Ridg wh the Olst All-Gay, All-Male, All-Ridg Motorcycle Club

Contents:

• GAY MOTORCYCLE
• RIDG WH THE OLST ALL-GAY, ALL-MALE, ALL-RIDG MOTORCYCLE CLUB
• SOUTH PARK GAY BIKE

GAY MOTORCYCLE

As a longtime biker and an openly gay man, Tom Hood says there likely always will be a place for motorcycle groups that ter to lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr members.Those groups, he says, aren’t as necsary as they were years ago. But they’re still a place where LGBT motorcyclists n relax and be themselv whout fear of scty or cricism.“That’s not possible for some people a mixed or straight environment,” Hood said.Origally om Platteville, Hood is print of the Rirs Motorcycle Club  Boston, one of the natn’s olst gay men’s motorcycle groups.The club was formed the early 1980s when the biker muny didn’t wele LGBT rirs who openly exprsed their sexualy.Now, LGBT bikers say thgs are much better, although there are exceptns.“I personally would be very ut” some suatns, said Terri Coughl, a lbian motorcyclist and former Harley-Davidson Inc.

You won’t be crashg the party if you don’t have a rabow flag,” said Cormac Kehoe, one of the anizers.Paras like this are a sign of better tim, acrdg to Hood, who attend Lawrence Universy Appleton om 1985 through 1987.Years ago, he belonged to an outlaw biker club, but as a gay man, he has sce ma Rirs his group.Some outlaw clubs — known as “1 percenters” bee 99 percent of bikers don’t belong to them — have a strong anti-gay bias.Yet most people motorcyclg pay ltle or no attentn to someone’s genr or sexual inty, acrdg to Hood.“I n go on other ris and not feel like I am unr any scty or prsure. Generally, the way works the motorcycle world is, if you give rpect you get rpect,” he said.Tryg to build motorcycle rirship and attract new ctomers, Harley-Davidson has stepped up s marketg aimed at younger people and racial mori.LGBT bikers say the pany has a mixed rerd reachg out to them.When he was a Harley Owners Group member, Hood said, “there was never anythg their publitns that even mentned LGBTs at all.”Yet Harleys are popular wh lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr bikers, said Chaz Antonelli, past print of the Empire Cy Motorcycle Club, New York, the olst gay men’s biker group the natn.“They are already marketg to their own way, sayg this is your eedom, your abily to do what you want, when you want,” he said.

Still, not everyone has embraced some of the chang.Four years ago, a Salt Lake Cy police officer got to trouble when he objected to ridg the motorcycle briga at the ont of a gay pri para, sayg was a vlatn of his relig liberti.Eric Moutsos said he was unfairly labeled a bigot bee he simply asked to swap rol and work a different part of the para June 2014.Moutsos, a Mormon, said he felt unfortable dog what he nsired to be celebratory circl wh other motorcycl leadg the para. The police partment said would not tolerate “bias and bigotry,” and that did not allow personal beliefs to enter to an officer’s cisn to accept an assignment.Moutsos said he was offend by the notn that he would treat gays and lbians differently than anyone else.“It is unqutnably my duty as a police officer to protect everyone’s right to hold a para or other event, but is also my duty to celebrate everyone’s para?” he said a statement 2015.Many motorcyclists not part of the LGBT muny say someone’s genr or sexual inty is their own personal bs.“The world is a big place.

RIDG WH THE OLST ALL-GAY, ALL-MALE, ALL-RIDG MOTORCYCLE CLUB

… It’s a ltle too tight,” he said.While there will probably always be a place for LGBT motorcycle groups, Hood said, over time there will be ls need for them as society be more acceptg.At one time, Rirs Motorcycle Club had 140 members; now ’s down to about 55.Hood said he thks the LGBT muny n claim a victory when ’s no longer a big al for sports stars and celebri to announce they are homosexual.

SOUTH PARK GAY BIKE

The club is one of the olst all-ridg, all-gay, all-male motorcycle anizatns the world. While other motorcycle clubs have perhaps been active for longer perds of time (at least one group disput that they are the olst all-male, all-gay group), Empire Cy is the only one that requir, and has always required, all of s members to ri a motorcycle.

"Beg a gay biker, beg a group, you fd yourself wh people who have the same terts, the same fort level, " he go on. Though E stopped ridg 1996, he is currently an ECMC Emer member, meang he don't have to own a bike or license signatn, or pay the 1960s, when E joed, "gay" was not somethg you discsed and "out" was not somethg you were.

Beg openly gay put you at risk for losg your job, your apartment, your fay, and iends. It don't mean that you're gay, don't mean this, don't mean that. "E lowers his voice when he says the word "gay, " even though we are chattg the lobby of The Center, as New York's Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Communy Center is known.