One NU student has been riding around campus on a razor scooter after dark to avoid be recognized. The WCAS freshman, who has agreed to do this interview anonymously, has been an avid scooterer his entire life, but since coming to campus he has been “riding the razor” under the cover of darkness so as to avoid being judged by his peers. Ever since childhood “John Doe” knew he was different. On the outside, he seems just like everyone else. But on the inside he has a massive, two-wheel secret.

“I will never forget my first ride.” said Joe, wistfully. “I had been having strange ‘feelings’ inside telling me to just try it. While other kids were cycling around the neighborhood, all I wanted to do was pedal down the street on my razor. So one night I snuck out and coasted to the cul-de-sac and back. I haven’t ridden at a bike since.”

Doe chose to come forward to the press in order to show that he is no different from the rest of the biking world and hopes that his story will let fellow scooterers know they are not alone. “Growing up, people told me scootering was just a phase and that I’d eventually ‘grow out of it,’” he explained. “They said it was unnatural to like razor scooters. Others tried to convert me to become a biker. Or even, god forbid, a skateboarder.” Doe shivered, “I just know deep down that is not who I am.”

When asked how his parents would handle the news, Doe said, “It would be really tough for them. My dad is very traditional; he taught me how to ride a bike and everything. My mom experimented with rollerblading in high school, but it’s not the same. I just don’t want to let them down.”

Doe is afraid to come out with his scooter during the day because he is worried about being ridiculed by his classmates. This fear is not unwarranted: Northwestern has recently been accused of being scooter-phobic since the campus has a large number of bike racks, yet no accomodations for razor-riders. “Scooterers like me face discrimination like this on a daily basis,” asserted Doe. “It’s hard to be a scooter kid in a biker’s world.”

Doe does not see himself scootering out in the open anytime soon. “I’ve kept my razor in the closet all my life. Northwestern just isn’t ready for someone like me.”

But despite the struggles he faces today, Doe does have hope for the future. “What people have to understand is that being a scooterer is not a choice,” he said. “I dream that one day we will live in a world where people like me are accepted; where every college kid can proudly ride around campus and declare without shame, ‘I am what I am: a razor scooterer.”