Posts by Guest Blogger
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In the Blog
Help The Student School
The Shameless blog editor received this letter/call-out from a long-time fan, and is reposting with permission. Hey Julia, My name is Lex Gill, and I actually sat on Shameless’ first-ever teen advisory board, and was there for its first-ever launch party. I’m genuinely glad to see it’s still alive, sassy and kickin’ ass. I’m now a Montreal activist and organizer and am trying to take ten seconds out of my day job at the Concordia Student Union (yeah … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Racism and the Hunger Games
Like almost everyone I know, I saw The Hunger Games on opening weekend. I sat in a packed theatre, sandwiched between my friends and an opinionated preteen girl who read a massive fantasy novel until the lights dimmed. She wasn’t the only one; it was the first time in a while that I saw so many young people avidly reading in a movie theatre, and I’ve been to many midnight showings of Harry Potter. From … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Writing Outside the Lines
In June of 2011, the intractable Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul made the claim that women authors are unequal to him. “I read a piece of writing,” he said, “and within a paragraph or two I know whether it is by a woman or not.” Naipaul is a far from uncontroversial figure, and can hardly be said to represent the generally accepted position on women writers. Nevertheless, his dismissal of writing by and for women - a … READ MORE
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In the Blog
A week with Girls Learning Code
During March Break from March 12th to the 16th, 40 girls attended the first Girls Learning Code camp in Toronto, a technology program aimed at getting girls interested in the tech industry by teaching them to create and influence technology as a means of self-expression, instead of merely consuming it. The camp was created by the tech-savvy leaders of Ladies Learning Code, a not-for-profit Toronto group that provides women with a supportive space to comfortably hone … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Quantifying the Hype: The Shafia Case in Context
The Shafia case is a tragedy, all around. But the way this case has been used to promote some of the most casually xenophobic and Islamophobic commentary in Canada yet only makes it more difficult to honor these women and their lives. As many commentators have already pointed out, the rush to condemn the Shafia murders as part of a minority culture that has nothing to do with “Canadian values” perpetuates the familiar narrative of … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Fairness Wins the Day
What started as a mean-spirited attempt by an anti-choice group to sabotage a youth-leadership campaign has come turned into a positive story of fair-play and collaboration. This year, the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation’s (ACIC) Active 8 Campaign became the battle ground for Prince Edward Island’s fight for access to abortion. PEI is the only province in Canada that does not provide this service, and Kandace Hagen, an Active 8 Ambassador from PEI intends to change … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Youth Engagement Contest Targeted by Anti-Choice Group
The Active 8 is a campaign that highlights eight youth from across the Atlantic provinces who are active and engaged in work for positive social change in their communities. This is the 3rd year that the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation has launched this contest. The spirit of the Active 8 campaign is that individual actions can inspire others to take action to make positive change. As such, everyone is encouraged to “vote” for each … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Book Review: Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre
SOMETHING FIERCE: MEMOIRS OF A REVOLUTIONARY DAUGHTER Carmen Aguirre [Douglas & McIntyre] [This review is expanded from the winter issue of Shameless.] Probably every twelve-year-old child has received strict instructions from their mother; but not every twelve-year-old would remember a situation where confusing the given instructions meant the difference between life and death. In Something Fierce, winner of the CBC Books 2012 Canada Reads: True Stories competition, Carmen Aguirre recalls many such situations as she brilliantly depicts her upbringing … READ MORE
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In the Blog
On Valentine’s Day, Holding Hearts in Solidarity
February 14th is not just Valentine’s Day, but also The Annual Rally for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. It started 21 years ago in Downtown Eastside Vancouver because the family of a murdered woman wanted to show its love for the lost daughter on this day. Toronto joined Vancouver in this annual rally seven years ago due to a case investigation at that time. The event was organized by Toronto’s February 14th Organizing Committee comprised … READ MORE
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In the Blog
The Marilyn Meme
Marilyn Monroe is often held up as the antidote to the idea that only thin can be beautiful. “Marilyn was a size 10/12/14,” goes a common refrain (though sizing basically means nothing these days, so what does that even prove?). There have been a couple Marilyn Monroe memes floating around Facebook in the past couple months, and both are troubling. The focus is on Marilyn’s curves, and how her swimsuit clad body is different from … READ MORE
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In the Blog
National day of remembrance and action of violence against women in Canada
Today is for you, you lucky people who have not experienced violence. Today is the day for you, who do not know what it is like to be harmed for being a woman, to remember the victims of l’Ecole polytechnique, 14 beautiful young women who were gunned down for being women, accused of being feminists. As if that was a trait worth being murdered for. Today is a reminder for you, that every day women are raped, … READ MORE
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In the Blog
PEI Rally for Reproductive Rights
Saturday November 19th, 2011 was the date set by the PEI Reproductive Rights Organization (PRRO) for the first rally for reproductive justice to happen in almost 25 years. The Campaign Life Coalition announced that they too would hold a rally - same time, same place - a counter rally to the renewed demands for access to abortion services on PEI. Saturday was a chilly but sunny November day. On Friday evening I had volunteered to … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Saying the “A” word: Breaking the Silence about Reproductive Rights in PEI
Reproductive rights - specifically access to abortion - are finally being demanded by the women of Prince Edward Island. Following 25 years of silence, and two weeks of media circus, the first rally for reproductive rights is scheduled for this Saturday, November 19th, 2011. Kandace Hagen co-founded the PEI Reproductive Rights Organization (PRRO) after being given incomplete and misleading information by her doctor. PRRO was the catalyst that broke the silence surrounding PEI’s lack of access: … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Sisters in Spirit Vigil - Toronto 2011
The sixth annual Sisters in Spirit Vigil took place across the country on the annual event date of October 4th. The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto held the event, as in past years, at Allan Gardens, which is located across from the centre. About 60 vigils took place across Canada this year to honour the lives of murdered and missing Aboriginal women and their families. Sisters in Spirit (SIS) is a Native Women’s Association of … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Sexy R2-D2, and other harbingers of the sexualization of fandom
Mouths agape, my co-worker and I took in the sight of a woman dressed as the slave version of Princess Leia (from Star Wars). We were managing a booth at Toronto’s recent FanExpo, and were amazed at the substantial amount of leg on display. I wouldn’t consider myself a prude, but the abundant partial nudity at FanExpo took some getting used to (it was my first time at a fan convention). Once I adjusted, I began … READ MORE
