• • Body Politics
  • Recommended Reading
  • Trans-

  Recommended Reading: A bra that fits me - A Critique of Chrysalis Lingerie’s May 1st Launch

  May 10, 2013 • Julia Horel

  Teagan Widmer writes at Interrupt Mag about some major issues with Chrysalis Lingerie‘s launch.

  I was super excited about Chrysalis Lingerie’s new line of lingerie that debuted in their online store this week. The company boasts garments created by trans women and for trans women. Their launch has been delayed multiple, but now it was finally coming to a mailbox near you. So when I saw a post on my Tumblr dashboard saying that their store was finally open, I eagerly clicked the link for the store. My jaw subsequently hit the floor, and I don’t mean that in a good way.

  The prices of the garments are high, which is a big problem:

  Most trans women don’t have that kind of earning power thanks to the intersection of transmysogny and sexism (and often racism since there are many trans women who are also women of color).

  And on top of that:

  Upon further examination of the new shop, I came to an even more startling, frustrating, and disturbing realization. Even if I had the money to drop on a beautiful brand-new Chrysalis bra, I wouldn’t be able to buy one that actually fits me.

  Read Teagan’s excellent critique in its entirety here.
  

• • Activist Report
  • On The Job

  Toronto event: action for International Workers Day

  May 1, 2013 • Julia Horel

  

  Creative commons May Day poster made by the Public Studio: http://thepublicstudio.ca/work/detail/may-day (The Public Studio)

  ---

  From the Facebook event:

  Join us in the streets for the annual May Day of Action in Toronto.

  5:30 PM: Rally and March starting at City Hall and ending at Little Norway Park in solidarity with striking workers at Porter (Queens Quay and Bathurst)

  On International Workers Day, we march to build a Solidarity City. Solidarity City is a unified struggle for: Respect for Indigenous Sovereignty, Status for All, an End to Imperialism and Environmental Destruction, an End to Austerity and Attacks on the Poor and Working class, continued resistance against Patriarchy, Racism, Ableism and Homophobia and Transphobia

  - Organize a contingent: bring a group of people from your class, organization, neighbourhood, or union local to this demonstration, bring your demands, banners, flags and signs.

  - Help fund a bus, food, transit tokens, ASL, and materials for the day. If you or your organization or union local can make donations of money or in-kind, please help us make this day as participatory and accessible as possible. Cheques can be made to No One Is Illegal and mailed to 260 Queen Street West, PO Box 60006, Toronto, ON M5V 1Z8. Please put May Day in the memo line and email nooneisillegal@riseup.net to let us know.

  - Build the movement: add your organization to the list of endorsers for this day of action. Fill out this form http://bit.ly/ZDRwKU

  - Get the word out. Call, text, and email your friends. Share the facebook events, or better yet, start your own! Make sure to tag everything, including pictures and videos after, with the hashtag #May1TO.

  More info: www.may-1.org

  ---

  Please feel free to post actions and events in other communities for International Workers Day in the comment section!

• • Arts
  • Event Listings

  Toronto event: She Said Boom! Feminist Zine-Making Symposium

  April 22, 2013 • Julia Horel

  She Said Boom! Feminist Zine-Making Symposium

  3-day event featuring GB JONES and CAROLINE AZAR of FIFTH COLUMN.

  :::SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:::

  ::FILM SCREENING::
  SHE SAID BOOM: THE STORY OF FIFTH COLUMN
  Thursday April 25th 7-9pm
  Koffler House at 569 Spadina Avenue
  Admission is $12/person at the door
  Full-length film screening followed by a Q and A with Director Kevin Hegge // Canada 2012 // 66 min

  ::KEYNOTE TALK::
  CAROLINE AZAR AND GB JONES ON FEMINISM AND ZINE-MAKING IN 1980s & 1990s TORONTO
  Friday April 26th 7-9pm PWYC
  Koffler House at 569 Spadina Avenue
  Keynote talk by Fifth Column members GB Jones and Caroline Azar on feminist zine-making in 1980s and 1990s Toronto. Followed with a robust discussion facilitated by Shannon Gerard on current issues in feminist publishing.

  ::ZINE MAKING WORKSHOP::
  HOSTED BY SHANNON GERARD AT THE BOOK BAKERY
  Saturday April 27th 10am-6pm
  *email feministzines@gmail.com for registration*
  Day-long collaborative production of a feminist zine. Includes workshops on bookbinding, zine-making, and risograph printing.

  ::ZINE LAUNCH AND DANCE PARTY::
  FEATURING DJ MARY MACK
  Saturday April 27th 9pm-midnight
  gallerywest at 1172 Queen Street West
  All ages launch party with performances, readings, and dancing. Our collaboratively produced feminist zine will be sold PWYC. Dance party featuring DJ Mary Mack.

  –

  Fifth Column: https://www.facebook.com/AllTimeQueenoftheWorld
  Caroline Azar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Azar
  GB Jones: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._B._Jones

  –

  Sponsored by the Graduate Students’ Union at the University of Toronto.

