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All posts written by Julia Horel

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- Anti-violence
- Event Listings
Toronto event: What Makes a Man Conference

February 7, 2012 • Julia Horel

Join Shameless this weekend at the 2012 White Ribbon Conference (we’ll have a table during the lunch hour!).

The What Makes A Man. Higher Unlearning: The 2012 White Ribbon Conference is a discussion-focused day, where speakers give a short 5-10 minute talks in a living-room-vibe environment to spark a 15 minute dialogue with the audience. We go from speaker to speaker in a buffet of discussions around how gender & gender constructs/pressures affect various aspects of our life and experiences.

What Makes A Man. Higher Unlearning: The 2012 White Ribbon Conference

Saturday February 11th
ENG 103 in the George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre.
245 Church St. (South/East corner of Church St and Gould St.)
Ryerson University

10:30am - Registration
11:00am – Morning Session begins
12:20pm – Lunch Break
1:20pm – Afternoon session begins
4:30pm – Dinner Break
5:45pm – Evening session with SHIHAN

ADMISSION $10 (or pay what you can)
Lunch provided by Salad King
*All proceeds go to the White Ribbon Campaign*

Speaker and performers include:

McClungs Magazine
Slutwalk Toronto
Muslim Presence Toronto
Ryerson Engineering Students Society
Shihan
Britta B

and more!

___
Visit www.whatmakesman2012.wordpress.com for more details.
Recommended Reading: The Shit Girls Say meme: friendly prejudice, but prejudice all the same

January 17, 2012 • Julia Horel

We have lots of thoughts about the “Shit Girls Say” meme (unfunny) and about the “Shit X Says to Y” meme (in many cases, poignant). We’d like to refer you to Thea Lim’s piece at the Guardian for some reading:

What’s friendly prejudice? The most common defence of racism is: “But I didn’t intend to be racist.” This response relies on the idea that if we didn’t intend to offend someone, then their feelings can’t possibly be hurt. The Shit X Says to Y videos are delightfully validating because they show that those with the genuinely lovely intentions of being your friend and seeking commonality with you can still be rude and hurtful.

Check out the whole article here.

If you have other articles to recommend on the topic, please leave them in comments.
I’m a feminist NFL fan, and I’m conflicted about it.

January 9, 2012 • Julia Horel

Okay, I understand why I’m an American football fan. I started watching hockey with my dad when I was 13, and soon branched into watching almost every sport I could find on TV. (Yeah, I watch curling.) American football (different from the international term “football,” which some of us know as “soccer”) is exciting, strategic, and often just a big, dramatic circus to watch. It’s my favourite way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

But football is also a really, REALLY violent sport, more violent than a lot of other sports. The basic concept of the sport, for those who don’t know, is that two teams line up along the width of a 100-yard field, with one team (offense) throwing and running the ball, trying to go forward toward the end zone to score points, and the other team (defense) trying to prevent them from getting there. If the offensive team doesn’t advance far enough after a few tries (downs), the teams switch and the other team tries to go the other way.

There are lots of rules about what you can and can’t do to try to stop the other team from getting past you, but some of the most common tactics are blocking (throwing your weight against someone to keep them from pushing past) and tackling (grabbing someone and bringing them down to the ground, sometimes landing on top of them). Players are understandably heavily padded with protective equipment. Concussions are common. Often, the bigger the hit, the louder the cheers.

It’s not actually the violence in the game that disturbs me about my fanship of the National Football League (NFL), although I should probably think about it more often than I do. What’s really been getting me lately is the culture of violence, racism and misogyny that’s spilling out of the game and into the personal lives of a number of NFL players – and the way these cases are treated by the league, the media and the fans of the game.

(more inside…)
- Eco Speak
- Event Listings
Toronto event: UberSWAP clothing swap

January 9, 2012 • Julia Horel

Shameless is excited to be attending this event – look for Julia and Sarah at the Shameless table and come say hi, buy a magazine and check out some merch!

PLEASE NOTE: The venue has a few stairs leading to the entrance and is not wheelchair-accessible.
–––-

Join 100+ stylish scavengers in Leslieville for the next edition of Uber-SWAP, our used & vintage clothing exchange! (Facebook event page here.)

Expect a thriftshop-style swap boasting a tempting stash of gently used, vintage & even some new clothing, accessories & footwear.

Bring a bag, take a bag!
NOTE: The main focus is on women’s fashions, but men’s items are also very welcome (no kid’s clothing or toys, please).

