In the second half of our interview series, which accompanies our exclusive trans-skateboarding part, our friend and idol – Cher Strauberry – spoke to us about her experiences as a skater girl online, on a board and under the Rockridge Bart station. Belonging to the incredible queer platform that is Unity Skateboards, Cher has been one of the most prolific trans skaters out there, but it’s not always easy. Read on…
When did skateboarding first touch your life? What was that like?
I first saw my older brother and his friends doing it outside our parents’ house. They looked cool and it seemed destructive. I’d never seen anything like it. I remember going to the Hollywood video store in town soon after that and I got that movie The Skateboard Kid, you know the one with the talking board! I watched that everyday and begged my mum and dad for a board. Eventually I got a K-Mart board, but when my brother stopped I took his old one and that was my first real board. I was 7 or 8 years old, and already I was like: “skateboarding is sick. There’re no teams , no rules. I can make this up as I go along!”
Why did you keep riding?
It was just losers and weirdos doing it, but I didn’t like anything else. I also just didn’t have friends, but skateboarding meant I could have so much fun without anyone, so thats why I kept at it. I skated from the age of 7 to 13, but then I broke my ankle three times! I stopped for 10 years.
You got back into it though!
Yeah, I got back into it thanks to Leo Baker. They came to one of my band’s shows and I didn’t have a board. They gave me a Meow deck, and I got to watch the Meow team skate this little park in LA. I just got so hyped on that.
You’ve got such a unique style. What’s inspired you to skate like you skate, dress like you dress, and be who you are?
Thanks! Honestly, I just like Kurt Cobain and Olivia Gibb – https://oliviagibb.com/ – I just want to look like one of Olivia’s creatures that she draws. Then, everyone who skates for Unity has become my favourite skaters. I’ve learned so much from everyone I’ve met through that platform.
“There’re no teams , no rules. I can make this up as I go along!”
And I love skating the Rockridge Bart station and slappying curbs! I feel like hanging out there has saved my life and shaped my style in skating more than anything.
Have you felt accepted by skateboarding?
Let me be real and say that: HELL NO! I do not feel accepted in skateboarding. Being a trans woman skateboarder has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t realise that it would offend so many skaters and bring out so much hate! At first when we were having queer skate days, I was around so many accepting people. I was just so happy in our little bubble.
So what happened?
I didn’t have followers on Instagram then. It was pretty low key, just super fun. I wasn’t even “out” when Unity started. People definitely treat you differently when you’re trans, as opposed to just gay. When I came out, the hate flowed in. Maybe it’s easy for these people to ignore gay people, but like they feel threatened by trans skaters? I don’t know.
Where does the hate come from?
I get like 5-10 direct messages a day; just the meanest shit. It really bums me out. I was gonna just quit, because it was too much. But then I was very inspired by one of my friends, she’s so cool and open about it, and she deals with a lot of shit too. But lately we’ve been trying not to give in to the hate. I take a screenshot, sigh, add them to my “poppin’ ass block list”, and move on. We’re going to make a zine that’s just us getting shit on by male skaters. [Laughs] Should be fun.
Power to you, Cher. Seriously. Fuck those chumps.
Yeah, you know, I just want to be a skater girl, not a “trans skater girl”, if that makes sense. But also, fuck it, I want to break that fucking wall down. There are so many cool trans skaters on Instagram who inspire me. If I had been able to see a trans skater at age 13, that would have been everything to me. I hope we can at least show the next generation of skaters that its okay to be yourself in this culture. I have a lot of Unity boards that say things like that on the bottom. That helps me when I’m sad. And I do have some pro skaters who reached out to me and took care of me when I felt like an outcast in a scene that’s supposedly for outcasts. Somedays, despite everything, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
Movements like Unity have pioneered queer/trans culture in skateboarding. Where do you think this movement is going next?
Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t think any of us do because this has never been a thing. It’s just one day at a time, I guess. I sometimes help out at queer skate days, or put zines together, pack orders; but besides that it’s all Jeff and Gabe.
How has your transition experience been within skateboarding?
It’s been really hard. My body is changing so fast with hormone therapy and stuff, and I’m honestly like re-learning how to skate these days. I’m trying my best to hold onto all my tricks and still progress too, but some days I’m so weak, I can’t skate and I have to take more breaks in between. It’s a crazy process, I’m 8 months in, so I’ve got a long way to go. But yeah, just trying to keep skating everyday – I can stay happy that way.
Keep pushing, Cher. We love you.
You can support Cher by following her on Instagram:
