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Mid-Week Round Up: February 11

February 11th, 2015     by Caitlin Blennerhassett     Comments

Illustration: Erin McPhee

CBC News contacted 87 universities and major colleges across Canada to request their data on sexual assault reporting. Experts say the more than 700 sexual assaults reported over the past five years is quite low, indicating that schools are doing a poor job of encouraging students to come forward.

Three young Muslims have been shot and killed in their family home in North Carolina. Two of the victims–Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23,and Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, were newly weds. Barakat was a graduate student in the dentistry program at the University of North Carolina. Abu-Salha had plans to enrol in UNC’s dentistry program this coming fall. The other victim–Abu Salha’s sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19–was an undergraduate student at North Carolina State University. BuzzFeed has published a story detailing the lives of the three victims, from their volunteer work to their active use of Vine. A memorial page has been set up for the victims: Our Three Winners.

A heartless creature is making changes to Rehtaeh Parsons Wikipedia page via a computer at the Canadian Department of National Defense. Changes were made to the page’s description to say Rehtaeh had engaged in consensual sex at a party where, in fact, she was raped. Parsons’ parents released a statement condemning the changes, “Just when there is a bit of reprieve and silence…something comes up.”

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were this past weekend. Kanye surprised audiences after he almost took to the stage when Beck won Album of the Year in a repeat performance of his 2009 interruption of Taylor Swift’s VMA win for Best Female Video. After the awards show ended he told media that Beck should “respect artistry” by giving the award to Beyoncé for her self-titled album . We agree, obviously. Beck himself told media that he thought Beyoncé was going to win and that Kanye “deserves to be onstage as much as anybody. How many great records has he put out in the last five years, right?” As per usual, much criticism has come out around Kanye’s move. For a refresher on how criticisms of Kanye is rooted in anti-Blackness, read Heben Nigatu’s “In Defense Of Kanye’s Vanity: The Politics Of Black Self-Love.”

The Public is looking for folks who identify as bisexual, pansexual, fluid, queer, or non-monosexual identities to speak on-camera about how their relationship has been supportive of their identity. If you are over sixteen and can attend a screening and taping in Toronto on Saturday, February 28th and March 21st, get in touch!

The rad folks at Fat Girl Food Squad profiled our editorial and art director and straight up favourite person Sheila Sampath for their Kickin’ Ass and Taking Names series.

The Shameless Magazine Food Issue is ON SHELVES GO GET IT RIGHT NOW WE ARE SO EXCITED!

February 14th is the annual Women’s Memorial March honouring the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. Click here for a list of planned events across Canada.

In honour of Valentine’s Day, Tiny Hamster has a Tiny Date.

Tags: activist report, event listings, news flash, rape culture

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