Has anyone heard of Bill C-484? Its a sneaky bugger. Basically the bill is using the high profile murder of several pregnant Canadian women last year to bolster the anti-choice movement. The bill aims to give the unborn legal protection from violence.

At first I found this very confusing. Of course I don’t think a fetus should be exposed to murderous violence. That’s obvious. But the reality is that in the 30+ states south of our border where this law exists it has most often been used to prosecute women who have sought out abortions. The law is not a genuine attempt to reduce or redress violence against women and the unborn. Its a way of eroding laws protecting a women’s right to choose.

You can find out more about the bill here and sign a petition protesting this bill here.

What!? Free Movie!? I can’t believe it.

But it’s true. For tomorrow night’s screening of A Winter Tale at the Revue the admission is free. This looks like an amazing film and a profound tool to start meaningful discussions about youth violence:

SCREENINGS FOR FEBRUARY & MARCH 2008
February 13th to 28th @ The Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles (Toronto)
February 29th to March 6th @ Rainbow Cinemas (Woodbine Mall)

A Winter Tale tells the story of a black men’s support group that forms at a Caribbean Takeaway restaurant in Parkdale, after a ten-year-old boy is killed by a stray bullet. The film is followed by a one-hour discussion with members of the cast to engage youth and young adults on violence, the impact it has in their schools and communities, as well as the media’s handling of such events.

Visit: AWinterTale.ca to view the film’s trailer.

masc is a magazine providing space for young men between the ages of 15-22yrs old to express themselves and their realities. masc magazine presents positive, alternative examples of masculinity and is a catalyst for discussion, particularly around ideas of gender, stereotypes, sexuality and health. masc magazine supports and challenges young men to be better, more whole human beings.

MASC magazine update - Please forward to anyone you think would be interested.

Mark your calendars, MASC magazine is having a gathering/fundraiser/party……

When: Friday, February 22, 7pm – late
Where: The Gift Shop: 1550 Queen Street West (Just west of Jameson….right next to Mitzie’s Sister)
Cost: $10-$20 sliding scale

Back in November about 20 of us gathered at Tinto’s café to explore the idea of a new magazine for young men called MASC. The idea is to develop a mag that not only reflects the diversity of young men but stirs in some self-reflection and new-directions.

It’s a gathering because we want to see and hear from people who share our excitement about this magazine.

It’s a fundraiser because we want to start spending money and making this all happen.

It’s a party because a party is never a bad idea when you’ve got 100 cool people together on a Friday night.

A small organizing team recently met to map out this event. Here’s what they came up with and how they need your help.

From 7pm to late, the evening will be a combination of participation and performances. The event has 4 areas in need of more planning and HERE’S WHERE YOU CAN HELP:

(more inside…)

I’m a lucky guy. As part of my job this week I was creating a workshop for teens about images of masculinity in the media. Someone I know from the school board asked me if I’d seen Byron Hurt’s documentary, “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” because they now had a copy if I wanted to check it out. Well…I’ve been wanting to see this film since I first heard about it a couple of years ago.

If you have any interest in masculinity, music, hip hop, life as we know it, you should see this film. I was blown away.
Byron Hurt has been educating around gender and masculinity for years but was always sticking up for hip hop music because he loved it so much. At some point he started to feel like a hypocrite for speaking out against sexism but still listening to and supporting artists who spout hateful lyrics. He decided to make this film to explore issues of masculinity, homophobia, violence, and sexism in the musical genre he loves most.

With amazing access to hip hops biggest music producers and some of its biggests stars, as well as academics and activists he tackles these issues head on without being preachy or self-righteous. I was nervous that this film might support, what I see as, racist attacks against hip hop but Hurt addresses this and clearly shows how much of the messaging in music is driven by the industry and money rather than black American culture.

In a society where sexism is almost never addressed in the mainstream, and even more rarely examined in relation to homophobia and race, this film is a must-see and a must-share.

I’ve been wanting to watch this movie since I heard about it a couple of years ago but never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Last night I finally made it happen.
“Searching for Angela Shelton” is a curious film that is never quite what you think its going to be. This is one woman’s quest but she takes a lot of other people along for the ride. Angela Shelton (the film-maker) decides she wants to drive around the USA and meet all the other Angela Shelton’s that are willing to talk to her. Its all filmed in a straight-forward documentary style but what unravels makes for riveting viewing.

