Update 8/12: The bike shop in question has shared a brief statement about their response. See below.
Here’s a brief online exchange from Saturday afternoon that shows what it looks like when people come together to marginalize a sexist comment from a bike shop employee.
Just at #citibikes 2 p/u a kickstand for Ness. Worker jokes bout how he'd like to "service" a woman customer who'd just left. #sexist
— Brooke Ann S. (@pdxgirlfriday) August 9, 2014
“@pdxgirlfriday: Just at #citibikes. Worker jokes bout how he'd like to "service" a woman customer who'd just left" #sexist @CityBikesCoOp
— Dave Feucht (@poetas) August 10, 2014
@poetas @pdxgirlfriday On behalf of @CityBikesCoOp I would like to apologize for the comments made. Inexcusable. We are addressing this asap
— CityBikes Co-Op (@CityBikesCoOp) August 11, 2014
Advertisement
@CityBikesCoOp thanks & much appreciated. 4 lots of women, going in2 a bike shop is intimidating enough – comments such as that reinforce
— Brooke Ann S. (@pdxgirlfriday) August 11, 2014
@CityBikesCoOp stereotypes & sexism that keep plenty of women from becoming #cyclists.
— Brooke Ann S. (@pdxgirlfriday) August 11, 2014
So, to recap: A bike shop’s customer saw something wrong, and said something (in this case digitally); the customer’s friend publicly notified the shop about it; and the shop pledged to take action right away. Without wading further into the details of this incident, it’s safe to say that this is basically how change happens. Nice work, team.
Update 8/12: In an email to BikePortland Tuesday, Citybikes’ Sexual Harassment Subcommittee writes, “Citybikes is conducting an internal investigation. It is our policy not to reveal the details of this process. We take this very seriously and are working to resolve this issue promptly.”