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Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract

This article explores how roller derby serves as a unique space for queer women and gender minorities to foster community and build “found families,” engage in activism, and practice self-expression, from its creation in 1935 to the present. This study will outline the unusual historical context that allowed the sport to evolve radically differently from other professional sports, twentieth-century feminine beauty standards and their role within the era’s roller derby, the inclusive nature of its modern bylaws, and the lived experiences of queer roller derby athletes. Utilizing a wide range of primary sources, including oral history interviews of current roller derby athletes, news reels, and print articles, this article creates a living narrative highlighting roller derby’s ethos of inclusion and equity. My work situates roller derby within a larger framework of female athletics, activism, and community building, arguing that its unique history and culture provide valuable opportunities for broader social and cultural transformation. Roller derby’s history of challenging norms of femininity, and its unique, collectively owned framework, charted a defiant trajectory. The modern sport’s radical edge validates the voices and identities of its athletes, including queer individuals and gender minorities.

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