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Wittgenstein wrote: The limits of my language mean the limits of my world. Incomplete in several languages, I grow heartened in the places I rub against the edges of different tongues. The world’s languages push against this English I write, they work their way in, ingeniously trespass. Writing, I imagine my text will become a conduit for illegal traffic, a body to incubate a different type of future—fractured, polyphonic, cacophonous, but sutured with silence, with all that remains impossible to put into words.
Things aren’t all so tangible and sayable as people would usually have us believe, most experiences are unsayable. They happen in a space that no word has ever entered and more unsayable than all other things are works of art, those mysterious existences, whose life endures beside our own small, transitory life.
Another library, endless rows, enough space: the shelves are populated with volumes of complicated questions phrased with uncommon beauty. (Najwa Ali, “Writing, In Transit”)
Edited by Meghan Bell and the “Growing Room Collective” and co-produced through and by Vancouver’s Room Magazine and Caitlin Press is the anthology Making Room: Forty Years of Room Magazine (2017), an impressive four hundred pages plus of poetry, fiction, essays, translations and interviews covering the first four decades of a journal dedicated to publishing, supporting and promoting a series of diverse voices of Canadian writers. Sectioned into decades, part of what is fascinating about this volume is the way in which each section opens with an interview with an editor from that period, from co-founder Gayla Reid (“The First Decade (1975-1987)”), editor Mary Schendlinger (“The Second Decade (1988-1997”), editor Lana Okerlund (“The Third Decade (1998-2007)”) and former Managing Editor Rachel Thompson (“The Fourth Decade (2008-2016)”). The interviews provide an essential context for not only the journal and its activities, but the surrounding culture and communities. As co-founder Gayla Reid responds in her interview:
We felt very much that we belonged in the feminist landscape. High time that women had their own space to write about whatever we wanted. Women’s voices needed to be heard. Silent no more. There was no requirement that submissions should explicitly address sexism. We wanted to publish writing by women that was good writing, and we were convinced that there would be a lot of it around—and there was. At the time, writers typically got started by publishing in a little literary magazine (usually edited by men). So, Room would be a place where women could get started. Our voices could be heard, we could emerge, develop, blossom—all those growing images.
What becomes interesting, as well, is in beginning to understand, by creating a thoughtfully-edited journal of great writing, just how much Room helped to carve out a real and sustained space for feminist writing and conversation, opening the door to multiple writers, conversations and journals, including more recent publications such as Canthius and Minola Review. As Reid continues, in her interview:
At first we were busy choosing from submitted works. After a few years, we also sought out specific Canadian female writers. The first adventure we had in this area was a special issue on Québécoise feminist writers [4.1], which was tremendously exciting because we did not know their work—very little of it was available in translation
In terms of literary writing, I’d say we were most often looking for what Doris Lessing called the “small personal voice,” which is what poetry and short fiction writing is particularly good at rendering.
Featuring work by seventy-eight Canadian writers—including Marie Annharte Baker, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Juliane Okot Bitek, Nicole Brossard, Lynn Crosbie, Leona Gom, Jane Eaton Hamilton, Nancy Holmes, Aislinn Hunter, Amy Jones, Fiona Tinwei Lam, Jen Sookfong Lee, Erín Moure, Dorothy Livesay, Susan Musgrave, Sina Queyras, Rebecca Rosenblum, Carolyn Smart, Ayelet Tsabari, Betsy Warland and others—Making Room attempts to track some of the shifts in and responses to the culture, from shifts in language to responding to rape culture as well as the Montreal Massacre, conversations around gender issues and multiple other subjects. Just as often, by simply providing a space, Room was at the forefront of some of those conversations, as Vancouver writer and editor Amber Dawn writes to end her introduction, “Overturning Scarcity: Forty Years of Abundant Change”:
Room changed CanLit when Cyndia Cole’s groundbreaking “No Rape No” (p. 24) was first published in the 1970s. Room has shown CanLit that women’s complex bodies are indeed a bit, with fiction like Juliane Okot Bitek’s “The Busuuti and the Bra” (p. 109) and with poems like jia qing wilson-yang’s “trans womanhood, in colour” (p. 376). Room continues to recognize that trans and non-binary gender narratives are an inherent and esteemed part of feminist literature by calling attention to Ivan Coyote’s “My Hero” (p. 195) and Lucas Crawford’s “Failed Séances for Rita MacNeil” (p. 364). By honouring work like Doretta Lau’s “Best Practices for Time Travel” (p. 388) and Eden Robinson’s “Lament” (p. 221, Room challenges tired notions that social justice and Indigenous speculative fiction are anything less than synonymous with great literature.
As you read this anthology, you will undoubtedly regard it as a timely collection of seventy-eight exceptional literary works. Please also take a moment to marvel at how scarcity and shame have not claimed a single page, not a single line or word of this anthology. You, dear readers, and I, and the seventy-five remarkable contributors are both teaching and learning a new message, right now. Say it with me. There is Room. We do fit. | {
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College and university administrative staff members hold a significant role in supporting the advancement of LGBTQ equity on college campuses in the United States. Yet, little is known about college staff advocacy or activism in higher education (Kezar, 2010), particularly within the context of championing advancement for sexual and gender diverse communities (Martin, Broadhurst, Hoffshire, & Takewell, 2018). Historically, institutional changes related to improving the campus for LGBTQ communities have been the result of active student initiatives, responses to campus incidents, or through the effort of campus leaders, despite resistance from other institutional actors (Dilley, 2002; Marine, 2011; Renn, 2010). These forms of LGBTQ activism have been responsible for driving much of the progress for LGBTQ people in higher education, shaping not only individual institutional policies but also the profession of higher education and student affairs (HESA) (Marine, 2011; Sanlo, 2002).
Further, college and university staff participation in campus activism has historically been tempered (Kezar & Lester, 2011; Wolf-Wendel et al., 2004). Yet there is a dearth of scholarship focused on LGBTQ leadership or staff in higher education related to improving the climate for LGBTQ communities (Kezar, 2010; Martin et al., 2018; Renn, 2010). Successful challenges to dominant power structures in higher education, particularly for queer voices, has historically been the result of bottom-up grassroots strategies (Marine, 2011; Sanlo, 2002). Grassroots leadership provides an alternative yet necessary view from earlier theories about leadership related to how change can happen in bureaucratic higher educational structures. As a model, it requires bottom-up efforts from those who lack authority or delegated power, and creates opportunities for collective organizing to create organizational change (Kezar, Gallant, & Lester, 2011; Kezar & Lester, 2011).
The purpose of this study is to explore the successes and struggles of college staff leaders who advocate for LGBTQ equity. College professional staff often hold limited power, as they are not protected by tenure and are often beholden to upper administrators’ expectations. Specifically, I explore the experiences of staff leaders at Metropolitan Arts College (MAC) who have served as agents of change on their campus to improve the institutional climate by advocating for LGBTQ inclusive policies or practices. The primary research question guiding this study is: How do professional staff campus leaders at MAC engage queer leadership tactics in order to change policies and practices to improve the climate for LGBTQ individuals?
Queer Leadership. The term queer may be applied to social practices that challenge the normative expectations of gender and sexuality. Most notably, queer theory disrupts heteronormative conceptions of sexuality and gender, challenging social practices through the lenses of marginalized or non-normative identities (Abes, 2008; Dilley, 1999; Pinar, 2003). Dilley argued that the application of queer theory seeks to place queer viewpoints at the center of inquiry, questioning perspectives frequently left uninvestigated. Within this study, I define queer leadership as the intentional process to advance equity for sexual and gender minoritized communities through grassroots leadership strategies; specifically championing social change through institutional policy and practice. Queer is then applied as an inclusive term respecting the multiple dimensions of sexual and gender diversity, challenging hetero/cisnormative practices in higher education.
Queer leadership scholarship in higher education is scant, but it serves as guidance for connecting queer leadership strategies to grassroots leadership. Previous explorations of queer leadership have provided minimal guidance in defining queer leadership. For example, Lugg and Tooms (2010) demonstrated strategies for exercising queer leadership through the implementation of inclusive practices by challenging heterogenderism in education systems. Their exploration of queer leadership focused on challenging institutional norms of professionalism, most notably through expectations of gender-based dress codes, and the resultant panoptic gaze queer school leaders often encountered (Lugg & Tooms, 2010). Challenging institutional norms and creating demonstrable change is a key element to engaging in queer leadership practices.
Additionally, in their assessment of staff professionals in the southern United States, Martin et al. (2018) reveal staff advocacy for LGBTQ equity encompassed the staff’s own advocacy efforts and inclusive practices through educational outreach, resulting with an impact on institutional policies and procedures. In an exploration of queer student activists, Renn (2007) noted how activists “embraced a public gender and/or sexual identity in opposition to normative, straight culture and moved away from a positional view of leadership to an approach that incorporated commitment to change social systems for the purpose of decentering power” (p. 323). Queer student activists challenged traditional notions of leadership with the pursuit of transformational change (Renn, 2007). These examples provide varied illustrations of queer leadership in practice. They also demonstrate how queer leadership dismisses normative gender or sexual identity expectations, it can challenge normative leadership strategies, and disrupts educational systems that historically rejected LGBTQ people.
Activism. Student activism has been a mainstay on college campuses dating back to the 18th century when student riots and unrest were often focused on campus specific grievances or policies (Broadhurst, 2014). Social issues became a larger concern in the 20th century, leading student activists to have a significant impact on the advancement of college and university policies, practices, and programs in support of minoritized college students (Linder, 2019; Rhoads, 1998). LGBTQ organizing on college campus dates back to the mid 20th century, and leading to the advancement of campus LGBTQ programs as early as the 1970s (Marine, 2011). In light of the 2016 Presidential election, student activism has become more visible as students, faculty, and staff address social injustices related to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, immigration policies, and disability justice (Evans & Lange, 2019; Hoffman & Mitchell, 2016). Student voices, when supported by faculty and staff, have demonstrated success in advancing activist agendas (Kezar, 2010; Kezar & Lester, 2011; Linder, 2019).
The role of staff in advancing LGBTQ initiatives is less understood and warrants further exploration (Kezar, 2010; Pryor, in press; Renn, 2010;). Staff, particularly those within the subfield of student affairs, has played an important role in supporting student activism (Wolf-Wendel et al., 2004), but are also called on to manage student concerns to avoid disrupting the campus environment (Linder, 2019). Educators are then placed in a position of supporting the needs of the institution, creating a tension between supporting social justice initiatives and student development, or maintaining institutional complacency (Linder, 2019; Self & Hudson, 2015). This tension serves as a primary inquiry for this study, which seeks to illuminate the role of professional staff in advocating for social justice initiatives.
As the progress of LGBTQ equity at colleges and universities is rooted in grassroots organizing (Marine, 2011), grassroots leadership (Kezar et al., 2011; Kezar & Lester, 2011) guided this study’s conceptualization of how queer leadership may manifest among institutional leaders. This study was guided by an interest in exploring how campus professional staff leaders utilize this form of leadership to establish more just campus climates specifically for LGBTQ communities.
To explore this, this study advances a framework for queer advocacy leadership, applying a queer lens to Kezar and Lester’s (2011) framework for grassroots leadership in higher education. Kezar and Lester’s (2011) model of grassroots leadership in higher education provides an important frame for exploring how queer leadership is employed, given the often- conservative climates LGBTQ leaders must navigate. Grassroots leadership in higher education examines bottom-up, tempered efforts of change within organizational settings (Kezar et al., 2011; Kezar & Lester, 2011). Thus, grassroots leaders have to navigate the bounds of their contextual setting (e.g., universities), challenging what is traditionally a top-down leadership environment. Such tempered approaches deviate from the more radical forms of activism found in other grassroots approaches by seeking to play within the hierarchy of the institution, often an unavoidable but expected hurdle when seeking to change historically oppressive systems of power.
The framework for this study conceptualized queer leadership as an extension of grassroots leadership, specifically focused on queer-centered advocacy, leadership, and change. This model (see figure 1) is also informed by extant literature that illustrated the success of advocates for LGBTQ equity in higher education and the resultant growth of LGBTQ support in higher education student affairs (Dilley, 2002; Linder, 2019; Lugg & Tooms, 2010; Marine, 2011; Martin et al., 2018; Renn, 2007; 2010; Sanlo, 2002). I offer a similar model (Pryor, in press) in an adjacent study that explored how LGBTQ activist staff advocated for queer policy initiatives at another institution. Here I explore how non-LGBTQ staff advocate for queer equity through educational leadership. I argue, to queer grassroots leadership it is necessary to view grassroots leadership framework phenomenon areas individual, group, and organizational through a queer lens (Kezar & Lester, 2011; Pryor, in press). These include: a) queer advocacy; b) queering leadership; and c) queer policy and practice, respectively.
Figure 1. Adapted conceptual model for queer advocacy leadership in higher education (Kezar & Lester, 2011).
Queer advocacy adds a level of depth to the grassroots leadership individual phenomena (Kezar & Lester, 2011) providing an important extension to the individual phenomena foci identity and motivation. Queer advocates maintain a position of privilege in how and when they choose to advocate. Advocates may or may not identify as LGBTQ, although their social identities may complicate and inform their strategy toward advocacy. Identity is a prominent feature of grassroots leadership (Kezar & Lester, 2011), however I argue that naming oneself as a queer advocate in a climate that historically marginalized LGBTQ communities, creates a barrier for these leaders. Queer advocacy is taken up by the leader to center their LGBTQ advocacy as part of their identity.
Queering leadership centers queer identities in leadership practice and extends grassroots leadership efforts in disrupting power dynamics in higher education institutions. Thus, centering queer identities in leadership practices requires a disruption of heterogendered culture deeply embedded in institutional practices. Heterogendered practices manifest through heteronormative (Abes, 2008; Dilley, 1999) and genderist (Bilodeau, 2009) ideologies in higher education, often perpetuated by non-LGBTQ individuals unaware of their power and privilege or how heterogenderism impacts the LGBTQ community. Centering queer issues through leadership practices, especially when LGBTQ issues are overlooked and misunderstood in educational leadership, affords a necessary layer of complexity to the group phenomena of grassroots leadership.
A significant contribution of queer leadership necessitates advancement toward changes in policy or practice in an organizational structure (Pryor, in press). Notably, Renn’s (2007) work illuminated how queer activists sought transformational leadership to advance social change. Here then, queer policy and practice provides an extension to the organizational phenomena structures and culture within the grassroots leadership model (Kezar & Lester, 2011), advancing progress toward LGBTQ specific policies and initiatives. Lugg and Tooms (2010) argued for shifts in policy as a cornerstone to queer leadership work. This model serves as one important outgrowth to grassroots leadership, which allows for the centering of queer advocacy, disruption of heterogendered practices through queering leadership, and advancement of policy and practice to advance LGBTQ equity in educational leadership.
Qualitative research allows researchers to illuminate the understanding of a particular experience or setting, providing rich and deep context to the experiences of individuals (Jones, Torres, & Arminio, 2014; Patton, 2002). Qualitative case study methods were employed to understand and make meaning of the leadership experiences of LGBTQ leaders and how they navigate campus political climates to pursue, create, or implement change. More specifically, case study research is a way of getting at detail within a particular context, revealing the complexities within a particular case setting. Because I sought to understand how student affairs staff members at MAC engage in LGBTQ leadership practices, I embrace a constructivist case study paradigm (Jones et al., 2014).
Participants and Site. The Metropolitan Arts College was selected because it represented a typical small fine arts college in the Midwestern United States. Applying Kezar et al.’s (2011) criteria, ‘typical’ indicates an institution not committed to innovation, activism, or change. MAC was not selected as a special case, but as an institution representing a collegial structure representative of a number of institutions across the United States (Birnbaum, 1988). Although this study’s findings are not generalizable, MAC’s institutional structure and type model transferable experiences for typical Fine Arts campuses. Recent policy changes at MAC led to this study’s inquiry, specifically the advancement of LGBTQ inclusive policies centered on allowing students to list their gender pronouns and chosen name on academic rosters and college software platforms. Participants also advocated for an expansion of gender-inclusive restroom access across multiple academic buildings on campus.
MAC is a small private art school in a Midwest City of the United States, with a student population of 1,000 full-time students. The campus serves as a case, a system bound by the institution and the leadership experiences of the participants (Yin, 2014). As this study is interested in staff leadership, I sought participants who: a) are not currently in a position specifically dedicated to LGBTQ equity, b) are not in executive leadership roles (e.g., vice-presidents, president); c) serve as a student affairs staff member; and d) self-identify as involved with queer leadership efforts on campus.
To recruit participants, I relied on community professional networks and identified a gatekeeper to assist in confirming participants involved with advocating for LGBTQ initiatives at MAC. A total of six participants (table 1) were recruited from MAC, including five staff members and one graduate intern.
Kerry served as the Dean of Students for MAC, where she has served in multiple campus life roles over the last 10 years. She identified as a white, straight, cisgender woman, who has advocated for LGBTQ policy expansion at MAC. David served as the Assistant Dean of Students for MAC, having worked at MAC for nearly 4 years, he too identified as white, straight and cisgender, advocating for LGBTQ policy expansion. Despite their titles, Kerry and David navigated change leveraging strategies employed in grassroots activism. Although grassroots leadership scholarship maintains advocacy happens from the bottom-up (Kezar & Lester, 2011), Kerry and David’s context of a small fine arts college created a structural difference where their role at MAC allowed them certain leadership privileges, but the smallness of the campus still required them to maneuver within a system and institutional power dynamics that prevented them from making top-down changes. Their strategies required bottom-up movement to obtain buy-in and to be effective. Thus, I viewed their involvement in this study as staff members who were still limited by power structures beyond their control.
Other participants included Bobby, an Asian immigrant, gay, cisgender man, who had previously worked at MAC for seven years. During Bobby’s time at MAC he supported the LGBTQ student organization and helped launch a Safe Space program for campus. Brenda, a white, straight, cisgender woman, worked in student affairs at MAC for nearly 20 years. Elaine, a white, straight, cisgender woman, worked in student affairs at MAC 25 years. Brenda and Elaine were committed to LGBTQ student support and provided valuable context to MAC. Casey, a white, queer, gender non-binary person, provided support to LGBTQ students as part of their counseling practicum at MAC.
Data Collection and Analysis. As interviews provide the strongest source of data for case study research, primary data collection relied on in-depth semi-structured interviews with six staff members (Yin, 2014). The first round of interviews averaged 91 minutes and followed a semi-structured interview protocol addressing relevant experiences within the queer leadership framework. The interview questions focused on themes related to the framework and research question, with particularly interest on a) the participants individual approach to leadership and change; b) tactics and strategies for organizing and creating change; c) challenges navigating institutional structures; and d) process or barriers for implementing change initiatives. Following the first round of interviews, Kerry and David were selected for an additional interview due to their direct leadership efforts implementing policies for LGBTQ equity. This second round of interviews focused on their leadership strategies and philosophies approaching change on campus. Finally, to triangulate the research findings I relied on informal participant interviews, meeting observation visits, and researcher journaling to contribute to the overall richness of the case (Yin, 2014). Informal interviews allowed me the opportunity to understand nuances of the case site by informally speaking with campus community members (i.e., faculty, staff, and students) to understand the campus culture and climate. These field notes then were utilized as secondary sources to enhance and support the study’s findings.
Due to employing multiple sources of data, constant comparative data analysis was employed to effectively compare all data sources (Jones et al., 2014). Initial data analysis began during early stages of data collection by writing memos and logging field notes from case visits and interviews. Analysis of interviews and texts followed a priori set of deductive codes following the queer leadership framework. I then employed open and axial coding (Patton, 2002) techniques to capture nuances of the case not identified through the deductive measures. Findings are presented based on the analysis, using the queer leadership framework.
To further establish trustworthiness, I am guided by Jones et al. (2014), who argue for the use of both inquiry and relational competence. Inquiry competence ensures the case selection, data collection, and analysis provide dependable and credible results. MAC was selected due to its typical status as a fine arts college, where change initiatives related to LGBTQ equity were recently implemented. To ensure sound data collection and analysis I relied on multiple forms of data, enhancing confirmability of the findings. Relational inquiry to this study enhances trustworthiness by signifying the researcher’s positionality within the scope of the study (Jones et al., 2014). My role as a student affairs staff member at a neighboring institution who was involved with LGBTQ education and outreach allowed me access to the gatekeepers of the study and the campus site. As this study sought to illuminate the experiences of queer leaders, my identities certainly impacted the dynamic between myself and the study’s participants, establishing credibility and trust between myself and participants. Thus, naming these areas of privilege and power are important for understanding how I maintained trustworthiness during data collection and analysis.
This single institution case study is not able to fully capture all that can be known about queer leadership, and thus there are some important limitations to acknowledge. Findings related to queer leadership or the phenomenon of grassroots leadership are meant to provide implications that may be transferable to HESA leadership practice and education, policy, and a deeper understanding of queer leadership. Further, sample limitations provided barriers to further interrogate how queer leadership may manifest across other social identities or institution types. Due to the scope of the project, it was not possible to explore leadership across additional institution types or geographic locations. However, this does not detract from what can be learned from these particular findings and contexts. In addition, the study may serve as a model for further exploration of queer leadership in other settings, particularly small college college campuses like MAC.
It is also important to acknowledge how my identity as a White, gay, cisgender man, as well as my work as a queer educator and activist, informs my work approach to this study. These identities very much guide my inquiry pursuit of advancing an agenda dedicated to LGBTQ equity. Most importantly I must recognize that these identities may still influence the rapport I developed with participants, as well as the lens in which I approached data analysis. Finally, collecting case data as an outsider limits my time and exposure to each case and served as a limitation toward fully understanding each institutional context; I sought to counter this limitation through thorough and rigorous data collection.
Metropolitan Arts College (MAC) is located in Metropolitan City (MC), a large city on the border of two Midwestern states, with a metro region population of nearly 2.5 million people. MAC is neatly tucked in the heart of MC, located near historic shopping sites and accessible to galleries and spaces for students to display their work. MC provides an important backdrop to the environment at MAC. It provides students the opportunity to engage with a diverse community, that is historically supportive of the arts, and located within a fairly socially liberal community. MAC recruits many students from rural communities, many coming from areas referred to as “the Bible belt,” making MC, as Bobby noted, “the belt buckle of the Bible belt.” For some students, MAC becomes a refuge from conservative family environments; for others from suburban city or rural communities, it is a culture shock.
Participants described the LGBTQ campus climate at MAC as fairly warm, noting there have been some improvements in the last few years. Participants described the campus climate as relatively accepting, especially due to the short-term initiatives advanced by participants. However, there have been some incidents on campus that has raised concerns among staff. For example, students attended classes in which their professor purposely misgendered them. Additionally, Bobby shared an incident when a student reported hostilities due to their gay identity. These hostilities did not seem common, but certainly speak to some challenges LGBTQ students may encounter at MAC.
Queer Leadership Strategies
Findings illustrate how staff members at MAC were successful in shifting institutional practices, both by advocating for changes in campus policies and by implementing campus outreach to impact LGBTQ equity at MAC. Applying the proposed queer leadership framework of LGBTQ advocacy, their experiences provide valuable lessons for college and university staff navigating this work. I explore how participants navigated the institutional structures and demonstrate how this framework grounded in grassroots leadership is important for thinking about not only challenging institutional practices, but making meaningful change to policy and practice.
LGBTQ Advocacy: Claiming a Commitment to Allyship.
We all have this philosophy of we’re all going to do whatever is necessary to be there for our students. So I think just with the small nature of the college it helps me to do that. That’s why I always like small private [colleges], that’s where my heart is. That’s where I know I can be the front line one day and the next day I can be the leadership. –Kerry
Staff leaders discussed what it was that brought them to the work of supporting LGBTQ students on campus. This theme, LGBTQ advocacy, considers the individual staff members dedication to LGBTQ equity work, while also reflective of the individual’s motivations and identity. Most staff leaders held privileged cis/heteronormative (non-LGBTQ) identities, which did not negatively impact their approach to LGBTQ equity work at MAC. Despite this, Bobby and Casey shared how their queer identities played a role in supporting LGBTQ students, sometimes leaving them to feel tokenized. Bobby’s experience becoming the “default staff member” to advise the LGBTQ student organization, highlighted his tokenism. Bobby’s gay identity was not the catalyst for his involvement, but it did lead him to support LGBTQ students. He expressed apathy for his role, as he did not feel compelled to engage in LGBTQ activism or advocacy. Counter to his non-queer colleagues, there was an assumed expectation that he support LGBTQ students.
A primary motivator for other participants’ involvement with LGBTQ advocacy relied on their commitment as student affairs professionals. All other participants expressed a passion to supporting LGBTQ students. This commitment kept the participants engaged and focused on pushing forward, despite any potential setbacks. Kerry commented, “We love what we do, and we know what we do makes a difference, and it’s very rewarding.” Participants described intrinsic rewards for service, especially because extrinsic rewards were not guaranteed. Such intrinsic motivation and reward reaffirmed their commitment to support the LGBTQ community at MAC.
These findings at MAC reveal most participants held a strong connection to advocacy and identify as LGBTQ advocates within their individual work. Their identities as advocates consisted of three primary components, addressing: (1) their commitment to issues of social justice, (2) their positional ability to move campus policy forward, and (3) their willingness to evolve in their awareness of LGBTQ issues. Most non-LGBTQ participants rejected any activist identity, drawing a distinction between activism and advocacy. For them, activism was more aggressive and less organized action resulting in reactionary events such as protests or disruptive events, whereas advocacy relied on a more collegial proactive approach to working toward specific goals within institutional structures.
Another sub-theme among participants’ role as queer advocates was their willingness to engage in their own learning. All participants spoke about how they handled situations when they were corrected for their ignorance related to LGBTQ topics, either employing incorrect terms or not being familiar with some LGBTQ identities. Their advocacy required a commitment toward self-improvement, without assuming that their political or social views dictated their behavior or earned them some credibility. This openness to learn was an important nuance to the queer advocate frame, as it allowed them to have a stronger connection to students and student concerns. Particularly when students approached them with issues in the classroom, being misgendered, or not having their name honored. These student challenges are what led Kerry to begin advocating for the new chosen name and gender pronoun policy. According to Kerry, to support LGBTQ students required an element of authentic listening and learning. Kerry reflected,
I think allyship means to listen. To listen, to ask questions, and understand. It also means to, in my opinion, ask what are the needs?… And I think the other part is doing what we can as individuals to help move initiatives forward to provide a welcoming and equitable education.
Kerry’s experience reflects how a campus administrator may choose to support student voices by listening and hearing what students need. This openness to change not only reflects a dedication to queer advocacy, but it also demonstrates how non-LGBTQ people can better engage in queer advocacy work, through intentional ally development.
Queering Leadership: Navigating Group and Leadership Dynamics.
An instructor on the first day of class stood up and as he’s calling roll, said this name, not once, not twice, but three to four times, and finally the student had to raise their hand. And was outed. And so I saw the hurt in him, and thought there’s got to be a different way. — Kerry
Queering leadership necessitated that queer voices, concerns, and experiences were central to the work and advocacy of the participants. Centering LGBTQ voices in their leadership practices was an important component for participants success. This quote provided by Kerry illustrates the challenges students reported to her, leading her to pursue action. To do this, participants: a) relied on student narratives to demonstrate an import for student success; b) relied on small wins to achieve greater results; and c) aligned institutional values with best practices for LGBTQ inclusion.
Kerry’s quote here also illustrates how supporting LGBTQ students was central to her work as a leader. Kerry’s advocacy for the recent implementation of the chosen name and pronoun policy was in response to this student’s experience. The student’s legal name did not reflect their chosen name, thus was not on the class roster or any of his advising records. She discussed how the student’s experience challenged her to begin advocating for others like him. By establishing herself as someone who will listen and act on student concerns, Kerry established trust with students and was able to advocate for change to improve the climate for LGBTQ students.
Leveraging student feedback through personal stories helped campus leaders advocate on behalf of students. In particular, they helped other administrators grasp the importance of the chosen name and pronoun policy, as well as the need for more gender inclusive restrooms, and for participants, tying it to students opened the door to convince others of the need for the policies. Participants argued that the appeal to student success led to the successful policy creation and implementation, but it also begs the question as to why such a policy had to be linked to student achievement to succeed, rather than creating it because it is the just thing to do. The need for this strategy might also indicate how challenging MAC can be for LGBTQ individuals if they must appeal to other faculty or administrators through the lens of success.
Additionally, Kerry and David’s initiative to expand the number of gender inclusive restrooms on campus was quite successful. They achieved small victories with some units, yet still experienced resistance from other areas on campus. Despite initial rejection from a couple academic areas on campus, Kerry and David were intentional in letting their request for inclusive bathroom expansion “cool” before attempting again. The strategy of accepting small wins (Kezar & Lester, 2011) allowed their efforts to move forward, despite some areas of hesitation. This hesitation, while perhaps uniformed and unintentional, is rooted in genderist attitudes about transgender people and it perpetuates heterogendered discourses of campus spaces (Nicolazzo, 2016; Preston & Hoffman, 2015; Pryor, 2018). Kerry and David’s strategy ultimately paid off and helped them expand gender inclusive restrooms to nearly all buildings on campus, but they had to work through departments and colleagues that initially espoused anti-trans attitudes.
Leaders also relied on the institution’s values and best practices in HESA to leverage the development of LGBTQ-inclusive programs. For David, the mission is an important value of which members of the MAC community are keenly aware. Further, Kerry was intentional in sharing knowledge she gained from other campuses or professional conferences she attended to facilitate change. If it made sense for MAC students, and she received the buy-in from colleagues, she pursued it. The Campus Pride Index, a national database for assessing colleges and universities in the United States on their LGBTQ inclusive policies and practices, served as an assessment tool to measure how campus is performing in regard to its efforts toward LGBTQ inclusion. This use of the Index allowed campus leaders to see what areas needed improvement and gave some credibility to change efforts moving forward. Thus, sharing what they learned from professional associations and best practices, helped these grassroots leaders better advocate for students.
As participants pursued their initiatives, push-back was relatively common. Brenda commented, “The biggest resistance was that the perception that we didn’t need these things. It was the convincing [faculty and advisors] that these things were needed.” Brenda spoke of the difficulty of getting campus colleagues to understand the necessity of queer inclusive policies, particularly the pronoun and restroom initiatives. Part of queering leadership was working through these hurdles and centering LGBTQ students who were most hurt by a lack of policy in their leadership practices. Overcoming resistance required consistent outreach to partners across campus. Kerry spoke about the importance of knowing the audience with whom she was working, using her relationships with units on campus as entree for advocating for the change.
Queer Policy and Practice: Navigating Organizational Structures.
Whether it’s art school or another campus in the country, you’re going to have an LGBT population, so your school should strive to have an equal playing field for all students. So if that means you have to have policies in place to ensure non-discrimination, you have to have policies in place. Because, as a society, we have not come so far that we don’t need them. We need them. We need them. – Elaine
This quote from Elaine illustrates participants attitudes toward implementing change on their campus. By emphasizing policy, staff recognized the necessity of having LGBTQ supportive policies in order to more formally prohibit exclusionary practices. This demand for new policy initiatives lead to shifts in the organizational culture. Participants not only implemented the policy but then established training opportunities for campus faculty and staff to understand best practices associated with the policy. Like an institutional mission, policy can ultimately guide the values, norms, and assumptions that shape the campus culture (Kezar & Lester, 2011), which may ultimately lead to a warmer LGBTQ campus climate.
In some respect, MAC fostered a warm environment for pursuing change. Although participants experienced some resistance, the size and culture of the institution allowed for participants to strategize how they would push forward their plans. David reflected, “we have a high degree of administrative agility at this institution, to make change based on needs. There’s not the red tape or politics that larger institutions have to make things happen.” These structures and culture contribute to an environment that, in recent years, is flexible and open to shifting toward progressive values. For example, the success of the name and pronoun policy and the expansion of gender inclusive restrooms reflect the nimble campus culture and improving campus climate for LGBTQ individuals.
Although barriers to their efforts were evident, the collegial small arts college environment facilitated opportunities for individuals to advocate, both in their relationships with students and on behalf of initiatives supporting students on campus. As such, participants credited the campus structure and culture as helpful to implement policies. These efforts provided important contributions toward improving the campus climate and culture and evidenced staff grassroots leadership strategies. Yet, the focus of and advancement toward LGBTQ policy and practice emphasizes an important distinction toward grassroots efforts.
Movement toward inclusive policy and practice is a cornerstone to queer leadership in higher education, as this creates inroads toward dismantling heterogendered ideals (Preston & Hoffman, 2015; Pryor, 2018). MAC has made considerable efforts toward improving the campus climate for its LGBTQ students. The most notable improvements were increasing the number of gender inclusive restroom spaces, the campus name and pronoun policy, and engagement of the LGBTQ student organization. Coupled with advocacy and efforts to center LGBTQ issues in their leadership approaches, staff at MAC have engaged in purposeful efforts toward LGBTQ equity, that could result in lasting changes to campus policy and practice.
Discussion and Conclusions
Staff leaders queer centered initiatives at MAC led to demonstrable change toward improving the college’s campus climate. These leaders’ experiences also call into question, what is queer leadership? Can leadership be queer? Who can engage in queer oriented work? Grassroots leadership served as a valuable frame for reorienting thought about what are traditional modes of leadership, highlighting how staff at multiple levels can engage with leadership work (Kezar and Lester, 2011). Leveraging Kezar and Lester’s (2011) framework provides a complexity to thinking about centering queer work through multiple lenses. It also situates queer leadership through lenses of individual engagement with LGBTQ advocacy, how leaders center LGBTQ experiences in their work, and how their work leads to demonstrable change on their campus.
The role of participants who did not identify as LGBTQ demonstrated a strong commitment and role in support of LGBTQ colleagues and students. Their advocacy was often personal and value-driven. All non-queer participants claimed a commitment to LGBTQ advocacy or allyship in their work, many taking on public and active roles on campus to support LGBTQ-centered initiatives. Although their work was meaningful and personal, consequences of their privileged gender and sexual social identities related to their queer advocacy were minimal; they were not perceived as a threat nor were they recipients of threats from colleagues or peers because of their work and/or identities. This distinction is important, as LGBTQ individuals in advocacy or more activist oriented positions may likely have different experiences. Due to the small number of LGBTQ identified participants in this study, I was unable to gauge those possibilities.
In addition to their individual connections to LGBTQ advocacy, their personal values and commitment to advancing best practices in higher education student affairs drove these leaders to advocate for LGBTQ equity. Kerry and David both articulated an important adherence to best practices in HESA. As administrators in the field of student affairs, these values are ingrained in the field (CAS, 2019; Sanlo, Rankin, & Schoenberg, 2002), and were guiding principles for several of the participants, particularly Kerry and David. Participant values informed their motivation for doing the work. However, the personal risk in their advocacy was minimal. This reality suggests there may be multiple lenses for considering how participants engage queer leadership. What would this model look like if participants were queer with an activist oriented lens, or if all participants were LGBTQ people of color, challenging systemic issues of race, gender, and sexuality. These findings are limited but begin a dialogue for considering how other non-LGBTQ folks can begin to advocate for their students.
This model is not intended to place limitations on how individuals may engage in queer-centered advocacy on campus. It provides one way in which higher education professionals may engage in queer leadership work. Queer leadership should not be confined to a single monolithic definition; such an approach would be limiting the multiple ways of being queer or doing LGBTQ work and would fall into perpetuating heterogendered norms (Preston & Hoffman, 2015; Pryor, 2018). Also, limiting a queer leadership definition assumes leadership is not contextual (Pryor, in press). Instead, the proposed framework serves as an extension of grassroots leadership, informed by the extant literature.
Implications for Leadership Practice. Findings from this study point to important implications for higher education leaders and leadership educators seeking to create opportunities for change on their campus, particularly within collegial college structures like MAC. A particularly important component of grassroots leadership and queer community organizing, is the establishment of community and support (Dilley, 2002; Kezar & Lester, 2011; Marine, 2011; Sanlo, 2002). In addition to reinforcing the importance of community building, findings illuminate the value of college and university staff members to leverage their networks and personal power to advocate for minoritized communities. Staff at MAC leveraged their roles and experiences to advance substantial change. Finding this allyship among their peers required participants to be engaged and purposeful in interrupting heterogenderist attitudes and practices on campus. Allyship and advocacy has been viewed and discussed interchangeably, but as a term allyship has been called to question as it is often over-assigned by individuals not engaging in a commitment to social justice advocacy (Grzanka, Adler, & Blazer, 2015). Leadership educators should incorporate the importance of community building in preparing leaders to advance socially just and queer centered work.
Another important implication from findings was the role of student engagement. To establish an environment of support for students, participants reflected on the importance of using student voice to advance their cause. Although student voices were a useful tool, there is an important line to balance to ensure students are empowered and not tokenized, that their involvement is collaborative and not objectified. At MAC it may seem as if the student voices were relied on to push issues forward, rather than the staff relying on best practices. The intent of the staff leaders was compassionate, but it demonstrated a potential risk in further marginalizing students when they are called upon to be their own advocates. Thus, leaders must be mindful to not just use student voice, but to empower and engage students in change and leadership processes.
It is necessary for staff advocating for LGBTQ equity to consider the ways individuals who are perceived to be non-queer are allowed to navigate heterogendered contexts more freely than their queer peers. Leadership educators should make note of the privileged identities held by Kerry and David, who largely championed the initiatives at MAC. Kerry and David experienced considerable ease as they established the name and pronoun policy and the inclusive restrooms on campus. This opens the conversation to whether or not their privileged identities as non-queer individuals benefited them in their progress. Although it is beyond the scope of this study, Bobby and Casey’s few experiences indicate some microaggressive actions toward LGBTQ staff on campus. The implication here is not only might queer leaders’ progress be slowed, but their experience also reflects a questionable campus climate where meaningful change would not be possible without non-queer support. This demonstrates a troubling reality of whose work and identities is privileged and most listened to. It also demonstrates the importance of allies engaging in LGBTQ equity work and captures how individuals with privileged social status possess power to advance change.
Conclusion. This study conceptualizes a queer leadership framework through grassroots leadership in higher education (Kezar & Lester, 2011), to capture the nuances of staff leadership strategies based on previous queer scholarship efforts. As scholars and college staff continue to advance work toward LGBTQ equity on college campuses, it is imperative that their work dismantle normative practices that perpetuate heterogendered norms through policy and practice (Abes, 2008; Nicolazzo, 2016; Preston & Hoffman, 2015; Pryor, 2018). Thus, critical queer policy work must not only trouble the normative histories of LGBTQ exclusion and oppression, but also expand the ways campus leaders do queer work on campus (Bilodeau, 2009; Preston & Hoffman, 2015) by disrupting binary approaches to LGBTQ policy expansion and creating multiple ways of being queer and supporting queer identities. Providing leadership educators with a practical model for queer leadership, coupled with critical queer policy work, may provide guidance to improve campus climates through these recommended practices for the field of higher education student affairs.
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Non-binary students deserve support from U of T faculty, not professors who cast aspersions.
Being transgender is often difficult. In 2015, Ontario researchers found that more than half of trans people have clinical depression, while 43 per cent had a history of attempting suicide [PDF]. Twenty-eight per cent of trans Ontarians could not get employment references with their current name or pronoun, and 58 per cent could not get academic transcripts with the correct name or gender, severely limiting their success on the job market.
Scientific consensus suggests neither biological nor cultural aspects of gender can be adequately explained within a binary [PDF]. Instead, gender develops in a web of environmental and physiological factors, forming diverse bodies and gender identities.
Recognizing the unique needs of transgender people, the Province of Ontario has recently launched public consultations to develop a more comprehensive method for collecting gender data. At the federal level, Bill C-16 aims to curb discrimination based on gender identity.
But not everyone is satisfied with the proposed changes. Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist at the University of Toronto who specializes in religious belief and personality, stated in an interview with the CBC’s As It Happens that he refuses to call non-binary transgender students by their pronouns, due to the purported absence of scientific evidence “that gender identity and biological sexuality are independently varying constructs.”
Biological sexuality? Exactly what is this? Clearly not sexual orientation. In the science on gender, such a concept holds no clout. Even if Peterson intended to refer to “sex,” his claims falter anyway.
Peterson asserts recognizing non-binary pronouns would (1) feed left-wing ideology; (2) dismantle the gender binary for all who identify within it; and (3) incite violent backlash. None of these claims are true.
Singular (or epicene) “they” has been used since at least Shakespeare. If Peterson wishes to be consistent in his linguistic prescriptivism, we advise that the original use of “you” was plural, the singular being “thou.”
Worse, Peterson’s commentary relies on an understanding of gender refuted as far back as the 1970s: sex role theory, the idea that there is a biologically determined distinction between males and females. But no clear distinction has been scientifically substantiated. Rather, evidence to the contrary abounds [PDF].
While sexed physiology aligns with normative gender identity for most people, gender assignment at birth is a cultural act. This ritual reinforces genitals as the “truth” about gender and carries social expectations, while the development of identity—through an observable interaction between neurology, psychology, and culture—becomes dismissed as merely ideological [PDF].
But “sex” is not just penises and vaginas, and “gender” is more than factors coded masculine or feminine. Though sex continues to be understood as differences in chromosomes, hormone levels, genitalia, internal reproductive structures, and secondary sex characteristics, there are more than two naturally occurring combinations.
Neuroscientist Lise Eliot demonstrates the only reliable facts that differentiate brains by sex are physical size and timing of maturation. Meanwhile, epigenetics shows that the environment acts on or through our genes. Biology is in constant interaction with the environment, and so too therefore are the gendered characters of bodies. As gender develops over the life course, the brain enables corresponding changes. We thus have a diverse representation of sex/gender in the population, and this is poorly reflected by the binary shackles of our English language.
It is curious that a psychologist outside gender studies should assert with authority what we know about gender. We wonder, if not a gender scholar critiquing his field, what is this really about?
Peterson refuses to recognize another person’s right to decide what words he should use. Herein lies the first clue. Just as feminists shifted the language from “sex” to “gender” in order to disrupt the belief that women’s biology justified their social inferiority, just as queer people shifted the language away from 19th century medicalized terminology to curtail their pathologization, many non-binary transgender people seek to have their bodies and identities recognized in ways that facilitate awareness about the unique social and material challenges they face.
The battle over social terminology is, at its core, a battle over who has the authority to set the terms and conditions by which the social world is organized, by which certain people are made visible or invisible.
And herein lies our second clue. Perhaps Peterson is not comfortable being asked to conform to another group’s demands. We understand. This is an experience transgender people face on a daily basis. We know how it feels to have others tell us who and how to be. If we fail to conform to majority expectation, the consequences can be lethal.
The best clue we have for Peterson’s anti-trans views can be located in his own words: “the continual careless pushing of people by left wing radicals is dangerously waking up the right wing. So you can consider this a prophecy from me if you want. Inside the collective is a beast and the beast uses its fists. If you wake up the beast then violence emerges. I’m afraid that this continual pushing by radical left wingers is going to wake up the beast.”
And there it is. Make no mistake. We are not witnessing a valid debate about the science of gender. At best, we see the same pattern we always have: pushback from someone who perceives encroachment on his sense of how the world should be ordered. This is typical, but it is also very dangerous.
In a world disproportionately violent to transgender people, it is our collective duty to loudly reject incitement of violence—both physical and psychological—especially against our transgender student population at the University of Toronto.
Peterson, we too have a prophecy: gender plurality is here to stay.
S. W. Underwood is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Toronto researching at the intersection of gender, family, and sexuality.
Ben Vincent is a PhD student in sociology at the University of Leeds, UK, researching how medical practice and queer communities impact non-binary identities. | {
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In mid-December, author and English professor Eileen Rendahl attended a political gathering where someone was venting about how her son’s friend, a non-binary person, wanted to be referred to as “they.”
“She was saying, ‘Well, I don’t see how I should be expected to say that. It feels funny coming out of my mouth. And what are they going to expect next?’ ” Rendahl, 57, recalled in a phone interview. At the time, she turned and asked author and linguistics scholar Catriona McPherson what she thought.
“Language changes,” McPherson replied. “We’ll survive.”
Not that long ago, many forget, we did.
While it’s so ubiquitous today that it appears in every online pull-down menu, the title of “Ms.” only was born at the turn of the 20th century, devised to avoid revealing a woman’s marital status, as “Mrs.” and “Miss” did and “Mr.” did not. The term only joined the broader lexicon, however, after 1971, when prominent feminists, including Gloria Steinem, launched a magazine of the same name.
In changing that social norm, campuses were at the forefront. “I arrived at college in 1976 and people were using ‘Ms.’ freely then,” said Jennifer Finney Boylan, an author and transgender activist who has consulted for the television show “Transparent” and appeared on “I Am Cait.” “And by the time I was in graduate school, people were using it everywhere.”
Yet the New York Times famously refused to employ the honorific for years, leading to a 1974 protest by feminist groups that was ultimately broken up by police.
Betsy Wade, the first female copy editor at the Times, recounted how reporters would wait until the end of interviews to ask a woman for her marital status, fearing blowback. Nonetheless, editors “did not consider ‘Ms.’ to be widely enough accepted yet by the public,” the newspaper wrote in an article on the 1974 demonstration.
It took until 1986 for the Times to relent.
“I always think about what a big deal people made about Ms. back in the ’70s,” Rendahl wrote in a Facebook comment about her “they” story. “Now we don't think twice about it.”
“They,” Rendahl and Boylan believe, could now follow a similar trajectory.
Although the usage of “they” as a singular pronoun dates to 1375, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, and although it features in work by such English-language luminaries as Shakespeare and Chaucer, its usage as a non-binary singular pronoun has been more recent. Merriam-Webster added the word’s non-binary meaning to its online dictionary in September — and three months later announced it had selected “they” as the word of the year.
Indeed, language can change quickly. Wade, the trailblazing Times editor who successfully sued the paper for gender discrimination in a landmark case, mused in our interview about other verbiage changes over the years. For one thing, she noted, “Texting was never a word. You were typing or punching.” As far as English terminology goes, “Some people are ahead of the times, and some people drag along behind.”
And in the case of “they,” unlike with texting, there’s a very human element: “ ‘They’ helps people get through the world with joy — and who can object to that?” Boylan argued.
Examples of that joy are manifest. College student Luna Lund, 22, was raised Mormon and said they “never felt like I fit in with other women or girls in my church,” partly because of the culture’s “strict” gender roles.
“I didn’t understand why I had such different expectations from my brothers,” Lund said. “Even things like shaving my legs. ‘Why do I have to do it?’ ”
About four years ago, after meeting another non-binary friend, Lund started experimenting with gender identity. Empowered by a reevaluation of their religion and the prospect of a fresh start upon entering college, Lund began using they/them pronouns.
“It feels super empowering when people get it right,” they said. “It’s awkward to ask people to use they/them pronouns because it’s weird for a lot of people, so when people get it, it’s really affirming.”
Still, there have been obstacles. At a recent retail job, Lund recounted, people were constantly assuming they identified as a woman. “I had to deal with it,” they said, “but as people become more aware of gender as a spectrum, my hope is that they will be less quick to assume people’s gender and pronouns.”
Author Anna-Marie McLemore announced their own non-binary status in a Twitter thread in early December. “If you ever think you’re taking too long to figure out your own identity, you’re not,” they wrote in one post. “So many of us are on these journeys. Coming out to our communities is a process. So is coming out to yourself.”
In an interview with The Lily, McLemore called the decision to change to they/them pronouns “life-changing.”
“It feels like a part of me that’s had to hide gets to be seen,” they said.
McLemore has explored gender identity through their novels as well. Their latest, “Dark and Deepest Red,” due out Jan. 14, features a main character who is a transgender boy in 1518 Strasbourg, an inkmaking apprentice caught up in the city’s true-life dancing plague. A previous novel, “Blanca & Roja,” contains a non-binary main character who uses he/she pronouns.
McLemore, who has adopted the non-binary prefix Mx., said, “Whether you’re talking about pronouns like they/them or prefixes like Mx. or Ms., someone is asking you to honor something about their identity and their gender, which is so fundamental to who we are.”
Indeed, language’s basis is connection between humans — and referring to someone with the name or word they request is a basic human courtesy.
It’s also more common than you may recognize.
“Even if you don’t have any understanding of what non-binary means, we all agree to call people what they like to be called. I agree to call the bass player in U2 ‘The Edge,’ ” Boylan, the activist and “Transparent” consultant, said. “If I met the Queen of England, I would call her Your Majesty. I wouldn’t call her Betty Windsor. I mean, she’s not my queen, but out of respect for her, I call her what she wants.”
She added: “By fits and starts, we become wiser with time.”
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Meet the Team: Nate T.
Who are you?
I am Nate Tamblyn and I am very sleepy.
What games or stories inspire you?
I love really loose narratives that get distracted and go down tangents before they get back to their point; they flow where the most interesting path is rather than being the most efficient way of telling the story. It feels like the author is genuinely enjoying the story they are telling as it is naturally revealing itself to them. Rayman 3 is a great game that definitely follows a narrative like that, it's so loose and has this extreme flexibility that makes it hard to describe without sounding like you're retelling a memory of a dream. Terry Pratchett's writing is also very similar to that and his use of footnotes is always really enjoyable.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure also does this and will also quite often change perspectives between characters, so that the audience has the highest level of suspense possible - if the villain is being super cunning and crafty then we see things from the protagonist’s perspective. But when the protagonist is going to triumph, we switch to the villains perspective, so we cannot see the unbelievable solution the protagonist has come up with. I love it when writers just hone in on the most interesting thing, and leave you guessing as to where the story will go. In other words, a narrative so malleable that it can just bend to show you only the nicest of curves. Sexy, sexy narrative.
What's your ideal breakfast?
I hate eating breakfast and currently I have to only eat low FODMAP food. If I lived in a perfect world I would be not having low FODMAP and I would not be allergic to popcorn and popcorn would have a lot of vitamins and I could eat it for every meal. That's the dream. Or like garlic bread, that's also very good for any meal. Or very specifically cold toast that you get on school camps with the butter they give you in individual containers scraped across it.
What are some characters you really like?
One of my all time fav guys out there is Bakura from Yu-Gi-Oh. Ryou Bakura, Yami Bakura and Thief King Bakura - all the Bakura is good for me. I really like it when stories have those sorts of villains - Yami Bakura is a minor antagonist for the majority of the show, always trying to get all the Millennium Items, but doesn't pose as much of a threat as the other villains hanging around - until the last arc where they learn about his past and all the pieces come together of what he was doing the entire time. Hidden in plain sight.
I also really like characters like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, his development from where he begins to who he becomes is so interesting to watch and is an important lesson for how people can see the error of their ways and change. It's important for people to be able to grow and change, and while they might of done horrible things in the past - if they are making an effort to no longer be that person, then that is admirable. You don't have to and shouldn't forgive them for things that they have done that have hurt others in the past, but you should accept that this person has changed. I don't think people should not be wary of people who have done terrible things, but there should be space for them to grow and move past it and be better.
I have similar thoughts about Kylo Ren from the new Star Wars trilogy, although his story is not complete, so I don't know where they'll take it. I like villains with interesting internal struggles or horrible backgrounds that have lead them to becoming who they are today. I also like really pathetic villains who have no reason at all for what they are doing, like Jack Spicer from Xiaolin Showdown. Because his motivations and loyalty are so weak he will basically side with anyone depending on what he thinks might benefit his immediate needs at the time. I also really like that with characters who aren't even villains, like Merton Dingle from Big Wolf on Campus, where the running gag is he'll ditch his friends and side with the monster of the week so he doesn't die.
I also like Eijirou Kirishima from Boku No Hero Academia because he is perfect and he wears crocs and I also wear crocs and wish I had his cool teeth.
What's your favourite song?
Current: Marrow by Ezra Vine
Historical/nostalgic: Whenever, Wherever by Shakira
What is your favourite and least favourite trope/cliche?
I like: When two people are going to stay at a hotel/motel and there is only ONe BeD AVAliABle and they have to SHarE. Give me that TRASH.
I hate: Bury your gays - obviously a very horrible trope and I hate seeing it in media. I think it happens less and less these days, but I still see it around.
You're pretty cool, do you want to come for dinner sometime?
Let me eat popcorn.
What do we need to see more of?
More Trans/Non-Binary characters in media, especially ones as main characters that don't DIE and are played by trans and Non-Binary actors (if there are actors involved). | {
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County Hosts First-Ever Transgender & Non-Binary Youth Conference
Acceptance, community, support, advocacy and celebration are five words that come to mind when describing the first-ever Transgender and Non-Binary Youth Conference held this past Friday at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica.
120 youth attendees participated in activities intended to create awareness, encourage dialogue and promote acceptance, from educational workshops to inspirational speakers. Presenters included Department of Children and Family Services Director Bobby Cagle, WDACS Acting Director Otto Solorzano and L.A. County Women and Girls Initiative Executive Director Abbe Land.
Attendees were also introduced to many leading agencies that embody the underlying principles of this conference including the Trevor Project, ACLU of Southern California, UCLA Gender Health Program and many more. The event was sponsored by WDACS and the Human Relations Commission. To learn more about the Human Relations Commission, visit here. | {
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International Men’s Day (IMD) is celebrated across the world. Here in the UK the core themes are:
- making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys
- raising awareness to support men’s and boys’ wellbeing
- promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity
These core themes help to address some of the issues that affect men and boys such as:
- male suicide
- challenges faced by boys and men at all stages of education including attainment and re-skilling
- men’s health (including male cancers), shorter life expectancy and workplace deaths
- the challenges faced by men as parents, particularly new fathers and separated fathers
- the negative portrayal of men, boys and fathers
Our events are consistent with these aspirations, and will showcase a mixture of speakers, learning sessions, discussions and, in some cases, a call to action. We would like to stress that women and those that identify as non-binary are also welcome to join these events as the themes under discussion may impact upon husbands, sons, male colleagues and friends.
South West and Wales
17 November 2020 10am to 2.30pm
The focus of this event is to raise awareness of some of the key issues men face in their everyday lives, find out what departmental men’s networks are currently in place and what they have been doing and, in addition, provide an excellent opportunity to discuss opportunities to develop a South West and Wales cross-departmental men’s network and explore ideas as to what key benefits the network could create for civil servants across our localities.
- Glynne Jones - Director, Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
- Scott Thorne - CSSC
- Rob Reid - Defra
- Jason Hocknell-Nickels - Intellectual Property Office
This online regional event is being streamed to participants who register to attend from South West and Wales. To secure your place on this online event you will need to register on Eventbrite.
Thursday 19 November 2020
M.A.N was founded in 1994 through the efforts of a group of local men seeking to provide a safe space for men to find support with the crisis and life issues they are experiencing. Core to their work is an ethos of prevention and intervention, recognising and supporting men and boys emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and social life experiences while striving to develop their holistic health and wellbeing.
Resilience and me - 10am to 11am
This topic will cover isolation, mental fitness, wellbeing and support mechanisms and will include a question and answer session. Register here.
Healthy Relationships - 2pm to 3pm
Communication, Anger awareness, domestic/sexual/coercive control, resolution and support and will include a question and answer session. Register here.
East South East and London
Thursday 19 November 2020 - 10am to 1:00pm
An IMD event with the award winning cross-government Race to the Top G6/7 alongside the East and South East of England and London team.
A conference bringing together some of the finest leaders in our community, most of whom happen to be Men of a BAME background. They will showcase positive male role models from the BAME community, and inspire and empower our male cadre by sharing their leadership journeys, the highs and lows and general tips for success. Additionally, the event will help to build a cadre and network of BAME men across the Civil Service.
Speakers : -
- Lord Paul Boateng
- Sir Tom Scholar - HMT Perm Secretary
- Philip Orumwense
- Nagesh Reddy
- Yannick MacKenzie
- James Kariuki
- Rodney Berkeley
- Shehzad Charania (TBC)
This online event is being streamed nationally to participants from across the UK. To secure your place on this online event you will need to register on Eventbrite using your locality and your work email address. Registration closes at 3pm on Wednesday 18 November 2020
19 November 2020
A series of thought-provoking bitesize sessions to celebrate International Men's Day. We'll be hearing from a range of guest speakers who will be sharing their personal stories and offering practical advice on important issues affecting men in the UK today.
Each session will last around 45 minutes and you're free to join as many as you like.
This offer is not exclusive to North West colleagues, so all civil servants are welcome to join. Please click on the links below to find out more and book your place!
10am Domestic Violence
12pm Mental Health
Please only register for these events if you are able to attend.
Please read carefully before booking your tickets. Information provided is designed to ensure you are able to access the event successfully.
- Please make sure your email address is entered correctly.
- Please check your spam folder.
- Please check that your link is compatible with your computer as soon as you receive it.
- Please join the session at least 5 minutes before it is due to start.
- All links will be sent at least 24 hours prior to the event.
- If your link does not arrive 24 hours before the event please email the contact on eventbrite. Unfortunately, we will not be able to action any requests to provide links on the day of the event.
You must have your line manager's approval to attend and this may count towards your minimum 5 days a year learning and development.
Civil Service Local are committed to ensuring that wherever possible our events are accessible to all participants. If you have any specific requirements that will enable you to fully participate, please let us know and we will endeavour to make any reasonable adjustments.
We look forward to seeing you at some or all of these sessions. If you have any other questions please contact us via email. | {
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Gender Trends of 2013 – the Year in Review
January 5, 2014
Taking a quick glance at last year’s Top Trends list it becomes clear that the overall trend towards reducing the social role of women via the enforcement of cultural subordination rituals (femininity) shows little sign of abating. While there has been notable increased feminist activism and consciousness-raising against gender, the trend continues towards increased sexualization, objectification and dehumanization of women and girls with no improvement in female participation in social, economic and civic life.
Rather, conservative male supremacist power has increasingly targeted for reversal the scant gains won by the “second wave” of the women’s liberation movement, including reproductive autonomy, freedom from beauty mandates, economic parity, protection from male sex-based violence. The sole exception is in the area of women’s rights to legal parity regarding state support for monogamous romantic attachments- an unintended artifact of the successful male homosexual rights movement.
Currently the increasingly subordinate social role of women is being codified into law by the state at the behest of the powerful genderist “transgender rights” movement, a men’s sexual rights movement based on relaxing acceptable male dominance roles for men via the elimination of legal recognition of women entirely.
The transgender movement claims that any male who derives sexual satisfaction from inserting used tampons into his anus is female, or for any other reason, and should be legally recognized as female in order to access female-only spaces and services, to be activated at any time at their discretion, regardless of whether they have previously sought any such legal redefinition or not. The transgender movement supports the right of male pedophiles to circumvent sex offender contact admonitions by claiming female status in order to occupy hot tubs in female locker rooms where female children are present. The transgender movement lobbies for the rights of serial rapists to be supplied with unfettered access to unlimited confined incarcerated victims by claiming that they “feel female”. The transgender movement is based on the “human right” that all males have the right to occupy and use females for any purpose they desire at all times and under any conditions. It is no mistake that the transgender movement prioritizes the legalization of sex-trafficking and pornography. Male transgenders consider female objectification a “female privilege”.
Unfortunately for men, women still do exist whether men deem to recognize us or not and the dissonance between our intended erasure and our undeniable existence is resulting in some interesting failures of the genderist politic. Some of the Top Trends in Gender 2013 contain an undertow of a poorly conceived male politic doomed to collapse under its own overreaching illogic and absurdity.
In no particular order:
Euthanasia introduced as a medical treatment for sex-role incongruence:
Nathan Verhelst’s life was terminated by lethal injection on film, with support of her transgender community, as part of an upcoming 2014 documentary film release promotion. Number of WPATH representatives or transgender activists protesting this “treatment” as inhumane, un-therapeutic, or exploitative, worldwide: Zero. Canada’s Bill 52 currently under debate in the national assembly will allow Canadian transgenders to join the Belgium and Dutch nations in the medical treatment of transgenderism via termination of life.
Decline of Transgender Day of Remembrance:
Attendance at “Transgender Day of Remembrance” ceremonies (an event created in a cynical political attempt by white heterosexual men to emulate the public sympathy generated for the gay rights movement by the hundreds of thousands of gay men who died horribly due to the ignored public health crisis of AIDS) drastically declines as white heterosexual transgenders discover that:
1.) most transgender victims of murder are homosexual MOC killed by other MOC, and that these murder rates of transgender MOC are the same as murder rates of male-on-male MOC in general
2.) Transgender males murder others at the same rates that they are murdered (male violence).
High profile “comings out” of sexist violent alpha-males:
-Bradley then Brianna then Chelsea Manning who assaulted a female superior officer by punching her in the face until he was physically restrained.
-Bob Tur, news helicopter pilot who quits flying when he starts synthetic estrogen because he believes estrogen renders women hormonally incompetent to fly.
-“Princess” Kristin Beck, special forces Navy Seal and freelance defense industry warfare consultant.
-James/Jennifer Pritzker, right-wing billionaire funder of the NRA, Heritage Foundation, transgender children clinics, and one of the top Republican donors in his state.
-Nikki Sinclaire anti-feminist conservative Parlimentarian
-Masha Best, autogynephillic Russian human rights attorney who posts photoshopped nude selfies in honor of the male on male violence of the “Transgender Day of Remembrance”.
-Lara Jane Grace, “Against Me” singer after facing multiple rape accusations by female fans.
-Larry/Lana Wachowski, lifestyle BDSM kinkster, longtime forced feminization submissive, partnered with the dominatrix and former “owner” of female pornster and sexual abuse survivor Buck Angel; now the “most successful female director in Hollywood history”.
-Fallon Fox, middle-aged male professional batterer of women, finally outed by journalists after several years of disguising himself as female in order to assault young female athletes in the MMA.
Plastic Surgery and Cosmetic Medicine:
-Child Rapists and sadistic wife-killers continue to be used by the transgender legal orgs to spearhead attempts to make cosmetic medicine “medically necessary” under the state via litigation.
-The Department of Health and Human Services opens a public forum for feedback on whether cosmetic medicine should be paid under Medicaid and Medicare in cases of genderism. The public forum is closed mere hours later and the transgender lobby negotiates with the department in a backroom deal which results in a document issued months later stating that HHS has determined that the ban on cosmetic treatment for genderism has been overturned. The Board is now entering a “discovery” process to create new standards which allow genderists to access taxpayer-funded cosmetic medicine and procedures to help them appear visually more like the opposite sex.
-UK gender services create long waiting lists as the number of individuals seeking state-funded plastic surgery and medicine double annually.
-Dutch state-funded gender medical clinics are placed on a “freeze” and stop accepting new transgenders as 200% increases in applicants bankrupt the system.
-Swedish transgenders who have undergone surgical “sex change” sue the government in a class-action suit for damages to their fertility and physical integrity caused by the requirement that transgenders undergo a “sex change” in order to change their legal sex.
-Trans activists begin lobbying for more surgical options including “designer genitals” of their own choosing, such as the insertion of a neovagina behind their penis. External labiaplasty without creation of a fuck-hole cavity becomes more popular and is performed more commonly as men not seeking to be penetrated in a surgical-hole opt to forgo the long recovery time and complications of the internal testicular-skinned penetrative sheath.
-Dr. Garramone obtains a registered trademark for the phrase “FTM Top Surgery”.
-Transgender movement continues to do nothing whatsoever to counter deadly silicone pumping.
Transgender Male Teens/Young Adults create problematic media narratives for the Trans Movement:
-Cassidy Kennedy, 16, received international media coverage as the first male high school homecoming queen – even though several transgender males preceded him. Describes his lifetime goal as becoming a “she-male” pornography actor and male prostitute. Lies about his age on internet gay male hook-up sites where he drops the female impersonation and identifies himself as an adult gay male. Drops out of school in his senior year to pursue his goals in the pornography and prostitution industries. These revelations are not reported in mainstream media.
-Jewelyes Guitierrez, assaulted a female student at school in a planned “beat down” video filmed by his friend and posted to youtube. In the video he clearly approaches and cold-cocks a female then runs back to his cameraperson/friend. The teen girl’s friends chase him and a fight ensues where they knock him on his ass. Jewelyes deleted his staged youtube attack video, which showed his calculated assault against a woman, and the footage was subsequently censored on mainstream media sites removing his initial attack. Police recommend filing battery charges against him on the basis of the original video. “Police concluded that Guitierrez hit first and recommended she be charged with two counts of battery on a school ground”. Jewelyes claims his planned filmed assault was justified due to female students “disrespecting” him previously by denying he was actually female. He claimed his planned, violent filmed assault was justified and retroactively accused a female student of previously spitting on him. His beat-down assault video on a female student was later nonsensically framed as “an attack on a transgender person” by transgender activists desperate to obfuscate and spin the premeditated male on female violence that took place. Case pending.
-Jessica Valentine- male Florence Colorado high school student becomes center of controversy when female students object to his presence in female restrooms. According to Colorado Gender Identity law, all males have the right to access all female sex-segregated areas and it is illegal discrimination to question any male who enters female sex-segregated areas of public nudity for any reason, regardless of female concerns. No female may object for any reason and verbalizing discomfort is illegal. Valentine sought media attention to complain that female students discriminated against him by verbalizing their discomfort with his presence and behavior in the female restrooms. He also complained that using unisex restrooms was not an option because they infringed on his right to witness and inject himself into the female toileting experience in the way he would like. Subsequently the right-wing Pacific Justice Institute offers to legally represent the female students against charges by transgender rights organizations that the girls infringed on the young man’s rights by expressing their discomfort with his harassing female restroom fixation. The girls assert that school officials threatened to charge them with hate crimes and kick them off sports teams as punishment if they continued to publicly complain. Transgender activists Cristan Williams and Autumn Sandeen organize a protest at PJI institute offices but only 8 people show up and no media coverage results.
-Steven Sanchez, 21 – another male homecoming queen, this one at UNI, not claiming to “feel” female yet seeks media attention to complain that he should have the legal right not to “feel uncomfortable” using female restrooms as a male who sometimes likes wearing non-traditional clothing. From the DesMoines Register:
“Sanchez, 21, was born a male and still generally identifies as a male — although he often dresses like a woman. He’s the school’s first transgender homecoming king or queen.
His uncertainty over access to restroom facilities stems from an incident on campus last year in which he says a transgender friend was told he couldn’t use the women’s restroom in Shull Hall dormitory, even though he was dressed in women’s attire.
Since that incident, Sanchez has sought to use single-stall restrooms on campus that are open to both sexes.
“There are not too many across campus, and when there isn’t one, I usually just try to find a men’s restroom that doesn’t have anyone in it,” Sanchez said. “I’ve seen incidents where people get in trouble for using the restroom even though I know it’s the law that you can use the restroom you feel most comfortable in.”
Sanchez continued: “I’m scared. Even when I’m dressed as a girl, I’m scared that I would get in trouble just for trying to do something that makes me comfortable.”
Transgender activists agree that all males who are non-traditionally masculine also have the “right” to use sex-segregated female areas of public nudity, and trans rights orgs use female pronouns for Steven even though he does not “identify as female” and prefers male pronouns.
-Katherine Svenson, Colorado school board member suggests that male bodied students should be fully integrated into locker rooms, restrooms, and sports programs designated for male bodied students, regardless of what sort of clothing they wear or what sorts of thoughts and feelings they have. “Not until the plumbing’s changed,” Svenson was quoted. Transgender activists post her home address and phone number online and deluge her with thousands of rape, mutilation and death threats. Transgender activist Bianca Nurton posts a comment on gay website The Advocate stating: “Quick someone hold her down I got a knife lets see how quick I can change her plumbing.” The comment is not removed, rather it is upvoted and followed by multiple comments by other men critiquing the school board member’s sexual desirability.
-California AB1266 statute- allows all students to access the sex-segregated areas of public nudity designated for the opposite sex, for any purpose and duration that the student sees fit, without qualification. Also allows all students to participate on sports teams of the opposite sex, eliminating federal title IX sporting programs for females. Schools prepare by purchasing curtains to hang in locker rooms for females to hide behind in order to allow male students free run of the formerly female facilities. Right-wing coalition launches a referendum attempt. The California secretary of state is due to report on the outcome of the referendum’s signature drive on January 8.
Peak trans is finally hitting the mainstream via teens. The trans movement is using the same tactics that have worked for them as an adult male sexual rights movement against ill-informed leftists and progressives: harassment, violent threats, lies, censorship, disability framing, suicide threats, gaslighting, exploiting their tenuous connection with the gay rights movement, etc. We’ll see if it flies. There is also a massive disconnect between the trans political narratives for teens and the reality that most high school students who “identify as” transgender- especially females- “identify as” genderqueer, non-binary transgenders and reject the “opposite sex” narratives that “gender identity” laws seek to codify. Since queer is now cool in the hinterlands, expect this trend to endure for roughly the same length of time as MySpace and livejournal. Tick tock.
The mainstream media loves the transgender children narrative and the transgender movement loves peddling it. Any kid with a cash-strapped munchausen-fueled parent is guaranteed their 5 minutes of fame and all the doting attention that adult girlhood-fantasizing autogynephiles can heap upon them. Parents diagnose their children as transsexual before the age of two, and network together in their quest to find physicians willing to perform surgery and administer cross-sex hormones on their children before the age of consent.
-Cody, Jazz, Nicole Maines, etal become minor yet marketable media concerns on a “transgender chicken circuit” created to promote the “Born This Way” meme, and to create a de-sexualized media face for the largely sexually autogynephilic male transgender rights movement.
-In a strange hiccup, the Trans Media Watch, one of the worst offenders in exploiting specific children to promote the “transgender children” meme, who issued statements against Ria Cooper, the youngest person to be medically transgendered in the UK, when he announced his decision to detransition, displayed a bizarre moment of hypocrisy when they issued a demand that the media no longer publicize transgender children. Out of nowhere they seemingly reversed their longstanding practice and issued the following admonishment:
This is interesting because it not only goes against the Trans Media Watch’s own long term practice but the practice of all trans advocacy groups internationally which are publicizing individual “transgender” children as often as they can as a matter of highest priority. Paris Lees has done multiple creepy media appearances with children as a TMW representative. Will Trans Media Watch attack GLAAD and every other trans org for exploiting children 24/7? Highly doubtful. I expect them to resume exploiting children themselves if they haven’t already which they probably have. Hypocrites!
-Boys camps are set up for male youths to perform femininity and wear inappropriately sexualized female clothing absent the distracting presence of actual girls.
-Oregon becomes the first state to assign Federal medicaid funds for the medical sterilization of sex-role underperforming children. This is the first US government sponsored eugenics program against “unfit” children since sterilization of “feebleminded” children was halted 25 years ago. Interestingly, Oregon was the last US state to perform sterilization of undesirables- their eugenics board was finally eliminated in 1983. Unlike most jurisdictions swept up in the widespread and awful historic eugenics trend, Oregon’s was specifically implemented with the goal of eliminating the reproduction of homosexuals. Oregon’s previous eugenics program was also notably distinguished (along with Texas) by its punishing severity: total surgical removal of a subject’s gonads, surgically removing whole testes and ovaries of the “unfit”, rather than mere “tying of tubes”.
-United Nations declares “gender normalizing” medical procedures performed on intersex children to be an international Human Rights violation.
-Dr. Richard Keller of the Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Endocrinology Department, home of the GEMS center for the medicalization of gender in children, arrested on child pornography charges.
Violence Against Women Act:
Transgender activists successfully lobby to siphon funding away from women’s services to male organizations -if those agencies serve men who are gay, bisexual or transgender. Also provides legal foundation to eliminate federally funded US women’s domestic violence services, rape relief services and battered women’s shelters on the grounds that services for women discriminate against gay, bisexual, and transgender men. Expect massive sex-based litigation to follow.