Save-the-date & please help spread the word re: this eco-fab & frugal event!

Saturday, January 21
11am-2pm
Queen St East Presbyterian Church
947 Queen St East at Carlaw, Toronto, ON

ADMISSION:
$6 for Advance/Early-Bird tickets + your swap loot (limited number avail.)
OR
$10 at the door
(+ your bag of gently used/vintage clothing)

Note: Those who contribute their loot in advance will be entered into a draw for a $50 Nathalie-Roze & Co. store credit!
–––––––––––––-

UBER-SWAP RULES:

1. Participants are expected to contribute a minimum of 1 tote bag of decent cast-offs (8 to 10 items). Swap loot must be dropped off by Jan, 20th, in order to purchase a $6 advance ticket (vs. $10 at the door day-of).

2. No damaged or dirty items, please ~ only bring clean/decent quality clothing & accessories to the SWAP

3. Each participant can leave with 1 large tote or 2 grocery bags of wearables (a significant haul per person!). Bags will be provided.

(Nathalie-Roze Fischer)

===========
SWEET CHARITY:
1. All leftover items will be donated to Double-Take, the Yonge Street Mission’s thrift shop at 310 Gerrard St. East (near Parliament), which raises money for various East-End social service programs.
2. A portion of the admission fee will benefit our underwear drive for Red Door Shelter & South Riverdale Health Centre.
===

Key Swappables:
~ Tons of clothing, shoes, bags & accessories (incl. some vintage & maternity items)
~ A table of fabric & craft supplies
~ A few *new* indie designer gems hidden in the piles from our shop (yay!)
––––––––––––––—

What You Can Expect:
~ clothing & accessories divided into categories (eg. tops, shoes, coats, etc.)
~ a bit of chaos, but lots of fun too
~ mirrors on-site, but no private change rooms, so please dress accordingly (wear leggings or layers)
===========

DO BRING this kind of stuff:
~ jackets ~ tops ~ sweaters ~ skirts ~ jeans ~ dresses ~ hats ~ scarves ~ bags ~ PJs ~ shoes & boots ~ belts ~ active wear ~ purses ~ pants
~ costume jewellery ~ fabric & craft supplies

PLEASE DO NOT BRING:
~ home decor ~ books & mags ~ baby or kid stuff ~ furniture ~ toys
===========

QUESTIONS?
Feel free to post any queries on the event wall or call the shop at:
416-792-1699
***********

See you at Uber-SWAP on January 21st for some eco-friendly fun!
Bye for now,
Nathalie-Roze, Ashleigh, Shannon, Laura & Anneke :]
- Event Listings
- Queeriosities
Call for Volunteers: Dyke March Toronto 2012

January 9, 2012 • Julia Horel

The Toronto Dyke March is ramping up for 2012 and we need your help!

We are seeking dykes who would like to help organise this year’s March and affiliated events, including parties, panels, political actions, community art projects.

We are seeking queer women and dyke-identified trans people who would like to help organise this year’s March and affiliated events, including parties, panels, political actions, community art projects.

We need both experienced members and those seeking to develop new skills. We need help with event coordination, fund-raising and budgeting, graphic and web design, social media, marketing, blogging, community outreach, volunteer coordination, and political action.

There is more than one way to be involved:

1) Join the committee! DEADLINE: January 16, 2012
Send us a brief explanation of 1) why you would like to be involved, 2) your qualities and experience as well as 3) the skills you would like to develop and your areas of interest. [dykemarchto@gmail.com]
Feel free to follow this template: http://docs.com/G187
Applicants are encouraged to self identity. Queers of colour, Indigenous dykes and trans folk strongly encouraged to apply.

2) Join the street team! Ongoing sign up January through June 2012.
Email us to sign up and we’ll add you to the list. [dykemarchto@gmail.com]
Help us when you can with postering, baking, running and attending events, and marshalling the March.
Come to our open committee meetings, bring a friend, see what we’re up to, and share your thoughts. Help us plan and develop our mission statement and goals.
Allies welcome!

3) Join our online community!
Follow us on twitter (@dykemarchto). Help us by retweeting.
Like our Facebook community page (DykeMarch Toronto) and comment on, like and share our postings.
Get in the loop on Toronto’s hottest queer events by checking the calendar on our Facebook page.
Tweet, email, holler your ideas and comments to us!

