Last week the United Nations took a look at Canada’s human rights record. This has not been done since 2006, making this the first review since Stephen Harper became Prime Minister.  A Globe and Mail article written by Alex Neve, the secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, is currently circulating. Right away it quotes British member of the UN […] More »

It was an emotional mid-June week. On the 13th Maggie’s, Toronto’s Sex Workers Action Project, hosted a Sex Worker Solidarity rally. That afternoon, a crowd, mostly women, gathered at Toronto’s Allan Gardens to celebrate sex workers. There were theatrical and dance performances, as well as food and childcare. Bubbles were blown through the air—as well as positivity that […] More »

  A fashion model fighting for trans* rights, Pina Newman is making sure she is heard, while inspiring others to find their own voices. Maxing out the time in her jam-packed schedule, Newman is involved with the Trans Collective, a group of trans* identified people at Ryerson University, “We are advocating for more single-stalled and gender-neutral […] More »

“Don’t worry,” they often tell me. “You’re a real feminist.” In earlier days I was alright with this statement. “OK,” I’d think, “They’re taking me seriously and are willing to listen.” But really, what they mean is that since I’m not wearing army boots and wishing death upon men, I’m a feminist unicorn. In other words, […] More »

Lately, it seems anytime feminism is mentioned there are many people ready to point out how unnecessary it is: You know, that if women wanted to work they would, but they choose to have families; that if women didn’t want predatory sexual advances they wouldn’t welcome them through their behaviour and clothing; that if a […] More »

Just after noon on April 2, the crowded bodies rallying outside of the Ministry of the Attorney General at 720 Bay St., Toronto (one of many like rallies being held across the country) were told that prosecutors were appealing the acquittal of Cindy Gladue’s alleged murderer. The joy from this news did not completely subside […] More »

Popular opinion says that when Montreal Canadiens fans at the Bell centre harassed two Ottawa Senators fans during Friday night’s game, it was wrong. Social media saw comments on how this is typical behaviour for Montreal fans or how Montreal fans were embarrassed on behalf of the Canadiens and their fandom. Less popular topic of […] More »

Why don’t people just admit their privilege?! It can get pretty infuriating hearing people of privilege say oppression doesn’t exist, that anyone who says otherwise is too politically correct and/or sensitive. That meritocracy is totally how the world works. A cartoon by Ronnie Ritchie explains this nicely, with the example of feminism. The heading is, […] More »

In early March, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario released a draft policy paper saying doctors could no longer deny patient care based on moral or religious grounds. The Professional Obligations and Human Rights policy requires doctors who limit the care they provide based on beliefs—such as refusing to prescribe birth control or […] More »

Unless you don’t use social media (which you totally do and probably have at least once since clicking this link) you have heard about Patricia Arquette’s that-went-downhill-fast Oscars moment. During her acceptance speech, after winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in Boyhood, she spoke about gender equality, “To every woman who gave birth to […] More »

Late last January a man in Winnipeg tweeted that the bar he was at was displaying a sexist poster. The bar agreed, and thanked him for calling it out. This constructive back-and-forth did not, however, stop the onslaught of tweets calling the man, Ben Wickstrom, a “pussy” and other predictably homophobic slurs. Despite the online […] More »