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Feminism

Mustafa Ururyar found guilty of rape

Media and public reaction to verdict says much about how far we have to go when it comes to talking about sexual assault and believing women

Hillary Di Menna

In late July, Mustafa Ururyar was found guilty of sexual assault against Mandi Gray. I have goose bumps just writing that sentence. Justice Marvin Zuker read his decision out loud in court from a 180-page prepared document. He started with recounting both Gray’s and Ururyar’s respective reports as well as relevant cases from Canada’s legal […] More »

Jennifer Aniston gives birth to teenager!

Deconstructing the media's obsession with Hollywood celebrity pregnancies—starting with none other than Jennifer Aniston

Lisa Whittington-Hill

Sixteen. That’s the number of years tabloid magazines have spent declaring Jennifer Aniston pregnant. Rumours started gestating while the actress was still married to Brad Pitt, but really ramped up post-Pitt. Aniston has been “pregnant and alone,” “pregnant with twins,” “pregnant with John Mayer’s baby”—your body is not a wonderland when that happens—and a “pregnant […] More »
May-June 2016

Is welfare sexist?

Some provincial governments will cut off social and disability assistance if a woman’s partner makes too much money—a 1950s era policy that curbs independence, reinforces the marry-rich cliché, and can even put women in danger

Amanda Van Slyke

Independence has never come easy for me—but it’s always been vital. I was born premature in 1989 with undiagnosed dyspraxia, a neurological disorder that permanently affects memory, coordination, and processing speed. Because my development was delayed and I was held back in kindergarten, I heavily relied on my classmates throughout school. I nodded my head […] More »

Gender Block

How to find summer love

Hillary Di Menna

It is time for summer love! Don’t have a man? That’s no good. Thankfully, this article on how to get guys on Tinder came out earlier this year, when you were supposed to have found someone in time for Valentine’s. This guide to making the perfect Tinder profile will land you the man of the […] More »
May-June 2016

New issue on newsstands now!

Introducing our May/June issue

This Magazine

In this issue’s cover story, Doug Horner examines the defiant success of community radio, arguing that it provides a resilient blueprint for successful, worth-tuning-in-to media in the Digital Age. Could community radio be the surprising winner when it comes to the future of news? Read Doug’s piece to let us know what you think! Also […] More »

Gaslighting

A 101 on this classic form of abuse

Hillary Di Menna

Gaslighting, often referred to as crazy making, is a type of emotional abuse. Abusers use this technique to confuse their victims. Victims become vulnerable to manipulation in this confusion and abusers, by nature, take advantage of this pliability. The term comes from a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton. The play titled Gas Light (also known […] More »
May-June 2016

Clothes Encounter

What we wear can be a political act

Jill Andrew@JILLSLASTWORD

Months ago Beyoncé’s Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show performance of “Formation” served as a poignant example of the evocative power of clothing. Clad in outfits that paid homage to the Black Panther Party for Self Defense, Beyoncé and her dancers embodied a necessary social commentary on police brutality against predominantly AfricanAmericans. For some shocked, colourblind […] More »
March-April 2016

We could be heroes

Epic fantasy and sci-fi are today’s bestsellers and blockbusters. But in a world that can imagine magic and dragons, why is diversity so hard to find?

Nicole Abi-Najem@NajemNorth

I was maybe, what, eight years old? There I was, standing in my literal cave of a stinky basement—a carved-out hollow of dark, dank stone under my rickety old house—scrounging through books piled high into mountains of dust. I whipped out one book. The cover stood out: A woman with flowing ebony braids is striking […] More »

Gender Block: writing’s on the wall

Starchild Stela's radical softness

Hillary Di Menna

Growing up in a low-income household in a small Quebec town, Starchild Stela passed the time drawing. “It was one of the few things I felt I received validation for,” they say. As a teen they started to graffiti and moved to Montreal where they have been working since. Within the last five years the artist says they have become […] More »

Gender Block: Makeup as a feminist act

Discussing women's lose-lose battle with cosmetics

Hillary Di Menna

Fifteen years ago some guy friends of mine—friends in the sense that I lived in a suburb so anyone my age was my friend by default—removed my makeup from my purse and threw it out. They ignored my asking them to stop and mansplained about how makeup is oppressive to women. So, just to be clear: […] More »

Gender Block: more abortion options in 2016

New drug development and approval could mean better abortion access this year

Hillary Di Menna

“If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament,” wrote feminist writer Susan Maushart  in her book The Mask of Motherhood, after seeing it written in a New York subterranean passageway. Women are still forced to ask Daddy Patriarchy for permission when it comes to reproductive rights. Being denied access to a safe abortion […] More »