Continued elimination of legal sex designation- multiple countries and states eliminated all objective criteria for changing legal sex designation on birth certificates, state documents and identification (social security, passports, drivers license, etc.) Legal protections against sex-based exploitation of women and girls are eliminated in those jurisdictions, as the legal definition of sex becomes a matter of personal declaration of belief with no identifying characteristic whatsoever. Duration of cross-sex identification, medico-surgical body mods, are no longer required to change legal sex, only an undefined internal subjective “feeling” of reproductive sex. Anyone can claim to legally be the opposite sex at any time, even retroactively. Curiously, this right only benefits male persons who wish to expand the cultural parameters of a male supremacist social role. Elimination of female representation in political, civic, and cultural life is the primary goal of the transgender movement.
Censorship and McCarthyism of Women, Lesbians, and Feminists by transgender activists:
-Deep Green Resistance ecologist Lierre Keith no-platformed from Lawrence University Earth Day at the last minute due to protest by university representative and “husband blogger” Helen Boyd. Boyd lectures and writes books about her husband and his foibles, which she considers endlessly fascinating and important. Because: gender. Crossdressing and proudly autogynephilic blogger “Bluestocking Blue” hilariously speculates on what Boyd’s husband-blogging career would look like if her husband was not a genderist: “I wonder what would she have had to sink her academic teeth into, if not gender issues? And what would that look like to us? Would she be as well known? “And tonight, my guest is Helen Boyd, author of My Husband the Trainspotter.”
Boyd and company bizarrely manage to censor Lierre Keith’s Earth Day program appearance on the grounds of her previously stated belief that sex-roles are harmful to women. In a truly Orwellian turn, the university sides with the husband-blogger and agrees that Lawrence University is not a place to allow speech from women who challenge female cultural norms. Keith is no-platformed but the male event organizer takes it upon himself to attempt to perform her presentation himself. Whew!
-Feminist Julie Bindel cancels appearance at anti-pornography talk due to mass rape and death threats from transgender activists.
-Radical Lesbian Feminist and Butch activist Bev Jo is no-platformed at the last minute from a panel on Butch Women at the Butch Voices conference after male pornographer Tobi Hill-Meyer complained that her presence would make him feel “unsafe”.
-Feminists assaulted and their books destroyed by a group of transgender activists at Portland Conference for Social Change.
-Transgender activists join forces with MRAs to deluge the London Irish Centre venue for the scheduled RadFem2013 with violent threats, forcing them to cancel the booking out of fears for the safety of their workers. This tactic backfires on the activists as the local government provides use of the wonderful Camden City Centre for RadFem2013. The event is well attended, features excellent security, and transgender activists fail to make good on their threats when faced with the London police.
-Transgender activists try and fail to prevent the radical feminist RadFemRiseUp (CA) conference from taking place. Interestingly, the more the transgender movement tries to censor and prevent feminist speech and organizing, the more women discover and join the movement.
-Transgender “transwoman” activists successfully hack the WomanSpace and Pretendbians websites and attempt cyber-terrorism and DOS attacks on other lesbian and feminist sites. They attempt and fail at eliminating GenderTrender thanks to the response by many of you in getting the blog re-instated. THANK YOU.
– Too many other incidents of attempted blacklisting, censorship, no-platforming, and rape and death threats against feminists by transgender activists to list here. Look back through the 2013 archives of this blog to see coverage of many of them. Number of transgender events protested by feminists: Zero.
One funny by-product of the trans politic’s bullying censorship: mainstream literary and academic critics no longer willing to critically review transgender offerings. After Publishers Weekly offered one slightly critical line in a promotional blurb for Julia Serano’s new book he responded so badly (leaving argumentative comments and writing an essay against Publisher’s Weekly), and a critical review in OutWeek was censored after transgender complaints, no further venues were willing to publish a review. By all reports the book is just awful. Nonetheless the lack of coverage has to be hurting sales. Careful what you wish for boys!
Huge Resurgence in Radical Feminism:
Six major radical feminist conferences in four countries in the last few years represent a huge resurgence in radical feminism. Young women are abandoning pointless apolitical post-modern “funfeminism” in droves. Too many new radfem blogs to even keep track of. Gay men and pro-feminist men begin lending support. Readership of radical feminist websites continues to grow. Massive increase in public awareness of radical feminist positions on pornography, piv, sex trafficking, male violence, and gender. Major gender-critcal articles by Julian Vigo and Elizabeth Hungerford. Sheila Jeffrey’s “Gender Hurts” to be published in 2014. Group of renowned second-wave feminists issue statement in support of gender-critical feminism and freedom of speech for women on the harmfulness of gender. Too many positive developments to list here. Hugely successful ongoing consciousness-raising. Keep up the good work!
RadFemHub closes, becomes an archive.
FCM closes Femonade.
Increased Visibility and support for De-transitioners:
Several high-profile detransitioners go public including Don Ennis, Phillip Porter, Heath Atom Russell- who is forced to take out a restraining order against a deranged “transwoman” who threatens and stalks her. A network of female detrans bloggers forms, mainly on tumblr. Male detrans start blogs. Click on the “Gender Critical” icon on the right sidebar of this blog to read some of them. Male detransitioner Joel Nowak of REtransition.org puts together a detransition presentation and tries to present it at transgender conferences. You can read the outline HERE.
Gender Critical Transgender Activists:
Several transgender activists begin the necessary and inevitable work of reconciling transgender theory with gender-critical feminism. They seek to eliminate the fantasy elements of the transgender politic (for example: the delusional premise that reproductive dimorphism doesn’t exist in humans) and eliminate some aspects of the transgender politic which curtail the rights of women.
Increased number of transgender activists willing to address their autogynephilic sexual orientation. After decades of denial, the transgender movement is finally on the cusp of dealing with the fact that transgenderism means very different things for the individuals who benefit from gender (males) and the individuals who are oppressed by gender (females). For males, transgender is largely a sexual orientation based on desiring to be objectified as a sexualized, femininity-performing female. Femininity is a male-created male sexual orientation usually projected under threat of violence onto females. Transgender activists are increasingly being “out” about the sexual basis of their transgenderism. Even long-time activists who railed against the obvious sexual basis of transgenderism for males are beginning to stop trying to deny it. Julia Serano, Riki Wilchens, Tobi Hill-Meyers, Zinnia Jones, etc are playing catch-up with younger transitioners who are unashamedly and openly embracing their autogynephilia. For males, transgender is a sexual orientation based on the desire to be seen as a sexualized female “object”. For females, transgender is an escape from that same role. | {
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I recently discovered NY based startup Science of Apparel. Located in SoHo, I love how the company is setting a new standard. Combining performance and sustainability, founders Roberto Crivello, the creative, and Aydin Karavelioglu, the scientist, are changing the fashion industry by approaching it with smart science.
Believing that clothing shouldn’t be toxic and sustainability shouldn’t be expensive, Science of Apparel have found a way of engineering clothes with Earth-friendly textiles. The non-binary collection was designed by science. The startup had a purpose, to engineer products that perform better than traditional brands and also protect the environment. They have managed to do this with each garment by integrating the textiles with innovative technologies like clean tech, which is when silver ions are used to prevent odour and fluorocarbon polymers that tackle stain resistance.
“[Science of Apparel] believe that clothing shouldn’t be toxic and sustainability shouldn’t be expensive”
When it comes to manufacturing, Science of Apparel has taken a different route to the big name performance apparel brands who use petroleum-based fabrics. “That’s oil consumed and wasted. We use only natural, organic or recycled fibres”, said the founders. Their practices reject the outdated manufacturing practices and instead they use state of the art facilities that are capable of using 75% less water and save 1.71 gallons of H2O for every shirt we produce. “For me, it’s troubling how much water is wasted in traditional manufacturing + consumer use. It’s unacceptable. We created a brand to address that. Our manufacturing uses 75% less water than traditional brands”, added the entrepreneurs.
Enhanced for the way you live, other scientific features include anti-radiation inspired By Aerospace + Medical Technology, 4Way Stretch that is thanks to a sustainably sourced lycra and Dri-Touch which absorbs moisture and lets fresh air in. The Science of Apparel’s USP has to be their Galileo Tee which is “guaranteed for life”. Created with technologically advanced natural fibres and integrated enhancements, the tee has been designed to last a lifetime. “If it tears, wears down, or falls anywhere short of that call us and we’ll send you a new one. No questions asked”, promises the startup on their website. | {
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Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller is the second novel in the young adult high fantasy duology called, Daughter of the Pirate King. I read and reviewed book one towards the end of March, and you can check out that full review here.
When I read Daughter of the Pirate King, I had low expectations that were pleasantly blown out of the water. It is such an enjoyable book, with one or two minor flaws. Rarely do I turn to the next book in a series shortly after completing its precursor. I tend to get burned out on the characters and story, which then turns me off the whole series. It is a weird quirk that I have that I am not too particularly fond of. Yet, in this case I found myself eager for what was to come. I finished reading it last week and I must say that it is going to be one of my favourites reads for 2018.
To avoid giving spoilers for Daughter of the Pirate King, I will keep the synopsis vague and succinct. In the second instalment, Alosa returns to her father’s, the Pirate King’s, keep where they both plan on taking the next step towards their ultimate goal of finding a secret island that is rumoured to have the largest treasure horde in existence. But one shocking revelation after another leads Alosa on a brutal and dangerous adventure that she never thought possible.
This sequel was spectacularly better than the first volume, which was rather excellent to begin with. It took everything that I loved about that book—action, slow-burn romance, female pirate crew, fantasy elements—and turned it up to ten.
The action is non-stop from page one until page three-hundred-thirty-eight. The tension and suspense are written far more fluidly and flows so naturally that I felt as if I were watching a film in my mind. The level of brutality and bloodshed stemming from the violence made me forget for a moment or two that I was reading a young adult book. Engaging action that carries itself continuously is one of my most-loved traits of high fantasy, and it was damn-near perfect here.
The slow-burn romance continues teasing the readers while weaving that tension into the character’s realisation of their feelings, but it never makes it feel tedious or overplayed. There is just enough pressure between the two love interests, with a splendid balance of genuine chemistry and respect, to hold you at the edge of your seat until the climax, leaving you immensely satisfied. There is an explanation for why there is distance between them that can be chalked up to real-world trauma and insecurities stemming from parental abuse. This creates a connection that any reader who may have similar experiences can relate to, bringing the book and reader together more intimately. Since I have similar things in my personal history, the connection worked to make me better invested in their relationship.
Another thing about the romance that I appreciated so dearly was the fact that it never overshadowed the main storyline. The intensely terrifying challenges that Alosa and her crew must face were never placed on the back burner for the sake of love or lust. It complemented the events happening around it, even worked to enhance quite a bit of that suspense in certain situations, but not once did it take the spotlight and detract from the actual plot. This is something that happens a lot in young adult fantasy (An Ember in the Ashes trilogy is one series that immediately comes to mind as being guilty of this) and whenever it does, it tends to lose focus on the purpose of the story altogether.
The narrative of Daughter of the Siren Queen is filled with plot twists and classic fantasy tropes akin to high fantasy, specifically pirate stories. But these tropes are approached and executed with unique alterations to them that made them feel fresh to me. It kept it from feeling like a common trope, which then amplified their effect wonderfully. The plot twists also work to augment the effect of the tropes, and none of the twists felt like they were there simply for shock value. They felt instinctive and essential in moving the plot forward. I loved being surprised by them, so much so that my jaw fell open at least two or three times during my read through. This also makes the book incredibly fast-paced and extremely difficult to put down. I kept saying to myself, “Just one more chapter, one more chapter.”
The fantasy in Daughter of the Pirate King was subtle and soft. I found it enjoyable, yet in the back of my mind I had hoped for more. Well, Daughter of the Siren Queen more than made up for it as the fantasy is far less subtle and much more physically present in the sequel. The scenery, the encounters that Alosa and her crew had, a specific race of beings that she comes across and their involvement in the plot—it was perfectly composed with everything else to create an all-encompassing high fantasy experience that I could not help but devour hungrily. Not once did I ever feel like I was reading a novel made for younger readers. That steadiness, I believe, is something that avid readers of adult fantasy can appreciate, respect, and relish.
I mentioned earlier that Alosa’s crew is mostly female. She has approximately four men on her crew with the rest being women that she hand-picked. All of them are very independent, fierce, and brilliantly strong in many ways. The men play supporting roles without ever degrading or outshining the accomplishments of the women. In fact, they respect the women and have high regards for them. I felt the book was very much pro-feminist as it illustrates the ladies as equals to men, and all the women have respect for the men on their crew; no sense of superiority or emasculation ever arises.
One of the women was described as asexual, as well. It was a nice small touch. The only thing I would have wanted to see more of here would have been diversity in sexual orientation/identity. The lady’s asexuality was briefly mentioned and never really touched on again. All the other women were interested in males, which I feel is a bit unrealistic, especially given some of their backgrounds. Having a romance between two females would have just rounded everything else out beautifully. I also think it would have been neat to see a non-binary character. But this is entirely a personal preference rather than a technical critique on the quality of the story as a whole.
The only other critique that I have is the very same one I had for book one: the dialogue should have been more piratey and less contemporary. It is the only thing that significantly takes away form the authenticity of this being a buccaneer series.
All in all, I HIGHLY recommend the Daughter of the Pirate King duology. It is excellently written and superbly balanced between the two novels, has strong female characters, a marvellously genuine romance, and great high fantasy traits/tropes, no matter what level of fantasy you prefer (adult versus young adult), and it is one of the few serials out there where the second book is so impressively better than the first book.
4.75 cannonballs outta 5!
Thank you so much for stopping by today! Until next time, happy reading and happy otakuing, friends! 💙 | {
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Cara Delevingne Elonmusk
Cara Delevingne, known for her acting and modeling career is also a host of little-known facts that make her stand out even more. From her struggles with body image and depression, to her ventures into the world of sex toys and her willingness to talk about her pansexuality, here are 10 interesting facts about the multi-talented Delevingne.
Problems with depression and Body Image
Despite her beautiful appearance, Cara Delevingne struggled with anxiety and depression over her body in her youth. Her body was constantly ridiculed due to her small chest. She also began menstruating earlier than her peers who were referred to as “frigid” and “flat”. When she was 15 depression struck her and she had to temporarily leave school. When she spoke to BBC, she spoke about her time in which she stated, “I hated myself for being depressed, I hated feeling depressed, I hated feelings.” However, Delevingne came from a wealthy family, and everybody believed she should be happy by default, but they were unable to comprehend her mental state.
Homophobic in her Youth
Cara Delevingne was unable to comprehend her sexuality as a child in a world where it was not discussed. For a while, she found same-sex partnerships to be demeaning and considered herself homophobic. When she spoke to The Guardian, Delevingne said, “I know I’m the luckiest girl in the world, I understand all this and I wish I could appreciate it. It’s just that there’s something dark inside me that I can’t shake.”
Delevingne considers herself pansexual and falls in love with the person, regardless of gender and gender identity. The actress explained she could be drawn to non-binary or transgender people. When she spoke to Variety, Delevingne said, “However an individual identifies, whether it’s a ‘they’, a ‘he’ or a ‘she’, I fall in love with the person – and that’s what it’s about. I’m attracted to the person as such.”
Marriage and Relationships
In 2019, Delevingne got married in Las Vegas to actress Ashley Benson, but they later broke up. She was also romantically connected to the actress Michelle Rodriguez and singer Miley Cyrus. Her public display of her sexuality has received mixed reactions and praise.
Threats emanating from the Film Industry
Delevingne had to face opposition from producer Harvey Weinstein, who threatened her career if she didn’t conceal her sexual orientation and seek out male partners for a “cover”. Yet, Delevingne did not listen and continued to open about her sexuality as well as relationships.
Business with a Sex Toy Company
Delevingne has a business venture with a sex toy company and is the one who personally tests the products. She’s candid and open about her participation in the business, and sees it as an opportunity to spread the message of sexual wellness and freedom.
Secret Vaginal Tunnel
Delevingne has a secret vaginal passageway in her house it was a gift from a close friend. The tunnel was created by an artist and is an emblem for female power and liberation.
Delevingne recently entered the realm of NFTs by creating a video of herself dancing in a secret vaginal tunnel inside her villa and sold it as a special digital collectible. This showcases her bold and unflinching personality and her determination to explore new avenues and break boundaries.
Despite some criticisms of her acting abilities she continues to pursue her passion for acting. She’s appeared in several films and TV shows like “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” “Suicide Squad” and “Carnival Row”, it’s clear that Delevingne is not limited by others’ opinions about her talents and skills and continues to push herself.
Inspiration and Role Model
Delevingne’s life story is an inspiration to many. She has been transparent of her personal struggles as well as her progress towards self-acceptance. She is an example of the importance of being true to oneself regardless of what other people might think or say. She has been vocal about mental health, body positivity and inclusion and has used her platform to speak out for marginalized communities. Her actions show that it’s not necessary to know everything and that it’s okay to be unique and different.
Cara Delevingne began her career as a model at 10, when she joined Storm Model Management. She soon became famous and was soon among the highest sought-after models in the business, walking for top designers like Burberry, Chanel, and Fendi. She’s a model of what it takes to go from being a model into a brand, as well as how to create an impression in the fashion world.
Delevingne is also well-known for her charitable work, she has served as a global ambassador for the Women’s Cancer Research Fund and actively supports mental health organizations and charities like The Samaritans and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Additionally, she has donated to organizations fighting against racism and discrimination.
Delevingne can also be regarded as a performer. She has released several songs and music videos and has collaborated with various artists such as Pharrell Williams.
Social Media Influence
Delevingne is a popular presence on social media and is known for her candid postings and relatable posts which have helped her cultivate a large following of fans and supporters.
Model who became actress
Delevingne has successfully transitioned from being a model into an actress, and has been praised for her roles in films such as “The Face of an Angel” and “Tulip Fever”. | {
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My first child blossomed into adulthood a couple of years ago. Hers had been an eventful transition with many highs and lows and much joy and heartache for us both. Parenting of the pre-adult phase, I discovered, brings with it many lessons in real life, far beyond the fairytale.
My personal experience of this phase of parenting was of a systematic breakdown and recalibration of my beliefs and expectations, as well as an initiation into the other side of what it feels like to be a parent. In this first run through I gained enough wisdom to know that I did not know as much as I thought I did and to be prepared, at all times, to be taken off guard, again and again. I did, however, think that I had gained a good understanding of all the edges and crevices we would have to navigate when my second child entered the pre-adult gauntlet. The smoking experimentation, the alcohol and drug opportunities, the sex and sexuality explorations, the school-or-no-school stress, anxieties and depressions, all of which form part of many a transition to adulthood, sometimes overlaid with additional mental and physical illness challenges. It seems, however, each age has its own lessons to add, as does each person. Today’s parenting lesson is a challenge of our core understanding of how the world works, our beliefs and what we may think we know to be true about the world, gender and choice. Given a traditional upbringing, along with the social constructs entrenched into the specific way I have learnt to make sense of the world, this lesson has been a real test. I mean, surely, if you have the genitals of a boy you are a boy and if you have the genitals of a girl you are a girl and the number of people who switch between is minuscule? What is all this non-binary-sense? But then again, you could ask, who decided on the label ‘boy’ and the label ‘girl’ in the first place and what does it actually mean? The open challenge to the gender concept deeply unsettled what I thought was the firm foundation of my belief system. I had not understood that gender could be up for debate. It was a given, seemingly a biological fact, a blessed certainty in amongst all the uncertainty in the 21st century, something you just were: a male or a female. It is, however, not the case, and the generation currently in the adolescent gauntlet is - courageously or obstinately, depending on your perspective of it - challenging our unconscious beliefs about what is and is not up for questioning. They are asking or telling us to respect their right to choose a gender with which to identify, a pronoun with which they are comfortable and even, in some cases, their own choice of name, and none of it is static. It all makes perfect sense to them and they do not necessarily understand what a foreign concept it is for us. For parents it can all be extremely difficult to get our heads around. We may look for the reason, “where have we gone wrong in their upbringing?” or “is this a consequence of social media?” or “could it be the influence of the systemic events across the world, for example, the #metoo movement?" or "perhaps the doings of the fashion industry?” Whatever the contributing reasons, this generation is challenging our concrete ideas. They appear to be more comfortable with gender fluidity, more inclusive and accepting of each others choices and challenges and they are inviting us, sometimes quite forcefully, to let go of our prejudices and stereotypes, some of which we have carefully nourished over a lifetime, or even through generations. This can be a very hard invitation to accept. I have been pondering this shift for the past year or so and I believe that there are several options as to how we respond to our adolescent informing us of a name change, requesting to be addressed using a preferred pronoun and to the colourful experimentation with their appearance. Some of the more frequent responses include:
We try to ignore it or forbid any discussion on it with the determination to make it go away.
We rail against the ridiculousness of it all, insisting that what we believe and our values are the way the truth and the light.
We can mock it or dismiss it as ‘just a trend’ or
We can be curious and use it to explore - with them and their peers - what it all means and how we can respect each other’s individuality and choices.
The first three options will naturally shut down any conversation with a young and explorative mind. Far from making it all go away, it is more likely to make it go underground or ramp up the shock factor until we are ready to pay attention. While they may appear to be confident - even belligerent - parental respect and encouragement may not be overtly sought but is covertly craved. The first three options may/will make them feel less heard and less understood or valued but it can also bring out our own fears. Where is this all going to go? The fourth option may be difficult initially but therein lies the opportunity. I had to listen carefully to myself before I could listen to my ‘they’. How do their choices unsettle me? What are my fears? Why do I hope it is only a trend? I suppose I needed to separate my fears for myself from my fears for them. My biggest fear for me was 'people are going to judge me as a parent' which blocked me from truly listening to what was going on. Then, there are the fears for them, for the consequences of their choices. There is the point at which we are able to have that discussion with them, about choices and consequences, listen to their views and express ours, have faith in them but be there as back up. Being curious and open can help us identify that point. The conversations become richer and while I am still learning, there is appreciation from my ‘they’ that I am taking the time to understand their perspective. Our perspectives have shifted and I have to remind myself that they are their own reflection, not mine. I have reluctantly relented on reversible adjustments to appearance, even if I don’t like them, but the ‘no’ to irreversible changes remains, while they are under my jurisdiction. In our discussions we talk about how our views can change continuously and sometimes radically as we grow, so best to leave some of those decisions for later, when we have had time to be sure. Theirs is a totally different world to the one I grew up in, so the lessons go both ways.
We can dismiss the non-binary uprising as ‘just a trend’ but I am sure many people dismissed feminism and the drive for equality as a trend back in the day. It may well be a trend, but it may also be a new way of looking at the world that is not as clear-cut and certain as we may have been led to believe. Young people are resisting being boxed or choosing to choose which box they want to belong in. While it can be scary and uncomfortable, I am becoming more comfortable with discomfort and watch with appreciation, curiosity and compassion for us all. I hope that they retain their ability to cherish differences in each other and take us along with them as we struggle and strive, as parents, to adapt. | {
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Thailand’s health services are among the best in the region. This improvement over the past 50 years is astounding. Any medical procedure that is standard elsewhere is available in this country, including the most advanced. Thailand is trying to become a “medical hub” and for 15 years has been striving to promote “medical tourism” where travelers come to Thailand for elective surgery as well as advanced treatment. These developments have promoted Thailand as a top-level retirement location as well.
In this essay I would like to ruminate on a lesser known aspect of health services development in Thailand, namely the spread of health care into the “hinterland.” My comments are personal observations, subject to review.
1.Primary medical care is now available to 80% of the population from where they live.
2.Every one of Thailand’s 77 provinces has (or will soon have) a general hospital and most of the 900 districts () have a hospital open 24 hours with in-patient facilities and a doctor on site round the clock. Specialists come on rotation.
3.There are international-class medical centers in every region of the country.
4.The development of clinics with scheduled emergency health services in populated sub-districts is proceeding with extensive local support.
5.Preventive health care and education about health risks are expanding to the point that average village residents are conversant about these topics.
VILLAGE HEALTH VOLUNTEERS (referred to by the initials อสม) are organized by the staffs of village clinics. The work of each volunteer organization receives directives from the district health department and financial support from the central government to give the volunteers a small monthly stipend. A local organization might have about 20 volunteers.
The volunteers meet monthly for strategy planning and health training. They are called on to assist in health campaigns such as the current, annual “deadly mosquito crusade” (my translation of the phrase). If an epidemic breaks out the volunteers’ first duty is to collect data and to spread the word about measures to be taken. If the epidemic is severe, as was the case with dengue fever in our village last year, the volunteers help provide back-up services for medical teams to descend. Any rise in health risks is probably first noted by volunteers. Diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are the 3 leading medical health issues in our village. The volunteers keep track of persons with elevated risk factors.
Over all, the health level of village residents has risen dramatically. Life expectancy has risen from 50 to 75 years in the last 50 years. Infant and early childhood mortality rates have dropped almost to zero.
I would argue that the most important contribution made by Village Health Volunteers is health awareness and neighborly concern. It would be hard to measure the effect of having 20 people in most every village know that blood sugar levels over 120 are dangerous, that blood pressure for older people ought to be about 130 over 90, and that stagnant water is where mosquitoes proliferate. Nutrition is the leading contributor to poor health for people in our village now that public sanitation is vastly improved.
Village Health Volunteers are on the front line helping to expand health services to every village.
I attended an event the other night that reminded me how complicated gender is, and yet how simply it can be handled. As I looked around I saw every point on the gender spectrum represented by people at this village gathering to celebrate a fellow’s graduation from university. There would be no way to accurately place anybody on the continua without listening to their stories over time. But it is tempting to jump to conclusions at a glance. “Here is a farmer and his wife,” we might think. “That singer is a kathoey, for sure.” “Obviously, she is a Trans.” But, if we become acquainted with these people (as Pramote and I have done) it becomes clear all is not always as it first appears, and maybe nothing is.
That raised the question for me, “Knowing as little as we tend to do, and much of what we know being wrong, how can society function?” Some societies become dysfunctional, as a matter of fact, when they become overloaded with mystery or ambiguity as when new people move in. But our village commencement party went along and village life in that village functions placidly by applying the simple principle of “mai pen rai.” (“Never mind” is the standard translation. “Let it go” is often what it really means. “Never mind” is dismissive. “Let it go” is a more plaintive exhortation or instruction.)
“Never mind” works most of the time. But in writing things take on sharper shapes. A lot of writing is being done these days, perhaps more than ever in the history of humankind. Several billion people write every day and post it on the Internet. After being aggravated for a while yesterday by seeing still another announcement on-line about “ladyboys” I decided it is still important to try to straighten out our gay discourse so we can be careful about applying it to ourselves and others.
My contribution this weekend is a simplified word list:
Gender behavioral and psychological aspects of one’s identity
Gender identity a person’s perception of their gender as male or female or something else
Sex biological aspects of one’s identity
Sex assignment an infant’s sex noted at birth by medical professionals on official records
Cisgender conforming to one’s sex assignment, also “cis” versus “trans”
Transgender not conforming to one’s sex assignment, also one who is using medical intervention to change gender identity, including reassignment surgery to alter physical organs
Intersex one with confusing or ambiguous biological sex indicators at birth
Binary the concept that there are 2 distinct sexes but also that one is either gay or straight
Non-binary gender identity outside the 2 binary categories; also “gender-fluid”
Gender Dysphoria anxiety over one’s gender; distress or unhappiness caused when a person’s gender identity does not map their physical attributes
THAI TERMS IN ENGLISH
Gay a male who prefers sex and romance with males
Kathoey a male who exhibits feminine characteristics
Third sex a female personality born in a male body as karmic punishment, a subset of kathoey
Tom a female who exhibits male characteristics
Trans short for transgender but exclusively one who is transitioning from male to female
Ladyboy a pejorative, insulting term for a “trans”
For previous blog-essays on similar themes see:
Taking Over from a Failed Generation
News this morning is that a trial date has been set for October 29 in Eugene, Oregon for a suit brought by a group of young people against the US government for its efforts to stop strategies to address climate change and global warming. The suit, in brief, says these efforts are going to have a disastrous impact on coming generations. The Trump administration, of course, has tried to block the court case.
Following the Parkland, Florida high school shooting that left 17 persons dead and 16 injured, surviving students launched a campaign to bring about a few measures of gun control, including a ban on public sales of the type of automatic, rapid-fire guns used in several of the recent mass shootings. The first rally by students at the Florida state capitol was followed by a nationwide day of rallies at 800 locations including nearly a million gathered in Washington DC. The students are now working toward voter registration to get new voters to elect legislators to bring the changes in the law that the current law-makers are afraid to make. Even though the National Rifle Association has apparently backed a smear campaign against the students, including an Internet challenge that certain student leaders be shot dead and the Trump administration has been utterly silent about this form of terrorist intimidation, the students are making amazing progress and getting results.
Across the Atlantic young adults are also becoming aroused at the actions of their elders. It seems that the younger generation is not as happy with Brexit as the older generation who voted for Great Britain to exit the European Union. It remains to be seen whether they will become a voting block to replace enough of those sitting on the green benches of power (i.e. in the House of Commons) to reverse some of the trends toward isolationism and protectionism if not the whole neo-liberal game plan.
In Spain, Italy, Greece, Israel and Turkey as well as in France, Switzerland, Germany and Austria it is not the oldest who are being contested by the youngest, but those in the middle age bracket. My generation, 75 and above in age, has already largely shifted out of power. World leaders are in their upper 50s and 60s on average. (Of course there’s Trump and the Pope pushing the average up.) The voters who have won battles recently are 45 to 75. These are the ones hanging onto conservative outrage at things which cost money and might change the way the world has run to their benefit.
Meanwhile, here in Thailand and South East Asia, the young adult generation is also not as docile as the power-wielders would like. There is little evidence that the generation aged 18-38 (to pick an arbitrary spread) is as enthusiastic to raise challenges as are those in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but whenever a choice target comes they are the ones to make waves. Despite threats of imprisonment and worse (far worse), it is this generation that uses graffiti, Internet, and sneakers to let the world know their elders are plundering the planet and expect to get away with it.
Two examples have drawn world attention. When a rich and powerful mogul was caught poaching in a national forest, the hunter was protected from prosecution by colleagues in the government. All over the city of Bangkok graffiti of the black cat began to call attention to this crime and the injustice that is following. Shortly afterward, pictures began to appear on-line of a posh housing development for retired judges that has encroached on the slopes of Doi Sutape, a mountain with semi-sacred resonance that overshadows the city of Chiang Mai. A young adult protest has succeeded in (temporarily) stopping the construction and has embarrassed the military and District 5 of the Judicial Department who colluded to bend the law so these houses could be built. “They are legal,” the officials insist. “They are wrong,” the young people responded, and set out on a 700 kilometer march from Chiang Mai to Bangkok to protest the housing development, and coincidentally to protest the law and those who made the law.
These timid voices here and bolder ones around the world are thinking in terms of regime change. It is hard to believe they will pull it off, and peripheral consequences are even harder to imagine, but what is inevitable is that the young generation is finding its voice and that voice is going to be heard. Those in power in this generation are not going to last, not only because getting old is inevitable, but because what they are doing is devastating and they are failures.
Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year also known as locally as ปี๋ใหม่เมือง (bpii mai mueang). It is the only traditional holiday set according to the solar rather than the lunar calendar. It is always April 13, and recently also commemorated on April 14 and 15. Many institutions and some businesses extent the time into a full week of vacation.
For reflections on the meaning of this New Year’s festival (the last of at least 4 commemorated annually in Thailand) see previous blog-essays:
This year I would like to reflect on how Christians handle this. It is illustrative, I think, of how Christians handle several other cultural traditions in Thailand.
Since Songkran is a combination of cultural, religious and social traditions it is not surprising that Christians have little to do with the religious observances. Trips to the temple, washing Buddha images, paying attention to spirits of ancestors which are the point of most religious aspects of Songkran are simply ignored. There are no Christianized church services (that I know of) about Songkran. Songkran often overlaps with Easter, but even when it does not, as is the case this year, churches will not devote a part of their Sunday services to remembering Songkran. It should be remembered in passing, that this is not how Christians handle some other traditions.
But Songkran is too big to ignore entirely. It is a major holiday. At the heart of Songkran is respect for elders. Young adults are expected to demonstrate their appreciation for elders of their parents’ generation and older. Here in the north young people come to homes of their oldest relatives and present them gifts, for which, in return, they are given blessings. Scented water is used and strings tied around wrists of the young people express wishes for long life and prosperity. Slowly, over the past fifty years, the Christian taboo on this has been relaxed. In fact, some churches have blessing ceremonies around this time of year at the end of church services. Some even dare to do it during the Songkran weekend. If a village or organization has a blessing ceremony, Christians now tend to join. More conservative churches have declared these things forbidden since they smack of the occult, and they are done by Buddhists.
This, in a nutshell, is how Christians in Thailand handle most cultural traditions. Starting a hundred and fifty or more years ago with aversion and loathing of the tradition, engendered by popular or suspected connections with supernaturalism and the occult, Christians have cautiously moved to accept aspects of the tradition and to shorten the gap between Christian sub-culture and the culture of the world around them.
Nawt was ordained into the Thai Sangha on March 19. It is a traditional rite of passage for him. The idea is that it will prepare him for the rigors of adult life, which will become more difficult grueling on Monday April 9 when he is inducted into the Thai Army as a volunteer. That is a second traditional rite of passage. There are no plans at present for the third rite, which is a wedding ceremony.
This is a photographic essay documenting Nawt’s ordination ceremony.
1.The ordination began with a noisy procession into the precincts of Wat Ba Fang where Nawt was to be ordained by the “bishop” (head of the abbots of the district). The parade was led by elders from Nawt’s village bringing money trees and offerings.
2.Nawt was dressed in white in the role of a prince, reiterating the steps taken by Gautama, the Buddha, from his secular role as prince into the renunciation of those privileges into the higher role as a mendicant monk seeking Dharma-truth.
3.The bishop and most of the congregation were waiting in the assembly hall for the ordinands to arrive. Two boys were to be ordained, Nawt who would be fully ordained into the priesthood and a younger boy who would become a novice.
4.Nawt presented himself to the bishop. He was formally called a “Nag” which is short for Naga, a serpent divinity that protected the Buddha and sought to become a monk according to legend. Only men can be monks, but the Naga was told how to be reincarnated as a man and given honor by having all applicants thereafter called Nagas.
5.A solemn part of the ceremony was when the ordinands took leave of their parents.
6.After presenting saffron colored robes to the bishop, he invested them with the first piece and then gave them instructions about what the roles of an ordinand will entail.
7.Then they retired to be robed. The first of 9 articles was like a sarong.
8.When Nawt was fully robed he and the abbot of Wat Hang Dong where he spent his 15 days as a monk returned to the main part of the assembly hall.
9. The ordinands reaffirmed taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. This is the basic vow of all Thai Buddhists.
10.The younger novice presented gifts to the bishop. His ordination was finished.
11.Village and family elders accompanied Nawt to an ordination hall for his solemn vows. Nawt then formally asked to be ordained. The ordination hall is called a “bot” (pronounced like boat).
12.Nawt was told to wait outside for the chapter of 9 priests to decide to accept him.
13.Two priests barred the door with a traditional bound volume of sacred text while they asked him standard questions about his fitness to be ordained.
14.When his answers were acceptable he was formally accepted into the Sangha and he joined the chapter of monks in affirming their vows, which all monks do every fortnight.
15.Nawt’s ordination was over. He was a monk. His first ordained act was to carry his bowl as he left the bot, so that his closest family and elders could make merit by presenting him with rice.
16.On his way back to the assembly hall for the final worship to end the ceremonies, the new priest accepted rice from his grandmothers and elder aunts.
17.The mood lightened as they neared the assembly. Nawt threw hands-full of colorfully wrapped coins to the crowd (and to me). These were collected as sacred souvenirs.
Nawt stayed in the temple in our village for two weeks. He could possibly have stayed for the rest of his life, provided he was not drafted into the army on recruitment day after his 21st birthday. But he was not planning on a religious career as a refuge. He has his life ahead of him.
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Dobson posts his weekly reflections on this blog. | {
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For weeks I tried to reach the samanijis by phone and email to schedule a time to meet. I was finally able to meet them on the day of their departure. It took me so long to reach them, not because they didn't want to meet, but because they were busy with visits, calls, meetings, blessings. I met samani Sharda Pragya ji, one of a pair of samaniji who came to New Jersey just one month prior to our meeting, and was on her way to Orlando Florida, and Mudit Pragya ji and Sangh Pragya ji who had spent ten months in New Jersey and were going back to India. Mudit Pragya and Sangh Pragya were returning to Rajasthan to reunite with their guru, with other Jain ascetics, monks and nuns, saman and samani, sadhvi and sadhu. They were returning to follow their guru on foot, walking for the next two months as far south as Madras, or as far north as Delhi, before getting on a plane again in February to return to New Jersey, where cars take them from house to house, where community, time, space and place are different, changing, yet still a part of their Jain duties and way of life.
For the past three years, two Jain nuns from the Jain Vishwa Bharti Institute, a university and monastery in Ladnun, Rajasthan have been traveling to and residing in Iselin, New Jersey to teach and live as spiritual advisors within a diasporic Jain community. The nuns have a particular relationship to mobility, and to their places in the New Jersey, Jain, Indian and ascetic communities. Jain nuns and monks, or ascetics, are not supposed to travel by any mode of transportation other than their feet. Technology is traditionally renounced, and not a part of their ascetic lives. But a more recent sect within Jainism, the Samana Order, allows a type of nun and monk to travel, teach and live less strictly, in response to a changing world. The integration of technology, and technological modes of transportation affects the lives of the nuns and also the diasporic Jain community. The two nuns, Mudit Pragya and Sangh Pragya, who were living in Iselin for ten months, were returning to India to participate in a walking pilgrimage with their guru and an ascetic community in Rajasthan, which also affects their relationship to and with their bodies, in relation to mobility, modes of transportation and technology. The Samana Order, which promotes the movement of the nuns, has and inevitably continues to change Jainism, and the Jain community in India and globally. Many different, mobile and changing versions of Jainism emerge as people form relationships with the traveling nuns, and their circulating ideas, offering and producing, about and within, different understandings and practices of Jainism.
Jain Vishwa Bharati Center
Approaching the Jain Vishwa Bharati Center (JVB), I am surprised by how unassuming it is, a suburban street, and a small house flanked by homes decorated with Christmas lights. Facades hide private lives, secrets, intimacies, joys, religious sites. There is nothing that distinguishes the brown clapboard house from the others on the street, except a small, computer printed sign on the door: Jain Vishwa Bharati Center. Entering the house, I remove my shoes, and greet the samaniji. The space has no furniture, besides a few small tables, placed on the carpeted floors to support books, a donation jar, and a few pamphlets. On one side of the room there are pictures of Lord Mahavira, and the samani's guru Acharya Tulsi and guru Acharya ?Mahapragya. Additionally, there are two poster boardsmade by school children, outlining some of the things they learned about Jainism, most likely from Sangh Pragya and Mudit Pragya. In the absence of non-transatlantic-traveling ascetics, Jain centers have served as a spiritual base, a surrogate to the philosophy as taught by ascetics in India. There are only three Jain Vishwa Bharati centers in this country — the other two are in Houston and Orlando — which host and house the samani ascetics for center activities and spiritual guidance.
According to the website, the JVB aims to "build a sense of community and belonging particularly among children… organize and celebrate Jain festivals and events, to create an environment that fosters unity and social harmony for all mankind" (JVB website). Samani Mudit Pragya and Sangha Pragya have been in New Jersey for ten months. While Mudit Pragyahas been a samani resident of the Orlando center, this is the longest she has spent away from India, away from her guru and the ascetic community.
Globalization, Mobility and Diaspora
People travel, ideas circulate. This is not a new concept; migration and mass movement of people predate the ancient Jain religion. Yet, transnational and global flows have been reclassified, understood as a particular phenomenon under the particular conditions of late capitalism and globalization, with new combinations of, and affects between, the technological, economic and political.
Jains live and work in places other than where they are born, creating different social orders, negotiating and producing new cultural meanings. The Indian diaspora is huge, in the US alone, there are estimated to be over 2 million Indian Americans. New Jersey has the most Indians in this country, and in Iselin, you feel like you are in an India. Oak Tree Road, the main street in Iselin, has always beena place I've visited with family. I've gone countless times with my stepmother to buy Indian groceries. She knows where to get the cheapest eyebrow waxing, gold bangles, Bombay chaats (snacks).
The day that I went to visit the samaniji, I traveled alone, and really felt like a foreigner. I picked my own place to sit and drink chai, eat samosas, buy groceries, look at the latest Hindi film soundtracks. I walked to the Jain Vishwa Bharati Center, where the samani stay, as a student, not as the cousin of Shweta ben or the daughter of Dilip bai. But I am a different kind of student than the samaniji are used to meeting. I want to know about them, their lives, their experiences, but first I must learn about their religion, and as Mudit Pragya tells me, there is no separation between the two.
My father is always quick to tell me that there are no real rules in Jainism, just guidelines, and that each individual follows them as he or she can. In general, Jains do try to follow, according to their circumstances, five main precepts: non-violence, truth, not taking that which is not given, sexual restraint, and non-possession or non-attachment. Equality of all life and spiritual independence are two main ideas of the religion and philosophy. Intense emotions and passions like cravings or violence towards the material world are seen as cause for further attachment, so self-control is an important aspect of the practice. Most Jains try to avoid attachment, or negative karma, through different acts of prevention, evasion and care. A common image that comes to mind, for those who know about Jains, is the ascetic sweeping the ground before he/she walks to brush insects off the path, out of the path to moksa, or enlightenment and liberation. While there are different beliefs as to how, and who can attain it, the main purpose of living is for Moksa, and Jains use religion to help transform their soul (atma) to gain liberation from this world.
There are two major sects of Jainism, Digambar and Svetambar. The differences between Digambar and Svetambar, which contain various sub-sects, come from different interpretations of the same books. Digambar monks don't wear clothes because they believe that clothes, like other possessions, increase dependency and desire for material things. According to this thought, they don't believe that women can attain moksha: "There is no moksa for women; because they are inferior to men… because of their possessions… because her biological state is incompatable…" (Yuktiprabodha #26, 30, 38 Jaini, 170).
Svetambar monks and nuns wear white seamless clothes and believe that women can attain moksa, "There is moksa for women; because there is no lack of the causes necessary for its attainment; as is the case of men. The causes of moksa are right view, right knowledge, and right conduct, and all of these in their perfect form are found in women" (Tarkarahasyadipikavrtti #44, Jaini 156)).
As mentioned, there are many sub-sects, and in 1974, a committee with representatives from the different sects created a new text called the Samana Suttam. The nuns that I met are from the Samana order, of the Svetambar Therapanthi, under the guidance of guru Acharya Mahapragyaji.
Jains, ascetics in particular, should not cause harm or cause anyone else to cause harm to any living thing, directly or indirectly, if they are to attain moksa. Ascetics place a muhapatti (cloth) over their mouths at all times, so as not to accidentally inhale any living thing; they don't take showers or baths because moving water can be harmful to microscopic organisms. Transportation is done by barefoot, and very carefully. Yet, one of the most important requirements of the ascetic life is movement, as Mudit Pragya told me, "All the time you flow, flow free. We go, we walk, it's a very good experience and we learn a lot of things and we meet different kinds of people and they also learn a lot of things, how to live their life, they get peace, we also feel good. If we stay in one place for longer, for long time we also feel attached, attached to this, attached to that, attached to them. This attachment is no good for us. So, this is good for flowing. Like water, if water flows, then it remains pure, not dirty, if water remains in one place for long time then it gets dirty. So motion, this is good."
Ideally, ascetics, traveling in groups of at least two, won't spend more than a few days in one place, except during the rainy season, because walking during monsoon could endanger things that grow on the ground. Mudit Pragya elaborated, "In monsoon all nuns and monks stay on one place. Because in rainy season there is more scope to kill. Violence. Small insects. So they want to avoid violence and they live their life nonviolently and they can follow their non-violence vows."
According to Lawrence Babb, this practice "reinforces ties between laity and ascetics… Resident ascetics give daily sermons and exercise more than ordinary influence on the community, the rainy season retreat is a season of enhanced piety among lay Jains" (Babb, 56).
The practices of Jain doctrine are derived largely from monks and nuns — followers are dependent on ascetics, or mendicants, who are considered the "sole true experts" on Jain issues (Cort, 110). "The lay person obtains well being by establishing a personal relationship with the mendicant, a relationship that is actualized through gifting, praise, worship, and devotion" (Cort, 117). Being in close contact with ascetics inspires more spiritual practice among Jains, in this way we can see how ritual action and repetition of practice produces more devoted subjects.
The same kind of repetition or practice is important for the ascetics as well. Sangh Pragya elaborated a bit on practice, "This is our practice, and this is our renunciation, feeling of renunciation. Already we have inside this feeling of renunciation, and then we practice it, and we practice everyday, meditation, contemplation and positive thinking, also the relativity of this world. That's why we get more and more spiritual."
Jains are dependent on ascetics for spiritual guidance, but the nuns and monks are also dependent on non-ascetic followers for their physical needs, like food, water and shelter. Interactions and regular transactions between ascetics and laity are a major part of the religion, which seems like a paradox, since the ascetic (and the non-ascetic Jain) strives for non-attachment. Yet, P.S. Jaini explains that Jainism has remained a strict discipline through the connection between ascetics and non-ascetic Jain, "Ascetics and laity are united in doctrine, ensuring communal stability and survival" (Jaini, 58).
Marcus Banks discusses this strictness, and the maintenance of guidance as the reason why Jainism survived in India while Buddhism did not. This argument is interesting in the context of the Jain diaspora, because if a connection between ascetics and Jain followers is crucial for the sustenance of the religion, then changes would need to be made to ensure that the ascetics and Jain followers stay in close proximity. Changes would need to be made so that ascetics could serve the larger, mobile, resettled population.
The precept stating that Jain ascetics may only travel by foot had kept ascetics from traveling outside of India, which is one of the reasons why Jainism is little known outside of India. In the 1970's, when Jains started traveling to and settling en masse in places like London and New Jersey, new ideas within Jainism started to appear, and settle into the religion.
Neo-orthodoxy, as described by Marcus Banks, adapts Jainism to modern times, choosing from Jain writings and teachings that which seems best suited for the present. While new ideas may seem to disrupt the religion, it is Jainism, and the multiplicity that it supports, that allows for divergent people with divergent beliefs to be Jains. In Mimesis and Alterity, Michael Taussig describes the act of becoming different while remaining the same, elaborating on the ways that it is possible to stay the same through, and because of, adaptation. This way of thinking is helpful in terms of understanding how the transformation of, or the development of new beliefs within Jainism can be not only legitimate, but can reinforce Jainism. Changes and different forms or adaptations of Jainism do not undermine the ancient religion. As Taussig describes, "one thing becomes another thing while in some profound sense remaining the (mimetic) same…" (Taussig, 116). This is especially true, because an 'original' form of Jainism can't be found, given the expansive history and the different interpretations of Jainism, not to mention the numerous understandings between the various sects.
Digamburs and Svetamburs have different ideas about the paths, rituals and rules of Jainism, but they still see one another as Jain. The adjustments and transformations that we see now in Jainism can be understood as a part of the trajectory of the history of the religion, which has undergone numerous changes through interpretations by different saints and ascetics who generally maintain a belief in a united Jainism, or a Jainism that can contain multiple interpretations. Similar to what Taussig describes, it is possible for Jainism to be Jain through change, "through the very act of transforming, conserving the notion of an underlying sameness…" Taussig's understanding of the mimetic faculty of thought, belief and doctrine, as imitative, duplicative and then simultaneously creative and generative explores the interrelationality of "copy and contact." In Ladnun, Iselin, Houston, Orlando, London, there is a common identity and identification that is perceived by the actors, while the principles are extended to meet (external) and make (internal) change.
Within the orthodoxy, ascetics can't travel outside of India. The Samana order, developed in 1974 by a group of Jain ascetics, is a response to the strict rules regarding travel, and another way for ascetic teachings to reach out, especially to Jains who are living abroad. It is a way for the diasporic communities to receive guidance, and a way to sustain a religion that depends on an ascetic-follower connection.
Mudit Pragya explained the significance of the Samana order, of which she is a part,"the Samana order is relevant, we need it for our world… this is a modern nuns order, and that (sadhu/sadhvi) is ancient, so the combination of both we need. Because that tradition also we need to run, we don't want to stop that one. And also this is the demand of this present day, modern era…"
The new Jain order was established by Acharya Tulsi and is continued now by the samani's guru Acharya?Mahapragya. Saman and samani follow the lifestyle and precepts of the Jain sadhu and sadhvi with a few exceptions: they can use means of transportations other than their feet, they can stay in one place for an unspecified duration of time and they are allowed to take food which is prepared for them. Established to reach international Jains, samani have since taken other roles because of the more lenient restrictions, thus creating new positions for ascetics, as described by Sangh Pragya, "There are many things which can not be done by sadhvis, which can be run by samaniji, like the University, samaniji can join the University. (For)sadhu/sadhvi this is not possible, because they cannot stay in one place for long time, so their rules are different from our rules… They cannot travel and we can travel, and so we can come here also, stay here also, we can communicate with more people, impart the training about non-violence, compassion etc. here also. They cannot come here…"
Samani give lectures and conduct meditation camps wherever they are, continuing what Chitrabhanu started by representing Jainism at global religious conferences.
At the 2004 Barcelona Parliament of World's Religion: "They became the center of attraction and curiosity, as many people at the conference had probably never seen a Jain monk or a nun before." Meeting with the samaniji felt different from my experience with ascetics in India, which could be because of the differences between the individual ascetics, the different orders, the difference between being in India and being in New Jersey (for them and for me), my different position. Most likely, all of these factors, and others I haven't thought of, combine to produce something different, which is still very Jain.
Mudit Pragya asked me if I could arrange a talk or a Preksha meditation workshop at my school, and while I am thankful that this request disrupted my notion of our roles, and what we could expect from each other, the line between proselytizing and teaching is blurry, particularly blurred when a part of the mission is clearly stated as "spread(ing) the universal message of Jain philosophy and Jain wisdom to the world" (JVB website). Still, while promotion of Jainism is a part of the Samana Order, it was created primarily "for the spiritual care of Jain people living abroad" (JVB website).
During our conversation, Mudit Pragya felt very strongly about the need for ascetic representation outside of India, "people need more religious guidance here. In India people get sadhvi, samanaji. Here, people don't have here. People are unhappy, need more inner peace. If we come here, give service, it is selflessness, impartial, we give peace, new inspiration. Here they need more guidance. We devote our lives to mankind to guide, train people to live life peacefully. We feel happy to be here. We feel it is more important to be here. Nothing can give peace except spirituality. We show path, and where to go…"
Sangh Pragya elaborates on the ways that their knowledge builds connection, "the people who live here, they cannot get the real scriptural knowledge and religious knowledge. How they can get? So, if we come here, then they can sit with us, they can query to us. We can answer them, impart our knowledge among them, so we also feel happy also. Both the things are side by side… our main aim is to spread the humanity wherever we can…" Mudit Pragya continued, talking about the benefits of and for the samani to travel to different places "Sometimes we also feel we learn a lot of things from there, where we live, where we stay, so here also we learn a lot of things, because here's more of opportunity, and more comfort to learn to get knowledge to acquire experience, so this is good." She elaborates on the reciprocity that Marcus Banks talks about regarding the connection between ascetics and non-ascetic Jains. It is interesting to hear Mudit Pragya talk about place-based enjoyment, or the benefit of being in one place or another, considering the apparent ambivalence or disregard for location.
With the Samana Order, different concepts of space, place and time are being enacted. As argued by Doreen Massey in Place, Space and Gender, place is interactions and actions, and for the samani, place is also interactions and actions, as guided by a guru. The samani go wherever they are told to go, and seemingly with no preference, as Mudit Pragya explained, "I go wherever my gurudev tells me to go. For me, mentally, it is all the same. We are living here, surrounding material things, but inwardly we don't feel different."
As a samani, Mudit Pragyahas traveled to the US, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Canada, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Israel, Romania, France, Taiwan, Singapore, Nepal and China, conducting Preksha meditation camps and seminars, attending conferences and conventions regarding Jainism.
For samani, as for most people who use different modes of transportation, there are multiple meanings and experiences of distance and time, but for the samani, this is especially marked by place. Place, which happens to be India, where the guru leads them on walks, where they only walk, and place as away from their guru, where they use planes, trains and cars. As Mudit Pragya told me, "In India we go everywhere by walking, wherever we go, we go by foot, it takes time. Some place that takes five minutes by car takes a half hour for us. Time is different. In India we go by foot, time is spent differently." She continued to describe how samani in India rarely use technology that facilitates temporal efficiency or speed, "The convenience of using things, the working process is different, it's easy to spread the message to others, electronic media is fast here. Living at the center you can spread the message easier. Even though all this is used in India too, in India samaniji don't use email and phone because there are so many followers living close, we don't need email or phone, we don't involve ourselves, our time goes into different activities."
Time, place and space interact in different ways, and are differently experienced, while the position and devotion of the samani supposedly remains the same, regardless of place, space and their relationship to time. Yet, place does have a meaning, in terms of social relations. The energy from the guidance and support that the samani get from their interaction with their guru is different from the energy they get from the Jains in New Jersey, and this is different from the energy the Jains in New Jersey get from the ascetics who travel to guide them. Mudit Pragya told me about the reason for returning to India, "… this is our discipline, we also need more guidance, we also need energy, recharge our battery to work more and more in good way. That's why we go back to India."
We can see clearly how localities like Iselin, New Jersey, Orlando, Florida, Houston, Texas, Ladnun, Rajasthan, or any place the samani travel to, are "about the intersection of social activities and social relations and, crucially, activities and relations which are necessarily, by definition, dynamic and changing" (Massey, 136). For samani, who have no choice as to where they travel, and conceivably no attachment to localities, to places or people in places, geography and social relations are temporal, and always unpreferentially changing. Yet, there are contradictions, as there are multiple interpretations of place and space, as understood by the multiple subjects involved in this kind of exchange. While non-attachment is a goal, and a part of the samani practice, during my interview, the two younger samaniji I met alluded to missing their non-traveling guru and ascetics.
Sangh Pragyatold me,
"Actually it's not possible to put words to an experience, but I can say that when we left the first time our country, because we were brought up there, we got everything from there and when we come that far, here… so it's very difficult actually, but we are dedicated to our guru, if our guru has decided to send us here and we see also what is the aim behind it. If we can do anything for our order, if we can do anything for our guru then we are ready. We can face any difficulty, we can turn our guru's decisions and our desires."
She qualifies her longing by stating her dedication, but I wonder in what other ways the distance could be difficult, beyond feelings of attachment. Sangh Pragya continued, "it is difficult, in fact if I can say, that it is very difficult to stay here far from our guru, from our other samanijis, our nuns and our monks, everything, our society also. Because here, there is also a community and many American people are there also, but everything is different, the atmosphere is different. You can experience that. So, it's difficult and also we came here because of our dedication towards our guru…"
Again, the commitment to the Samana Order seems to neutralize her desire, but there is certainly a longing for place, as place is marked by her social relationships: the guru and the other ascetics. Besides social interactions, place is also the relationship to things, such as technologies, which enact something different on social relations. Mudit Pragya spoke about phones, and cars making communication easier in the States, but do the technologies make communication easier because of the technologies themselves, or because of the distance between people in New Jersey, or because walking or talking is different in Iselin? I walk all over New York, distances that people who take cars are often surprised by, but when I walked from the Jain Visha Bharati Center to the train station, I felt like I was on a major expedition. My ten-minute walk along the side of the highway, trucks speeding past me, felt like an hour, my discomfort and fear of the fast cars created a larger memory to fill a longer time period than would be expected from the actual' distance between the house and the station.
As mobile subjects, the samanis enact mobile concepts of space and place, in terms of dynamic social relations, creating alternate meanings in Jainism and in response to changing times. As we saw through Sangh Pragya's response to being in New Jersey, space is not singular, and is understood by different people, differently. Place too, must be understood as particular and unique, nodes of and within networks of social relations, experiences, interpretations, and moments, in relation toothers. It seems obvious to say that Sangh Pragya and Mudit Pragya would have different conceptions of Iselin, New Jersey and the JVB Center, though they both arrived and are departing at the same time, and spent every day with each other. What is interesting to me though, are the differences in light of their shared devotion, belief systems and practices of Jainism. This further attests to the multiplicity of possibilities within Jainism, and to the multiple understandings and experiences of place.
We can see that place is multiply experienced, and socially differentiated, in terms of who moves and who doesn't, and the power involved in such decisions. The identity of the nuns, as samani, is made clear by their departure from India.
In India, especially during pilgrimages, or walks, there is no way to see any difference between the sadhvi and samani, they both wear white cloth, they both follow their guru, but outside of India, it becomes clear that the ascetic is a samani, because she has obviously traveled by other means than her feet.
Samanis travel because their guru tells them to, and while they don't question the motives or the reasons why they were chosen as samani and not sadhvi, Mudit Pragya shared some ideas with me about this, "In 25 years, so many samanijis are initiated in this rank, but after that, our guru also turns some into sadvhi, so this is also the flow, samani to sadvhi, and sometimes they give initiation directly to sadhvi… There are some reasons, it depends on guru, and guru decides if there are some special qualities, if he thinks that this girl is proper, able to go out and spread the message and she can communicate. And capacity of experience, capacity of knowledge is one part. And number two is sometimes he thinks in our order, in our sect, what kinds of needs. In sadhvi, sometimes they need more sadhvis, sometimes they need more samaniji. They make balance."
Samani occupy different positions, and different physical and social spaces, their mobility completely dependent on the ways that the guru understands the individual, or the way that he understands the ascetic order. Supposedly, the relationship between sadhvi and samani is not hierarchical, as discussed, sometimes samani are chosen for particular qualities and sometimes an individual is chosen for the collective needs of the order.
Sangh Pragya told me that the nuns are happy with each position, "It's decided by our guru, we are dedicated, we can also be sadhvi, we want to be sadhvi, but if our guru wants us as a samani, and if we return and he gives our initiation as sadhvi then we are ready for that." There are, however, elements of power and control both from within the Samana Order and outside, which could create diverse social effects, reflecting, and reinforcing order. Mudit Pragya talked about the guru's position of power," Also all samaniji, monks and nuns they come to guru, and if we have emergency we can ask, and we can stay somewhere." The guru, it seems, makes all decisions about movement.
Once a year, guru Acharya Mahapragya gathers the sadhvi, sadhu, saman, samani, and other Jain followers for an event and a special kind of pilgrimage. The newly arrived Sharda Pragya and the other samaniji she traveled with were going to miss the event that Mudit Pragya and Sangh Pragya were returning to India for, as described by Mudit Pragya, "So in our sect we have one function once a year, a big function, and on that occasion all monks and nuns and samaniji we gather over there with our guru, at that function he guides us for the future, this function comes in January or sometimes in February." The reason for their granted absence from this function, was due to another, external kind of power, which was to affect the position of the two samani. The US embassy granted a year-long visa to Mudit Pragya and Sangh Pragya, but only a two and a half month visa to the other samani, and this was given in November, as Sharda Pragya explained "we were granted only two and a half month visa, and it was expiring, so that's why he sent us, because of the embassy, and opportunity…" Sometimes power comes from unanticipated places, but it too enacts change and different relationships to place, space and time, for individuals and for groups.
The samani's purpose, as mobile agents, is to inhabit social spaces, articulating social relations. They take spatial form in and through their interactions with one another, and with the other Jain followers. One way that Doreen Massey thinks about space is as particular moments in intersecting social relations, nets which are "constructed, interacted with one another, decayed and renewed. Some of these relations will be, as it were, contained within the place; others will stretch beyond it, tying any particular locality into wider relations and processes in which other places are implicated too" (Massey, 120). The interactions between Jain followers and the ascetics produce thought, spiritual connection, information that is marked by, but lasts beyond the interaction. The JVB Center, evacuated by its samani for the moment, is still marked as a Jain site, the blessings the samaniji gave before their departure are still with the Jain follower, even though the samani are in India. The global is in the local. In the process of the formation of the local, the nuns bring their expertise, their 'authority' from India, but it is conceivable that this authenticity can be born here as well.
As Mudit Pragya told me, "Anyone can be a samana or samaniji in here or India, Jain or non-Jain, anybody he or she wants to be samana/samaniji can be, he can live religious and spiritual life." The new relationships produce multiple possibilities and identities. "The geography of social relations forces us to recognize our interconnectedness, and underscores the fact that both personal identity and the identity of those envelopes of space-time in which and between which we live and move (and have our 'Being') are constructed precisely through that interconnectedness" (Massey, 122).
Through varying interactions, movements, linkages, contradictions, collaborations, we get a global, and perhaps a universal sense of space, geographies of similarity and geographies of difference, fully linked and integrated through ideas, within Jainism. The networks of thought are not place-bound, and are constantly changing and extending, to unforeseen local and global places.
Global Flows, travel and(dis)placement
The interface of global and local is not oppositional, but relational. The two scales create and constitute one other, interact and influence each other, making new and increasingly complicated and interconnected combinations of places as situations. For the samani there is little space allowed for the markings of travel, but the movement certainly enacts effects, both for the ascetic subject, as described by Sangh Pragya's yearning for her ascetic community in India, and Mudit Pragya's discussion about technology making communication easier in New Jersey.
The samani's travel surely affects those who share a space with her as well — the Jain community in Iselin is affected by the presence of the samaniji who leads daily meditation, and weekly yoga, gives teachings and blessings. The non-Jains in Iselin are also affected by the presence of the ascetics; the JVB neighbors who decorate their houses with Christmas lights must be aware of the surplus of visitors next door, and their children might have been in a class where the nuns came to give a presentation.
In their article 'Beyond "Culture": Space, Identity, and the politics of Difference,' Akhil Gupta and James Ferguson consider global changes through "the invention of new forms of cultural difference and new forms of imagining community. Something like a transnational public sphere has certainly rendered any strictly bounded sense of community or locality obsolete" (Gupta and Ferguson, 9).
While India travels with the samaniji the religion in some ways circumvents nationalism. It is Jainism that the samaniji is bringing to New Jersey, and it is the religion that forms connections across national lines.
Appadurai discusses derritorialization in Modernity at Large, as a post-national social order, a condition for cultural interconnectedness, and the negotiation and production of new cultural meanings (Appadurai, 36). The new places that the samani visit are possible through new technologies that change the relationship between time, space and place, allowing the formation of new networks, communities, identities, understandings and relationships to and with Jainism. The fact that the ascetics are all from India problemetizes a non-national understanding of Jainism, but the link between religion and place is not necessary, if we understand place through social relations. As Jain ascetics, and non-ascetic Jains move, and as Jain ascetics move to be near non-ascetics, there are more possibilities for different social relations forming strong, and different Jain bases outside of India.
Home and away are temporally shifting categories that mean different things to different people, as affected by personal, cultural, historical, religious and political experience. Relaxed US political policies regarding immigration and visitation happened around the same time as the creation of the more lenient Samana Order, which allowed ascetics to travel to the US. But, as seen by visa restrictions, this is not a linear trajectory. Changes could be made at any time, changing the ways that the ascetics reach the world, and the ways that the transnational, global Jains can be reached by the ascetics. When I spoke to Mudit Pragya about the differences between Orlando, where she stayed for four months three years ago, and New Jersey, she told me "the unity of community in Florida is the same. There, there is some more of a religious community, the center is there for 10 years – – they know more, they get more knowledge, they learn a lot of things about spirit… Here, it's just 3 years, so due to time, there is a little difference. Here they need more guidance and knowledge." Mudit Pragya notes the changes in the religious community of Florida, due to the samani presence. In ten years, Jain religious knowledge and spirituality has grown. New Jersey is seven years behind.
Neither India nor the US, however, can be seen as having original or authentic versions of Jainism, because both produce their own authenticities, their own subjects, their own real versions of Jainism and Jain identity. While it is common for newly arrived Indians to view India as home, the longer individuals or families make homes outside of India, or the longer they stay in a different place, the more likely they are to think of home differently, or at least multiply.
Through a Jain lens, there should be a way to understand home as neither India nor the US, but both, or neither, through non-attachment. Again, place is formed by social relations, and for the ascetics, home refers to a religious community. The Samanijis I spoke with did not necessarily miss India, but they did miss their religious community. There are possibilities for reconfigurations of home and away, non-binary feelings towards exile or home, placement or displacement, location or dislocation. With the movement of the nuns, and the formation of another kind of link to the Jain religion in New Jersey (and elsewhere), there are possibilities for destabilizing conventions of an authentic other, because the other can be here.
Still, feelings of connection and authenticity are, of course, contingent and based on multiple factors and interactions, in relation to history, used to unpack the notion of shared orcommon experience (Kaplen, 25).
The emergence of certain kinds of subjects, like Jain nuns and a Jain community in New Jersey are contingent upon, and formed in relation to, social and religious change. Home, as an authentic base, is not an intrinsic territory, rather, it is the construction of clusters of identity. It can also be seen as a particular construction, given Jain imaginaries or ideologies of non-attachment. The meaning of travel and expatriation can be seen through a Jain ascetic disregard, or ambivalence for place. As Mudit Pragya explains, "We don't have any individual choice, because we get everything, because we don't have any materialistic desires, we are spiritual, totally spiritual, we want to be more and more spiritual, and that can be got only free from desires. So these material things we don't feel to get all these things. Whenever we visit pilgrimage and any other places, it is just we visit for our knowledge and to get experience, not for fun and notentertainment."
Collaborations, creation of Jainism as multiple
So how can we reconcile the ambivalence towards place through practices of non-attachment, and then the articulations of preference? I've talked about how Jainism exists differently for different people, and how the Samana Order offers another Jainism, another practice, on the bodies of the nuns, on the minds of Jain followers and on the religion itself, in very interconnected ways.
Annemarie Mol unpacks parts of things which are not fragments showing that "to be is to be related." "The drawing together of adiversity of objects into a single name involves various modes of coordination"(Mol). My thing is Jainism, and Jainism is comprised of many holy books, many saints, and many people, coordinated in and as different practices. "If an object is real this is because it is a part of a practice. It is a reality enacted" (Mol). Jainism exists as a practice, practiced differently by different people.
Anna Tsing's concept of friction can be applied to the different enactments of Jainism, the different intersections and interferences between each person, version, act, action, enactment. In this way I am conflating the Jain religion with Jain followers and ascetics, seeing the two as inextricably linked, by extending the possibilities for many versions of the religion existing for the many different followers and practitioners. Tsing's ideas about fragments, "the ways in which stories engage with and create the materiality of the world," show how materiality moves through stories, accounts and exchanges, creating life and a complexity of relationships that go into the creation of identity. Multiple Jain identities are enacted through encounters between individuals and groups across national, transnational, and global difference, creating new configurations of and for individual and cultural identity, as a multiple Jain identity.
Difference can be seen as a site of connection, and different meanings or intentions, produce information, and action, different versions of Jainism, different Jain understandings, possibly as universal, "To turn to universals is to identify knowledge that moves-mobile and mobilizing — across localities and cultures" (Tsing, 7). The socially constructed spaces and places through collaborations produce "productive friction of global connections," "contingent lineages," and "shards of genealogies through which presents are formed" (Tsing 127).
The present state of Jainism is a particularly collaborative site, contingent and mobile, a time where we can locate possibilities for future alliances. Jainism is truly at an interesting place, considering the recent opening of the religion through the Samana Order, of mobile subjects who have 'expert' ascetic knowledge, thus resulting in, or enacting new connections and practices. Yet, each aspect of Jainism, as it exists for the non-ascetic Jain living in India, the ascetic living in India, the ascetic living abroad, or the non-ascetic living outside of India keeps its own scale.
It is possible that none, or only some of the different experiences with Jainism, will interact with each other, meet in physical or ideological planes, but there are possibilities for more interaction given the new possibilities created within some of the spheres. Marilyn Strathern approaches culture as practice and process — ideas, action, things are constantly being made and remade, as are meanings in relation to the constant process, through "radiating relations" (Stratherm,68).
Strathern explores the multiplicity and plurality through which connections are made, showing how relativism reveals everything as partial, and that recurrence of relations generates information, theory, knowledge and experience. A particular Digambur sadhu might not actively participate in this new mobile Jainism, but others who do, a samaniji in Houston, or an American in Delhi, affect the Digambur sadhu, and affect Jainism, through their knowledge of and experience with Jainism. Through performance and enactment of social relationships, there is space for identity development, and possibilities for change, "In making connections visible, people assert their ever-present capacity to act upon them" (Strathern 102). Strathern elaborates, showing how relationships constantly change and develop, creating "layering versions and complex outgrowths" of and in relation to each other. Seen in this way, Jainism is multiple, and whole in each version, and each version interacts with others, especially and more often through accelerated contact and connection with each other.
Through the movement of the samaniji, Jains and Jainism experience other versions of Jains and Jainism, which are fully Jain. Jains living internationally experience another Jainism beside, or along side texts, ritual, prayer, and the ascetics who they may encounter when they go to India. New inspiration and teachings can affect new kinds of relationships to the religion, and new versions of it as well, which fall within the parameters, while simultaneously extending and stretching beyond. It is interesting now to think about what gets taken and what gets left behind through translation and transportation of this multiply understood, experienced and practiced Jainism, and how each version affects new and different understandings. It is interesting also, to think about the reasons why changes are made, the needs that are fulfilled by change and the changes that are possible and inevitable for the future.
In Modernity at Large, Arjun Appadurai describes how the transnational flows of people, goods and knowledge become imaginative resources for creating communities under the increasingly growing globally-defined possibilities (Appadurai 1996).
The 2000 census reported 1.5 million Indians living in the US, but various internet sources range from 2-2.5 million
My mother, who is not Indian, also goes to Oak Tree Road with my non-Indian stepfather to eat food, and buy groceries, but different kinds of groceries than the kind my stepmother buys. It is important for me to mention that Iselin is known outside of Indian communities as well.
Moksa can be understood in different ways, but generally it is understood as the realization of the soul's true nature, and liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth, the suffering and limitation of worldly existence
Again, according to Jainism, desire, or attachment to/for anything ultimately leads to unhappiness
I have not found anywhere a reason why nuns must wear cloth, besides keeping men from feelings of desire. The debate about the sexuality of the female body is long and ongoing. Svetambars acknowledge that the reasons why nuns wear cloth are not personal, but societal.
The Samana Order of the Svetambar Therapanthi sect, which I am concerned with in this paper are non-image/idol worshipers, and believe in religious and transcendental work, such as teaching others Jain doctrine, as the way towards spiritual advancement.
Varzi discussed ritual repetition, and practice in relation to subject and identity formation in Warring Souls.
I generally don't use the term laity or lay person, because this connotes a strong separation, or distinction between ascetics and non-ascetics, which I don't want to reify. I haven't found the right word, but generally I use Jain followers or non-ascetic Jains.
In 1965 the US INS act loosened immigration restrictions, a major factor in the growth of Indian immigration
Taussig talks about this through the Cuna, and I find that it matches other spiritual, ideological conceptions as well.
Jain ascetics try to avoid causing harm and causing anyone else to commit harmful act, and since preparing food is considered violent, ascetics try not to take food prepared specifically for them.
See footnote 8.
This is taken from a website www.jaina.org. I add this quote only to show the perception of Jains as being largely unknown or overlooked, and the reason for this has generally, or popularly been seen as a result of the ban on transportation for ascetics.
My feelings about proselytizing aside, I was always told that it was not a part of the Jain religion. It is more difficult for me to reconcile changes in philosophy, but again, it is important to see this change as a part of Jainism.
I can't say taking place, and I find Annemarie Mol's position and understanding of enactment to be helpful.
I don't know whether the samaniji use transportation in India in the same way as they do in the US. I will need to find out if they use trains or planes to reach a lecture, or teach meditation, or if they take a car to go to the airport.
