• • Body Politics
  • Media Savvy
  • Queeriosities

  What is James Bond doing in drag? A sexist icon speaking out against sexism

  March 9, 2011 • Julia Caron

  On March 8th, I thought I’d feel empowered, inspired and reinvigorated about the fight for women’s rights. As most of you know, things haven’t been going so well these days. When I heard the day coincided with Fat Tuesday AND Pancake Day, I almost took the day off work to sit around topless at home and eat vagina shaped pancakes (I didn’t, and I still regret it) But the more media coverage I consumed about International Women’s Day, the more upset I felt. It started with Margaret Wente (I have now formally imposed a personal ban on reading any article/newspaper that publishes her work) and didn’t end there. As I began my daily venture into the world of social media, my spirits only took a downward slide.

  The main thing that got my goat was that the number 1 thing I saw shared online in celebration of International Women’s Day, by all kinds of feminists I know and love, was a video of Daniel Craig as James Bond dressed in drag. By last count, over 44,700 people shared the video on Facebook, including a dozen of my friends.

  I’m not going to lie; when I first saw it posted on the Daily What, I was intrigued. Using an enormously popular literary/movie character franchise to call attention to inequality? Interesting. I got a kick out of Judi Dench pointing out that Bond never gets slut-shamed, but any woman who slept with half of the people Bond has would. But after re-watching it, I felt… uncomfortable. And I was not alone.

  (more inside…)

• • Media Savvy

  Why International Women’s Day matters

  March 8, 2011 • Emma Woolley

  This morning I woke up to an unsurprisingly inaccurate column from Margaret Wente aimed at Western privileged women, in which she argues that “the war for women’s rights is over. And we won.” Right. She writes:

  People who persist in looking for systemic discrimination against women in (name your field here) seem more and more desperate. They might as well complain about discrimination against male kindergarten teachers. We are finally learning that equality can also mean the freedom to make different choices.

  Funny that Wente should base her column on the freedom to make choices, given the persistence of rampant sexism in the West. Here are just a few examples from now and a few years back:

  • Charlie Sheen, a man with a most appalling history of violence against women, was recently fired from Two and Half Men and is benefiting from endless media coverage of his clearly troubled behaviour. He gained the most Twitter followers in the least amount of time, memes popped up everywhere parroting his phrases like “winning” and “tiger blood,” and ad agencies have jumped all over his “branding.” Did you know you can be paid to be Sheen’s intern?

    So let’s give him a record-breaking unfollow today, yes?

  
  
  • Indigenous women in Canada still face atrociously high rates of violence, being 5 times more likely to die from it. They’re also 8 times more likely to be killed by a spouse after separation. The worst part? Most missing women are never found and their disappearances are poorly investigated, if at all. From Rabble:

    According to research conducted under the Native Women Association of Canada’s (NWAC) Sisters in Spirit program, over 580 Indigenous women have been murdered or gone missing, most of them over the last 30 years.

  
  
  • Conflict and the rape crisis in the Congo continues. Hundreds of thousands of women have been raped since 1996, and it goes on and on.
  
  
  • The Catholic Church in Rome admitted that priests from at least 23 countries have been sexually abusing nuns, mostly in Africa, to avoid the transmission of HIV.
  
  
  • A Manitoba judge said a survivor was to blame for her rape because “sex was in the air,” since she was wearing a tube top without a bra and suggested skinny dipping. (Wente argues that not one person agreed with this judge, but um, the fact that he exists is proof enough, yes? Also, have a look at the comments on that article. There are many who agreed with him.)
  
  
  • A shocking number of media sources blame Lara Logan for her sexual assault, leading to claims that female journalists shouldn’t report in war zones.
  
  
  • Linda Franklin, an active duty U.S. Marine sergeant, was beaten and strangled in 2007 by her then-partner, a staff sergeant. A year later, she found herself reporting to her attacker.
  
  
  • During a recent student election at University of Waterloo, posters were placed over those of female candidates. The posters depicted Marie Curie and read: “THE TRUTH. The brightest woman this Earth ever created was Marie Curie, the mother of the nuclear bomb. You tell me if the plan of women leading men is still a good idea.”
  
