Yesterday marked the end of the first National Reproductive Justice Week in the United States.

Reproductive justice is not a term we use too often here in Canada, but on my travels to the U.S. I have learned about it and am trying to bring that school of thought over here since I truly believe it speaks more to what’s realistically going on in the actual world of reproductive rights. It will enhance the pro-choice movement, and not only leave it for the select few who feel like they can join or has anything to do with them.

The pro-choice, like many “feminist” movements in the Western world, has had its fair share of white, colonial influence and over-representation. It’s more than time to addres, include, and advocate for our bodily rights and the way we understand them across diverse social, economic, racial, and sexual backgrounds.

So what is reproductive justice you say? Take a look at the video here:

What does reproductive justice mean to you?

Want to be part of the next big FEMINIST thing in Canada???

REBELLES Waves of Resistance

On our way towards our Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering!

11th, 12th and 13th of October 2008 – Montreal

Mobilize, network, energize, and deepen the roots of the young feminist movement across Canada!

For all you Torontonians to learn more about the gathering and how you can get involved, come out to our INFO SESSION:
Monday, April 21st, 6:30-7:30PM
563 Spadina Avenue, Rm. 100 (Centre for Women and Trans People at UofT)

This is a call to all young feminists, students, workers, un(der)employed women, artists, researchers, mothers, feminists of all tendencies and of all types, and of course emerging feminists…

Organizing meetings are happening across the country, so if you are not in Toronto contact info is as follows:
info@rebelles2008.org - www.rebelles2008.org - 514-876-0166 ext. 253.

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Hello out there all you Shameless people! I am excited to be blogging on this brazen space and giving it to you straight up.

I am writing in the Vancouver airport on my way back to Toronto from being part of ’Nał’namwiyut: We Are All One, Transforming Understanding Into Action. It was the First National Aboriginal Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgendered, Queer, Questioning, and Two-Spirited Summit!

It was a phenomenal opportunity to get together in solidarity with folks from around the country to discuss, strategize, and action plan what we need to do for some of our most marginalized brothers and sisters. It was hosted by the BC Assembly of First Nations, the Urban Native Youth Association and a committee of incredible, passionate community partners. I strongly encourage all of you to check them out and support the amazing work that is going on.

WE NEED ALLIES!

I saw so much power in the strength of family and community united for acceptance and acknowledgement these past three days, with the beautiful profusion of tradition and culture. Sometimes we get too wrapped up in the mindset of the place we live in and miss out on the chance to look across the country and see how we can really connect and make great things happen!

So this is how I’m going to be dishing it out; notes from the field, rants on racialized issues, notions of Indigenous feminism, recognition of the incredible youth out there, and operations of anti-oppressive activism. I encourage you to think outside the box with me and challenge what you think you already know.

I want to hear your voices and I look forward to rocking each other’s worlds!

Me and the beautiful new generation of activists!

Feminists on the Money

It’s not every day I see a $50 bill. But last week an ATM spat one out at me. I was extremely surprised to see the following three things…

1. A representation of the statue of the Famous Five that can be seen on the Olympic Plaza in Calgary, Alberta, and on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The Famous Five are Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards, and Louise McKinney. These women triumphed in the ‘Persons’ Case, one of the most famous cases in Canadian legal history.

2. In the bottom left corner of the back of the $50 note is a depiction of a newspaper headline that reads: “Women are Persons, Les femmes sont des personnes.” This journal tablet represents the newspaper headlines as they appeared on 18 October 1929, and is an enlargement of the newspaper held by Nellie McClung in the statue.

3. A picture of a medallion with the face of Thérèse Casgrain (1896-1981). Thérèse Casgrain from Montréal, is best known as the force behind various social reforms in Canada promoting justice and equality, and as the first woman to head a political party in Quebec (1951). In 1970, she was appointed to the Senate.

Has anybody noticed this before? It seems like a bit of a cheesy “Canadian Heritage” moment but at least its promoting awareness of the feminist struggles in Canadian history. Too bad its on such an inaccessible note.

Check out the Bank of Canada website to get a closer look.