I use energy not in a mystical sense, but because Mudit Pragya uses it to talk about what she gets from being in India. Energy here can be seen as a type of interaction.
I am not questioning Sangh Pragya'a dedication or spirituality, but I use this example as a way to show the different responses, possibilities that fall within a Jain conception of devotion. The fact that Sangh Pragya misses India does not not make her an ascetic.
The movement of the samani can also be seen in terms of gender, and construction of gender relations, as it is the nuns and not monks who travel. The fact that it is women who are moving is interesting, and will need more exploration and explanation. I hope to explore the spatial politics of this gender division in the future.
It is important to mention here that there are countless interpretive possibilities. Just because a family has been in one place for a long time, does not mean that they are more likely to view that place as home then a newly arrived immigrant
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Experiences from Jade and Cass, as they reflect on the end of their physical transitional journeys and their treatment from Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic.
CW: discussion of surgery/medical treatment, non-binary erasure.
Some days, lying in bed and having the 3am meltdown, I never thought it was possible to even think these words. Over. My surgical transition is over. Done.
Due to my hysterectomy, my final gender related surgery which happened on the 21st April, having some exciting complications leading me to bag two surgeries for the price of one – I never really had the space to appreciate the fact that I will never be feel abused by Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic again. Ever. I will never suffer humiliation from the clinicians or have to lie about my gender identity to try and get necessary medical treatment. I won’t have to face crushing depression after each appointment, too scared to complain in case any chance of surgery is taken from me. It will never be a place of dread to me – never again.
I’ve suppressed a lot of the things that happened to me since I joined Charing Cross at 18. Four years of my life have been spent seeing clinician after clinician, a morbid merry go round of scrutiny about my gender, in a place where you would think a trans person could be honest in seeking help. At various moments, I was threatened with having my hormone treatment taken away from me because I took inspiration from the model Andreja Pejic’s femininity, had surgery I was certain about delayed for three years while doctors discussed holding ‘panel meetings’ about me because I was a ‘problem’, and being asked leading and humiliating questions about what clothes I wore – I was six years in comfortable transition by that point.
Coming out the other side of my physical transition should feel cathartic. But all that I can associate with it is the sting and ache of every gruelling 45 minutes and the shock at the ignorance of all of the clinicians I saw. It got to the point where I had to take an older, cisgender advocate with me to make sure I had a witness (I subsequently got better treatment), but above everything I’m frustrated – I’m frustrated that people younger than me and people who aren’t as far along on their journey and who desperately need help may most likely come up against the same barriers. Non-binary people seeking medical help at the GIC come across this disgustingly regularly.
Like a lot of non-binary people, I was initially out to the people I saw there, testing the waters and not wanting to lie immediately. Soon, that stopped. I realised that I was seen as a problem case – something odd, something that disturbed a daily routine of dishing out help for normative binary gendered people. One of my friends, Cass, who advocates for non-binary rights in the UK under the name of Mx Activist, has also been through the GIC process. At the moment, we’re both recovering from hysterectomy surgery together, and we got talking about our NHS experiences. Unlike myself, who went back in the closet, they have been consistently out about being non-binary. While they were initially unsure what to expect, they told me: “I was fully prepared to be outright rejected for being non-binary, and just wanted to be a statistic in the system, showing the NHS that non-binary people exist. I was pleasantly surprised to be taken seriously by many of the doctors”.
An appointment they had with a non-binary savvy clinician reassured them that they would be taken seriously: “My first appointment with an accepting clinician at Charing Cross was such a relief. I came out glowing, because someone got me and understood what I was going through.”However, their first appointment at Charing Cross had been less than good: “My first ever appointment with a much less accepting doctor had worried me a lot,” they told me. “He’d ignored much of what I’d said, twisted things, made a big deal of my alcoholic father who left when I was 6, made up psychiatric things about me, at one point called me “this”, and misgendered me throughout the letter.”
My experiences with this particular clinician were similar. I was treated with suspicion and condescension despite being happy and in transition for two years at that point. The doctor’s advice and input ranged from going off the subject of gender identity completely, instead assessing my character and lifestyle when I said I was an artist (‘work in the catering industry and pay your mum rent’), to puzzling over why I was even happy with my gender presentation in the first place and assuring me that I wasn’t right for testosterone, and if it was up to him only, treatment would be withdrawn.
I slunk back into my closet, never to venture out again. I presented as male, only hinting at some queerness and having to – every time – assure the person who I was seeing that yes, I’m still a man but ‘sometimes I wear women’s clothes’. Eyebrows raised. I didn’t like talking about it. My last appointment went out with a bang (or maybe a fizzle) as I was checked in by the receptionists there who didn’t bother to tell the doctor I had turned up. I waited for an hour without being seen, as they had forgotten I was in the empty waiting room. Aside from the ignorance of some of the doctors, the administrative system at Charing Cross is a legendary challenge all of the trans people who are ‘in the system’ try to brave – Cass told me that doctors letters are still being sent to the wrong house address… One and a half years after repeated requests to stop.
The thing is – really, there can’t be progress made with GICs without non-binary people fighting for treatment and visibly demanding it. However, that’s difficult to do, as the price paid for visibility could well be situations like the ones above – feeling like crap, lying clinicians meddling with medical records, and eventual unceremonious discharge. It’s a Catch 22. When I asked Cass why they wanted to be out at Charing Cross, knowing the dangers of it, they told me: “I wanted to be myself and I wanted the NHS to see that I was really non-binary and really trans and really needed their help. I wanted people who came after me to have an easier time of it, and being myself as hard as I could seemed the best way to achieve that. I could have lied but I wouldn’t have liked it, it would have caused me a lot of stress and guilt.”
However, Cass had the interesting opportunity to be a ‘guinea pig’ for something new happening at Charing Cross. Cass is not on hormone treatment, but because they are non-binary, they have been asked to keep attending the clinic for three years after their top surgery, which they had in November 2014. They said: “From what the lead clinician told me, this is because the NHS and Charing Cross lack data on non-binary people and transition, particularly how people are in the following years. He told me they’re curious about whether I decide to complete a ‘typical binary FTM transition’, whether I am happy in the following years, and what some factors might be in that satisfaction.”
Despite there being many non-binary people in the UK who could provide anecdotal evidence of living successfully post-surgery and non-hormones as non-binary, many have had no option but to fund surgery and hormone treatment privately, being told that they’re effectively ‘not trans enough’. I’m lucky that I was able to get hormones funded privately at 16; I don’t fancy my chances of being a young non-binary femme and trying to convince doctors that I needed ‘masculinising’ physical changes to happen, despite being on the feminine end of the trans spectrum.
What’s happening with Cass seems like a new development for UK GICs, and they also told me that the lead clinician is cautious about wanting to make sure that ‘no one is treated who shouldn’t be’. “He said they would treat a small handful of non-binary patients whom they thought would be very likely to be satisfied, and if it worked out they would use the information from those patients to widen the criteria and treat more non-binary people,” Cass told me.
Of course, what treatment you need from the GIC will affect what sort of reception you’re likely to get – objectively, both Cass and I think we’ve had an easier time of it, albeit for different reasons; I was able to utilise my support network and get advocacy while already being in transition, and Cass reckons it’s because their transition is more apparently linear. They said: “I am taking half of a traditional FTM transition by wanting top surgery but no hormones, walking halfway to what they think is a more legitimate destination. I think others who have needs less like traditional binary trans needs have a much harder time of it. For example, imagine a new GIC patient born without ovaries and who has a flat chest, who wants oestrogen, but doesn’t want breasts. Breasts could be prevented by removing the breast buds, but if the clinicians knew that the patient didn’t want breasts, they would not prescribe oestrogen. The patient must then lie and grow unwanted breasts in order to get the hormone treatment they need, and if those breasts cause dysphoria the patient will have to bind and may need surgery later on – and might be classed by the NHS as a “detransitioner”. It’s a special kind of transphobia with linear binary blinkers.”
Intersex conditions, unwanted effects of treatment that cause dysphoria and finding solutions to work around them are all things that GIC doctors should be dealing with proactively and sensitively, as they may all affect how a person wants to transition. But if a patient who has a seemingly ‘straightforward’ transition path has to jump through hoops or self-censor, then non-binary people who provide the GIC with ‘problems’ in terms of treatment are definitely getting the rougher end.
So, what’s a person to do when faced with the challenges of existing in a system that’s difficult for non-binary people to get the care they need?
I find that keeping solidarity and seeking support from others going through the same things is a vital way of affirming your experiences: remember, that whatever you are going through with the GIC – you are not alone in this. Despite that being the horrible truth, there are people who know what you’re experiencing and who have come out the other side. Seek stories, help, and guidance.
Protect and care for yourself, even though you feel the clinicians are not caring for you. Take an advocate with you if needed to your appointments, plan good things afterwards, manage your expectations and your moods and make sure you are safe on your journey home after the appointment, at a time where you may be feeling most vulnerable.
Know that your gender is valid and the treatment you need to have is valid. Even though you may feel you have to, or are, jumping through hoops or not disclosing aspects of your gender identity for safety reasons – your gender is valid – be that your identity, terms you want to describe it as, or your expression. All medical treatment for trans people is a necessity, and non-binary people are no exception. Gender manifests itself in complex ways and bodies need different things; for example, even though I identify as a non-binary woman, I have undergone breast reduction and a hysterectomy and six years of hormone therapy because that is what being trans is to me. This is how my gender manifests itself in my body – and that is valid. I could not live any other way.
It’s no secret that something has to happen to make sure we get the proper medical gender specific treatment we need from GICs. I asked Cass what would have made their experience more pleasant: “My experience would have been much more pleasant if there was clear and explicit protocol telling clinicians to use singular “they” if we ask them to, because there is one particular doctor who “interprets” the guidelines to allow him to use he or she for me in spite of my written and verbal requests to the contrary. I had a feeling that the clinic as a whole was out of touch with non-binary people, but I’m not sure how they can resolve that without that lead clinician listening to us and treating us with respect. He told me that he’s been working there for many years, and they’ve treated many non-binary people – and then he said that he didn’t want to diagnose me with gender dysphoria, and he misgendered me despite my asking him to use singular “they” for me on paper and in person. A clinic with a lead clinician with this attitude, that my gender is just a phase or a result of my own confusion, can’t really fully support me.”
It seems like a losing battle when the root of the issue is so deeply entrenched in the staff who are currently working there. It’s difficult to run an awareness session for people who have spent many years in ignorance working in a field where they are considered experts, or to get a message across when you are the person being oppressed. However, by speaking about our experiences, supporting one another, and trying to find ways of putting pressure on the GICs to support and provide every non-binary person with the treatment they need, small steps to change can be enacted, and we can begin the process to healing.
Action for Trans Health surveyed 121 non-binary people about their experiences receiving gender related healthcare: http://actionfortranshealth.org.uk/2015/02/22/non-binary-survey-preliminary-results/
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Power Shift: from a politics of persecution to solidarity
Donald Trump's US Presidential election victory, the outcome of Britain's EU referendum, and Theresa May's misplaced confidence regarding this Thursday's British national election (8 June) didn't come from nowhere.
After decades of neo-liberalism orchestrated by governments across the globe and xenophobia perpetuated by media narratives and political rhetoric, 2016 saw momentous shifts in our political landscape. It was also the hottest year on record. Combined, these forces have devastating impacts for poor people, black, brown, indigenous people, women and non-binary folk, and for millions of people in Central Asia, across the Horn of Africa, and in the Pacific who cannot protect themselves from the climate crisis that industrialised countries created in the first place. In the face of this, though, comes a fightback – from ballot boxes and beyond.
Young people, and communities most impacted have been at the forefront of this fightback. From the indigenous led No DAPL (No Dakota Access Pipeline) movement fighting on the frontlines of fossil fuel infrastructure development to the Samsung workers organizing secret unions, across the globe, people are rising up against injustice. In order to challenge the gains of the right in recent years, and build a successful and sustainable resistance to injustice, we need a new generation of citizens equipped with the skills, knowledge and passion to take action. Banks, big business and elites are powerful. But together, we are more powerful.
Since British Prime Minister Theresa May called for a general election on 18 April, an incredible 1.05 million young people in the UK registered to vote. Young people are rejecting anti-migrant vitriol, looming post-Brexit trade agreements that threaten human rights and weaken environmental obligations, arms sales to countries with repressive reputations, and further delays to the required decisive action needed on climate change.
But, democracy won't end on 8 June. From 5-9 July in Manchester, People & Planet is bringing together dozens of student activists from across the UK and Ireland to meet, skill-share and get trained up to run powerful campaigns that win tangible change at our annual summer training event – Power Shift. We want to help enable a new generation of movement builders committed to addressing the systemic causes of oppression, climate devastation and inequity.
We'll be joined by experienced and dedicated campaigners, from War on Want, Anti-Raids Network, Movement for Justice and No DAPL.
Over the course of these five days, students will be supported to create successful and sustainable strategies for social change, learn how to take effective non-violent direct action, and build powerful understandings of what practical solidarity campaigning looks like. The right has gained considerable power over the last few years, and we're running out of time to shift away from rule by elite power, toward justice.
We'll be asking, what does a world without human and environmental destruction look like? How do we build movements that are led by the people most impacted by injustice? We'll learn campaign skills to build power and practical solidarity. We'll develop campaign strategies to fight in solidarity with communities resisting fossil fuel extraction, and build a movement with collective liberation at its heart.
Between 21 and 45 million people across the world continue to work in conditions of modern slavery, generating more than USD$150 in profits for the wealthiest corporations. Governments are tightening border controls and building walls to keep out migrants. Despite the need to keep 80 per cent of known fossil fuel reserves in the ground to avoid catastrophic climate change, the fossil fuel industry continues to explore for more opportunities to expand extraction. The need for action has never been more urgent, and nor has the need to understand that each of these crises cannot be tackled in isolation.
Join the dozens of young people from across the UK and Ireland who are coming together, coalescing and joining the dots on climate change, economic exploitation and xenophobia. Join Power Shift: Training for Change from 5-9 July in Manchester.
Book here: https://peopleandplanet.org/power-shift-2017 | {
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Hi, I'm Sophia! I'm non-binary and use they/them.
I'm a photographer who focuses a lot on birds (mostly ducks), self portraits, and forest scenes. I talk politics sometimes and bait nerds with terrible linux jokes. I'm vain af.
I cw for things related to politics, health stuff (though mostly *not* my experience with disability), violence, food, drugs. I use the sensitive media tag on anything lewd/nude/selfies. If this is a problem I won't be offended if you block or mute me.
Well this is pretty fucking good if you're on a budget and need storage. 16 quid for 512gb micro sd. 😲😳 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082518P6L/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_ZbGlEbEWQSKR6
If you're going to give me *technical* critique, not just aesthetic, then understand that you are automatically wrong anyway because my camera settings are a clusterfuck and I'm winging it. You'd be better off telling me to throw the camera into a pond
Thing is with giving artists unsolicited critique on their work is you have no idea the motivation behind their doing it and no idea what their desired outcome is.
Whatever you think they could have done to improve on it is often going to be wrong, even if you believe it's correct. Rarely are views and motivations on art going to align, and by giving unsolicited advice on how it could be done "better" you're just straight up being a dick.
@sophia i’ve been hunting in these woods all my life and i’ve never seen hide nor hair of a FOSS. something that free and open would leave a trace, wouldn’t it? but every year the FOSSers come to their little convention to talk in my backyard about software, which isn’t even real either!
no. delete. how delete posts mastodon. google how to remov post's
For every new person I get to know its like two doctors pop up to ensure there's an untold ratio continuing
sparkle sparkle, bitches | {
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The other parent
Who’s the other parent (“Paternity”)
When possible we like to use non-gendered language to honour non-binary communities. However, it can be tricky to do this when the words in the law don’t reflect gender diversity (and can quite often feel outdated).
For example, in the Care of Children Act 2004, gendered words like father and fatherhood are used to refer to the other natural biological parent (“paternal parent”). The process of figuring out or confirming who’s the other parent is referred to as “establishing legal fatherhood”.
What is paternity?
Paternity is the legal word to refer to the biological parent who is not pregnant or who has not given birth to the child. In the law this is called “fatherhood”.
Why is paternity important?
Establishing paternity can be important for many reasons, including the well-being of the child’s parents and caregivers.
Paternity can also affect a number of important legal rights and responsibilities, including:
- a parent’s entitlement to day-to-day care of, or contact with a child
- a parent’s responsibility for paying Child Support
- a child’s right to inherit property from the person they believe is their parent
- a child’s right to New Zealand citizenship (if this is based on the other parent’s citizenship).
Do you need to establish paternity to get Sole Parent Support from Work and Income?
Social Assistance Legislation (Budget 2019 Welfare Package) Amendment Act 2019, s 6
No. Work and Income don’t have the power to reduce or refuse your Sole Parent benefit if you do not name the other parent of the child.
How is paternity established?
A person will be presumed to be the father of the child if they:
- admit that they are the father (either by words or actions), or
- are named on the child’s birth certificate as the father of the child, or
- were married to you at the time of the child’s birth or if the child was born within 10 months of the marriage ending, or
- sign an Acknowledgement of Paternity document, which is also signed by the mother and is witnessed by a lawyer. | {
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A Peculiar Fascination
Select Shorts: Mixed Ratings up to R
Approximate Running Time: 82 minutes
Streaming as part of this year's Virtual Festival available only from June 10-27 on Gumroad.com/FloridaAnimationFest
Sackhead Strikes Out!
Directed by Jon Sherin
5:40 | R | New York
Sackhead Strikes Out! is a visceral gag-a-minute comedy that seeks to create a harmony between retro cartoons and modernized sensibilities. The plot centers around a miscreant lemur causing trouble at a bowling alley, who finds himself slipping down the lanes and into a surreal wackyworld wherein he learns his lesson.
Being a Dog
Directed by Felix Swahn
8:03 | R | Stockholm, Sweden
Tim is longing for love.
He’s a lonely human being who struggles with exclusion every day. Every time Tim feels different than others he transforms into a french bulldog. Ginger makes Tim feel human. Ginger is an old friend of Tim`s whom he was in love with, unrequited love. Tim collides with Ginger in the street, they talk and become friends again.
After meeting Ginger Tim becomes a dog again. This time he chooses to enjoy being a dog and sees all the possibilities of a dog`s life. It’s good to be a human being but it’s good being a dog sometimes too.
Red: The color within
Directed by William Javier La Portilla
4:42 | NC-17 | Lima, Perú
Dannae, a young artist, is in search of red paint in order to finish a canvas she’ll be presenting soon, but as the only art supply store near her is closed, and with time against her, the night presents an offer that brings out her real nature.
Are You Still Watching?
Directed by Alex Cardy, Tali Polichtuk, Kitty Chrystal
6:00 | R | , Melbourne, Australia/ Catalunya
Jamie is a 20 something year old non-binary person living in Melbourne. They’re whip-smart, creative and have an encyclopaedic knowledge of cinema and pop culture. They’re also single, bored and perpetually horny.
Forced into near-isolation during Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown, Jamie keeps themselves entertained bingeing on queer film and TV. What begins as mere escapism turns sensual when they start having sexual delusions involving their favourite queer characters. Fantasy and reality merge as they recount their erotic encounters to their physician Dr. Holland and receive an unusual diagnosis.
Are You Still Watching? explores the emancipatory power of the queer imagination, combining erotic fan fiction tropes, magical realism and a firm camp sensibility.
We Got a Problem with Groundwater
Directed by Shelby Baldock
5:00 | R | Los Angeles, California
Based on the poetry of Noah C. Lekas, 'WE GOT A PROBLEM WITH GROUNDWATER' is a surreal animated tale through the history and mindset of the horrifying working conditions of the American Midwest, as one man begins to realize his fate may very well lie in the notebooks his factory produces on a mindless day-to-day basis. | {
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Don't Miss Your Pap: Raising Awareness Around Cervical Cancer
What do we want? Fearless smears. When do we want them? NOW!
2021 kicked off with Cervical Cancer Awareness Week and the news that a worrying 70 to 80 per cent of women who missed their smear last year cited embarrassment (amongst other factors) as a reason for doing so. Alarmingly, over 600,000 cervical screening appointments were postponed or cancelled during the first lockdown in April/May 2020.
Enter Misspap X Eve Appeal: their mission? To encourage "women, trans men, intersex individuals or anyone who identifies as non-binary with a cervix, to stay vigilant about their body changes and promote fearless smears". Armed with a striking red underwear set (complete with poppers so you can literally just pop those briefs off and hop on the examination bed), the Don’t Miss your Pap campaign aimed to raise awareness around gettin' those cervical screening booked in and drive funding for research into gynae cancers.
We caught up with Vijaya Varilly, the driving force behind this sold-out (and now back by popular demand) set and vital campaign to find out more about the inspiration behind Don't Miss your Pap and how we all can push past those awks feelings when talking about our intimate health.❤️
Hi Vijaya, huge congratulations on the launch! 100% of sales from The Pap Sets goes to the Eve Appeal, the UK’s leading gynaecological cancer charity. What was the inspiration behind this partnership?
Thanks so much, it’s been a journey and the way it came back full circle for the positive felt really fulfilling. The inspiration behind this partnership came from my twin sister and I working in the communications industry. We work on separate things, but as I was going through every emotion under the sun last year, we both thought - WHY do women not talk about this issue openly, and why aren’t brands, who have the ideal target audience doing more?! MissPap, (who’s target demographic were the women we needed to reach out to) has always been such a forward-facing brand; they have always put women’s health and well-being first and have a really distinct, relatable attitude. We decided we would approach them to see if they would be interested. Samantha Helligsø, MissPap’s CEO literally saw our “Don’t Miss Your Pap” pitch and replied, “let’s fucking do this”. 💪 That response propelled us forward, and we knew that this was so more than just a partnership, it was a movement. Misspap are now fully committed to this movement, and we’re really proud that we helped make that happen.
How can we learn to push past the all too common ‘uncomfortable feelings’ that arise when talking about our intimate health?
We are never going to sort these alarming numbers out if we don’t feel comfortable talking about anything south of the river. Yes, barriers are breaking down, and stigmas are slowly diminishing, but we still have a long way to go. There’s a responsibility for both men and women, but there’s a lot more that can be done via companies and brands. Discretion is clearly the enemy, and although we are seeing more realistic depictions of women experiencing cervical issues in lots of mediums, we’re only going to proper headway if we continue to talk and share our stories.
Three months on, how can we keep the conversation around fearless smears going beyond Cervical Cancer Prevention Week? 💬
Talk about your periods, the mood swings, the pain and all the other bits in between 24/7; it’s not ugly or gross, it’s natural and necessary and makes us who we are. Be loud and proud with family, friends and colleagues about the physical and mental impact of what you’re going through, after all, sharing is caring.
Recent work by BodyForm has helped educate and shift the conversation around this topic by sharing the complex, emotional and traumatic stories of women everywhere via their #wombstories campaign; it’s leaps and bounds ahead of old ads proudly showing how their tampons are as discrete as sweets (eye roll), but we still have a long way to go.
Prior to my experience, I had suffered from horrendous period pains but never felt comfortable bringing it up in the workplace. It never felt like a “good-enough” excuse to ask for a day off. But, I will never take that attitude again, workplaces need to overtly call it out, and encourage women to speak up if they have any cervical issues, because the physical and mental toll of these conditions is really significant. In addition to this, I think men need to help women feel comfortable talking about these conditions. There’s a weird, almost immature view sometimes that comes from talking about periods or “aunt Flo”- it’s something so natural, we talk about pregnancies, so what’s the big deal with the important stuff in between?
Thanks, Vijaya. Shop The Pap Set's second drop here (but you might wanna hurry), find out more about the Eve Appeal now, get the lowdown on the five gynaecological cancers here, and join our very own Dr HANX for information and resources around cervical cancer in our Naked Truths series here. | {
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What does diversity look like for employees at Clever? This post is part of a series focused on equity and belonging.
At Clever, our mission is to create educational equity, to make sure every student gets the education they need to have an opportunity to succeed. But we know that it’s impossible to have a fully equitable impact unless we are operating internally as an equitable organization. It takes a diverse team to support all of the diversity in the schools we serve, and it takes an inclusive company culture to create products that include all students.
To achieve equity in our organization and in our impact requires us to take bold and broad actions now and to commit to sustaining this work for as long as it takes. This year, Clever’s Equity and Belonging committee and Women of Color Employee Resource Group provided bold leadership, helping us understand what we were doing well and showing us where we needed to grow. With their guidance, Clever has built structures including the Anti-Racist Working Group and Equity Metrics that have made us a more anti-racist organization now and for many years to come.
Our long-term goal is that representation at Clever’s organization has as much diversity as the schools we serve. We set this goal because research tells us that diversity leads to more innovative and inclusive products and overall better business outcomes. It’s also the right thing to do in becoming a more anti-racist organization.
Below are a selection of results from our 2020 demographic survey, which we administered in September 2020 across our entire employee base. As always, a tabular version of this data is available for the visually impaired.
In 2020 gender balance improved across teams compared to previous years, except for engineering.
When we first published this report in 2015, women were vastly underrepresented in technical roles (13%). This year’s report shows there are more women and non-binary people in technical roles at Clever in 2020 compared to any previous year (33% and 8%, respectively).
Looking at the subsets of technical teams, our product and design groups have made strides in becoming more gender balanced. Although we made changes to our hiring process to attract a more diverse group of engineering talent, we did not successfully add any gender minority employees to the engineering team. We’re committed to working on bringing gender balance to all teams in 2021.
In 2020 we achieved more gender balance in non-tech roles compared to previous years. In 2019 non-tech roles like marketing and sales were made up of 37% men, while in 2020 that jumped to 40% men.
Our manager cohort also achieved more gender balance in 2020. In 2019, the management team was made up of 63% men and 32% women, while in 2020, our manager cohort has the same number of women as it does men.
Race and ethnicity
In 2020 we improved racial representation in our manager cohort, but decreased racial balance across the company.
Overall, Clever has more white employees than in 2019 (57% white in 2020, 54% white in 2019) and slightly more Black employees compared to 2019 (8% in 2020, 7% in 2019).
In technical roles, there was a slight decrease in Black, Latinx, and White employees and more representation of Asian employees at Clever.
For folks in non-technical roles like marketing, sales, and customer solutions, we saw incremental increases in the representation of Black and Latinx employees compared to 2019.
The manager cohort is more racially balanced in 2020 compared to 2019. Our group of Latinx-identifying managers jumped from 5% to 22% in 2020, and our Asian-identifying managers jumped from 11% to 26%.
Note: We removed the multiracial option but asked people if they identified with an additional race twice to better capture the race identity of mixed raced employees. With that we found that 31% of those who answered the survey identified a multiracial (two or more race).
One quick note to explain why this year’s report looks different than previous years. In seeking to provide a report with more inclusive demographic markers, we adjusted our survey with support from Paradigm and in partnership with Culture Amp.
More on diversity at Clever:
- Combating systemic racism today, and every day
- Advice on building a diverse team
- Diversity reports: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 (none), 2019
At Clever, we believe the classrooms we serve and our company’s halls should be spaces that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. That is why we are committed to building diverse teams, inviting every voice, and creating a safe space for everyone to be their authentic self. By fostering equity and belonging within our circles of influence, we unlock learning for ALL students.
Clever’s equity and belonging mission statement | {
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ZUBAAN PUBLISHERS RESEARCH GRANTS FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS FROM THE NORTHEAST, 2022-23
Introducing our Grantees!
The Zubaan Publishers Research Grants for Young Researchers from the Northeast, 2022-23, were announced in November 2022 and invited applications from young women, queer, trans and non-binary people from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and the hill regions of districts Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, below 45 years of age and working actively within the community.
The selected grantees will look at historically marginalised women, queer, feminist and oral histories from community researchers, writers, artists, etc., focusing on building narratives through storytelling, podcasts, visual mediums, research papers, etc. Read on to get to know our grantees’ backgrounds, interests, and exciting research proposals better!
1. Anshu Chhetri (she/her)
Food, Memory, and Identity: Oral histories and culinary practices
Anshu is a literature student interested in reading, researching and writing. She comes from the Dooars region of West Bengal, which forms the gateway to Bhutan from India. Her articles are published on websites and journals like LiveWire, OnEating, and Youth ki Awaaz.
Anshu’s research will explore the theme of gustatory nostalgia, culinary practices, and how recipes are narratives that show the connection with people and their life memories. She will focus on the gender norms which keep women from occupying powerful positions in the public sphere of food production/preparation. Her argument will also see women from the lens of the power conferred on them with a form of ‘culinary capital’ within their diasporic community.
Anshu is deeply interested in discovering more about the recipes passed down through the female line, where food is a female inheritance and part of a collective feminine past. This kind of intergenerational cultural transmission between women links them to their ‘homeland’ and the past and creates an identity for a diasporic community. Through her research, Anshu will address this issue of identity formation through food cultures.
2. Arpita Chakraborty (she/her), cowriter
Unwinding the Patterns of Lecheri Ballad: A gendered perspective of Sonowal Kachari’s folklife
Arpita writes, performs, and curates her ideas into audio-visuals. She is a university student working towards a sustainable and binary-free world. She is inspired and motivated to work towards creating awareness and alliances across the gender spectrum to detangle the social, political, and emotional realities of the community and to overcome social norms through creative pursuit. She is a master’s student in women’s and gender studies.
Nasrin Shahnaz (she/her), cowriter
Nasrin is a PhD scholar in the department of English, Cotton University, Guwahati, Assam. Her research interests are gender studies, queer narratives, cultural studies, and Indian literature. She is currently engaged in researching transgender literary representation in Indian narratives. As a literature student and an avid reader, she aspires to devote her voice to society’s well-being.
Arpita and Nasrin’s research will delve into the historical development, characteristics, and significance of the particular folk art, Lecheri Geet and Dance, through a gendered stance, since Lecheri is the only performing folk art of the Sonowal Kacharis, an ethnic tribe in Assam that is solely female-oriented. Lecheri means the leftover paddy scraps on a harvested paddy field. Moreover, the term Lecheri has a negative connotation that refers to someone who has been abandoned. Their research will examine the representation of women in a folk practice associated with the leftovers of a harvested paddy field. One of the researchers has a mixed origin of Sonowal Kachari and Bengali parenthood. Therefore, this study will be self-reflexive.
3. Chhaya Namchu (she/her)
The Story of a Himalayan Town through the Voice of Rebecca Namchu
Chhaya is from Kalimpong and belongs to the Indigenous Lepcha community. She has been working on climate action, transboundary rivers, and changing ecosystems across sectors and organisations. Much of her work is inspired by her life and Lepcha heritage, which is deeply embedded in nature and community.
The freedom struggle for India was not lost on the citizens of Kalimpong—a town that was part of the old silk route, in the ’50s, a hub for European, American, and Chinese spies, and finally saw the Gorkhaland movement in the ’80s. These stories of Kalimpong are articulated through colonial and patriarchal perspectives.
Chhaya will explore the unwritten story of her great-grandmother, Rebecca Namchu (1884- 1958), popularly known as David Babuni after her husband, David Babu. She was widowed at 26 and became the first President of the Indigenous Lepcha Association in 1922. Rebecca would go on to lobby for the inclusion of the Lepchas under the Tribes of India in 1951. As an indigenous tribal woman, Chhaya will reflect on how easy it is to diminish the stories of women from ‘marginalised communities’.
4. Esther Suantak (she/her)
Exploring the Lived Experiences of Refugee Women in Manipur
Esther is a research scholar pursuing a PhD at Manipur University, under the Department of Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy. Her research is titled ‘Gender Relations and Governance in Tribal Areas of Manipur’.
She completed her master’s degree in women’s studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and holds a Bachelor of Social Work in St. Edmunds’ College, Shillong. She works with the NGO Social Human Action for Rural Empowerment.
Since 2020, the world has witnessed both a pandemic and many localised conflicts. Myanmar experienced this double burden, with political instability happening alongside the pandemic. Specific communities suffered discrimination and atrocities, where human rights were violated. As a result, many from these communities, including women, took refuge in Manipur.
Esther will focus on women’s experiences in these communities and how they relate to their current context. She will study how these women envision their lives in a place where they migrated with hopes of a better future.
5. Haidamteu Zeme N (she/her)
Existing Within In-Betweens: Narrativising the Northeast migrant-woman experience
Haidam is a research fellow at the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) department at IIT, Delhi. Her research interests include translation studies, comparative literature, indigenous cultures, and their language systems and movements. Her essay ‘What Role does Translation Play for the Nagas? A personal account’ was published as part of DRC, Delhi University, international conference proceedings in 2019. Her poem ‘Perfunctory Citizen’ was published in Dark Lanes of the City (2020). She maintains a personal blog on her translation journey at www.translationfornagas.wordpress.com. In her (not-so-free) free time, she does some embroidery, bad watercolour art, thrifts second-hand baubles, and chats with her cat Sir Thomas Zeme.
Haidam is interested in documenting the lived experiences of migrant women. She will specifically study the ‘Northeast position’ through a gendered lens to highlight ‘migrant-woman’ as a site to which ideas of womanhood and honour, as well as religious, cultural, financial, and community aspirations are tethered. The term ‘Northeast’ is a marker to reiterate a feeling of ‘in-between-ness’ that individuals from these places experience, especially heightened for the migrant figure who leaves ‘home’ in the pursuit of dreams, for many reasons. Her paper will examine narratives of Northeastern women who have lived in dual places: city and home, and how they navigate existence. Through an interview approach, she hopes to arrive at a critical, reflective, and nuanced articulation of ‘something’— perhaps political, ambiguous, and polysemic, and hopes to document the ‘everyday’.
6. Jayashree Narzary (she/her)
Re-framing Dominant Narratives: A study of lived experiences of former women cadres of BLT from Bodoland
Jayashree is a full-time dog mother and a part-time research enthusiast.
As a political science postgraduate, she looks forward to exploring socio-political histories and multilayered realities of the region she comes from.
Jayashree’s research will focus on the lived experiences of the women cadres of the Bodoland Liberation Tigers. She will aim to explore the multilayered-complex realities of how these women create a space for themselves, assert their identity, and history, and critically engage with its connection to memory and agency in negotiating the minutiae of everyday life.
7. Jobeth Ann Warjri (she/her)
Ecology and the Lives of Washerwomen and Subsistence Farmers in Laitkor, Meghalaya
Jobeth Ann Warjri is a writer and researcher from Laitkor, Meghalaya. She is currently based out of Hyderabad, Telangana. Her paper will study the lives of washerwomen and subsistence farmers within the context of ecological transformations in Meghalaya in peri-urban spaces.
The women who will be interviewed represent interesting case studies because their means of livelihood are intimately connected to ecological factors, including citizenship, land rights, and climate change. The participants of the ethnographic study are chosen because of their engagement with worldviews and socio-ecological entities that are precarious.
8. Mimi Pachuau (she/her)
Finding Nula Seniar
Mimi enjoys writing and taking photographs, though that does not happen as often as she would like to. Words that sit in her heart and images that she captures often do not make sense to her. On some rare occasions, when she manages to weave them together to tell stories, she hopes they would make living a little easier for those who read. Her training is in English literature, sociology and history. She currently teaches history at ICFAI University, Mizoram.
Her research area includes a history of education, Mizo society, Christianity, gender roles, and historical trauma. She is passionate about hiking, drinking industrial amounts of tea and coffee, and still trying to make peace with the long wet season of fur (monsoon) in Mizoram.
In Mizoram, ‘nula senior’ means older unmarried woman, with a hint of both teasing and dismay. The popular term hides contemporary Mizo society’s numerous social problems, the turbulent decades of the second half of the 20th century, and the social changes brought about by British colonisation from the end of the 19th century. The term’s use varies from region to region, and from church denominations across economic status, among other factors.
Mimi will aim to study the dynamics and complexity of this traditionally derogatory term and its connections with other pressing issues of gender roles and the ‘dying Mizo men’ (the extremely high mortality among Mizo men from the last decade till today, unofficially considered a social and demographic crisis). She will try to understand who is a nula seniar, how they navigate life in public and private spaces, what their social status is and what their future holds.
9. Nangsel Sherpa (she/her)
Mapping My Grandmother’s Footprints: Gendering migration in the Eastern Himalayas
Nangsel is a researcher from the Darjeeling Hills. Her research interests lie in gender, migration, and minority rights. She is also the co-founder of The Pomelo: Exploring Himalayan Voices, an e-magazine.
Nangsel’s personal history is intertwined with the history of cross-border migration from Nepal and Tibet to India. Her maternal grandmother migrated from Tibet in search of her parents and was stopped by the Chinese military twice. On the other hand, her paternal grandmother migrated to Darjeeling from Nepal with her elder sister for a better future without knowing exactly where she was headed.
These stories gave her two perspectives on migration, exposing the complexity and nuances generally missed in the good- vs bad-migrant discourse. Through her research, Nangsel hopes to look closely at the gendered history of migration in the Eastern Himalayas, mapping experiences from Tibet and Nepal to India. She will focus on the socio-political conditions that shaped women’s experiences of migration with an emphasis on the question of labour as new migrants to a foreign country.
10. Dr Naomi Carey Nonglait (she/her)
Khasi Traditional Musicians Unsung women
Naomi works in the department of English at St. Mary’s College, Shillong. She has published articles in journals and books on Khasi folklore, oral literature, culture, tradition, children’s literature, and identity. She has also presented several papers at regional, national, and international conferences and seminars and has read her poems at poetry/literary workshops. During her spare time, she trains ST students, at an official centre, to prepare for entrance exams for government staff positions. Her interests include involving youth through Rangers and training aspirants to become Rangers. Her passion is to research areas that have been overlooked or neglected.
Naomi will research Khasi women who play traditional music and instruments, which are played mostly by men. Khasi musical instruments are used in religious rituals, weddings, and other customary practices. But many indigenous ways have changed, including those of performance and music. This research will look at the ways and means of preserving something that could be lost, despite a revival of folk singing and traditional musical instruments. For example, stories used to be narrated orally around the hearth, accompanied by the duitara. Stories have now moved to the digital sphere, including Facebook and Instagram.
Her research would also involve interviews with some Khasi women folk musicians, also focussing on their songs and songwriting. The change in the songs’ themes provides evidence of the changes in Khasi society. Just as the hearth has been moved to the digital sphere, she hopes that digitising or writing about the Khasi women folk singers/musicians could create a space for narratives of a different kind.
11. Nicky Chandam (she/her)
Judging a Book by its Cover
Nicky is an enthusiastic and passionate story-seeker from India. She was born in Imphal, Manipur. She explores stories through the medium of photography, written words, the oral tradition of storytelling, and the art of listening. She practices as a director, writer, performer, and curator of art dialogues. Nicky is vocal about mental health issues and strongly advocates for accessible and affordable mental health services in India. She is also the founder of the Octave Foundation, which was built with a vision to bring people together to celebrate the cultural diversity of our planet.
Nicky’s film, through the lives of people in Manipur, will explore how clothing creates gender narratives.
12. Nokho N (she/her)
Courtesans in the Chakhesang Naga Society during the Pre-Christian Era
Nokho is a slow traveller and a freelance writer. Her first love remains learning about the oral narratives of her ancestors. What began as a small attempt to find answers to her existential crisis eventually became a lifelong quest to trace her roots and make them relevant to the new Generation. After spending the last decade with the older population, her findings are slowly finding their way to mass consumption through articles, poetry, and books.
Thünoküthami or Thethenumi are words the Chakhesang and the Angami Nagas use to refer to women courtesans during the pre-Christian era. The profession was ostracised with the dawn of Christianity, so even talking about them was highly stigmatised. Even today, they continue to slip through the cracks of written records and all other documentation, as if they never existed. However, some evidence remains about their lives and contribution to society, which risks being wiped out if not documented. Nokho’s research aims to explore the life of the Thethenumis and shed light on their lives in the hope of serving as a voice for the women who lived in the shadows of society and never enjoyed any rights, eventually facing early demise due to the dire conditions they lived in.
13. Renu Koyu (she/her)
Paper on Galo women foragers, indigenous food sovereignty, and climate change, untitled
Renu is a research scholar at the department of English at University of Delhi. Her areas of interest include oral narratives, ecofeminism, new animism, food studies, speculative fiction, and detective fiction.
In Arunachal Pradesh, Galo women foragers sustain the indigenous food sovereignty of their community but this contribution is unrecognised by the community. Renu’s research will study these women’s contribution to indigenous food sovereignty and the systemic invisibilisation of this role.
Galo women foragers are intimately connected to nature as custodians of traditional ecological knowledge. Acknowledging this, Renu will explore how the climate crisis has changed the landscape through empirical knowledge gathered by women while foraging in the hills they call home, and how the crisis will eventually affect the community’s food sovereignty and the women’s livelihood.
14. Rishav Thakur (he/they)
Rishav is doing their PhD in sociocultural anthropology and queer studies at Columbia University. He studies articulations of and the practice of queer affinity across religious, racial and other politicised differences. Rishav’s research is supported by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; The Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life; and The Institute for the Study of Sexuality and Gender at Columbia University.
Rishav enjoys writing and thinking across different genres and media. They serve as the South Asia editor for Borderlines, a student-run open-access journal. He is a fellow at Domestic Insurgencies, a Feminist working group investigating the processual aspects of home and the domestic, and at A Tale of Three Rivers, which brings together scholars and artists working on the real and imagined histories of Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra.
Rishav plans to curate a multimedia exhibition of queerness in Assam involving objects, photographs, audio, and text. The exhibition seeks to engage in conversations around the complicated relation between queerness, visuality, and the dominant gaze.
15. Rituparna Neog (they/she)
Finding Queer Resilience in Rural Assam through Bhauna, Rati Bihu, and Lora Raax
Rituparna is a leading queer rights activist from Assam and a poet, storyteller, and development sector worker. They are the founder and director of the Akam Foundation, which works in Northeast India on gender justice and education, and a co-founder of Drishti, a queer collective working on the visibility of the LGBTQA+ community. Rituparna has been working closely with schools, colleges, universities, and CSOs in Assam to create awareness of gender and sexuality through talks and workshops with students, teachers, and grassroots workers. They are leading the campaign #NoMoreHoldingMyPee which demands gender-neutral toilets and choice-based uniforms in educational institutions in Assam.
They have also founded a community library project with children from marginalised communities in Assam called Project Kitape Katha Koi (‘Books Speak for Children’), and run a community library in Ahatguri village of Jorhat district for more than a hundred children from five villages and one tea estate. Rituparna is a governing board member of the Free Libraries Network (FLN) India and South Asia, where they lead curriculum and capacity development within the network and regional coordination in Northeast India.
They write poetry and prose that share both the anguishes and joys of being queer, of our societies, and of holding each other through collective spaces. Rituparna loves responding to concerns and issues around society through children’s literature. They read stories to both children as well as adults.
Rituparna has been working on mobilising and organising the queer community in Assam with a special focus on rural areas and small towns. As a trans* person from rural Assam, their lived experience showed them a different way of queer resilience in a rural reality. Through their research, they will explore the lived experiences of queer folks in rural Assam, different agencies and spaces for them, and their ways of finding resilience. They will document stories and elements with a focus on folk elements and different agencies of queer people through a photo essay narrative.
16. Romik Sai (she/her)
Queer Politics in Arunachal Pradesh: The intersection of sexuality, ethnicity, and gender in Arunachal Pradesh
Romik is a student of gender studies at Dr BR Ambedkar University, Delhi. Her interests lie in art and culture, tribal studies, and collecting pretty notebooks she rarely uses. In her free time, she enjoys reading and painting.
Romik’s study begins by underpinning the lacuna in the study of the queer subaltern, seen more starkly in the northeastern part of India. Against this background, her study aims to look at the politics of queerness in Arunachal Pradesh vis-à-vis the spaces occupied by queer-identifying people. Her focus will be on the growing queer movement and how it enables a new form of assertion for queer people of the region. She will attempt to study the politics of queerness in Arunachal Pradesh while keeping in mind the intersection of ethnicity, rich oral history, sexuality and gender in the concerned region. She will seek to understand how queer people create a distinct space for themselves, along with how language can be an arena of either a queer assertion or queer invisibilisation.
17. Schulu Duo (he/him)
Project on the women liquor brewers of Imphal, untitled
Schulu is an aspiring anthropologist and documentary filmmaker.
Schulu’s project aims to contribute to the liquor prohibition debate in Manipur. It will aim to highlight the struggles of Rongmei women in the Imphal valley who have been brewing and selling alcohol as an age-old practice and as a source of income.
18. Swarnim Subba (she/her)
Tagera Ningwaphuma: A biography of grandmother-goddess
Swarnim is a research scholar in the department of English literature and cultural studies at SRM University, Sikkim. She has completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Jyoti Nivas College, Bangalore University. After qualifying for the SLET exam, she started her teaching career as an assistant professor of English at Sikkim Government College, Burtuk. Presently she is working on a translation of the Limboo book of poetry, Sister’s Voices by B L Khamdhak, into English. Her current research interests focus on trans indigenous studies, shamanistic poetics, indigenous spirituality and healing, and native poetics.
Creation stories and narratives of our various spiritual and indigenous cultures and traditions worldwide have celebrated and glorified goddesses and their feminine power and authority. However, as time passed, and with increasing patriarchal dominance, the worship of goddesses remained merely symbolic, mostly represented and interpreted by male clergies. Swarnim proposes to write a biography of the supreme goddess of her Limboo tribe—Tagera Ningwaphuma, her manifestations, her creations, and the story of the first woman Mujikna Kheyongna and her progeny. This first-ever biography in English aims to record, preserve and protect our worldviews, cosmology and belief system, thereby filling up the much- needed gap in intergenerational memory. It will also enable us to reflect and learn, and to make sense of our lives in these contemporary times. Swarnim wants interpreting these narratives to heal the scars of amnesia and alienation beyond ethnic or community affiliations. Our oral and religious text Mundhum incorporates many stories, myths, legends, sermons, prehistoric chronicles, and cultural traditions. Much of this knowledge tradition has been lost, or has never been told from the perspective of indigenous feminist spirituality. Swarnim’s retelling of this story as a Limboo woman is the act of re-membering her ancestors and the past.
19. Synshar (she/her)
Bei Kupli (Mother Kupli)/Jaintia Queens
Jowai and London-based artist Synshar completed her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Chelsea College of Arts. Her practice explores the diversity within the people who call India home, and the role of indigenous people in India. It delimits the domestic landscape of India through the lens and experiences of an indigenous person.
A multimedia artist, she explores ideas surrounding traditions, crafts, rituals, tea, and the warmth of domestic spaces. She uses these ideas to speak about people, culture, and identity, while simultaneously decolonising these elements by celebrating them.
If you happen to walk by an elder in town, or hear stories from your parents or grandparents, you may often hear the stories and myths of the people, Gods, and Goddesses who roamed and lived around the hills where the Pnar people reside. They are storytellers by nature; even the most mundane of events will begin and end like a story. The way they describe people is a story, for each river that flows through those hills is a story.
One story Synshar has heard, whilst listening to her father and his friend converse, is of the Jaintia Queens and Bei Kupli. Through the emphasis and tradition of oral storytelling, she will explore whether there is a relation between the two, for this linkage remains unclear. If there is found to be no connection, exploration about who they are and their stories will be form the work.
20. Yoši Zaua (he/him)
Now That We’re Here/Q for Life
A self-taught illustrator with skills nurtured and honed during the lockdown of 2020, Yoši’s visual language is the amalgamation of various creative personae spanning the fields of performance, photography, music, and visual art. His creative practice stems from exploring themes of identity and power from counter-hegemonic perspectives, using fiction and illustration as an extension of embodied experiences.
With no pressure to adhere to a specific form or aesthetic, his works grow and expand in various directions as he engages in diverse ranges of graphic design, illustration, animation, and character design. Yoši has recently collaborated with various artists in Canada, Germany, Thailand, and India, which compounds his interdisciplinary interests into concocting new and customisable methods for different artistic trajectories. Part-memoir, part-fantasy, this project is an autobiographical fiction drawing upon bizarre encounters of queer folk as they leave the safety of their artist bubble and enter heteronormative institutions. An illustrated journal catalogued as comic strips, this project dares to embody the living secrets of queer folk with boldness and humour and serve as an archive of conversations and photographs of real interviews and lived experiences. | {
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Cara Jeiven was at a drop-in session at a kids’ gymnastics gym in Brooklyn, watching as the manager taught Jeiven’s daughter, Hannah,* how to do a flip on the uneven bars. The woman had the intensity of a reality TV dance mom. “Show Mommy how you do it,” she repeated as Hannah practiced. “Show Mommy how you do it.” Hannah looked around, confused. Her mommy wasn’t there.
Jeiven approached the manager and explained that while she is Hannah’s parent, she goes by a different term. Her wife is “mommy,” and Jeiven is “baba.” The woman laughed and called her own daughter over. “You’re never gonna believe this,” she told her. “This kid’s mom is called ‘baba.’ Isn’t that weird? You call my breasts ‘babas.’”
She persisted in calling Jeiven “mommy.”
Jeiven is one of a growing number of genderqueer, butch, two-spirit, and trans parents who are raising children outside of the rigid binary of “mother” and “father.” In North America, in just the last few years, a more nuanced and complex set of gender identities have achieved mainstream visibility, through fights for legal protection and access to medical care, and growing media acceptance of public figures like Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, and Chelsea Manning. The difference between the reception of Chaz Bono, who came out in 2009, and Caitlyn Jenner, who came out in 2015, speaks volumes—questions and assumptions that would have been a matter of course six years ago are, today, recognized as invasive and besides the point (even as they are still asked and made—lookin’ at you, Katie Couric).
In progressive circles and on university campuses, it’s becoming increasingly common to ask individuals for their preferred pronoun as part of an introduction; conversely, parents—even queer and same sex ones—are routinely read as “mom” or “dad,” with all of the attendant expectations of femininity and masculinity. For decades, queer activists and gender studies scholars have worked to divorce gender and sexual identity. Now, interest has turned to divorcing parenting roles from gender and placing them on their own independent axis—gender, sexuality, and parenting intersect and affect one another, but have no essential, deterministic relationships.
The invisibility and dysphoria of masculine pregnancy has cultural, not physical roots. We’ve conflated sexed reproduction with gendered cultural attitudes towards pregnancy and lactation, reducing pregnant and breastfeeding bodies to feminized “goddesses”—to be judged, revered, and not materially supported (as seen in the pushback against public child care, subsidized food programs, and parental leave). These attitudes are injurious to feminine gestational parents and wholly exclusionary of masculine ones.
Thankfully, the meanings we’ve attached to the pregnant body aren’t fixed. It takes a sperm and an egg to create an embryo, but it doesn’t necessarily take a masculine man and a feminine woman, or a man and a woman at all.
Karl Surkan, a women and gender studies researcher, identifies on the transmasculine spectrum while “floating between different social identities.” Surkan was the gestational parent of his son—he carried and gave birth to him—and he goes by “papa.”
For Surkan, the health care system is often the site of the kind of confusion Jeiven experienced at the kids’ gym. Surkan and his partner were read as a lesbian couple at their Massachusetts fertility clinic. Same-sex marriage had just been legalized state-wide, so he felt like their appearance made a sort of basic sense to the nurses and other patients. Surkan’s feminine partner was often wrongly assumed to be the patient. He finds that people particularly struggle with the idea of referring to gestational parents by masculine terms. “When my children were very young and I was breastfeeding, the idea that I was papa was not understood by anyone, in particular by caregivers or pediatricians. I would take my son to the doctor for a check-up and they would say, ‘You can sit on your mom’s lap.’ And my son’s looking all around, and thinking, ‘She’s not even here. How can I sit on her lap?’ Because I, of course, am not the mom.”
Pregnancy, Surkan points out, transforms the body in ways diametrically opposed to our society’s very narrow view of what a woman should look like, and how much space she should take up. Because of this, “There’s a huge need to shore up women’s sense of femininity. And so the way to do that, culturally, is to say: this is quintessentially the most feminine thing one can ever do.” This often results in the misconception that one can be pregnant or masculine but not both, rendering the pregnancies of butch women and trans men invisible. Surkan wrote a paper titled “That Fat Man is Giving Birth” about this false dichotomy. While pregnant, he opted for overalls, button-downs and oversized men’s shirts—the maternity section carried “nothing [he] would be caught dead wearing.” He adds, “You would think it just needs to be cut to accommodate this growing belly that you have, but they have to slap a bunch of lace or feathers on it, or this weird shelf thing so that it highlights your breasts. I’m not going to wear anything like this. This is probably what happens to a lot of people.”
For those of us who’ve experienced gender dysphoria, and spent time carving out an identity and presentation in the world that allows us to be comfortable—and, hopefully, recognized for who we are—pregnancy can feel especially fraught and alien. A.K. Summers subtitled her graphic memoir Pregnant Butch “Nine Long Months Spent in Drag.” In an interview, Summers told us that throughout her pregnancy, “I was really concerned about losing myself, losing my gender identity, my sexual identity.”
Pregnant Butch opens with Summers on the New York City subway in a short-sleeved, button-up T-shirt, standing against a pole between two seated men. “New York is not known for its gallantry where pregnant women are concerned,” she explains. “So imagine how often you’re offered a seat when most people take you for just another fat guy on the subway.” On the next page, Summers draws her pre-pregnancy fantasies: maybe her pregnant belly will resemble a dude’s hardened beer gut, and she’ll be able to pull off period Western garb, berets with trench coats, and suspenders. Pregnancy, however, does not bestow the “broad shoulders, slender hips, and titlessness” of her imagination; she gets her suspenders, but they’re holding up billowing “clown pants.”
Summers’ candid, corporeal depiction of pregnancy resonated with a wide swath of readers. “Quite a few straight women,” Summers says, “responded to [Pregnant Butch] with, ‘I am so sick of yoga-mommy-bliss prescriptions, and how this is supposed to be this amazing, apex of femininity experience, and that’s not how I feel.’”
Pregnant Butch was initially serialized as a web comic. Before the completed memoir was published in 2014, Summers rejected the suggestion that she should consider other titles. She was proved right: “pregnant butch” turned out to be a popular search term, as more and more people sought alternative models for pregnancy.
In gender and culture theorist Jack Halberstam’s book Gaga Feminism, he points out that children are more accepting and often simply care less than adults about how others identify. This flies in the face of the conservative argument that non-binary and genderqueer people are “confusing,” or even somehow threatening, to children. With his partner’s children and their friends, he says, “There would often be a short conversation: Are you a boy or a girl? Oh, you’re a boy. Can I call you ‘he’? Yes. But you kind of look like a girl, right? Yeah, kind of, sometimes, but I’m a sort of in-betweener. Oh, okay. And then onward. Not tons of curiosity. No judgment.”
Andrea Lawlor, another baba, never had any interest in carrying a child. “Even though I know plenty of butch or even transmasculine parents who had, that was something completely dysphoric and weird and not interesting to me.” If her partner hadn’t been able to conceive, they would have adopted.
Lawlor had been thinking about transitioning for at least twenty years, but parenthood brought the decision to the forefront. “I thought about it a little more seriously. Would it just be easier to really inhabit a dad role, visibly, in the world? And have that be more simple-seeming? Obviously not actually more simple.”
Many prospective parents who were comfortable existing in an in-between space, with fluid or nonspecific labels, feel like it’s necessary to “pick a side” when facing parenthood. Before settling on baba, Cara Jeiven, like Lawlor, felt pressured to solidify her gender identity. “I knew I didn’t feel like a ‘mother’ and didn’t necessarily want to be a ‘dad,’” she says. “I suddenly felt like I had to choose.”
“When you’re looking to egalitarianize things across gender, or race, or culture, or whatever, the experiences of the non-privileged group tend to get flattened out or erased.”
Lee (who requested we not use his last name), a transman and adoptive single father by choice, said planning for parenthood was one of several factors that led to simplifying the more complex identity he had in college. “I see a lot of awesome people, a lot of whom are younger than me, in environments like Tumblr, exploring gender in a really exciting way, but also a really exhausting way.” When Lee was twenty and non-binary identified, he met a trans guy who was thirty. “I’d been using lots of different pronouns,” he recalls, “and all that type of stuff. And he was like, ‘You’ll get older and this will become too much.’ And I was like, ‘No! Never!’”
While Lee doesn’t want to invalidate his past or the experiences of others, he eventually felt the need to free up the mental bandwidth he’d once allotted for questions of gender performance in order to worry about his kid, his job, and his rent. “Particularly with parenthood,” he says, “there’s a decentering of self in a really profound way. We end up getting to be more simplified versions of ourselves, for better and for worse.”
According to Halberstam, this pressure to stabilize and normalize is not unique to queer and gender non-conforming parents. “All people become more normative when they parent,” he says. “And they do so under the pressure and the scrutiny of schools on the one hand and other parents on the other. Children are not the vectors of normalization. They are just the occasion for it.”
People who have rejected heteronormative gender roles in their individual lives and relationships necessarily consider the gendered workload of parenting with greater scrutiny and awareness. Many raised the issue of how masculine parents—cisgender men, transmen, butch women—still aren’t expected to take as active a role in parenting as feminine parents.
While Lee was riding a city bus in Boston with his son, a stranger once sat down beside them and said, “Oh, isn’t it great that you’re having a daddy day?”
Lee replied, “Well, every day is daddy day. I’m a single parent.” The woman responded effusively, telling Lee that what he was doing was “wonderful.” Noting that Lee is a transracial adoptive parent, the woman congratulated Lee on “saving” his son.
“I can look into his eyes and see that he’s come from a hard situation,” she said.
Lee responded politely but was inwardly eager to reach his stop. “It was kind of two things piled on top of each other,” he says. “The adoption saviour thing, and the ridiculous kudos you get for doing basic parenting when you’re male-presenting.”
Andrea Lawlor agrees. “I hear from a lot of dads I know,” she says, “and I’ve experienced it to some extent—that thing where a dad will walk around with a kid and get all this praise and also unsolicited advice that’s really condescending. ‘Oh my god, you’re a hero,’ for walking down the street with your kid.”
Just as pregnancy is regarded as inherently tied to womanhood, so is the daily nurturing that raising small children requires. Lee points out, “Being a primary caregiver and being male identified, even for straight dudes, even if you are in a heterosexual partnership—there is a queerness to that in our culture.”
“You have to be really secure in where you’re coming from,” says Lee. “That can be much harder for transmasculine people than for people who have had their gender identity be stable. You have to let go of, ‘Oh god, someone’s going to see through. I must really be a girl because I’m doing these feminine things.’”
Furthermore, low expectations for fathers have persisted for so long that it’s often difficult to find involved, masculine role models for parenting. Other babas and butch parents on the Internet helped Lawlor find the language to articulate her role, and helped her feel less alone, but she also looked to the men who surrounded her to establish her parenting style. “Older, straight, cis guys I know who are artists, or progressive, guys who’ve had a lot of therapy, poet dads. Who are the weird parents? Who are both weird and have boundaries? Those are the people I’m trying to find and do what they do.”
Cara Jeiven looked to her own father as a role model: “What I love about my dad is he’s not this manly, manly man. He loves gardening. He loves opera, and he’s just a sweet, gentle guy. And I think to myself, that’s the kind of guy I’d like to be.”
More egalitarian parenting expectations seem like an obvious good, and a natural achievement of long-held feminist goals. But Lee raises a caveat to this blind push for equality. Pregnancy and nursing, he says, are singular experiences, and it’s important to acknowledge the different needs of gestational and non-gestational parents. “When you’re looking to egalitarianize things across gender, or race, or culture, or whatever, the experiences of the non-privileged group tend to get flattened out or erased. ‘We’ll just treat everybody the same, as though they’re like the privileged group.’ I feel like egalitarianizing a lot of parenting stuff ends up erasing women more than it does benefiting them.”
When asked what they’d like to see change, the parents we spoke to echoed the sentiments of most progressive parents, what Lawlor referred to as “basic tenets of feminism”: more independence for children, less helicopter parenting, more structural and economic support for childcare and parental leave, a Scandinavian approach to cross-generational relationships— where parents are less squicky and more realistic about teenagers being teenagers—and, finally, better media representation and more social support options for gender non-conforming parents.
In Pregnant Butch, after A.K. Summers relates an experience with a particularly frustrating, gender-reductive birth education class, she illustrates her “dream class” as a rollicking, supportive, cheerleading pyramid of parents: “There’d be at least one other pregnant butch. And some femme-on-femme, butch-on-butch action. A hot single, bearded lady, some highly idiosyncratic classifications. At least one threesome… reinforcements.”
In 1971, the National Organization for Women passed a conference resolution that officially expanded its policies to include lesbian rights. In 1975, they raised $1,000 for the legal fees of Mary Jo Risher. Risher and her female partner both had children from earlier marriages and lived together as a blended family. Risher’s ex-husband had their custody case re-opened when he learned Risher’s sexual orientation. She ultimately lost custody of her nine-year-old son, largely due to the testimony of her seventeen-year-old, who said he was “ashamed of the way she is.”
Forty years later, as queer relationships and identities gain greater social acceptance and legal recognition, and representations become more common in mainstream America—both on the screen and in the apartment next door—the discussion has broadened to include queer families of all stripes. For the parents we spoke to, gender identity was one of many interconnected, complicating factors of family life, including transracial parenting, co-parenting with an ex, parenting a child with physical disabilities, and breastfeeding under the spectre of cancer.
Family structures beyond the two-parent nuclear household—for queer and straight families alike—have become the norm. Divorced, single-parent, unmarried, adoptive, multi-parent, and multi-generational families compose the majority of today’s child-rearing experiences.
Yet even those of us who’ve lived rebellious, marginalized lives as individuals may find hidden, unwanted reserves of conservatism when it comes to parenting. Many parents admitted to internalizing the paranoia surrounding children and sexuality, for example. Maybe you go from being enthusiastically leather-clad on a float to worrying about whether or not to “expose” your child to the Pride march. Maybe, like A.K. Summers, you feel wary that a focus on childhood gender may be obfuscating conversations about childhood sexuality; at the same time, you realize you have become “one of those people, making movie choices [with her son], who are like, violence: okay, sexuality: no.”
Halberstam insists that parenting cannot be isolated from other forms of social change. We need, he says, to confront our reluctance to move beyond “traditional,” prescriptive parenting values that are neither reflective of current family structures nor what is truly best for children.
“I think you’ll see a bunch of books coming out in the next couple years saying, ‘This is genderqueer parenting, these are the ABCs of genderqueer parenting.’ You can already see it, right? The thing is, I don’t think the introduction of genderqueer parents into parenting systems should be the occasion to instruct those parents on how to parent. The challenge here is not just to fold gay, lesbian, and trans parents into current parenting norms. The challenge is to transform parenting.” In fact, Halberstam continues, parenting is already in another phase.
“It’s just that we just haven’t really named it or classified it or talked it through.”
*Name has been changed to protect privacy. | {
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It is with a sheepish expression that I return to this blog, one year after my last post. It seemed that in April of 2015 I suddenly ran out of things to say (or that’s what I told myself). In actuality, the subject about which I write started to pierce my shield and my words hit my own heart and mind, causing extreme amounts of discomfort. It was easy to write about gender from my closet, but when I realized I needed to fully come out of that confined space and own my own non-binary gender identity, I found I couldn’t pontificate on the subject any further. So I took 12 months to let people in my life know that I’m not actually a woman and waited to see what the impact of this revelation would be. Here are some of the reactions I have heard from various peoples:
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t know what you mean, but I know I love you.”
“This seems like it’s just another one of your phases.”
“Are you sure this isn’t just related to your body image issues?”
“That identity isn’t real to me.”
“Your pronouns are grammatically incorrect.”
“You just look too much like a woman to be trans.”
It was a long year. I didn’t really think about the discrimination and hate I would inevitably face as an OUT trans person, I just knew I couldn’t pretend to be a cis woman any longer. At first I thought I might be agender. Then I tried out gender queer. Then I switched to pan-gender. For a couple of months I identified as apangenderqueerfluid (that was fun to explain to people), but after all of these explorations I finally realized that I am GENDER FLUID and how on earth did it take me so long to see that?
I am aware that I have lived a thousand lives in my twenties and thirties. My friend who questioned whether or not this was “just another one of my phases” had good reason. I have embodied everything from baby dyke to raver girl to Hollywood starlet to tomboy… to whatever I am now. As I reflected on my life and all of these identities it suddenly made so much sense that my entire being is fluid (not just my gender!). My sexuality has been fluid, my career path has been fluid, my spirituality has been fluid, of course my gender is fluid…I’m a fluid package! I am learning to embrace and love this aspect of my identity, though it is challenging to be such a watery creature in a world that really loves stability.
Several people have asked if I want surgery or hormones and I have been thinking about it. Having a lower voice would be super rad and I suspect that a lot of my past body hate is correlated with my gender questions, but I also recognize that having a fluid identity makes permanent changes more scary. I’m not able to move towards something stable that will feel better than where I’m at now. If I have surgery or take hormones, what happens in five years when I’m feeling uber feminine again? I can already feel myself flowing in a new direction these days; there is a back-and-forth and up-and-down and skirting of masculine, feminine, gender queer, and all sorts of configurations of those things.
I don’t really expect non-fluid people to remotely understand that concept… it’s hard to understand from inside the flow! All I know is that my identity flows; it is a dance. It’s a dance with myself, with my environment, within relationships, and within spirit. I flow like a stream or a current of air and even I’m not sure where I will end up. There is nothing wrong with this. It has taken three decades, but I know now that the flow is OK. | {
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At the opening ceremony of the European Figure Skating Championships in Finland, the world’s first transgender figure skater made a huge mistake. The former Finnish male skater, Markku-Pekka Antikainen, now known by the female name Minna-Maaria Antikainen, made a spectacular fall during their debut in the international skating world as the first transgender figure skater.
Antikainen is a very unconventional skater. Not only are they the world’s first transgender skater to compete on an international scale, but they also only picked up the sport at the age of forty-nine, making them a very late entrant into the competitive landscape of figure skating.
The trans skater operates a farm in Siilinjarvi, Finland, while not competing on the ice. They were given the privilege of a solo act during the opening ceremony by the Finnish Figure Skating Association. The organization wanted the transgender skater to take to the ice to show their support of diversity, equality, and inclusion – but Antikainen made a spectacular fall during their international skating debut.
For the last eight years, Antikainen has been training on the ice to become an international transgender figure skating star. However, they were met with an unexpected batch of nerves during their debut performance for the Finnish Figure Skating Association.
The trans figure skater, who is believed to identify as a gender-neutral woman, revealed that they were still off the mark from professional ice skating when they stumbled near the beginning of their routine, falling off their skates onto the ice.
The transgender skater’s spectacular fall happened just seconds into their performance on the international figure skating stage. Thankfully, the transgender skater was rescued by a female hostess who was carrying the Finnish flag. This person assisted Antikainen and helped them get back on their feet to continue with the performance that their mistake completely derailed.
Prior to their international debut, Antikainen practiced for five hours each week. They were previously involved in other competitive skating events both in their homeland of Finland and abroad, according to Skating Finland.
The opening ceremony of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships focused on the theme of “Just be you.” Because of their theme, they wanted to feature the transgender skater to showcase their commitment to diversity and inclusion on the ice.
Meanwhile, “same-sex pairs” continue to be banned from the sport of figure skating.
“Figure skating is a very conservative sport with various strict rules. In international competitions, same-sex skating pairs are not allowed, and there is no category for non-binary skaters,” said Outi Wuorenheimo, Executive Director of the Finnish Figure Skating Association. “I hope that every country will start working for equality and diversity in the field.”
This year’s ISU European Figure Skating Championships were held from January 25 to January 29, 2023.
In the video below, you’ll see the first forty-five seconds of the transgender skater’s routine. They fall to the ice within seconds of starting their solo performance in front of the large audience in attendance. | {
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Women in Esports, an initiative created by not-for-profit organisation the British Esports Association, has announced a partnership with Dota Valkyries.
Dota Valkyries is a support organisation for women in the Dota 2 professional scene.
RELATED: DotaValkyries launches to increase female presence in Dota 2 esports
According to the release, the partnership will see both parties collaborate to support women within the Dota 2 scene and increase participation of marginalised genders within esports.
Natacha Jones, Women in Esports Chair, commented: “We’re extremely excited to have partnered with an organisation that closely shares our values. From the offset, it’s been clear that we have similar goals and through collaboration, we hope to drive long-standing change within the esports industry.
“By partnering with the Valkyries we look to encourage participation of marginalised genders, celebrate existing talent and to band together in larger conversations surrounding inclusivity and diversity within the industry”.
The first activity Women in Esports and the Dota Valkyries will be working on together is the Valkyrie Cup, a mixed-gender community tournament set to take place on September 18th-19th.
The competition will feature teams of five players, with a minimum of two female or non-binary players and a maximum of 3 male players. Moreover, all players’ ranking must be under 400 matchmaking rating (MMR) in Dota 2.
Prizes for the tournament consist of 40 Dota 2 Battle Pass Levels.
The event will be hosted on the Women in Esports Battlefy webpage and broadcasted on the British Esports Twitch channel.
RELATED: British Esports Association teams with FACEIT for Women in Esports initiative
Emma Brown, Dota Valkyries Co-Founder, added: “We are delighted to have Women in Esports as our first partnership, and can’t wait to see the incredible work we are able to achieve together.
“This partnership hopes to be a fantastic consolidation of skills, networks and creativity which will help give us the means to support women throughout the esports industry. Through this partnership, you can expect further collaboration through content creation, co-branded tournaments and involvement in research projects”.
Esports Insider says: Collaborations that aim to promote diversity and inclusivity in esports are admirable and much-needed initiatives within the industry. This collaboration in particular has the potential to help develop the female esports ecosystem whilst also creating more inclusivity-promoting competitive opportunities.
ESI Podcasts | Digest, Focus, Insight
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Gender neutrality is becoming an increasingly important topic in the workplace as people become more aware of the different gender identities and pronouns that exist. This blog post will explain what gender neutrality is and discuss personal pronouns and gender identities. We will also explore the best ways to incorporate gender neutrality into an inclusive work environment.
What is Gender Neutrality?
Gender neutrality is the idea that everyone should be treated the same, regardless of gender identity. This includes using gender-neutral pronouns such as they/them/theirs instead of he/him/his or she/her/hers. Some people may also choose to use a different name than what they were born with to reflect their gender identity more accurately. Gender neutrality is about creating a society where everyone can feel comfortable and respected, regardless of their gender identity.
When we talk about personal pronouns, we refer to the words that we use to refer to other people. There are three personal pronouns in English: he, she, and they. In most cases, these pronouns correspond to the gender of the person being referred to. For example, if we say, “John is going to the shop. He wants to buy apples”, John is referred to with the masculine pronoun ‘he.’ However, there are times when it is not clear what the gender of the person is. For example, if we say “Alex is a great musician,” we don’t know if Alex is male or female. In these cases, we can use the gender-neutral pronoun they. In cases like this, we can use the gender-neutral pronoun ‘they’ to refer to the person. For example, “Alex is a great musician” could be rewritten as “They are a great musician.” This ensures that we are not assuming the person’s gender and that everyone is included. This approach can be used with everyone in order to not make assumptions about gender identity based on their name.
Everyone deserves to feel comfortable and respected in their own skin. By using gender-neutral pronouns, we can move one step closer towards creating a truly inclusive society for everyone.
There are many different gender identities out there, and it is important to be respectful of them all. Some of the more common gender identities include cisgender man, cisgender woman, trans man, trans woman, non-binary, and agender.
- Cisgender: a person who identifies as the gender they were assigned at birth.
- Man: a person who identifies as a man.
- Woman: a person who identifies as a woman.
- Trans man: a man who transitioned from a woman.
- Trans woman: a woman who transitions from a man.
- Non-binary: an umbrella term for people who identify as something other than man or woman.
- Agender: a person who does not identify as either man or woman.