  
  • Toronto law students are given the following advice from a police officer on how to avoid being raped: “Don’t dress like a slut.”

  And how about that war on reproductive rights?

  • Last year, an unprecedented number of people gathered at Parliament Hill in support of Harper’s decision to not include contraception, family planning, or abortion in Canada’s foreign maternal health plan. I feel it necessary to note that children were bussed to this event.
  
  
  • Virginia passed a bill that requires abortion clinics to comply to hospital standards such as: parking spaces for every patient, hallways through which two gurneys can pass simultaneously, etc. 17 of 21 clinics in the state will have to close.
  
  
  • Faith2Action, a pro life group, is being allowed to have a fetus testify against an Ohio abortion law.
  
  
  • South Dakota passed a bill requiring women seeking abortions wait 72 hours and submit to counselling that encourages them not to.
  
  
  • Also in South Dakota, a bill is under consideration in the Mount Rushmore State that would make preventing harm to a fetus “justifiable homicide.”
  
  
  • If you want an abortion, you better be rich! The House Judiciary voted in favour of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. Oh! And by the way, the House also wanted to redefine rape as “forcible.”
  
  
  • Planned Parenthood, a.k.a. that awesome place to get contraception and counselling, has been defunded.
  
  
  • A Georgia representative proposes that all “unsupervised miscarriages” be treated as crime scenes. Send him your pads/tampons/Diva cups, y’all.

  Due to time and length restrictions, I’m limited in what I can include, but there is much, much more. And yet, here’s another doozy from Wente:

  In the West, International Women’s Day doesn’t mean much any more. It’s little more than a marketing opportunity for businesses, or an excuse for the last remnants of women’s grievance groups to keep griping.

  In urban Canada, it’s easy to look around and agree with this. Women are working in high-paying professions (I’d like to see where she got the stat that we make as much money as men, though), we can vote, our voices can be heard. At least, if we’re white, cisgendered, middle to upper class, and heterosexual. Oh, and if we manage to not get sexually harassed or raped.

  But the importance of International Women’s Day is to address what’s happening internationally. Stephanie Nolen wrote an excellent column addressing this, writing:

  The silent majority of the world’s women know nothing of International Women’s Day; they remain mired in the struggle for the most basic freedoms…

  There is a universality to sexual harassment, to sexual violence, to the struggle for reproductive rights, and to the more quotidian question of how to work and care for children and older family members. Women in the developed world see this.

  I think the thing we don’t see, though, is how the same system that has lifted us up and brought so much progress on these fronts is connected to the system that keeps these women [the world’s majority of women] down.

  I’d like to end this post with a video produced by We Are Equals featuring Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, which highlights many persisting gender inequalities internationally. What I love about this is that it appeals to more mainstream audience and shows that men have a role in battling inequality.

  So um, yes Wente, the war on women exists. All of my griping and whining matters. And everything we do here at Shameless matters. And that’s what International Women’s Day is all about.

• • Media Savvy
  • Rape Culture

  No jail for rapist because victim “wanted to party”

  February 24, 2011 • Emma Woolley

  Yes. This is a real headline. A Manitoba judge ruled last week that a rapist won’t go to jail because “sex was in the air.” From The National Post:

  Rhodes and a friend met the 26-year-old woman and her girlfriend earlier that night outside of a bar under what the judge called “inviting circumstances.” Judge Dewar specifically noted the women were wearing tube tops with no bra, high heels and plenty of makeup.

  “They made their intentions publicly known that they wanted to party,” said the judge. He noted the women spoke of going swimming in a nearby lake that night “notwithstanding the fact neither of them had a bathing suit.”

  …This is a different case than one where there is no perceived invitation,” he said. “This is a case of misunderstood signals and inconsiderate behaviour.”

  Judge Dewar said he didn’t want to be seen as blaming the victim, but that all of the factors surrounding the case must be viewed to assess “moral blameworthiness.”

  Apparently this “moral blameworthiness” has everything to do with wearing tube tops and plenty of makeup, and alluding to skinny dipping. Because “sex in the air” always means “inevitable sex.” Right.

  Yet another case of “she was asking it,” folks! I’m sure she’ll really appreciate her rapist’s apology letter when it arrives in the mail.

