Ovarian Psycos (Joanna Sokolowski and Kate Trumbull-LaValle, 2016)
In 1896 Susan B. Anthony claimed that the bicycle had ‘done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance’. More than a century later, the importance of the bike to the Ovarian Psycos is testament to that. This Latina women’s collective meet at night to cycle around LA’s streets. Dealing with trauma in their lives, as a result of sexual abuse, economic deprivation, parental expectations and the constraints of gender stereotypes, all of the women we meet in this bike gang exude resilience, pride and defiance. Their friendships with each other are mirrored in their relationship to their bicycles; both providing sources of strength and both encouraging each woman to feel a sense of entitlement to take up space in their communities.