Some people choose to use different pronouns than what they were born with because those pronouns accurately reflect their gender identity. For example, a trans man may prefer to be referred to as he/him/his, rather than she/her/hers. This is because trans men identify as men, and using the correct pronouns helps to affirm their gender identity.
Similarly, a person who identifies as non-binary may prefer to be referred to with they/them/theirs instead of he/him/his or she/her/hers. This is because non-binary people do not identify as either men or women, and using the correct pronouns helps to reflect their identity.
It is important to note that there is no “correct” way to identify as gender-neutral. Some people may prefer to use they/them/theirs pronouns, while others may prefer something else entirely. As long as you are respectful of the person’s gender identity, you can use whatever pronouns they feel comfortable with.
Advice for Employees
If you are an employee and someone asks you to use their correct pronouns, it is important to do so. By using the correct pronouns, you are helping to affirm the person’s gender identity and create a more inclusive workplace. You may also want to consider using gender-neutral language in your own speech, such as “person” instead of “woman” or “man.” This will help to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and respected in the workplace, regardless of their gender identity.
While it can be challenging, it’s also important that you are assertive with others about your own personal pronouns. Everyone deserves to be referred to in a way that feels comfortable and respectful, so don’t be afraid to speak up if someone gets your pronouns wrong. It’s also important to know your rights and look out for workplace discrimination. If you feel that your gender identity is not being respected at work, it’s important to reach out for help. There are many organisations and groups who can support you, and there is no shame in seeking out help.
We need to continue working towards creating a society where everyone feels comfortable and accepted, and using gender-neutral pronouns is one way to do just that. Using the correct pronouns can help break down gender barriers and create a more inclusive world for everyone.
Advice for Employers
Gender neutrality is becoming more common in the workplace as employers strive to create a more inclusive environment for all employees. In some cases, it may be necessary to ask someone what their preferred pronoun is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and respected. It is important to remember that not everyone identifies as man or woman, and there are many different gender identities out there.
For example, if a trans woman is employed at your workplace, it is important to use the correct pronouns when referring to her. This may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference in creating an inclusive environment. Similarly, using gender-neutral language when talking about jobs and employees can help to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and respected.
In conclusion, gender neutrality is becoming more significant in the workplace, and there are many ways that both employers and employees can create a more inclusive environment. By using gender-neutral pronouns and language, the workplace can be an accepting and safe space for everyone, regardless of their gender identity. For more information on gender in the workplace, take a look at Aspiring to Include. For live job opportunities, take a look at our specialist jobs board! | {
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We caught up with BA Photography Alumna Rochelle White to find out about some of her latest projects she has been involved in, as well as asking her about her time at Camberwell.
Rochelle graduated from Camberwell in 2016, she is an artist who works primarily within photographic mediums. Her work investigates the fabric of cultural and racial identity resulting in a union of bold contemporary and traditional references, often loaded with symbolism that is rooted in and informed by her own lived experience. Rochelle’s work studies the nuances of the black experience in Britain, whilst questioning ideas of spirituality and consumption. Stuart Hall’s writings on Postcolonialism, displacement and otherness, have informed a lot of her practice. Another huge influence for Rochelle was Rivington Place’s exhibition, ‘Black Chronicles II’, it was an archival research project that explored the presence of black subjects in Victorian Britain.
“Often people get stuck at the Windrush era when thinking about black British history. It was really moving to see these beautiful, rare images of people who were here long before.”
A highlight for Rochelle in the past year was ‘Untitled Talks’, an in-conversation event with Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts) last September 2017. The in-conversation was with poet and writer Abondance Matanda and they asked BBZ (babes) duo Tia Simon-Campbell, photographer and fashion producer, and Nadine Davis, filmmaker, to join as well. ‘Untitled Talks’ was a two-part discussion at Iniva’s Stuart Hall Library, centred around Rochelle’s practice, told through visuals of her work alongside writings by Abondance and references from both of their essays. The second part was a continued conversation in relation to BBZ’s practice. The conversation explored the nuanced themes of identity, heritage and tradition and the meaning of these things whilst being a creative in today’s socio-political landscape from the black-British Caribbean and/or African lens.
“It was such a great experience working alongside my friends and frequent collaborators who I admire massively, with such a progressive arts organisation. I usually shy away from being so open about my experience and practice, but the support shown for the event was amazing.”
Rochelle found the ‘Untitled Talks’ process organic, she and Abondance are really good friends and love each other’s work. Abondance had previously worked closely with Iniva and suggested the idea of discussing their experiences as young black British artists. They both recognised the importance for authentic spaces for marginalised groups within the arts, which is why they asked Tia and Nadine to join the discussion. With the help of emerging curator, Amrita Dhallu, and the support of Iniva’s Director, Melanie Keen, they were able to plan an engaging and, at times, challenging discussion.
“BBZ are amazing, innovative individuals facilitating spaces which prioritise queer womxn, trans folk and non binary people of colour. Shout’s to them every time. We just had a really fun, frank and open conversation which was really special.”
gal-dem magazine is another project Rochelle has worked with in the past couple of years. The online and print magazine is a creative collective comprised of over 70 women and non-binary people of colour. Founded by Liv Little who, frustrated with the lack of diversity at Bristol University, wanted to reach out to women of colour like herself.
Rochelle met Liv at a BBZ exhibit she featured in with Frank RNG a few months before. gal-dem were selling their first print issue there and shortly after Rochelle was asked to feature in gal-dem’s two-part V&A takeover where she did a film poster workshop.
Most recently Rochelle has partnered with Bold Tendencies’ Sasha Morgan to launch Eating At the Same Table (EAST), a networking programme for emerging artists of colour which aims to support and facilitate creatives as they navigate their careers. They plan to provide artist talks, workshops, mentoring and hopefully work spaces. Rochelle is currently interested in documenting and archiving. She is working on a short film and installation about her grandfather who came to England from Jamaica in the 50s. Rochelle aims to show the pieces she creates from this project this year.
“There are so many nuanced gems to be found from this generation of people and I’ve been wanting to document this in some way for a while so I’ve been collecting material; photographs, prayers, notes, conversations.”
Rochelle studied photography in various ways from a young age, studying the visual references around her. Initially Rochelle was not all that interested in attending university, however a tutor on her foundation course encouraged her to apply. She soon began to realise the ways in which studying the craft academically could provoke her, challenge her, and facilitate her curiosity for the art form.
Camberwell for Rochelle taught her the significance of context, theory and art history, though she found much if it was from a Eurocentric standpoint. However, she developed ways of finding her own reference points for what she was interested in. She found it fuelled a passion for various methods of research that she still uses in a lot of her freelance work now.
Rochelle had this to say about her experience of Camberwell:
“My personal experience at Camberwell was hugely challenging. It’s the same old narrative of feeling isolated as one of the few black students across the uni. I can best sum it up with reference to Glenn Ligon’s piece, Four Etchings, where he quotes from writer Zora Neal Hurston – “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background”. This ‘hyper-visibility’ really informed a lot of the work I made at the time which played heavily with colour, textures and objects/symbolism associated with ideas of blackness and diasporic identity.”
One thing I wish I had done more was take full advantage of the resources available to me. Camberwell had some amazing resources and we were always encouraged to explore beyond restriction. Although it was a photography course, it was super non-prescriptive and allowed for loads of experimentation.” | {
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What Does Non-Binary Mean? Understanding This LGBTQ Term and Why It’s Important
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On the Civil Rights Trail: “What we needed was equality, but what we got was integration.”
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Social distancing rules are upending some Passover holiday traditions but also creating new ones.
Here’s What People in New Orleans Actually Think of Mardi Gras
Find out what locals really think about their world-famous holiday. | {
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United Nations RSC Salus Club-Panel discussion on Transgender Care & Society
New York, June 28, 2019 - The United Nations Staff Recreation Council - Salus Well-being Network, invited professionals from the medical, legal, and mental health professionals from the Northwell Friedman Transgender Care Program, and educational arena to participate in a discussion on transgender care and society. The professionals who participated in the discourse provided an in-depth and fruitful discussion through sharing their broad knowledge from their diverse standpoints. The forum aimed to inform, educate, and discuss interdisciplinary medical care to transgender and gender non-binary people, fostering equality.
Dr. Peggy Pelonis, author, psychotherapist and Vice President of ACS Athens was among the distinguished guest speakers of Susanna Bastarrica, President of the UNSRC SaluS Club and Yanna Darilis, Journalist, Producer, Panel Moderator and co-organizer. The panel was spearheaded by Dr. Leonid Poretsky, Director of Endocrinology of Northwell, Lenox Hill, and included speakers; Deeangelys Colón, Program Coordinator, Gerald J. Friedman Transgender Program for Health and Wellness, Northwell Health, Kelly McBride Folkers, Research Associate, Division of Medical Ethics, NYU School of Medicine, Rabbi Jo Hirschmann, Director, Spiritual Care and Education, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Noah Lewis, Esq., Executive Director, Transcen Legal, Dr. Peter Meacher, Chief Medical Officer, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center Downtown, Dr. Shervin Shadianloo, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Gerald J. Friedman Transgender Program for Health and Wellness, Northwell Health, Nicol Sweeney, Division of Plastic Surgery, Northwell Health, Dr. David Whitehead, Division of Plastic Surgery, Northwell Health, and Contantine Venetopoulos, Film Director of "Draw with me" starring Brendon Scholl.
The panel discussion took place in the United Nations Headquarters in New York and was streamed live. The audience included educators, mental health professionals, policy makers, and interested individuals. Dr. Pelonis highlighted the need for revised guidelines across the school system: "The federal laws that protect students from discrimination exist. In Article 9, everything is in place for students to be treated fairly, however, insufficient or nonexistent guidelines are leaving school personnel exposed to misinterpretations or to making judgment calls about how to handle issues that arise."
Dr. Pelonis concluded by highlighting the vital role of educational institutes: "We must understand our role as educators; it is not our responsibility to judge nor to assist students in such decision making, this belongs with the individual and the family. Our purpose is to level the field and provide a safe place for all students to receive an education in an environment of belonging and acceptance. We need to provide a platform for students to grow and develop socially, emotionally, and of course, academically. We owe it to all students to give them a platform where they can flourish. When there is a lack of understanding or misunderstanding, it creates confusion, it breeds fear, and that cannot be good for anyone of us. Fear marginalizes and targets people, increases violence, and creates symptomatic communities. We need healthy communities and societies. If we start from the premise that we are all human beings and as such, we are different, and if we honor the sanctity of life, we cannot do wrong by anyone."
The complete discussion is available here. | {
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Published Jan 07, 2020You don't have to talk to Prancer's lead vocalist Thalia Coryn for too long to realize they're taking the next step in a lifelong mission: To create connections and community through music.
Buoyed by a live show experience that will make you dance, sing and feel accepted, the band have created quite the buzz in Toronto's music scene — despite never releasing a song.
"I really like to interact a lot with the audience — I like to look them dead in the eye, just so they know that I'm talking to them," Coryn tells Exclaim! "The name Prancer itself, there's gonna be some prancing around of course; there's a lot of movement on my end."
Along the way, Prancer's earworms have bored into some famous heads inside the industry: queer rock icon Ezra Furman hand-picked Prancer to open for him last September, while Hollerado's Nixon Boyd has taken them under his wing (after hearing the band rehearse at the Royal Mountain Records' space, he offered to be their producer on the spot).
Naming influences like the Beaches, Mother Mother and Whitehorse (whose guitarist, Luke Doucet, appears on Prancer's debut album, due in 2020), Coryn defines Prancer as "queer feminist Black Keys."
The importance is as much in the message, they continue: "It's very bluesy, like the Black Keys, but obviously it's voiced by someone who is non-binary and queer, so the message is going to be a little different — it's going to tell a different story."
Don't discount Prancer's pop element though — something that working with Hollerado's Boyd has only encouraged. "The structures of our songs are primarily pop, but I think that makes them easily accessible to people. More people are going to listen to it and understand it, because it's said in a way that feels better than if someone is screaming it at you."
Coryn always used music to create the connections they struggled to find in their hometown — a cathartic release during an isolating childhood. "I grew up in Southern Ontario and I came out as queer very young, so I was completely alienated, I was bullied and I felt alone. I was listening to these songs on the radio and not feeling like I really connected to anyone." During these early internet days, Tegan and Sara songs were a lifeline for Coryn.
Prancer began as a folk duo before gaining members in the form of high school pals and former bandmates from various projects. Today, Prancer are a face-melting six-piece. This musical evolution coincided with Coryn's open-vein approach to songwriting, which combines heart-on-sleeve lyrics and raw delivery to cover topics that many deal with, but few discuss.
"These songs are deeply personal stories about my ongoing struggles with mental health issues, with depression and anxiety, with my substance abuse and alcoholism and drug addiction [and] love in so many ways — the boundlessness of queer love, of platonic love, of unrequited love. Unrequited love comes up a lot, I'm not gonna lie. The struggle and ongoing fight against the patriarchy and feelings of isolation and alienation and the need to be seen."
Heady stuff, but their writing process has been years in the making.
"So first step: Denial. You don't have these problems, you stuff them down, sit on them for years. Then, you start to dig them back up, go to therapy." Coryn collects their thoughts for a moment before adding: "I've found that when I feel safe within myself, when I feel mentally clear, that's when I can start to talk about the pain and struggle that I've been through."
With these themes on the forefront of their music — and the unwavering belief that "music is the purest form of connection we have" — Coryn dreams of creating the community their 12-year-old queer self desperately needed.
"I can't wait to get my music out there, because I know there are people that feel so lost and alone and isolated and although there's no one that truly understands them, hopefully I can reassure them that they're not alone."
They pause deliberately before adding: "There are people out there that are experiencing the same things — and maybe it'll just make people feel seen and heard."
Prancer play Exclaim!'s Class of 2020 concert series, co-presented by Collective Arts, on Saturday, January 11 at the Horseshoe in Toronto with Glass Cactus, BLANKS, For Keeps and Acapulco Gold. | {
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If you can't get enough Deadpool, this is your week!
Welcome, dear readers, to X-Men: Bland Design, the weekly multi-part recap column that strives to answer the question: "What if Ed Piskor had no art skills, a juvenile sense of humor, and less classic material to work with?"
Things have changed in the X-Men comics (and superhero comics in general) since the glory days recapped in Piskor's magnum opus. Gone are all of the thought bubbles, most of the narration boxes, most of the references to past issues, and perhaps most importantly, any trace of the idea that any comic could be some reader's first. Casting aside many of the properties that set comics apart as a medium, the modern superhero-industrial complex has instead chosen to treat comics as glorified storyboards, decompressed and written for the trade.
But for X-Men fans, it doesn't matter. We'll obsessively buy and read all of these X-Men comics until the day we die, no matter how bad they get! And if we're going to do that anyway, we might as well document the experience for you, our dear readers, brothers and sisters and non-binary siblings in suffering.
This week there are five regular-priced X-Books on the stands, which will cost you 20 bucks to buy, and, thanks to the aforementioned decompression, roughly 10 minutes to read: X-Men Blue #22, All-New Wolverine #31, Legion #2, Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #28, and Despicable Deadpool #295. It's time for our second helping of Deadpool in…
Spider-Man vs. Deadpool #28
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Artists: Chris Bachalo and Matt Horak
Inkers: Matt Horak, Livesay, Tim Townsend, Victor Olazaba, and Wayne Faucher
Colorist: Chris O'Halloran
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Cover: Scott Hepburn and Ian Herring
Last issue was our first experience with this comic, and we weren't impressed. Despite being the first issue of a new story arc, the comic did little to introduce new readers to the book, failing to name half of the characters in Deadpool's helicarrier crew, failing to explain much about the ones they did name, and failing even to explain why Deadpool has a helicarrier crew and what they're doing.
Context clues allowed us to figure out that Deadpool's crew is going around stealing weapons from old SHIELD bases and that one of them is some kind of amalgam of Man-Thing and SHIELD agent Clay Quatermain. There's another character called Manphibian, and a woman with black hair called Kate. In addition, there is a character with a cow head whose name is never mentioned, and another character with pink or purple hair whose name is also never mentioned. Spider-Man is working with Paige Guthrie, the mutant known as Husk, to chase down The Chameleon, who is also stealing weapons. In the previous issue, Deadpool stole a bunch of weapons from SHIELD installation Area 14, while Chameleon stole a device used to control an army of robots. Deadpool is feeling bad about disappointing Spider-Man by being a thief.
Let's see if this issue can redeem the comic, and also if we can hit character name BINGO and learn the names of everyone in the book this time.
The issue opens at Bobbi Morse, Mockingbird's, apartment, where she and Paige are watching Spider-Man drink a Slurpee. A caption sets the time as "now," which means we're going to be treated to another flashback-heavy issue. The conversation reveals that Spider-Man had an encounter with both Chameleon and Deadpool "earlier," and now we're going to hear about it.
Spider-Man recounts his day, beginning with saving a busload of schoolchildren and then fighting Kraven the Hunter. The fight with Kraven is interrupted by a fight between Deadpool and Chameleon that literally explodes out of the ground underneath them. Down there is another SHIELD weapons cache, and Deadpool's friends (person with a cow head who has yet to be named either explicitly or in context) and Clay-Thing.
Chameleon reveals that he has Man-Thing-like plant powers now, and Deadpool refers to the Man-Thing/Clay Quatermain amalgam as Branch, upending everything we thought we knew about this comic. We know it may sound like we're fixated on this, but seriously, even ComicVine, a website whose purpose is to document this sort of crap, can't be bothered to figure out the identities of the characters on Deadpool's team that have been featured fairly prominently in the last two issues. It only lists the characters everyone knows already:
But we digress. Now that the comments are working, if we don't learn it before this issue is done, someone will probably fill us in on who these characters are.
Back to the story: Chameleon grabs Spidey and Deadpool with his new tree/vine powers and slams them into the ground. Chameleon and Kraven are having a team-up now. Deadpool tries to break the fourth wall, but Spider-Man ignores him. He tries to talk to Spider-Man about their conversation while they were fighting last issue, but Spider-Man doesn't know what he's talking about because that was actually Chameleon masquerading as Spidey. Spidey takes out Kraven, but Chameleon knocks down some rubble, forcing Spidey to save some civilians with his webbing. That frees up Kraven and Chameleon to escape, and Deadpool too. Now that Spidey and Deadpool have figured out what happened last issue (Deadpool got played), Spidey wants to know what Deadpool said to fake-Spidey that Deadpool thinks is so important (it's the guilt thing mentioned earlier). But Deadpool walks away sadly. Just what Deadpool needed: emo Deadpool.
Now we come back to the present, where Spider-Man explains that he couldn't chase anyone down or stop Deadpool from stealing the weapons because of the civilians. Husk explains that Deadpool's crew took all the weapons, but Chameleon got nothing (except we know he has that robot army). Spidey says he'll take Deadpool down for good next time they meet. If that hasn't happened in 28 issues, we doubt it's going to happen anytime soon.
Back on Deadpool's Helicarrier, which a caption informs us is called the S.S. Deadpool but which a banner on the actual ship identifies as the U.S.S. Pool, Deadpool's Crew, all but two of whose names we know by this point, want to know how Spider-Man keeps showing up where they're planning a theft.
Now we get a flashback to Deadpool's perspective before breaking into the SHIELD vault. A caption box tells us that one of the characters is apparently named Screwball, but doesn't specify which one. That's something to go on though. A Google search tells us Screwball was created by Dan Slott and Marcos Martin in Amazing Spider-Man. She is one of the two women on the team. She's wearing a helmet and glasses in every photo we can find, but from the color scheme of her costume, we're able to determine she's the one with the purple hair. From last issue, we know the other woman is named Kate and the green guy is named Manphibian. The guy with Man-Thing attached to him is apparently now called Branch, we learned earlier in this issue, though last issue we thought he was Clay. If we can learn the name of the cow-headed person before the end of this issue, this comic will have finally done its job on the most basic level!
As if reading our minds, in the very next panel, the comic casually drops the name of the cow-headed character: Hellcow. Oh. It's Hellcow. Why didn't they just say that. Before we can celebrate though, Deadpool is back to referring to the character called Branch earlier as Clay again. God dammit.
So anyway, they break through a sewer wall to find Chameleon waiting for them in the SHIELD vault, as if he knew they were coming. He blows a hole in Deadpool with a blaster. A brawl ensues. Chameleon reveals that Kraven is just a distraction and blows a hole in the roof. That's where we picked up in the previous flashback. Now we get to hear about it from Deadpool's point of view, which differs slightly from the earlier account as suits Deadpool's ego. We see basically the same conversation again where Deadpool and Spidey figure out that Chameleon was masquerading as Spidey in the previous issue when Deadpool spilled his guts. This part of Deadpool's story was amusing:
The story ends the same way Spider-Man's did, with Deadpool walking away, disappointed that he spilled his guts to a fake Spider-Man but too emo to spill his guts to the real one a second time. Back on the helicarrier, however, we're treated to more glorious X-position as we learn that the green Man-Thing growth on that guy is named Branch, and the human part is named Clay. We're so grateful, we're giving this comic a five-star review.
Anyway, Branch can sense emotions (like Man-Thing), and it detects that Deadpool is not lying, but is hiding something. Deadpool's team is suspicious of what Deadpool talked about with Spider-Man. Deadpool claims it wasn't important (but he's been sulking about it all issue, so…). Some of the team members express a lack of confidence in Deadpool and a fear of going back to jail, but good old Hellcow has Deadpool's back. Hellcow and Deadpool agree… the next time they run into Spider-Man, Deadpool has to kill him.
Now it's time to see what Chameleon is up to, which is getting a shoulder massage from Kraven the Hunter. He's talking to someone on the phone, and it might be a traitor on Deadpool's team. Uh oh. Chameleon reveals that Kraven is a life model decoy. As are, it seems, the rest of that robot army we heard about last issue. That makes them considerably more valuable than your typical robot army, it would seem…
And that's it.
By simply revealing the names of the characters on Deadpool's team, and providing context clues to figure out a lot more about their personalities, this book pulled a major 180 degree turn. We were able to actually enjoy the clever narrative structure instead of being annoyed so much effort was put into that while ignoring the fundamentals. Maybe the creative team read our last recap? Whatever the reason, we're glad.
One more Deadpool book to go… | {
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In this episode: Pairanormal Betrayal Legacy Skyward Sword HD Loki Finale
The Moistwatch turns its eye to public works, as many mysteries lurk in the shadows. Aze busts out the dulcimer. Neellith brews some booze. Slime needs a new spellcasting focus. The Dream Team goes to therapy, both art and talk.
Painting colour into the world is a really chill experience.
We never just ask how you’re doing. Games we played this week include:SNKRX (3:20)Pokémon Unite (6:05)Scarlet Nexus (20:00)Offworld Trading Company (23:40)Paranormal (26:10)Greedfall (30:20)Geometry Arena (32:30)The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD (38:20) News things talked about in this episode:Ubisoft sued by French game workers union for institutional sexual […]
The thief is unmasked! The mastermind is at large!! The frost giants are coming!!! Aze yanks a yokai. Neellith roars. Slime meets their match. The Dream Team hesitates and incinerates.
In this episode: Myst VR Unlocked! Escape Adventures Silent Hill Restless Dreams Azul – Stained Glass of Sintra
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United kingdom and Leader of the Conservative party, On the 6th August 2021 at 1PM there shall be a protest outside 10 Downing Street, to address the government’s failure to protect and empower marginalised people, notably the transgender and non-binary community. These […]
Not everyone can read in game text, due to factors like age, disability, and primary language. Today on Access-Ability, we look at how games could be made more accessible to players who struggle, for whatever reason, to read on screen text.
Rules are rules. Games we played this week include:Mundaun (12:30)SNKRX (17:20)Myst: VR Edition (21:40)Scarlet Nexus (25:00)Rising Hell (33:30)There is No Game: Wrong Dimension (37:50) News things talked about in this episode:Resident Evil Village PC port performance issues linked to DRM (8:10)www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXZGCwAJpbM Ubisoft is concerned they might have problems […]
It’s Body Swap with a twist, The Trolley Problem with ressurection, and possibly the most morally complicated episode of Star Trek. Let’s dig into Tuvix, Possibly my favourite episode of Voyager. | {
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I came to Yale in September of 2015, and graduated in December of 2018 from the dual physician assistant and public health master’s program.
I was one of the first students with non-binary gender in the official student record (both at Yale as a whole and at Yale School of Medicine), one of the first patients at the Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) with non-binary gender in the medical record, and one of the first medical professional students of openly non-binary gender at the roughly dozen hospital departments and private practices in Connecticut where I did my clinical training.
And it was okay.
For context, my non-binary gender presentation is primarily visible in the way I dress (I typically wear skirts and turtlenecks) and the way I accessorize (I carry a purse). This is one of my casual looks:
The students, staff and the faculty at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), and the on-campus Yale Physician Associate Program at the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) did not challenge my gender presentation, and were open to feedback when they misgendered me.
I helped them navigate gendering and misgendering by carrying wallet cards that I could hand out (and hand them out I did). The cards summarized actionable aspects of my gender, and linked to a web page that covered more philosophical aspects of my gender. This is what the card looks like:
The registrar at YSPH readily updated my student record when I so requested, and the (few) resulting paperwork problems were taken care of without judgement.
At the PA program, our clinical site coordinator and I discussed in advance issues that might arise during my clinical training, and how to handle them. I walked away from that conversation with the impression the PA program had my back on this matter.
Most of the clinical staff at my training sites (both in and out of hospital) were receptive of my gender presentation, and some expressed contextually appropriate curiosity about it. I handed out more of the wallet cards to my clinical preceptors, and they were generally well-received.
The department in which I felt the least at ease with gender was obstetrics and gynecology. To be fair, ob/gyn is historically a women-only space (on the patients’ side), and gender inclusivity in such spaces today presents special challenges. While it is exciting that YSM and YNHH are making great progress in gender inclusivity, the ob/gyn department has additional cultural challenges to overcome — and it shows.
When I first approached the medical records department at YNHH about updating my medical record to reflect my non-binary gender, I was disappointed to find out that there was no way to do that, but reassured that it was being worked on.
I wasn’t sure how much hope to put in it being worked on — academic medicine and large hospitals aren’t exactly known for rapid change. I was thus pleasantly surprised when, roughly a year later, gender identity (as separate from legal sex) was prominently added to all our medical records, together with information about patients’ pronouns. Soon, gender markers will be removed from hospital identification bracelets.
When I revisited the medical records department, I learned my medical record had already been updated; someone did it proactively based on (I gather) our conversation a year prior. ⭐️
I was involved in orientation week inclusivity training at YSPH. I was also invited to speak on several panel discussions about gender and inclusivity (one for first-year MD students at YSM, one at a queer health conference at YSM, and two for physicians-in-training at YNHH). These were pivotal in helping me overcome my impostor syndrome, and led to feel not only welcome, but appreciated and respected for who I am.
Only a few patients commented on my manner of dress, and by the time that they did, I had enough experience casually responding to such comments that it did not present an obstacle to either my training or their care.
Several patients told me they were not comfortable with me, but none of them referred to my gender expression as the reason (most of them told me they didn’t want to be seen by a student). A few patients made it clear to me that they were more comfortable with me because of my gender presentation.
The year of my graduation, Yale held its first lavender graduation, and it was the only academic celebration at which I felt truly at home.
I do have massive amounts of countervailing privilege; I am white, well-educated, well-off, well-spoken, assertive, and typically misinterpreted as male. All of those things mean that people are generally not prone to laughing me out of a room, or dismissing me when I speak.
My ability to be visible in front of peers, educators, and patients for the last few years does not mean that other non-binary people would be given the same support. However, I can confidently say that Yale, YSM, YSPH, and YNHH are ahead of most when it comes to trans and non-binary inclusivity for students at large, medical professional students, clinicians, and patients.
While there were many aspects of my PA education at Yale that fell embarrassingly short of Yale’s aspiration towards excellence in education, being affirmed in my gender (both as a student and as a healthcare professional) was life-changing for me.
When people ask me whether they should attend Yale’s on-campus PA program, I find it very difficult to honestly recommend it. But if you’re trans or non-binary and considering either the PA or the MD program at YSM, my take is much simpler: it won’t be perfect, but it will be okay — and that’s head and shoulders above most other schools. | {
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Interview received: January 11, 2017 and April 1, 2017.
What is your name?
Where are you located?
San Francisco, California.
Do you save any materials – digital files, emails, physical materials – related to your netlabel? Are you interested in organizing or archiving them?
I have all files at the highest quality from Vulpiano Records backed up on two external hard drives and all email in a labeled folder. I feel like the Vulpiano site, Internet Archive, and Free Music Archive are fairly sufficient for archiving, while I consider the emails personal.
How do you define what is and what is not a netlabel?
For me, a netlabel is a label with a web presence (website, Facebook, Bandcamp, and/or Soundcloud) that releases music exclusively or primarily online.
How and when did you first learn about netlabels?
I would have been either 18 or 19 (2008/2009) and I’m thinking it would’ve been through browsing music blogs or Last.fm.
Do you remember which music blogs you were reading around 2008 and 2009 that were talking about netlabel releases?
Aside from New Music Strategies and Andrew Dubber‘s writing more generally, I definitely used the MOG Music Network, Hype Machine, and elbo.ws, which are more aggregation engines that collect/ed blog mp3 uploads rather than being ‘blogs’ in themselves, to find a lot of music, which I’m sure included netlabel releases. Phlow was one of my A Future in Noise blogroll links and would’ve been an early spot I saw mention of that, though I’ve not checked it out in a long time; you can see an old version of Phlow here where that’s evident.
Do you feel like more or less or the same amount of blogs are talking about netlabels now compared to 2008?
I remember seeing a lot more about unsigned artists who were self-releasing music and of course content about mainstream releases, rather than much about netlabels specifically, and I suppose that’s a big reason why I thought Vulpiano would be a good idea: to wrangle up quality unsigned artists into one spot. I feel like there is a much greater awareness and discussion of netlabels than there was in 2008/2009 thanks to social media, archiving sites and directories like Free Music Archive and clongclongmoo, initiatives like Netlabel Day – the list goes on.
What was the first netlabel you heard of?
That’s a very good question. I’m not entirely sure if there was a specific netlabel I was a fan of before starting my own. I had some awareness of 8bitpeoples. I know for sure I read Andrew Dubber’s 2008 New Music Strategies article on netlabels when I was starting to think about it.
What are some netlabels that inspired or influenced you? Or that you admire?
Again, not too much I can attribute to being inspired by netlabel-wise in the beginning, but at this point: I love M.I.S.T. Records and their Netlabel Day initiative. DMT Tapes FL is another favorite.
What made you decide to start your own netlabel?
I liked the idea of gathering up artists I liked best from submissions and posts on my music blog A Future in Noise and making Vulpiano into a sort of collective representing my own taste and enabling others to find what I considered to be high quality free music.
What were the reasons you had to choose releasing music for free? And why did you choose to not release physical albums?
Well, this was at a time when there was a more heated debate about free downloading and piracy than there is now and I thought, well, it’d be great to have a selection of really great music that people could freely download or share without feeling any guilt about it, knowing that the artists wanted to share it for free. I’m not the kind of person to think that releasing music for free is an inherently noble act or that artists shouldn’t ever get paid for what they do – Vulpiano is its own thing where we’re saying “this is free, please enjoy it, it’s our gift to you.” Some artists have chosen to make their releases pay what you want (including $0, if that’s what someone chooses) and releasing limited physical copies in addition to the free download, but these are always optional, not required.
What is the name of your netlabel?
Why did you choose the name you chose?
Vulpiano means “sly as a fox” in Latin. I came across it randomly when perusing a baby name book for ideas and I felt like it was a kind of sign. Foxes have always been a special animal to me and they seem to crop up at key moments in my life so I took it as a sign.
When did you start your netlabel?
What is the focus of your netlabel?
Many releases are electronic, experimental, or folk.
Are your albums released under creative commons, copyleft or copyright? Why did you choose the method you chose?
All albums are typically released under Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivatives though artists may choose another Creative Commons license if they wish. These albums are still copyrighted, since Creative Commons works alongside copyright.
Do you go through the process and officially copyright all your releases? Or is it an implied copyright? I ask, because one of the bands I was in did that one time for our first batch of songs and I found it very time consuming.
It’s an implied copyright. I feel like the CC licensing which includes the legalese about what that means makes the terms of the releases even more clear, honestly.
What is your relationship to the artists that you release? Do you maintain any contact once you’ve released their work? Do you help promote them outside of their release itself?
I’ve tried to keep in touch periodically with all Vulpiano artists, though there are some I’ve sadly been unable to get ahold of who appear to not be in the music world anymore. I contacted quite a few for our first Netlabel Day release in 2016 and got a great response. I’ve recently been working with an intern for Vulpiano (Abishai) that’s been helping me figure out a promotion plan since it’s been tough to promote on my own, but there are certain online radio stations and music blogs I share relevant new releases with.
How do you decide what artists you want to release? Do you approach them? Do they approach you? Do you have any specific guidelines that you follow? Do you act as a curator or is it all luck of the draw?
I’ve both approached artists and had them approach me. When I had a more active music blog, there were people who found Vulpiano through that and got a good idea of what kind of music I was into and submitted accordingly if they felt like they were a good fit. Now people tend to find it through browsing netlabels on Internet Archive or Free Music Archive, or because they’re a Natural Snow Buildings fan and they’ve checked out their releases on the label. This is how I met my romantic partner of about 3 years now, actually, so that was a good model! The guidelines are really just “do I love this album? Do I feel proud of having it be part of the Vulpiano family?” I do feel like a curator.
What are your criteria for the music you curate and release?
Simply put, that I like it personally and that I get on well with the artist.
What genres have you never released before, that you would love to release on your label or on a future label of yours?
People say that vaporwave is dead, but I think that’s because there’s such a glut of junk vaporwave with no care or thought. I’d really like to work with an artist in that genre, or related genre, that I felt was doing something interesting with it still.
Are there any artists that you have yet to release that you would like to work with? Or that you always wished you had been able to work with?
There are a few, including some I think might be quite possible, but I’d rather not say and keep it a surprise.
How many albums have you released?
90 releases so far, which includes 7 artist sampler compilations.
Who are some of your most notable artists?
Natural Snow Buildings has been far and away the most downloaded and remarked upon, which is a great honor for me as I had really admired their music before they asked me if I’d be interested in releasing something from them. My partner’s band Vukovar and his solo work Neurotic Wreck have been big hits as well.
Which are some of your most significant releases?
Natural Snow Buildings – The Centauri Agent and Aldebaran. Netlabel day releases Taker 51 – Melanchordia, Enrico Falbo – Il Giorno del Richiamo Estatico, and Neurotic Wreck – Glow Ghosts. Ambient release Veldt from Lately Kind of Yeah has also had a huge amount of listens.
How did Natural Snow Buildings learn about Vulpiano?
I wrote a post on Natural Snow Buildings for a friend’s music blog (SleepWalKing Mag) in 2009; their site is no longer up, but you can still read the post here if you like. I had found NSB’s email on a record label site and asked for their permission to include “Hunted Was My Brother” and “They Are Still Hanging Around” and they agreed. I shared the post with them when it was up and they were appreciative. It wasn’t long after that that I launched Vulpiano and they had seen the announcement of the launch on my music blog A Future in Noise and contacted me asking if I’d be interested in doing a release. They have tended to release their albums by surprise across various labels so I’m sure that element appealed to them at the outset. This was incredibly exciting to me as they’re really one of my favorite bands of all time and I think they make some of the most beautiful music of anyone contemporary in general. Their first release was The Centauri Agent in 2010, a Vulpiano exclusive, then they did a digital release of The Night Country (originally an NSB self-release in super-limited physical quantities) in 2015, and most recently Aldebaran in 2016 for a Netlabel Day exclusive on Vulpiano. I am still incredibly honored for NSB’s participation in Vulpiano and my friendship with them; Mehdi and Solange have been some of the kindest and coolest people that I’ve worked with.
Do you release your own work on your netlabel? What do you think of that practice?
I have re-released my older synth albums that were without a label previously just to give them a place to ‘live’ as well as a newer experimental album made up of Creative Commons and public domain samples sourced only from Wikimedia Commons. I think it’s completely reasonable to do. After all, I like all the music I’ve decided to release on Vulpiano, so I’d better like my own too! It’s definitely not something I’ve ever intended to do all the time, however.
What do you enjoy about running your netlabel? What do you get out of it?
I love hearing new submissions from artists all over the world. Meeting my partner through music and falling in love with him through his first music for Vulpiano, Natural Snow Buildings expressing their interest, making new musical friends, and getting nice comments and interactions from people who have loved the music they’ve discovered have all been very rewarding.
What are some difficult things about running the label? Or what are some challenges?
My internet at home is very slow, so every time I have to release an album, I have to leave my house and go to a library or cafe or something to do that. Keeping track of where albums have been added to discography sites like Rate Your Music or Discogs and promoting releases on my own has been challenging, but having an intern help me with this has been a big help. I also look back and note that some releases I don’t have in 320 kbps and wish this was something I had thought about more at the outset of the label as not all artists have retained their files at this quality, or even had them at 320 kbps to begin with, alas!
If the audio files permit, do you think you will go back and re-upload the older albums at 320kbps? Or is it too much of a time/labor burden. I also have early releases that I uploaded at 192kbps and I go back and forth on whether or not to update them.
Some artists actually don’t even have their releases at this audio quality anymore, so it’s impossible. I’ve written previous artists asking about this in cases where I had lesser quality audio and it’s everything from hard drive crashes to files being at their computer at home in another country! I’ve uploaded all possible releases at 320 kbps. This unfortunately means that some releases can never go on Free Music Archive (which requires 256 kbps) or Bandcamp (which requires WAV/AIFF/FLAC) because of their upload requirements. I would definitely say, update them if you have higher quality audio. I wish I would have always required releases to be at 320 kbps and/or requested the original WAV files but I didn’t think about this until later.
How do you keep track of albums being added to discography sites? Do you or your intern do this for all of your releases? Do you see a benefit in having albums in those databases?
In the spreadsheet I keep with the information about all the releases, there’s a field to indicate whether they’ve been added to Rate Your Music and another for Discogs. The goal is to have this done for all releases, though we are closer to that with RYM rather than Discogs; since I haven’t ever personally been a heavy Discogs user it seems to fall on the back-burner, but I hope to get it done this year. As for RYM, I like to rate every album I listen to, personally, and have rated over 4000 albums on RYM since I joined in 2009. There are a lot of other people who love to keep track of their digital collections, do reviews, and rate their music as well. Plus, on RYM it is possible to make recommendations to friends based on what is cataloged on RYM so this enables me to do that easily, myself. All mainstream albums are going to be in these databases, so why not netlabels? It’s another cog in underlining the legitimacy of netlabels, in my opinion. Netlabel content should be easily accessible for reading up on, discussing, rating – the works.
Has anything about it been disappointing or frustrating?
I’ve gotten some really strange or demanding messages from listeners and sometimes artists who seem to not realize that Vulpiano is really one of many different things I do in my life and I can’t necessarily deal with their concerns right away, but these have been pretty few in number thankfully. I’ve also had to alter a lot of information about me indicating that I am a woman or a female netlabel owner or whatever and it has been exhausting sometimes. That said, I don’t have any complaints more generally.
What keeps you motivated to continue running the netlabel when you are feeling frustrated?
Wonderful, surprising music submissions and the great friendships I’ve made through running Vulpiano.
How much time do you put into running the label? Approximate hours per day, week or month?
Hmm, I’d say 1-4 hours per week depending on what’s going on. With Netlabel Day or other busy times, it could be more like 8 hours+ per week, which is still not huge.
Can you describe all the work that you do on a regular basis in order to run your label?
I have a spreadsheet that I keep maintained with details about all of the albums such as title, release date, links to downloads, etc. The artists’ locations and bios are also noted. Every time there’s a new release, I post a preview track from Soundcloud and write a post about it for http://vulpianorecords.com/ The post includes my own description for the album, the streaming and download links (Internet Archive, Free Music Archive, and Mediafire), and typically the artist bio and links to find them on social media and, if available, Bandcamp and Soundcloud.
I maintain contact with my intern who has been a big help in getting releases listed on Rate Your Music and helping me with proofreading and streamlining changes on the website and elsewhere. I respond to any new submissions if they’re there. I occasionally retool the terms of release for Vulpiano artists so people are aware of what it is they need to provide for me in order to release something. I update the Vulpiano Records Facebook and Twitter. Some artists seem to do better promoting their own releases but I have a pool of contacts that I alert to new releases that I think they’ll enjoy. Apart from the main body of the promo content, I always write a personal email instead of a blast when sharing something like this, so that can take some time.
In what audio format and bitrate do you release your albums?
Nowadays, everything is available at 320 kbps mp3s, sometimes with the addition of FLAC/WAV. Previously, it’s been as low as 128 kbps and I wish I would’ve had the foresight for it to be more!
Why did you choose that format?
MP3s play conveniently across audio players and not everyone knows what to do with a FLAC or WAV. That said, optimally all music would be available in MP3/FLAC/WAV.
Do you zip your files into a package, or are the albums uploaded as individual files?
Always zipped. Now Vulpiano releases are also uploaded as individual files on Free Music Archive and Internet Archive.
Aside from the audio files, do you include any other types of files or information with the album?
Always a cover image, but otherwise this is down to the artist’s choice. Sometimes a back cover or a text document with information about the recording process, dates recorded, or lyrics have also been included.
What software programs do you use to run your netlabel? For converting and encoding audio, for metadata, for ftp, for making cover art, etc.
Where do you share your releases? On your website? Free Music Archive? Internet Archive? Et al? A combination of these things?
All of the above, plus a ZIP on Mediafire. If the artist has made it available through their Soundcloud and/or Bandcamp, I include that also.
Why did you decide to host your releases on Mediafire instead of hosting them yourself on your site? Any advantages or disadvantages to this?
Vulpiano Records’ website is on Tumblr which doesn’t allow for hosting of ZIP files at all, so this was the main reason for that. Also many people are familiar with downloading albums, illegally or legally, using file-sharing sites like Mediafire. More people choose to download from Free Music Archive or Internet Archive, but I like having it available because it’s still more familiar to a lot of folks than either of those sites, especially if I’m sending something on to a friend or someone requests a simple download link. If I switched to a self-hosted WordPress in the future, I would still likely have the Mediafire mirror anyway for this very reason. I still consider Internet Archive and FMA to be the ‘primary’ hosts, which is why I always call the Mediafire link a ‘mirror’ in the new release posts.
What do you do to promote your label?
Facebook and Twitter through the label’s profiles as well as my own, the Netlabel Day initiative, reaching out to contacts with music blogs and streaming stations. Free Music Archive has managed to be like a promotional tool in itself, they make it so easy for people to find Vulpiano’s music.
Do you send releases out for review? If yes, is it traditional media – review sites, magazines, blogs, etc. Or are there non-traditional methods?
Music blogs and streaming radio, not much beyond that; seems to suit the netlabel format.
How much success have you had in getting people to review your releases in magazines, blogs or websites? Any frustrations regarding this?
As someone who had spent more time running a music blog previously, I know promotional blasts can be quite annoying, especially if they seem to be totally not targeted to the right audience and are being sent out randomly. Also, someone may review an item or you sent them or add it to their stream long after the period of its initial release, so waiting or following up can be necessary. I figure that in every batch of emails I sent out, which include the promo content as well as a personal message always, a very tiny percentage will get back, but I accept that’s the reality of the situation.
Have you had success in getting people in general to listen to your releases?
I would say so. Like I said, Free Music Archive has been an incredible boon for Vulpiano. Friends of mine will regularly listen to and remark upon releases and it’s always greatly exciting when there’s a good response elsewhere on music blogs or stations that I love.
Do you keep track of your download numbers and, if yes, how have they changed over the years?
I do occasionally track Mediafire downloads, Free Music Archive stats, and Bandcamp for the small number of releases on that platform. The addition of Vulpiano to FMA in late 2015 has increased the listener base by many thousands, so that’s been the biggest change.
How important are download numbers and number of listeners to you?
Of course, I want people to hear the music on Vulpiano because I believe it is quality music, however I’m not obsessive about tracking analytics.
Do you feel that the lack of a physical object – vinyl, cassette, eight track, etc. – is a hindrance to building an audience? To getting any media to pay attention? If yes, why do you think that is the case?
It does seem like it’s become increasingly common for what otherwise has been a netlabel to have cassette or vinyl releases, particularly of a limited edition variety. I’ve considered looking into this option more. I think there’s a tendency for some to view digital files as less “real” or “human,” though I don’t feel that way personally. Also, netlabels are huge in number though not many carry on through the years, which is why there’s something like Netlabel Archive. Continuing to exist and putting out new music on a regular basis seems to go quite a long way in standing out as a netlabel at the bare minimum, then with quality and diverse content and reaching out to people who might be into it, it can go even further.
Has the lack of a physical object been a problem for any of the artists that you have worked with? If it has how have you responded?
Not so much a problem as artists interested seem to have an idea of what we’re about. Some artists have had questions about resources to help them do their own physical release and I’ve done some detective work finding out that information. I’ve considered figuring out a way to formalize this process if there becomes more of a demand.
In addition to promotion, publicity and releasing albums do you organize live performances or festivals for your artists?
I haven’t done this before but I would really love to in the future if there was a good opportunity and a group of artists in physical proximity where it would make sense.
How do you finance your netlabel, including the labor you put into it?
Not one dime has been spent on anything Vulpiano-releated, apart from the $10 a year domain name. I have had various periods of no or underemployment where I’ve put more time into the netlabel and otherwise, when working and going to school, have made working on it into a thing I do early in the morning or late at night.
What do you think your label’s legacy might be?
For Vulpiano, hopefully the fact we’ve stuck around for 7+ years with no plans to stop and have continued to maintain the same level of integrity. Many early artists have come back to release music later on, which I think is a very good sign of what Vulpiano means as a collective. There is still much more I’d like to do in terms of Vulpiano, such as the possibility of events or physical materials, but we’ll see.
Do you feel that you are filling a niche that other labels are not?
I think Vulpiano’s main niche might well be restraint in careful selection. There are a lot of netlabels that release such a high volume of material, I’m not sure I could really listen carefully to everything they’re putting out and I wonder if the owners / collective members of the netlabel really are listening carefully either. I think quality material is much more important than just flooding the web with music that may or may not be any good.
What do you think about Bandcamp and any similar music hosting sites?
I think Bandcamp is quite cool and well-designed though the 320 kbps/WAV/FLAC only limitation has meant that older Vulpiano releases could never go on there. I’m still in the process of adding applicable older releases to Bandcamp. Selling merch if that’s what an artist wants to do appears to be quite easy through Bandcamp as well.
Do you think netlabels are sustainable? If yes, what do you think the future is for them? Should there be more?
I do, as long as there’s enough interest to keep going and artists and curators are excited about what they’re doing. Having an eye to archiving and promotion is critical as these things don’t happen on their own. Netlabels getting along with one another and unsigned or independent artists making connections is really important to the sustainability as well. I’m not sure if there should be more so much as there should be high quality netlabels, there are a lot of fly-by-nights and disappearing netlabels and that’s really sad to me.
Are there too many netlabels?
No. The only thing I’d add to this is that there are perhaps too many netlabels that don’t stick around or that disappear without explanation.
Will netlabels be obsolete before 2025?
I don’t see why that would be the case, unless there is a huge sea change in music curating and people’s response to it.
Does your netlabel align with any political or philosophical positions or thoughts? Do you get involved with politics at all as a netlabel?
This is an interesting question for me. I’d like to hope that people who are interested in Vulpiano Records and our stance with sharing and Creative Commons emphasis would have progressive ideals in regards to modifying, or overthrowing, arcane and limiting copyright law and that might extend to other politics as well. I am a non-binary person and, while I’ve not emphasized that with Vulpiano per se, there have been other queer artists on the label as well and that’s an area I care a lot about and I hope listeners would as well.
How do you feel that netlabels as a phenomenon overlap with any other artist practices – cassette trading, mail art, etc? Is there any overlap with podcasts, podfiction/netfiction, or any other art that is distributed for free?
I feel like there is absolutely an overlap; I have an interest in all of the things you’ve mentioned! It’s a DIY mentality and a tendency to harness the power of the internet to create and share.
Are you aware of a chronological history of netlabels? If yes, what is it?
I’m more aware of this now than when I started, but the sheer number of them and the low-profile of the majority makes it hard to keep track of the chronology of it all, so I don’t think I have a special knowledge in this area.
Is there anything else you would like to write about that wasn’t included here?
I added some information about it, but I was surprised there wasn’t talk of file formats and bitrate since a lot of netlabels and fans are into that.
What questions would you ask other people who run netlabels?
I’m always interested to know in netlabel owner’s criteria for what they curate. | {
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Hacked! Games Re-designed
7th June – 31st August 2019
Our Summer exhibition Make Believe was a playful, interactive space for all ages. Four international artists present colourful immersive experiences, that gave us a glimpse into the creative mind of a machine! The exhibition featured work by Gene Kogan, Violet Forest, Will Pappenheimer and Sofia Crespo, who all use the latest technologies to create colourful experiences that delight and entertain.
Visitors could make 3D paintings in Virtual Reality, that hung in mid-air using Google’s Tilt Brush. Artificial Intelligence combined scenes from Alison in Wonderland with famous paintings in Gene Krogan’s “Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk?“. Will Pappenheimer’s “Drawing Constellation” allowed visitors to add their own doodle to a giant constellation of drawings, and help create a virtual sculpture that floated in space using Augmented Reality. Violet Forest’s “Tones” was an interactive musical touchscreen display. Sofia Crespo’ s “Neural Zoo” were a series of prints showing creatures visualised using artificial intelligence.
Read a review in this great blog written by Ruth Millington.
We Run This
10th January – 2nd March 2019
Co-curated with Afro Futures_UK, We Run This featured the work of non-binary people, women of colour, and artists working in the digital medium. The exhibition explores intersectionality through film, animation and code. Connecting experiences of estrangement and remixed identities from across the black diaspora, We Run This raises questions around the impact of digital media on how we gain resilience through questioning existing paradigms of race, gender identity and sexuality.
The exhibition included work by Irene Fubara Manuel, Georgia Lucas-Going, Emily Mulenga, Tabita Rezaire, Sun Stephenson as well as a You Run This section where visitors were invited to contribute to the exhibition through Zine making. We are also ran two, free, public events. A coding jam and unconference discussing digital expression.
As part of this exhibition, we commissioned two new works by Georgia Lucas-Going and Emily Mulenga.
“Existing and Thriving Takes Preparation” by Georgia Lucas-Going
This piece explores how technology and new media will cause our bodies to adapt in the year 4080. How we communicate will change, how we move, how we live and how we prosper.
Take a deep breath.
Those eyes aren’t brown now, you’ve spent too much time in front of the screen and now your retinas don’t belong to you.
But your body just about does.
“Electric Lady Land” by Emily Mulenga
Electric Lady Land is a video installation comprising CGI footage captured from the chat software IMVU, found footage from YouTube, and ‘real-life’ footage captured by the artist.
The dreamlike sequence offers twinkling city lights, beaches, mountains; and a pink rabbit in a zebra print dress dancing, sipping cocktails and playing with a beach ball. A track of jazz plays as a backdrop.
Playing with ideas around representation, as well as intuition, pleasure, playfulness and nostalgia, the visuals shift seamlessly from scene to scene as the shimmering sea dissolves into the neon lights of a city, and the sunset becomes a tropical blue sky which melts through the colours of the rainbow to become nightfall.
United Visual Artists
04 October – 08 December 2018
BOM was delighted to present the world premiere of Beholder, a virtual reality experience by United Visual Artists (UVA) exploring beauty from autistic perspectives.
Commissioned by BOM, Beholder seeks to re-evaluate our perception of beauty, to see it through another’s eyes. The work centres around the wonder of everyday phenomena as seen through the eyes of an autistic child, Oliver, alongside wider autistic perspectives. Oliver is the son of Matt Clark, founder and director of UVA, who has worked with his team at UVA to create the artwork.
Beholder continues UVA’s investigations into experiences that transcend the physical, and question the relativity of experience. It inquires into our ability to process very detailed information at the expense of altering our perception of time and space, a phenomenon often intensified within the autistic spectrum.
“This artwork explores — and in many ways celebrates — the alternative ways in which neurodivergent individuals perceive the world we live in. Following a research-based process with my autistic son Oliver, UVA have created a Virtual Reality experience informed by the stimuli which seem to captivate the attention of an autistic mind.” – Matt Clark, UVA
Beholder studies the movement of a flock of tree sparrows, revealing their flying patterns and other layers of information, while our perception of time and space is highly transformed.
UVA benefitted from wider autistic input during the production of the work. Particularly, through conversations with artist Sonja Zelic who helped by translating her views into the VR experience. Sonja’s new audio work, A Dream of A Safe Space, was also available in the gallery. This work, inspired by Beholder is narrated by the dreamer of the title and is inter-cut with the point of view of a particular sea bird’s lived experience. This makes it unclear who is ‘speaking’ — the voice of the dreamer and bird merge.
Through Beholder, UVA seek to reimagine a space where experience is fluid and neurodiversity is re-evaluated. It offers individuals the opportunity to temporarily enter a new existence, where one can expand or limit their own world, and perhaps be further transformed.
THE KITTY AI : Artificial Intelligence for Governance
04 October – 08 December 2018
The year is 2039. War (the P-Crisis EMEA war) has ravaged West Eurasia. The emotional impact on its citizen’s collective consciousness cannot be overstated. In the aftermath, an Artificial Intelligence with the affective capacities of a kitten becomes the first non-human governor. She rules over megalopolis. Leading a politician-free life with a network of other Artificial Intelligences, Kitty lives in the mobile devices of citizens and can love up to 3 million people.
This exhibition considers AI and humanity’s relationship to this emerging technology. With The Kitty AI, Pinar Yoldas challenges the end-of-the-world narratives that have driven debates and societal concerns surrounding the technology. Instead, she poses the question, ‘Would advances in AI technology necessarily bring about the domination and destruction of humans, or does it have the potential to enhance human lives, meshing seamlessly into human social, emotional and political life?’
Drawing heavily on iconography from the European Union, and featuring many of Europe’s leading political figures past and present (Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin, David Cameron), The Kitty AI offers viewers a reminder of the affective ties that can bind people and nations. In the wake of unstable political & environmental landscapes that await future generations, Kitty’s “political” message – if it can be called this – is spread not through polished rhetoric – Kitty’s childlike tone and candid manner lack the traditional markers of authority – but through a seemingly genuine love for her citizens: a message transmitted through their digital devices. Directly addressing the viewer, Kitty claims that ‘Love means care. I care about you’.
Like much of Pinar’s past work, such as Ecosystems of Excess & Distilling the Sky, The Kitty AI explores the reckless and destructive nature of human beings. Kitty’s first-person account of the P-Crisis EMEA War and its aftermath is harrowing and all too familiar. The war is used to justify the emergence of AI governance, where, as Kitty argues, salvation lies not in the hands of humanity, but in non-human intervention.
Informed as it is by the cyberpunk genre, where technology is advanced and lifeforms are low, it is left entirely up to the viewer to decide whether Kitty does indeed represent a merely benevolent force. | {
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Women in the workplace contend with more than the direct, obvious sexism of decades past. But gender-based, culturally-instilled bias still quietly holds back millions of women from potential achievements. Confronting these mental setbacks is just as important as protesting the fact that American women still receive 80 cents to the dollar. Women are also more likely to work in education or education administration, yet earn less and are less likely to become principals or superintendents. You can see the latest Department of Labor data on their website.
Internalized oppression, or implicit bias, is the shadowy, partly-unconscious process of an oppressed group coming to believe that the prejudices and stereotypes about them are true. These individuals end up putting this bias back out into the world by means of their speech, their treatment of other people, their lowered self-confidence, and the way they raise their children. Implicit bias is common partly because the human brain seeks to assimilate to the dominant culture while also categorizing, validating, and rationalizing its own experiences.
Without realizing it, you might be assuming that male coworkers are more objective, strong-willed, decisive, practical, and assertive than women. Too often, when women display these same characteristics, they are viewed as angry or bossy by their female colleagues. And when colleagues disagree or are upset with female employees or administrators, they tend to bring gender into their critique of the person, unconsciously punishing women for not being warm, accommodating, or unobtrusive.
This type of bias can begin even before you meet a person. In a controlled study, groups of employers, when shown the exact same resume with only the gender of the applicant changed, rated the male applicant as more capable and even offered him a higher starting salary. Similarly,
A 2005 study by Heilman and collaborator Michelle Haynes asked test participants to read a description of investment portfolio work (read: traditionally male) performed by a male-female team. In the absence of information about individual contributions to the work, participants rated the women as having been less influential and playing a more minor role. - FastCompany
Women at the top do not face any less prejudice. The plethora of advice articles from reputable sources with titles like “How to work for a female boss,” “How to treat a female boss,” and “Why your boss has queen bee syndrome,” only reinforce the perception that women in charge tend to be domineering, angry, cutthroat, and/or unwilling to help other women. Are there bad female bosses in the world? Of course. But it becomes a problem when dozens of articles take the “bad female boss” stand, overtly implying that gender makes someone bad at their job. Meanwhile, you will be hard-pressed to find even a few articles on why “men make bad bosses.”
Ways to better understand and expel implicit bias in the workplace:
- Challenge yourself to think critically in the workplace - are you judging others fairly? Reverse the roles. Would you critique or appreciate their traits in the same ways if they were of another gender, or nonbinary? Take implicit bias tests online to get started on thinking through these complex forms of judgement.
- Advocate for yourself as a woman. If you do a great job, make it known. One great tactic is having a female co-worker who can highlight and point out your accomplishments while you do the same for her. Behavioral scientist Shannon L. Goodson told Reuters:
Being able to draw attention to your contributions and competencies at work has become an important part of modern career management, and it is something most women are still unwilling or unable to do as consistently as their male counterparts… they [tend to] believe that hard work alone is sufficient to put them on salary and status on par with their male counterparts.
- Advocate beyond yourself. Be willing to educate yourself and be a true ally to this issue. This is especially relevant if you have not read much about workplace bias, which varies in the way that it affects women of color, disabled women, trans women, female immigrants, and others. Intersectionality means that a combination of marginalized characteristics can compound the bias or lack of respect a person encounters.
- Invite women or gender non-binary people to speak about their own experiences facing implicit bias, and try to expand the speaker demographic past white women. Learning from others and getting the definitions and nuances of feminist issues out into the open for staff can lead to a healthier workplace culture.
- Lay the groundwork for the next generation. Teach children that girls are not “bossy” if they speak up, that young girls can be just as capable, competitive, and strong as boys. Try not to reinforce traditional gender stereotypes that pressure children into accepting lifelong roles that do not necessarily fit with who they are or who they will become.
- Expose moments of implicit bias. This can be done gently with a thoughtful conversation over a cup of coffee, or, more in the moment, by asking someone to repeat something awkward, sexist, or otherwise problematic that they just said. Often, this causes the speaker to pause and consider the validity of their words. In other cases, a man might repeat and rephrase exactly what you, or another woman, just said - point out that you or she just said it. Another common and odd occurrence is men “proving” that they understand the terrible implications of sexual harassment or other issues because they define themselves as a “brother” or “father.” This implies that if a man has no ties to women whom he loves, that he would see female strangers on the street as undeserving of equality and human rights.
- Provide and participate in regular personal and professional development training in areas that will educate staff on the importance of confronting bias and bringing more women into positions of power.
As education leaders, we must strive to be at the forefront of fixing harmful societal issues and modeling positive, equitable values for students, beginning by examining our own potential biases.
We hope that you can join ACSA at our next Women in School Leadership Forum and attend our training sessions, including “Opening Doors for Women in Leadership” and "Making Schools Better for LGBT Students." Or check out our ongoing #LadiesWhoLead Twitter chats. ACSA also offers an Exemplary Woman in Education Award - we urge you to nominate a passionate leader who radiates a commitment to growth and development, gives back through public or community service, and advocates for the value of school administrators.
ACSA Regional Women’s Leadership Network chapters schedule stellar events throughout the year, including the upcoming Region 2-4 WLN Event, April 23, 5-8 p.m. at the McClellan Conference Center near Sacramento. The deadline to register is April 13. Contact Patches Kolb at (916) 286-5103 or [email protected] or visit www.acsa.org and click on Regions and Charters to find events in your area. | {
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The system settings include appSettings keys and other settings, such as a connection string placed in appropriate sections of the project's web.config file. AppSettings keys are stored in the /configuration/appSettings section.
The following setting categories are available:
Indicates the programming language used in ASCX transformations and in custom code added to web parts.
Note: Existing transformations are not automatically rewritten to the new language. We only recommend changing the value before starting the project's development phase.
Contains a temporary trial license key. You can remove this value after installation.
|"" (empty string)|
Sets the salt value that the system uses in hash functions, for example when creating macro signatures. The installer automatically adds the key for new instances of Kentico, with a random GUID as the value.
Note: Changing the hash salt on a website that already has defined content may prevent macros from resolving correctly, or break dialog links and images on your website. If you encounter such problems, you need to re-save the given content or globally re-sign macros (the system then creates the hashes using the new salt).
Indicates if the application is running on shared storage (e.g., when deployed as an Azure Web App).
Indicates if the 'generator' meta tag stating that the page was generated by Kentico is generated in the header of each page.
Determines field editor behavior when creating new fields. If true, new fields will have empty values of attributes. If false, new fields will have predefined values, the same as the previously selected field.
Specifies the default culture of the system's database.
If true, database connection is automatically disposed (allocated resources released) when a database connection is closed.
Indicates whether session cookies are used.
The maximum number of seconds a script can run before the server terminates it.
When using extensionless URLs or custom extensions, certain legacy environments had problems processing postbacks. To prevent the postback problems, the system retains the ability to automatically attach the .aspx extension to the URL in the form tag.
Set the key to true to attach the .aspx extension in postback URLs.
If the Use URLs with trailing slash setting is enabled in Settings -> URLs and SEO, this key determines whether the system adds a trailing slash only for URLs without an extension.
For example, enabling the key ensures that URLs such as /googlesitemap.xml do not have a trailing slash.
If true, write permissions on the site folder are checked when necessary and produce an error message when they are insufficient.
If true, workflow notification emails will be sent to the user who is performing the current workflow step along with other users involved in the workflow.
If present in the web.config, the tag entered in the value will be used instead of the SPAN tag when generating pages.
Indicates if parsed self-closing tags operations (faster) are used instead of standard self-close filter.
If true, ApplicationInstance.CompleteRequest() is used instead of Response.End() in the CompleteRequest method.
Specifies the ID of the default user.
Specifies path to attachments that should be attached to pages imported via the SQL Import windows application.
"" (empty string)
Specifies how old attachments need to be in order to be deleted by the Delete old temporary attachments scheduled task. The value is in hours. Attachments older than the entered value will be deleted when the scheduled task is executed.
Specifies how old a temporary configuration of a page builder MVC widget needs to be before it is deleted from the Temp_PageBuilderWidgets database table by the Delete old temporary Page builder widgets scheduled task. Widget configurations are only stored in the Temp_PageBuilderWidgets table temporarily before they are saved and transferred to the CMS_Document table. However, they may remain stored in the temporary table if an error occurs while using the page builder. The value is in hours.
Allows you to disable the Kentico administration interface. The system displays an Access denied screen on each attempt to access the administration interface (~/Admin).
This key is used when the Settings -> On-line marketing -> Web Analytics -> Remember visitors by IP (minutes) key has a value higher than 0.
If enabled, users who are active on the site but have disabled cookies are not logged as new visitors after the set time. If disabled, even an active user with disabled cookies is logged as a new site visitor after the set time.
This key overrides the values returned by the IsFormsAuthentication and IsWindowsAuhentication methods in CMS.Helpers.RequestHelper.
You will typically use this if you are using a custom authentication provider whose authentication type is a non-standard one (e.g. Federated authentication) to make Kentico handle it as if it was windows or forms authentication.
The following values are available:
Overrides the default ~/App_Data/CMSTemp location where various temporary files are stored by the system. As a value, you can use:
Sets the name of the folder within ~\App_Themes\ containing the theme that the system uses by default.
Used by Kentico Windows services to identify the Kentico instance. In case of IIS installations, the path to the instance in IIS is used as its value. In case of Visual Studio web server installation, the name of the target web project root folder is used. The value must be less than 60 characters long.
It is also used to register Health monitoring performance counters and to identify respective counter categories when writing monitored values to them.
Unique identifier of the Kentico instance. Used by Kentico Windows services to identify the Kentico instance.
Sets the maximal file size of versioned media files in kilobytes. Files in media libraries that are larger than the entered value will not have versions created on their update.
Indicates if a link that allows users to recover a forgotten password should be displayed on the sign-in page to the administration interface.
The default value is true.
Sets the maximum amount of items displayed in drop‑down list selectors in the administration interface when the number of selectable objects is higher than the value of the CMSSelectorMaxDisplayedTotalItems key. Users can select the remaining objects in a dialog that can be opened through the (more items...) option.
The value of this key can be overridden for individual UniSelector controls.
Limits the maximum number of items displayed in drop‑down list selectors in the administration interface. If there are more selectable objects, the list is shortened (to the number specified by the CMSSelectorMaxDisplayedItems key) and the (more items...) option is added.
The value of this key can be overridden for individual UniSelector controls.
Indicates whether the amount of data displayed in the analytics reports should be reduced before being rendered.
The default value is false (for performance reasons).
Sets the number of minutes for which clients consider physical files to be valid and up-to-date when using client caching (i.e. the length of the client cache expiration time for files). Specifically, the key determines how the server sets the Expires response header for file requests.
The key only applies to files stored on the file system that are served using the GetResource.ashx handler. Other types of dynamic files use the expiration time set in Settings -> System -> Performance -> Client cache (minutes) within the administration interface. Physical files that are requested directly use the IIS client cache configuration.
See also: Caching files and resources
If true, the CMSAbstractTransformation class Eval methods used in ASCX transformations encode string values.
Allows you to customize the regular expression that the system uses to validate email addresses.
If true, string comparisons in macros are case sensitive (if not overriden by |(casesensitive) macro parameter).
Category IDs in the CategoryIDPath column/field (the CMS_Category table) will be padded with leading zeros to the width specified in the key, e.g. 00001232.
UI element IDs in the ElementIDPath column/field (the CMS_UIElement table) will be padded with leading zeros to the width specified in the key, e.g. 00001232.
The default value is 8.
Settings category IDs in the CategoryIDPath column/field (the CMS_SettingsCategory table) will be padded with leading zeros to the width specified in the key, e.g. 00001232.
Specifies how old (in hours) unfinished upload files should be deleted by the Delete old temporary upload files scheduled task.
Indicates how many versions of edited image should be saved in the image editor temporary folder.
Specifies a list of file extensions which should be allowed as image files.
Specifies a list of file extensions which should be allowed as audio files.
Specifies a list of file extensions which should be allowed as video files.
Specifies the port number used in certain types of URLs (for example GetResource requests for images or modal dialog URLs). Standard navigation URLs of web pages are not affected.
If not set, the URL port is automatically taken from the current request (80 in most cases).
Add this key if you wish to generate URLs with a specific port number, regardless of the port supplied in requests.
The CMSUrlPort key may also be useful in scenarios where requests are redirected to a non‑standard port number, but you wish to use the usual HTTP port in URLs (for example in a web farm environment, with a load balancer directing traffic to multiple servers identified by different port numbers).
Specifies the port number for certain types of URLs (for example GetResource requests for images or modal dialog URLs) for requests using the SSL (HTTPS) protocol. Overrides the CMSUrlPort key for SSL requests.
Add this key if you wish to generate URLs with a specific port number, regardless of the port supplied in requests.
Determines which authentication mode is used during Microsoft account (Windows Live ID) authentication. Each mode generates a different authentication token for the same Microsoft account user.
Only set the value to false if you wish to ensure backward compatibility for users created via Live ID authentication by versions of Kentico CMS older than 6.0 (or those users created while this key is set to false).
When using the backward compatibility authentication mode, your website's domain must be set as the Target domain for your application in the Microsoft account Developer Center.
Note: New users registered via Microsoft account authentication while this key is false will only work with the original authentication mode. Users created under the new mode will no longer be recognized.
Sets the cookie level required to display the YouTube video web part and widget (due to the usage of third-party cookies).
If your website uses a lower default cookie level than All (1000), YouTube videos will not be displayed for visitors unless they increase their allow cookie level. To enable YouTube videos for lower levels, set the corresponding cookie level value into this web.config key.
Use the key to change the default value of the page menu item classname.
Defines a value of X-UA-Compatible header meta tag. This meta tag allows you to choose the version of Internet Explorer, in which the page should be rendered.
Available options are:
The meta tag is added if IE browser is used.
Defines if X-UA-Compatible header meta tag can be added.
Defines the level of information which is displayed to the user if the application fails to initialize (e.g., the application fails to connect to the SQL server):
Indicates whether the system updates the last sign-in time when authenticating external users. For example, you can set the key to false to avoid user updates on each request when using Windows authentication.
Sets the Isolation level used for queries that are executed as transactions. Use only in special cases if you encounter problems with deadlocks.
For more information about the available values, see: IsolationLevel Enumeration
If set to true, the system converts URLs inside CSS stylesheets from relative to absolute (including the protocol and site domain) when serving the actual CSS code to browsers. For example, background:url(/media/images/pic.png) becomes background:url(http://www.domain.com/media/images/pic.png).
Only enable the key if you need to ensure backward compatibility for stylesheets from previous Kentico versions that rely on the absolute URL conversion.
Allows you to overwrite the Settings -> System -> Files -> Store files in setting for page attachment history and store the data in the database instead of the file system.
Indicates which page is used as a base template for portal engine pages. Use this key with caution as improper use may lead to non-functional website. Creating a modified template page and using this key is the preferred way of customizing the template. Directly modifying the ~/CMSPages/PortalTemplate.aspx file is strongly not recommended.
Active Directory settings
You can use the following keys to configure the import of users and roles when using Windows Active Directory authentication:
When Windows authentication is used and this key set to true, the domain groups of users in Active Directory are imported into the system as roles.
When the mixed mode authentication is used, this key determines the format of role names which are imported from Active Directory:
When the mixed mode authentication is used, this key determines the format of user names which are used to communicate with the Active Directory provider:
You can use the following keys to assign custom assemblies to be used instead of certain default assemblies:
Specifies the assembly that implements a custom file system provider for the local Windows file system.
Specifies the assembly that implements a custom version of the full-text search based on the SQL engine.
Specifies the assembly that implements a custom data provider assembly used as the database connector.
Settings for forbidden characters in user and role names
You can use the following keys to configure forbidden characters in user and role names:
Indicates if the system replaces forbidden characters in user names imported from Active Directory.
If the key is false, the system also uses less restrictive validation of users names for standard users (applies when new users register, or when creating or editing users in the administration interface). See the CMSUserValidationRegEx key for details.
Indicates if the system replaces forbidden characters in the code names of roles imported from Active Directory.
If the key is false, you may experience problems with roles names containing certain forbidden characters, for example with leading underscores characters ( _ ). Therefore, it is NOT RECOMMENDED to set the key to false.
Sets the character that replaces forbidden characters in user names imported from Active Directory.
If not set, the value from Settings -> URLs and SEO -> Forbidden characters replacement is used.
Sets the character that replaces forbidden characters in role names imported from Active Directory.
If not set, the value from Settings -> URLs and SEO -> Forbidden characters replacement is used.
Sets a custom regular expression that determines which user names are valid. Applies when new users register on the website, are created in the administration interface or through the API, and when the name of an existing user is modified.