  Ed note: This article from the CBC follows up on the situation; complaints against Dewar are being formally reviewed. Right on!

• • Bibliothèque
  • Media Savvy
  • Sexuality

  Why I can’t ignore How to Raise a Boyfriend [Book Review]

  February 22, 2011 • Emma Woolley

  

  If there is a book that can be accurately judged by its cover, it is How to Raise a Boyfriend by Rebecca Eckler. It’s a “humour/non-fiction” book offering “sound” relationship advice based on the idea that men are just like children, desperately in need of raising by women. If not the cover or its premise, surely we can judge it by its marketing. (An earnest quote from this video: “You have to disguise the nagging.”)

  Not according to Eckler. When people starting talking about How to Raise a Boyfriend in overwhelmingly negative ways, she decided that everyone talking about her must be grumpy. I dropped some real talk. Eckler told me that I was wrong, that her book is funny, and that I had to read it. Okay, Eckler, I thought. Game on. (This is part of my explanation why you are reading about a blatantly sexist book on a feminist blog.)

  It took me two long weeks to read How to Raise a Boyfriend. This is because a) I was too embarrassed to read it in public (I see you subway lurkers, reading over my shoulder), and b) I couldn’t make it through a paragraph without scowling. (more inside…)

• • Media Savvy
  • Race and Racism
  • Rape Culture

  Adrian MacNair: White Knight(mare)

  February 18, 2011 • Anoushka Ratnarajah

  Yet another incredibly offensive piece of racism and xenophobia was recently featured in a Canadian publication. And it wasn’t Maclean’s!

  The article is called “Cultural Violence Can’t be Talked into Disappearing,” authored by Adrian MacNair and published in the National Post. In the piece, MacNair criticizes the federal government’s decision to financially support communities who seek to end gender-based violence. This is in itself reprehensible, considering the cuts to women’s organizations across the nation since Stephen Harper was voted in. But what makes this already racist and xenophobic point of view even more disgusting is the colonial paternalism displayed by MacNair. The whole article is rife with a fear-mongering superiority complex that would make Bill O’Reilly proud.

  (more inside…)

• • Media Savvy
  • Rape Culture

  On rape culture & the importance of staying angry

  February 17, 2011 • Emma Woolley

  Warning: This post is a minefield of triggers and anger-inducing facts, ideas, and links.

  I get told to shut up a lot. It isn’t always said with the words “shut up.” Sometimes it’s said in statements like “You’re too negative” or “You’re too passionate” or “You should just stop thinking about that.” I most often get told to shut up, in one way or another, when I’m “on about the rape culture.”

  I’ve coped with this by forcing myself to do some positive thinking. A few days pass during which I feel awesome. I have these kinds of days when I encase myself in a liberal, pro-choice, activist bubble. I start getting hopeful, knowing that things are changing. Slowly, but surely.

  But most days, when I step outside my bubble, I’m just angry. I’ll smile and share cute animals, sure, but I am almost always angry. Angry that we still live in rape culture and angry that it is still so misunderstood and overlooked. And in the past two weeks, very little has eased my rage. So, what’s the point in fighting what I consider to be totally justifiable anger? There’s certainly no shortage of beliefs to be angry about. Here are some examples.

  (more inside…)

• • Media Savvy
  • Race and Racism

  The Maclean’s “Controversy,” Part Two – White Privilege

  February 1, 2011 • Anoushka Ratnarajah

  [The Maclean’s article was first discussed on Shameless here.]

  So, the title “Too Asian” has been officially replaced by “The Enrollment Controversy” on the controversial article on the Maclean’s website. [Ed. note: the URL still says “Too Asian”! Good try, Maclean’s!]

  Apparently labeling something “controversial” means you don’t have to take responsibility for your actions. Now that I know this, I’m never apologizing for hurting anyone ever again! “Oh, what’s that? I just elbowed you in the face? Well I’m NOT SORRY, because my body’s just being controversial today. You’re probably overreacting anyways.”

  Not once do the words “apology,” “I’m sorry,” or “horrible mistake” make an appearance in the response from Maclean’s. And Findlay and Koller (Köhler? It’s been printed with both spellings), the writers of the piece, have been totally silent. Except for this little gem from Findlay. Words fail me. It’s like the first article, only the sexist edition.

