Carving in and "Carving Out" Space:

Abstract

Skateboarding is a subculture with an ideology that counters normative authority and standards of masculinity. Yet, it continues to uphold persistent misogynistic perspectives and gender discrepancies in participation (Beal 1996; McCarthy 2022). Therefore, it is critical to understand the experiences of marginalized genders in the skateboarding subculture to discover how ideas of authenticity are formed and upheld in the skate subculture and how these standards impact skateboarders of marginalized genders. This qualitative study examines the unexplored skateboard subculture in Halifax, Nova Scotia through an analysis of its symbolic membership and physical and social space. This study identifies a disassociation from ‘typical’ masculinity and outwardly favourable attitudes towards gender diversity within the Halifax skateboard community; however, gender barriers remain within this still hyper-masculine setting disguised through support. Nevertheless, the historically resistant and rebellious attitudes that coincide with skateboarding may provide a space for female and non-binary skaters to counter subcultural and societal gender norms.