Tag: Violence
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In the Blog
The Long History of Defunding the Police
Over the last few months, we’ve been hearing the call to defund the police more and more. In fact, defunding the police is really only one piece in a decades old (even centuries old) movement to get rid of police and prisons entirely – this movement is called prison abolition. Read on to learn more about the history of prison abolition and how you can get involved! READ MORE
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In the Blog
Wah Wah Wah: An Interview with Bilal Baig & Celia Jade Green
Warnings: Discussions of sexual harassment I remember the first time I got street harassed. I was 11 years old. A car was parked at a red light and I was crossing the street two minutes away from my parent’s house off of Bathurst Street. The inhabitants screamed at me and made a crude gesture out the window. At that time in my life, I was being fed the idea that attention from boys or men, of … READ MORE
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In the Blog
On Truth, Vulnerability, and The After: An Interview with Andrea Donaldson, Director of GRACE
Grace by Jane Doe from Nightwood Theatre on Vimeo. CONTENT & TRIGGER WARNING: mention of childhood sexual assault (CSA), legal proceedings of sexual assault cases When I first started working on this interview, drafting questions, I was on the subway. I looked up at the news screen and the first thing I saw was “Over 140 women killed by men in Canada in 2018”. I put my phone away and without really thinking about it, pulled out … READ MORE
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In the Blog
My Feelings on Catcalling
Catcalling. Women all around the world have dealt with catcalling for as long as we can remember. Before we even knew what objectifying was, it was happening to us. Doing the simplest of things, like walking in the mall, or going to the movie theatre with some friends, we would hear whistling or degrading comments. It is a reality for a number of people, of all colours, religions, shapes, sizes, sexual orientations, etc., and not … READ MORE
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In the Blog
A Letter to Stephon Clark’s Family
The author of the following letter, Nisa Dang, is an activist, and a political organizer around gun control, abolition, and voter disenfranchisement. She is also from South Sacramento. Here is her message, and her promise, to the Clark family. READ MORE
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Pencils Down, Hands Up
How and why police officers in schools uphold systemic oppression and why they’ve got to go. READ MORE
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In the Blog
Aftermathematics
Content Warning: This piece contains discussion of sexual assault and its aftermath, trauma, psychiatry, and includes misogynist and homophobic language. READ MORE
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In the Blog
Letters Loved: Letters to myself
Hello dear Shameless readers! I was so inspired by Letters Lived: Radical Reflections, Revolutionary Paths edited by our very own Shameless editor, Sheila Sampath, that I came back after taking a blogging break and wrote my own letter. Letters Lived is an inspiring short read from writers and activists writing to their younger selves, as adults. Ever want to reassure, guide or share your 20/20 hindsight with yourself after the fact? Letters Lived offers that very promise. … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Solidarity with UBC students and survivors of sexual abuse and violence
The Canadian literature community has been rocked by an open letter, signed by many prominent writers, claiming the University of British Columbia has failed to give “due process” to a writing professor dismissed for breach of trust in relation to allegations of abuse by students. Critics of the letter say it is biased and erases the experience of the students. READ MORE
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In the Blog
Take Back The Night 2016
I feel angry. I feel upset. I feel anxious (actually, I haven’t said that last one to Adli yet!) These are statements I make to Adli when I want to express my emotions. I want him - currently as a cisgender boy - to learn to express his feelings, however artificial it may seem at first. I also have been trying to talk about oppression. How do I educate and support the learning of my kid … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Caribbean Tales Film Festival: Queer programming
The Caribbean Tales Film Festival (CTFF) is presenting its 11th collection of films this year in Toronto from September 7-17th at the Royal Cinema (608 College Street). The films featured focus on those that represent Caribbean content and creativity from the region and the diaspora. This year, there are 5 films that take on queer realities, identities and experiences. They are: My Silky Blue Frog Shortz by Lezlie Lee Kam (Trinidad/Canada); Cold by Salvador Sol Valdez … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Pulse Nightclub and the Queer Agenda: Love
Content Warning: References to Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre. I think I know why U.S. and Canadian media outlets need to call the Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre, the “the deadliest shooting in U.S. history, with 50 (sic) people killed, 53 others injured and the gunman dead in a shootout”. Because America loves violence. To read more about what went down. Hear me out: They actually love it. I recently read a post that said that guns are part of American … READ MORE
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In the Blog
WEEKLY ROUND UP: JUNE 20
Check out what’s making been making our headlines this week. READ MORE
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In the Blog
A Lack of Trust In Institutions: Empty Actions vs Real Understanding
At 10:30 on Monday morning I was notified that the door to our classroom was locked, and that I could “feel free to prepare [my] belongings for an evacuation.” We were told that a suspicious person wearing a mask and carrying a gun was spotted near our building. The campus was partially closed, and an emergency was declared. The building across the street was officially “closed,” with students, faculty and staff locked inside. The University of … READ MORE
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Blog Series
At the Top of the ‘Class’: Growing Up and Class Background
At the Top of the ‘Class’: Growing Up and Class Background Adli is growing up with some of the best things in life: a loving parent and being raised in a violence-free home. Adli has an educated parent who makes a steady salary and has access to fresh vegetables and organic milk. Adli lives in a big city, with access to diverse people, cultures, resources and spaces. Adli was breastfed. What do these things have to do with class or … READ MORE
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In the Blog
WEEKLY ROUND UP: JUNE 6
Check out what’s making been making our headlines this week. READ MORE
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In the Blog
Never Again Again
Content warning: this post discusses sexual violence. This platform intends to create safe spaces, so we want people to engage with the subject matter without unintentionally exposing you to anything that could be triggering or painful. Rage, anger and indignation have flooded social media in Brazil in the aftermath of one crime that shocked us to the core. 33 men raped a 16-year old in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and shared their crime on social media. … READ MORE
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Community Accountability and Transformative Justice for Survivors
Content Warning: This piece of writing includes topics of abuse, sexual assault, relationships to perpetrators and non-legal measures to deal with sexual violence. READ MORE
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In the Blog
WEEKLY ROUND UP: MAY 27
Check out what’s making been making our headlines this week. READ MORE
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In the Blog
The System Isn’t Broken, It Was Built This Way (Part 1)
Trigger Warning: Discussions of Rape Culture The Law: Not Here for Survivors When survivors go to report a sexual assault to the police, statistically speaking: the police do nothing. It may be their job – at the very least – to listen to survivors by taking their statements but after that, on the most part, nothing more is done to validate the experience of the survivor. And why would anything be done? The system has proven time and time … READ MORE