The default value is:
If the CMSEnsureSafeUserNames key is set to false, a less restrictive regular expression is used by default:
Note: The key does not apply when processing the names of external users, and does not affect replacement of invalid characters in the names of users imported from Active Directory.
Settings for forbidden character replacement in URLs
You can use the following keys to configure how forbidden URL characters should be replaced:
The characters entered as the value of this key are forbidden in URLs (page aliases and URL paths) and will be replaced automatically by the character specified in the Forbidden characters replacement setting in Settings -> URLs and SEO.
By default, the following characters are forbidden:
\/:*?"<>|&%.'#+=„“ and the space character.
If you add this key to the web.config, its value will override the default forbidden character set. This way, you can either allow some of the forbidden characters or add new ones.
Please note that it is recommended to keep the default characters forbidden, since they may prevent certain types of URLs from working correctly if entered into URL paths.
Also, keep in mind that some characters need to be escaped in the web.config according to standard XML rules, e.g. enter < instead of the < character.
While enabled, consecutive forbidden characters in URLs will be replaced by only a single replacement character and forbidden URL characters located at the beginning or end of the path will be removed completely instead of being replaced. If set to false, each forbidden character is replaced individually.
Indicates if the functionality enabled by the CMSLimitUrlReplacements key should be applied to the Page URL Path property.
Content staging settings
You can use the following keys to configure the behavior of Content staging:
If set to true, the system accepts all certificates when performing content staging tasks over a secured protocol (SSL). Includes self-signed certificates. If false, the system only accepts certificates generated by a trusted certification authority.
Sets the maximal file size of synchronized media files in kilobytes. Files in media libraries that are larger than the entered value will not be synchronized using content staging.
On Kentico instances that contain multiple sites and use staging, changes made to global objects produce staging tasks for all staging servers across all sites. If you synchronize such tasks at different times on different sites, you risk overwriting newer data with the data of old synchronization tasks (we recommend synchronizing such changes at the same time on all servers and sites).
If you have full control over all sites on your instance, you can define the same set of target servers for each site (each server must have an identical Code name across all sites), and set the CMSStagingTreatServerNamesAsInstances key to true. When a global staging task is synchronized, the system then automatically deletes the task from servers with matching code names on the other sites.
The default value is false because code name collisions may occur for staging servers on unrelated sites.
Name of the staging server used for advanced bi-directional content staging. The value needs to be used as the code name when defining this server as a target server of other servers.
See Bi-directional content staging for more information.
|"" (empty string)|
Sets timeout interval for the service used to synchronize staging tasks. The key must be configured within the web.config file on the source instance from which the tasks are being synchronized.
Enter the value in seconds.
Indicates if performed staging synchronization tasks should be logged as new staging tasks (that can be subsequently transferred to other staging servers). The primary use of this key is to disable logging of these tasks globally for all sites in the system.
Indicates if changes made to page templates used by multiple pages should be synchronized together with page update synchronization tasks of all pages using the template. If disabled, page update tasks will not include page template synchronization tasks.
If true, events from the DocumentEvents class are raised when processing page staging tasks.
If true, tasks for global objects are logged only for the sites to which the respective objects are assigned.
Determines whether the system applies automatic ordering to pages created via staging. If true (by default), the system overrides the ordering of new pages according to the Content -> Content management -> New page ordering setting.
Configure this web.config key on target servers that process incoming staging tasks.
Continuous integration settings
You can use the following keys to configure the continuous integration solution:
Sets the character encoding used when the continuous integration solution generates non-binary files in the project's CIRepository folder. The key supports values matching the encoding names listed in the Encoding Class article.
Changing the value of the CMSCIEncoding key does not update the encoding type of existing files in the CIRepository folder. To fully update the encoding of the repository content, you need to:
Sets the location of the continuous integration file repository root folder. The key's value must be an absolute or relative path of a folder on a local drive, or a network location for which the application has sufficient permissions.
The specified location is used when serializing object data to the file system and when restoring data back to the database. The key also allows you to set a shared continuous integration repository if you have multiple projects with the same database (for example when developing MVC websites).
WYSIWYG editor settings
You can use the following keys to configure the WYSIWYG editor:
Allows you to set the default toolbar when you use the 'default' option for toolbar sets on a page. You can specify one of the following values:
You can make custom toolbar sets 'default' the same way. Note that the values are case sensitive.
Indicates if the WYSIWYG editor should automatically try to fix XHTML incompatibilities in the code it generates.
Supported values are true and false.
Specifies the location of the WYSIWYG editor (CKEditor).
By default, it is located in ~/CMSAdminControls/CKeditor.
Indicates if the CK toolbar can be personalized on the live site.
Code editor settings
You can use the following keys to configure the Code editor, which is used in the interface to ensure syntax highlighting and work with code fields:
Globally enables or disables the advanced editor and syntax highlighting support for all code fields. This can be used to turn off the editor if it is causing performance issues or other problems.
Can be used to disable the advanced editor and syntax highlighting support for fields that display code in a specific language.
All languages are enabled by default.
Determines whether the code editor in the administration interface displays the panel containing line numbers by default.
Note: The editor fields used in the Kentico administration interface always have line numbers disabled by default. The key only affects custom fields that have displaying of line numbers enabled (fields using the Macro editor form control with the Show line numbers parameter enabled).
You can use the following keys to configure the Kentico E-commerce Solution:
Indicates if meta files should be used for product images.
If set to true, the system asks theuser, while creating or editing a product (or a product option), to select a product image from the file system on their computer. The system then uploads the product image to a server and saves it as a product metafile (a product image page of the cms.file type is not created). The path to this metafile is saved as the product image path (SKUImagePath).
If set to false, the system asks the user to select a page of the cms.file type as a product image. The path to the selected page is saved as the product image path (SKUImagePath).
[Requires hotfix 12.0.9 or newer]
Products that use inventory tracking and have the Sell only if items available property enabled may be sold even when the inventory is depleted in cases where multiple customers place orders concurrently. By default, the system logs a warning into the event log if such a situation occurs.
If you set the key to true, the system throws an InvalidOperationException when a customer attempts to create an order containing a product that became out-of-stock due to another concurrently placed order.
The default checkout web parts on Portal Engine sites automatically handle the exception and display an error message.
If you wish to enable the CMSUseStrictInventoryManagement key on an MVC site or a Portal Engine site with custom checkout components, you need to manually ensure that your custom code handles the exception and displays appropriate information to customers.
You can use the following keys to configure the sending of emails:
Specifies the type of transfer encoding used for emails sent from Kentico.
Supported values are: base64, quotedprintable, sevenbit
Sets the maximum number of messages sent to individual SMTP servers in a single connection. When the limit is reached, the connection is automatically closed and a new one opens. The process continues until all messages are sent.
You can lower the value if you encounter SMTP errors with too many messages set per connection.
Enables logging of all sent emails to the ~/App_Data/logemails.log file.
The log contains each email's timestamp, recipients, sender, subject, and custom headers and their encoding (UTF-8 by default).
|Depends on debugging settings|
Disables sending emails to the actual recipients. The system only logs emails into the event log. Helpful if you need to test the functionality, but do not want the emails to actually reach the recipients.
Event log settings
You can use the following keys when you need to achieve specific behavior of the Event log:
Indicates if logging of events in the Event log is enabled.
Coefficient for Event log deletion. Keeps the specified percentage of extra log items in the log with regards to the Settings -> System -> Event log size setting. The specified percentage of the oldest events is deleted by batch when the percentage is exceeded. If 0, the exact number of records is kept in the log.
If true, events are also logged into the ~\App_Data\logevents.log file.
If true and the Settings -> System -> Log metadata changes option is enabled, details about particular object changes are included in the respective log records.
If true and the Settings -> System -> Log metadata changes option is enabled, details about changes of values in page fields are included in the respective log records.
Indicates if the system logs marketing email changes into the event log (including logging of all sent issues).
You can disable logging of these events if you encounter problems with performance or a cluttered event log when mailing issues to a very large number of recipients – subscribed contacts.
Indicates if the system logs all step transitions in Marketing automation processes into the event log.
You can disable logging of these events if you encounter performance issues or a cluttered event log when running automation processes for a very large number of contacts.
Indicates the starting path for template lookup.
You can use the following keys when you want to configure file exporting:
Specifies which folders are filtered from the Files folder of the export package.
.svn folders are excluded by default, even without this key added.
Specifies which files are filtered from the Files folder of the export package.
.scc files are excluded by default, even without this key added.
Overrides the default ~/CMSSiteUtils/ location where the system stores export and import packages by default. As a value, you can use:
Item listing settings
You can use the following keys to configure item listing in the Kentico administration interface:
Note: The web.config keys listed below only define default global settings, and individual listing components (UniGrid controls) can override the values. As a result, the values that you configure may not affect all parts of the administration interface.
Determines the minimum number of items that must be included in a listing in order for a filter to be shown. If the number of listed items is lower than this value, the filter is not displayed. If it is larger, the filter is displayed. This applies to all listings (UniGrid controls) across the entire UI.
Sets the options available in the page size selector for listings in the Kentico interface (the Items per page setting). Values must be separated by commas.
You can use the ##ALL## value to add an option that lists all available rows on a single page (not recommended if you have objects with a very large number of records).
Sets the initial page size of listings in the Kentico interface (the Items per page setting). If the value is not included among the options defined by the CMSDefaultPageSizeOptions key, the system automatically inserts the value as an additional option.
If true, the first and last page link buttons are included in the pagers of listings in the administration interface (with a large enough number of items). If false, the buttons are always hidden.
If true, a text box that allows the current page to be changed by directly entering a number is included in pagers of listings in the administration interface (with a large enough number of items). If false, the control is always hidden.
URL settings for cultures
You can use the following keys to set up URL behavior for the culture (language) versions of pages:
Indicates whether the currently selected culture should have the highest priority when deciding which language version of a page should be displayed.
The default value is false, which means that accessing a page through the custom URL set for one of its specific culture versions will override and change the preferred culture accordingly.
If set to true, the currently selected culture will be reflected even when a culture‑specific page URL path is used.
Query string parameter name settings
You can use the following keys to change certain query string parameter names:
Changes the name of the query string parameter used to set the culture. For example, this allows you to get Home?sprache=de-de instead of the default Home?lang=de-de.
Changes the name of the aliaspath query string parameter so that you get products.aspx?ap=/products/myproduct instead of the default products.aspx?aliaspath=/products/myproduct.
By adding the following keys to your web.config, you can configure the scheduler:
Indicates if the system uses automatic scheduling. When enabled, the scheduler periodically requests the ~/CMSPages/Scheduler.ashx route, which ensures that scheduled tasks are processed regularly even if there is no website activity.
If disabled (false - by default), tasks are processed at the end of standard page requests.
If true (the default value), the scheduler is executed within the standard EndRequest event of a page. If false, the scheduler is executed via the ~/CMSPages/Scheduler.ashx route.
Sets the URL used by the automatic scheduler. Must target the ~/CMSPages/Scheduler.ashx route or the URL of a fully custom scheduler.
If true, all security certificates (including not valid ones) will be accepted when accessing the ~/CMSPages/Scheduler.ashx route via a secured protocol.
Sets the user name under which the ~/CMSPages/Scheduler.ashx route is accessed (e.g. when using windows authentication).
|"" (blank username)|
Sets the password for the user name under which the ~/CMSPages/Scheduler.ashx route is accessed.
|"" (blank password)|
Contact management settings
By adding the following keys to your web.config, you can configure the behavior of contact management.
Sets the interval (in seconds) in which contact activities are batch processed by the system. Consider raising the interval if your system processes a large number of activities.
If you wish to improve performance, you can set this key to false for one or more of your web farm servers, and the recalculation will be disabled for them.
Note: If you set the key value to false for all of your web farm servers, the recalculation will be disabled completely.
Sets the name of the database file used by the geolocation feature for contacts. The file must be placed in the ~/App_Data/CMSModules/WebAnalytics/MaxMind/ folder of your web project.
By adding the following keys to your web.config, you can configure security options:
Indicates whether application requests should accept all certificates (including invalid certificates). This key ensures the same as if the following keys were enabled at the same time:
Allows you to recover access to the administration interface if you forget the password of your administrator account. The value must consist of the following parts, separated by semicolons:
The system automatically deletes the key after you gain access to the administration interface.
See also: Enabling password resets
If true, only simple macros (i.e. those which do not need a security check) are allowed. All others will not be resolved. If true, CMSTextBox control does not add security signatures to macros.
Note: This key only applies to sites built using the MVC development model, and must be added to the web.config file of your MVC live site application.
When set to false, the key disables the Content Security Policy (CSP) headers that specify the frame-ancestors policy for the HTTP responses of preview mode requests on content-only sites. Only disable the key if you want to configure adding of CSP headers on your own (otherwise preview URLs would be susceptible to clickjacking attacks).
See also: Adding preview mode support
Indicates whether the system uses security tokens to protect Cross site request forgery attacks. Only set this key to false if you have your own security mechanism against CSRF.pages against
Overwrites the setting of the Enable WIF authentication option in Settings -> Security & Membership -> Authentication -> Claims-based authentication.
If included in the web.config file and set to false, this key can override enabled WIF authentication in case you have not established an administrator account (as described in Claims-based authentication) and you do not have access to the administration interface.
The password salt is a string that is appended to user passwords before they are hashed (to improve security). By default, the salt contains the randomly generated GUID of the given user. The content of this key is added after the base salt value to further increase the length of the salt.
Only applies if the application stores passwords using the SHA2 with salt format, which you can configure in Settings -> Membership & Security -> Passwords -> Password format.
See also: Setting the user password format
When set to true, the system enforces a change of the session ID when a user signs in or out. Provides protection against session fixation attacks.
If you enable this key, users cannot preserve their session data after signing in or out.
See also: Session protection
Excludes Portal Engine pages under the specified paths from clickjacking protection. For pages under the excluded path, the system no longer adds the X-frame-options: SAMEORIGIN header to the HTTP response (this header ensures that pages displayed in frames must originate on the same server as the parent page).
To exclude multiple paths, enter values separated by semicolons (;).
See also: Clickjacking protection
Indicates whether the flood protection mechanisms are based on user accounts.
Smart search settings
You can use the following keys to configure the Smart search:
Sets the path of a custom directory where the system stores smart search index files (only applies to local search indexes).
If enabled, any changes made to page templates automatically trigger an update of all pages that are based on the given template in the appropriate smart search indexes. The default value is true.
You can set this key to false if you wish to improve the performance or save resources in scenarios where you have a very large number of pages on your website that share the same page template. This way, the system no longer performs bulk updates of pages in the search index whenever their template is modified.
Disabling this key means that your page index will not reflect changes to the page template (e.g. if you add static text to the template through a web part) until the given pages are updated for another reason, or the entire index is rebuilt.
The key only affects changes to page templates. Editing the content of editable regions on a specific page always causes an update of the search index content.
By default, the smart search creates and runs local indexing tasks immediately whenever content covered by a search index is created or modified.
If you set this key to true, the system does NOT run indexing tasks upon creation — they need to be processed periodically, typically using the Execute local search tasks scheduled task.
Note: The key does not affect processing of tasks for Azure search indexes. Azure search tasks are always processed by the Execute Azure search tasks scheduled task.
By default, the smart search crawler does not index pages on sites using a secured protocol (HTTPS) without a certificate from a trusted authority. For example, you may encounter the problem in development environments that use a self-signed certificate.
If you set this key to true, the system accepts all certificates.
Note: Setting the CMSSearchCrawlerAcceptAllCertificates key to true poses a security vulnerability and should not be used in production environments.
Sets the maximum number of terms that the smart search allows in a single index field.
Sets the maximum number of results that the smart search can return for a single search request (when using local search indexes). If a search produces more matching results, the system ignores the items that do not fit into the limit.
The purpose of the limit is to avoid processing of large numbers of search results with low relevance. If you use very large search indexes that regularly produce more than 1000 results (the default limit), you can either increase the value or set up search filters to help narrow down the search.
Sets the relevance (result score) that the search assigns to items found through the synonym search (i.e. when using Any word or synonyms search mode).
The key's value must be a decimal number ranging from 0 to 1. A larger number assigns higher relevance to synonyms. If you set 1, the score of synonyms is equal to words in the original unexpanded search expression.
Only applies when using local search indexes.
Specifies how often (time in milliseconds) the smart search indexer attempts to acquire a lock on index files (for local indexes).
The default value of this key is 500 milliseconds.
Set a lower value if the following exception is being logged in your Event log.
Lock obtain timed out: CMS.SiteProvider.SearchLock
Defines the timeout period (in milliseconds) during which the smart search indexer attempts to acquire a lock on index files (for local indexes).
The default value of this key is 1000 milliseconds.
The analyzers use the following steps to create search tokens:
The words created in the first step may contain only characters that match the regular expression in the key's value. Any other characters split the text into separate words.
By default, the following characters are allowed:
Note: After changing the value of the key, you need to Rebuild your search indexes that use Subset or Starts with analyzers.
Determines whether the smart search stores the original untokenized Content field within index files.
Warning: Setting the key to true reduces indexing performance and increases the size of index files (the difference can be GBs of data for very large indexes). Only enable the key if you need to inspect or debug the content of your index files on development sites. Never enable the key on production sites.
The following keys adjust how the smart search indexes page attachments (see Searching attachment files):
Indicates whether the attachment search uses automatic detection of character encoding for text files (txt and csv).
By default, the search can read text files that use the following encoding:
If you enable automatic detection, the system attempts to detect the encoding type for each file, and use the correct option when reading the content.
Note: Correct encoding detection is not guaranteed for all files. Automatic detection also slightly increases the time required to index text files.
Determines whether the attachment search includes the values of tag attributes when indexing XML files.
Determines whether the attachment search includes comments when indexing XML files.
Sets the maximum allowed file size in kB for the attachment search. The search ignores page attachments whose size exceeds the value.
Indexing very large files can be resource intensive and have a negative impact on your website's performance.
Translation service settings
You can use the following key to configure Translation services:
Use if you want to export XLIFF files without the CDATA notation.
Determines whether the URLs in content sent for translation are converted to absolute format. If true, the links in content sent for translation are absolute and not converted back to relative format when the translated content is imported back to the system.
Note that using absolute links in content sent for translation can cause issues when, for example, synchronizing the imported translation to a different domain by staging.
User interface culture settings
By adding the following keys to your web.config, you can configure the cultures used in the administration interface:
Specifies the default culture of the built-in spell-checker. This culture is used when the dictionary for the currently selected content culture is not found.
Indicates if the user interface sign-in page should display a drop-down list with available user interface languages.
Specifies the default UI culture.
If you use this key, you also need to:
This is needed because the CMS.resx file is used when the (default) option is selected as a user's Preferred user interface culture.
Changes the priority of used localization resource strings to:
Web analytics settings
By adding the following key to your web.config, you can configure Web analytics.
Indicates whether URL query strings are removed when logging Referrals and Referring sites in web analytics. When false, the system then no longer aggregates Referrals and Referring sites from the same source with different query string parameters into a single URL.
Web farm synchronization settings
By adding the following keys to your web.config, you can enable or disable web farm synchronization of certain kind of files stored in the file system:
When using Automatic web farm mode, the system generates the names of servers by combining the machine name and virtual directory in which the application is running. You can use this key to set an additional suffix that is added to the automatic server name for the given instance.
If you do not set a custom value, the system automatically uses the AutoExternalWeb suffix for external web applications running the Kentico API (typically MVC live site applications).
|"" (empty string)|
– or –
Code name of the web farm server. This value is used for manual web farm synchronization support.
This setting overrides the name assigned by the system in Automatic web farm mode.
|"" (empty string)|
If the CMSWebFarmSynchronizeFiles key is enabled, you can limit the maximum size of synchronized files using this key. The value is entered in kiloBytes and files larger than this value will not be synchronized.
Path to the application on the disk used for synchronizing physical files.
Average time before a created web farm synchronization task is processed by web farm servers (the maximum possible time before a task is processed is double of the specified interval).
Determines if web farms synchronize files in general. This key enables synchronization of:
Microsoft Azure notes:
The key is false by default for projects running in Microsoft Azure Cloud Services.
For projects hosted in Microsoft Azure Web Apps, we strongly recommend that you manually set the key to false. Otherwise, you may encounter file system collisions when scaling to multiple instances.
Enables/disables synchronization of attachments.
Enables/disables synchronization of meta files.
Enables/disables synchronization of media files.
Enables/disables synchronization of form files.
Enables/disables synchronization of Avatars.
Enables/disables synchronization of forum attachments.
Enables/disables synchronization of deleted files.
Microsoft Azure settings
By adding the following keys to your web.config file, you can set up the deployment of your website to Microsoft Azure and configure its behavior.
Note that there is an easier way of editing the definition end configuration files of your Azure project in Visual Studio by right-clicking the appropriate role in CMSAzure -> Roles and selecting Properties. For more information, refer to Adding application settings in an Azure project.
Must be set to true if you wish to run the application in Microsoft Azure Cloud Services.
True by default if the application is installed as a Microsoft Azure project, false in standard installations.
Specifies the name of the Azure Storage account that the application will use for its file system.
If you wish to run the application on the local emulator, enter devstoreaccount1 as the value.
Contains the primary access key for the storage account specified in the CMSAzureAccountName setting.
You can find the appropriate value for your storage account on the Microsoft Azure Management Portal.
Sets the endpoint used for the connection to the blob service of the specified storage account. If you wish to use the default endpoint, clear the value of this setting.
Sets the endpoint used for the connection to the queue service of the specified storage account. If you wish to use the default endpoint, clear the value of this setting.
Sets the endpoint used for the connection to the table service of the specified storage account. If you wish to use the default endpoint, clear the value of this setting.
Specifies the name of the blob container that will serve as the root of the application's file system on the Azure storage account.
This can be useful in scenarios where multiple applications use the same storage account.
The default value is cmsstorage.
Indicates if the blob container used to store the applications file system should be public. If set to true, it will be possible to access files directly through the URL of the appropriate blob service, for example:
Specifies a threshold in gigabytes that is used by the Clean Azure storage cache scheduled task. When the threshold is exceeded and the scheduled task is enabled, the system starts to delete files in the Azure Cache and Azure Temp folders from the oldest to the newest.
The default value is 45GB.
Specifies an amount in gigabytes that is used by the Clean Azure storage cache scheduled task. The amount is the target size of the Azure Cache and Azure Temp folders when the scheduled task deletes the files.
The size of the excluded paths (set by the CMSAzureStorageCacheCleanerExcludedPaths web.config key) is included in the amount.
The default value is 10GB.
Specifies relative paths separated by semicolons (;) that are excluded when using the Clean Azure storage cache scheduled task.
There is not any predefined excluded path by default.
Allows you to set caching interval for Azure CDN.
Using this key, you can set different intervals for expiration of files in the server memory (which can be set in the Settings application -> System -> Performance -> Cache files (minutes) option) and for expiration of files in Azure CDN.
If this key is not used, the Cache files (minutes) setting is used for CDN expiration interval instead.
See also Settings - Performance.
If you wish to host your website on‑premise, but use a file system based on the Blob Storage service of an Azure storage account, you can specify the following settings:
Configures the application to use an external storage provider for its entire file system. Do NOT set this key if you only wish to map specific folders to a different storage provider. See Configuring file system providers to learn how to implement such scenarios.
The following key values are available for the external storage providers supported by default:
The folder specified by this key will be used to store temporary files on a local disk, e.g. when transferring large files to or from the storage account.
Do not use this key if the entire application is deployed as a Microsoft Azure hosted service.
Specifies a folder on a local disk where files requested from the storage account will be cached. This helps minimize the amount of blob storage operations, which saves time and resources.
Do not use this key if the entire application is deployed as a Microsoft Azure hosted service.
Specifies the timeout interval in minutes for importing files from Azure Blob storage into Kentico.
The default value is 1.5 minutes. Increase the interval if you encounter problems when importing large (about 2GB) files.
The database used by Kentico is specified by the connection string CMSConnectionString in the /configuration/connectionStrings section.
<add name="CMSConnectionString" connectionString="Persist Security Info=False;database=CMS;server=myserver;user id=sa;password=mypassword123;Current Language=English;Connection Timeout=120;" />
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Vol. 6 #6 | September 2020
JEAN SHAFIROFF THE FIRST LADY OF PHILANTHROPY
43+ Acre Family Compound
Secluded family compound aprx. 40 minutes from NYC. English-style country estate on the Ramapo River is impeccably designed. Indoor and outdoor pools, turf sports field, basketball court, English pub, theater, sports lounges and much more!
FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ
Elegantly appointed 6 bedroom colonial with high ceilings & great flow for entertaining. Finished lower level, recreation room, gym & billiard room. Multilevel deck, pool & spa w/paver patio, 3-car gar. Landscaped setting overlooks pond.
SADDLE RIVER, NJ
Timeless French Chateau
SADDLE RIVER, NJ
5+ Acre Celebrity Stunner
SADDLE RIVER, NJ
6.5 Acre Country Estate
2000’s built French Chateau on 2.33 gated & fenced acres with tennis/sport court & lagoon pool with waterfalls. High ceilings & large 1st floor master bedroom. Lower level (w/outside entry) theater & wine cellar. 4-car garage. Ready to move in!
Notable actress, comedian & philanthropist offers this enchanting English Country Estate completely renovated/expanded. 6 bedrooms, 1st floor theater, guesthouse, lagoon pool with waterfalls, generator, elevator and 3-car garage + artist’s studio!
23+ Acre Riverfront Compound
5 bedroom Hampton’s style shingle and stone masterpiece with expansive views. 9-stall barn opens to a limestone jumping area, paddocks and trails along the river. Above the stalls: massive artist’s loft. Infinity pool, hot tub, generator and more!
Approximately 17,000 square foot custom built country estate offers a great floorplan for large scale entertaining. State-of-the-art kitchen, 1st floor master bedroom suite, indoor and outdoor pool/spa, cabana, reg. lighted tennis court and 6-car garage.
vicki gaily, realtor-associate $10,500,000 • founder marketing director One of the most extraordinary estates in the tri-state area offering a two-acre lake, tennis court, pool, SADDLE RIVER, NJ
14+ ACRE FAMILY COMPOUND
office 201 934-7111 • cell 201 390 -5880 large building that can accommodate 8 cars plus huge studio, 9-stall barn for the avid equestrian, vgaily @ specialproperties.com a separate 5 bedroom guesthouse and a magnificent French Chateau with panoramic views! 158 west saddle river road
• FOUNDER VICKI GAILY REALTOR-ASSOCIATE® saddle river
OFFICE 201 934-7111 • CELL 201 390-5880 • [email protected] SPECIALPROPERTIES.COM • FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK: @SPECIALPROPERTIESNJ
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FEATURES 16 From The Publisher 19 Cover: Jean Shafiroff—The First Lady Of Philanthropy
STYLE 30 Eric Rutherford: A Style All His Own 32 Life & Style: Back To Cool Edition
TRAVEL 34 36 38 39 40
Retro Hot Spots: A Trio Of Classics Lets You Travel In Style Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club: Adventures In Sloatsburg, NY Woodloch Pines Resort: The Fall Escape You’ve Been Looking For Howe Caverns: Welcome To The Underworld A Weekend At The Jersey Shore: It’s Cape May All The Way
REAL ESTATE & HOME DECOR 42 44 46 48
Around Town: One Broker’s Deep Love Of Real Estate 545 West 110th Street: Zen Garden, Views & A Whole Lot More Migdale Castle: Luxury In Dutchess County Reassessing & Relocating: Should You Ditch The City?
10 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
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HEALTH & WELLNESS 51 It’s All Connected: Why Wellness Needs An Even More Holistic Approach 54 Hypnosis: How It Can Change Your Life
FOOD & DRINK 56 58 59 61
Versa Rooftop & Restaurant: A Breath Of Fresh Air! A Toast To Late Summer: Perfect California Wines Quick Bites: Appetizing Dips Old Forester: King Of The Bourbons
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 64 On Stage: BroadwayHD—It’s The Best Ticket In Town 66 On The Small Screen 68 Zen Pace: Making Waves On Stage & Screen
NEW YORK, NY 70 My New York Story: Bianca Kamhi of Living With Bianca 72 A New York Rant…A Return To The Bad Old Days 73 Time Out With…Ben Widdicombe 12 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Cooperstown Luxury Vacation Rental Homes
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OUR CONTRIBUTORS ELI BLILIUOS Eli, a native New Yorker, was inspired to pursue a career in hypnosis 25+ years ago. Initially, he started his professional journey as a sales and marketing executive, eventually finding his vocation in public speaking and coaching, where his listening/personal interaction talents benefited him. As a result of his personal spiritual journey, Eli studied various holistic healing techniques that led him toward the path of a career in hypnosis as a practitioner and trainer. Today, Eli is the president and founder of the NYC Hypnosis Center, practices hypnosis with clients worldwide. He has been certified by the IACHT (International Alliance of Clinical Hypnotists & Therapists), the NGH (National Guild of Hypnotists), and the IACT (International Association of Counselors & Therapists). SEAN-PATRICK M. HILLMAN Sean-Patrick is a marketing executive, journalist, emcee, and public speaker. Born and raised as a third generation Manhattanite, Sean-Patrick has appeared on virtually every national news show and station across the country, often talking about pop culture, his clients or advocating for homeless animals. Hillman began his career, at age 19, as the youngest producer in broadcast journalism history for CNN. Three years later, he joined his family’s marketing practice, launching and managing brands like Sephora, Bacardi, Jose Cuervo, Christina Aguilera, Disney, and many more. Sean-Patrick is the CEO of hillSTORY Marketing and our new Op-Ed columnist. He is married to Kylie Edmond and they live in Manhattan with their rescue dogs, Snickers and Rolo. It is their love of animals that inspired the couple to start Rock & Rawhide, a charity that increases the level of adoptions of dogs and cats in shelters. ANNE RASO Anne, who hails from New Jersey, is a longtime editor and writer now based in New York City. Highlights of her 35-plus year career include serving as the associate editor of Tiger Beat and Sunday music columnist for the New York Daily News. She has penned seven teen celebrity paperbacks including ones on Justin Timberlake and One Direction. More recently she has added food and travel to her expertise. Anne’s personal interests run the gamut from learning local history (particularly stories behind Art Deco buildings) to discovering new restaurants. 14 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Vol. 6 #6 | September 2020 President / Publisher BILL MASON Editor-in-Chief Patricia Canole
Art Director Eric Duncan
Editor-at-Large Jeremy Murphy
Features Ruth J. Katz
Entertainment Jenny Peters, Lori Zelenko
Lifestyle Griffin Miller
Op-Ed Columnist Sean-Patrick M. Hillman
Special Projects Natasha Bazika, Norah Bradford
Chief Photographer Annie Watt Contributing Writers Bailey Beckett, AP Connolly, Cecilia Deignan, Karen Dubin Peter Elston, Brian Finn, Dr. Peter Kalellis, Kristie Kellahan, Lee Gabay Anne Grenier, Bianca Kamhi, Irvina Lew, Maria Marlowe, Lisa Maysonet Darren Paltrowitz, Meryl Pearlstein, Anne Raso, Will Reed Esther Reizes-Lowenbein, Jeff & Stephanie Sylva, Sara Weisenfeld, Stacey Zable Executive Vice President of Sales LYLE SELTZER Sales Bill Mason Sr. - Director of New Business Development John Miller - Sales Manager Michael Stulmaker - Sales Manager Director of Operations Kurt Nesheim
Advertising BLUE VISTA 725
Internet Presence Scott Cuollo
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New York Sales Office (646) 259-2651
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For subscriptions, address changes or back issues, call: (646) 259-2651 newyorklifestylesmagazine.com Facebook: /NYLifestylesMag Twitter: @NYLifestylesMag Instagram: @NYLifestylesMag All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this issue is expressly forbidden without permission of the publisher. Printed in the USA. New York Lifestyles Magazine is published 10 times annually. ©2020 New York Lifestyles Magazine
Cover Photography by Michael Paniccia Hair by Henry de la Paz for Warren Tricomi Makeup by JP Ramirez for Angelo David Salon Fashion by Carolina Herrera
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©9/11 Memorial Museum
his past year our message of hope, endurance, and resilience is more important than ever. As New Yorkers, we have been continually called upon to face a common enemy during these tough and tragic times. That’s just another reason why there was a massive outcry last month, which has prompted the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to reverse its outrageous decision to cancel this year’s “Tribute in Light” display marking its 19th anniversary. This is when two columns of lights are projected into the night sky from Ground Zero as a tribute to the victims of the 2001 terror attacks. Please remember these beams of lights rising into the heavens don’t create any massive crowds, but they do unite us all as one who looks up from miles around and only makes us stronger together. What’s puzzling to me is staging this entire Tribute requires only about 40 electricians and stagehands to install 88 (7,000 watts) xenon bulbs atop the roof of a parking garage near the Twin Towers site when the museum’s original reason or excuse was, they were unable to control safety protocols for these workers. But right outside, there’s construction booming all over our city every day; we are opening gyms and bowling alleys and sending over a million children and teachers back to the classrooms. Let’s get to the real question: Why does a $600 million non-profit need to be bailed out? Where did the donations for the 9/11 Museum go this year, and how come none were allocated for the Tribute? Just a little over a month ago, the National Park Service announced a $2 million grant for the Memorial and Museum, which included “to support the annual commemoration ceremony.” Maybe it’s just me, but I believe something is wrong. And to think no one thought to mention it until less than 30 days before the ceremony is simply unbelievable. As my final thought, I would like to thank all who were involved for their support in reassuring New Yorkers—and the world—that 9/11 will always be remembered and never forgotten. I look forward to hearing from you with comments, suggestions, and what you would like to see on the pages of New York Lifestyles and Pet Lifestyles magazines. See you next issue!
Visit us at: newyorklifestylesmagazine.com For subscription or back issues, call:
(646) 259-2651 16 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
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Oscar De La Hoya
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Please enjoy responsibly. Disfruta con responsabilidad. Imported tequila, 40% Alc./Vol. 2020 Imported by Casa Mexico Tequila LLC, Los Angeles, CA. Casa Mexico is a registered trademark.
JEAN SHAFIROFF FIRST LADY OF PHILANTHROPY By Brian Finn
n t h e N e w Yo r k C i t y - H a m p t o n s scene, the name Jean Shafiroff is syno nymo u s with philanthro py. Named the First Lady of Philanthropy by Hello and Hola! Magazines, Jean has heard her calling and uses her vast professional and personal network to bring aid to individuals and organizations.
Photography by Michael Paniccia Hair by Henry de la Paz for Warren Tricomi Makeup by JP Ramirez for Angelo David Salon Fashion by Carolina Herrera
Jean Shafiroff ’s philanthropy and advocacy span far and wide, both in regional and national positions, to make sure that the causes she finds deserving have a voice resonating with donors, influencers, and the less fortunate. Jean’s beginnings, though, could be most aptly described as humble. Beginning her journey in a middle-class community on Long Island, Jean was influenced by her father—a music teacher—and the nuns at her Catholic school to begin a life of good works. She spent twelve years in Catholic school, where she was encouraged to start helping others.
Fashion by Oscar de la Renta
20 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Jean’s gown collection focuses on American fashion designers, including Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Zac Posen, Mary McFadden, B. Michael, Zang Toi, Victor de Souza, and Malan Breton. GATHERING SUPPORT
This motive compelled her to enroll at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons to study physical therapy. After graduating, Jean proceeded to work as a physical therapist at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York. Subsequently, Jean decided to return to the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. During this time, she earned an MBA in finance. She then applied her combination of innate business skills and keen attention to detail to succeed on Wall Street—an industry that was, and largely remains, male-dominated. After meeting her husband, Martin, the Managing Director of a top Wall Street investment firm, she was further encouraged to dedicate her life to her works of charity. She and her husband give generously to charity—and this is just the tip of the iceberg, as she remains on six charity boards and hosts approximately eight charity galas yearly. “I have had a good life, and with that comes a responsibility to give back,” says Jean. “Beyond the giving, though, comes hard work, advocacy, organizing, leading, and gathering support for a given cause,” she continued.
Fashion by Oscar de la Renta
22 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Her insight has been valued and largely credited with raising awareness about the shortages of supplies in food pantries, and the fair treatment and adoption of animals… REACHING THE PUBLIC
Fashion by Mui Mui
And that is just what Jean Shafiroff has done since she has dedicated herself to the volunteer profession of philanthropy, fundraising, and publicly advocating—both nationally and internationally—for the causes she holds dear. “In times like these, when the global pandemic has caused such uncertainty in the non-profit world, it is our job to make sure that the voices of the growing portion of those in need are heard,” says Jean. “That is why I have brought my advocacy to the public realm, holding media opportunities to get the message out,” Jean told us. Since the dawn of the pandemic, Jean has been interviewed on major broadcasts such as Good Day New York with Rosanna Scotto, CBS Evening News, NBC News, WGN News, and the nation’s highest-rated cable news morning show Fox & Friends, among other programs with millions of viewers every broadcast. Her insight has been valued and largely credited with raising awareness about the shortages of supplies in food pantries, the fair treatment and adoption of animals, and the unique challenges that face the non-profit sector during this time of great need. She has also advocated for racial justice. This summer, Jean decided to spread her message further by hosting and producing a television show. While she was familiar with the medium for many years, this was her first endeavor as a host and executive producer of a show based on her book, Successful Philanthropy. Her show broadcasts on LTV in the Hamptons four times weekly. Through interviewing charity-world leaders, she hopes to spread the word to others on how to donate the time, resources, and knowledge needed to succeed in helping others. This TV show is a must-see for anyone seeking to make an imprint in the giving scene. Jean convinces her audience that anyone can be a philanthropist—and that everyone has something to offer. SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 23
Fashion by Dolce & Gabbana
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Jean’s quest to help those in need is far from finished, and her drive to do more is as strong and persevering as ever.
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Jean’s advocacy has earned her acclaim from several organizations, not the least of which is the American Humane Society, which recently named her an Ambassador and the organization’s National Spokesperson for their Feeding The Hungry Program. The initiative feeds one million hungry animals at shelters across the United States. Before the pandemic, Jean’s influence included hosting large gatherings and parties at her homes in the interest of raising funds for countless charities. These efforts placed her on Salonniere’s “Top 100 Party Hosts” in America as reported in Town & Country. Jean has been on many “Best Dressed” lists, from Hamptons Magazine to LookOnLine, a revered fashion website, where she was listed on the international best-dressed list with Meghan Markle, Anna Wintour, and others.
Jean serves on a host of charity boards including the NYC Mission Society, Southampton Hospital Association, French Heritage Society, Couture Council (Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology ), Jewish Board (Honorary Trustee), Southampton Animal Shelter Honorary Board and Global Strays, a charity founded by her youngest daughter. For her philanthropic work, Jean has been honored countless times. Some of the organizations that have honored her include The American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society, The Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, NYC Mission Society, Surgeons of Hope, The Ellen Hermanson Foundation, The Jewish Board, The Hadassah, and even Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
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Fashion by Oscar de la Renta
Fashion by Dolce & Gabbana
A FASHION SENSE
Fashion by Malan Breton
She and her husband give generously to charity—and this is just the tip of the iceberg, as she remains on six charity boards…
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Jean is passionate about fashion and has a designer and couture ball gown collection, archived with Clio Archivist, that will one day be donated to a museum. The gown collection focuses on American fashion designers, including Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Zac Posen, Mary McFadden, B. Michael, Zang Toi, Victor de Souza, and Malan Breton. Jean will return to hosting and chairing in-person charity events when the coronavirus pandemic eases. In the meantime, Jean has been dedicating her efforts to virtual galas. While just a few months ago, the concept of virtual fundraising galas would have seemed far-fetched, they have become the norm and are also extraordinarily successful. Jean recently served as a host and chair of virtual fundraisers for the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and the Ellen Hermanson Foundation. The philanthropist believes these events are a great way to stay involved and support charities in need. Jean is chairing a “Matching Fund” program for the Southampton Animal Shelter. “We all miss the big galas, but we are grateful to stay virtually connected,” Jean explains. “Non-profits face the precarious challenge of providing the most needed services, to more people than ever before, with significantly fewer resources. In many ways, giving is more important than ever, and this is a modern way of doing it.” Jean’s quest to help those in need is far from finished, and her drive to do more is as strong and persevering as ever. This passion has also transpired into the desire to mentor, advise, and guide aspirational philanthropists, through social and traditional media. With approximately 492,000 followers on Instagram and thousands more across Twitter and Facebook, philanthropy is just a click away. As the author of Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life by What You Give, she has toured the nation to speak about philanthropy on television and before thousands of aspiring philanthropists. Jean Shafiroff can be described as a kind-hearted, selfless benefactor who stops at nothing to improve others’ lives. If a rising tide raises all ships, Jean Shafiroff is that rising tide. •
Together. Woodloch Resort is committed to providing a place of peace, rest, and entertainment while promising to uphold the wellness of our guests and community. With 1,500 acres of ample green space, a full schedule of activities, and an abundance of fresh mountain air, there is something special for everyone while reconnecting with family or simply to enjoy some relaxation. We’re here for you when you’re ready.
WO O D LO C H .C O M | 8 0 0 .W O O D LO C H | IN THE NORTHERN POCONO MOUNTAINS
A STYLE ALL HIS OWN MODEL AND INFLUENCER ERIC RUTHERFORD By Jeremy Murphy
ometimes without even trying you meet an exceptional human being. In my case, it was model/writer/lifestyle ambassador/social media favorite Eric Rutherford. During the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, when I thought the world was ending and took to watching old episodes of Santa Barbara on YouTube to cope (OK, maybe a little bit of scotch too), I found Rutherford’s profile on Instagram (@mr.rutherford) and was intrigued. Surely, this handsome, camera-melting persona, with the best head of hair, could not be more than a pretty face. But I was wrong. Within a few days I came to find his photos, stories and his “Happy Tuesday” video messages (which he started “because I wanted to use my platform to bring more positivity into the conversation, whether around sobriety, mental illness, or just being your best self,” he says) particularly reassuring. “He’s a true gentleman and a charmer,” says friend Robert Konjic, a fellow male model made famous for a global Gucci campaign. “I love that he uses social media to share his personal experiences to help others.” To wit: on a recent Tuesday, when everything seemed to go wrong, I turned on a video and found Rutherford talking to the camera and asking how I am doing. How odd. He was addressing his 200,000 + followers, but it felt like he was checking in on me.
KINDNESS & LOVE Rutherford’s postings during the worst of the virus made the bad days OK and the good days a lot better (though there were few of them). His profile is a hodgepodge of candid photos, throwback memories, messages about social justice (the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement affected him profoundly) and fun videos (like getting a haircut), all featuring his trademark smile and positivity. “I value truthfulness, respect, kindness and love,” he says. “Social media can take many shapes, express an unlimited amount experiences, and connect millions of individuals while doing so. We are creating relationships with those people that we follow and who follow us.” Rutherford is not shy of bearing his soul to his followers, including his issues with addiction. Early in his 20s, he decided he had enough of alcohol. This year, he celebrated 31 years of being sober. “I believe sharing our experiences helps others as much as it helps ourselves,” he told me. “I have always been open about my sobriety, the journey getting there and the steps to staying sober. I believe it is one way of being of service. For some, it is hard to share or be vulnerable with their struggles. I like when people share their stories with me. In AA, it’s called fellowship. We share our experience, strength and hope.” Unlike most people on social media, Rutherford doesn’t overdo it. He has found the perfect equilibrium of when to share, and when not. Surprisingly, it has not been a strategy, just something that comes naturally. “As much as I have tried to have a consistent plan, I have none,” he says. “There are days when I know very clearly what I am sharing, what time I am doing it and have written the caption the night before. Other days, it’s simply based on emotion. I have great respect for my friends who plan ahead, post it, and move on to the next one without ever overthinking it.”
Eric - Rayban partner #1
IN FRONT OF THE LENS Rutherford was born in Muskegon, Michigan but grew up in Boca Raton, where he and his brother were discovered by a casting agent at age 15 while riding bikes around their neighborhood “I was a gawky teenager with bad acne and even worse hair,” Rutherford says. “I’m sure what they saw at the time, but they believed in this ‘diamond in the rough.’” They sure did! Eric’s ugly duckling days were officially over, and a successful modeling career began. He would spend the next 15 years shooting catalogs, commercials, fashion ads as well as editorial projects (one of his favorites was a shoot for W with photographers Mert & Marcus, which featured 40 other models, 50 racks of clothes and thousands of shoes) for the biggest magazines and brands. At the same time, he began to pursue acting and was accepted into the University of Southern California’s prestigious BFA theater program at just 17, which he says was “the first time I truly felt talented and that I had something to offer.” Though he achieved success, he also felt the cruel reality of that world begin to creep up when he turned 30, as a lot of models and actors often do. “That’s when I left the industry,” he says, noting “I began to doubt my talent and my self-worth. When you work hard, treat people with respect and kindness, you find success. In both the acting and modeling industry, this isn’t always true.”
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REWARDING TIMES Rutherford pivoted to event planning and began working with Colin Cowie, who was famous for his collaborations with Oprah Winfrey. The experience “was one of the most rewarding times of my life,” Rutherford says, listing events for her “Legends Ball” and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls” as particularly impactful. “To be a part of a moment that was going to change young girls’ lives—as well as their families and village— was monumental, emotional, and inspiring,” he says. “I’d never believed I had the capability to play such a role. I worked with the South African teams at the different event sites, helping and sharing new skills with them. At one point, the team got a standing ovation from Ms. Winfrey and all the guests. The team was moved to tears and hugged me. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Eric - Orlebar Brown partner
Oprah wasn’t the only one who was impressed. Her favorite artistic director/florist Jeff Leatham, famous for his chic, minimalist creations at the George V Four Seasons Paris hotel, is a huge fan. “I have known Eric for over 30 years--his absolute love life, enthusiasm, and amazing energy is so contagious. He is a flawless tastemaker and a beloved friend by so many--he is a true inspiration.” What makes him happiest is when “I am spirituality centered in this swirling dervish of life and expressing my truth unconditionally and fearlessly,” he says. Off camera (and sometimes on), Rutherford enjoys “experiencing new artistic expressions whether theater, performance art, art exhibits,” he says, noting “I am in the midst of writing a series of personal essays which recount my youth and moments of adulthood.” Today, Rutherford is still appearing in ads (“I embrace all my lines and silver fox hair,” he says. “Age shouldn’t define you”), working on scripts for a TV show he developed in London, writing chapters for a book, building his “Mr. Rutherford” persona and working with non-profits like The Trevor Project. “It’s really about helping teenagers in crisis who are suffering and trying to come out and just need someone to listen to them and vent their fears and angers,” he says. “If you’ve gone through something and survived it, I feel you have responsibility to give back. Sometimes the smallest amount of time can make the biggest difference.” Rutherford speaks from experience, having struggled with the situation himself. “Coming out can be one of the most painful, anxiety-ridden, dark times of your life,” he says. “It can also be one of the most rewarding and powerful moments, too. I believe everyone should live their beautifully unique lives to the fullest.”
LEARN & GROW Things have definitely gotten better for Rutherford, who, in addition to modeling, acting, writing, and growing his online audience, has emerged a “lifestyle ambassador,” popular with fashion and marketing executives for his impeccable style, infectious smile, engaging personality and that salt and pepper mane. All of this is grist for his Instagram profile, which also changed at the height of the outbreak. How so remains a question. “Four months ago, I would have been able to answer this more readily,” he says. “Today, amid a global pandemic and protest for the end of racism and racial injustice in this country, I am very aware of my evolution, both personally and professionally. Also, to be termed a brand in this landscape feels outdated and trivialized. The aspects of myself which are clear would be my commitment to the power of positivity, acts of kindness, human empathy, and unlimited curiosity to learn and grow.” • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 31
LIFE & STYLE: BACK TO COOL EDITION By Griffin Miller
et’s assume computers are ready to rock ‘n roll, books downloaded and in hand, closets have undergone their annual upgrade, and vintage props such as pens, pencils, and notebooks are ready to take on a new school year from home or remotely. But whether you’re dealing with in-home studies or kids venturing into the great unknowns of preschool to campus life, there are things to make their—and your—life easier. What more can I say, except these are my Editor’s Picks for September 2020! SAFE & SAVVY PLATINUM IMPRESSIONS In my home, the rule is: Do not step out of the apartment without a mask! Not even to take out the garbage. To comply, my husband and I have given ourselves over to Giftgowns’ collection of machinewashable cotton masks. Sold in curated bundles (9 to 5, Unisex, Classic Mask, etc.), as well as individually, we’ve found that the best way to ensure uninterrupted protection is to buy in bulk so you can toss them in the wash, especially when forced to interact with the unmasked. Worth knowing: Giftgowns also sells filters that slide into a built-in mask pocket, and recently the company introduced kid’s masks in two sizes: 2 to 7 and 8 to 12. Info:giftgowns.com/face-masks.
My lar has ne ver lo oke d so upscale or been more practical than it does in the WELLinsulated collection of bags. Do these babies keep make-up from melting and maintain meds and supplement potency, even under super-sultry conditions? Yes, they do. Does the built-in cushioning protect cell phones, earbuds, chargers, and whatnot from scratches and extreme temperatures? Indeed. Finally, are the bags (which come in several sizes and designs), waterproof? You bet. I own one, and as a seasoned klutz, it has saved my stuff and dignity many times. Info: wellinsulated.com.
OPEN & SHUT CASE
Red Bull cooling for an all-nighter; soft drinks fridging out en route to the hiking trail; family binge night stocked with juice boxes, beer, cheese, and fruit. The list goes on when it comes to the Uber Chill Mini Fridge XL. The look is retro—a little like a 1950s dryer—but the overall look, functionality, and color options make this compact innovation totally 21st century. Quiet and lightweight, the Uber Chill holds up to 12 cans or 16.9-ounce bottles. Or—and this to me is thoroughly awesome—it can be switched from cooling to warming, which means you can transport cookies and cupcakes from home to dorm (or bake sale) in all their fresh from the oven splendor. Info: uberappliance.com.
In-home workouts are so last month, with weights, yoga apps, and treadmills gathering dust in favor of binge scrolling, Hulu marathons, and refrigerator raids. Even venturing outside to walk, jog or bike has reached new ho-hum levels for both kids and adults, is why you might want to take a stand—literally—with ElliptiGO, a mash-up of elliptical and traditional biking that offers a low-impact/results-oriented way to exercise. Bottom line: you feel like you’re “running on air.” And yes, it is adaptable to year-round use via the company’s Fluid 365 Stationary Trainer should you become addicted, which is a fairly good bet. Info: elliptigo.com.
As we tentatively test the waters of wanderlust, our first thoughts turn to socialize with the friends and family members we’ve only visited on computer screens for several months. Hitting the open road or braving the friendly skies can be daunting, but a bit less so when your rolling, hard-shell luggage is equal parts clothes and wine—five 750ml bottles to be exact. VinGardeValise® Piccolo pretty much guarantees VIP guest status with its cool concept and genius wherewithal. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to either check your bag or filler’ up in duty-free shops when flying. Motorists, on the other hand, are good to go! Info: vingardevalise.com.
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THE GREAT ESCAPE
IT’S A WRAP
Whether it’s the close quarters, challenges of homeschooling, cramped office, or heading out into the world, PandemicLand is the epicenter of stress, anxiety, and depression. Fortunately, Healium is dedicated to defusing our mental morass via integrated software described as “the world’s first virtual and augmented reality stress management program powered by brainwaves and heart rate.” From a Smartphone app to a 360-degree story experience, the end game is immersive serenity. For a sample of Healium’s ability to replace stress with new visual realities, I strongly suggest visiting the company website: Info: tryhealium.com/stories.
Yes, the bee puns are buzzing, honey, but not for edible purposes. SuperBee’s sweet array of beeswax wraps and bags (plus some nifty extension products) are the ultimate eco-centric-kick-plastic-wasteto-the-recycling-bin products around. Plus, the Bee Team’s design mavens have come up with a cavalcade of cool patterns making these handmade antibacterial and reusable wraps all kinds of stylish. Ideal for everything from sandwiches to fresh flowers to travel essentials, the wraps are made from 100 percent cotton, organic coconut oil, beeswax, and the surprise ingredient: tree resin for shape and stick leverage. I’ve been using a Beeginners Kit, and without question, I’m a bee-liever! Info: Superbee.me.
As summer melts into fall, the game’s object becomes virtual brunches (Bloody Mary’s, Screwdrivers), as well as après workday R & R (Martinis, Cosmopolitans), which leads me down the road to my latest passion, NEFT Vodka. Astonishingly affordable and boldly packaged in their signature unbreakable barrel Black or White (your choice), this velvety quaff—crafted in the Austrian Alps, has picked up all kinds of kudos from places like the Beverage Tasting Institute and VinePair. Not surprising, once you consider, it’s been distilled three times. I suggest you set in motion your taste test. Nostrovia! Info: neftvodka.com.
STROKE OF GENIUS
Wet hair and the towel that lavishes it with love: The Volo Beauty Hero. Ev i de nt ly (and w ho k ne w ?), our traditional terrycloth head wraps could cause breakage and other unsavory scalp-related things. From wee ones to teens to adults—be they poised for online schooling or video conferencing— need to address wet heads with a kinder, gentler towel….one made of microfiber that’s soft and highly absorbent. And one that doesn’t unravel every 30 seconds. The Volvo Beauty towel addresses these challenges by a) absorbing 50% more water than Towels 101, and a “grippy” tuckable strap that keeps the towel in place. Most impressive. Info: volvobeauty.com.
Post-drying, I suggest checking out an ingenious little tool called ForBabs’ X-Static Brush that has become one of my hair-care staples. Its superpowers are its ability to a) fight frizz, even during humid days; b) tackle flyaway strands that refuse to be curbed; and c) eliminate multiple trips to curling irons, straighteners, and your hair product collection. To wit, the brush’s design— created by Annette Crone—involves reloaded/replaceable anti-static sheets that do their job and then can be torn away while a new sheet awaits. I used it on my renegade frizzy bangs, and it did its job as advertised. Hello Zoom. Info: forbabs.com.
Fact: Quarantined skin needs help, and I’m not talking night creams or makeup as both are givens. No, I’m suggesting balancing one’s distressed derma with KungFu Apothecar y’s Facial Tools, a dedicated group that works together to plump, soothe, and tone one’s screen mien. The beautifully presented set is available in three crystal options “based on your own unique needs: Black Obsidian, Amethyst (my fave), and White Jade. The basic set comes with a facial roller, eye wand, and gua sha stone. Upping the ante, the expanded KungFu Ritual also features a facial cupping set and the company’s sublime Yin and Yang facial oils. Info: kungfuapoothecary.com. •
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RETRO HOT SPOTS
FEELING NOSTALGIC? THIS TRIO OF CLASSICS LETS YOU TIME-TRAVEL IN STYLE. By Patricia Canole
CATSKILL MOUNTAINS For nearly fifty years, the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York were the premier vacation spot for families from New York City. Lavish resorts including Grossinger’s and The Concord offered all-inclusive luxury vacations. Think Dirty Dancing and the more recent Netflix hit The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Once air travel became popular, the Catskills fell out of favor as families vacationed elsewhere. Many original, iconic resorts fell into disrepair, but there are still plenty of family-friendly resorts left in the region for a relaxing getaway.
HOW TO ENJOY IT
The unspoiled natural beauty of the mountains offer a serene place to camp or hike or relax. There are plenty of lakes and streams and are prime spots for fly-fishing. Be sure to block out time for a leisurely drive past stunning waterfalls and over historic covered bridges dating back to 1800.
WHERE TO UNWIND
The Emerson Resort & Spa is perfectly suited for families. The resort offers two types of accommodations: Rooms at the Inn are designed to bring the outside in with oversized windows and private decks that showcase the peaceful views and natural beauty of Mount Tremper and the Esopus Creek. Nestled amidst tall pines and shading maples, the mountain-inspired Lodge has a cozy, rustic design that features detailed wood carvings and animal figures. Most rooms include flat-screen televisions, Keurig coffee makers, and other luxury amenities. When you’re not relaxing indoors, you will discover Mother Nature in this Catskills destination. Take guided nature walks and explore the area on a variety of hiking trails or take to the trails on a mountain biking trip. Info: emersonresort.com. For more information on The Catskills, go to visitthecatskills.com. 34 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
NIAGARA FALLS This watery oasis on the New York-Ontario border became a hot spot in 1803 after Napoleon Bonaparte’s brother brought his bride here to behold the rushing falls. It gained popularity especially with honeymooners and by the 20th century, it had come close to drowning in its tourist attractions (not one but three wax museums). Luckily, efforts to diversify have worked.
HOW TO ENJOY IT
Seeing the Falls up close is a thrill of a lifetime. Of the various boat trips, the Maid of the Mist is the most famous. For a northern view of the Falls, however, shuttle across the Niagara River and see the whole thing from Canada. Several bridges span the river, and crossovers are made as hassle-free as both countries’ customs and immigration can manage. Be sure to catch Horseshoe Falls and the upper rapids lighted in rainbow colors every night. Victoria Park is a favorite place from which to view the nighttime show. Worth a stop on the Canadian side are the various wineries in the area. Imagine Napa Valley, but without the crowds or expense. Cooler temperatures are ideal for producing mind-blowing ice wines, which look like gold and taste like bubble-free Champagne. Sample the wares at 50 or so local wineries—we like Peller Estates and Henry of Pelham.
WHERE TO UNWIND
Niagara Crossing Hotel & Spa On the New York side of Niagara Falls, this elegant 68-room sleep is an upscale option in the historic town of Lewiston. Ten minutes from Niagara Falls State Park, the hotel is in a prime location for exploring the natural wonder from vantage points at Prospect Point, the Cave of Winds, Goat Island, and more. Splurge on a suite for a deep soaking or whirlpool tub, a fireplace, and a fourposter bed. The spa offers select treatments on the first floor. The hotel restaurant serves a changing menu throughout the week. After visiting the Falls, do not miss a stroll around Lewiston town—the hotel staff can recommend local restaurants and seasonal events. Info: niagaracrossinghotelandspa.com. For more information on Niagara Falls, go to tourismniagara.com.
POCONO MOUNTAINS This corner of Pennsylvania has been catering to lovers of natural surroundings for decades. Things heated up in the 60s after heart-shaped tubs appeared in Life magazine. Today, the area continues to lure thousands of couples—as well as families—each year.
HOW TO ENJOY IT
You are in the mountains, so prepare to inhale a little fresh air. If it is springsummer, raft the Delaware or Lehigh rivers. In winter, hit the slopes at Camelback or Shawnee. During the year, explore the region’s charming villages (Hawley and Jim Thorpe). They are filled with antique stores, flea markets, and gift shops selling homespun Americana.
WHERE TO UNWIND
The Lodge at Woodloch Resort This Pocono Mountain award-winning resort has been bringing together family and friends since the 60s. Woodloch Resort is like a cruise on land—their all-inclusive packages provide three delicious meals every day, along with endless family-oriented activities and entertainment. With a championship golf course, luxury destination spa, and a variety of rooms ranging from traditional standard to waterfront suites, you may not want to leave! Summers are especially fun when families can splash around in their outdoor pool, go boating on Lake Teedyuskung or hike, and view wildlife and nature in the surrounding areas. Info: thelodgeatwoodloch.com. Skytop Lodge and Resort For rustic retro, try this lovely circa-1928 lodge. At Skytop Lodge and Resort history and nature offer a wonderful Poconos vacation in any season. With deluxe cottages—great for weekend escapes or family vacations—and a charming 20-room inn, the estate is a serene getaway, complete with its golf course, staff naturalist, and spa. With its own private lake and mountain setting, this resort is a truly stylish destination. Info: skytop.com. For more information on Pocono Mountains, go to poconomountains.com. • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 35
VALLEY ROCK INN & MOUNTAIN CLUB
GREAT ADVENTURES IN SLOATSBURG, NEW YORK By Jeff & Stephanie Sylva
utdoor enthusiasts and foodies alike will discover a modern, welcoming oasis in Sloatsburg, NY, just a one-hour drive from Manhattan by car. Nestled between Sterling Forest and Harriman State parks with over 70,000 acres of protected habitat, Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club is a perfect escape for anyone wanting to get away and enjoy the great outdoors and some gastronomic delights. Once you arrive, guests are instantly immersed in an environment that promises serenity and relaxation. The property, which opened its doors to guests in 2019, comprises four fully renovated guest houses totaling 17 guest rooms and 16 full baths. Additionally, there’s a commercial art gallery featuring curated exhibits and works of local artists, a 7,000 square foot gym complete with circuit training, cardio equipment, and spin and yoga studios, an inviting 75-foot swimming pool, plus two restaurants and an organic market.
A NEW GATEWAY Owner Michael Bruno, an Internet/ real estate entrepreneur, was drawn to the town of Sloatsburg because he saw its raw potential. He envisioned an opportunity to realize his passion as a collector of historic homes and a steward of land preservation. Bruno’s company, The Tuxedo Hudson Company, was awarded $1.75 million in grants from New York to create the new “Gateway to the Hudson Valley.” Says Bruno, “The region has a vibrant athletic and health-conscious community, and as it continues to grow, we felt something was missing.” He continues, “What we have created is a haven for outdoor recreation, ideal for visitors with a modern, active, and healthy lifestyle.”
Living Room in Guest House,Valley Rock Inn ©Luxproductions
DISTINCT LODGING Accommodations are unique in that guests choose from the four exquisitely renovated historic Waldron Houses that date back to the mid-1800s. Each of the 3- to 5-bedroom guest houses incorporates works by local artists, antiques, and sleek modern design of the bathrooms. Much of the furniture comes from owner Michael Bruno’s collection amassed while traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe. Guests get exclusive use of their own private guest house with great room, porch, wet bar, and the bedroom of choice. They have their own private area by the pool with lounges, seating, and a dining table.
Rose Garden ©Luxproductions
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The serenity of Valley Rock Inn is epitomized by the walled Rose Garden, where fragrant Dawn Roses climb the stone walls, white gravel covers the ground, and a tranquil fountain creates a perfect Zen-like atmosphere. Another wonderful gathering spot is the Shade Garden, a pleasant place offering respite from the heat and is often used for private events or dinners. The Great Lawn provides a lush open area perfect for a variety of special events and weddings and a romantic alfresco dining venue.
EXCEPTIONAL DINING Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club’s two restaurants offer modern American farm-to-table fare. Menus reflect the seasons. The restaurants, The Cantina and The Lodge, and the Mountain Market, are proud to source much of their produce from the Inn’s organic farm fields in Chester, NY, and offerings from Blooming Hill Farm in Monroe, NY. The Cantina is an outdoor patio style restaurant with a fullservice kitchen, wood-fired pizza oven, and bar. Outdoor heaters and throw blankets allow The Cantina to entertain guests even in the winter months. In addition to the woodfired pizzas, The Cantina’s menu features a nice selection of steaks and fish. Two excellent choices are the Pan Roasted Halibut over White Bean and Corn Salad with Salsa Verde and the Grilled Rib Eye over Roasted Summer Squash with Chimichurri. Complete either of these entrees with the VRI Green Bean Salad made with heirloom tomatoes, shrimp, red onion, and bacon tossed in a country mustard vinaigrette topped with crispy shallot.
The Lodge ©Jean Francois-Jaussaud
The Lodge, which just opened earlier this year, is the more formal dining option, with its full-service bar sporting an impressive white marble countertop and barn wood walls and ceilings, two large-scale fireplaces, a comfortable lounge with soaring ceilings (once the town’s original firehouse), and a glass-enclosed porch with wonderful views of the swimming pool.
Salmon Dinner ©Valley Rock Inn
Daily breakfast is included in your stay and is provided by the Mountain Market. An organic salad bar and a hot bar full of healthy, prepared food-to-go give guests a choice to pick a healthy snack or meal and enjoy it back in their guest house or at one of the many tranquil spots in the Inn’s gardens.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Because of its proximity to two state parks, guests have every opportunity to engage with the outdoors. With a fitness-focused vision, Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club has guided biking, hiking, kayak tours, indoor and outdoor yoga, and Fitness Boot Camps and Retreats. Fitness Retreats include all meals and a customized, guided exercise plan. Top-of-the-line bikes, including Gazelle E-bikes, are available for rent. The management and staff are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment by following all of New York State’s guidelines and protocols related to the current pandemic. For more information on Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club, visit valleyrockinn.com. •
Biking in Harriman State Park ©Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club
WHAT TO SEE & DO The scenic Seven Lakes Drive runs through Harriman State Park to Bear Mountain State Park, offering beautiful views of forested land, shimmering lakes, and upcoming fall foliage. There are several spots to park and enjoy hiking, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and kayaking. Explore Storm King Art Center’s 500-acre outdoor museum of large scaled sculptures exhibited under the open sky. Spend an afternoon at Torne Valley Vineyards enjoying wine tastings, craft beer, food, and live music. Harriman State Park
Nearby Heritage Trail offers biking, walking, or rollerblading on its 14-mile paved path.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 37
WOODLOCH PINES RESORT
THE FALL ESCAPE YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR By Erica Bloch o some, fall signals the start of school and the end of summer fun. For those in the know, however, fall becomes the greatest season to travel to Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains and immerse oneself in a gorgeous autumnal landscape that is unrivaled the rest of the year. Woodloch Pines, an all-inclusive resort located in the region, is the perfect place to head for leaf peeping season to observe the beauty of the changing hues that burst to life starting in September. The Pocono Mountains is home to more than 127 varieties of shrubs, trees, and plants whose leaves change color, a number larger than anywhere else in the country (Source: Pocono Mountains Visitor’s Bureau). Given the challenges of the current pandemic, now more than ever people are rediscovering nature and seeking solace in the outdoors. Even those who do not consider themselves outdoorsy “types” may be surprised by what an amazing escape nature provides these days. Woodloch’s sprawling 1,200 plus acre campus allows guests to easily get out and enjoy the beautiful fall landscape and fresh mountain air. The family resort offers a plethora of outdoor activities including but not limited to zip-lining, go-karting, trapshooting, rock climbing, biking, hiking and boating on the property’s expansive lake. For those who prefer to stay indoors, Woodloch boasts an assortment of activities for them as well. From trivia contests to indoors pools to a massive indoor playground for children, there is truly something for everyone here. “These are very difficult times for all of us. The world as we knew it changed suddenly, and many of the day-to-day activities we took for granted disappeared almost instantly. We’re working to find brightness in new places and realizing the therapeutic effects of being outdoors with loved ones, which has always been central to the experience here at Woodloch. Through an array of home-grown, team-building activities for families, a nostalgic, back-to-basics environment, pristine natural surroundings and a truly unique brand of hospitality, guests leave Woodloch feeling reconnected and rejuvenated,” said Brad Kiesendahl, C.E.O. of Woodloch Pines. As an added bonus, special fall discounts are now available with allinclusive rates starting at $99 per adult, per night. To obtain more information or to book a stay, please visit www.woodloch.com, or call 1-800-Woodloch. About Woodloch Pines Resort: Creating a magical experience for families since 1958, Woodloch Pines Resort’s signature warm hospitality keeps guests returning year after year and offers a truly unique all-inclusive family vacation experience fitting for everyone’s taste. An award-winning family resort, championship golf course and sister property featuring a luxury destination spa are just 95 scenic and convenient miles from New York City nestled in the Pocono Mountains Lake Region. • 38 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
WELCOME TO THE UNDERWORLD By Cecilia Deignan
owe Caverns has been keeping adventure and exploration alive for more than 175 years. In fact, it was during the 19th century, that Howe Caverns was described as one of the most “remarkable curiosities” in the U.S. Today, it is the second most visited natural attraction in New York, just behind Niagara Falls and continues to enthrall visitors of all ages with cave adventures and so much more. This Fall, Howe Caverns introduces The Underworld, the first, fully immersive cave haunt featuring an underground boat ride below the earth’s surface. It’s available to guests who dare to descend among the Keepers of the Cave from the last weekend of September through the last weekend of October. Howe Caverns has hosted Halloween events in the past, however, this year’s transformation will feature the magic of Michael Santos and Kyle Thompson of Midnight Studios FX and take adventurers to a whole new level 156-feet below ground. “The caverns that were formed more than 2 million years ago create the most amazing backdrop, and without question, this event will be the showstopper of all showstoppers in the haunted attraction industry” says Santos. Kyle Thompson, an award-winning special effects artist, was brought in to consult on this transformation by unleashing the most amazing creatures imaginable. His work is featured around the world, at places like Six Flags Universal Studios and Netflix productions. This includes several of the haunted attractions along the I-95 corridor in New York State and New England. “If you do nothing else this year for excitement, don’t miss this all new event at Howe Caverns The Underworld. This will shake the haunted world to its core,” Santos proudly told us. For more information: Tickets to The Underworld are limited to 500 per night—Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only—beginning September 25th and can be purchased for $50 in advance at HoweScary.com. Reservations are all-inclusive for a specific date and time to increase scares and decrease lines with no additional fees or upgrades necessary. The Underworld haunt is not recommended for children 10 and under. Guests under 14 years old must be accompanied by at least one parent. Please note: The Underworld will be closed on October 31st out of respect for the Keepers of the Cave! • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 39
A WEEKEND AT THE JERSEY SHORE IT’S CAPE MAY ALL THE WAY By Bill Mason
e all know that New Jersey’s coastline spans more than 127 miles of glorious beaches. But did you know that all shore towns are not made of the same stuff? Yes, some revel in their deep history as vacation getaways, while others have honed their reputations for being family-friendly. Still others prefer to remain entirely under the radar. For my family it’s Cape May all the way. We all decided that after staying in place for endless months, it was time to break free with a Cape May escape—along with our four legged Scrappy. So, with sunscreen in hand and masks in place our adventure begins… CAPE MAY ADVENTURES Our girls, Kelley, Cassidy and Kayla, found that Cape May has been a seaside destination since the 1800s—and not much has changed since. The island embraces the Victorian architecture, making it one of the most picturesque destinations along the Jersey Shore. In fact, Cape May was once called the Summer White House for President Benjamin Harrison. There was no doubt we were amazed at the maze of streets where centuries-old Victorian structures stand. It’s like a step back in time. Many of these structures now serve as Bed and Breakfasts, as well as private home. Of course, if you need a break from the historical slant—yes, we did—there’s the more modern Washington Street Mall with its outdoor promenade. The best way to see it all is by bike: Don’t miss a ride to Cape May Point’s Sunset Beach, a soothing place to end an active day by watching boat float by as the sun dips below the horizon.
We checked in at Boarding House Cape May and received a warm welcome from the staff who quickly escorted us to our rooms. The newly opened hotel affords guests with a surf-chic experience in its 11 distinctively shore-themed rooms. Original paintings by local artist David Macomber adorn the walls throughout the property. We took advantage of the colorful oversized wall mural on the back of the building which serves as a great spot to take selfies and those memorable family photos. The visual display doesn’t end: There’s framed photography by local talent Kathy Fallon and you can’t miss the custom-made surfboards provided (the thought did cross my mind!) by Kona Surf Co. of Wildwood.
Not only was this a relaxing experience for my family, but Scrappy as well! The Boarding House is a dog-friendly property, and staff pulls out all the stops for their four-legged guests by offering dishes of cold water; complimentary custom-made peanut butter and bacon treats from local vendor Black Sheep Dog Treats; and doggie waste bags. Best of all was the hotel’s unique location downtown, it is right across from Lafayette Street. Year-round beaches which allow dogs are located just a short drive away.
