The Department of Justice Public Consultation on sex work closes March 17, 2014. Although the questions appear to be stacked, it’s important that people who support decriminalization participate. There’s certainly no shortage of people filling out the forms and calling for new criminalization. The questionnaire is here, and Maggie’s Toronto provides
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Dented Blue Mercedes: The Department of Justice Public Consultation on sex work ends Monday March 17th.
The Department of Justice Public Consultation on sex work closes March 17, 2014. Although the questions appear to be stacked, it’s important that people who support decriminalization participate. There’s certainly no shortage of people filling out the forms and calling for new criminalization. The questionnaire is here, and Maggie’s Toronto provides
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Across the left divide over sex work.
I’m putting on my op-ed hat for this. The following draws from my own history, but I think it helps provide some insight into the left-wing divide over sex work. I’m skipping over this very quickly, and I’m sure I’ll probably forget some important distinctions and nuances, so bear with
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Across the left divide over sex work.
I’m putting on my op-ed hat for this. The following draws from my own history, but I think it helps provide some insight into the left-wing divide over sex work. I’m skipping over this very quickly, and I’m sure I’ll probably forget some important distinctions and nuances, so bear with
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Stephen Harper, Income Splitting, and the Theocon Agenda
Well there's one thing you can always count on when dealing with Stephen Harper's ghastly Cons. If you look behind the curtain, sooner or later you will come face to face with their sinister theocratic agenda.For only that can explain why their flawed income splitting plan is causing such an unholy
Continue reading350 or bust: Reimagining Crisis As Opportunity
When young anthropologist and social entrepreneur, Cynthia Koenig, reframed the world’s water crisis as an opportunity, she “reinvented the wheel”. Here’s her talk at TEDxGateway: * WelloWater.org
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Montreal Massacre and the Con War on Women
In my sadness over the death of Nelson Mandela, and because I'm so tired, I forgot that Friday was the anniversary of a monumental Canadian tragedy. That on a snowy day in Montreal twenty four years ago, an angry man with a gun stormed through an engineering school and killed fourteen young
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Michelle Rempel and the Con War on Women
As I've mentioned before, I may be naive but I can't help feeling that Michelle Rempel is a cut above most Cons. I don't blame her for causing a ruckus on Twitter the other day, by taking a shot at this fluffy event. @MichelleRempel: What's the biggest issue facing women? This kind
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Kellie Leitch and the Corruption of Stephen Harper
You might think that Kellie Leitch would be better than most Cons. Better than her ghastly leader. She's a pediatric surgeon who still works on a volunteer basis at an Ottawa hospital. She's smart, she has an impressive resume, and she's a woman in a government of good ol' boys.So I have
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Harper Continues To Isolate Canada
With Harper and his band of geniuses running around the UN this, it’s actually been kind of interesting. As I pointed out back in May, Harper’s foreign policy has served primarily to isolate Canada on the world stage, and continue the far-right narrative about the “irrelevance” of the United Nations.
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Reblog: A Statement of Trans-Inclusive Feminism and Womanism
This is how you decolonize activism. A wide swath of people have demonstrated how to decolonize activism: not with negativity, but with constructivity. The following is being reblogged from Feminists Fighting Transphobia, and you will need to follow the link to see the ever-increasing number of signatories who have signed
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Why Canadians Should Reject The Russell Williams Crime Movie
“An Officer and a Murderer” celebrates Russell Williams heinous crimes and violence against Canadian women, says The Canadian Progressive publisher, Obert Madondo The post Why Canadians Should Reject The Russell Williams Crime Movie appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada: Violence Against Indigenous Women Demands Inquiry
The recent visit by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights shows that violence against indigenous women in Canada demands inquiry, says Human Rights Watch. The post Canada: Violence Against Indigenous Women Demands Inquiry appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue reading350 or bust: Saturday At The Movies
I’m in Fort McMurray Alberta, the heart of tar sands country, to participate in the Healing Walk organized by the Keepers of the Athabasca. Keepers of the Athabasca is a collection of First Nations, Metis, Inuit, environmental groups, and watershed citizens working together for the protection of water, land and
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Criminalization by any other name…
In Meghan Murphy’s Globe and Mail op-ed of June 3rd, A prostitution solution: Outlaw the customers, not the hookers, she presents what is often referred to as the Swedish or Nordic model of legislation — removing penalties for those who sell sex but prosecuting the buying of it — as
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canada blocking UN efforts to address sexual violence against women
By: Action Canada for Population and Development | Press Release OTTAWA/GENEVA, June 7, 2013 – Governments and civil society are calling into question the leadership of the Canadian government on the theme of Violence Against Women at the 23rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). In previous years,
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Canada’s annual protest against women’s rights was…
Canada’s annual protest against women’s rights was held at Parliament Hill on May 9, 2013, drawing thousands of right-wing busybodies who can’t keep their authoritarianism in their pants. The name of the yearly “March For Life” is misleading, because most of the religious fanatics who attend these events are very
Continue readingBirth Pangs: God Doesn’t Kill Just Because He Didn’t Like How Things Turned Out…Oh wait a minute…
via Proud Atheist The post God Doesn’t Kill Just Because He Didn’t Like How Things Turned Out…Oh wait a minute… appeared first on Birth Pangs.
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Video message for FEMEN: ‘saving Muslim women one bra strap at a time’
A Muslimah from Manchester, England, gets her message across in this funny yet pointed video in which she thanks FEMEN ‘from the bottom of her heart’ for showing her how to campaign for women’s rights: My parents got it wrong, they seriously got it wrong…. they thought that by sending
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Muslimahs say "no thanks" on being ‘liberated’ by FEMEN
The Ukrainian-based all-women protest group FEMEN draws attention to its actions with naked in-your-face campaigning. While the approach definitely grabs media attention, in the case of attempts to “liberate” Muslim women it could end up being badly counterproductive. The targeting of Islam in FEMEN campaigns has led to accusations of
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