Dykes on Bikes are a loosely affiliated international network of mostly lesbian and dyke motorcycle clubs including The Sirens in New York City, Dykes on Bikes in Portland, and the Women s Motorcycle Contingent in San Francisco as well as a growing international network of chapters. They are known for their participation in gay pride events such as Pride parades, Dyke Marches and significant LGBT events like the international Gay Games.They most likely were originally put at the front of the parade for logistical reasons and have remained there as a symbol of LGBT pride, defiance, liberation and empowerment. The contingents are fiercely independent and self-reliant in the DIY and feminist traditions and have been studied as a social phenomena as a "complex, multilayered form of consumption-related cultural resistance that raises awareness of social injustice and discursively informs social meanings in everyday life outside the festivals.