• • Arts
  • Event Listings

  Toronto event: AGO National Youth Arts Week Launch Party

  April 22, 2013 • Julia Horel

  

  The AGO wants you to be a part of the largest annual youth-led celebration of creative expression in Canada by joining us at our National Youth Arts Week Launch Party!

  May 1, 2013

  4-6 pm Free After Three skateboard-building workshops

  6-8 pm Youth Dialogue featuring Rt. Hon. Michaëlle Jean & Jean-Daniel Lafond, Co-Founders & Co-Chairs of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation

  8-10 pm Launch Party!

  Free and open to everyone. Refreshments and fun provided! Come get connected!
  Check out great activities and performances featuring:

  - The AGO Youth Council’s new projects: a pop-up shop by Oasis Skateboard Factor
  - Live painting with Elicser
  - Grant-writing and fundraising workshops for youth by ArtReach
  - Drop-in artmaking activities
  - Break dancing battle and beat-boxing showcase by UNITY
  - DJs and live performances

  For more information or to join us via LiveStream, visit ago.net or http://youthartsweek.ca/

  ASL interpretation provided. Children and families welcome!

  

  
  

• • Arts
  • Event Listings

  Theatre of the Oppressed: A Basic Skills Workshop

  April 11, 2013 • Julia Horel

  Theatre of the Oppressed: A Basic Skills Workshop
  Wednesday May 8, 6 pm - 8 pm
  $10 /PWYC
  Academy of the Impossible, 231 Wallace Avenue
  Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/514643891902456/

  This school of theatre conceived and popularized by Augusto Boal, has had a life of its own in India for the past four decades. The workshop will provide skills in basic theatre of the oppressed techniques. This will involve working with voice, body and improvisation. This school of theatre, based on using theatre for social change, believes in theatre done with the most minimal resources and one’s body being the most important tool. It is believed that the process of creation is as important as the final performance. In line with these basic principles, adapted to and changed by folk forms from Tamil Nadu, India, the workshop will include a set of exercises that trains participants in numerous physical exercises and also to work through social concerns using theatrical tools. It will provide the opportunity for participants to evolve a brief improvised performance at the end of the workshop.

  The Theatre of the Oppressed: A Basic Skills Workshop will be led by Ponni Arasu. Please come prepared to do physical work. Previous theatrical experience is not required. Exercises can be adapted to varying abilities and any default ‘able bodies’ are not a prerequisite for this workshop. Please wear comfortable clothes that you can get dirty.

  This event is part of Mayworks Festival 2013 (see below for more information). It is being co-presented by The Academy of the Impossible and co-sponsored by Shameless Magazine.

  Tickets and Registration Information:
  Tickets to the event are $10/PWYC. Preregistration required; maximum Participants 15. First come first serve. To register, please email registration@mayworks.ca with the subject line “Theatre of the Oppressed”.

  More information:
  The Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts is a multi-disciplinary arts festival that celebrates working class culture. This year’s festival will take place from May 1-15, 2013. Visit www.mayworks.ca for more information.

  

  
  

• • Activist Report

  Oasis Skateboard Factory is looking for new students!

  April 10, 2013 • Julia Horel

  OSF Info Session
  
  Oasis Skateboard Factory is actively looking for new students who love graffiti, graphic design and skateboards. Toronto’s #1 coolest high school according to the Toronto Star, OSF teaches kids by involving them in a skateboard business. Students learn about graphic design and business by developing their own brands and creating and selling merchandise. They also learn how to work with clients through collaborations with companies such as Roarockit Skateboard Company, Longboard Living and Bamboo Skateboards, and build a portfolio by working for individaul sponsors. They even get paid for some of these projects.

  If you’re not convinced yet, you’ll also get to chance to write something for Concrete Wave, an international skateboard magazine, and your work is guaranteed to appear in many art shows. OSF is a great place to build your business and design skills and develop a portfolio for arts school or working in design.
  
  To start the application process for September, all you have to do is attend an information session, being held every Wednesday at 9AM. For directions and more info, click here.

• • Arts
  • Event Listings

  FREE! Art of writing - Creative Writing Workshops for Women (Toronto)

  April 5, 2013 • Julia Horel

  Have you always wanted to write?

  Do you sometimes wish you could put some words that you think of on paper?

  How would you like to write beautiful words in your language and in English?

  Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (NEW) is pleased to offer creative writing workshops for newcomer women on Saturday mornings, starting April 20th, 2013.

  Taught by Dr. Althea Prince, who has published 9 books including In the Black (2012), this 9-week program provides women a supportive space to write stories that they remember from their childhood and new stories that they heard or created as adults.

  *Participants who do not write in English are encouraged to write in their original language! - We will provide translators for the stories. A book of stories will be published at the end of the program.