What the central Angela finds out is that, including herself, 24 out of the 40 Angela Shelton’s she talks to have been raped, molested or abused in their lifetimes. Her attempt to find out the state of American women by using her name as a tool to generate a random sample serves as a powerful setup for exploring violence against women.

While the other Angela’s provide a way for the film to move forward this is really the central Angela’s story and her journey through her own pain. Moving, funny, and brimming with courage I encourage everyone to watch this and to show it to at least one person who claims they don’t care about violence against women.

You should be able to find it in your local library system (I did!) or cool movie rental establishments.

Damn scientists and their blasted research!

It seems men are more stupid than once believed. Well, maybe not stupid so much as insecure. Yes, that’s the sweeping generalization I think can be made after reading this New York Times report.

A two-year Columbia University study of speed daters found that “men avoided women whom they perceived to be smarter than themselves. The same held true for measures of career ambition — a woman could be ambitious, just not more ambitious than the man considering her for a date.”

Researcher Ray Fisman (an economist) didn’t hide his disappointment in the results. “I guess I had hoped that they had evolved beyond this…So, yes, the stereotypes appear to be true: We males are a gender of fragile egos in search of a pretty face and are threatened by brains or success that exceeds our own.”(more inside…)

Okay, this doesn’t sound like the usual start to those horrible math problems you have to solve on exams but it has stumped a bunch of smarty pants mathematicians.

Lots of studies show that, on average, heterosexual men say they have had 7 sexual partners in their lifetime while heterosexual women say they have had 4. I’m embarassed to admit this but I never thought about how this doesn’t add up. Let me explain. If you have a population of 10 heterosexual people (5 men and 5 women) and the men say they have had 7 partners and the women say they have had 4 then either people are lying or some of those men slept with women from a different population who were not surveyed.

Does this make sense? Basically, mathematicians are questioning the validity of the numerous studies that say men are more promiscuous than women. Because those promiscuous men have to be having sex with someone, right? And they’re not worried just because the math is wrong. When people think they’re supposed to be like everybody else (eg. be more of a man) then they adjust their behaviour accordingly. So if studies keep telling men that they’re supposed to have more sexual partners than women are (which is mathematically impossible), then men are being pressured to be a version of masculinity that is impossible to achieve. Nevermind the effect it has by encouraging the punishment of women who choose to have a variety of sexual partners.

Check out the article here and let me know if you figure out the answer.

Canada is slipping in the global ranks when it comes to gender equity. The Globe and Mail reports that this World Economic Forum study shows that Canada went from a rank of 14th to 18th since the last report.

According to the study Canada hasn’t necessarily gotten worse it’s more that other countries are actually doing things to improve gender equality while we are stagnating. For the record, we’re doing well in providing education access and similar access to health resources to people of all genders. Is that your experience in Canada?

More obviously, this is where the WEF says we are lacking: “But it (Canada) scored lower on economic participation and opportunity (0.74) and much lower (0.159) on political empowerment, with women making up only 21 per cent of MPs and 23 per cent of cabinet posts in Parliament.”

Canada’s Planned Parenthood

Graham, a 5th-year medical student has an interesting blog about his experiences in the world of doctors. He’s currently doing a rotation at Planned Parenthood and has written a simple but sensational piece about what he’s seeing and learning.

Firstly, its really great to see a medical professional be so humble and honest about what they don’t know. He seems really open to learning from his patients and that’s something you don’t hear every day.

Secondly, and most profoundly, he clarifies in a way that I haven’t really seen elsewhere what it is that Planned Parenthood is all about. In Canada, Planned Parenthood is relatively safe (lets not be complacent about that!) but in the United States of America, where this blog is written, PP is losing funding and its ability to thrive in a significant way. The main reason for this is that PP is demonized as an organization that promotes and performs abortions as its only function.

Graham clearly and simply clarifies this myth and explains what Planned Parenthood actually does and how vital they are to our communities.
Read Graham’s blog and let us know what you think…