On April 29, B.C.’s Maple Ridge-Mission MLA voted against allowing people to change their gender designation on their birth certificate if they haven’t had gender reassignment surgery. Bill 17 was first introduced March 10. Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Marc Dalton voted against Section 115, saying, “My concern is it might lead to more self-acceptance issues with […] More »

Talking about having a cold is pretty socially acceptable. Common ground conversations start with this, not unlike the weather. But talking about something as normal as having a period needs to be prefaced with some sort of, “Sorry for any guys around,” and half-expecting disgusted protest to follow whatever you say. This isn’t about all […] More »

So who else had a face palm family conversation over the Easter weekend? Well, if yours was anything like mine, it’s time to talk about street harassment. Street harassment can range from something as obvious as public masturbation to something as seemingly subtle as leering. Last year, the United Nations published Commission on the Status […] More »

New Brunswick’s only private abortion facility will be closing by the end of July due to lack of funding. The Morgentaler Clinic announced the news last Thursday, April 10. If this closure happens, women in New Brunswick, and some from P.E.I (who make up 10 percent of the clinic’s clientele) will have little choice when it […] More »

Ladies. We are so close. Our southern neighbours have taken another step towards recognizing the need for equal pay for women. This past Tuesday, president Obama vocalized his support for the Paycheck Fairness Act to be passed. The act points out the loopholes in the ironically titled Equal Pay Act and, if passed, would strive […] More »

On March 22, Pope Francis created a commission—of four men and four women—that will directly advise him  on policies regarding sex abuse. This has been done a year after Pope Benedict requested Catholic Church authorities around the globe create national guidelines on how to protect children in the Church by the end of May 2014. […] More »

Selfies: vain, fun, a cry for help, empowering and currently -kind of- a cancer awareness and fundraising tool.  MacBook’s have Photo Booth and savvy cell phone owners purchase apps that allow cats to indulge in a good selfie. Toronto’s OCAD University is currently hosting a student exhibition – All By Myselfie – with the explanation, […] More »

It wasn’t easy leaving my abusive ex. He was cooler than me; people liked him. Girls were jealous of me because he was good-looking. No one believed me when I shared only a fragment of what was happening behind closed doors, and if they did, they would remind me if it were that bad, I’d […] More »

Just yesterday I was laughing at how all of my daughter’s friends seemed to be just as bossy as her. They are all about six years old; very sure of who they are and what they want. At first, I thought it was a compliment. But then I thought: Why the need to point these […] More »

“Locker room boy talk or the perpetuation of rape culture?” Has been the debate since the student body president of the University of Ottawa spoke out about a sexual conversation where she was made the topic. In a statement released yesterday, March 2, through Facebook Notes Anne-Marie Roy writes, “The fact that the five men […] More »

This past Saturday, February 22, anyone passing by Old City Hall in downtown Toronto would have noticed two ladies in nothing but their skivvies and balaclavas a-la-Pussy-Riot. The choice in wardrobe wardrobe was a nod to the legal restrictions our sisters in Russia will be facing—lace panties will no longer be an option as of […] More »