Vans Writes "Loveletter" to LGBTQ+ Skate Community
The 11th season of its ‘Loveletters to Skateboarding’ series documents a diverse array of skaters.
Vans‘ Loveletters to Skateboarding series is dedicated to documenting all aspects of the skating community. Now in its 11th season, the series turns its focus to the LGBTQ+ skate community.
The first episode of the six-part documentary series highlights a diverse array of skaters, including Brian Anderson, Breanna Geering and Cher Strauberry, as well as skating groups Unity and Skate Witches. The episode features a global array of subjects, including skaters from South Africa, Brazil, the United States and more. Interviewees like Shanae Collins, an openly-gay skater from Australia, discuss the difficulty of finding skate communities outside of those that are traditionally dominated by straight men.
The 11th season was filmed prior to the passing of Loveletters to Skateboarding host and legendary skater Jeff Grosso on March 31 of this year. According to Vans, Grosso felt most proud of these episodes in his 11 years filming the show. In the episode, he also admits his own complicity in contributing to a homophobic skating culture when growing up.
Vans also recently released a short film with skater Justin Henry. The video celebrates the importance of community for young talent, specifically the local skate scene in Henry’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In honor of Pride month, the skating brand has also made a $50,000 USD donation to the GSA Network. The Oakland-based organization aims to unite queer, trans and allied youth for racial and gender justice throughout their communities.
In other Pride news, Reebok recently released its Pride campaign and made a $75,000 USD donation to the It Gets Better Project.