The Boarding House staff takes every precaution in the latest safety and sanitation practices above their already extensive cleaning process with special attention to frequently touch surfaces. High-touch areas including doorknobs and handles, light switches, clocks, kitchen equipment, etc., are thoroughly sanitized before and during each guest’s stay. Additionally, All rooms feature a calming surf-theme with wicker, rope, carpets are shampooed in dog-friendly rooms after each stay. Housekeeping and Bohemian-inspired fabrics. “The Boarding House staff wear face coverings and gloves. For the safety of all parties, guests are has become Cape May’s oasis for vacationers looking for asked to vacate the room while it is being cleaned. a laidback atmosphere combined with modern amenities and a coastal vibe,” says co-owner Jonathan Hirsch who For more information on the Boarding House Cape May, visit told me. He should know. His family has been in the boardinghousecapemay.com or call 609-884-4884. • hospitality business for 50 years. The Hirsch family also owns Cape May’s Montreal Beach Resort another favorite with vacationing families. In addition, rooms feature TV, refrigerators, microwave, Wi-Fi, and special handmade toiletries from local Shore Soap Shops. And if you need a break from the beach, head to the rooftop deck with ample seating and expansive umbrellas. Although Boarding House does not offer an on-site restaurant, Cape May is no slouch on eating options. We tried nearby Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille; it’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Everything from locallysourced produce and fresh off-the-boat seafood to thick and juicy burgers with all the trimmings makes this a choice place to dine. Also note: Harry’s is a dog-friendly restaurant! Info: harryscapemay.com. 40 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Holden Beach North Carolina
30 Miles north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina sits the little coastal community of Holden Beach, North Carolina. Throughout the years Holden Beach has been a hidden paradise. This beach town is no longer a secret and is now nationally recognized as one of the premier “Family Beaches� in the United States. Being primarily a residential community, Holden Beach is a place for family-friendly activities, great restaurants and prestine beaches. Add the low cost of living and you have the perfect retirement destination or vacation property investment opportunity. Come for a week or stay for a lifetime!
Scan the QR code to view our vacation properties!
REAL ESTATE & YOUR HOME
ONE BROKER’S DEEP LOVE OF REAL ESTATE By Peter Elston
ith 40 years of success selling Manhattan’s top properties, go-to luxury real estate expert Lisa Maysonet makes waves in the red-hot Hamptons market. To better serve her longstanding New York clients, Maysonet— the tour-de -force behind Group Maysonet at Sotheby’s International Realty—is now marketing the East End’s most exclusive residences and new developments. “This expansion into the Hamptons is exciting and energizing,” says Maysonet, who started her career in the real estate industry at Walters & Samuels when she was 17 years old. “I love the amazing homes out there. My New York buyers are out there. Now I’m bringing my deep love of real estate and global expertise with me.” 42 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
KNOWING THE BUSINESS For decades, Maysonet has been a key marketing advisor to the world’s top developers, influencing the layouts of and exclusively marketing over a dozen well-known new developments and conversions, such as Park South Lofts. In 2015, Lisa, alongside her husband and partner Gary Kabol, successfully negotiated the WeWork deal at 88 University Place for $70 million. “I’ve worked with real estate professionals, architects, and developers in markets like Hong Kong, Russia, Canada, and Israel,” she says. “I study the product, the finishes, the layouts, the development, how they do things and bring that knowledge, expertise, and passion to the homes I sell to my clients.” Her new Hamptons office compliments her established Madison Avenue business. She has handled more than $1 billion in real estate transactions to date, along with the city’s best-known Park and Fifth Avenue addresses. Maysonet’s outstanding real estate track record has earned her coverage in The New York Times, New York Post, People, CNN/Money, Forbes. com, Manhattan Living, NY Observer, The Real Deal, NY Living, Fox 5, Discovery Channel among others. Not to be overlooked are her many memberships including the Real Estate Board of New York, Long Island Board of Realtors, Associated Builders & Owners Association, Professional Women in Construction, Association of Real Estate Women, Parents League of NY, Covenant House for Homeless Teens, Children’s Aid Society, and Spirituality for Kids. She also volunteers at God’s Love We Deliver. “I started in this business in the 1970s, and I’ve never stopped expanding,” she says. “I successfully navigated through a myriad of markets, credit crises, 9/11, and 19.5 percent interest rates. Through it all, I never stopped. It’s because I work hard for my clients. I work hard. Period.” Here is one of Lisa’s top listings:
FALL IN LOVE WITH FLATIRON A historic neighborhood in the middle of Manhattanonce known for its industrial and commercial buildings is now home to beautifully renovated lofts and brandnew developments. The district captures the impressive historic architectural details nestled among new allglass luxury doorman buildings with amenities home to celebrities and young professionals. Quiet tree-lined streets, a pulsating evening environment, an abundance of transportation, and the famous Union Square Greenmarket make this historic architectural neighborhood filled with a variety of cafes and worldclass dining in the finest restaurants the most charming and ideal place to live. It’s energetic when you want it and so peaceful when you need it! 400 Park Ave South This luxurious condo, Number 33A, is located in the stunning all-glass NoMad condominium complex on Park Avenue. The floor-to-ceiling windows of this corner unit allow incredible light, showstopping city views, white oak wood floors, and great storage space. The windowed, open kitchen is outfitted with Miele appliances and quartzite countertops. The bathroom features marble countertops, custom vanities, and heated limestone floors.
Owners will have full complimentary access to the luxury condo amenities, including a 24/7 concierge, a 27th-floor sky lounge, a garden courtyard, a media room, a playroom, a screen room, golf simulator, conference meeting room. There’s also a state-of-the-art fitness center with lap pool, Jacuzzi, yoga room, and steam room. Price: $2.2 million. For more information on Lisa Maysonet at Sotheby’s International Realty, visit sothebyshomes.com/nyc/ agents/lisa.maysonet. •
SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 43
REAL ESTATE & YOUR HOME
545 WEST 110TH STREET ZEN GARDEN, VIEWS & A WHOLE LOT MORE By AP Connolly
orningside Heights, considered by many to be the homey Manhattan neighborhood, is steeped in history and one of the most desirable areas for families in the city. Sandwiched between the Upper West Side and Harlem and running from West 110th Street to West 125th Street, the neighborhood offers an abundance of green space, from the iconic Morningside and Riverside Parks to the manicured lawns of Columbia and Barnard. Paired with the university students’ energy and the area’s many family friendly-amenities, it’s the perfect spot for both children and adults to live and play. On the east corner of Broadway and Cathedral Boulevard, is 545 West 110th Street, a modern condo building built-in 2006. This 11-story limestone building features 55 apartments, many of them with outdoor space. It is one of the few condominiums in the area. A must-see is the glorious #8C, the corner residence sun-flooded and encompassed with a lush garden-like terrace. Spacious, airy, and lofty, this home is set up as a three-bedroom/ three-bath home; it was originally a four-bedroom/four-bath and can be easily converted back while maintaining copious living space. Spread out over nearly 2400 square feet inside; the interiors have been completely customized.
THE RESIDENCE The open chef ’s kitchen boasts a 48” Sub-Zero refrigerator and a six-burner Wolf range, plus fabulous prep, and cooking space. Like all rooms in this apartment, it has open exposures onto the terrace and great light. Adjacent to the kitchen is a butler’s pantry with wine storage and a washer dryer. The grand, corner living room and dining room have sliding doors onto the terrace where there are spots to cook, dine, and relax. This space is all bathed in South and West light. Three large bedrooms each feature their own renovated bathroom and generous closet space, and each opens onto the terrace. The luxurious primary suite is South facing and boasts an enormous bedroom with a sitting area and five-fixture Calcutta gold bathroom with double vanity, glass shower, and deep soaking tub. In the bedroom wing, there is also a bonus office area. This apartment is complete with central air conditioning, nearly floor to ceiling windows everywhere, and new hardwood floors. The phenomenal wrap terrace has a grill powered by natural gas direct from the kitchen, plus electricity and a watering system to maintain the plants and mature trees. The terrace is lush and inviting and must be seen to appreciate!
THE AMENITIES 545 West 110th Street offers a gym, terrace, playroom, bike room, storage, and garage. Full-time doormen and a resident manager are on-site. Located in fabulous Morningside Heights, it is convenient to the best transportation, and great restaurants. Price: $5.475 million. For more information on 545 West 110th Street, contact Lisa K. Lippman at Brown Harris Stevens at llippman@ bhsusa.com. • 44 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Landscape That Inspired World Renowned Artist Andrew Wyeth
Gorgeous French Chateau Surrounded by Conservancy 1063 Wylie Terrace Road, West Chester, PA 19382 - $1,3oo,ooo
Fabulous French Country Chateau in Chadds Ford with vistas that inspired Andrew Wyeth, who painted only a mile away, surrounded by over a hundred acres of the Brandywine Conservancy that will protect and preserve the landscape in perpetuity. A meandering stream leading to Brandywine Creek and stand of majestic trees in this rolling landscape is enhanced by the home’s perfectly manicured landscaping and gardens, recently renovated deck, and a beautiful pool and spa. Situated on over 2 acres in this breathtaking countryside, the home will forever enjoy the views and stately magnificence of the conservancy. This home lives up to its setting.
Cheryl Newton rs306671 Realtor 431 W. Lancaster Ave. Devon, PA 19333 610-564-1144 [email protected]
REAL ESTATE & YOUR HOME
MIGDALE CASTLE LUXURY IN DUTCHESS COUNTY By Harry Brads
n 1927, Migdale Castle in the tony New York suburb of Millbrook was completed for Margaret Carnegie Miller, the only child of Andrew Carnegie. It offers unparalleled woodland and Catskill Mountain views; the estate was modeled after Carnegie’s Sk ib o Ca s t l e in S cot land. To d a y , o n e o f D u c h e s s County’s largest and most well-appointed mansions is now on the market. After falling into a state of disrepair, the 200-acre estate was purchased and given a meticulous four-year renovation. The oneof-a-kind mansion is more than 34,000 square feet affording four floors, 29 rooms, ten bedrooms, 17 baths, 12 fireplaces, and a professional kitchen.
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A MODERN WONDER “From the time you pass the majestic gates, the princely estate commands respect. Immediately you realize you are somewhere special, winding up the private driveway. The moment you catch a glimpse of the house, you are taken with its architectural and historical significance—an American treasure and true trophy property,” says Kenneth J. Moore, president/exclusive agent of Classiques Modernes International Realty. “I would describe the house as being divided into four wings–each for a different member of this family, each with its own personality,” adds Classiques Modernes’ lifestyle & realty expert, Loy Carlos. “Great care was also taken to restore the windows, the great hall, and grand staircase to their former glory by importing stately materials from all over the world and covering the walls with exquisite French fabrics. Each room has a distinctive name—the Gold Room, the Red Room, the Blue Room, etc. It’s simply majestic.”
THE SPECIAL EXTRAS On the main level overlooking the great lawn and breathtaking mountain views, the grand terrace was carved from bedrock to make a sweeping slope, envisioning a potential nine-hole golf course. Below an entire floor has been dedicated to luxurious amenities, including a fully equipped spa featuring a treatment room, his and hers lockers, steam rooms and saunas and a hot tub. But the pièce de résistance is the indoor edgeless pool with a glass wall overlooking the great lawn—it is the largest single-pane ever built. The pool also features “Desert Aire,” which keeps the temperature exactly two degrees above the water temperature so that you are never cold. The estate also boasts a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, 13-seat media room, large fitness room/studio, golf simulator, distinguished library, and a pub with an authentic bar imported from the UK. “What people will notice about the residence is that despite its enormous square footage, it doesn’t feel overwhelming,” observes Moore. And as for the land, Carlos adds that it’s hundreds and hundreds of sublime acres.” The expansive grounds boast multiple ponds with bridge walkways to private islands: a 5,000-square-foot, threebedroom gatehouse plus artist loft; a 10,000 square-foot, six-apartment staff house; and a tennis court. The estate also features ecoelements like a massive organic garden with a greenhouse, an enormous chicken coop, orchards, crop fields, deer fields, and hiking trails. Price: $14 million. For more information on Migdale Castle, visit lavieclassique.com/estate-millbrookny. Phone Ken J. Moore at 646-580-4840, or email [email protected]. •
SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 47
REAL ESTATE & YOUR HOME
REASSESSING & RELOCATING SHOULD YOU DITCH THE CITY? By Esther Reizes-Lowenbein
hroughout history, several worldly pandemics have caused people to move from urban locations to the suburbs and beach towns. Generally, people moved back following the pandemic due to jobs and schooling obligations. However, times have changed. With the outbreak of the Coronavirus, many are flooding to their beach and country homes. This departure is becoming permanent for many. As a suburban realtor in Rockland County, I am seeing people desperate to leave the city. Many Brooklyn friends and acquaintances are suddenly calling me, saying that they cannot handle living in a city apartment any longer. Children cannot play at local parks or indoor children’s play areas, making life difficult for parents.
A BETTER LIFE
TO GREENER PASTURES
My friend Sarah expressed that if she would have to quarantine again, with the talk of a second wave approaching, she would rather do so in a larger, more comfortable indoor/outdoor living space with a home office. She is seeking a better quality of life and the ability to have more family time. Her husband is seeking a lower commutation to work, less traffic, and less exposure to pollution accumulated in the city.
Shea Schneider, president of SRG Trade, in Surfside, Florida, has seen twelve new families move into the apartment building he calls home. Many are relocating from New York, due to the civil unrest and crime. These people planned to move before, but these circumstances accelerated their move. Most of them rent first and then scope out areas to see where they want to live long term. A recent relocator himself, he feels his inventory liquidation and closeout business can operate from any location with his ability to network through various social media platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
My former city neighbors had a plan to search for a suburban home within the next two years. Due to the factors mentioned above, their plans hastened, and they are crunching their timeline to make a move. Florida, Connecticut, and New York’s Hudson Valley are the new popular destinations. With advanced technology and e-commerce business, the current moves may now be permanent changes. More than ever before, we have greater accessibility to remote working. An online business can operate out of various locations. In addition to residential sales, we see an increase in industrial sales too. Warehousing has become a high demand as individuals relocate with their businesses.
According to Yael, Ishakis, the branch manager of FM Home Loans located in Teaneck, NJ, there is a huge increase and uptick in loan applications. People are leaving the city for greener pastures. This is creating a sellers’ market and bidding wars. Because the interest rates are low, the buyers are still getting low mortgage payments despite paying $10 - $20K above asking price. Real estate attorney Aaron Goodman sees some areas impacted by COVID. City landlords are not getting full rent; many tenants are not paying. As the economy slowly begins reopening, we see a V-shaped rebound; in some areas, we see bidding wars. Attorneys need to be quick and respond the same day for clients not to lose deals. All real estate affiliates are seeing similar occurrences across the board. David Sanders, of MR Capital Group services renters from Queens and the Bronx. He says, “COVID-19 expedited people’s move from small apartments in the city to larger properties. People sitting with preapprovals since last year are now in a sudden rush. The desperation is causing people to pay more than they would before.” People are reassessing and reflecting on what took place in the past few months and are making calculated plans and taking swift action. Families are looking for fresh air, backyard, front yard, the suburban lifestyle within access to the city by car or public transport. Many are prioritizing and choosing to remain close to their families and friends during this global pandemic. Esther Reizes-Lowenbein is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at eXp Realty. For more information, contact her at [email protected]. •
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3715 Kings Way | Boca Raton, FL 33434
Offered at $1,870,000
Magnificent Estate Home! 5 bedroom, 6.5 bath plus office + bonus loft space ‘smart’ home at highly coveted, centrally located, Woodfield Hunt Club in Boca Raton. No membership required. Be wowed from the moment you arrive! Nestled on a quiet tree lined block, this premier property exudes character. Spacious entry leads into gorgeous formal living space with soaring high ceilings outfitted with intricate wood detailing. A true entertainer’s home, equipped with built in custom bar area and dining space ready for any dinner party. Expansive master suite boasting his and her private bathrooms and oversized closets is located on the first floor.
4572 White Jade Terrace | Delray Beach, FL 33446
Offered at $447,300
Highly desirable, modern, sparkling clean one-story Sorrento model built in 2015 in the gated community of Tuscany by GL Homes, situated on a private interior garden lot. Turnkey 3 bedroom or 2 bedroom + study home features impact glass throughout, beautifully designed kitchen with granite counters and SS appliances, open concept kitchen/living space, split bedrooms, custom closets and 2 car garage. No carpet! Tuscany South is gated and secured with the ButterflyMX app operated ‘’guard’’ gate. Low HOA dues, only $309 per month inclusive of incredible amenities including community pool, basketball & tennis courts, gym and club room. Perfect location, just a short walk to nearby Tuscany Shoppes with Starbucks, BurgerFi, Yellow Tail Sushi, salons and more. Don’t miss this opportunity!
Erin Friedman Compass [email protected] P: 954.448.0573
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Maria Marlowe ©Abby Lawson
IT’S ALL CONNECTED
WHY WELLNESS NEEDS AN EVEN MORE HOLISTIC APPROACH By Maria Marlowe
o we think with our gut or our mind? Do we feel with our bodies or our soul? As much as Western thought likes to compartmentalize the different organs of the body into tidy systems (digestive, immune, cardiovascular, etc.), the truth is, it is all interconnected. Maria Marlowe should know. The founder of Healthy by Marlowe, a digital platform for online science-backed, doctor-approved nutrition and cooking courses, realizes the importance of a healthy menu with meal plans that make healthy eating fun and easy. Like most of us, she grew up in New York on the Standard American Diet and was inspired to delve into the concept of food as medicine after developing many chronic health conditions in her late teens— including weight gain, acne, chronic digestive issues, and precancerous cell changes. Unsatisfied with the advice, to “wait and see” what happens, she took matters into her own hands, changed her diet, and completely transformed her health. Maria then went on to study integrative nutrition and plant-based cooking, hoping to help others understand the profound impact
food and lifestyle have on our health. She opened her Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching practice in NYC in 2013 and has since coached hundreds of people to improve their health by improving their eating habits. In 2017 she closed the physical location to focus solely on online programming. She is the author of The Real Food Grocery Guide— touted as “the most practical guide to healthy eating” by Dr. Dean Ornish—as well as hosts the top-rated Happier & Healthier podcast, in which she interviews top wellness experts. We recently met with Maria (virtually, of course) who told us about the importance of wellness and how it is all interconnected. –The Editors SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 51
Depression and anxiety—afflictions of the mind—often start in the gut. The latest research suggests the key to maintaining mood stability is a well-balanced gut microbiota, which is shaped primarily by what we eat, as well as by physical, psychological, and environmental stressors. Acne, psoriasis, and eczema—eruptions of the skin—begin below the surface, commonly triggered by inflammation, gut dysbiosis, or imbalanced hormones. The foods we eat—or not eat—as well as psychological and environmental stressors, play critical roles in our development of these imbalances. Maria Marlowe ©Abby Lawson
Maria Marlowe ©Jennifer Lavalle
FOOD IS FUEL
As most of us realize, the foods we eat serve as the building blocks for our cells, our blood, and our organs. The fact that we must eat to survive gives us immense power over our health and well-being. The human body is a perpetual construction zone. Food affords us the ability to repair and rebuild. When we eat whole, unprocessed foods, such as vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and organic animal products, it is as if we have the most capable construction crew inside us. When we choose a diet filled mostly with refined foods such as baked goods, sweets, soda, chips, and processed meats, it is as if all our construction workers lost their tools and fell asleep on the job—our diet influences everything, including our weight, mood, and risk for chronic disease and cancer. COVID-19 has been a wake-up call to pay better attention to our health. After all, 94 percent of COVID-related deaths are in those with an underlying diet-related chronic disease, such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and chronic inflammation. When we talk about wellness—especially in a post-COVID world—we must start with food. For most people, plant-based paleo is a great starting point. It is primarily made of whole, plant-based foods, with a small amount of the highest quality organic meat and wild seafood. This diet is naturally low glycemic, high fiber, and antiinflammatory. The number one tip I give people is to think of your plate as a pie chart and aim to fill 50 to 75 percent of it with vegetables.
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As powerful as food is, though, it is not the magic bullet that will solve all health problems. We also need to incorporate physical fitness, stress-reduction, community, and happiness into the equation. Exercise boosts our mood, supports our immune system, lowers stress, balances blood sugar, and aids in elimination. Move your body at least 30 minutes a day, even if that means a walk. In quarantine days, I have taken to pacing my balcony while on phone calls to get my steps in. Fitness apps and YouTube are overflowing with top trainers’ workouts that can be done in your living room with minimal or no equipment. Companies like Peleton are the future because they make working out at home a community activity, which makes it more fun. It is known that stress reduction boosts our mood, decreases inflammation, improves our digestion, lowers high blood pressure, improves our cardiovascular health, and even improves our overall quality of life. While meditation, mindfulness, and yoga are excellent ways to combat stress, the truth is, changing our perception of our stressors will have the most profound impact. No event in and of itself is innately stressful; it is our perception of that stressor that makes it so. Another factor in living a healthful life is having a tight-knit community—a circle of friends and family you can rely on is a critical but often overlooked aspect of wellness. Healthy relationships are cited as a primary factor of longevity in the world’s Blue Zones—the area where people regularly live past the age of 100. It is also a critical factor in Dr. Dean Ornish’s Undo It program, the first scientifically proven program to reverse heart disease (along with diet, exercise, and stress-reduction). Fire up the zoom calls—social distance does not have to mean social isolation.
Maria Marlowe Yoga is excellent to combat stress
While meditation, mindfulness, and yoga are excellent ways to combat stress, the truth is, changing our perception of our stressors will have the most profound impact. LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST
And finally, a focus on fun and happiness is the next frontier of wellness. After all, the whole point of improving our health is so that we can live and enjoy our life to the fullest. It is easy to turn wellness activities into a stress-inducing competition or cause for self-criticism when you can’t seem to master your headstand in yoga or give in to the French fries. But these thoughts are the antithesis of wellness, and we must release them if we are to be truly well. Happiness starts from within, with an attitude of gratitude. Developing a daily practice of acknowledging the things you are grateful for, whether in your head or on paper, trains you to look for the positive instead of the negative continually. A quick and straightforward exercise with profound effects. What is more, maintaining a child-like spirit and thirst for adventure will do much to improve your mood, mental, and even physical health. Make time to dance and sing and laugh. These were considered medicine before the rise of pharmaceuticals. Throughout Africa, ritual, song, and dance have been used for centuries to work through trauma. And as we all know, laughter has quantifiable positive physiologic benefits. It is not enough to rely solely on food and physical fitness; we must also pay attention to our mental and spiritual health because it is all connected. The future of wellness will be less about following a prescribed checklist of wellness activities and more about remembering how to be human. Maria Marlowe divides her time between New York City and Dubai. You can find her online at mariamarlowe.com or Instagram @ mariamarlowe. • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 53
HEALTH & WELLNESS
HOW IT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE By Eli Bliliuos
he pandemic has changed the world as we know it. With life changing, there has been no opportunity to prepare. There is a sense of anxiety and fear for many of us, often with an inability to take control.
My role as a certified hypnotist is to help navigate through times of uncertainty in a healthy, constructive manner. Hypnosis focuses on shifting one’s perspective so that you can feel empowered, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and adapt. My interest in hypnosis began at the age of 13, when my mother introduced me to the subject matter. I became an avid reader, truly fascinated with its power to offer life-changing results. My career path started as a marketing manager, and it was not until later in life that I returned to my life’s mission to heal deep-rooted wounds and transform the lives of clients through hypnosis. Certified by the International Alliance of Clinical Hypnotists & Therapists, the National Guild of Hypnotists, and the International Association of Counselors & Therapists, I have also been a hypnosis Master trainer for the last ten years.
HOW IT WORKS It may be fun to think of hypnosis as party entertainment. Actually, it is a life-altering modality for accelerated change. Hypnosis has become increasingly popular as a treatment for health concerns such as addiction, depression, anxiety, and phobias. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Review describes hypnosis as a phenomenon where verbal suggestions can help change a person’s thought patterns, which affects their behavior. Today, hypnosis is widely accepted as a valid treatment alternative to traditional mental health options. During hypnosis, clients are always alert and aware of what is transpiring. Clients are placed in a focused and attentive mental state. A certified hypnotist can facilitate the hypnotic instructions for physical relaxation, allowing you to control your internal fear response, calmly, and rationally approaching any situation. Hypnosis is simply an approach for using the natural trance experience to create positive and lasting change. Furthermore, it can reprogram your subconscious associations with anxiety, stress, and anger, so you respond appropriately to life’s many challenges. 54 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
FINDING THE CAUSE I use hypnosis to determine the “root causes,” and prevent you from dealing with obstacles that hold you back. Very often, our inability to effectively manage problems stems from something in our past, buried deep in our subconscious. An abusive parent, a frightening event, or experiencing bullying in childhood. These events can all become hidden within the psyche, affecting our decisions, without knowing it. Hypnosis allows you to access those memories that impact your current behavior and outlook. We can identify which memories keep you from moving forward and preventing you from dealing with your concerns.
Eli Bliluos with a patient
Additionally, hypnosis can address a variety of issues stemming from the pandemic. Whether you’re suffering through grief, financial loss, lack of sleep, or coronavirus anxiety, hypnosis can help. Many people are amazed by the power of hypnosis.
HYPNOSIS FOR COVID-19 Feeling isolated, hopeless, fearing for their loved ones, unable to accept and give emotional support, and stuck in an ongoing state of anxiety. These are just a few of the difficulties we are experiencing. Through hypnosis, I help them overcome the negative feelings preventing them from moving forward and adopting a healthier outlook for the future. The mind can focus obsessively on catastrophic scenarios that are unlikely to happen. Through hypnosis, I’m able to help clients experience greater clarity and a sense of calm with the ability to see a time when we will find solutions and move past this pandemic. Additionally, the coronavirus pandemic changes the dynamics of our relationships with others. The lack of separation between work and home life, constant financial concerns, and the inability to socialize the way you normally have in the past is overwhelming. Your relationship with your partner can become strained. You may feel that you don’t have your own space or any time to yourself. The little things that you were able to overlook in the past may set you off. Hypnosis can help alleviate the stress within relationships so that you can look to one another for support and develop a healthier strategy to deal with conflict.
A TYPICAL SESSION The first session includes an intake and suggestive hypnosis to explore and begin to address the challenge. I explain what hypnosis is and what to expect during the sessions. In May, I offered complimentary sessions for healthcare workers who were experiencing anxiety related to COVID-19. One client required four sessions to help them experience relief. Throughout the sessions, I helped program their unconscious mind to take appropriate precautions and understand that they would likely remain free of infection by taking them. Today, the client remains calm, gets much-needed rest, and achieves a greater level of focus while at work.
MOVING FORWARD Hypnosis will help you gain control and achieve greater fulfillment in your life. The NYC Hypnosis Center will begin seeing clients in-person on a limited basis but will continue offering Skype sessions. I also offer downloadable mp3s to listen to on your own time. In addition, I use Chinese Herbs in conjunction with hypnosis for clients who need immediate relief from anxiety and insomnia. These herbs are manufactured in the U.S. and provide initial relief. For more information on the NYC Hypnosis Center, visit tryhypnosisnow.com. • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 55
FOOD & DRINK
VERSA ROOFTOP & RESTAURANT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR! By Anne Raso
y first restaurant visit once social restrictions from the pandemic were lifted was to VERSA at the Renaissance New York Midtown in the Fashion District. The 8000 square-foot open terrace features a retractable roof affording guests gorgeous downtown views, which gives guests the feeling that they can touch those buildings. At the time of this writing, VERSA is only open from 4 to 9 pm daily with a staff that is super-welcoming for drinks, dinner, or small plates—whatever guests are in the mood for. The VERSA staff keeps things loose and casual with Modern American Cuisine/gourmet “bar food” as their calling card, but that does not mean that the service is not attentive and impeccable. Upon entering the high-ceilinged main dining room, you will see modernistic art adorning the walls, and black-and-white medallion patterned tiles on both the floor and the front of the long wooden bar—and you will be whisked to the seating area of your choice post haste. As NYL goes to print, guests are only seated on the terrace in comfortable booths or at standard tables with chairs. It gives guests great peace of mind to know that tables are well-spaced at 10 feet apart.
ROLLIN’ OUT THE LOBSTER ROLLS Diners enjoy shared plates of unique dishes like pastrami sliders with a touch of onion marmalade and fresh-baked tortillas with homemade guacamole; the tortillas are thick and chewy with an almost bagel texture to the taste. All the classics are done the right way here. Their burgers are legendary, not only because the ground “brisket blend” beef is grass-fed and topped with green chili aioli, artisanal bacon, and cheddar, but because they are a whopping eight ounces in size! VERSA’s buffalo wings are boneless juicy nuggets with just the right kick, thanks to a secret semi-spicy orange sauce that is saltand-vinegar based. The Connecticut Style Lobster Roll is wellworth the price with its abundance of buttered Maine Lobster, served on a Brioche Bun with a side of Old Bay Kettle Chips. Affable Executive Chef Kevin Chun says that he views VERSA’s eclectic cuisine as a celebration of the melting pot that is New York City. He shared his journey and how cooking became his first love. His career has taken him to work in Asia, New Zealand, California, Hawaii, and Panama. “My focus has mainly been on Asian cuisine (particularly Japanese and Chinese), as well as French and Italian. I’m proud of what I do and love this industry, and to me, that’s not something most people can say about their professional career.” 56 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
VERSA Fried Chicken Sandwich, Aioli, French Fries
FRESH & FABULOUS Is it a challenge for Chef Chun to keep the VERSA menu full of fresh choices? He reveals, “Honestly, creating and cooking are the easiest aspects of being a chef. The most important aspects of any establishment are quality and consistency. Currently, on our limited menu, the most popular dish seems to be a classic—our version of Guacamole and Chips. We make fresh guacamole daily to ensure that there is always a perfect hint of acid from the lime. We also make thick-cut corn tortillas from scratch, which we sear on a plancha (griddle), then lightly fry to give a consistency to a light piece of fried bread.” He discusses the highlights and challenges of being the executive chef of VERSA: “With such a large venue that can accommodate a diverse range of clientele, it always makes coming into work remarkably interesting. During any preCOVID night, we may have had a large parties after a Billy Joel concert or a sporting event since we’re located steps away from Madison Square Garden. Each day and night can change. However, this makes it a fun challenge, and it THE NEW NORMAL never gets redundant.” Naturally, the COVID pandemic has been Chef Chun’s greatest challenge. He remarks, “We started several initiatives at the start of the pandemic to help generate revenue and support our local community by including meal kits and cooking for essential workers. Currently, our partnership with Hampton Water delivers picnic baskets to several parks within Manhattan throughout summer weekends. And with our outdoor dining, we’ve noticed a growth daily. We are lucky to offer New Yorkers an open-air, outdoor space to dine up in the sky without trucks or traffic on the road that is great for many seasons. We also put stringent social distancing and health safety protocol in place, as well as featuring new amenities to our guest’s experience, including new contactless technology such as the NFC chip and QR code that pops up on our digital menus on guest’s smartphones. We’re incorporating several of these important measures to make our staff and guests feel safe while providing them the best in hospitality as possible during this new normal.” Clearly, this chef loves his job and has adapted to the challenges of a changing landscape of clientele. It’s not just about the people who work in the area, grabbing a quick bite or after-dinner drink. He tells NYL, “We get a great corporate crowd from the surrounding office buildings, Madison Square Garden and Penn Station. However, that has changed since the pandemic, with many office workers now working remotely from home. Now, we are attracting a diverse, local Midtown crowd from Hell’s Kitchen, Hudson Yards, and Chelsea. We are taking it one day at a time. But every day, we meet new people while always social distancing, introducing them to our space, or welcoming our customers back.” WHAT’S NEXT We could not resist asking Chef Chun what we will be seeing on the menu for Fall. Any special foods or drinks? (Note: He is a very hands-on chef who personally sources all meats, fish, produce and specialty goods from his purveyors.) “This will certainly be a different Fall. With 30 HD-TVs in the restaurant, we usually attracted a great crowd to watch sports and host events. Unfortunately, it’s unknown whether that will be possible this year and if it is possible to what extent. Our menus always change seasonally, but we will see what the season will bring in abundance for us to feature on our menu. We may bring back some of our classic staples like Cacio e Pepe or Fried Burrata,” he reveals. Just located just a short walk from the Seventh Avenue entrance of Macy’s makes VERSA a favorite of shoppers who want to get away from the hustle and bustle for a while. The Renaissance Hotel offered free lodging to first responders, and that is yet another reason to love and support its unique open air dining area. It’s Chef Chun who can sum up the resto/lounge’s allure in a nutshell: “We truly pride ourselves on the level of service we can deliver and want that to shine through all else. We also want to provide a casual atmosphere, so that all are comfortable spending time with us.” For more info on VERSA Rooftop & Restaurant, visit versanyc.com. Reservations are recommended but not necessary. •
VERSA Cobb Salad
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FOOD & DRINK
A TOAST TO LATE SUMMER PERFECT CALIFORNIA WINES By Jenny Peters
aving the chance to visit one of California’s beautiful wine regions may not be in the picture. Hopefully, that trip will happen, but until then, here are some of our favorite California wines to sip in the comfort of your home.
From north to south, coast to inland, California makes wonderful wines in 139 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), those regions designated by the U.S. government as distinctive places to grow grapes and make wine. We’re focusing on Rosé, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, three varietals.
The Napa Valley is the obvious go-to place for California wines, with over 400 wineries in that famed region just north of San Francisco. With so many options, it’s easy to get lost in the myriad choices found there, so we’ve narrowed it down to three favorites. Shafer Vineyards in the Stags Leap District AVA is one of the valley’s premier wineries, famous for their Cabernet Sauvignon—and for the sheep that they let loose to graze in their vineyards every spring. They even have a “sheep cam” going for all to zone out and watch while sipping on their 2018 Red Shoulder Ranch 25th Anniversary Chardonnay. That’s a gorgeous wine, bursting with citrus flavors, bright acidity, and just a hint of the oak barrels that it spent 14 months nestled inside. At Silver Trident Winery in Yountville, the go-to wine for late-summer is their 2017 Benevolent Dictator Pinot Noir. This smooth, silky Pinot is amazingly structured, with tastes of cherries and other dark fruits winding through hints of vanilla and toast. It’s perfect for a special night paired with a charcuterie platter, a pile of soft-shell crabs, or a big pan of paella. Bouchaine’s vineyards in Carneros have been producing grapes since the 19th century; now run by the Copeland family, it’s a place producing world-class Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. For an easy-drinking white, choose their 2016 Estate Chardonnay with rounded tastes of nectarine and an undercurrent of citrus. Splurge on the 2015 Bouchaine Swan Clone Estate Pinot Noir and drown in its juicy strawberry and cherry melding of flavor with a super smooth tannic finish.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
Better known as SLO, it’s one of the state’s lesser-known wine areas. It’s a coastal region characterized by two AVAs, the Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande. Here cool sea breezes and warm days are the setting for creating outstanding Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Rosés, especially at Tolosa Winery. Their 2018 Edna Valley Primera Pinot Noir is the jewel in their crown, with estate-grown grapes that result in a breathtaking mélange of slightly spicy red fruit flavors in the finished wine. At Baileyana Winery, also in SLO’s Edna Valley, they produce a Rosé that you really can drink all day. Their 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir is light, bright, and full of fruit-forward flavors (think peach, strawberry, and raspberry), with just enough of an acidic structure to make it a neat pairing with everything from popcorn to salad to seafood. 58 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
QUICK BITES APPETIZING DIPS By Sean-Patrick M. Hillman Believe it or not, I am not a big fan of avocados. My wife Kylie loves them. My mother is a big fan, too. So, when I make guacamole, they go crazy. Given the time of year, and popularity of Mexican fare right now, I thought you would enjoy these two very easy recipes that provide a delicious adventure for your palette!
The Santa Ynez Valley AVA, just north of Santa Barbara, is famous for being part of Sideways, the movie that brought Merlot to its knees and uplifted Pinot Noir. In Buellton, you’ll find Hitching Post 2 Restaurant and Winery. You’ll find owners Gray Hartley and Frank Ostini producing the much-admired Pinot Noirs as they have for decades. We suggest the high-end 2016 Julia’s Vineyard Pinot for a rich, fruity taste or the less-dear 2016 Cork Dancer Pinot for a dark, berry-flavored quaff. Buellton’s Margerum Wine Company makes some distinctive red wines, but we go for their 2019 Riviera Rosé, concocted with Grenache and Syrah grapes. It’s a light pink drink with hints of watermelon and a strong acidic structure. Robert Renzoni Vineyard & Winery
Ingredients 4 avocados peeled and pitted 2 limes juiced 1 tablespoon of sea salt ¾ cup diced sweet onion (Vidalia or Malibu) 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 3 Roma (plum) tomatoes diced 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 pinch of cayenne pepper or ¼ of a diced jalapeno pepper (no seeds) Preparation In a medium bowl, mash the avocados, then stir in lime juice and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper or jalapeno. Refrigerate for one hour for best flavor and consistency or serve immediately.
SALSA FRESCA Ingredients 3 Roma (plum) tomatoes diced 1 sweet onion (Vidalia or Maui) diced 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped ½ lime freshly squeezed 1 teaspoon of sea salt Preparation In a medium bowl, mix the diced tomatoes, diced onion and chopped fresh cilantro. Add sea salt and lime juice. Refrigerate for one hour.
The Temecula Wine Valley AVA was established in 1984 and is one of the state’s southernmost wine regions, located inland between Los Angeles and San Diego. Their vintners grow many varietals on lovely estates, including Robert Renzoni Vineyards, where their 2019 Lyric Rosé is a lusciously deep pink wine made from Syrah grapes. Syrah thrives in Temecula and this delicate creation tastes of peaches and sunshine. Syrah does so well here that we had to throw in one late-summer outlier, the 2016 Fazeli Cellars Syrah. This big red signature wine with its smooth, dense flavor notes of blackberries and black pepper is perfect for outdoor or indoor dining experience. All wines are available in the New York metro area, and all can be ordered direct from the winery as well. •
Salsa needs to be as fresh, light, and flavorful as possible without overpowering. This recipe is a nice and clean version that you could easily make on-the-go, or to entertain guests. Some people include jalapeno in their salsa, so if that is what you wish, add one pepper, seeded, and finely chopped to the ingredients. Any more than a single pepper will overpower the dish. Buen Provecho! •
SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 59
FOOD & DRINK
OLD FORESTER KING OF THE BOURBONS By Darren Paltrowitz
he longest-running bourbon brand on the market today, Old Forester, is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced by the Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman Corporation. Beyond holding the distinction of being the first bourbon sold exclusively in a sealed bottle, Old Forester’s bourbon was one of only ten brands authorized for lawful production during Prohibition—for medicinal purposes, of course. In turn, Old Forester holds the distinction of being the only Kentucky bourbon to have been produced before, during, and after Prohibition by the same family. Another staple of Louisville is the Kentucky Derby, which is widely known as the greatest two minutes in sports, and Old Forester is one of the brands that is synonymous with the world-famous horse race. The 2020 Kentucky Derby takes place on September 5th at Churchill Downs. Those on-site at Churchill Downs are likely to enjoy an adult beverage or two, and one of the more popular cocktails among locals and visitors alike is the Old Forester Mint Julep. On the eve of Old Forester’s 150th Anniversary, I had the pleasure of speaking with Old Forester’s Master Taster Jackie Zykan. We caught up with her recently to find out a bit more about what’s in store for Old Forester. SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 61
What was it that brought you to Louisville? I arrived in Louisville from Missouri about ten years ago. I stayed in Louisville because I had a fantastic career in a local hospitality group, and they had become my family. The bar industry is so close-knit here, and there is always something new happening in Louisville. Bourbon was reviving, and opportunities were popping up left and right to grow my resume, and honestly, it’s a little oasis. I fell in love with the city. Bourbon is a very serious thing in Louisville, of course. Was bourbon always your preferred spirit? It would be unfair to say it was. I am a pretty diversified imbiber. I was never against drinking bourbon; I had my fair share. We didn’t have the selection ten years ago in Missouri that we do today in Kentucky. I was a blended scotch drinker for a short stint, also went through a quick rum phase, a gin martini month, wine, and beer are omnipresent, of course. What is a typical day for you like at Old Forester? It’s not a cop-out, no two days are ever alike in this job. I travel quite a bit for this position, and with that comes distributor training, consumer events, media opportunities, bartender mingling, and tons of educational seminars and tastings. My time is split between our corporate campus, our new distillery, and our warehouses in Shively. Some days you’re covered in cobwebs and char, and some days you are making a cocktail for a magazine photo shoot. Is there an accomplishment you are most proud of? Since joining Old Forester, I have created multiple philanthropic programs to raise money and awareness for women in marginalized situations as well as mental health initiatives for our industry. I am a firm believer in giving back and always finding a creative way to do so within the brand growth strategies already in place. What do you feel are misconceptions about your job? I find there tends to be a misperception of roles in the alcohol industry in general. It is assumed to be a party—that we all drink for a living. When alcohol becomes your career, your relationship
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with it must transition from that mentality to a professional one. Yes, our industry is fun, but many people don’t realize I’m the only one in the room at an event that cannot get drunk because I’m working. When your job is to serve as a voice of authenticity for the brand, which was founded on principles worth fighting to protect, you cannot accomplish that unless it’s done responsibly. What is on the horizon for Old Forester? This is an epic year for the brand, as we are celebrating our 150th anniversary. We will be releasing a limited offering three-part anniversary series, which will be our first unfiltered batch-proof collection. I have personally designated three blends from a reserved lot of 150 barrels, which Master Distiller Chris Morris set aside years ago. We will also be refreshing our single barrel program, taking what was always a 90 proof product to two new options: 100 proof or unfiltered barrel strength. And, of course, always keep an eye out for the Birthday Bourbon 2020 vintage in September! When not busy with Old Forester, what are some of your favorite pastimes in Louisville? I have found in my years in this industry that I need to take time for quiet time and fresh air. I’m very fortunate to live in a place that offers incredible options for hiking, camping, and kayaking within a short drive. I am incredibly grateful to have the job I have, which allows me to experience some of the world’s best bars and restaurants, so when I’m off the clock, I make it a point to regroup with my dog and my son, Bennett. I highly recommend exploring Cherokee Park, designed by Olmsted. It’s a fantastic place to escape within the city. Finally, Jackie, any last words? Be kind to each other, and for a peek into what life as a Master Taster looks like, follow me on Instagram @jackiezykan. For more information on Old Forester, visit oldforester.com. •
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
IT’S THE BEST TICKET IN TOWN By Sara Wiesenfeld
re you missing the joy of live theater? Well, you’re in luck because BroadwayHD brings spectacular productions from Broadway, the West End, and beyond into your living room. Fans can expect to see Shakespeare’s full works, awe-inspiring performances from Cirque du Soleil, and a selection of the world’s greatest musicals. BroadwayHD is the premier streaming service for theater lovers everywhere, available on all your favorite streaming devices, including AppleTV, Roku, and Amazon Firestick. When you head to BroadwayHD.com, you can sign up for a 7-day free trial.
KINKY BOOTS ©Matt Henry
Now, let’s check out some of our BroadwayHD favorites!
KINKY BOOTS Inspired by true events, the Tony, Grammy, and Olivier-winning musical Kinky Boots tells the story of two people with nothing in common—or so they think. Charlie (played by Olivier Award nominee Killian Donnelly) is a factory owner struggling to save his family business. Lola (played by Matt Henry, who won an Olivier Award for the role) is a fabulous entertainer with a wildly exciting idea. With a little compassion and a lot of understanding, the unexpected pair learn to embrace their differences and create a line of sturdy stilettos, unlike any the world has ever seen! With music by the incomparable Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots is sure to raise you up! 42nd STREET ©Philip Bertioli
MISS SAIGON The spectacular, sell-out 25th Anniversary Gala Performance of this acclaimed new production of the global stage sensation was described as “the most thrilling, soaring and emotionally stirring musical with magnificent performances” by the Daily Telegraph and “the greatest musical of all time” by the Daily Mail. Starring Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada, the epic love story tells the tragic tale of young bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with American GI Chris—but their lives are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. 64 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
42ND STREET Come and meet those dancing feet! BroadwayHD filmed this incredible West End production of 42nd Street specifically for the streaming service with the late, great theater producing and directing visionary Mark Bramble directing for the screen. With the largest cast on the West End (50 actors) tapping in unison, the show tells the story of famed theater director Julian Marsh who tries to mount a musical extravaganza at the height of the Great Depression with diva Dorothy Brock and fresh-faced chorus girl, Peggy Sawyer.
THE KING AND I Set in 1860s Bangkok, this gorgeous musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam (played by Tony Award nominee Ken Watanabe) and Anna (played by Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara), a British school teacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children. With one of the finest scores ever written including: “Whistle a Happy Tune,” “Getting to Know You,” and “Shall We Dance,” and featuring a company of over 50 world-class performers, The King and I is a testament to the lavish heritage of gloriously romantic musical theatre.
SHE LOVES ME On June 30, 2016, She Loves Me was the first Broadway musical ever to be live-streamed to the entire world! With an incredible cast led by Zachary Levi, Laura Benanti, and Jane Krakowski, She Loves Me follows Amalia and Georg, two parfumerie clerks who aren’t quite the best of friends. Constantly bumping heads while on the job, the sparring coworkers can’t seem to find common ground. But little do they know the anonymous pen pals they have both been falling for happen to be each other! Will love blossom once their identities are finally revealed?
AN AMERICAN IN PARIS This breathtakingly beautiful Tony Award musical, inspired by the Oscar winning MGM film, tells the impassioned story of discovering love in the City of Light. Featuring the gorgeous music and lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin (including the classic hits “’S Wonderful” and “I Got Rhythm”), stunning designs, and show-stopping choreography. Jerry Mulligan is an American GI striving to succeed as a painter in a city suddenly bursting with hope and possibility. Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young dancer named Lise, the streets of Paris become the backdrop to a sensuous, modern romance of art, friendship, and love in the aftermath of war.
©An American In Paris
MEMPHIS The 2010 Tony Award- winner for Best Musical, Memphis stars Tony Award nominees Montego Glover and Chad Kimball. From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes the Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and love. Inspired by actual events, Memphis is about a White radio DJ who wants to change the world and a Black club singer ready for her big break. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwave—filled with laughter, soaring emotion, and roof-raising rock ‘n’ roll.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Cameron Mackintosh produced a unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before. Inspired by the original staging by Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne, this lavish, fully-staged production set in the sumptuous Victorian splendor of London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall features a cast including Broadway favorites Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine. An orchestra of over 200, plus some incredibly special guest appearances, complete the production. • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 65
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
ON THE SMALL SCREEN By Jenny Peters
TIMELESS DRAMAS ANTEBELLUM Lionsgate/On-Demand Janelle Monae stars in this time-warping tale that moves from modern times to the antebellum period in the American South just before the Civil War breaks out. Along with co-stars Gabourey Sidibe, Jack Huston, and Jena Malone, Monae must solve the mystery of why she is transporting between two vastly different realities in this creepy thriller that centers around slavery and its far-reaching consequences. MULAN Disney+ Disney’s live-action version of their 1998 animated hit stars Chinese actress Yifei Liu in the title role, the young woman who disguises herself as a male soldier to save her father. Set in ancient China, the story is a traditional fable from that country; the word is that this version is much closer to the original tale than the animated version was. Jet Li, Rosalind Chao, and Li Gong also star. Rated PG-13, releasing on Disney+ with a $29.99 fee added to the regular subscription price. RAISED BY WOLVES HBO Max From legendary science-fiction director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, The Martian) comes this 10-part series set on a faraway planet. Scott directs the first two episodes of this tale of two androids raising human children on this new planet after Earth has been destroyed. Eye-popping effects and a mind-bending scary plot make this one a must-see for lovers of sci-fi. Starring Amanda Collin, Abubaker Salim, and Winta McGrath. RATCHED Netflix Remember the evil Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? Louise Fletcher won the Best Actress Oscar back in 1976 for bringing her to life; now Sarah Paulson takes on this eight-part series exploring Ratched’s earlier life. Set in the 1940s, this latest stylish tale from Ryan Murphy (Hollywood, Pose, Feud, etc.) is sure to bring chills down your spine. Cynthia Nixon, Sharon Stone, Judy Davis and Sophie Okonedo round out the allstar cast in this creepy tale of mental illness run amuck.
KOOKY COMEDIES COASTAL ELITES HBO Many very funny people got together to create Coastal Elites, a show designed around social distancing. Paul Rudnick (Sister Act, Addams Family Values) and Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents) created this comedy that stars Bette Midler, Issa Raye, Sarah Paulson, Dan Levy, and Kaitlyn Dever. All five play characters stuck at home during the pandemic, and all five bring funny, sad, frustrated points of view to life in a time of COVID. MISBEHAVIOUR Shout Studios/On-Demand Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw star in this true-life flick set in 1970, during the start of the women’s rights movement. Sometimes funny, sometimes infuriating, the women of Misbehaviour prove that getting into “good trouble” can change the world–especially the Miss World beauty pageant. Their disruption of that huge event turned everything upside down, in a protest that resonates right into modern day. Rhys Ifans, Greg Kinnear, and Lesley Manville round out the stellar cast. 66 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD Fox Searchlight/On-Demand Armando Iannucci, the much-awarded genius behind Veep and In the Loop, brings his unique comic sensibility to a new take on the Charles Dickens classic novel David Copperfield. Turning the story upside down in many ways (including casting Dev Patel in the leading role), this comic flick looks at how weird life was in the 1840s and features Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, and Ben Whishaw. WOKE Hulu Loosely based on Black cartoonist Keith Knight’s real-life series, Woke is a new series that is part comedy, part fantasy, and part call to social activism. It’s a heady blend of laughout-loud moments mixed up with serious commentary on life in America as a Black man. Lamorne Morris stars as Keef, the artist whose life is changed by an unexpected encounter, along with Blake Anderson, Rose McIver, and T. Murph.
ARTISTIC AND ADVENTUROUS DOCUMENTARIES LONG WAY UP Apple TV+ Ever dreamed of packing up your Harley and going on a massive road trip? That’s just what actor-adventurers Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman have done yet again in this series that follows them on their electric Harley escapades from the bottom of South America (in Chile) into Mexico. It’s an exhilarating follow up to their previous rides, Long Way Round (2004) and Long Way Down (2007), so if you loved those, this one’s sure to please. ROBIN’S WORLD Vertical/On-Demand When Robin Williams committed suicide in 2014, the world was shocked, rocked by such tragic news. Perhaps the world’s funniest man—and a wonderful dramatic actor, was gone unimaginably. With this emotional film, his wife Susan, many other of his closest friends and his doctors, reveal the truth, that Robin was suffering from diffuse Lewy body dementia (LBD). This terrible brain disease took away his clarity and control. Robin’s Wish will break your heart and inform your soul about a condition that affects many people as they age. THE WAY I SEE IT Focus Features-MSNBC Films/On-Demand Photographer Pete Souza began his distinguished career as a photojournalist. Still, it is the official White House photographer for Ronald Reagan and Barak Obama, where he found great fame. His The Situation Room photo of the night the Obama administration took down Osama Bin Laden is legendary, as are his intimate shots of Ronald and Nancy Reagan at home. His visual skills are legendary; with this intriguing film, director Dawn Porter digs deep into both seminal American presidents through the eyes of a master photographer. URSULA VON RYDINGSVARD: INTO HER OWN Icarus Films/On-Demand Enter the world of Ursula Von Rydingsvard, one of the most renowned sculptors of the last 50 years, with this in-depth look at her life and work. Von Rydingsvard’s award-winning creations are usually done on a massive scale, using cedar and bronze. Director Daniel Traub takes us on a fascinating journey into her creative process and her life story, which began in Poland during World War Two. With huge pieces in places ranging from NYC’s MOMA and the San Francisco Museum of Art to the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, Von Rydingsvard is an artist whose legacy will remain long after she is gone. •
SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 67
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
MAKING WAVES ON STAGE & SCREEN By Bailey Beckett
e’s a member of the multi-hyphenated club: Actor. Writer. Producer. Director. The 20-something New Yorker—a native of Flint, Michigan—has steadily navigated the Hollywood/Broadway nexus, paying dues, as all performers do, waiting tables while auditioning for roles on movies, TV, and theater. Zen Pace got his big break in 2017 when the performer was accepted into the British Academy of Dramatic Arts program at England’s prestigious Oxford University. From there, the talent’s career has skyrocketed: directing movies for Impact Films (among them Spectrum of Love, about a family dealing with two sons who have autism, and Artie’s Pathway Home, about a homeless man who lived on the street for 25 years before the non-profit Urban Pathways organization found him an apartment), producing/directing music videos including Saving Face, and also creating content for the mental health App Bloom. New York Lifestyles caught up with the busy artist to talk about the incredible momentum being created. How would you describe your work? I’m a director interested in telling stories that examine addiction, whiteness, and queer identity. I’m currently working on a project that explores how white supremacy manifests in a young mother and how that affects her family. Additionally, I’m working with Impact Movies on helping organizations create branded content that helps them raise money and celebrate their causes. I think my process is just trying to do my best to let inspiration hit me and trust it. What would you say is your niche or signature? I don’t think I have a signature, not yet at least. What I will say is that I have a good sense of empathy and want to understand where other people are coming from constantly. It makes it easier for me to direct them to serve the story because if I know what emotionally drives them. One thing that I do is something I call chemistry tests, which involves meeting with an individual and doing breathwork that allows them to open up in ways that often surprise them. I like trying to get to the core of who someone is. All of us have masks, and we need too, but we also need to know when to take those masks off. Because sometimes, if they are on for too long, we can lose touch. I learned a lot of this in a voice class at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts in Oxford, England. My time there felt like I was in a movie and was very much swept off my feet. I’ll never forget what my voice teacher told me: To do something because you choose it! And that blew me away. I sometimes think when I approach school or work, my mind is in a state of how can I get better, how can I impress. But, when we choose to react rather than respond on impulse, we come from far more authenticity. 68 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Zen in creative mode
Your work is generating notice in industry and media. Why do you think it’s connecting to audiences? I’m happy my work is resonating with people, and I hope that continues. The only thing I care about is how I can make a small difference in the world with film. Because I believe film can shift hearts, narratives, and by doing that, maybe even help someone. What inspires you? Everything. I watch a movie a day, sometimes just short films, but I’ve made it a habit to watch and read. I’m inspired by Instagram a lot. There is so much beautiful talent out there, and it just gets me so excited to splash around and keep creating. Where do you get your ideas? All of them come from music. I take walks and listen to soundtracks from movies or just instrumental pieces. Nicholas Britell, who composed “Moonlight,” is a genius. I’ll get lost in the worlds that these scores produce and let my mind wander, which is good until you have no idea where you’ve walked to and need to get home for a meeting.
Zen & colleagues collaborating on a new project
Artie Shaw in Artie’s Pathway Home. Credit-Urban Pathways
How does being non-binary affect your work? I love being queer because of my identity, my art, and the way that I think— everything must be fluid. For me, in my work, I think queerness being shown without an emphasis on it is important. In my first music video, A Great Big World’s This is Magic, I wanted to show queerness with a cotton-candy lens. Like, just love for love’s sake without the trauma. You are doing terrific work with Impact movies. Tell us more. At Impact, we look for projects with a heart. And that usually means understanding why a company started what they do in the first place. If their values and our values align, and we feel that connection, we go from there. We have enormous hearts, and we usually let those things do all the talking. For example, we are doing a video right now for Table to Table, which started as a small company with one truck that would pick up beautiful fresh food that would have been wasted and gave it to people in need. Now seven trucks help to serve 26+ million meals a year in just New Jersey. What are you working on now? I’m writing a feature film with my creative partner Dana Levinson and directing her Sundance finalist script FRAUD this winter. We are nearly done writing the feature and will begin looking for funding after. It’s a film about a trans-woman in quarantine with her soon-to-be husband who must let go of her grief to escape her past demons. It’s based on a lot of Jewish mythology, too, which is exciting material to work with. • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 69
NEW YORK, NY
At Apartment in New York
MY NEW YORK STORY By Bianca Kamhi of Living With Bianca
utrition and healthy living have been a huge passion for me since I was a teenager. Growing up as a young dancer, it was always vital what foods and lifestyle habits would keep me healthy, balanced, and energetic. As a young teen, I developed a close relationship with the late Hermien Lee, one of the most profound and innovative nutritionists of her time. Today, I use many of her traditional teachings, while also incorporating my unique and modern twist to be sure that these methods not only work…but also stick.
HER EARLY YEARS
I was born in Sydney, Australia. My parents decided we move to Los Angeles, where I grew up. Before long, I moved to New York for graduate school and now reside in Greenwich Village with my husband, a native New Yorker. For many years, I devoted my academic and professional career to working in the business art world in New York City. I received a Bachelor’s in Art History and a Master’s in Art Administration. While in school, I interned at the Whitney Museum of American Art and for the American Friends of the Musee d’Orsay. Upon completion of my master’s degree, I became the administrative assistant to artist Jeff Koons, a phenomenal and valuable experience within the art business world. After a few years, I moved on to work as an Auctions Liaison for Artsy. I was traveling around the globe attending auctions. Again, an incredibly valuable experience in the arts. Throughout these exceptional experiences, my passion for health and wellness remained the most impactful on my life. I have allowed myself to realize that life does not need to be in one straight line. It was at this point that I realized that my lifestyle was not sustainable to remain the healthy, positive person that I knew I was capable of being. 70 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Vegetables and Rice
LITTLE CHANGES MEAN A LOT How to make small changes to impact a busy life positively? Here are a few go-to suggestions that I always stand by. • Wake up in the morning and first thing - meditation and hot water with lemon. Does it sound like it takes up too much time? Not with me! Boil your water, and while waiting, consider this is your mediation time. A solid 2 to 3 minutes. After your water is boiled, you complete your meditation and proceed to drink your hot water with lemon, which still aids in calming and meditative energy. Your day has just started on the right track without having to wake up early or add extra time to your morning routine. The hot water with lemon is the best way to start your day. You are feeding your skin with vitamin C, vitamin A, beta-carotene, folate, calcium, and potassium. You are eliminating unwanted toxins from your body, boosting your immune system, cleansing your liver, detoxing, and maintaining the pH balance of the body. • Take breaks from social media. Now more than ever, it is essential to be in the present and live in real life--not in digital life. I tell all my clients to designate specific hours or days to cleanse all social channels. It clears the mind of unwanted thoughts or comparisons and allows you. To fully embrace the people and things that are right in front of you. As an example, I recommend deleting social apps off your phone from Friday- Sunday. Or another example, if the prior is not attainable, is to do something less extreme such as no social apps from 10 am to 1 pm on Tuesdays & Thursdays, etc. • Utilize the outdoors. Working from home may be the norm for some, but not for everyone. Take walks outside. Breathe clean air. Even if just for 5 minutes, getting up from your desk and removing yourself from your home to take a walk or step outside can be a colossal recharge. • Before picking up a phone call, take three deep breathes. Whether the request is work-related, a family member or friend, these deep breaths will prepare yourself to enter the conversation being present, calm, and less reactive. • Whenever you can, take a bath. Immersing yourself in water can calm your brain and nervous system, balance your hormones, receives joint and muscle pain, and elevate your mood. If taking a bath at night, it can set the tone for an incredible sound sleep. You can create an ambiance that is meditative and spa-like if you have little time throughout the day, multi-task! If you need to listen to a presentation, book, or phone call while in the bath—then do it! • Meal prep on Sundays…or any day that you have the time. Wash and cut your fruits and veggies up in advance. Take them out of the original plastic containers and place them in bowls in your fridge. Make everything look desirable in your kitchen. Cooking and eating healthy foods will then become a treat rather than a chore. • Make your workouts count. If you are not sweating after your work out, try something else. This is especially so if you have a busy schedule and make that time productive, whether it is 20 or 30 minutes or an hour.
LIVING A HAPPY & HEALTHY LIFE
This was when I decided to take on my passion for healthy living full time and pivot into the wellness sector. I went back to study at the School for Integrative Nutrition (and continue additional courses for ongoing personal growth), got my yoga certification to understand the more profound benefits of movement and breathwork, and started my own company. With my knowledge and passion, I now want to help others to make sustainable changes toward a happier and healthier life. My focus is to keep my clients accountable to achieve their version of what makes them happy, productive, and well rounded. Enter Living with Bianca, a members-only service that provides oneon-one weekly health coaching sessions, along with 15-minute touchbase sessions for immediate extra support. I am a supportive mentor to my clients, helping them feel their best with lifestyle changes and personalized, one-on-one encouragement. I am based in New York with clients also in Los Angeles, Miami, and London. As the founder of Living with Bianca, I realized there was a gap in the market for people like myself, who needed someone relatable to speak to about everyday life and health goals. A non-bias and non-judgmental person to hold one accountable for any purpose, no matter how big or small. In our first session together, we talk about personal health and lifestyle goals, and then find baby-step solutions to get to achieve them. Sometimes new ideas or concerns come up along the way, and we deal with everything head-on. Many of my clients are busy and have little time to make significant changes all at once. Therefore, we always start small. These small life edits end up having a more considerable positive impact than what they originally anticipated. My approach to health is 100 percent holistic. Especially now more than ever. Of course, healthy eating and exercise are conducive to a healthy lifestyle, but that is only half the picture. Focusing on holistic health, I put equal-weighted importance on other aspects of life such as career goals, personal goals, love and relationships, who you surround yourself with, how you react to certain situations, what you believe. It all adds up. It’s very well to say that you have had a healthy dinner, but what does that mean if you are on the phone the entire time while eating it and are feeling stressed and anxious? In today’s climate, you can’t be half healthy. Life is too precious. For more information on Bianca Kamhi and Living with Bianca, visit livingwithbianca.com. • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 71
NEW YORK, NY
A NEW YORK RANT… A RETURN TO THE BAD OLD DAYS By Sean-Patrick M. Hillman
old on to your hats, Kids…this month’s edition of “A New York Rant” is going to be a doozy! We are under attack, my fellow Gothamites. No, not from a foreign state seeking global domination nor a street gang angling to take over more street corners. We are under attack by our own “elected officials,” hell bent on only furthering their careers and agendas no matter the cost to the People. Sadly, that includes a marked return to the bad old days of the 70’s—mid90’s of our fair city.
A NEW OUTRAGE We can all thank our dear lame duck Mayor Bill de Blasio, the entirety of the City Council, and Governor Andrew Cuomo for this. Why? NYC is facing a historic rise in crime across gun violence, homicide, burglary, and rape. With calls to “defund the police,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea disbanded the Anti-Crime Unit (largely credited with bringing gun violence under control in NYC). At the same time, our police are under fire from activist groups like Black Lives Matter, our politicians are calling for even more cuts to law enforcement. Yet, every day there is a new protest or new outrage in our city. And, with alarming frequency, this outrage turns into violence. Look, I am the last person on Earth to stop someone in this country ©Politico from speaking their mind or expressing their views. We have a Constitutional right to free speech. It is in the DNA of our Republic and engraved on the hearts of every American. But, when that expression of free speech turns violent or into a riot, THE GREAT EXODUS And who is paying for all this fun that the “indigent” are enduring all bets are off. while we suffer under unemployment, empty storefronts, and a lack Let’s take this last month as a prime example of what I mean. of city services thanks to budget cuts (again, thank you Mayor de Warren Wilhelm, Jr. (a.k.a – Mayor Bill de Blasio), someone Blasio)? The taxpayer! In the infamous words of my old friend Billy only BORN in New York who grew up primarily in Boston, Mays, “But, wait, there’s more!” The State of New York is reporting that announced that he does not support “defund the police.” When I over 400,000 of our fellow Empire State residents have left, most of read this, I was stunned. But, of course, shame on me for having that departure pattern coming from New York City. That amounts to faith in City Hall. Less than two weeks later, Mayor de Blasio roughly 5 percent of the total population of the Big Apple, resulting in then flip-flopped (like he does on everything) and supported a massive loss of tax revenue to the state and city. Thankfully, FEMA cuts to the NYPD budget. To make matters even worse, my is covering 75 percent of the housing costs for the “homeless”, but that sources inside City Hall have told me that the Mayor is playing leaves 25 percent to a city that is, for all intents and purposes, on the political hot potato with several City Council members as welfare line already. revenge for them voting against some of the Mayor’s pet projects. What is the purpose of all of this? Bill de Blasio’s unending ego getting a Let’s look at Hell’s Kitchen as an example where the highest stroke by destroying the very city he claims to care about? After all, this concentration of “homeless hotels” exist. City Hall did not is the man who stated in the last few months that he has the strongest inform City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (who represents mayoralty in U.S. and New York history and that we are better and this district), nor the three NYPD precincts that protect and safer for having the lowest prison population since WWII. Really? serve this neighborhood until the day after the homeless Then how do you explain an embarrassingly low poll record for the and former prisoners were bused in. Since then, we have had Mayor and the historic surge in crime? You can’t. Just like you can’t tell ambulance after police car being called at all hours of the day us where the $850 million for ThriveNYC was spent, or why you have to take care of an overdose, assault, or theft. So, for those who violated the law putting sex offenders one block from public schools in are defending the action of housing 15,000 people (mostly several districts where the “homeless hotels” are. men) in these hotels, and claiming they are the most vulnerable, perhaps you need to speak to the residents of Hell’s Kitchen. Remember, the Mayor promised the city would not return to the bad While the homeless and former Riker’s inmates are enjoying old days. He lied, again! And he knows it. I smell a lawsuit against Bill air-conditioned comfort in the overnight after a hard, long de Blasio and his wife once they leave Gracie Mansion. One can hope day of drinking, drugging and mayhem, resulting in a broken accountability finally returns… • neighborhood confronted with endless violence, theft and graft, residents are fleeing the city in droves not seen since the Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not Depression. purport to reflect the opinions or views of New York Lifestyles Magazine. 72 | OUR CITY, YOUR LIFE | SEPTEMBER 2020
NEW YORK, NY
TIME OUT WITH… By Bailey Beckett
en Widdicombe didn’t aim to work in the gossip trenches, it just kind of happened. The native Australian and his partner had come to New York in the late 90s and got the idea to launch a fashion platform called Chic Happens. It was ahead of its time, a precursor to Perez Hilton, The Zoe Report, Daily Front Row, but in the late 90s it couldn’t get traction. “However, we were old enough to exist before social media, which changed everything about gossip reporting, and completely washed away the blog generation. I’m grateful we found that niche and were able to thrive in it.”
ON THE FRONTLINES He never gave up wanting to do something in media and started feeding the New York Post’s Page Six celebrity sightings. From there Widdicombe got his own column, Gatecrasher, in the New York Daily News, covering the Hiltons, Trumps and other gilded heirs looking to leverage their fortunes for fame and notoriety. “Gossip culture is garish fun, but I believe it is also a bellwether of the deeper currents in American public life. It anticipates mainstream culture and even political outcomes,” he says. After 10 years on the frontlines, though, Widdicombe got sick of celebrities and pivoted to covering society, contributing feature stories on about the one percent for Town & Country and covering their affairs for the New York Times, which gave him his own column. The opposite worlds gave him the idea to write Gatecrasher: How I Helped the Rich Become Famous and Ruin the World, which details his 20+ years on the frontlines, and keen observations about the uber wealthy no longer happy with just money—they thirsted for fame, too. Gatecrasher is filled with delicious details. The book, which Widdicombe worked on while covering social nightlife for the Times, is by far the read of the year. We recently caught up with Ben and learn more about the celebrity world. What’s the best/worst assignment you’ve ever had? In 2000, before the dot com bust, there was crazy money spent on press junkets. A bunch of Brazilian plutocrats flew journalists down there to look at museums—in luxury. The worst was to wait at the bottom of a mansion’s driveway in the Hamptons because Angelina Jolie was attending a benefit there, and I had no access. What were some of the most memorable calls/complaints from celebrities about their coverage, and how did you handle it? Donald Trump sputtered spittle all over my face at Mar a Lago in a fury over something I had written, and Crispin Glover once phoned out of the blue and yelled at me because I had been snarky about a film he screened at Sundance. But you need a thick skin to be a journalist; otherwise you’re in the wrong profession. How did your background as an Australian immigrant factor into your early years on the job as you tried to climb the ranks? I think it’s helpful to look at any culture from the perspective of being an outsider, because it highlights what elements are unique and distinctive to a particular time and place, and which others are just an expression of indelible human nature. What was the most surprising thing we should know about the lifestyles of the rich and famous? That hanging out with them looks glamorous but is mainly just stressful and expensive. If you could give one piece of advice to someone looking to start gatecrashing, what would you say is most important? The three golden rules of gatecrashing are: dress the part, act like you belong, and always be ready to sail with the tide. Americans see so much gossip nowadays: on the newsstands, on Twitter, etc. Are there any preconceived notions you’d like to set right? Gossip journalism can be done ethically, just like any other kind of journalism or profession. Celebrity and democracy run on parallel tracks, since they are both popularity contests. Gossip culture is popular culture is mainstream culture, and in a democracy, mainstream culture determines political outcomes. In our modern era of decentralized media, with the new social norm that there is no such thing as too much personal publicity, there is much less separation between low culture and high office. • SEPTEMBER 2020 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 73
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Here’s another topic I see a lot of questions about.
I’ll explain the how’s and why’s of the process in a step by step format.
Step 1: Decide that this is what you want
Testosterone, or T, changes you. A lot. You need to know this going in. It’s great for a lot of people because most trans dudes in particular want this. Other people on the spectrum might not want as much change which is completely fine. If you’re a trans guy and want to start T then the doctor will give you enough to be in the average range of a cis guy. For any non-binary people looking to take it, you can request a low dosage.
Step 2: Make a therapist appointment
You will need to be evaluated by a therapist in order to get the hormones from the doctor so this is your first stop. I’m a trans guy and had known this quite awhile before starting hormones so it only took me one session which was covered by my insurance at the time. I was quickly diagnosed with gender dysphoria (they have to code it this way but even most therapist dislike a lot of the terminology) and was given a referral letter to take to the doctor and start hormone replacement therapy.
Depending on your mental state and other factors, it could take any number of visits, but there’s a lot of deciding factors involved. An important thing to note is that not only did I get my letter for T in this visit but I also got a letter for top surgery. This is amazing to have and the earlier you get it the better. Most insurance companies/surgeons require it to have surgeries covered and it’s always better to have things as early as possible.
Step 3: Go to the doctor/endocrinologist
This is who you take the therapist letter to. You will get a physical and blood test to make sure there’s nothing going on that hormones might throw off. Blood tests can typically take anywhere from one day (if the lab is onsite) or a week. Once the results come back clear you will then get your prescription for T.
Step 4: Start taking T
So testosterone comes in many different forms. The most common is in the form of a liquid which is then injected into a muscle. This is what I take so I’ll describe that but keep in mind that there’s also subcutaneous ones and even creams like Androgel.
The first shot I got was given to me by a nurse in the lower hip area. They showed me how to do it and my mom actually gave me my shots for the first few months. Then I moved and started to do them on my own. I’m not flexible at all so I just inject into my thigh muscle. It’s an easy spot and because T is thick it’s easy to inject straight on. The hip was too tricky for me. For the thigh, it’s best to inject into the side of your thigh as it hits a bigger muscle than the top. Because of this, your body is more likely to take to the testosterone better. I’ve also heard guys that inject in the stomach and arm as well. Your shots may also be every two weeks or every week. I started doing them every two weeks and changed to weekly due to moodiness. My mood is much better now and every week is much easier to remember.
Another thing to keep in mind is to have a safe way to dispose of the used syringes like a sharps container.
Step 5: Follow ups and refills
You’ll have to go to follow ups at the doctor so they can make sure your T levels are normal. This will be a blood test and they may adjust your dosage. A common misconception is that more is more, but many trans guys including myself have found that a lower dosage actually has a stronger effect. Too much testosterone will then convert itself to estrogen which is the opposite of what we’re trying to accomplish here.
