The bad faith “debate” about trans human rights
Recently, the National Post published a discussion that I engaged in with Jonathan Kay. I participated in that because it was an opportunity to provide a counterpoint for readers who…
Feminism
On Reading Petronella Lee’s Anti-Fascism Against Machismo: gender politics and the struggle against fascism (Review by Butch Lee)
available from leftwingbooks.net This is exciting. Because it starts to break away from the once fresh but increasingly dead end of what had become macho antifa. There’s not only false…
Rescuing The Legacy Of The Montreal Massacre
In Montreal this evening fourteen light beams will rise from the top of Mount Royal, one by one into the sky. One for every woman murdered in the École Polytechnique…
what i’m reading: the birth of the pill by jonathan eig
The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution by Jonathan Eig was a fascinating and very readable look at how oral contraceptives — otherwise…
An Interview with Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
I was delighted when Shelley Youngblut, CEO & Creative Ringleader of Wordfest, asked if I would like to interview Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada,…
september 28: international safe abortion day
Today is International Safe Abortion Day. Because without access to safe, legal abortion, women can never be free. In North America, you can help ensure that women are able to…
"how dare you": thank you, greta thunberg and #climatestrikers
Also: Why is Greta Thunberg so triggering for certain men, Jennifer O’Connell, Irish TimesCanada’s #climatestrike day is Friday, September 27.
Trudeau’s Ethics Violation
It was a headline befitting the National Enquire, splashed across the top of the newspaper in four different fonts and three different colours: “The evidence abundantly shows that Mr Trudeau…
frederick douglass, susan b. anthony, and the ridiculous (and dangerous) quest for moral purity
Reading David Blight’s monumental Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, I learned some facts about both Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony that were very unpleasant and, at least in Douglass’…
abortion without apology: the war on women, the slippery slope, and how you can fight back
Tl;dr? Learn about the National Network of Abortion Funds, and give generously. * * * * Right-thinking Americans and Canadians are reeling at extreme anti-abortion laws sweeping through at least…
Justin Trudeau and the Fake Feminist Smear
In my last post I wrote that I would try to stay away from the fake scandal as it sinks slowly into the swamp of history. But one thing about…
Justin Trudeau is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t…
Justin Trudeau is the grandchild of colonizers… Justin Trudeau is a man. These two things mean Justin Trudeau is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, WRT these rogue…
Tactical Politics … What?
Not a week goes by without Jason Kenney saying something stupid, being called on it, and then saying something even more stupid in a failed attempt to silence his critics.…
Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules
I really wanted to read this book objectively, separating it from the media hype and social media torrents of opinion and abuse that often accompany its author, Jordan Peterson. I…
what i’m reading: hunger by roxane gay
During the Ontario provincial election, after a hack from the Toronto Sun drew attention to an unpopular view that I had expressed some years earlier, I was the object of…
Fighting for Midwives: The Personal is Political
Peter Beinart recently wrote a perceptive article in The Atlantic: “The New Authoritarians are Waging War on Women,” that argues that the one thing in common with all the authoritarian-type…
this week, give 15 minutes of your time to defend human rights #write4rights
Are you writing for rights? I almost gave myself a pass this year. I’m living out of a hotel room and I don’t have easy access to a printer, and……
Trudeau, #MeToo, and a poisoned discussion
For Maclean’s on July 23, 2018 #MeToo, in most respects, has been an undeniable force for good. This movement of education and empowerment, of courage and justice, has shattered the…
how the media (invisibly) props up capitalism and other hidden biases
I recently read these somewhat old, but still relevant, letters to the New York Times Book Review. Cost of the CrashTo the Editor: In his review of “Crashed,” by Adam…
On Anita Hill
My time at university was split down the middle by the news of the Montréal Massacre, and the subsequent years were plagued with fears of the Scarborough rapist. We proactively…