Frequently Asked Questions

Dyke it is a brand of products and services for queer women and allies. At the heart of the organization is the community resource website, www.dykeit.com. Offering a global vision from a community perspective, it can be seen as a combination of wikipedia, craigslist, and a social publishing site. The website promotes free access to information and resources for queer women, and allows anyone to create, edit, and participate in the development of the site and its resources. Responding to the unique nature of the lesbian community, the website is maintained to order content and make it easy to find and access information. From art and music, to events, commercial products and social services, the website provides free access to all. See below for a list of content that can be added to the site.

The first project of the brand is a line of clothing and merchandise designed specifically for queer women and allies. The products support free access to the website, as well as maintain high standards for environmental sustainability, and workplace, social, and economic equality. The designs are crafted to incorporate symbolic images and language that encourage discourse and interaction. Every item is hand screen-printed by dyke hands in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In addition to its aesthetic beauty, Canada is home to progressive attitudes about sexual and gender equality, including full workplace and consumer protection, gay marriage, refugee support, and national school education programs. Check out our store for more information on available designs and products. You can also view our calendar of queer and/or lez events we are attending and have items for sale.

"Dyke" is truly a fantastic word. Despite its sometimes-negative association as an offensive sexual slur, "dyke" actually provides a great philosophical framework for representing lesbians and queer women. Its common definition is that of a structure used to contain or regulate water, while in myth and metaphor water is often representative of intense feminine power. Ancient Greek mythology also tells us of the goddess Dike, or the "unsullied fountain Dike," which translates in English to "justice." She was the spirit of moral order and fair judgement, and her Roman counterpart is "Lady Justice." We can't imagine anything more gay than that, yet we also see ideas extending to geology. A dike or dyke is a type of "sheet intrusion" (ha) where lava bubbles up into the space between two rocks, then hardens and creates something separate yet integrated. Dykes are often seen as a line of rock that is a different colour than the rock surrounding it. These ideas remind us that the act of living and loving within an empowered group of women can be a tremendous force, and sometimes even feared or ignored by those who misunderstand. We are asked to contemplate and weigh things carefully, and by standing strong despite outside forces and pressures, we can create and experience immense beauty and profound character.

Yes. And no. Dyke It is designed specifically for queer women, but also encourages support from friends and allies. The content on the site and the merchandise designs place an emphasis on queer women and their experiences. However, the community is large and diverse and we encourage everyone to participate in a way that feels comfortable and represents them. The social atmosphere of many lesbian communities is unique, and as such, the website is designed to most effectively respond to those needs. Unlike many gay male populations, women tend to gather at rotating and/or weekly, monthly, or yearly events. Women's communities are also less likely to exist in the traditional "gaybourhood" of cities and towns. The need for a separate and global resource for queer women is a result of these unique characteristics. It can also be difficult to access information specific to queer women amidst the infinite amount of information specific to gay men. Dyke It does not exclude anyone, but simply encourages active education and support for queer women.

Virtually everything on dykeit.com is free, except merchandise and advertising. You can create an account, post listings and comments, edit content, and subscribe to posts and categories, among many other features. Dyke It exists to support free access to information and representations of identity and culture for queer women. See below for a full list of content that can be added to the site for free.

In addition to merchandise and advertising, and in order to support free access for all, we also offer paid memberships. Paid memberships add your posts to the "Featured Listing" category of every page, and may be valuable for promoters or organizations that are not interested in traditional advertising, yet want to support the site and also promote their event, product, service etc with added visibility. See below for more details on paid memberships.

You can view content by category, city/region, or by type. You can also subscribe to individual posts or categories, add comments, and share ideas. You can add, view, or edit any type of (queer positive) content, including:

If you have a suggestion for additional features, please let us know! As the organization grows we will be adding additional resources in response to your feedback.

In addition to the benefits of a free account, with a paid membership your posts will also be added to the "Featured Listings" section of every page. This option offers greater visibility for your posts, at a lower cost than traditional advertising. Paid memberships also have the huge benefit of supporting our ability to provide free access for everyone, and also letting the community know that you support them and their efforts. More information about paid memberships is available here. If you are also interested in traditional advertising, please contact us.

Yes. The website is set up as a wiki (similar to wikipedia) in the sense that anyone with an account can create, update, and edit all content except blog posts. Anonymous users cannot edit content. This encourages all members of the community to engage in support and education. For example, if an event location has changed and the official organizers are too busy to update the site, a friend or associate can correct the listing. If you feel someone has edited a post in error, you can edit it back, or contact us to revert the post back to its previous version. This model ensures accuracy of information, encourages you to participate in your culture, and also to collaborate and learn from other courageous queer women and allies locally and abroad.