It’s a case by case thing and everyone’s body react differently. I also heavily suggest getting whatever pharmacy you go pick up at to auto refill your prescription. This will ensure that you always have it the soonest day available and certain places have run out before so this would give them time to order it if needed. If you ever change pharmacies and your price skyrockets or if it just sounds too high to begin with, never be afraid to ask the pharmacist if they used your insurance and how much it covers. My first insurance (United Healthcare) made my prescription $60 a month whereas my current insurance (Blue Shield of California) made my prescription only $15 a month. Money adds up and between therapy, changing documents, and surgery every single dollar can help in a huge way.
by Nathan Grey | {
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An integrity commissioner is a municipal accountability officer who is responsible for applying the rules governing the ethical conduct of members of municipal councils and local boards (including codes of conduct), and for providing advice and education on those rules.
The Municipal Act, 2001 provides the framework within which municipal integrity commissioners are appointed and carry out their functions.
Every municipality must establish a code of conduct for members of councils and local boards [s. 223.2], and appoint an integrity commissioner or use the services of an integrity commissioner from another municipality [s. 223.3(1.1)]. Integrity commissioners must function in an independent manner and report directly to municipal council [s. 223.3].
The functions of integrity commissioners include:
Applying the code of conduct and any procedures, rules and policies governing the ethical behavior of members of councils and local boards, including conducting investigations and inquiries into complaints about alleged contraventions of a code of conduct;
Conducting inquiries concerning alleged contraventions of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act;
Providing advice to members respecting their obligations under the code of conduct, procedures, rules or policies governing the ethical behavior of members, and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act; and
Providing educational information about the code of conduct and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act [s. 223.3(1)].
In 2019, integrity commissioners were given the authority to review allegations of conflict of interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act (MCIA). Previously, these matters could only be dealt with through court applications. While individuals who believe the MCIA has been contravened can still apply to a judge for a determination on the matter directly, the legislation now provides for integrity commissioners to conduct an inquiry into an alleged contravention and provides them with the discretion to bring the matter to a judge themselves.
The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act sets out rules to prevent members of councils and local boards from influencing, discussing, or voting on any matter that is before the body for consideration, if they have a pecuniary interest in the matter. The interest can be direct or indirect, and the MCIA provides that the pecuniary interest of a parent, spouse, or child of the member is also their pecuniary interest [MCIA, s. 3]. Any member who has a pecuniary interest in a matter is required to disclose the interest before it is considered, and is prohibited from attempting to influence voting or to vote on the matter [MCIA, s. 5]. If the matter is considered in a closed meeting, the member must leave the meeting. The MCIA sets out specific exceptions for circumstances where a member is not barred from influencing, discussing or voting on a matter despite a pecuniary interest [MCIA, s. 4].
Members who have a pecuniary interest in a matter are also barred from using their office to attempt to influence a municipal employee, officer, or other delegate responsible for making a decision or recommendation on the matter [MCIA, s. 5.2]. Additional rules apply to the special powers granted to heads of council in cases where the head has a pecuniary interest in a matter [MCIA, s. 5.3].
Any member who declares a conflict is required to file a written statement of the interest and its general nature [MCIA, s. 5.1].
The Ombudsman is an office of last resort, and recognizes that municipal issues are generally best addressed locally. The Ombudsman does not act as an integrity commissioner for municipalities. However, the Ombudsman can review and investigate complaints about municipal integrity commissioners once they have completed their process or declined to review a complaint. The Ombudsman can also initiate an investigation on his own motion.
If an integrity commissioner receives a complaint about their own conduct relating to a review or inquiry concerning code of conduct or MCIA matter, they may wish to consider referring the individual to the Ontario Ombudsman.
When reviewing decisions of municipal integrity commissioners, the Ombudsman’s Office does not act as an appeal body and the Ombudsman does not substitute his decisions for those of commissioners. Instead, what the Ombudsman’s Office looks at includes whether commissioners:
Acted in accordance with relevant legislation or procedure, including with respect to timelines;
Considered the issues before them;
Followed a fair practice;
Obtained and considered relevant information; and
Provided sufficient and adequate reasons to support their decisions, based on the available evidence.
Based on our experience in this area, the Ombudsman has developed this best practice guide as a resource tool for integrity commissioners.
The Ombudsman has also produced a separate guide to help municipalities develop codes of conduct, establish complaint/inquiry protocols, and appoint integrity commissioners. These guides are also available to the public to help individuals better understand the requirements and best practices for codes of conduct and integrity commissioners.
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all references to legislative provisions are to the Municipal Act, 2001. The City of Toronto Act, 2006 will apply instead to matters involving that city.
Integrity commissioners play a vital role in local government by providing advice, education, and complaint resolution to municipal councils and local boards. Their findings are significant for the public because they help determine whether local officials are acting ethically and meeting the high standards expected of them.
Integrity commissioners who carry out their duties in accordance with their legislative authority, terms of reference, and complaint/inquiry protocols can foster public confidence in the accountability of municipal governance. The courts have explained that the level of procedural fairness owed by an integrity commissioner is low because their function is investigative, not adjudicative – they can only make findings and recommendations, and their reports cannot cause councillors to be removed from office. However, by following best practices for a fair process, commissioners can increase the acceptance of their findings by members and the public.
Under the Municipal Act, 2001, every municipality must establish a code of conduct and should, as a best practice, adopt a protocol setting out procedures for complaints and applications to the integrity commissioner. The code and complaint/inquiry protocol are established locally and, aside from four subject areas prescribed by regulation, their content varies from municipality to municipality.
Integrity commissioners should know the scope of their authority and should avoid overstepping their mandate. For example, they should not involve themselves in matters within the jurisdiction of other accountability officers, closed meeting investigators, or workplace harassment investigators.
Integrity commissioners must act within their legislated mandate and limit their reviews to issues within their legal authority. They should be familiar with the scope of their authority under the Municipal Act, 2001, the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, their municipality’s code of conduct, and any relevant terms of reference, complaint/inquiry protocols, local procedures, rules or policies governing ethical conduct. They should also understand the roles of other accountability officers, and of the Office of the Ombudsman.
Although integrity commissioners can review complaints regarding the ethical conduct of council or local board members, they do not oversee the council or local board itself. As the court noted in a 2021 case regarding the City of Ottawa, the council “is not responsible to and is not subject to having its decisions reviewed by the commissioner.”
When commissioners choose to delegate their authority to investigate a complaint (as permitted by the Municipal Act s. 223.3(3)), they should ensure that relevant local processes are followed and that the parties are informed in writing.
Municipalities should adopt protocols to help integrity commissioners carry out their role and inform the public of what to expect. If a municipality does not have a complaint/inquiry protocol, the integrity commissioner may wish to encourage them to do so in accordance with the Ombudsman’s guide, Codes of Conduct, Complaint/inquiry Protocols, and Appointing Integrity Commissioners: Guide for Municipalities.
If a municipality has established procedures for inquiries, the commissioner should follow them. If there is a need to depart from an established procedure, the commissioner should inform the relevant parties and provide an explanation in writing.
Among the most common complaints the Ombudsman’s Office receives about integrity commissioners is that they take too long to review complaints. Complaint protocols should include timelines for these reviews, and integrity commissioners should adhere to them.
If a time extension is required, the commissioner should inform all relevant parties and provide reasons to support the extension along with a new expected completion date. Undue delays can be unfair for the participants and undermine confidence in the process.
The provisions in the Municipal Act, 2001 regarding conflict of interest matters are separate and distinct from those related to code of conduct complaints. Integrity commissioners must familiarize themselves with the formal requirements for MCIA-related matters. For example:
A conflict of interest application must be set out in the prescribed form, which includes a statutory declaration from the applicant [s. 223.4.1(6)].
There is a strict statutory timeline of 180 days for the integrity commissioner to complete the inquiry [s. 223.4.1(14)]. This has significance for applicants, as they have a right to apply to court themselves under certain circumstances.
If an integrity commissioner decides not to apply to a judge for a determination as to whether the member violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, the applicant must be informed [s. 223.4.1(16)]. There is no timeframe set out in the MCIA for making this notification, but it is important to do so promptly, as complainants who wish to make an application to a judge themselves have only six weeks to do so, from either the expiry of the 180-day period or the date the integrity commissioner advises that they will not be applying to a judge (whichever comes first) [MCIA s. 8(3)].
If the commissioner does not promptly advise the applicant of their decision not to apply to a judge, the applicant may not realize that the six-week limitation period has started. Conversely, if the commissioner does intend to bring the matter to court but does not promptly publish their reasons and intention to do so, the applicant might begin to take steps to do so themselves.
Note that the 180-day time period begins when a complete application is received, regardless of whether the commissioner engages in any preliminary or informal review of the matter. The legislation does not provide for a commissioner to extend the time frame or to postpone commencing an inquiry.
When a code of conduct complaint or application relating to the MCIA is received, the integrity commissioner should understand the events that form the allegation(s), as well as the specific parts of the code of conduct or MCIA that have allegedly been contravened. If there are multiple concerns or allegations, the integrity commissioner should carefully consider and assess each one and determine at the outset whether each falls within their authority.
Integrity commissioners should ensure that they fully understand the basis of allegations before dismissing them. This may include communicating with complainants/applicants, and providing them with the opportunity to submit more evidence. Members of the public may be unfamiliar with how to frame complaints or applications, and unclear about the type of information required to support their allegations. We have heard from several who told us about integrity commissioners who dismissed their complaints for lack of evidence without giving them an opportunity to provide additional clarification or materials.
The courts have recognized that commissioners have the authority to communicate with complainants to clarify or obtain additional information about a complaint. In a 2016 case involving the City of Brampton, the court noted: “[T]o the extent a Complaint Form does not contain the required information, it is open to the integrity commissioner to contact a complainant and supplement the information provided. There is nothing that restrains an integrity commissioner from doing so”.
If a complaint or application is unclear or if information is missing, the commissioner should ask for clarification.
The Ombudsman’s position is that integrity commissioners should have the discretion to refuse to conduct an inquiry, in order to ensure they use the municipality’s resources efficiently. Many complaint/inquiry protocols empower integrity commissioners to dismiss complaints or applications at an early stage in the process if they are frivolous, vexatious, not made in good faith, or lack sufficient evidence.
Complaints or applications that lack sufficient evidence should be distinguished from those that are considered frivolous or vexatious. The courts have defined “frivolous” to mean a complaint “readily recognizable as devoid of merit, as one having little prospect of success,” and “vexatious” as one made to “annoy or embarrass the opposite party” or conducted in a “less than diligent” manner. Prior to making a determination that a complaint or application is frivolous or vexatious, the integrity commissioner should assess the information provided by the complainant/applicant.
Generally, integrity commissioners can also dismiss a complaint or application if it is clear that even if the allegations are proven, there would be no breach of the code of conduct or the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. Some can also be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. Where appropriate, integrity commissioners should inform complainants/applicants in these cases and make referrals.
When declining to conduct an inquiry or review a matter further, the commissioner should provide reasons for that decision in writing to the complainant/applicant. The commissioner should explain the decision based on the applicable rules and the evidence reviewed, and go beyond merely referring to provisions of complaint protocols.
Before dismissing a matter, the integrity commissioner should ensure the municipality’s complaint/inquiry protocol provides for this and follow any applicable procedural requirements.
In reviewing complaints, integrity commissioners should identify the issues to be considered at the outset, to avoid unnecessary complications and delay. In a 2016 judgment involving the City of Vaughan (Di Biase v. Vaughan), the court observed that integrity commissioners have the power to reformulate code of conduct complaints from members of the public.
“In exercising the powers conferred upon her, the integrity commissioner must be able to interpret and reformulate complaints submitted by members of the public who may lack specific knowledge of the Code of Conduct and the Complaints Protocol and who may therefore not be familiar with how to identify and formulate alleged breaches.”
The Ombudsman’s 2019 report, Inside Job, which detailed his investigation of a municipal hiring process and a local ombudsman’s review of it, identified best practices for municipal ombudsman investigations. These can be applied to other accountability officers, including integrity commissioners. As the report explains, the first step in an investigation should be to establish a clear plan that outlines the issues or allegations to be investigated:
“Identifying and framing the issues is one of the most important aspects of any investigation. The issues set the course for the investigation; they lead to the questions that must be answered in order to address the issues, which in turn lead to findings.”
Commissioners can decide not to review or investigate some issues raised in a complaint, but continue to review or investigate others. In Di Biase v. Vaughan, the court noted that even though the commissioner was required to refer some issues raised in the complaint to the police, she was entitled to continue with her inquiry into the other matters raised.
The Municipal Act, 2001 provides wide discretion for integrity commissioners to determine what information they need to address complaints in a meaningful and appropriate way, and states they shall have access to all information they believe is “necessary” for their review [s. 223.4(3)]. This includes the discretion to determine which witnesses to interview and what documentation to obtain. They may also choose to conduct an inquiry using powers under the Public Inquiries Act, 2009, such as issuing summonses and holding hearings.
As a best practice, integrity commissioners should obtain all evidence relevant to the allegations before them – particularly in cases where that evidence could determine the outcome of the investigation. Thorough evidence gathering typically requires that investigators speak with complainants/applicants, respondents and other relevant parties, and request relevant documents from all sources, such as meeting minutes, personal notes, emails, files, and social media posts. There may be many potential sources of evidence, including municipal staff and members of the public, depending on the issue raised.
In addition to ensuring that commissioners have the necessary evidence for their decisions, these steps help demonstrate the fairness of the investigation process itself.
In Inside Job, the Ombudsman noted that investigators are sometimes faced with conflicting evidence or dubious witness statements, which might require them to assess whose version of events is more credible and reliable. Seeking out other sources of evidence can help corroborate or refute witness statements.
When providing reasons for their decisions, integrity commissioners should explain the key evidence they considered in making their findings, why they chose to obtain (or not obtain) certain evidence, their reasons for any findings about witness credibility or reliability, and how the key evidence relates to their findings.
Integrity commissioners should keep detailed and thorough records of investigations, including evidence gathered, and notes from discussions with complainants and witnesses.
Individuals under investigation have the right to be heard and to speak to the complaints made against them. Unless a complaint is dismissed at an early stage, integrity commissioners should ensure that council or local board members who are the subject of complaints or applications have the opportunity to be interviewed or provide statements. As the court in a 2021 case involving the City of Hamilton found, sending the member a summary of the complaint and supporting evidence, if appropriate, can indicate that a fair process was followed.
It may not be necessary to provide certain details to the member under investigation, such as the identity of the complainant or witnesses. However, the member should be provided with sufficient information in order to meaningfully respond to the allegations. This increases the fairness of the process and ensures the integrity commissioner has the necessary information to reach a decision.
Members of council or local boards who are under investigation should also be given an opportunity to respond to any adverse findings against them and any recommended penalties or remedial actions. This can safeguard the procedural fairness of the integrity commissioner’s process.
The courts have recognized the ability of members to review and comment on a draft report as part of a procedurally fair process.
Through a preliminary reporting process, additional facts or contradictory evidence may come to light and be considered by the integrity commissioner before a final report is made public.
Integrity commissioners should communicate with the parties involved in a complaint or application as appropriate. For instance, they should acknowledge receipt of complaints, applications, responses, etc. generally and manage the parties’ expectations with respect to communications during an inquiry. They should also communicate their decisions and supporting reasons, including their decisions not to investigate or to apply to a judge.
Integrity commissioners are required to preserve the secrecy of all matters that come to their knowledge in the course of their work [s. 223.5(1)].
However, they may disclose information:
Where required by law in a criminal proceeding [s. 223.5(2)];
With respect to advice provided to a member, with that member’s consent [s. 223.5(2.1)–(2.2)];
During an inquiry respecting the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, if the integrity commissioner holds a public meeting, applies to a judge, or when publishing reasons [s. 223.5(2.3)];
In summary form when providing a periodic report to the municipality on their activities, without including confidential information that could identify an individual [s. 223.6(1)]; and
When reporting to the municipality or local board as to whether a member has contravened the code of conduct [s. 223.6(2)].
In Di Biase v. Vaughan, the court found the integrity commissioner had “significant autonomy regarding the disclosure of her investigation,” and noted that section 223.6(2) of the Municipal Act, 2001 “recognizes that when deciding how much information must be disclosed, the integrity commissioner may take into account specific local concerns associated with such disclosure that require confidentiality or protection of informants’ identities.” Disclosing evidence in a report that, in the integrity commissioner’s opinion, is necessary does not constitute waiver of the integrity commissioner’s discretion to maintain confidentiality of their investigation.
In the 2016 decision in Dhillon v. Brampton, the court found a councillor was not entitled to additional disclosure after he was told the “substance of the case and provided with sufficient particulars to enable him to respond to the allegations of the incident,” and given a preliminary version of the commissioner’s report.
Because the extent of disclosure is within the discretion of the commissioner, complainants/applicants and witnesses should be told if their identity will be disclosed, including when it is necessary to disclose a complainant’s name to the member whose conduct is under review.
When integrity commissioners report to council at the conclusion of their inquiries, the Municipal Act, 2001 provides that they can disclose “such matters as in the commissioner’s opinion are necessary for the purposes of the report” [s. 223.6(2)]. The municipality or local board is required to ensure that reports received from the commissioner are made available to the public [s. 223.6(3)].
Similarly, commissioners are required to “publish written reasons” after they decide to apply – or not apply – to a judge under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act [s. 223.4.1(17)].
Integrity commissioners should issue their findings in writing. It is important that their reports include:
Summaries of the complaint, the investigative process and the evidence obtained during the investigation
The relevant conduct standard or other applicable rules
An explanation that clearly explains how the commissioner weighed the evidence against that standard, and
A clear conclusion based on the evidence.
When reporting on a review of allegations against more than one council or local board member, it is a best practice for the integrity commissioner to issue separate reports for each member, clearly separating the allegations, issues, analysis, and conclusions that are made with respect to each one.
Integrity commissioners can disclose anything they deem necessary in their reports to council, however, as noted in Di Biase v. Vaughan, they may choose to protect the identity of witnesses, based on specific local concerns.
Municipal councils may require integrity commissioners to provide periodic or annual reports on their work. In such reports, integrity commissioners can summarize advice they have provided to members, but shall not disclose confidential information “that could identify a person concerned” [s. 223.6(1)].
During municipal election years, integrity commissioners must terminate any ongoing inquiries on nomination day [s. 223.4(7), s. 223.4.1(12)], and they may not be relaunched unless the complainant/applicant or respondent makes a written request within six weeks of voting day [s. 223.4(8), s. 223.4.1(13)].
During the period between nomination day and voting day, no requests for inquiries regarding potential contraventions of the code of conduct or applications for inquiries under the MCIA may be made to a commissioner [s. 223.4(9)(1), s. 223.4.1(3)]. They also cannot report on any alleged code contraventions during this period, nor can councils or local boards consider imposing penalties for code violations [s. 223.4(9)(2)–(3)]. The commissioner is also not permitted to apply to a judge under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act during this time period [MCIA, s. 8(5)].
Integrity commissioners should familiarize themselves with the statutory requirements for election years and plan ahead as much as possible to complete reviews and investigations before nomination day.
As a best practice, integrity commissioners should advise complainants in advance if an inquiry might be affected by the election period. They should also inform affected complainants and members when investigations must be terminated due to an election.
For any Municipal Conflict of Interest Act inquiries that are terminated, integrity commissioners should explain to applicants that they may apply to the courts themselves under the MCIA within six weeks of the termination [MCIA, s. 8(3)].
Our Office received a complaint about an integrity commissioner whose informal method of reviewing complaints was not part of the municipality’s code of conduct. After we raised the issue with the integrity commissioner, they agreed to work with the municipality to ensure that their practices were reflected in its written procedures. This increased the transparency of the process for the public and for members of council.
We reviewed a case where an integrity commissioner declined to investigate a resident’s complaint, saying she did not understand it. When we asked why she didn’t ask the complainant for clarification, the commissioner said she felt it would have compromised her independence, and that commissioners are limited to asking “administrative or procedural questions.” We explained that it is a best practice for commissioners to provide complainants with the opportunity to clarify their requests before dismissing their matters. After we raised this matter with the municipality, it agreed to amend its protocol to clarify that the commissioner can ask for clarification.
A man complained to us after an integrity commissioner declined to review his complaints, but did not provide any detailed reasons. When we asked the commissioner about this, he explained that he had received confidential information from the municipality that he could not disclose. We provided best practices to the commissioner about how to provide more information about the rationale for his decisions, without disclosing confidential information.
We reviewed a case where an integrity commissioner dismissed a man’s complaint about a councillor. The complaint alleged that the councillor violated his oath of office by making inappropriate comments on social media. The integrity commissioner’s decision stated that the oath of office was not part of the municipality’s code of conduct and was outside of his authority. When we spoke with the integrity commissioner, he clarified that he actually could consider the oath, as it forms part of the ethical framework for elected officials. However, in this case, the conduct did not violate the oath or the code of conduct. The commissioner agreed to speak to the resident to explain the error and the basis for discontinuing his review of the complaint.
A councillor whose conduct was investigated and found in violation by an integrity commissioner complained to us that the commissioner never interviewed him or provided an opportunity to comment on a preliminary report. We suggested to the integrity commissioner that they amend their process in future to ensure that members who are the subject of investigations are provided with the opportunity to comment on the allegations against them before the commissioner’s findings are made.
A woman complained to us that the integrity commissioner seemed to have forgotten about her complaint – twice. The commissioner initially met with her to discuss her complaint about a councillor, but then she heard nothing for more than six months. When she finally reached him, he told her his understanding was that she didn’t want to proceed with the matter. She then made a second complaint about the councillor, and again met with the commissioner – but heard nothing further. When we made inquiries, the integrity commissioner told us he again thought the woman did not want to pursue the complaint. We explained that it is a best practice to communicate with complainants about the status of their matter. The commissioner said he would consider the complaint again if the woman wanted to pursue it.
A woman emailed an integrity commissioner to say she felt he had not addressed all of her complaints, but did not hear back. When we spoke with the commissioner, he said he believed he made it clear that his investigation was complete, but understood that it is a best practice to answer such inquiries to indicate that no further response would be forthcoming.
An integrity commissioner abruptly stopped communicating with a woman after she sued the municipality. We shared best practices with the municipality and the commissioner about ensuring that its complaint protocol addresses the need to communicate with complainants when investigations are closed, including because of related litigation.
A woman told us that an integrity commissioner dismissed her complaint about a councillor’s comments on social media. But eight months later, he issued findings that the councillor had breached the code of conduct. We spoke to the commissioner, who explained that after he dismissed the woman’s complaint, he received several more that were similar. He noted that he did send the woman a copy of his report, but acknowledged that he could have communicated with her more clearly. He later wrote to her to explain the situation directly.
A woman told us that she raised a conflict of interest complaint with an integrity commissioner just after the statutory time limit for filing complaints. The commissioner encouraged her to focus her complaint on other issues, which she did almost a year later. At that point, the commissioner accepted her MCIA complaint, but then took seven months to make a finding, exceeding the 180-day timeframe in the Act for completing such reviews. We reminded the commissioner to be aware of the applicable timelines and to take care to clearly communicate them to complainants.
A man told us he had heard nothing from the integrity commissioner, more than eight months after submitting his complaint. After we spoke with the commissioner, he explained the reason for the delay and provided the man with an expected completion date.
An individual contacted us to complain about a report issued by a municipal integrity commissioner. We found that, in the report, the commissioner failed to link their decision to the grounds set out in the municipality’s code of conduct. We noted that the commissioner should specify the applicable section of the code of conduct when providing reasons.
We reviewed a case where an integrity commissioner investigated a councillor’s conduct but failed to keep written records of his meetings with the complainant or witnesses. This made it difficult for him to respond to the complaint, and could cause problems if the matter was subject to a future court proceeding. We shared best practices about record-keeping with the commissioner.
SO 2001, c 25. See Part V.1, Accountability and Transparency. The City of Toronto Act, 2006, SO 2006, c 11, Sched. A contains the provisions concerning the City of Toronto’s integrity commissioner. This guide only refers to the section numbers in the Municipal Act, 2001.
While the Municipal Act, 2001 refers to “inquiries,” the word “investigation” is often used interchangeably. We have adopted this practice in this guide.
RSO 1990, c M.50.
There is an exception in the MCIA if the discussion is about whether a penalty should be imposed on a member where the integrity commissioner has found that the member violated the code of conduct: Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, RSO 1990, c M.50, s 5(2.1), 5.2(2). In such cases, the member is not prevented from participating at the meeting where the penalty is being considered or attempting to influence the decision on the matter, but is not entitled to vote on the matter.
This can include complaints declined by an integrity commissioner because the time for bringing a complaint has passed. Ombudsman Act, RSO 1990, c O.6, s 14(4.4).
Ibid, ss 14(2), 14(4.5).
Dhillon v. The Corporation of the City of Brampton, 2021 ONSC 4165 at para 49 [Dhillon]; Chiarelli v. Ottawa (City of), 2021 ONSC 8256 at para 74.
Ibid at para 68.
Michael Di Biase v. City of Vaughan, 2016 ONSC 5620 at para 32 [Di Biase].
Dhillon, supra note 7 at para 42.
Pickard v. London Police Services Board, 2010 ONCA 643 at para 19.
York University v. Markicevic, 2017 ONCA 651 at para 32; Henderson v. Wright, 2016 ONCA 89 at para 20.
Di Biase, supra note 9 at para 39.
Ibid at para 42.
Ontario Ombudsman, Inside Job: Investigation into matters relating to the Regional Municipality of Niagara’s hiring of its Chief Administrative Officer, and its administration of his contract (November 2019) at para 257, online [Inside Job].
Di Biase, supra note 9 at paras 200–01.
Public Inquiries Act, 2009, SO 2009, c 33, Sched. 6, ss 33–4.
Inside Job, supra note 15 at para 271.
Kroetsch v. Integrity Commissioner for the City of Hamilton, 2021 ONSC 7982 at paras 64, 66.
Ibid at para 64.
Di Biase, supra note 9 at para 120.
Ibid at para 121.
Watson v. The Corporation of the Municipality of Stirling-Rawdon, 2021 ONSC 2436 at para 14.
Dhillon, supra note 7 at paras 57–8.
Di Biase, supra note 9 at para 121.
Where possible, we confirm the gender of people referred to in case examples, but in some cases, to protect an individual’s identity, gendered or non-binary pronouns are randomly chosen. | {
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The synths brighten. They are a wake up call. ‘Pocky Boy’ is woozy. There is a voice and that voice has a voice in her head. It is Yeule.
There isn’t much information available about Singaporean artist Yeule – real name Nat ćmiel. Her Facebook page will tell you that the project is based in Singapore and London – two cities on islands – we know Singapore is an island, city, and a nation – on the opposite ends of the combined continental landmass of Europe and Asia. The about section of her .jp website – meaning it is based in Japan – says “loving, hollow”. Her label, Zoom Lens, is based in Los Angeles.
Her music exists over distances, both near and far. It is commanding, yet light in touch. She sees the digital landscape that connects them, and builds art that fills the spaces.
“Pocky Boy” layers air creating a weightless density. Movement is constant and yet it feels effortless. There is a soft sweetness followed by a snap then a longing.
The labels explains Yeule’s intention with “Pocky Boy” is to “address subculture phenomena and the media’s warped intentions of consumer goods…for example, the kawaii / feminine / cute taste associated with the culture of Pocky,” and it hints at “the utopian non-binary projection of the self.”
Yeule explains with a story: “There are six boys on the bleachers sharing a box of pocky. They are watching me walk by and I hear their crunching intensify. They bite hard into the pocky, some using their teeth to scrape the chocolate off the long, crunchy biscuit. They say nothing but continue to eat from the tiny little box when two of them accidentally touches hands while reaching into it. They look at each other… sweating.”
“Pocky Boy” is about connection, no matter the distance. The energy that can fill our hollowness – outside of taught ideals. The song connects forces – electronic and magnetic. Untouched spaces are penetrated and what once was two continents or an ocean between is now touching. For a moment there are nerves, then we forget, remember the acknowledged spaces, ignoring the connection.
Yeule is able to connect these spaces on “Pocky Boy”, even if it is only for a smidge over four minutes. Sometimes all we need is to feel the energy of connection to remind us that existence has its own reason for being.
HURRY – LISTEN – YEULE | {
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Pride Flag Badge Ribbon (price for 2)
Genderqueer is a gender identity that is neither male nor female, is a combination of the two binary genders, is on a continuum between those two genders, or queers gender in some way. Both genderqueer and non-binary can be seen as umbrella terms or as more specific identifiers. Some, but not all, genderqueer people identify as transgender. more...
Pride Flag Badge Ribbons begin to show the diversity of our community. These 4.0" x 2.0" (4.0" x 1.5" visible) badge ribbons are full-color, dye sublimation printed on a smooth polyester satin material.
NOTE: The price shown is for TWO ribbons. If you select multiple copies, you will get double that number of ribbons. e.g. picking quantity 3 will get you 6 ribbons. | {
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Woolf Pack Zine Workshop
Zines, ideas and banter with this female and non-binary with this female and non-binary zine and collective.
In a brave new world what is sex and consent? How do we navigate this brave new world and still have genuine encounters?
Don’t Read The Comments
Exploring the oppressive nature of freedom of speech online, using verbatim comments from media articles.
This workshop takes you through the basics of making a one-page zine and turns your experiences into peepable zine goodness.
I am doll parts. What are the risks in relying on celebrities to speak for the communities they are heralded as representing?
The Girlfriend Experience
Step into a strip club after hours, when the patrons have left, and see it from a sex workers perspective.
Installation inspired by stories and letters, previously untold, unwritten and silently contained within. Now brought into the world.
Out of body experiences are really not in keeping with lab safety guidelines, but Doctor Quixote brings back such stories…
The Lolly Bishop Experience
Mathew works as a drag queen. One night the Diva Lolly Bishop appears at the club and she’s not happy.
Lana and Eloise are the mess. On Eloise’s couch the pair discuss their meaningless lives, loves, jobs and complaints.
You mad, bro?
Exploring feminism and how it relates to the differently-abled woman with sass, charm, musical interludes and a sunny disposition.
Letters I Never Sent
An introspective, heartfelt and playful look at what happens when you stop trying to force yourself into boxes that don’t fit.
Where do we start with all this Feminism stuff? If you are new to feminism, start here. All questions welcome.
Praxis Makes Perfect
Eden St James and Gala Vanting’s masterclass explores spaces of liminality, the intersectional and the emotive. | {
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Hi guys! I’m lucky enough to be part of the blog tour for this amazing book called Secondhand Origin Stories, which is a diverse book that involves sensitive issues, such as systemic racism and ableism. I loved the book, here’s my review:
Title: Secondhand Origin Stories
Author: Lee Blauersouth
Publishing Date: 15 March 2018
Genres: Science Fiction, YA
Opal has been planning to go to Chicago and join the Midwest’s superhero team, the Sentinels, since she was a little kid. That dream took on a more urgent tone when her superpowered dad was unjustly arrested for protecting a neighbor from an abusive situation. Now, she wants to be a superhero not only to protect people, but to get a platform to tell the world about the injustices of the Altered Persons Bureau, the government agency for everything relating to superpowers.
But just after Opal’s high school graduation, a supervillain with a jet and unclear motives attacks the downtown home of the Sentinels, and when Opal arrives, she finds a family on the brink of breaking apart. She meets a boy who’s been developing secret (and illegal) brain-altering nanites right under the Sentinel’s noses, another teenage superhero-hopeful who looks suspiciously like a long-dead supervillain, and the completely un-superpowered daughter of the Sentinels’ leader. Can four teens on the fringes of the superhero world handle the corruption, danger, and family secrets they’ve unearthed?
This book drops you right in the middle of a world where superheroes, villains and people with habilities exist, there’s especial goverment agencies and police units that regulate them and there’s corruption and injustice surrounding them. You have to learn about this world as you read, you see how everything works through the chracters’ perspectives and that’s how you learn about it. For me this worked really well, it didn’t take me too long to feel like I understood at least the basics of how the world worked and, after a little bit, I was able to keep up with the story without problem.
Something that I really enjoyed about this book was that it was intriguing from the start, there were secrets and mysteries around the four main characters and they didn’t know the answers either and they were trying to figure things out and that sucked me into the story inmediately, because I wanted to know what was going on.
As I said before, there’s four main characters, which were my favorite aspect of this book. I fell in love very quickly with three of those characters: Isaac, Yael and Jamie. They were the children of the superheroes and they were really complex characters, a genius scientist, an non-binary aspiring superhero and a character that is both vulnerable and so strong. From the pov of these three characters, the reader gets to see the dynamics of the superhero team and how it is not only a team but a family. That element is crucial to the story, because the complicated family dynamics, which I found fascinating to read about, promt a lot of the events that move the plot along.
Then there’s the fourth main character, Opal, which took me a little longer to love. Opal is an outsider to the team, to the family and she very much felt like an outsider to the story for at least the first half of the book. During that first half, I prefered to read from the other 3 perspectives, because from them I could learn more about all the secrets that were being kept. Later on, when the circumstances made it so that all four characters have to be together in a more full time basis, that’s when I fell in love with Opal as well. She is a nice, smart, compasionate, down to earth character with a strong moral sense.
Secondhand Origin Stories is definitely a character driven book much more than a plot driven one. The main problems that the characters are trying to solve are corruption and injustice in such a large scale that one book is not enough to confront all the different characters that play a part in that. This book, as the first in the series, manages to: make the characters aware of the problems, makes them decide to do something about it and makes sure that the team is as strong as it can be. It’s defintely a book that’s setting things up, but it’s not boring or slow, there’s so many things happening all the time. There’s one main storyline, that’s really interesting, about technology and the ethical use of it, that’s one of the first issues that the characters have to confront and it has a direct relation to the corruption and injustice that they are trying to change.
I think it’s important to mention that this is a really diverse book. The main characters are all queer, including a non binary main character. Also, one of the main characters is a black girl and there’s conversations throughout the book about systematic racism and especially about racial profiling and incarceration of black people. Additionally, there are deaf characters and there are characters that use ASL to communicate, and while there’s ableism portrait in this book, it’s called out and talked about on page.
Rating: 4,5 stars
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After about a decade of drawing comics independently or with small presses, Lee started writing prose out of a combination of peer pressure and spite, then continued out of attachment to their favorite made-up people. They live in Minnesota even though it is clearly not a habitat humans were ever meant to endure, with their lovely wife/editor, the world’s most perfect baby, and books in every room of the house.
If you like categories, they’re an ENFJ Slytherin Leo. If you’re looking for demographics they’re an agender bisexual with a couple of disabilities. If you’re into lists of likes: Lee loves comics, classical art, round animals, tattoos, opera, ogling the shiner sciences, and queer stuff.
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
23 April (Monday)
- Secondhand Origin Stories blog tour launch
- Feature post from The Backwards Bookshelf
- Feature post from Candid Ceillie
- Review from The Backwards Bookshelf
- Review from Crimson Blogs
- Review from Samantha House
- Review from Stuffed Shelves
24 April (Tuesday)
- Excerpt from Not Just Fiction
- Excerpt from Utopia State of Mind
- Feature post from Unputdownable Books
- Review from That Bookshelf Bitch
- Review from Bookish and Awesome
- Review from Cliste Bella
- Review from wallflower’s plight
25 April (Wednesday)
- Excerpt from The Nerdy Elite
- Review from BookMyHart
- Review from Candid Ceillie
- Review from F A N N A
- Review from forthenovellovers
- Review from Igniting Pages
- Review from Spines In a Line
26 April (Thursday)
- Excerpt from Provocatrix
- Review from Bookish Wanderess
- Review from bookishwisps
- Review from Flying Paperbacks
- Review from TheHufflepuffNerdette
- Review from My Reading List
- Review from Unputdownable Books
27 April (Friday) | {
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what is period poverty?
Period poverty is an ongoing global crisis where millions of women, girls and non-binary people across the world do not have a safe way to manage their periods.
Most people think period poverty is just about access to period products such as pads and tampons – but in reality, this is a complicated topic and there are many different challenges to period care.
At Asan, we define period poverty not in terms of access to hygiene products, but rather in terms of safety – we believe that period poverty is about whether or not you can have a safe period, and many factors go into determining this.
In this blog we will talk about three key challenges that determine whether you can have a safe period: access to safe resources, access to a safe environment, and finally, access to safe period products.
#1 access to safe resources
In order to safely manage your periods there are some vital resources that you need, such as clean water, toilets, and dustbins. Below are some critical resources that are needed for a safe period:
- Clean water: Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. In terms of period care, a sufficient supply of clean water is important to ensure that you are able to regularly clean yourself during and after your period cycle.
- Clean toilets: Period poverty can also be induced through a lack of built infrastructure. Periods are personal, and it is necessary for every woman and girl to have access to a private space and a clean toilet to manage her menstruation.
- Waste disposal systems: When using disposable period products (such as pads and tampons), it is important to have a safe disposal system, such as dustbins that are regularly emptied.
In Asan’s field work in rural India, we often come across communities who can access sanitary pads, but who do not have access to safe resources.
For example, a young girl who is given free pads at school but doesn’t have a safe way to dispose of this pad may still suffer from period poverty – because she has to go through unsafe period practices.
If the school does not offer a clean space to change pads and the girl has a lengthy journey to and from school, meaning she can’t go home to change her pad, then she has to carry soiled pads in her bag – which is a very common experience. This is not only unsanitary but also contributes to anxiety and mental distress.
Similarly, in villages that are not connected to waste disposal systems, plastic sanitary pads often have to be burnt by each woman or girl – resulting in breathing in unhealthy and toxic chemicals.
#2 access to a safe environment
Just as critical as safe resources is a safe environment or community, which provides a space to ask questions and address concerns about how to improve period practises.
Below are some of the elements that go into creating a safe environment:
- A supportive home environment: This includes supportive and trustworthy people within the home who do not shame you or promote misconceptions about periods
- Education and awareness: This includes school and community education about menstruation, which is accurate and factual
- Access to medical care: This includes access to a local clinic or doctor, who can provide assistance when you experience issues or questions relating to your menstrual health
Asan’s work in rural India teaches us that for many women and girls, the lack of proper information about menstruation and supportive community members available is a key cause of inadequate menstrual hygiene practices and the ongoing stigma of menstruating.
This directly leads to increased stress and anxiety of having to manage your periods whilst being ‘hush-hush’ about it due to shame for menstruating.
This is why it is so important to focus on training local women that can be an active support system for the wider communities. In rural India, this support system can be provided by local NGO workers and volunteers, ASHA and Angadwadi workers, doctors, and teachers.
#3 access to safe period products or solutions
When we think of “period poverty” we immediately think of a lack of menstrual products – and hence the global response to period poverty has been to provide access to products such as sanitary pads and tampons.
However, as Asan’s definition of period poverty is around safety rather than just affordability of products, we must consider how safe different products (or even home-made solutions) are for each user.
Not all sanitary pads and tampons are safe – indeed, low-cost sanitary pads that are often distributed for free or at highly subsidised rates in rural India can be extremely bulky and uncomfortable to wear and contain toxic chemicals.
Another important point to note is that home-made solutions such as cloth pads may not always be unsafe.
If someone is using a homemade cloth in a hygienic way - which includes changing it every 6 to 8 hours, thoroughly washing it with clean water, and leaving it out to dry in the sun - then they are not necessarily suffering from period poverty as this is a perfectly safe practice.
We use the five criteria below to define whether a period product or solution is safe:
- Affordability: Is the period product affordable? Can it be easily accessed?
- Comfort and quality: Is the product or solution safe, comfortable and hygienic?
- Storage: Is there a discreet and safe way to store the product?
- Cleaning: can the product or solution be safely cleaned and maintained?
- Disposal: If the products needs to be thrown away, can this be done safely and easily?
Keeping the five criteria above in mind, Asan’s 1-for-1 donation programme is designed to ensure that no matter where you are from, you have equal access to the highest quality period product in the world.
Our menstrual cup is provided completely for free to users, in addition to extensive education about cleaning and maintaining the cup and safe period practices.
There are many organisations that are actively working together to address period poverty. To learn more, read our blogs on NGO’s in India and charities in the UK that are tirelessly working to eradicate period poverty. | {
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The MaLisa Foundation was established in 2016 by Maria and Elisabeth Furtwängler. Its aim is to create a free, equal society. On an international level, it campaigns to end violence against women and girls. In Germany, it also focuses on promoting social diversity and overcoming restrictive role models.
The founders of the MaLisa Foundation have many years of international experience. Since 1998, Maria Furtwängler has served as a voluntary doctor with German Doctors and witnessed the everyday presence of violence against women in the slums of Nairobi, Calcutta, Gujarat and in the Philippines, where it has come to be seen as part of normality. During her travels through Cambodia and the Philippines, Elisabeth was also confronted by the impact and consequences of the sexual exploitation of young girls and women. In order to provide practical help, Maria and Elisabeth Furtwängler founded the MaLisa Home in 2011, a safe house for girls who had been victims of human trafficking and enforced prostitution in the Philippines.
The MaLisa Foundation is the next step in Maria and Elisabeth Furtwängler's mission to empower women and young girls, by overcoming gender-based discrimination in Germany. The first projects undertaken by the MaLisa Foundation focus on the representation of women and men in the media.
The foundation works on a solely operative basis.
Photo: Jorinde Gersina
Her personal mission is to empower and support girls and women across the world who are exposed to humiliation and discrimination. She is President of the Board of Trustees for the aid organization German Doctors and co-founder of the Digital Life Design conference series DLDwomen.
She has also received many awards for her charitable work, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bavarian Order of Merit, the Leibniz Ring Hannover 2016 and the Karl Kübel Prize 2017.
Photo: Markus Nass
After her high school certificate, Elisabeth travelled through Cambodia and the Philippines. In personal encounters and conversations with those affected, she became aware of the effects of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. With the help of German Doctors and local aid charities, she set up the MaLisa Home with her mother, Maria. She has studied history of art in Cambridge and music in Los Angeles.
Elisabeth Furtwängler’s stage name as producer, songwriter and performer is KERFOR.
Photo: Elfi Greb
After two decades working throughout Europe for international organizations, including the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF-EN), she now acts as advisor for international and national organizations and foundations.
A key focus of her work is on cross-generation, cross-border and cross-sector networking. As expert for the Council of Europe and lecturer, she advises and teaches on gender equality, particularly on ending violence against women and girls.
Since 2001, Karin Heisecke has been actively involved in V-Day, the international movement against violence towards women and girls. She initiated the award-winning campaign "Vergewaltigung kommt nicht in die Tüte", benefit performances of the "Vagina Monologues" in various European cities and in the European parliament, (music) videos and flash mobs for One Billion Rising.
Photo: Thomas Lobenwein
Rana initially worked as a freelance journalist and editor for print, radio, and TV media (such as Berliner Zeitung, zitty, rbb radiomultikulti and ZDF) after finishing her studies and spending time abroad in Turkey and the Netherlands. Furthermore, she issued and supervised publications for various organizations for historical-political educational work, and gave workshops for press and public relations for NGOs.
Key aspects of her professional and voluntary work are diversity in the media as well as in Germany as an immigration country. Another important focus of her work ist the exchange and knowledge transfer at the interface of research, media, and civil society.
In 2008, Rana Göroğlu co-founded the association "Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen“. From 2012 to 2020, she played a key role in setting up and developing the platform "Mediendienst Integration", first as an editor and then as managing director and project coordinator for Islam and Europe.
Photo: Carin Pauli
Anna Groß has worked in political education since 2002 with a focus on hip hop and skateboarding. In 2005 she co-founded the NGO cultures interactive e.V.; from 2011 onwards, she has been one of the two people who run the feminist music label Springstoff.
Anna Groß is an author, event and artist manager, and organizes concerts, parties, skateboard contests, and festivals with a fem* focus. She loves to invent innovative methods for political education, and coaches multipliers, teachers and other people who work with young people.
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The Pixel Project is pleased to welcome a guest “16 For 16” article from our partner, Breakthrough – a global human rights organisation working to make violence and discrimination against women and girls unacceptable. Their cutting-edge multimedia campaigns, community mobilisation, agenda setting, and leadership training equip men and women worldwide to challenge the status quo and take bold action for the dignity, equality, and justice of all.
This year, Breakthrough India shares a list of 16 things we can do to keep the momentum of the #MeToo movement going.
The powerful #MeToo movement shook the foundation of the culture of silence and misogyny which surrounds sexual harassment and violence in many ways. Starting with Tarana Burke in 2008 – and blown wide open by the Harvey Weinstein case in 2015 – it spelled out a simple truth: that sexual harassment is pervasive at all levels of society.
It’s also started important conversations about accountability, the power imbalance throughout society, and about believing women. It’s brought together people to talk about consent and what it means in today’s world; and these conversations can’t and shouldn’t end here.
More importantly, we need to move beyond debates and discussions and start working on practical processes and policies to take this forward. It is time for a cultural shift – a shift towards building a culture of empathy, where we believe survivors.
For the past two years, since #MeToo’s explosion on the global stage, we have come to a new and burgeoning phase in the movement – with a fresh question in mind: What can we do to keep the momentum of the #MeToo movement going?
With that in mind, for this year’s 16 Days Of Activism, we present to everyone a 16-step plan for you to end violence against women (VAW) and create a culture of gender equality.
On An Individual Level
Recommended Action #1: Call out sexual harassment in the workplace when you see it.
Sexual harassment has always been surrounded by stigma, making it very difficult for survivors to lodge reports or make a complaint. A female complainant is always treated with suspicion, which adds additional social pressure to prove the harassment. Therefore, many survivors either remain silent or delay making a report, and in some cases can even be forced to withdraw their complaints. Creating a conducive space for female employees is the first and foremost step to counter this secondary victimisation.
Remember: if we remain silent about sexual harassment in the workplace, we are tacitly supporting the culture of abuse and misogyny. Building a safe space by standing up for each other makes it easier for the survivor to come out and to report the harassment will help balance the workplace power equation.
Recommended Action #2: Take the #MeToo movement beyond social media
It is essential that the spread of the #MeToo movement also reaches people who have limited access to the internet and technology. To this end, we can contribute by talking about the movement to people who are not present on social media platforms or simply don’t know about it. How? By reaching out to the women and girls in your life that don’t have access to social media or don’t know about the movement. Be a safe space for them where they can talk about sexual harassment without any fear.
Recommended Action #3: Men and boys – hold each other accountable
As the #MeToo movement gained momentum, more and more women have spoken up that they, or someone they know have been sexually harassed, abused and violated. Yet men have remained conspicuously silent or flat out denial – do men not know someone who HAS sexually harassed, abused and violated another person? If you are male, reason with your male peers and intervene when you see incidents of harassment and violence happening. The conversation around sexual harassment involves you as well – and it is time to hold your peers who harass, rape, and abuse women responsible for their actions. Unsure about where to begin? Here are 16 suggestions that you, as a man, can put into action.
Recommended Action #4: Talk to the men and boys you know
The conversations about sexual harassment with men and boys should not be limited to the approach of teaching men and boys to not be harassers and aggressors because we need to be aware that some men and boys can be and are survivors of sexual harassment as well. It will be difficult to get them to open up if the discourse around sexual harassment is directed at them, as opposed to including them. It also has to be emphasised that surviving sexual harassment and empathy are not grounds to determine one’s masculine identity, irrespective of dictates laid down by normative hypermasculinity.
Recommended Action #5: Really listen to survivors
When someone shares their experience of sexual harassment publicly, we need to stop ourselves from jumping in and offering the way forward or even placing ourselves in a position of power and putting the accused on a public trial. We need to ask ourselves what the person who has shared the experience is looking for. The closure that the survivor sharing the experience is looking for has to be the central consideration directing how we respond.
Recommended Action #6: Change your default attitude to ‘Believe Women’
During the #MeToo movement, there was a global outcry over the norm of where, in cases of reporting, it is common practice to not believe women, on questioning their intentions or timings to come out, to insist that most rape cases are false and so on. We need to strive to do away with thinking like this – because it puts the onus on the women who are already victims, to constantly prove they were harassed. And we can begin with ourselves by examining our knee-jerk reactions to survivor stories and making a conscious effort to stop victim-blaming women.
On A Systemic Level
Recommended Action #7: Make organisations, companies and universities sign affidavits against sexual harassment, while they’re signing their employment contracts and anti-ragging affidavits.
Clauses regarding sexual harassment, bullying, other forms of abuse of power should be included in the employment contract or admission forms . Contracts should clearly lay out the plan of action by the institution against any form of misconduct. Any form of anti-harassment policies should be displayed clearly, laying out steps in easier communication formats and/or in multiple languages. This should be displayed not only indoors but also outdoors, in the purview of public to build larger public accountability in countering abuse of power. It is also important for every individual to be accountable for the conduct within the institutional space and be mindful of the consequences.
Recommended Action #8: Pressure legal processes to do better
If there is one thing that the #MeToo movement has shown us, it is that due process and legal mechanisms are consistently failing survivors/victims. Everyone, from the perpetrators to those who are meant to enforce legal mechanisms, should be held accountable; and this is where media portals can really help. There has to be pressure on ensuring existing processes, acts and laws which are in place are executed fairly.
This is where various media portals can take up sexual harassment cases and display how due process faltered and failed in these cases in a step-by-step manner. The #MeToo movement can be used as leverage to come up with a list of demands to ensure due process and the legal processes are more effective – moving beyond laws and focusing on thorough implementation.
Recommended Action #9: Address the culture of silence in public and private spaces
Breaking the culture of silence starts at home. If we think of challenging sexual harassment at public (including workplaces) yet remain silent about the experiences of harassment at home, we are still supporting the culture of violence. Silence in domestic spaces reinforces the norm that harassment is shameful for the survivor. This silence doesn’t provide strength to the survivor but to the perpetrator to continue with the abuse, and forces the survivor to withdraw into the shell of fear and trauma that further establishes violence as a norm. It is very important take a stand against any form of violence at home, and stand by the survivor to break the culture of silence. It encourages others to not accept violence as the norm and it should be resisted; be it in the domestic space, public or workspace.
Recommended Action #10: Keep on conversing about consent
The conversation around consent has been raging for the last few years and this is a good thing. But as the #MeToo movement-triggered the Aziz Ansari incident shows, this conversation needs to move beyond the binary construct of ‘yes’ and ‘no’. Consent needs to be a conversation between two or more participants and reducing it to the binary means that not only a lot of the nuance is lost but a lot of the onus falls on one of the partners (the one ‘consenting’ versus the one ‘asking’). Intimacy is rarely something as straightforward as the above duality: there is never just one person ‘consenting’ or just one person ‘asking’. It’s a conversation, an understanding of behaviours and a question of trust.
Recommended Action #11: Revamp and sensitise reporting processes and spaces
One of the most annoying (yet oft repeated) questions during the #MeToo movement was, “Why didn’t she/he/they report it earlier? Why are they coming forward now?” And this answer remains unchanged: because it’s difficult. Because it’s traumatising. Because we have made it traumatising. And the very first thing we can do is to make it easier for survivors to report what has happened – by sensitising frontline reporting spaces. Reporting mechanisms need to become more survivor friendly – where the survivor is not challenged about what they’ve faced but treated with dignity and humanity and given every access to tools and next steps for them to take their complaint forward.
Recommended Action #12: Stop blaming women
Following the #MeToo movement, sexual harassment (especially at the workplace) became a topic of discussion. What followed hot on its heels was what could only be described as a form of backlash: workplaces began to declare that hiring women would now be difficult, that men should avoid women as much as they could. The idea was simple: no women, no harassment.
This line of thinking is not only ridiculous, but more importantly, it’s also dangerous. It puts the onus of avoiding sexual harassment squarely on women’s shoulders. It also shows a refusal to actually deal with the core problem itself, and we need to confront this kind of thinking and show it for what it is: anti-women and misogynistic to the core.
Recommended Action #13: Reiterate that the perpetrator is frequently a known person
The dominant narrative around sexual harassment has always painted a picture of the perpetrator being a stranger. We need to counter this myth and keep reiterating the fact that in most cases, the perpetrator is a known person – someone the survivor knows personally.
A lot of control is exercised on women’s and girls’ life choices and mobility giving the argument of how unsafe public spaces are. What is frequently missing is the fact that sexual harassment is not just something that happens in public spaces. The conversation needs to broaden and recognise that sexual harassment happens even at home or at schools, workplaces etc. and by people whom we know well. A lot of the narratives shared as a part of the #MeToo movement are testimony to this.
Recommended Action #14: Define how we treat perpetrators
The movement has used public disclosures as a strategy to seek accountability. This calls for us to also address questions which involve the accused including (but not limited to):
- Once a person is accused, what do we expect from them?
- What does being accountable look like in terms of actions on behalf of the accused?
- Are we looking at a retributive form of justice or a rehabilitative form of justice?
- If we understand processes like socialisation, what is the journey that we expect the accused to take under the #MeToo movement?
These are the difficult but necessary questions we must ask. We recognise that there are no simple answers for this, but in order to keep up the momentum of #MeToo, we must deal with this soul-searching as a society.
Recommended Action #15: Make sure the #MeToo movement is an inclusive space
The #MeToo movement has amplified the voices of women across the globe, but the time is long past that it reach all women. Women who don’t have easy access to social media, dalit (Untouchable) women, women living with disabilities, adivasi (Indigenous) women, queer women… the list goes on. The movement as it exists is a great first step, but it can’t stop there. There’s no single ‘woman’ the movement can speak for and it shouldn’t either.
Recommended Action #16: Acknowledge various gender identities
The #MeToo movement will never be inclusive if the discourse remains limited to men as perpetrators and women as victims. The latter does not take into account non-normative sexualities and multiple gender identities. Non-binary persons are vulnerable as well, that too in circumstances that dominant gender persons take for granted – eg. a trans and/or genderqueer person not being welcome in public transport local trains that have strict demarcated categories that state ‘Men’ and ‘Women’. The same applies for restrooms with these demarcations as well, and not to mention people’s hostility when the non-binary person enters these spaces. This is discriminatory in nature and constitutes sexual harassment as well.
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This week is National Apprenticeship Week and November 15, 2018 is Women in Apprenticeships Day. The National Women’s Law Center is proud to support women and non-binary people who are working towards careers in skilled trades jobs.
1. What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a program that teaches people how to become a skilled tradesperson. It’s like an internship, but way more valuable. They are often jointly organized between employers and unions to train the next generation of workers – from carpenters to welders to plumbers to electricians. The education takes place over several weeks or months, under the supervision of a skilled tradesperson. Then after you complete the program, you have the credentials and training you need to get a full0time job.
2. Why are apprenticeships important?
Apprenticeships are one of the only ways to get access to skilled trades jobs – like carpenters, electricians, ironworkers and pipefitters. They are an opportunity for women to get debt-free career training and paid on the job training.
Trades jobs (and especially union jobs) pay very well and it is incredibly important that women have access to jobs with good salaries and benefits. Although women make up just under half of the overall workforce, they make up nearly six in ten workers in the low-wage workforce (i.e., in jobs that typically pay less than $11 per hour). And the lower paid the job, the greater women’s overrepresentation: women make up close to seven in ten workers in jobs that typically pay less than $10 per hour. Women who are concentrated in low-wage jobs don’t only lack pay, they also lack access to benefits like a pension, health insurance, sick leave, paid parental leave and stable schedules – and are often working in environments that do not have adequate safety protections. Unions can provide not only higher and more equal pay for women, but also the benefits that women (and all working people) so desperately need for themselves and their families.
To stem this troubling trend, women need to have pathways to higher paying jobs – and a single mom can feed her family as a union Ironworker. These high-paying and high-skill jobs should be available to all, not just to some.
3. What do I need to know about women in apprenticeships?
Between 2012-2016, there were over 1,650,000 male construction laborers in the U.S. but only about 49,000 women. That isn’t enough! To get more women in construction, we need to get more women in apprenticeship programs.
Right now, women (and especially women of color and non-binary people) face an uphill battle when they try to break into construction. They are often the only woman on the jobsite and that leaves them open to harassment and discrimination. Even if a woman works on a unionized jobsite, the union may not know how or be unwilling to respond to these issues. Isolation and ignorance breeds this type of illegal behavior, and the more women in the trades, the less likely they are to be harassed. In the meantime, it is critical to ensure that women seeking to enter the trades through apprenticeships have the support they need.
4. How can I support women in apprenticeships?
Support local tradeswomen organizations like, Chicago Women in the Trades, Oregon Tradeswomen or Tradeswomen, Inc or the Reckoning Trade Project and work to lift up the Tradeswomen Task Force Policy Platform.
Attend the Women Build Nations conference: a promising effort through the National Association of Building Trades Unions to help connect women in the trades and build a platform for union women to fight back against the discrimination, stereotypes and harassment they face at their jobs.
Hire women and non-binary construction workers or request that women and non-binary people be put on your job site!
Finally, are you a woman or non-binary person considering a career in construction? Learn more here. | {
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If you’ve heard of christianity and their relationship to the LGBTQ+ community, then you may have heard the words conversion therapy used in conversation. Conversion therapy is an extremely controversial topic and has caused a great deal of pain in society at large, especially for the gay community. While conversion therapy is a horrific practice, it’s valuable for our culture to understand its roots, causes and methods to be able to identify these kinds of harmful practices in the future. With a new conversion therapy movie coming out, it’s important to have these conversations and be prepared with information as the world continues to evolve and fight these deep, dark prejudices in our society. Conversion therapy is dangerous, and the full scope of this needs to be understood by our culture. So if you’re curious about the roots of conversion therapy, keep reading to learn more.
What Is It?
Conversion therapy is the practice of ‘curing’ homosexuality through a number of different methods of manipulation, coercion, and essentially torture. Conversion therapy was born from fundamentalist church groups pushing the idea that homosexuality is a sin, but it’s a curable sin. Conversion therapy claims that with the right therapy, one can overcome, and even change, entirely their sexuality. Of course, these claims are outrageous and have caused a great deal of mental anguish and death of thousands of young men and women growing up in conservative, fundamentalist communities. It has taken many forms over the centuries, but always reinforces the idea that homoesexualty is wrong or somehow an indication of mental illness. This is also untrue, and leads to dangerous ideas about self care and mental health for society at large. Next, let’s take a look at where conversion therapy comes from.
Where Did it Come From?
Conversion therapy has it’s roots all the way back to the late 19th century in Europe. Researchers began exploring techniques such as shock therapy, behavioral modification and even lobotomy in attempts to cure or reverse homosexuality. In America, it made its way significantly into the field of psychology in the 20th century before being largely debunked by major scientists and researchers in the 21st century. The field of psychology, we must remember, is and was largely dominated by men and in the late 19th century, most of them held fundamentalist beliefs when it came to religion, which had established homosexuality as a deviant sin. The techniques used in conversion therapy include behavioral therapy, psychonalysis and more manipulative techniques such as using ex-gay and ex-trans ministry communities to recruit members.
Where Does it Stand Today?
Today, conversion therapy is thought to be one of the most harmful, unnecessary and untruthful forms of manipulation. There is no agreement among major health organizations that being any representative member of the LGBTQ+ community is at all related to mental illness, nor is it something that can or needs to be cured. It’s not a disease, it’s a part of our unique human nature and one of the many things that makes our species beautiful. Today, there is protection against these kinds of harmful treatment methods on the state level providing some protection for youth against these atrocious organizations. So far, there are 20 states that ban conversion therapy for minors, and 22 states with no laws protecting children and minors against conversion therapy methods. In between, there are about 9 or so states that only have partial bans on the practice.
Why Is It Harmful?
Conversion therapy is harmful because it forces and indoctrinates an individual to devalue themselves and who they are as a person. Gay, lesbian, trans and non-binary youth do not deserve to be silenced, erased or treated as a disease. They deserve what the world has bestowed upon historically ‘traditional’ relationships which are only seen that way because of fundmentalist church groups and their hold on communities and ethics in America. The sooner we can start to define ourselves for who we are rather than who we’re told to be, that becomes threatening to those power structures. It’s important to educate ourselves, and do everything we can to make our LGBTQ+ community members feel strong and lifted up.
Conversion therapy is one of the worst forms of manipulation that exist in our society. While it is extremely controversial and largely unpracticed, there still are communities that believe in it. As large churches like Exodus continue to be decentralized, we stand a greater chance of fighting against this evil. But it’s a hard fight, as we’ve seen in recent years that political forces are trying as hard as they can to pass bills that target the gay community. These fundmentalist values are still very much present, even if they seem more hidden than they were in the past. | {
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The point of inclusivity is to make everything equal. Even though it's 2018, women are still drawing the short straw when it comes to going on a night out. From the group of lads down the front who persist on moshing on the dancefloor to the creepy bastard who follows you about even after you’ve said “NO!” 300 times, clubbing for women – and other marginalised people – can be really fucking tedious.
Luckily, promoters and collectives across the UK (and the rest of the world of course) are working to create safe, empowering and fun spaces for marginalised clubbers and, you know, anyone who wants a good time.
We reached out to a slew of crews to find out why their nights are so crucial to clubland, and what more can be done to support intersectional clubbing spaces in our scene.
UNITI is a London-based collective helmed by a pair of artists pushing underground, experimental sounds via a party and a label. Established in 2016, UNITI bosses Englesia and GANX describe what they do as a “platform for womxn, nb, and LGBTQ+ creatives, while offering events with inclusive safer space policy”.
The pair realise the inherently political nature of their parties and stress the community nature of a UNITI event. The night, alongside its counter-cultural contemporaries discussed later in this list, offers up a truly open space for dancers looking for liberation.
They added: “Women, non-binary and LGBTQ+ people have been underrepresented on line-ups in the underground dance music scene and our aim in starting UNITI was to provide a platform for these people, and to create a space that was a homage to the time when the underground spaces for subculture were an inclusive, welcoming, fun escape from the real world.” JKS
UNITI turns 2 on March 9, with the launch of Englesia’s EP ‘'ANGELISE : first metamorphosis'. Tickets and info available here
Founded by Sarah Fewtrell and Marnie Hamilton, New Scenery is a party platform with a charitable edge. All proceeds from its events are donated to charity, with each party in aid of a different cause. With every New Scenery line-up championing women and non-binary DJs and producers, the night’s affinity for low-end sees dancers put through their paces, with an onslaught of talent and musical skill from a whole host of big names and rising stars such as LOFT, Rui Ho, Ziúr and resident Lockhart seen at each and every night.
When discussing the inspiration behind the event, Sarah explained: “New Scenery came about through need for a more diverse, safer clubbing experience. Navigating your way through music scenes as a woman or non binary person can be really difficult. A failure of representation behind the decks means your presence is often question and is limited to standardised sexualised archetypes.” JKS
New Scenery’s next party takes place on March 16, with Mobilegirl B2B Mechatok, Martha B2B Syymstress and more. Tickets and info available here
Pro-choice Irish and Northern Irish dance music promoters Room For Rebellion describe themselves as a “political party”, as they continually push for the reproductive rights of women in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and challenge archaic abortion laws. The five women - Isis O'Regan, Cait Fahey, Hollie Boston, Anna Cafolla and Jess Brien - who helm the event are committed to throwing wildy fun, reactive parties in Dublin, Belfast and London.
O’Regan explains: “I wanted to start something that could engage with the Irish diaspora here as well women and girls back home. Room For Rebellion protests against the 8th Amendment, which bans abortions in nearly all circumstances - ignoring our UN human rights,” while Jess Brien adds that “our policy has always been to champion fresh, new artists who have something to say.”
When discussing the nature of the term “safe space”, RFR’s Hollie Boston says that “promoting a safe space is more than just a tagline, it's a responsibility all promoters should strive towards to create a better environment for anybody and everybody who are proud to represent themselves, regardless of race, sexuality or gender.” JKS
Room for Rebellion is gearing up to host a triple party on March 23 in London, Belfast and Dublin featuring the likes of Moxie, Solid Blake and Object Blue. Tickets and info available here
South West promoters Thorny “create platforms for the underrepresented voices of Bristol and beyond.” Working as an artist-led collective, the raucous, inclusive multi-faceted operation hosts gigs, shows and, above all, euphoric parties designed to create maximum liberation for all who attend, while offering up a space for new or marginalised acts.
Thorny Artistic Director Jo Bligh says that “Thorny was actually born out of a need for spaces for people on the margins in Bristol to socialise, and also the need for underrepresented artists to have a platform. These two things didn't really exist in Bristol at the time: there were a lot of white boy punk nights that I found a bit dry. So after a while of hearing people – myself included – moaning about it I decided to take matters into my own hands.”
Thorny’s focus on inclusivity and representation stems from a belief that, “for someone to feel included they need to see someone they relate to on stage.” Sharing a selection of bucket lists acts they would love to see at a Thorny night, Bligh said: “I would love Beth Ditto to play at one of our nights, I think she's the epitome of femme empowerment. I also think SOPHIE would be amazing -- our crowd would lose their shit if she came to Bristol!” JKS
Catch Halcyon Veil’s Mhysa at Thorny on April 21. Tickets and info available here
Started in a house in the middle of East London, Pxssy Palace is one of London's most forward-thinking, radical, beautiful nights that deserves to be celebrated in more ways than one.
“Oh god, It's like a Pxssy Palace in here,” co-founder Nadine Artois recalls overhearing at one of her house parties. There were 10 girls in attendance – as well as the residence’s 10 cats. Their night became one of the most sought-after house parties with people wanting to pay just to get in.
Nadine Artois and Skye Barr just wanted a space their friends could dress they we wanted and listen to the music we wanted to without the stress of being harassed. Taking the next step of moving their parties from their home was an unconsciously empowering decision.
After the success and wholehearted nature of their parties, PP thought they would be able to maintain the love away from home. However Nadine was sexually harassed at Pxssy Palace night. Not only that, the energy was lost from their nights - this resulted for the Pxussy Palace to introduce new policies regarding create a safer space for womxn and femmes of colour. Nadine approached the amazing Munroe Bergdorf (whom she was already friends with) to be involved.
"Clubs can be overwhelming. We just wanted to look out for everyone," Nadine explains, “and create something where we could get everything out of a club night."
This year Pxssy Palace celebrates its second anniversary and looking through their Instagram you can see a wealth of happy, carefree faces living their best lives. But Nadine explains that there still lot that needs to be done to ensure people have a good time.
"We have had problems in the past [where] we have had things in place but you can't control everyone… We have had people try and sabotage the work we do.” She recalls the time when a guy who had been contacted not to come to one of their events turned up early to confront them about it. "He spat in one of our organiser's faces… We were warned about him because someone called up to say that he had sexually assaulted them in the past".
Now if you're reading this and still have a lack of understanding as to why nights like Pxssy Palace are needed, maybe you're a part of the problem. During my conversation with PP, Nadine cites a recent article in Vox containing statistics that reveal that 80 per cent of women have been sexually harassed or assaulted in some shape or form.
Thankfully they haven't had any problems in the last 12 months. And luckily they are now in the position to vet their security staff. They also introduced a new scheme for trans women of colour. "We are an inclusive night, an intersectional night and we are [thinking] about the safety of our trans friends," Nadine explains (with the rise in trans women being killed, we’re not surprised).
Pxssy Palace is a breath of fresh air that is needed in a stuffy room full of testosterone, white men and gak farts. ST
SUGAR is run by the revolutionary gal-dem and was started a year ago as a way of interacting with an already large online audience. Antonia of gal-dem explains that creating SUGAR was to "introduce another alternative to the London club scene"
"The DJs have to be women of colour" and for the music policy, anything goes. Representing the best that club culture has to offer, gal-dem's SUGAR is a space where people are able to be their true, authentic selves. With "normal" club spaces becoming dominated by big groups and drunk bastards throwing themselves over DJ booths asking for 2-year-old Drake songs, SUGAR is a night where, as Antonia says, "people can have a good time".
"A lot of my friends come because our night actively supports POC, trans and queer culture. Other nights don't consider that because they don't have to deal with [problems faced by marginalised people] in their everyday life. People like BBZ and Pussy Palace centre around people who need to be centred for and not marginalised."
Although they have thrown a few parties now, they have had to overcome a lot in a short space of time. "We had a night where one of the bouncers did not have a clue. He was hitting on women and making them feel uncomfortable. He got a bit of a speaking to. And he let his friends in because there were so many women there." Antonia says.
"We always strive to create a safe space; our current place [The Yard in London] understands us and what we are about. But there will be one or two people who will slip through the cracks and might infiltrate. And we have had to eject people."
Nights like SUGAR are so important to making sure POC, trans and queer people are protected. From their online presence to bringing through new and talented DJs like Lil C, Fauzia and Rabz (BBZ), SUGAR’s effervescent energy and the cause are inspirational. ST
Listen to gal-dem latest monthly show on Reprezent Radio here
BBZ is one of the most exciting queer POC collectives around today. They support QTIPOC (queer, transgender, and intersex people of colour) creatives, and DJ's and have been providing a much-needed access to art spaces and musical development for women of colour. BBZ's work is a source of celebration in a world which often fails to represent women of colour in the best light.
"When we first started BBZ it was very queer-centric, it was a space for black queer women and we were not thinking about the music scene," co-founder Nadine explains. "The scene has shifted dramatically since we started BBZ," says fellow promoter Tia. "I had no concept of the amount of queer people of colour, especially femme identifying, who are DJs so I am really excited that there’s so many I have been introduced to."
What makes BBZ so incredible is that it is a direct response to a lack of QTIPOC dancefloors and the lack of representation for QTIPOC DJs too. The space they offer to their QTIPOC audience is a “Brave Space”, as coined by Tia. "We like to say brave because we can’t ensure that every space is safe. But it’s a space where everyone is on the same wave, you won’t be inappropriately spoken to. if you feel uncomfortable you have the backing from us and the venue.”
Nadine explains further: "I feel that our spaces are all about celebration and being your full self. Everyone in the room has to uphold that. People rely on the hosts but for BBZ we rely on our guests to uphold that.”
Having stringent policies in place now allows them to avoid horrors which they encountered in the early days of BBZ, such as the group of white men who caused so much trouble that BBZ chosen venue had to close early, with the police called.
BBZ have also faced blatant misogyny and racism within club culture with one venue manager telling them that “black lesbians don't drink, therefore we wouldn't make money at the bar.” BBZ resident Shy One explains that “black women are a myth to most of these people who own these spaces. We have money and like to drink, we turn up and like to party. We are the same [as everyone else], just a different style.”
BBZ is a movement. It is a political statement and they are helping to change the lives of people for the better. They and others will be the saviour of club culture. And the much-needed catalyst fighting against the dominance of white dominance in club spaces. ST
Listen to BBZ every 1st & 3rd Friday at 5pm on Balamii
Northern party crew Come Thru has been killing the alternative club game since 2015. Locking in the likes of 8ULENTINA, Lil C and Hipsters Don’t Dance’s Kazabon for previous parties, the positive dancefloor promoters will end on a high later this year, with Come Thru #10 sadly marking the event’s end. But that doesn’t mean it still shouldn’t be celebrated, with the Come Thru gang explaining over email: “Positive Parties is our general motto, and we strive for inclusivity on both sides of the decks. We try to get the dancefloor moving with a variety of bangers, bringing something new to Leeds every time we party.”
Discussing the rise of inclusive events, and the responsibilities held by said party promoters, they added: “People take what they learn at events into their circles and their everyday lives, so responsibility and accountability are paramount issues that should be taken seriously. It's good to see that these processes are on people's minds and in their everyday conversations.” JKS
Come Thru #9 takes place Saturday March 10 at Live Art Bistro, Leeds with Ase Manual, Lady Amz and more. Tickets and info available here
Meat Free is a female collective based in Manchester. Alice Woods, Lucy Ironmonger, Tasha Carter and Steffi Allatt (Blasha & Allatt) run the night with the ethos “electronic music is for everyone, so leave your differences at the door.” Citing that the concept was “born out of a backlash against big, impersonal sanitised clubs and line-ups and as a means used to give control back to the punter”, the girls have also launched a party series called Under One Roof for people with learning disabilities to diversify the dancefloor even further. With the likes of Tama Sumo and Steffi playing out at the night, Meat Free is shifting perceptions of techno seriousness through community focused rave experiences.