We’re a little late on this, but we were thrilled to learn from Jessica Yee blogging over at Feministing that the Spring Equinox (which falls on the 20th or 21st of March every year) in Canada is now officially Indigenous Women’s Empowerment Day.

Gatherings to commemorate Indigenous Women’s Empowerment Day started in 2006 in BC, and have been organised every year by the Kookum Educating Traditional Acceptance Society.

As Jessica says:

I often reflect on the power of our traditions and the great culture of Native peoples that have been rejected through colonization, Christianization, and extreme genocide. We have so much in our ancestral teachings that supports respect for women, caring for the community, and love for Mother Earth. Yet today Indigenous women face the highest rates of domestic violence and poverty in the world. It is essential to recognize these injustices, but be proud of who and where we come from in the present world.

Via Boing Boing:

Oh, kids these days.

Canadian high schooler’s Arman Noory’s “The War on Terror” is a short film that includes safe-for-work scenes of a 1980s porn video.

Noory had this to say abut the project:

…for the record, for anybody curious, my teacher knew I had edited an early 80s porn for the video, though the students generally had no idea…

I chose to make a video for my culminating task for senior-year (Canadian) Politics class was regarding the war on terror and whether or not it’s effective/justified. I wanted to incite a variety of emotions in the viewer while still being educational and entertaining…

You can watch the safe for work video here.

Whoa!

Here’s an older, November ‘07 news piece that we somehow missed (from the BBC):

The several hundred vigilante women of India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state’s Banda area proudly call themselves the “gulabi gang” (pink gang)…[they] shun political parties and NGOs because, in the words of their feisty leader, Sampat Pal Devi, “they are always looking for kickbacks when they offer to fund us”.

Two years after they gave themselves a name and an attire, the women in pink have thrashed men who have abandoned or beaten their wives and unearthed corruption in the distribution of grain to the poor.

I have to admit that there’s something whoop!-inspiring about a gang of 100s of women who dress in pink, and go after men who’ve committed violence against women. Devi says, “Nobody comes to our help in these parts,” and I can’t help but be in awe of a gang of women who just ain’t gonna take it anymore.

But at the same time there’s something troubling about a large group of people descending on one person and beating them. Or is there? For Western feminists there’s always the temptation to idealise or simplify the stories of “3rd World” women who, confronted with a crumbling or ineffective infrastructure, take things into their own hands.

See after the jump for a beautiful comic by Elisha Lim (yes, yes, we’re related…) of One Hundred Butches fame, and her thoughts on the issue.

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The Shameless launch party is tomorrow! Come by and grab the new issue, silkscreen your own Shameless gear, win tons of raffle prizes and more!

We’ll have great performances by Lisa Bozikovic, Emma McKenna and DJ Winnie.

Our raffle prize list has seriously gotten out of hand. Here is our list of terrific donors and sponsors:

Good for Her
Groundwood Books
Vintagelove
SK Clothes
Sugarfire Jewellery
Bad Dog Theatre
A Heart Apart
Grapefruit Moon Café
Margie Jewellery Studio
Ariella Meinhard, Acupuncturist and Massage
Worn Magazine
Briarpatch Magazine
Make/Shift Magazine
THIS Magazine
Shaimaa (www.craftabulous.etsy.com)
Shelly Hering
Nicole Cohen
Thea Lim
Myna Wallin
Tightrope Books
Anarres Natural Health Practitioners
Repeating Pig Press

So make sure to come by — March 15 from 1-4 at the Gladstone Hotel. And make sure to say hello!

Yours Shamelessly,

Megan and the Shameless Team

We’re thrilled to be nominated for FOUR Canadian F-Word Blog awards:

Best Canadian Feminist Blog
Best Entertainment Blog
Best Group Blog
The Support Bro: Best support by a male

The first round of voting continues today and tomorrow, so please swing on over and lend us your support. While you’re there, check out some of the other amazing sites that have been nominated.

UPDATE: Sorry, I missed Wesley’s category earlier. He snagged two nominations for this award, congrats, Wesley!