The Naked Bike Ride makes me feel uncomfortable

No, it's not a chafing issue. Nor do I dislike bicycles, or nudity. Quite the opposite: I work at the Bicycle Coalition, trying to make Philadelphia a more bike-friendly city. Social rides, big and small, are vital to building community momentum for biking. I have a background in gender and sexuality studies and strongly identify as a feminist. I am all for any opportunity to reclaim, love, respect and celebrate our bodies.

In theory, I should be really excited about this weekend's annual Naked Bike Ride. So why aren't I?

The Naked Bike Ride is one component of a thriving Philly bicycle community. But because of its shocking nature, it often ends up standing for all of Philly's bike culture. Instead of being seen as one of many opportunities to engage with the diverse world of urban bicycling, it becomes the event upon which all bicyclists are judged. When people hear I work for the Bicycle Coalition, they often either say, "Oh that's great, I love the Naked Bike Ride" or "Oh my gosh, do you do guys do the Naked Bike Ride?"

Philadelphia is bursting with bike-related events, organizations, and opportunities that do not so easily make the front page (perhaps because of the clothed nature of their participants). To name just a few: Kidical Mass Philly is a growing community of parents who ride with their children, the Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby boasts a parade of people-powered sculpture, bike couriers organize the charitable alleycat race Cranksgiving,  Gearing Up helps women in transition through bicycles, Neighborhood Bike Works and the Cadence Cycling Foundation use bikes to empower youth, and the Bicycle Coalition has been organizing effectively for bicyclists since 1972. Bicycle clubs, racing teams, and long-distance charity rides abound in our city, but if you are a more casual rider, a monthly Full Moon Bike Ride leaves from the Art Museum Steps, and monthly Take Your Time rides depart from Fairmount Bicycles. I am personally leading a beginner-friendly, women-only West Philly bike ride on Labor Day weekend, followed by a picnic in Clark Park. Please join me. This movement is a lot bigger than the Naked Bike Ride.

While I will not be riding in the nude this Sunday, I respect my friends and fellow Philadelphians who will be. I just hope that some of the riders, the gawkers, the tourists, the photographers, the flurry of reporters who seem to rise to this occasion as if Philly's never had a more important news story -- I hope at least some notice the bicycles as well as the bodies. Because a two-wheeled, self-propelled machine that can take you anywhere and connect you to a thriving, diverse community of people is just as subversive and world-changing as a pair of bared breasts.