We must build the spaces we want to see in the world out of the moments where we do not see ourselves.
I am absolutely enamoured with these Pocket Change Collectives and Skate for Your Life in particular. To hear from individuals who have made their way in the world and become icons that inspired and continue to inspire people to be themselves no matter what others tell them to is just so life-affirming. In this installment, Leo Baker discusses their life-long journey of breaking the mould in the skating world. Trans people’s stories in sports are so often discarded or pushed under a rug and here, we get to live through Leo’s experiences from a young age as someone who just wants to skate to growing up and realizing that their authenticity has always been their secret superpower.
Leo exposes the gender binary and overall divide in sports, from such openly inequal rewards for winning competitions between women and men to the transphobic and lack of progress when it comes to including nonbinary individuals in competitions. There is so much in between these pages about how others wire our brains to think we have to make ourselves fit their boxes and how important it is to break out of these boxes and stand up for ourselves and what we believe in.
Recounting their struggles and the sacrifices they made at a young age concerning their gender identity because they wanted to do everything in their power to keep on skating which made them happier than anything else, Leo also details how important it is to forge a brighter path, not only for themselves but for every child like them who will need their support in the future. To stay true to yourself not only for yourself but for your community is such a powerful message that will resonate with readers all over the world!
Whether you’re a skater, a part of the LGBTQIAP+ community or just want to feel empowered, Skate for Your Life is the story you need in your life this Pride month!
Skate for Your Life is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 1st 2021.
Will you be picking up Skate for Your Life? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Wow! Leo’s vulnerability and authenticity allowed me to experience his pain and triumph. A great testament to the positive power of skateboarding and the dangers of gender. –Elissa Steamer (skateboarding pioneer)
In Skate for Your Life, Leo Baker invites us on the intimate journey toward self-realization. Leo’s deep passion for skateboarding is beautifully communicated while bringing to light the difficult reality of breaking the mold on a public stage. This book synthesizes what so many LGBTQIA people can relate to–the lifelong journey of seeking out spaces where we fit in, and when we don’t find them, making new ones. –JD Samson (musician, producer, and songwriter)
In this moving, personal story, professional skateboarder Leo Baker shares their journey within the sport and the importance of authenticity and allyship as a non-binary athlete.
Pocket Change Collective is a series of small books with big ideas from today’s leading activists and artists.
Your authenticity is your superpower. That’s the motto that professional skateboarder Leo Baker lives by and champions. But like any hero’s journey, learning about their power didn’t come easy. In this installment of the Pocket Change Collective, Baker takes the reader on a complicated, powerful journey through the world of skate and competitive sport as a non-binary athlete.
