of our name solidified and built an international community of like-minded, LGBTQ, and women motorcycle riders.

And how about the parade this year, what was it like after two years without it?

It was incredible. While we organize smaller rides throughout the year, kicking off the Pride parade is by far the most energizing. It’s such an important part of who we are and that energy sustains us for the rest of the year.

When we start our engines to signal the parade is about to begin and hear this cacophony of sound that then reverberates down Market Street, and everybody out there is cheering, not just for us, they’re cheering because they’re supporters and allies, and then you juxtapose all that positive energy with the decision by the Supreme Court announced two days earlier which reversed 50 years of reproductive health, it’s emotional and a reminder that we’re not finished fighting.

That’s right, the fight continues. And the Dykes on Bikes® story is proof that using our voices can lead to change.
Can we pivot and talk a bit about interior design?

Of course. My wife, Lis Warren, spent hours researching design firms to find someone that would work well with us. Both Lis and I recognize we’re linear thinkers and when you think about interior design it’s about pushing the aesthetic limits.

We knew we needed to re-think our space with new furniture and different colors, but if we did it ourselves, the room wouldn’t look very different because we’re creatures of habit. For us, we knew that if we wanted something different and “outside the box” that will look amazing, we had to work with an interior designer.

It’s true…

There’s this big picture, but then how do all the little details work with the big picture?

We worked with Catrina (Cooper) who challenged us to think differently about color. We had a lot of work going on in the house and Catrina brought up the color in our bathroom. It was typical off-white and she said something along the lines of “I have an idea for you”, then pulled out these bright color swatches and I quickly responded, “no way”. It was this salmon or coral color and even seeing that little swatch, I didn’t think there was any way it would work. She reassured us though and because we trust her we went with it, and it’s stunning. I love walking in my bathroom as it brings a whole new energy to the space that I never could have imagined.

And the other amazing thing about working with a designer is they are working tirelessly behind the scenes, juggling supply chain constraints, keeping us updated, and the end result is this new beautiful space we could never have done ourselves.

Well said. Can we use that in our sales pitch?
Seriously, thanks Kate. It was a pleasure catching up with you. Stay safe on the road.

Thank you, it was my pleasure.

 Disclosure: 
“Dykes on Bikes” trademark is owned by San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® Women’s Motorcycle Contingent, register and/or applications pending in the United States, Europe, Canada Australia, and many other countries.