Dykes on Bikes president on how San Francisco Pride changed her life

Helen Reddy wasn’t thinking about Kawasakis or Triumphs when she wrote, “I am woman hear me roar.”

But the collective revving of motorcycle engines has proved to be a soul-stirring soundtrack of empowerment to the queer community, including Kate Brown, president of the San Francisco chapter of Dykes on Bikes.

“I moved here after graduate school at the University of Colorado in Boulder,” says Kate Brown, who lives in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and is director of science for Cooper Surgical, a global women’s health company with Bay Area headquarters.

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“I remember being at my first Pride parade here in San Francisco,” recalls Brown. “When I heard that roar, thunder reverberated down Market Street as these women on motorcycles led the way for the marchers. Everyone was jumping up and down and cheering from the sidewalks. I was hooked immediately. I knew that was who I wanted to be.”

Brown, of course, is talking about the legendary Dykes on Bikes. “I’ve been involved with the group for 20 years now,” she says in an interview with GayCities. “It’s an absolute passion for me. It’s my way of engaging with the community. When we wear our patches on a commute to work or a Saturday ride, we announce ourselves and are authentic about our identity.”

Brown explains that while the Dykes on Bikes have long made their presence known with the nonverbal roar of their engines, the group had to fight for the words they use to describe themselves. While the group began as an informal gathering of riders at the head of the 1976 Gay Freedom Day Parade (the former name for today’s Pride march) and was officially deemed the Women’s Motorcycle Contingent, it quickly became better known by its cheeky nickname, Dykes on Bikes.

In addition to supporting queer women’s visibility locally, San Francisco Dykes on Bikes is the official “mother chapter” for 15 similar organizations, all of which support philanthropic work on behalf of queer and women’s causes.

When Brown takes a break, she and the woman she married, Lis Warren, enjoy exploring the city that has become Brown’s home and helped her forge her identity two decades ago.

We asked her to share a few tips for San Francisco visitors and locals alike.

Where do you enjoy hanging out? 

El Rio in the Mission is fabulous. It’s a bar with a huge patio, live music, dancing, and many great events. There’s such a good vibe there. It’s just a wonderful queer-oriented community space.

Another place that opened recently in the Mission is Mother. It’s one of the only real, specifically women-centered bars in town. I don’t want to call it a dive bar, but it’s a casual place to drop in, grab some drinks, and hang out. A projector shows old footage of gay events like Pride parades on the wall. It’s a really good vibe for laid-back fun.

And then there’s Wild Side West, a lesbian-run local institution. The bar has been around since the 1960s. There’s a beautiful garden out back where you can sit and chat.

What are some of your favorite spots to grab a bite?

We love the food at True Laurel. It’s known mostly as a cocktail bar, but the food is great. I discovered patty melts there, and now whenever I try one someplace else, it just can’t compare. They’re so delicious.

Sometimes, we just walk up and down Cortland Avenue, popping into small independent places there. We can get great sushi or splurge on a tasting menu at Third Cousin. There are Chinese dumplings and Mexican food, so you can always find anything you want there. Let’s start with a cocktail at Holy Water and finish with another at Wild Side West.

Where are the must-see places you recommend when you have out-of-town guests?

After 20 years here, I still love discovering new aspects of the city. I enjoy going with visitors on the free walking tours offered by San Francisco City Guides. That’s an amazing resource, with multiple tours every day of the week that give all sorts of interesting perspectives on expected places, like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Castro, but also on neighborhoods of the city that even some locals have never spent much time in. When my parents came in over the holidays, we did the Chinatown tour, and it was excellent.

I always like taking people to Golden Gate Park, which has many things to see. I particularly like to bring friends to the California Academy of Sciences, which I think is one of the most outstanding science museums anywhere. The planetarium is great, and I love having people try the 1906 Earthquake simulator. People from out of town always ask if we’ve ever felt an earthquake. I say, “Yep, but it’s nothing like this one!”

Where do you think visitors can find the best souvenirs?

Everyone has got to go to the Ferry Building. You can get a culinary souvenir from one of the shops there, something locally made. You can also buy a shirt or hat or something more typical. But the whole experience of being there is so San Francisco, especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays, when there’s a farmer’s market. You’re down on the water, looking at the bridges, surrounded by various people. Everyone is going to find something they love.

What’s your favorite annual event in the city?

The Pride Parade, of course. Everybody should come to San Francisco at least once in their lifetime. And if you can only come once, come in late June so you can be at the parade. It’s just an incredible feeling to be here then.