4) Celebrate Pride with us!
MARCH! Come to the Rally and Dyke March on June 30, 2012! March, strut, scream, sign, chant, roll and dance your way through the city streets. Take up space. Take a stand. Share some time with friends and make some new ones.
Come to the other Dyke Pride events we are running or supporting.

(Jocelyn Reynolds)

Questions? Get in touch anytime! We’d LOVE to hear your ideas, concerns, musings.

In solidarity,

The 2012 Dyke March Team

Email dykemarchto@gmail.com
Twitter @dykemarchto
Facebook DykeMarch Toronto
- On The Job
Labour News: Local 832 earns human rights award

December 19, 2011 • Julia Horel

Get excited! The winter issue of Shameless will be a labour issue, chock full of amazing features:

1. Unions and youth
2. Unpaid internships
3. Sex work decriminalization from a sex worker perspective

Leading up to this issue, we’re excited to share this press release from Manitoba with you:

UFCW Canada Local 832 has been chosen as the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Human Rights Commitment Award of Manitoba.

Every year, In recognition of International Human Rights Day, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission (MHR), the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties acknowledge human rights work that has advanced the rights of Manitobans. This prestigious award is given to those who have promoted respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Local 832 is the first union to win this Human Rights Award.

“The UFCW provides and promotes an inclusive union that reflects the diversity of its membership and their families,” declared the Manitoba Human Rights Commission in announcing this year’s Commitment Award winner.

Local 832 was nominated for the award by Carrie Walker Jones and Semhar Ekubamichael, who were inspired by their experiences at the local union’s renowned training centre. “The union’s work includes the right to be free from discrimination, the right to be free from harassment, the right to be treated with respect and dignity, and the right to opportunities that allow individuals to succeed,” wrote Carrie and Semhar in their nomination letter to the Commission.

In recent years, Local 832 has provided a wide variety of services and programming, free of charge, to thousands of new-comers to Canada, including its vast and diverse migrant worker membership. Such services have included translation and settlement services and English as an Additional Language courses, among others. In addition to being a staunch advocate for migrant and immigrant workers, as a result of the collective agreements negotiated by the Local 832 collective bargaining team, thousands of migrant workers have been able to access the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program and attain their Permanent Residency in Canada.

As part of the events leading up to International Human Rights Day on December 10, Local 832 officially received the Commitment Award on December 8 in a ceremony hosted by the MHR Commission, with Local 832 President Jeff Traeger, activists and staff accepting the award on behalf of the local union.

“We are very humbled to be recognized by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission for the work by our union and our training centre,” says President Traeger. “Our staff and executive have worked very hard over the years to break down barriers that exist for our members and Manitobans in general and to educate our membership and embrace the evolving diversity of our province. I would like to thank both Carrie Walker Jones and Semhar Ekubamichael for nominating us on this award,” adds Brother Traeger, who in addition to leading Manitoba’s largest private-sector local union, is a founding member of the UFCW Canada National Council Human Rights, Equity & Diversity Committee.

“UFCW Canada activists from across the country congratulate our Local 832 Sisters and Brother for this prestigious and very well deserved acknowledgement of their outstanding efforts,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “Local 832 has repeatedly demonstrated its full commitment to creating a more inclusive union and to calling out for greater equality and social justice, and it is quite inspirational to see that outstanding effort recognized by the Human Rights Commission of Manitoba. We are all inspired by Local 832’s truly amazing work.”
Recommended Reading: International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

December 18, 2011 • Julia Horel

Yesterday (Saturday, December 17) was the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. From the Incite! Women of Colour Against Violence blog, we recommend Indigenous Peoples in the Sex Trade: Speaking for Ourselves.

This piece was also recommended reading in supplement to our piece on Indigenous Sovereignty in the Fall 2011 issue of Shameless.

The piece is best read as a whole and not in excerpt, so go check it out!
Recommended Reading: Fist-of-Cuffs: A response to ‘Toronto, City of Sissies’

December 12, 2011 • Julia Horel

Jeff Perera is a friend of Shameless, founder of the Ryerson University White Ribbon Campaign chapter, event director of TEDxRyersonUWomen, the only TEDxWomen event in Toronto, and co-director and curator of the annual discussion-focused “What Makes a Man” White Ribbon Conference at Ryerson.

Along with being an all-around fabulous person, Jeff has written a piece in response to a hateful piece by the National Post’s Christie Blatchford that asserted the Toronto is a city full of “sissies.”