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

  Dates: Saturdays, April 20 - June 15, 2013
  Time: 10 a.m. - 12p.m.
  Location: 745 Danforth Avenue, Suite 401

  －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－

  Space is limited, please register by April 12, 2013.

  How to register:

  Register online at http://storytelling-420.eventbrite.com/ or call Najma at 416-469-0196

  For more information, please contact Najma by phone 416-469-0196 or email pa@newcomerwomen.org

• • Arts
  • Event Listings
  • Playlist

  Rock Camp for Girls - Montreal

  April 2, 2013 • Julia Horel

  Celebrate Rock Camp for Girls Montreal’s Fifth Anniversary with Us!

  Through its five years of existence, Rock Camp for Girls Montreal has been entirely self-funded and volunteer-run. Rock Camp for Girls Montreal has grown from its first year of 18 campers and 20 volunteers to an established community presence that puts on a Showcase Concert attended by hundreds of community members every year.

  Rock Camp for Girls Montreal is now accepting applications for Summer 2013! Camp will take place Monday July 22 to Friday July 26th at the Sala Rossa with a Showcase Concert on Saturday July 27.

  Check out our short documentary film about the Summer 2012 camp on YouTube

  What’s Rock Camp?

  Rock Camp for Girls is a 5 day music camp where girls learn and practice instruments, form a band and write a song together, and perform at the Showcase Concert! Rock Camp is a space where girls discover and express their talents, and become leaders in creating their own kind of music!

  Who can apply?

  Any girl who will be between the ages of 10 and 17 at the time of camp may apply. You do not need to have any musical experience or own instruments to attend! Rock Camp for Girls Montreal welcomes campers who identify as female, trans, and gender non-conforming.

  How to apply:

  All the forms you need in order to apply are available on our website under “Apply Now!”. Apply to attend camp before May 1 at midnight. Volunteer applications coming soon!

  Have questions?

  Contact us at:

  info@girlsrockmontreal.org

  www.girlsrockmontreal.org

• • Event Listings

  Call for Submissions to Mad Pride Toronto 2013

  April 2, 2013 • Julia Horel

  Call for Submissions to Mad Pride Toronto 2013 – PLEASE SHARE WIDELY

  Monday, July 8 to Sunday, July 14
  www.madprideto.com

  Mad Pride is an arts, culture, and heritage festival created by psychiatric survivors, consumers, mad people, folks the world has labeled “mentally ill”, and those in solidarity with us.

  Mad Pride is about:
  • remembering and participating in mad history
  • challenging discrimination
  • advocating for rights
  • affirming mad identities
  • developing and empowering mad communities
  • having fun!

  Our lives and contributions are valuable and need celebration!

  Do you want to host a consumer/survivor-driven event, performance, talk, presentation, film, or panel discussion at Mad Pride Toronto 2013? Please let us know via our event submission form – which will be available on our website at www.madprideto.com or by calling Tina at 416 926-9762 x 245. Contact: events@madprideto.com

  Do you want to submit to our second juried Art Exhibition? Weinvite two dimensional, sculptural, or time-based art submissions from psychiatric survivors, consumers, and mad people. Contact: Martine at martinematthews@soundtimes.com

  If you are a consumer/survivor and would like to display/sell your art, crafts, buttons, t-shirts, knitting, zines, books, music, baked goods or promote your blog, website, group, network, idea, consider requesting a table at the Mad Market. Contact: outreach@madprideto.com

  Deadline: Friday, April 26th, 2013

  Do you want to get involved in making Mad Pride Toronto 2013 happen? Check out www.madprideto.com for more information on joining the Mad Pride Toronto 2013 Organizing Committee and to complete a Statement of Interest.

  This information can be printed from: http://csinfo.ca/bulletin/Bulletin_483.pdf.

• • Event Listings

  York U: Women’s Quests for Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Contestations, Complexities, Contradiction

  April 2, 2013 • Julia Horel

  The Centre for Feminist Research presents
  Women’s Quests for Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Contestations, Complexities, Contradiction
  April 5 & April 6, 2013
  519 York Research Tower
  York University

  plenary panels with leading international scholars and activists:

  Karima Benounne, University of California, Davis
  Amel Grami, University of Tunis
  Hanadi Zarka, Al Adiat association
  Zeina Zataari, Arab Families Working Group
  Afiya Zia, independent scholar and feminist activist based in Karachi, Pakistan

  What has come to be known as the “Arab Spring” is a remarkable turning point in the modern history of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Whatever the outcome of this regional, political earthquake, there is no turning back to the past in the countries that rose for democracy and social justice. However, there are plenty of signs of hard challenges ahead for women in MENA. This two-day conference will be a forum for scholars and activists in the field to analyze the potential of the Arab Spring for women.

  Space is limited, so please register in advance.
  To register, please RSVP to cfr@yorku.ca

  with support from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, the Office of the Vice President, Research & Innovation, the 2011 Trudeau Foundation Fellowship Fund at York University, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

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