Why Doctors Thought Bicycles Would Turn Women Gay In 1911
How cycling became a feminist issue
Cycling in the 21st Century may seem like a simple sport or usual activity for both men and women, but it was quite different back in the 19th Century.
In 1817, Karl von Drais invented the running machine which gave way for the invention of safer machines; they were made portable for men and women in the late 1800s. However, there was huge discrimination linked to cycling for women — perhaps, it was too unladylike since the people of that time had less knowledge of women's empowerment and rights.
The world was harsh about cycling for women because of the agenda “a bicycle is a simple tool reserved for boys and men”. Doctors also believed it would lead to lesbianism, and society thought it would destroy their pretty purity culture.
Ellen Garvey, a professor of English at Jersey City State College wrote:
Here, not only the saddle and its adjustment but also speed is at fault, and the punishment for stepping out of line is pain and pathology: The moment speed is desired the body is bent forward in a characteristic curve and the body’s weight is transmitted to the narrow anterior half of the saddle, with all the weight pressing on the perineal region…. If a saddle is properly adjusted for…
