Big news! Potential Fresh Meat is changing our gender policy to be open to all genders, at all practices and scrimmages.
This decision has come after careful consideration and conversation about how best to serve our shifting population of skaters. We know that derby has historically been a space that centers cis women, and that closed gender policies have protected the comfort and safety of those who have experienced harm or trauma at the hands of cis men. While this policy has been a valuable form of protection for some, it does not account for the fact that anyone is capable of causing harm, including cis women, nor does it take accountability for the harm felt by trans skaters at the hands of cis folks and exclusive policies.
We are seeing an influx of trans and nonbinary people in this space, and are finding that many of these skaters have felt like an outlier in the community, or have felt the need to disclose the intricacies of their gender to gain access to the space. Especially in a time where trans and nonbinary people most need safety and privacy, we want to make sure that these marginalized genders feel included and supported at PFM, and have learned from multiple community members that exclusive gender policies don’t accomplish this goal.
We are committed to keeping PFM a space that prioritizes and centers the experiences of people of all intersecting marginalized identities. We will ask all participants to reflect on and be accountable for their actions, regardless of gender. PFM also remains a learning space that caters to all stages of the derby journey and levels of skill. Unsafe behavior, on or off the track, will not be tolerated. This includes any forms of harassment, as well as inability to skate safely with folks of varying skill levels. All skaters, regardless of gender, will be expected to skate safely and adapt their play to appropriately challenge and support skaters of all levels.
To support this policy change and the expectation of safety and accountability, PFM leadership members are already drafting improvements to our supporting policies, and have made a connection with an inclusivity trainer to host training in the near future. By the end of February 2026, we are committing to have the following supports in place:
- Updates finalized for conflict resolution policy and code of conduct
- Plan in place for how to make said policies more widely available
- Training on the calendar to support inclusivity and deescalation practices (mandatory for PFM leaders, and open to all PFM participants)
We recognize that this policy change may be surprising and uncomfortable for some in our community. We are open to respectful questions and engagement both on social media channels and in our league meetings.