Every one of us was meant to embrace our whole, full humanity. Yet, enforced ideas of what being a man is leaves every boy and man wrestling to supress themselves. We are raised to value an unattainable standard, and devalue anything ‘less than’, which is any aspect of our humanity labelled ‘feminine’. Men are left feeling they are not given permission (from others or from our own self) to discover our handcuffed array of emotions. Denying or forced to deny sides of our self, we are the walking dead, numb and emotionally illiterate. This leaves us numb to the very fact of the gun pressing on our soul. The sound of the resulting trauma inflected on the world is muted by a silencer, but the impact resonates like an endless echo of gunfire on women and men worldwide.

The result is fathers who have been home everyday of their children’s lives yet could not be more distant. The result is men who would rather die than go see the doctor, and so they die. The result is boys being called ‘faggots’ or Christie Blatchford’s preferred term: ‘Sissies’.The result is heterosexual boys face homophobic bullying because they don’t fit the narrow mold. The result is men and young men trapped in endless cycles of substance addition to suppress what they aren’t emotionally able to deal with. The result is young men who won’t back down, no matter what. The result is men who are ready to die over a pair of shoes which they value more than their very own lives. The result is men with disabilities made to feel a heightened level of inadequacy. The result is guys who rather approach women with aggression and violent bravado because they cannot compute vulnerability. The result is severe impacts and financial costs to our Healthcare systems. The result is LBGT communities facing a denial of their right to existence, nevermind equity. The result is women in Canada and across the world subject to devaluation, discrimination and subsequently all forms of violence.

Read Jeff’s amazing piece in its entirety here.
- Arts
- Queeriosities
Video: WRTN/SPKN Triangle Program

December 8, 2011 • Julia Horel

WRTN/SPKN is a story writing and story telling project that took place at the Triangle Program with a group of LGBTQ high school students in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. For several weeks, we explored creative writing (particularly memoir) through practices including free association, “cut-up,” word strings, found poetry, and collaborative writing. We experimented with voice and form, and the relationship between the written and spoken, and visually explored word. Throughout our creative process, students were encouraged to claim their place as storytellers and experts in their own experience. I provided guidance for the work being produced, but students’ areas of interest (themes and motifs) led the project. Our work together culminated in the production and presentation of individual zines.

Student-creators gave me permission to photograph their work, and develop a video that anthologizes their zines. Together, we viewed the video and talked about what they’d like to see happen with it.

There was consensus amongst the students that the video should be posted and distributed online, and available to everyone as an educational tool. Triangle students particularly want to reach out to other youth who have been or are being bullied at school— and those who can make a big difference: school boards and trustees, school administrators, educators, and guidance counselors.

Many students said that if it weren’t for the Triangle Program, they wouldn’t be in school. Triangle students recognize education as a right for all students, and that safety, or lack thereof, reduces access to education for LGBTQ students, and many other students for a broad variety of systemic reasons. Triangle students would like their stories and creative work to be a beacon for all youth who are struggling with safety and acceptance.

—Anna Camilleri, artist educator
http://annacamilleri.com

More Information

What is a zine?
A zine is usually a non-commercial, non-professional publication, kind of  like a magazine but with a twist. The main difference between a magazine and a zine is that zines are not out there to make a profit but, rather, to add other, often unheard voices into the mix. Zines are usually made out of interest and passion and are often self-published by the writer/artist/creator.
From [http://artmatters.ca/wp/2008/08/what-is-a-zine/]

The Triangle Program is one of three micro-schools that are part of Toronto District School Board’s OASIS Alternative School. Triangle classroom provides a safe educational environment for LGBTQ-identified youth. As the only LGBTQ-focused TDSB school, the curricula and pedagogical framework include LGBQT history and contemporary concerns including shifting notions and locations of LGBTQ community.
- Event Listings
- Indigenous
Toronto event: Public launch of Spaces Between Us: Queer Settler Colonialism and Indigenous Decolonization

December 8, 2011 • Julia Horel

When: Saturday December 10th 5pm to 7pm
Where: Toronto Women’s Bookstore, 73 Harbord Street

Co-sponsored by the Native Youth Sexual Health Network

Join us for the first public launch of Spaces Between Us: Queer Settler Colonialism and Indigenous Decolonization! Corn soup and bannock will also be served!

This special event will feature speakers and presentations from members of the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, Percy Lezard of 2 Spirited People of the 1st Nations, as well as a reading by author Scott L. Morgensen. More speakers to be announced soon.

More information about the book and author:
http://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/spaces-between-us
http://www.facebook.com/events/209764279098889/