About the book
It is not a secret that people are being discriminated against in the workplace because of their gender. But what happens when the “workplace” is the street? There’s a world of other harassment and discrimination that takes place there, starting with catcalling and ending with serious sexual harassment.
As a bike messenger, you are right in the midst of it; constantly surrounded by and coming into contact with different people every day. It can happen inside your working collective, co-op or company, and on the streets; it can come from the customers or even from the cycling community itself.
The bike messenger field itself is dominated by cis-men, and for those who are other genders it can be hard getting started and once you’re out on the streets, you can find yourself facing a constant need to prove yourself as reliable, fast, strong – and simply adequate enough.
“I like the freedom, but(t)” is created by Liisbeth and Giulia, Leipzig-based bike messenger and illustrator respectively, to give a voice to these experiences in the form of a book.
The book aims to raise awareness around gender minority experiences among bike messengers, and the way they are treated both in and outside of the community. It will represent the feelings of people who are under-represented in a cis-male-dominated field.
The book contains stories from 13 bike messengers all around the world, talking about their experiences in the form of interviews.
We hear from the streets, including stories from London, UK; Leipzig, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Bogotá, Colombia; Surakarta, Indonesia; Milan, Italy; Madrid, Spain; and NYC and Minneapolis, USA. Each will be brought to life with beautiful illustrations.
The book should give readers a look into the life of FTW* bike messengers, connect with those in similar situations, and ultimately empower both interviewees and readers, creating understanding and solidarity.
About the title “I like the freedom, but(t)”:
When asked: “What do you like the most about being a bike messenger?” the answer often starts with “I like the freedom...” but this freedom also has some negative sides to it. The wordplay “but(t)” gives the readers a hint that even if FTW* bike messengers might feel free, they often find they’re being sexualized as a cyclist on the streets. And this is just one of the forms of harassment that they talk about in this book.
Finally, it is a social book-project, where any profits made from this book will be donated to organizations who help people with similar issues.
* FTW – meaning: "femme, transgender, women", but refers to anyone who does not benefit from cis male privilege. FTW includes but is not limited to trans men, trans women, cis women, agender, gender queer, gender fluid, gender nonconforming and two spirit people.
