The Good For Her Sexual Health, Education & Pleasure Project (SHEPP) is a new not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide free pleasure based sexual health education workshops to youth and other marginalized communities. These workshops are available throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

We come to your organization or group to provide information on a wide spectrum of issues regarding sex, sexuality, health and pleasure. This includes topics such as healthy relationships, HIV/AIDS and other STI preventions, pregnancy, sexuality, communication and all kinds of different sex. Our focus is on inclusion and the promotion and respect for diversity.

We will be hosting a youth focus group on Thursday June 5 for all youth under 24 to assist us in developing relevant curriculum for the project. We want to hear the perspectives of youth on what pleasure based sexual education means to them, what they would like to learn about, and other opinions on sexual health and sexuality. This will ensure the creation of accurate materials and information for the efficacy of the project to empower youth.

Venue information and details:

Metro Hall
55 John Street
Room 302
(South-east corner of King and John, two blocks east of Spadina)
Toronto, ON M5V 3C6
Public Transit: subway to St. Andrew, then walk through “PATH” to Metro Hall or walk above ground 2 blocks west.

Time: 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Dinner (including vegetarian options) and TTC tickets will be provided for participation. Door prizes will also be given away!

We ask that interested participants RSVP to Carlyle Jansen at carlyle@rogers.com

Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

SHAMELESS has already brought attention to the ridiculousness that is Bill C484, and next week on May 28th we will debunk the surrounding myths of this dangerous anti-woman and anti-choice bill.

A People’s Hearing on proposed Bill C484 ‘Fetal Homicide Bill’

Wednesday, May 28 7:00pm-9:00pm
Student Centre at Ryerson University, 55 Gould St.

A private member’s bill called The “Unborn Victims of Crime Act” (C-484), passed Second Reading in Parliament on March 5. This bill would amend the Criminal Code to allow separate homicide charges to be laid in the death of a fetus when a pregnant woman is attacked. If passed, this bill would be an unconstitutional infringement on women’s rights, and would likely result in harms against pregnant women. It is a key step towards re-criminalizing abortion, but it could also criminalize pregnant women for behaviours perceived to harm their fetuses.

The language and surrounding issues of this bill are unclear for many, so this event will aim to concretely address the real risks this bill poses to reproductive rights in Canada.

Featured speakers:

Shelly Gavigan, Osgoode law professor
Jessica Yee, Canadians for Choice
Ronda Rofey, Women’s Habitat
Ayesha Adami, Immigrant Women’s Health Centre

Organized by the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics

For more info contact: ocac@sympatico.ca or 416-969-8463

Okay this just annoys me.

From the Ottawa citizen:

First Place Pregnancy Centre was one of three charities designated by the Sens Better Halves, a group of Ottawa Senators’ wives and girlfriends, to receive funds from the SENSational Tree Raffle organized last November. In December, First Place withdrew from the fundraiser after Planned Parenthood issued a press release saying the group was “anti-choice.”

First Place executive director Terri Mazik said her group has since noticed “a severe decline” in clients. The statement of claim names Planned Parenthood, executive director Stephanie Piché, and Heather Greenwood, program co-ordinator.

For real? This is what First Place has the time and funds to be doing?

And for the record, there is absolutely no doubt that they are anti-choice, anti-woman, and extremely judgemental. It is ridiculously unfair to trick people into thinking you are going to support and give them “options” when you get through their doors and the tactics to steer you away from actual choices (with what you want to do with your body) interestingly enough begin. It is part of the ongoing problem with these so-called “pregnancy crisis centres” popping up across the country that SHAMELESS has blogged on before.

Thought I would put this up since this is even more reason why we need the emergency contraception pill available over the counter.

There are moral conscience clauses that are condoned and honoured by the Canadian Medical Association which gives physicians the right to refuse to give referrals for things that are not in accordance with their moral judgement.

And as much as I despise the National Post, they did report on these occurrences here.

My favourite part?

For Rene Leiva, a family physician in Ottawa, there is no question about where his Roman Catholic beliefs fit into his medical practice. In his office there is a sign informing potential patients that there are certain things his practice will not do: He will not prescribe birth control pills, though he will talk about natural family planning; and no patient should expect him to give a referral for an abortion because that, he said, would be akin to “co-operating with evil.”

Exciting news from the world of contraception today: the Toronto Star reported that the morning after pill will be available on drugstore shelves in Canada, which means it will be available to any woman who needs it, and women won’t have to request it from their pharmacist, which can often mean invasive, embarrassing, or judgmental questions, or even outright refusal.

Click here for some of this blog’s most recent thoughts on emergency contraception.

Props to my friend Lisa for pointing out this article in the oh so awesome This Magazine.

Why we’re surprised when babies are abandoned makes the connections between family planning options and the fact that people who do not want to become parents often will find a way out of it, somehow.

I’ve had the exact same thoughts when I hear about another child left somewhere, and the fact that we must still battle to prove that the CHOICE to parent is a right every child deserves.

However I don’t know that the article fully does justice to address what the current realities are in the complete scope of family planning options across the board in Canada.

What do you think?

20 years ago women in Canada won the historic right to abortion on demand. While the vast majority of Canadians support this right, it is still a choice that often stigmatizes women. These simple portraits show women who have made the choice to have an abortion for what they are: sisters, mothers, neighbours, lovers, friends. These portraits and stories give women voice in a society that so often keeps them silent.

Portraits by Kathryn Palmateer
Opening: May 15th, 7-10pm
Tinto Coffee House
89 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto

Dance performance by Elizabeth Dawn Snell
Musical Performance by Laura Repo
MC: Jessica Yee

The show in Toronto runs from May 11th - June 1st.

Kathryn will be travelling across Canada after the Toronto show and is still looking for participants, so if you or someone you know is interested in being part of this important project, check out the newly launched website or e-mail arts4choice@gmail.com

This interesting article from the Courier Mail in Australia was sent to me recently.

Here’s a nice little snippet:

PRESCHOOL girls are being targeted with sexed-up dolls, which could create a generation of teenagers who hate themselves, experts say.

Queensland child protection group Bravehearts told the Senate inquiry into “the Sexualisation of Children in the Contemporary Media Environment” that sexualised dolls were being marketed to girls at a younger age than ever before.

“Barbie dolls, originally marketed at six to 10-year olds, are now appealing to three to six-year olds and highly sexualised dolls such as Bratz and MyScene dolls are at the forefront of a trend that promotes stereotyped and sexualised images,” the submission’s author, Hetty Johnston, said.

She said the dolls’ “fishnet stockings, tight-fitting clothes, high heels and heavily made-up faces and large pouty lips” exposed little girls to dangerous stereotypes.

Now I’ve always been of the mindset that we cannot leave it up to the media and pop culture to be the sole forms of education for our children, however I have been noticing the shift in the appearance of toys like Bratz dolls.

I would also hope that the ability to teach self and social confidence would trump materialistic followings like toys, or even better make people empowered in their own sexuality while wearing things like “fishnet stockings, tight-fighting clothes, etc”.

I could never find a Barbie that looked like me anyway.

What say you? Can we really blame toys for the oversexualization that has occurred in mainstream society?

I love using free weights — so I completely enjoyed seeing Sitara Hewitt on CBC’s Steven and Chris (I’ll blow right past the overall quality or not of this show) talking about weightlifting. As well as displaying some refreshingly healthy attitudes to food and exercise.

Check it out here.