Paper: Gender Atypical

 
In this paper I will be discussing the gender atypical role I performed at a local Poker Run. A Poker Run is a sort of
biker rally where bikers who are usually in clubs gather and ride to different stops, generally bars, to develop a winning
poker hand. Poker Runs are typically used to benefit a cause. To emphasize the highly abnormal act I executed, I must
first discuss the role of males and females in the “biker society”. In this highly elite society, women are considered
trophies, or property of the men they are riding with. They are extraordinarily submissive and most often are treated
with no respect for their individuality-- hence the widely used term “biker bitches“. The men, however, are considered
masters of their women, their bikes, and anything else they come in contact with. They are held to a higher standard
strictly because they are men. This type of behavior is not role-play, it is a way of life amongst the people who take it
seriously. Now, consider how unusual, in biker society it would be for the role of the man and the woman to be
reversed -- the female to ride up-front and the male to ride on the back. This scenario is literally unheard of in biker
society. Which is why I chose to ride on the back of a woman’s bike for my project.

My friend, his girlfriend, and I, where gathering at a local bar to start the poker run. I made a comment about my
friends’ girlfriend, Patty, riding her new Harley in the event rather than riding on the back of her boyfriends’
motorcycle-- like all the other women. One thing led to another and I was dared to take part in the poker run on the
back of Patty’s motorcycle, taking the atypical role of the “biker bitch”. At first I was concerned about my size and
weight versus hers. I was concerned with the fact that she may not be able to balance the weight of a 240-pound man
on the back her bike. The severity of this concern could have proved lethal; especially given drinking was involved that
could have compromised her balance even more. Her lack of experience riding a passenger was a concern. However
the greater concern that I had, was how my peers, the male riders, would perceive my riding on the back of a
woman’s bike. Without much surprise the ribbing I had to put up with the whole day threatened my masculinity. I was
the receiver to the kind of female downgrading that I normally dish-out. I was jokingly propositioned throughout the
afternoon, was given the nickname “Buffy”, and was the recipient of “catcalls” and being whistled at. The way I was
treated, as inferior to Patty, was highly annoying.

The Crowd that takes part in Poker run’s are your general stereotypical bikers-- big, burly men wearing a lot of black
and leather, consuming mass quantities of alcohol and acting very rowdy and uncontrollable. So, needless to say, riding
on the back of Patty’s Harley was not physically challenging but breaking the rules in such an extreme way amidst the
rough crowd that surrounded me was mentally challenging. The role woman play when we get to a stop is to retrieve
the drinks from the bar, but when we stopped Patty joined her boyfriend and I was stuck getting the drinks for her and
I. This took the role reversal a little further by my serving her. And not only did I have to serve Patty, but also at times,
I ended up retrieving drinks for men that would normally be my peers. This was embarrassing given the fact that I
usually have my “biker bitch” serve me.

The Role reversal was most evident when we got around people we did not know. When we were at a stop and Patty
declared it was time to go, no body thought it was odd, but when we got out to her bike and I climbed on the back,
some of the other bikers looked at me as if I was a disappointment to the sacred biker name, others who knew me
looked at me jokingly for riding with a woman. To protect my masculinity, I would at times make playful jesters to
affirm the rest of the guys that I was making fun of the situation that I was in and no way condoning males on the back
of bikes. When we were inside the bar those who did not know I was the passenger treated me just the same as
normal, like one of the guys. However, when they saw me get on the back of Patty’s bike they shunned as a male with
any true power. Like I did not belong, this is how a woman would be treated if she tried to be one of the guys.

Many women who are used to riding on the back of motorcycles were happy to see Patty riding a man on the back of
her bike. They were excited to see that a woman could take the initiative to challenge the norm and break the unwritten
rules that women are not allowed to ride a man. However, the men didn’t think of Patty any differently, they still saw
her as subservient because she was a woman. And no matter how many women’s bikes I ride on, I will still be held to
higher standard. Patty liked the attention that everyone at the poker run was giving us. However, she knew that once
that once this evening was over the high fives from other women, and having me under her servitude would be over.
Patty’s boyfriend also took advantage of the situation by finding someone else to ride on the back of his bike. In this
society, there is no relationship loyalty. Patty was not on the back, so there was room for one more.

In conclusion, among the women at the rally, Patty was revered. She was like a goddess, a woman who could finally
tame a man to be submissive. But among the men at the rally Patty was still a woman, no matter if she was riding a man
or not, she was still expected to be submissive toward her boyfriend. I had a new look at what it was like from their
point of view, not only as a woman in a biker situation but as a passenger on the back of bike. But because any other
time I play the role of the male, the master of my domain, will this experience change the way I view “biker bitches”?
Probably not!