  But we shall leave that for now. Instead, we return to the very non-apologetic nature of Maclean’s‘ response to the outrage that met their article, because it has been very interestingly mirrored by a response from a commenter to my own first article here on Shameless.

  (more inside…)

• • Media Savvy
  • Rape Culture

  On the anonymity of sex-crime accusers and Naomi Wolf

  January 5, 2011 • Emma Woolley

  The last time I wrote about the Assange case, I addressed media’s inability to separate the allegations against him and the work of WikiLeaks. I argued that while Assange has done good things (WikiLeaks), it is entirely possible that he is capable of not-so-good things (like rape). It was this reductionist thinking - and of course, the endless victim-blaming and fanatical apologism - that was bothering me the most about how the allegations are being discussed.

  This time, I want to talk about Naomi Wolf. Remember her? She wrote The Beauty Myth and Promiscuities, establishing herself as a strong feminist and progressive leader. Today, she published an article calling for an end to the anonymity of sex-crime accusers. According to Wolf, “shielding rape accusers” is a “relic from the Victorian era,” in which raped women were considered “damaged goods.”

  (more inside…)

• • Media Savvy
  • Rape Culture

  WikiLeaks is important, but so is investigating rape

  December 16, 2010 • Emma Woolley

  Julian Assange, founder of whistle-blowing WikiLeaks, has been the subject of global controversy after his website released 1500 secret U.S. diplomatic cables to the public, igniting the rage of U.S. government, and media and earning praise from progressives arguing for transparency and truth.

  After the cables were released, it was reported that Assange had been accused of sexual assault by two different women. On August 31, Mashable reported that Swedish authorities had withdrawn their warrant for Assange, who had fled the country and escaped charges. Last week, Assange was arrested by Interpol on these same charges.

  In the meantime, as Jaclyn Friedman wrote, “pundits right, left, and center got busy painting the accusations as frivolous and the accusers as lying, scheming sluts.” You know, what usually happens when a woman reports being raped by a powerful man. Assange is being defended by prominent lefties like Michael Moore, who even contributed $20,000 to Assange’s bail and encouraged others to “…not be naive about how the government works when it decides to go after its prey. Please — never, ever believe the ‘official story.’” Or in other words, “don’t believe these women.”

  Assange’s defenders rely on the importance of WikiLeaks to clear his name, while many calling for serious inquiry into the charges against him are accused of siding with government control and secrecy. What we’re seeing here is profound reductionism and black-and-white thinking. While there’s no doubt in my mind that Assange’s arrest was a political move, I think it is crucial to acknowledge that WikiLeaks is much more than its founder. And while thorough criticism and exposing of government activity is important, so is serious inquiry into allegations of rape.

  Today, Assange was released on bail, thanking “members of the press who were not all taken in and considered to look deeper in their work.” I can only hope that these “members of the press” continue to look deeper into the allegations made against Assange and stop dismissing them.

  
  Must-reads:

  #MooreandMe: On Progressives, Rape Apologism, and the Little Guy - Sady Doyle, Tiger Beatdown

  Misogyny and the Backlash Against Assange’s Accusers - A collection of posts compiled by Feminist Frequency

  
  What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape - Jaclyn Friedman

• • Arts
  • Media Savvy

  Guest post: review of Canadian Dimension’s “The New Feminist Revolution” issue

  December 15, 2010 • Julia Horel

  This guest post is courtesy of Adriana Rolston. Adriana is a pro-sex feminist, a recent journalism grad and an erotic baking enthusiast. She is the online editor of 1234V, a vajournal, and checks facts at Chatelaine.

  Canadian Dimension’s “The New Feminist Revolution” issue addresses some of the pivotal issues facing the feminist movement today. The left-wing magazine that serves as a forum for independent political discussion touches on topics like the mobilization of a new generation of active young women in the feminist movement, depleted government funding for women’s advocacy groups, autonomy over women’s bodies, sex work rights and the politics behind regarding sex work as traditional work, and respecting intersectional feminist experiences while recognizing and breaking from the imperialist practices of the past and the present.

  (more inside…)

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