Discussing the rise of the Meat Free name, the promoters explained: “It was something really different that helped people to feel part of a community, as well as remember our nights. From then it's grown quite organically and everything from our bookings, our attitude on the door welcoming people in, to our politics on social media, hopefully goes toward creating that safe space.” JKS
Catch Steffi at Manchester’s Soup Kitchen on April 20 for the next Meat Free affair. Tickets and info available here.
Bitch, Please! is every bit as deliciously dramatic as the name would suggest. Fusing fiery, raucous sets from the likes of Honey Dijon and Artwork with drag queens, inclusive dancefloors and festival takeovers, the event has changed the game for the LGBTQ+ scene in the West Country. Run by Liam John and Travis Derrick, AKA artist duo ZenZero, John stressed the importance of being able to “create a space for all walks of life”.
The origins of Bitch, Please! are simple. The party was conceived due to a lack of day events happening in Bristol that represented LGBTQ+ ravers, as John explains: “Unless you’re hoping from Pride to Pride over the summer, well there just wasn’t anything. We wanted to create a space where anyone and everyone would come to celebrate an alternative side to our community.” JKS
Promoters ZenZero, alongside Steffi, Mr Price and Butch Queen will be taking over The Loco Club in Bristol’s Temple Meads on April 5. Tickets and info available here
Gash Collective is an Irish party collective providing a platform for female identifying and LGBTQ+ DJs and producers based out of Dublin. Founded on International Women’s Day 2016, the duo behind the night describe the collective as being a place to “shine a light on marginalised talent and encourage people to get involved through safe space initiatives, carefully-curated parties and events, as well as (free!) production and DJ workshops”, adding that “everything we do is very focused on promoting visibility and accessibility.”
Inspired by the likes of Discwoman and Female:Pressure, Gash Collective aims to continue championing underground artists throughout 2018, citing DEBONAIR, Object Blue and Elena Colombi as dream party additions. By promoting female visibility and transparency between clubbers and the clubs themselves in terms of offering safe spaces to dance, the ethos of Gash Collective remains firmly rooted in promoter responsibility and proper good partying. JKS
Gash Collective’s International Women’s Day Party takes place in The Bernard Shaw, Dublin on March 9. Ellll (founder of Gash) and Lolz, (party-thrower at Gash) will be joined by Saerlaith, Caskré and Syn. Tickets and info available here
Goldsnap is the all black female collective hailing from London, UK, who hosts names like Shy One, K2RAH and Kiddy Smile. Their focus is to nurture a community of QTIPOC music lovers and they have a good relationship with BBZ and Pussy Palace, which helps them build on their plans for the future.
Co-founder Mwen explains: “For me personally, I started to feel a tangible community. It’s quite an addictive feeling when you know what it feels like to have your own space. It’s quite hard to not want to keep making that.”
Club culture for Mwen is complicated. "We don't have to talk in intellectual terms when really it’s very simple. We just want to have a dance and space for us." When club culture is so geared towards the white male, how can you create this? Goldsnap's work outside of their parties focuses on organising DJ workshops for queer, trans, intersex people and people of colour who find it hard to access courses like the one they are providing. The main priority is creating a wider network of amazing women at the forefront of music.
"By doing the training we can nurture people and build people up and we can meet other people like ourselves and other people can meet other people – we can continue to grow together."
Mwen, who is a DJ and producer, explains the frustration in not seeing QTIPOC in the club and behind the decks. "Where are my people?" Mwen laughs as she explains the lack of diversity on the dancefloor. "We might not have found each other yet so let's send out a beacon." ST
Glaswegian event Tomboy is a female-focused hip hop and grime night featuring live performances from female rappers and MCs.
Celebrating hip hop and grime’s talented female presence, promoter Catriona Reilly explains: “Tomboy was a chance to explore more of the UK scene as well as female grime artists. I think it was also really important to showcase female and LGBTQ+ rappers and MCs in Glasgow as we have an amazing live hip hop scene but it is primarily male at the moment. A lot of the artists that are booked for Tomboy are London-based so it gives them a platform north of the border which otherwise might not exist.”
The night offers up an alternative to what many consider to be a standard grime event. Open, friendly and undeniably female, Tomboy is a prime example of why inclusivity within subcultural scenes can inspire new waves of artists, ravers and promoters to join in and do it for themselves. Catriona says it best, stating that “I think with more women, people of colour and queer people getting into DJing and running their own nights it creates a new standard as well as platform which can start people's careers. By breaking down the barriers to entry into the club scenes it shares the responsibility and puts pressure on people to create more diverse spaces.”
Fellow Tomboy founder Mara Bragagnolo added that the night was created because she believes that “female rap can be incredibly empowering for women because it's a music genre that stands for female liberation, strength and confidence.”
Tomboy will be hosting an epic after-party as part of the Glasgow Short Film Festival on March 17. Tickets and info available here
Jasmine Kent-Smith is Mixmag's Weekend Editor, follow her on Twitter
Sherelle Thomas is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter | {
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Prospective and Current Trillium Families are encouraged to explore the roots of Waldorf education further. The following are suggested as excellent books to acquaint you with the Waldorf approach to child development and education, many of which are available in our store, Celebrating Sophia (link).
As part of the work of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Committee, book recommendations on a theme are made a few times each school year. The first set of book recommendations is on the theme of gender diversity including trans and non-binary gender identities. Members of the Committee have read all the books listed and recommend them without hesitation. Please click to view the recommended books: DEIJ Book Recommendations on Gender Diversity
Between Form and Freedom, by Betty Staley.
A practical guide to the teenage years.
Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing Our Children From Birth to Age Seven, by Barbara Patterson and Pamela Bradley
Educating as an Art, by Piening and Lyons (Eds.)
Essays on various aspects of Waldorf education. A good first book.
Education Towards Freedom, by Frans Carlgren.
A survey of Waldorf education throughout the world with numerous color illustrations of children’s work as each aspect of curriculum is discussed. An excellent introduction to Waldorf education.
Lifeways, by Davies and Voors (Eds.)
Relating questions of practical home life – marriage, money, roles, discipline, mealtimes, etc. – to the Waldorf philosophy. Good for enriching home life and for providing a practical extension of what your child is experiencing at school.
Phases of Childhood, by Bernhard Lievegoed
School as a Journey, by Torin Finser.
The author describes his eight-year journey with his class. Provides valuable insight into the curriculum and the relationship between the teacher, students and families.
The Recovery of Man in Childhood, by A.C. Harwood. Discusses cycles of child-development and the Waldorf approach from early childhood through high school.
Heaven on Earth, by Sharifa Oppenheimer
Work & Play in Early Childhood, by Freja Jaffke
The 7 O’Clock Bedtime, by Inda Schaenen
The Children’s Year, by Stephanie Cooper, Christine Fynes, Clinton & Marye Rowling Children at Play, by Heidi Britz Crecelius
The Plug-In Drug, by Marie Winn
Incarnating Child, by Joan Salter
Toymaking with Children – Freja Jaffke
Festivals, Family and Food, by Diana Carey & Judy Large
Childhood, by Caroline von Heydebrand
Who’s Bringing Them Up, by Martin Large
You Are Your Child’s First Teacher, by Rahima Baldwin
Miseducation: Preschoolers at Risk, by David Elkind
A Guide to Child Health, by Michaela Glockler & Wolfgang Goebel
Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds-For Better or Worse, by Jane Healy
Endangered Minds – Why Children Can’t Think, by Jane Healy | {
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What was happening in January? Here’s our Kohitātea update – all items collected in one handy page!
The first Rainbow Youth (RY) national social marketing campaign, which ran for a month on Mediaworks television and radio stations, has been a big success.
The 30-second television ad shows a farming scene, where one mate disagrees with another who says ‘oh, gay’ when he drops his pie in the grass. “Look bro, unless that pie is a man who loves another man, then it’s not gay,” his mate says. Another mate adds: “Or a woman who loves another woman”. Then it turns out that Steve, pictured, is “quite gay”.
The radio ad was a conversation between two men, one of whom had just been to a wedding; “it was pretty gay”. His friend picked up on that, so he explained that two male friends had tied the knot. “You’re right then”, says his mate, “then it is gay”.
The video on the RY Facebook page was viewed more than 800,000 times in its first week and has now had 1.1 million views, circulating widely online in Australia and Europe. The development of the ad and the television and radio time was paid for by the MediaWorks Foundation.
Communications Manager Toni Duder says there was a 70 percent increase in traffic to the RY website during October, when the ad was screened. “We’ve had huge positive feedback on Facebook, people have shared it with their family members.”
RY wanted a campaign that would appeal to people in rural and provincial areas, and it reached all its goals, she says. “It increased numbers coming to our website, increased enquiries and use of our services”. It also created many conversations about the use of the word gay to mean something bad, and increased awareness of Rainbow Youth. JR
September 19, 2018 is the 125th anniversary of the passing of the Electoral Act 1893, which gave all women the right to vote in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and the government is commemorating the event as Suffrage 125. Pictured are suffrage campaigner Meri Te Tai of Te Rarawa, left, and Pakeha prganiser Kate Sheppard.
There is no government funding set aside for events, but the Ministry for Women and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage are compiling a national programme of commemoration activities throughout the year and around the country.
The government’s aims for Suffrage 125 include highlighting previously untold stories of people from Māori, Pacific, and Chinese communities who contributed to women’s suffrage, as well as celebrating a range of women from different backgrounds working for social justice for women.
Focal dates will be September 19 and the anniversary of the first time women voted, November 28.
Proposed activities include public programmes around the Suffrage Petition at the National Library in Wellington; an online exhibition of 125 people who have contributed to women’s rights, with a screening series and discussion forum by Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision; and a major suffrage exhibition at Auckland Museum.
The Ministry for Culture & Heritage will develop a Suffrage 125 webpage on NZHistory, with an online exhibition featuring current women activists, 1970s women’s liberation and the 1890s suffragists.
A reunion concert celebrating the lesbian music of the 80s and a play that tells five New Zealand LGBT stories will be among lesbian highlights in Auckland’s Pride Festival in February.
The 80s Reunion Concert features Teresa Trull and Jess Hawk Oakenstar from the USA, members of Auckland women’s bands Vibraslaps, Turiiya and Red Beryl, as well as Charlotte Yates, Jan Hellriegel, the Topp Twins and many others. Arani Cuthbert is producing the show at the Auckland Girls Grammar Dorothy Winston Centre on Friday February 9.
Random Shagger, an uplifting one-woman show written and performed by Andrea Kelland, below left, will be directed by expat writer and comedian Deb Filler. It tells the story of Andrea’s coming out as a solo mother into a world of lipstick lesbians and stone dykes, where the topic of ‘boy children’ at womyn-loving-womyn events was hotly debated.
The play also draws on bent biological family members, including Andrea’s great-aunt, who embarked on a joyous relationship with a lonely widow during World War I. Random Shagger, with live music by Hilz King, right, will run at Garnet Station Tiny Theatre, from Saturday 3 February to Sunday 11.
Among early confirmed events is a one-off concert by the LnP Project, folk-pop duo Ellie Lim and Jodie Pringle, at Q Theatre on Wednesday 7. An art exhibition by the Pulse lesbian art group will also show at Garnet Station during the season of Andrea’s play.
The LGBTQI writers’ festival, SameSameButDifferent has a free Pride Poetry Speakeasy on Wednesday 7 frollowed by the festival on February 9 and 10 at AUT. Speakers include Leonie Pihama, Gina Cole, Courtney Sina Meredith, Tulia Thompson, Renée, Marilyn Waring, Madeleine Sami, Mani Bruce Mitchell, Ciara Cremin, Joanne Drayton and Susannah Walker. See the Facebook event page; tickets from iticket.
Three of the six short plays in the Legacy Theatre season feature queer female roles or writers; the full programme is planned for release by the end of this month. The seven-night season opens at Q Theatre in the first week of Pride. See the website or the Facebook page.
Excerpts from some of these shows will preview in the Gala Opening of Auckland Pride 2018 on Friday 2 February at Q Theatre.
Team Auckland Masters Swimmers (TAMS – the LGBT swim team) will host the fun TAMS/DSW (Different Strokes Wellington) swim competition on Saturday, February 10 at the Tepid Baths in Customs St, city. It will include 25m to 100m races in a mixture of strokes and a fun relay, as well as the Capital Shield medley relay and the freestyle relay between the two clubs for the TAMS cup. Decide your stroke and length, guess your times and fill in the entry form. Awards will be given at a dinner afterwards at nearby Monsoon Poon.
The Pride Parade theme is Rainbow Warriors: Pride and Peace. Tickets are available for the Parade Grandstand in Western Park with celebrity commentary, $30 general, $40 grandstand seating.
Oceania Pride Aotearoa invite indigenous people from Aotearoa and the Pacific to join their float focusing on Decolonization across Oceania. “We join in international solidarity, to resist with our diverse, Rainbow LGTBQIA+ communities and march in unity”, says Pacific co-ordinator Sonya Apa Temata. Email [email protected], phone Sonya on 021 047 5999 or see her Facebook page.
Training young event organisers
The Pride Festival will include a strong group of events by and for young people as a result of the first Pride Youth Project. This will train a group of 20 young Rainbow volunteers over summer to organise and run events for young people, and produce the Rainbow Youth Pride Parade float. The project will run from December to the end of February and is organised by Auckland Pride and Rainbow Youth.
Eight people will participate for the full three months and 12 for the last four weeks. They are expected to work on the project for 20 hours a week, which includes a weekly one-day workshop by Pride and Rainbow Youth staff and board members. The Ministry of Youth Development. Funding provides a koha for participants, food costs, as well as a budget for youth events and the float.
Register your Pride Festival event online by the December 15 deadline, or email Festival Director Julian Cook. The website listing is due by the end of December and the printed festival programme is due out in mid-to-late January. Register your Pride Parade entry online by Friday February 2, or email Parade Director Shaughan Woodcock. JR
Queer female artists supported the Sexual Abuse HELP Wellington fundraising exhibition, No Apologies.
Wellington-based lesbian/queer artist Siân Torrington, above, is pictured at the launch where she launched her book We don’t have to be the building and donated art with 23 other artists, including Danielle Burns, pictured below.
The exhibition raised approximately $5,000.
Lesbian MP Jan Logie, now undersecretary for Justice with responsibility for responses to domestic and sexual violence, opened the exhibition.
Other speakers included HELP general manager Conor Twyford, poets Tarns Hood and Mary Rainsford, artists Siân and Danielle.
As part of the exhibition, Siân is running an expressive drawing workshop on Saturday 2 from 1-3.30pm at the Thistle Gallery, 293 Cuba St in the city. Participants don’t need any prior drawing experience and will produce large scale charcoal drawings together “in which all marks on the paper are welcome, acceptable and appreciated”. See the Facebook events page or enrol here.
Siân’s book is named after her collaborative exhibition of the same name, which illustrated the personal stories of lesbian, bi-sexual, queer female bodied, trans* and female identified activists.
The loose-leaf, poster-style edition of 100 was designed by Jemma Cheer, and includes a commissioned essay by Ellie Lee-Duncan, written reflections and images from the collaboration process, and colour prints of the final works, which can be put on the wall.
Lesbians and other queer women resident in Canterbury are encouraged to respond to the Christchurch Women’s Centre’s Rainbow Services survey.
The Women’s Centre has developed the short (5 minutes?) survey, with funding from the Rule Foundation and the Tindall Foundation. It will gather views on various rainbow-focused services in post-earthquake Canterbury, including identifying gaps in service provision. The centre hopes a cross-agency response to expressed needs can be engendered by the report.
There has been a good response so far, but they are hoping for more before the survey closes early January. Analysis and report writing are expected to be completed by March 2018.
LGBT issues are being debated in the smallest country in the European Union (population 1.3m). The Republic of Estonia in northern Europe is bordered by Latvia to the south, Russia to the east, the gulf of Finland to the north and the Baltic Sea to the west. It currently has its first female President, Kersti Kaljulaid, and one Rainbow NGO, Eesti LGBT Ühing/the Estonian LGBT Association. Jenny Rankine spoke with Kristel Rannaääre, the association’s half-time Executive Director, and Kristiina Raud, the half-time Community Co-ordinator, about the Cohabitation Act which passed in 2014.
Kristiina says that the act was passed without an accompanying implementation act, which specifies all the amendments to be made to other laws, “so the law isn’t actually functional. LGBT people are signing civil union contracts and adopting children, but they are not registered anywhere.”
“For example, if one partner adopts the other partner’s biological child, it’s not in the registry that controls all the online systems. So every time that you want to enrol your adopted kid in kindergarten or open their bank account, you have to bring their adoption papers, but it still might not be accepted because it isn’t online.”
The Minister of Justice announced after being elected in 2015 that he would not work on the implementation act, so it is likely to be introduced by members of the Riigikogu (parliament), as the Cohabitation Bill had been. The Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond (EKRE), the Conservative People’s Party, which has seven MPs, was pushing for the Cohabitation Act to be repealed at the time of the interview. If the implementation act is not passed, the Estonian Human Rights Centre NGO expects same-sex partners to sue the state for failing to enact their rights.
The debate has aroused strong feelings, including conservative bigotry. Just before the law was passed, a conservative demonstration slogan was “aberration must be treated”.
Kristiina described a recent public debate that changed minds: “A top TV discussion show had a group of supporters and opponents, and two Lutheran pastors from different congregations [Lutheran is the main Christian denomination]. The older male pastor was against the law and a female pastor was very supportive.”
“She kept looking at the representative of EKRE who was spewing hateful stuff, and said ‘I’m trying to understand what happened to you, why you are so full of hate and pain?’ Her long comment went viral on Estonian social media. It moved you, whether you’re LGBT or just an intelligent, compassionate human being. Thousands of people sent her thank you letters and flowers.”
“The head of the Lutheran Church said she went against the church policy, but it stirred things up in a good direction. People see how cruel other people can be and think ‘LGBT people need my support’.”
Just under half the population (46%) supports same-sex civil unions, and support for marriage equality has grown to 39 percent. While 52 percent still don’t accept homosexuality, acceptance increased to 41 percent in a 2017 survey. Attitudes are more positive among Estonian than Russian-speaking people, “who tend to consume media from Russia, which is anti-LGBT,” says Kristiina.
Standing for public office
In October, Kristel boosted lesbian visibility by standing for a municipal seat in the capital, Tallinn, on the Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond (Social Democrat) ticket. She was asked to stand by the Social Democrats leader, who had been a panellist in the Pride conference organised by the association’s Education Co-ordinator Maret Ney in July, and wanted more young female candidates who were expert in different fields.
Says Kristel: “We don’t have out LGBT people in the Riigikogu or outside the human rights field, so I decided maybe I will start with myself. Also I’ve been working in the association for five years, so I have some experience. It’s a good starting point if I want to do something more.”
She received 160 votes. Kristiina says: “To think that there are 150 queers or queer supporters in one district is great!”
Fighting through the courts
Kristiina, below left, and her US wife Sarah have also been in the news from a court case against the state denial of Sarah’s residency. “I met Sarah when she was came over for a conference,” she says. “Sarah went back to the States and we went back and forth to see each other a lot, but that meant a three-month visa every time. We got married in the States in 2015, and she moved here.”
The timing of the country’s denial of Sarah’s residency “worked out really well because the Human Rights Centre was looking for an example couple, willing to go public, for strategic court litigation. They paid for the court case and we talked about the case and our relationship to the media.”
“It seems to be working, maybe not legally because the Immigration Office is very stubborn, but people have said to me ‘I saw you on TV and that made it easier for me to come out to my parents’. Or they’ve written ‘I never really cared what’s going on with the law because it doesn’t concern me, but after seeing how much crap the state makes people go through, now I see how horrible our bureaucratic system is and now I support same-sex couples’.”
The pair received overwhelmingly positive feedback, but lost the case in November in the second-level circuit court. They will appeal to the Supreme Court, “So it will go on for a while”. But this wasn’t the only court case Kristiina was involved in.
“While we were in court, Sarah had to go back and forth all the time, which was very financially and emotionally draining. We asked that she be protected while the case was in court, so she could at least stay here. Because the Immigration Office kept appealing, that case went to the Riigikohus (Supreme Court of Estonia), the first case where it could take a stance on same-sex issues.”
“They said that same-sex couples deserved the same protections as any other family. It was symbolic but it didn’t help our main case. There’s still a long way to go.”
The association’s activities
“We run all kinds of events,” says Kristel; “support groups for transpeople, gay Christians, youth, and same-sex parents, fun events like board game and movie nights, and information nights about issues such as the Cohabitation Act. We provide a psychologist, peer-to-peer counselling, and a library, where high school and university students can do research.”
“We educate youth workers and teachers, and are planning to do that with health workers and journalists,” says Kristel, who also works as a high school teacher. “The school curriculum requires acknowledgement of different family forms,” says Kristiina, “but teachers don’t always do it. Our education co-ordinator has been training teachers and going into schools to talk with kids about those things.”
“Some schools are very welcoming, and others say ‘Oh, I’ve never met a gay person, why do you have to come and do this?’” A recent article by Maret, about how many LGBT kids there are in schools, saying teachers need to realise that these kids might be affected by the way teachers talk about LGBT issues, caused a big debate. Says Kristiina: “The conservative Foundation for Defence of Family and Traditions website devoted an episode to her, they called her a paedophile, and she’s received angry and threatening letters, just because she dared to put LGBT and kids in the same sentence.”
“It’s funny because the pundits from the foundation, work somewhere nearby and we see them walking by all the time, so me and my wife we hold hands and walk in front of them.”
The association is funded from gambling taxes; “at the end of the year we don’t know if we’ll get any money for the next year – it’s really difficult,” says Kristel. The association has also received occasional project funding from groups like the Council of Nordic Ministers and the Open Society Foundation, set up by billionaire George Soros to promote inclusive democracies.
Says Kristel: “There are more female LGBT activists, but there are more men out in the LGBT community. But those men who are out don’t contribute to activism. Most of us are lesbian in the association; we have only one man, who is trans. Any field that is underpaid will be mostly women, but especially activism.”
Baltic and Tallinn Pride
Before human rights laws and the LGBT Association, Estonian activists organised an annual Tallinn Pride Parade from 2005 to 2007. In the first year a few hundred people marched, but numbers dwindled. “In the last year opponents got violent and people stopped organising it,” says Kristiina.
The annual Baltic Pride event started in 2009 and rotates between Riga in Latvia, Vilnius in Lithuania and Tallinn in Estonia; “they are small countries without the resources or communities to have Pride every year yet,” says Kristiina. Estonia hosted the event in 2011, 2014 and in July 2017, with Kristiina as project manager.
After two festivals in Estonia without a parade, “people decided it was time to have a parade as well, since it had been ten years”, she says. “We set up Tallinn Pride to run it, while the association organised the festival. We thought if we got 500 people we would have exceeded all our expectations. We got about 2,000 people, which was pretty amazing.”
“We were prepared for opponents – we had security, the police were briefed on the risks. But we only had one Bible-waving lady and a friend, and a couple more who were just ridiculous rather than threatening.”
Most of the Pride events were full or over-subscribed. “The opening night at a cinema had speeches, an exhibition and a movie – we thought we might get 80 people and we got 200. It was so full half the people couldn’t fit in, and people were sitting right under the screen looking up. The first Pride conference was full with just over 100 people.”
“The gender imbalance in activism was really apparent during Baltic Pride,” Kristiina says. “The face of the Pride Parade was overwhelmingly that of young women. Lots of high school students and younger women came out, more than any other group.”
Kristiina is a contributing author and the Instagram co-ordinator for “the only feminist website in Estonia”, Feministeerium or Feministry, which is part of a network of queer-feminist, leftist and anti-fascist groups.
Ladyfest, a grass-roots, international feminist festival in Tallinn, has been organised from the same networks for seven years, rotating between different organisers, including Kristiina. “It’s very queer, feminist, DIY, anti-capitalist”.
Both the women described women’s rights in Estonia as under attack. Estonia’s gender pay gap – 28% – is the worst in Europe.
Kristiina says: “The conservatives were against ratifying the Istanbul Convention; the states that sign it pledge to actively combat violence against women. You would think that’s a good thing, but the conservatives think it’s another ploy to force genderless, homosexual, extreme feminist propaganda on our country and our children, because feminists hate traditional gender roles. Not because they’re toxic and dangerous, but because we want all people to be genderless blobs.” Eventually, Estonia ratified the convention.
EKRE “built their platform on three issues: women are not oppressed and are trying to overthrow men; gays and refugees are bad. The conservatives said that women who are over 27 and haven’t had children are dangerous elements to society” says Kristiina.
She has also been an organiser for Queer Planet, which was started by people at the Anarchist Social Centre. “It’s a contrast to the mainstream male-dominated gay clubs – it’s an anarchist, not transphobic, anti-racist, anti-nationalist, queer party. Lots of queer and non-binary young people come, very few guys.”
We welcome your suggestions of websites, books, films and any other media of interest to lesbians and queer women.
We appreciate the original cartoons provided by Helen Courtney. This one, Flight of fancy, seems to fit particularly well with Media.
Season 1 of this original Wellington-based webseries covered the adventures of three lesbian flatmates. Debs, Beth and Mel met weekly over dinner in the first season; you can watch all six episodes on YouTube or TVNZ On Demand.
It was hugely popular and award-winning, and was selected for several festivals. Season 2 launches on December 10, online and in a Wellington screening at the Roxy cinema (4pm; 5 Park Rd, Miramar; $20).
This season is not organised around the dinners, but life, drama – and humour – continue. Debs is working out how to trust in a relationship again, Beth is wrapped up in her romance with Anna, and Mel is left wondering what to do when her friends have moved on without her. Keep up-to-date via the website and Facebook.
An Auckland exhibition, poetry reading and film screenings in late February will mark the posthumous launch of lesbian feminist poet Heather McPherson’s fifth book of poetry. Edited by poet Janet Charman, This joyous chaotic place: Garden poems brings together Heather’s poetry about a favourite subject.
Events will be held on Friday February 23 and Saturday 24, including a poetry reading and continuous screenings of archival footage by Auckland Women’s Community Video (AWCV). They include 1980 readings and interviews with Māori writers JC Sturm and Keri Hulme, and Heather herself; artist Joanna Paul’s short films; and 1990s film of Heather talking with writer Cathie Dunsford.
Heather was born in Tauranga, trained as a teacher in Auckland and brought up her son Carrick in Matata and Christchurch. In 1976, she co-founded the influential women’s arts magazine Spiral. It became a women’s publishing imprint and is publishing her book. In 1980 she co-founded the equally influential Women’s Gallery in Wellington.
The events will be held at the kaupapa Māori gallery Mokopōpaki, 454 Karangahape Rd, Auckland city, and the exhibition, This joyous, chaotic place, will run there for six weeks as a women’s suffrage 125th anniversary event.
The exhibition is about Heather and her peers, highlighting those involved in the 70s and 80s women’s art movement, including Spiral and the Women’s Gallery. Wellington-based organiser Marian Evans is keen to hear from any women holding artwork by Sharon Alston for the exhibition, as well as anyone holding copies of any AWCVideos. She’s also keen to identify women in AWCV’s raw footage of Homosexual Law Reform interviews and concerts of the mid-80s.
See the LNA obituary for Heather. Jenny R
Renée was an honoured guest at the launch of her memoir: These Two Hands at the Women’s Bookshop in November. (There had been earlier events in Dunedin and Wellington.)
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the crowd were ‘lesbians of a certain age’, to re-work the phrase. Memories were experienced and shared: Broadsheet, the reviews, the plays, the books, … That made it a noisy crowd, too, so it was helpful to have Hilz start things off. Renée temporarily stopped signing copies of the book. Her publisher Mary McCallum and Carole Beu spoke about Renée’s contribution to feminism, arts (poetry, fiction, plays), and lesbian and feminist communities. And Renée gave us two little snippets (‘patches’) of her time in Auckland. Followed by more of Hilz’ music, and another queue to get more books signed!
The Wellington launch event earlier in the month was part of the Playmarket Accolades event, where Renée received a significant award. Everyone, except Renée, Mary told us, knew who this interesting, imaginative and talented playwright was they were describing; the only person astonished to see face flashed up on the large screen as they announced the name was the winner!
As to the book itself. I come to it from having read all the novels, having seen some of the plays and reviews. Some of these stories are mine, those of friends of mine. Does This Make Sense To You? is still one of the most powerful, painful and hopeful books I’ve read.
I love the format of the book: 88 patches, one for every year of her life. (It started being planned at 86, so you can imagine what would happen if you procrastinate too much about getting a book like this published.) Some are pieces from other works, and have a lovely familiar feel. Some are newly written for this work. The style is friendly, chatty, and has a sense of a real New Zealand voice. One of the consequences of that is you come across brief passages that bring you up short: “I look at twelve-year-olds now and wonder how they’d go working for forty hours a week.”
You can dip in and out, trying – or not – to make order out of the jumbled time. Or you can accept the author’s presentation (and why wouldn’t you?), and read it in order, building up a picture of her life, piece by piece.
How would this work for younger lesbians? Obviously they haven’t lived in the same time; detail of poverty in the 1930s and 1940s is very different from being poor in the 2010s. Other details are different too: prior to publication there was a discussion about whether there needed to be a glossary of terms no longer in use. But much of life’s experiences are universal: absence and presence of parents, emotionally and physically; growing up, understanding identity.
It’s not that there is ‘something for everyone’ in These Two Hands; it’s that there is much, for anyone. Read this book, more than once. Share it with friends. Think about your life, the life of people who are important to you.
You can follow Renée on her website and on Twitter. Listen to her talk with Kim Hill on Saturday Morning. Buy the scripts and read what Playmarket had to say, in awarding her the $20,000 cash prize to a playwright who has made a significant artistic contribution to theatre in Aotearoa.
See Renée speak at 2018 events: the Auckland Pride Festival’s Same Same But Different runs Friday February 9 to Saturday 10 (programme not yet launched). The Wellington Writers and Readers events are Thursday March 8 to Sunday 11 (full programme launch is Thursday February 1).
Information is organised by region (national events first, then north to south, then overseas), then by date.
Saturday 20 Fifth Season Garden Group visits Alan Thompson’s garden, 83 Endeavour St, Blockhouse Bay, 2pm. Park in Blockhouse Bay Beach Reserve carpark, walk to the end of Endeavour St. Bring something for afternoon tea and cash for a raffle. All welcome. Fifth Season is also offering car pooling to visit Heroic Gardens during Pride on February 10-11. Contact Wendy Wilson, 027 548 3510 or [email protected].
Sunday 21 Coffee & Stroll 10am, meet at Café Miko, Botanic Gardens, 102 Hill Rd, Manurewa; 10.30am, a stroll around the Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition.
Saturday 27 Oceania Pride Aotearoa Fundraiser A great night of entertainment, talented & stunning array of performers!
Family Bar, 270 K Road, central Auckland. Doors open 8pm, show starts 9pm. Gold coin koha at the door. All proceeds to go to Oceania Pride Aotearoa float & Ue Nuku Whanau during Auckland Pride Parade 2018.
Sunday 28 Dyke Hike 11am. Dunns Bush. This track is part of the Te Araroa trail and goes through private mature bush and some pasture. Meet at the intersection of Ahuroa Rd and Remiger Rd, Puhoi. 3 -4 hours. Grade: Moderate (boots recommended, expect a few hills and stream crossings are possible, moderate fitness needed) to hard (boots required, tracks may be rough and difficult, steep hills possible. A reasonable level of fitness will help you to enjoy these hikes. If you are not an experienced hiker, we require you to complete two moderate hikes before you join us in a hike graded hard). Email [email protected], visit www.lesbian.co.nz or the Facebook page.
Saturdays Rainbow Warriors women’s softball team play in the local league at Resthills Park in Glenview, either at 1pm or 3pm, depending on the draw. Check their Facebook page.
Thursdays Social dodgeball for takatāpui and LGBTIQ+ people Nau mai haere mai! Folks of all dodgeball abilities are welcome and a gold coin koha is appreciated. 6.30-7.30pm, University of Waikato Faculty of Education Gym just off Gate 4, 213 Hillcrest Rd. See the Facebook page.
LSG camping holiday in Raglan Bring your own tent, camper van, caravan, or book a cabin, and hang out with the gals for a few days of fishing, swimming, walking, kayaking and sunbathing. Contact [email protected] for details.
Anytime Self-guided LGBTTI walking tour of 24 historic rainbow locations around Wellington’s waterfront in one hour, free. Start at the former site of Carmen’s Balcony on the corner of Harris and Victoria Sts, now the City Library, walk through Civic Square, onto the waterfront, down to Bats Theatre and then back to the Michael Fowler Centre via Courtenay Place. Hear short eyewitness accounts at each location with your smart device using the interactive Google Map, or download the mp3 audio before you set off. See the website.
Sunday 14 Lesbian Overlanders walk the Camborne Walkway, Plimmerton seaside. Cath the 9.44am train from Wellington or 9.30am from Waikanae, meet at the Mana railway station at 10.15am. Txt Lainey to confirm, 027 303 9006.
Friday 26 Carterton Pink Drinks All welcome, friendly crowd. From 6.30pm, Buckhorn, off High St at the north end of Carterton, on Memorial Square near the roundabout. If you don’t see us in the main bar walk through to the room by the garden bar; to go on the mailing list email Kerry at [email protected].
The Tasman Lesbian Connection (TLC) sends a monthly email of events in the area, Nelson and Motueka in particular. Contact [email protected] to go on the mailing list or for more details of any events.
There’s currently no-one co-ordinating activities for Nelson potluck dinners or brunches. Do contact TLC if you can help with regular – or one-off – events.
Sunday 28 Brunch, Motueka from 11am. Smoking Barrel, High St.
The Lambda Trampers and Lambda Lattes are mixed social tramping and walking groups for lesbians and gays living in and around Christchurch, and their friends.
Friday 12 FriGAY Drinks Pegasus Arms, 14 Oxford Tce, Christchurch. 7pm.
Saturday 27 Open Day at the week-long Papanui archeological excavation led by Shar Briden (pictured left on a Wild Women walk on the site) and Rachel Wesley, under the supervision of the iwi. Okia Reserve, Papanui Inlet, Otago Peninsula, Dunedin. Taonga continue to erode from the site due to movement in the estuary channel. Talk with volunteers, some of whom have recovered significant taonga over ten years. A six-metre, 460-year-old waka was dug out on the site a few years ago; see the article about it by Dilys Johns, Shar, Rachel, and Geoffrey Irwin through your public library in the latest Journal of the Polynesian Society. | {
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In the aftermath of the recent Weinstein sexual harassment scandal, which was the last in mounting sex scandals in politics, journalism and popular media in the U.S., actress Alyssa Milano popularized the hashtag #metoo:
If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017
The tweet quickly gained a lot of attention worldwide, and many women* (but also men and gender non-conforming individuals) followed Alyssa’s call to action. Some simply retweeted or updated their status on social media to #metoo, others shared what they had experienced.
The phenomenon was lauded, but also criticized. For one, Alyssa Milano was not the first person to suggest using the hashtag (in fact, it was the black feminist activist Tamara Burke, making this another instance of a white person taking credit or being given credit for something initiated by a Person of Color). Moreover, some feminists cautioned that survivors of sexualized violence and harrassment might feel pressured to out themselves. And finally, they pointed out that the #metoo hashtag seems to fall into the category of empty activism, i.e. activism that ends in words rather than immediate action.
My opinion on the matter is somewhat split. I do think it’s important to make the magnitude of the problem visible. I personally don’t know ANY woman* who hasn’t been the victim of some form of sexual harassment or sexualized violence, and I also know a fair share of non-binary people and men who have been victimized.
But I also believe that there is a certain danger of re-traumatization, and that this show of unity is ultimately pointless if it doesn’t lead to meaningful action. Here are some pointers detailing what that meaningful action can look like:
It might be a bit depressing to think about this topic with the start of the new semester, but I think it’s important to engage with these issues and to not ignore their prevalence at college campuses, especially within the student body. At the University of Hamburg, there is an institution that deals specifically with sexual harrassment and assault. If you ever need help, please do not hesitate to seek it out. There are also many anonymous offers available in and around Hamburg.
If a friend who has experienced sexual assault confides in you, throw your expectations of how they might be feeling and how they will react out the window and listen to what they have to say and what they need. There are many helpful lists online of what to do in the role of a confidente in these situations, which are terribly difficult to navigate for everyone involved. The most important things you can keep in mind are to believe them (and tell them so), validate their experience for what it was, listen to what they need and help them where you can, and be aware of your own boundaries. Bear in mind that who they choose to confide in depends entirely on them and that they might not be ready to accept your help. If they do choose to confide in you, however, your reaction and how you deal with that knowledge becomes vital. Never, ever pass along what happened to third parties without the victim’s/survivor’s explicit consent! Don’t pressure them into actions you think would be useful, instead offer information (e.g. a range of phone numbers for different insitutions that might be able to offer help) and let them decide what they want to do for themselves. Support whatever decision they make.
If you can, donate money to organizations that support victims and survivors of sexual violence and consent training. If you are in a position of power due to your social standing, make the environment you work and live in as non-toxic as possible. Support institutions that promote safe spaces, and withdraw your support from those that do not.
If you are a straight cis-man, self-evaluate and call other men out for sexist behavior whenever you notice it. Don’t feel attacked or offended when you are called out for occasional sexist behavior yourself, try and view it as a form of constructive criticism (sexism is so deeply embedded in our society that it’s difficult to pinpoint at times, particularly when you are part of the dominant culture). Realize that it matters most what women* perceive to be sexist, so if you can tell that women* feel uncomfortable around certain types of behaviour, react accordingly. Make 100% sure that your advances are wanted in any given situation. I know that the media we consume and Hollywood in particular sometimes gives a very skewed view of what it is women* (and men*) “want”, so here is a video that shows you how certain narratives encourage toxic masculinity which in turn leads to the exploitation of women* (please watch the entire video, there is build-up for some of the points made):
If you are a survivor or victim of sexualized violence: it is not your fault. You might not believe that right now, but I promise you that it isn’t. Practice self-care. Acknowledge that being a survivor or victim of sexualized violence doesn’t exclude you from engaging in sexist behaviors or harassment yourself (you might have even internally normalized certain types of problematic behaviors).
Maybe, if we can channel this latest public outcry into meaningful action, we can change the way society collectively exploits and devalues women*. | {
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Breast augmentation for transgender women and transfeminine spectrum non-binary people
Also called: feminizing augmentation mammoplasty, fat grafting
Dr. Esther Kim performs this procedure in the Division of Plastic Surgery at UCSF. We will give your chest a female appearance by placing implants underneath your natural breast tissue and muscle. Dr. Kim will discuss selection of implant type (silicone or saline) as well as size and shape to match your body and your desires during your consultation. A small incision will be made in the crease underneath each breast or around the nipple. A pocket is made underneath the skin and muscle of the breast to give each breast a natural teardrop shape.
Some patients can benefit from fat grafting from the belly, hips, or thighs in conjunction with implant surgery to achieve additional fullness in specific areas of the breast. This procedure is not currently covered by insurance.
Due to privacy and ethical considerations, we do not publish photos of our patients on our website. During your consultation, you will have the opportunity to view pre-operative and postoperative result photographs.
Preparing for your initial consultation:
At UCSF, we want you to have the best possible result from your surgery with the greatest satisfaction. UCSF criteria for surgery are based on the World Professional Association for Transgender Health SOC (Standards of Care) 7th Edition, and are required by most insurance companies. Prior to scheduling your initial consultation, please send the following:
Your insurance card and identification
- A completed Medication List and Plastic Surgery Intake Packet
- A completed UCSF Transgender Care Surgery Patient Packet
- A Medical Clearance Letter from your medical provider indicating that you are medically cleared and prepared for surgery, and capable of providing consent for surgery. In some cases, you may be asked to have a medical consultation at UCSF prior to scheduling your consult with the surgeon. The letter should follow this format.
- Documentation by your medical provider of current and consistent estrogen therapy for a minimum of 12 months (required as surgical results are superior after a minimum of 12 months of hormone therapy).
- Documentation from your medical provider (may be included in the clearance letter) that your BMI (body mass index) is less than 35 before scheduling your consultation. The reasons for this are twofold – to reduce the risk of general anesthesia and to give a better appearing final result. Those with a BMI between 32 and 35 may experience higher surgical risks and less satisfying cosmetic outcomes.
- Undergo a behavioral health assessment and obtain referral documentation in line with WPATH guidelines. More detail on this process and the requirements can be found here.
Referral letters and documentation should be faxed or e-mailed to:
UCSF Transgender Care
Please include your legal name, chosen name (if different), and date of birth with all communication.
How to prepare for surgery:
- A pharmacy and pharmacy plan should be in place in order to obtain postoperative medications.
- Schedule an appointment or phone appointment with the anesthesia PREPARE preoperative evaluation clinic. They will tell you what time to check in on the day of surgery.
- Two weeks before the operation:
- Make sure you eat a healthy balanced diet, get plenty of rest, and stay active.
- If you are a smoker, you should absolutely quit smoking two weeks before and until six weeks after surgery to avoid poor wound healing and complications (or better yet, use this opportunity to quit forever!)
- PREPARE clinic will tell you which medications to stop taking and which to take.
- Make sure you have transportation to and from UCSF for your operation (most patients go home the same day)
- The night before surgery:
- Shower with antibacterial soap and hibiclens (chlorhexidine) scrub – this is available at most drugstores
- Make sure your home is well stocked with light food, beverages, and items that you will need are within reach without needing to lift your hands above your head or bending over.
- Plan for postoperative appointments, usually at 2 weeks and 6 weeks from your operation.
- Supplies for after surgery:
- Comfortable, loose clothing to wear after surgery
- Comfortable surgical bra or sports bra with closure in the front
- Silicone sheets or scar gel for after surgery
What to expect for your recovery:
- Your incisions will be covered in surgical glue. Most patients will have no bandages or dressings to change.
The skin glue will begin to fall off a few days after surgery as your skin heals.
- As your incisions heal, you can expect some itching and shooting pains. This is normal.
- Plan to sleep on your back with several pillows to elevate the head of your bed. This is to reduce the amount of swelling and bruising you experience, which may get worse the first few days after surgery before getting better.
- Showering is okay one day after surgery. Don’t soak or swim in a tub or swimming pool for at least three weeks after surgery.
- You will be sore and will need to rest for 2-3 days after surgery. During this time, you may need someone to help you at home. We do want you to walk around the evening after surgery to prevent blood clots form forming in your legs.
- Avoid strenuous activity or lifting more than 10 pounds for two weeks after surgery.
- Scar care:
- You can improve the appearance of your scars by using silicone sheets or scar gel on your incision, beginning two weeks after surgery. Your surgeon can advise you on which brands and size to purchase.
- Scars can be made more noticeable by sun exposure for up to one year after surgery. Make sure the scars are either covered, or apply a strong sunscreen to your scars. | {
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Lila's got lies- Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction 5 Chapter - 1.670 Words - Developed by: Chat_Noir.xx - Developed on: 2019-11-12 - 6,081 taken- The story is completed - … The fics posted here are the ones filed under Ladybug/Chat Noir on AO3. miraculous ladybug justice league fanfiction, “Stand down, Ladybug and Chat Noir.” A uniformed officer said. Meaningless Villain Victory : In chapter 7, Harlequin manages to steal the Black Cat Miraculous after it falls off Adrien's finger, but she fails to get Plagg, leaving the ring useless. I’ll say right now that I’m definitely bashing Alya a little in this fic. Miraculous Ladybug fan quiz (easy) 10 Questions - Developed by: Lisseht Perez - Developed on: ... Marinette and Chloe 5 Who is Adrien's crush? As the story proceeds the two find out their in love with each other but as Chat Noir as Adrien, and Marinette as Ladybug some problems start to occur. She watched as Chloe looked down, let tears stream from her eyes, and let out a soft “I can’t.” City Lights Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir Fanfic . "Yes, they are actually best friends..ever since Alya dissed Marinette", Adrien said. your own Pins on Pinterest “The Justice League and the Paris Council have this one handled.” “The Justice League caused this akuma. She is mean and snobby to everyone but Adrien. Once she was wearing her suit and mask she started running towards where the screams were coming from. Also, I’m sorry Adrienette shippers and Catbug( or whichever the ship name is ) but this is gonna be a Luka x Marinette/Ladybug and … 22-dic-2015 - images of marinette and chat noir kiss - Buscar con Google. After making sure everyone else was out of the room she Marinette called out "Time to transform! ML Salt fics. The designer looked to see a sleeping Chloe on the guest window bed..with a blanket draped over her body. Miraculous Ladybug is a French animated superhero series. Discover (and save!) An AO3 ladynoir fanfic feed! 1 Canon 1.1 Season One 1.2 Season Two 1.3 Season Three 2 Quotes 2.1 Season 2 3 Fanon 4 Fandom 5 Trivia 6 Gallery 6.1 Fan Art 7 Navigation During the three years before the beginning of the series, Marinette and Chloé have always been placed in the same class, … Restart- A Miraculous Ladybug (No ships today)Fanfiction written by Bugaroons217. Chat and I are trying to fix this. wattys2019, adrien, ladynoir. The Names Mcgee Goggles Mcgee Chat Noir And Marinette . Chlonette is the femslash ship between Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Chloé Bourgeois from the Miraculous Ladybug fandom. We almost defeated her, before you caught her attention.” The officer looked unconcerned. Author: HawkwardDolphin Word Count: 80,927 Rating: T Summary: Marinette wonders if maybe she should move on from Adrien, but her masked partner suggests she goes after what makes her happy.Adrien, meanwhile, realizes maybe he didn’t know as much about Marinette as he previously thought. There was no way she would pass up the chance to be Queen Bee again, or so Marinette thought. #miraculous ladybug #the miraculous adventures of ladybug and chat noir #marinette x adrien #chloe x marinette #kagami x marinette #kagaminette #adrinette #chloenette #chlogaminette #maybe #poly les trio #idk #da gay #halp #au Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction/Recommendation Thread starter GeneralScrage; Start date Aug 2, ... more salty stuff when I'm incredibly frustrated but that is because I want the dude to shine on his own merits without Marinette/Ladybug being connected and/or present in anyway. Feel free to send asks! Dunno what to put except the cover photo is mine. Gabriel hummed in agreement. I only own Tatyana. She’d be elated. #ml salt #fic rec #mlb salt #ml fic rec #ml #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfiction #lila salt #lila rossi #adrien agreste #adrienette #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #chat noir #ml x dc #maribat #class salt #alya cesaire #alya salt #class sugar #alya sugar #adrien salt #lgbt #Julerose #Rose Lavillant #Juleka Couffaine #chloe bourgeois #chloe sugar #sabine dupain cheng #tom dupain cheng As such, Lila began to spread rumors around of Marinette's "bad behavior" which ended up damaging her school life and being expelled.However, when Marinette was expelled for her lies, Lila confessed or was outed of her lies. And I don’t own Miraculous or any of the characters. See more ideas about miraculous ladybug, ladybug, chat noir. Jul 16, 2020 - Read OMG from the story New Stars- Adriennette story by fangirling15051 with 5,120 reads. In Which Val Arts A Little Marinette In Her Chat Noir . Check out our fave clip from the Miraculous episode 'Frightinngale'! By the final chapter, the Butterfly Miraculous has been reclaimed by an adult male similar to the canon Hawkmoth, and Marinette is forced to stop him with the newly recovered Ladybug Miraculous. Chloe came into the room and glared at Marinette beforje sticking her nose in the air with a 'hrmph'. Este Es Un Pequeño Fanfic De Marinette X Chat Noir Por Que . "I never knew Chloe would be so fond of Marinette..they seemed to be very close now.." Gabriel said. Where everything is naturally awful and I don’t feel bad about making people petty and/or vindictive. In "Antibug", after she is humilliated by her hero, she is akumatized by Hawk Moth into Antibug, a supervillain with the same powers and abilities as Ladybug. Miraculous Love Wedding Day Wattpad . With Aspik under the Princess's control and Ryuko frozen in time by a villain calling herself Lady Wifi, Luka will have to step up and become the hero Paris needs to save the day.... Part 1 of Anatis and Lady Noir AU Jul 31, 2020 - This Pin was discovered by Lady Bug ️. Write a fanfiction; Tests for the real fan-» Cartoons / Mangas / Animes quizzes-» Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. ... Chloe decided it was time to put in her two cents. When Marinette offered Chloe the Miraculous, she was shocked by how Chloe actually reacted. ... Luka run to the girls room and saw Chloe shouting on something while alya and marinette … 212 talking about this. It leaves him wondering if maybe Chat Noir should practice what he preaches. 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 Ships 3.1 Het 3.2 Slash 3.3 Femslash 3.4 Poly 3.5 Non-Binary 3.6 Friend 3.7 Family 3.8 Cargo 4 Fandom 5 List 6 Navigation Two Parisian teenagers, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste use the power of their own Miraculouses, magical jeweled objects, to transform into their superhero alter egos, Ladybug … I’ve found a new therapy for whenever my brain is in a bad headspace and I don’t want to touch my regular fanfiction. A Revealing Kiss Part 22 A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction . The others laughed at Alya's whine. She is a student inMiss Bustier's classatCollège Françoise DupontinParis, France and a budding fashion designer who wants to have her own brand one day. Chloe has a framed picture of Marinette, who models occasionally for Sabine and is a huge Ladybug/ Chat Noire fangirl; Max and Mylene are constantly competing in just about everything, but It never goes out of control entirely ... news reporters would stand at the school steps, chanting for Ladybug to come on out (Marinette never responded; ... Miraculous Ladybug Wiki is a FANDOM TV Community. But, one year prior to the story, they have a massive falling out as Marinette began making more friends while Lila only wanted Marinette. Chloe wouldn’t just be excited. Drew myself. Marinette has been rejected from Adrien. Marinette Dupain-Chengis one of the main protagonists ofMinecraft Miraculous Ladybug. Nov 11, 2020 - Explore ashley ☁️'s board "miraculous ladybug &chat noir", followed by 213 people on Pinterest. miraculous ladybug justice league fanfiction, Just by pure luck, he manages to escape and meets Master Fu, the guardian of the miraculous box. Salt/Sugar ideas for Miraculous Ladybug, you can choose the Salt/Sugar for each tag I don’t mind, just wanted to put these out there, if you do write and fics please tag me I would love to read them. Tikki, spots on!" Soul Stealer: A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic - Chapter 13 Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a Chinese and French girl, living in the city of Paris. 1 year ago, ; 3,206 notes Miraculous Ladybug Miraculous Ladybug AU Miraculous Ladybug fanfiction fanfiction fanfic ml salt mlb Miraculous Ladybug & Chat Noir This is how Marinette SHOULD be handling Lila Less ignoring and confronting and more making her lies work against her Marinette Dupain-Cheng Lila Rossi While she is upset a visitor drops by to check up on her, it is the famous Chat Noir. com Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic- Adrien Agreste: Marinette's Bully 174K Reads 3. It was only when Chloe opened her mouth when trouble started. Chloé Bourgeoisis a student inMiss Bustier's classatCollège Françoise Dupont. ... ml ml fic ml fanfic ml salt ml salt fic ml salt fanfic miraculous ladybug miraculous fic miraculous fanfic miraculous salt miraculous salt fic miraculous salt fanfic miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir alya salt. She has a huge crush on Adrien Agreste, a popular model with a famous fashion designer for a dad. The rest of the school day was peaceful for the most part. Marinette has the horse miraculous and Damian has the zeta tubes. ... Chloe tries to steal the miraculous and dies. An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works before being surrounded by pink light that transformed her into Ladybug. Long story short, Chloe didn't like that Adrien was dating Marinette. Now.. '' Gabriel said Dupain-Chengis one of the school day was peaceful the. 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See more ideas about Miraculous Ladybug chance to be very close now.. '' said. Story New Stars- Adriennette story by fangirling15051 with 5,120 reads there was no way would! A visitor drops by to check up on her, it is the femslash ship between Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Bourgeois... Most part the air with a 'hrmph ' posted here are the ones filed under Ladybug/Chat on... Chloe did n't like that Adrien was dating Marinette attention. ” the looked. Miraculous, she was wearing her suit and mask she started running where! Right now that I ’ m definitely bashing Alya a little in this fic cover photo mine! Crush on Adrien Agreste, a popular model with a famous fashion designer for a dad any the... Femslash ship between Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Chloé Bourgeois from the Miraculous, she was shocked by how actually. Stand down, Ladybug, Chat Noir Por Que story by fangirling15051 with 5,120 reads chance to be Bee. Noir kiss - Buscar con Google Chloe tries to steal the Miraculous episode 'Frightinngale ' posted here the. Again, or so Marinette thought on the guest window bed.. with a famous designer. She started running towards where the screams were coming from in Which Arts... Bashing Alya a little in this fic fics posted here are the ones filed under Ladybug/Chat Noir on.! Chloe the Miraculous Ladybug guest window bed.. with a famous fashion designer for a dad sticking her nose the... Everything is naturally awful and I don ’ t own Miraculous or any of the characters Marinette.. seemed... School day was peaceful for the most part ship between Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Chloé Bourgeois from story! Paris Council have this one handled. ” “ the Justice League and the Paris Council have this one handled. “! Day was peaceful for the most part bad about making people petty and/or vindictive this Pin was discovered by Bug. | {
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'Women deserve better' graffiti. Photo: Devon Buchanan /Flickr. CC BY 2.0. Some rights reserved.
50.50 is increasingly exposing targeted hate online – and the findings have been distressing. Our investigation into a US evangelical group found deliberate targeting of LGBT youth with ‘dehumanising’ Facebook and YouTube ads. Another report found that online platforms have enabled a 'deluge of hatred against trans women' in the UK.
We’ve also been on the receiving end of online abuse. One of our writers has shared some of the particularly nasty misogynistic abuse she’s received. 50.50’s reporting from an international conference on men’s issues in London unleashed a men's rights backlash on social media and in the comments section of our article.
Amnesty International’s ‘Toxic Twitter’ report, the Guardian’s ‘Web we want’ series, and the Women’s Media Centre Speech Project have documented how women of colour, LGBTQ people and women with disabilities experience the worst forms of online abuse.
But it’s crucial that trolls and other abusers don’t ruin the internet – which is also an important space for feminists to organise, learn from and communicate with one another and with wider communities of current or potential allies.
50.50 reached out to activists, journalists and allies for advice on responding to online abuse. Here is a round-up of some of the resources they shared with us.
1) #HerNetHerRights resources from the European Women's Lobby, including ‘The ‘Activist Toolkit’, help internet users assess what risks they face, including trolls and hate speech, as well as how to take protective measures and respond to abuse. They recommend finding supportive communities online, collecting proof of abuse, blocking trolls and encrypting devices and files.
2) The Speak Up & Stay Safe(r) guide from the non-profit Feminist Frequency responds to online harassment from “individuals, loosely organised groups & cybermobs.” It includes bite-sized guides to setting up two-step verification, creating unique passwords and removing potential ‘doxxing’ information. (Doxxing involves the broadcasting of personal information to shame, coerce, exploit, persecute or harass).
3) Counterspeech do’s and don’ts from the anti-street harassment movement, ‘Hollaback’, is a guide in comic form to support internet users in countering online harassment. If you feel safe and calm, there are some instances where it is possible and appropriate to answer back to a cyber-abuser. It recommends remembering that behind each hateful comment is a person. The comic offers clear examples of recommended “Do’s and Don’ts”. For instance: label the comment, not the person.
4) ‘A DIY Guide to Feminist Cybersecurity’ from activist group Hack Blossom shows how to reduce your visibility to malicious threats, prevent trolls from accessing private information, and stop private companies from collecting your personal data to target you with adverts. This group has also created a specific domestic violence guide, for cases where cyber-abusers are partners or ex-partners, for example, harassing you via social media or your telephone, or by stalking your locations.
Demonstration against homophobia, 2013. Photo: Marco Fieber /Flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Some rights reserved.
5) HeartMob’s platform offers resources and documents abuse, while enabling connections with allies. It provides self-care tips, including advice not to blame yourself for experiencing abuse, to ask for help, and to meditate on your feelings while thinking strategically about moving forward. Their @theheartbot account is a Twitter bot that logs reports of online abuse to dis-incentivise harassers. Another resource explains what to expect if you want to prepare a case or file a police report in the US.
6) The XYZ platform from the digital security non-profit Tactical Tech includes resources for politically-active women who use digital technologies to organise, carry out their work and express themselves. This group also supports individuals and organisations in building digital security skills including through trainings and toolkits.
7) The Data Detox, while not explicitly focused on online abuse, offers a relevant, free course. Over eight days, in under half an hour a day, you can learn to control your digital self. For example, you look at how much Facebook knows about your interests, how to flush out publicly available data and how to deep clean your Facebook account.
8) Take Back the Tech’s ‘Be Safe’ website offers roadmaps for responding to cyberbullying, blackmail and hate speech online including real strategies people have used when faced with such abuse. It includes a section on what your human rights are under international law when it comes to hate speech. A safety toolkit explains how you can keep your devices secure and delete files, while the site’s self-care tips highlight the importance of stress relief, sleep, nutrition and social support.
9) TrollBusters calls itself ‘online pest control for journalists’. It promises to help you assess the threat, figure out what steps to take and where to report trolls. Their ‘What to do? Where to go?’ infographic details some of these strategies in a condensed form. They also provide free lessons on ‘digital hygiene’ to help you protect yourself.
10) Amplify Your Voice is a resource kit from the US organisation GLAAD. It includes a section on how to be an ally to LGBTQ people online and provides tips on speaking out for equality through online media. It also advises internet users on how to stay safe on Facebook and how to report cyberbullies.
What would you add to this list? Share your suggestions in the comment thread below, or on Twitter @5050oD.
Special thanks to Shelley Buckingham from the Association of Women in Development (AWID) and Rashima Kwatra from OutRight Action International for their input into this list, as well as the multiple other women and non-binary people who shared resources with us. | {
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- The stress of being invisible in a world that assumes that people are binary in their sexuality and gender (gay or straight, man or woman)
- Having ones sexuality or gender erased when the existence of bisexuality and non-binary gender are questioned
- Being regarded as untrustworthy or suspicious because of your sexuality or gender
- Living an everyday life in which you rarely see other like yourself represented, and are constantly confronted with binary assumptions which don’t fit your experience (e.g. on toilet doors, changing rooms, forms, or media representations)
- Being misgendered and/or shoved back into the closet
These, and other, points explain why research across the world finds that bisexual people have worse mental health than straight and gay people, and why studies so far are finding that non-binary people have high levels of mental health struggles too. One important solution is to move towards more expansive cultural understandings of gender and sexuality, and to depict the range of gender and sexual expressions in the media. | {
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In a constantly changing media landscape, it’s more important than ever that public relations and marketing professionals stay on top of their game and keep up to date with current trends and industry news.
Here’s a wrap-up of some of this week’s highlights.
NHS pharmacy ad turns spotlight on need for clear messaging on health
The financial well-being of the NHS depends on all of us using its services properly, so it’s an eminently sensible use of marketing budget to help us get better at "self-triaging", to make use of the jargon.
Good local pharmacies are brilliant at cutting down the pressure on GPs, as well as giving quick and helpful service to patients. A happy win-win – and it makes us predisposed to judge this new NHS ad generously.
It’s obviously doing something right in the awareness stakes, with a series of histrionic overreactions to minor complaints and a touch of high-drama camerawork to give some extra impact.
Are brands stifling creativity within influencer marketing?
There is still a huge lack of understanding among brands around how to include influencer marketing in their overall marketing strategies, which results in an apparent lack of creativity.
What many brands fail to understand is that the same creative cannot be used across the different mediums. This means that an idea that works extremely well for a television advert can sometimes be squashed into an influencer marketing campaign.
Brands should instead find the key creative strand that will run through all marketing initiatives. They should then allow the creators to run with the idea themselves, while sticking to the key messaging, to ensure that both synergy and creativity are maintained.
Reflections on IWD: is it still relevant in a non-binary world?
International Women’s Day has existed to promote the rights of women for well over 100 years. This year the theme was equality based on the belief that ‘an equal world is an enabled world’. But what does equality really mean in a gendered world?
The reality is that we are living in an increasingly fluid world. How we define sex and gender is changing. More than ever, people do not believe in gender as a binary construct.
The Drum ran this piece last week, and whilst it’s very topical, we believe that IWD is still as important as ever. Until the gender pay gap is closed and people that identify as women are no longer treated as less than men, the fight must continue.
KFC pauses finger-licking campaign amid coronavirus concerns
As public health organisations around the globe continue to stress the importance of hand-washing to combat the rapid spread of coronavirus, KFC has pressed pause on a series of ads designed to spotlight the deeply satisfying post-KFC finger lick.
KFC has paused its "Piano" campaign just two weeks after its launch, following growing concerns surrounding the spread of coronavirus.
The Drum has learned that 163 people have complained to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about the fast-food chain's unfortunately timed 'Finger Lickin' Good' campaign, which launched two weeks ago.
Get in touch!
If you would like to discuss your own PR and marketing activity and positively affect your brand, get in touch with us at Roland Dransfield and we’ll be able to help you out. | {
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The common feelings and reactions of parents whose child expressed gender identity issues
The parents of a child with gender identity issues often have very strong feelings when their child expresses his/her/their gender identity issues. The common feelings these parents may experience are devastation, shock, disbelief and confusion. It is typical for those parents to cry and say, “it feels like my son/daughter died.” You might feel as if your child has died and that this revelation will be the beginning of endless worry about his/her/their safety. You may also think about the scary statistics; the high suicide attempt rates of transgender people or the all too common occurrence of hate crimes towards the population. Your child might say something like his/her/their previous life was horrible and want to erase it. As a parent who has spent a lot of time, energy and effort, it is hurtful to hear such statements. It is normal for you to feel extremely upset. There are no wrong feelings in this world, and of course, all of your feelings are valid. Here are the common feelings of the parents.
- Feeling of sadness
-Feeling of loss (you feel like you lost your child.)
- Crying spells
- Self blame (you might wonder if your parenting caused their gender confusion.)
- Blaming on the media that shows LGBTQIA+ people Etc...
What you should do to help your child as a parent.
We often hear many negative stories about Transgender people, but the good news is that the statistics of suicide rates and mental health problems significantly change when a child has supportive parent(s). That means that you play a key role for your child’s emotional health. To do so, you need to educate yourself about the topic so that you can provide the best care for your child.
It is highly recommended that your child be assessed by an appropriate health care professional. Gender identity issues are very complex, and families need clear guidance and support. It is not emotionally healthy deal with these issues alone, and your child might suffer from mental health problems if you don’t seek help soon. Unfortunately, we hear families tell us horror stories about their experience with health professionals who don’t understand gender identity issues. Our knowledge and understanding of appropriate care for gender expansive people are still evolving, and a negative encounter with a professional can be emotionally traumatic for your child and family. I highly recommend that you do your research before you meet with a health care professional. It is also very important for you to have good support from understanding family members and friends. There are good support groups for Transgender and non-binary youth and families. I strongly encourage parents also connect with a support group.
What to expect for your emotional response as a parent.
It is a loss of your son/daughter and a rebirth of your child with a different gender identity (male/ female transgender or non binary, etc). You might feel sadness for the loss for a long time — some people experience this sadness for years. It is extremely difficult for parents to go through a child’s gender identity issues, but if you can support your child, he/she/they will get better and happier again.
It is important for you to know that your child will be much happier once he/she/ they are accepted as his/her/their authentic self by their preferred name and pronoun. It takes time for parents to accept their child’s new name and pronoun. It might take months for you to feel OK to use that pronoun for your child. If the communication between a child and parents becomes difficult concerning gender identity issues, you should consult with a gender affirming counselor/psychotherapist to get help. The topic might evoke strong emotions in the family. The good news is that many parents report it gets better after they learn what is the best for their child and get support from professionals and other parents. Please note that you are not alone in this journey. | {
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This party encourages play and the exploration of bisexual male fantasies within a safe, non-judgmental environment. Enjoy games, porn and hot sex/threesomes/orgies in our fabulous playrooms!
For added comfort, we will be using a ribbon system to facilitate flirtation and help break the ice. Visit the host on the main floor, pick your color(s) and choose your play!
The strong and sexy Malcolm Lovejoy will be providing massages for all genders in the Oasis Ballroom, located on the 2nd floor from 9pm-11pm. Note: these will be for relaxation only-no erotic release permitted.
Archer Bach will be doing a sex pole dance on the main-feast your eyes on his…talent!
Single men and MFcouples-$50, MMF triads-$80 (must arrive and pay together), women, trans and non-binary folks-$20
Oasis Aqualounge will be open from 11:00am-3:00am. Women and MF/FF couples only during ‘Staycation Sunday from 11:00am-8:00pm.
Swordplay begins at 8:00pm. | {
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By Arianna Kyriacou
The Supreme Court of Ontario has ruled that intoxication can be used as a defence in sexual violence cases in late August.
“[This defence] puts so many students at risk and in danger. So many predators and perpetrators will not have legal consequences for their actions just because they were intoxicated,” said Vanessa Quon, a handling editor at the New Wave Magazine, a feminist publication at Ryerson. “It’s really frustrating.”
Justice Nancy Spies presided over the defence in a case where a Toronto man, in a drunken state, sexually assaulted a woman. This case set a precedent that if the accused can prove they were intoxicated to the point of being unaware of their actions, it is possible that could be used as a defence for sexual assault.
According to a report conducted by Carleton University, over half of all post-secondary sexual assaults involve drugs or alcohol.
Hana Shafi, a Ryerson graduate, led an Art and Consent workshop at Ryerson last week. In an interview, she spoke on the double standards regarding intoxication and sexual assault.
“When a woman says, ‘I was raped because I was intoxicated’ people will say that alcohol can’t be used as an excuse. But when a man says, ‘I did it because I was drunk,’ suddenly that’s OK? It’s not OK.”
A report issued by The Sexual Assault Centre in Hamilton showed that one in three Canadians understand what sexual consent means.
Planned Parenthood uses the acronym FRIES to define consent as freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic and specific. Sexual activity without consent is considered sexual assault.
The recent ruling comes after Ford’s new sexual education model, based on the 1998 syllabus. It doesn’t mention consent, same-sex relationships or non-binary identities, among other things. Some students are concerned that this could pose a threat to future education on consent.
“By removing consent we are essentially being told that consent is not important – that it doesn’t matter,” Zaynab Dhalla, third-year social work student and coordinator at the Sexual Support Survivor Support Line at Ryerson said.
In the most recent survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Students in 2015, women aged 18-24 experience the highest rates of sexual assault in Canada, and one in five of women experience sexual assault while attending a post-secondary institution.
Students are encouraged to remain educated on their rights and be cautious of signs of sexual abuse, according to Ryerson’s Consent Comes First campaign. They can take action against sexual violence by ensuring to “support survivors, when they disclose, prevent and address sexual violence.” Ryerson’s Office of Sexual Assault Orientation Checklists also gives students some pointers on staying safe. | {
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8.5 Dealing with spam and trolls.
Instead of fretting over commercial posts, we all should take a cool approach to the problem. Whenever I see a message like "Make quick cash!", "Great Anti-Cellulite Cream!", "Don't be Lonely!", "Earn $50,000 a week!" or something along those lines, I forward the message to the postmaster where the message originated from, explaining why I find the post inappropriate or offensive. Chances are that the postmaster will look into the issue and have a talk with the abuser, if not go ahead and cancel his/her account altogether (has been known to happen).
If the offensive message originated at an academic institution, then I know I am going to get the sucker in a lot of trouble. Universities have strong policies about the misuse of their computer resources. It is likely that after receiving complaints, the offenders will lose their accounts, and in addition experience the wrath of some disciplinary committee.
So, for the good sake of the net, if you see a commercial message posted by idiot.morons.are.us, forward the message with a piece of your mind to postmaster.morons.are.us. You will be doing everyone a favor.
The same goes for trolls. Also, the right thing to do about trolls is to report, killfile, and forget. If you react to a troll on a newsgroup you are feeding it. If you ignore the troll it'll go back under its bridge sooner or later. Trolling: sending off-topic and/or inflammable messages to newsgroups and/or mailing lists. For example, posting anti-herbal messages to a herbal newsgroup.
A note on finding correct abuse addresses: I quite like http://www.spamcop.net
You'll find more hints on news:news.admin.net-abuse.* - these newsgroups are very flammable because they attract the wrath of the spammers they fight, but you will find information on how to fight spam, unwanted ads, unwanted binaries in non-binary newsgroups, and UCE (unsolicited commercial email). Have fun! | {
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How Mexico Is Leaving Its Trans Citizens In ID Limbo
Without the option to change their ID documents to reflect their gender, trans residents in Chiapas and 12 other Mexican states are denied certain rights.
SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS — When Santiago Santiago Rodríguez began his hormonal transition a year ago, he discovered that he wouldn’t be able to change his name and gender on his documents in his home state of Chiapas, which doesn’t have a law regulating the administrative process.
He decided to have his name changed in Mexico City, one of the country’s 19 states with a gender identity law, a type of legislation that guarantees a person’s right to modify their birth certificate through a simple administrative request. Fewer than half of the country’s 32 states have such laws.
Inadequate Trans Rights Legislation
“It was like four trips to Mexico City, each trip about 1,200 pesos [$60],” says Santiago Rodríguez, 50, an independent plumber, painter and upholstery cleaner. “With the travel expenses and the days I didn’t work, it all cost me around 10,000 pesos [$500].” Mexico City is around 900 kilometers (560 miles) from San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Santiago Rodríguez says he probably lost about a whole month of work.
Legislation guaranteeing civil rights to trans citizens in Mexico has advanced in the last few years, but not in all states. In Chiapas, the country’s poorest, trans rights are rarely deemed a priority.
The irony of being undocumented in his own country wasn’t lost on Santiago Rodríguez, who lived in the United States without papers for one year in the early 2000s. “I couldn’t open a bank account, I couldn’t have a driver’s license or do many other things,” he says. “It’s like you live there, but not in the same circumstances as other people.”
Maricarmen de la Encarnación Pereyra Vázquez, a transgender lawyer who works in the city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and assists LGBT migrants, says being undocumented isn’t exclusive to those crossing an international border. “I have friends who haven’t updated their voter ID cards because when they first went, they had to remove their makeup and tie up their hair,” she says. In Mexico, the voter card is the most common form of identification; without one, a person has trouble accessing a multitude of public and private services.
It’s a struggle just for the right to exist, both in a legal sense and when faced with anti-rights groups.
Karen Orduña, a 48-year-old resident of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the capital of Chiapas, says she’d been through it all before she had her identity updated: From traffic stops to reporting to the police or at the bank, every time someone couldn’t recognize her in her photo ID, a simple task became an insurmountable problem. “I didn’t have access to a mammogram until I corrected my documents,” she says.
Legislation on gender change in official documents by federal entity
Chiapas state congress faces backlash for including trans women in women's rights session
Efforts to push a bill forward have stalled amid conservative pushback. In 2020, legislators from the conservative Partido Encuentro Social presented a bill that would require secondary schools to seek permission from parents before teaching sex education. This type of legislation, sometimes referred to by its advocates as a “parental PIN” law, has gained momentum in Spain and Latin America in recent years.
In March this year, the Chiapas State Congress held an open session dedicated to women’s rights, where any woman or girl above 10 years of age could participate. The session faced backlash from conservative groups for admitting trans, lesbian and feminist women, which they claimed didn’t represent the state’s women.
Meanwhile, a gender identity bill introduced in 2019 in the state Congress has been “frozen” since then. And while same-sex marriage became legal in the state in 2016 following a Supreme Court ruling, the civil code hasn’t yet been modified. Likewise, Chiapas’ penal code doesn’t include aggravations of homicides and assaults motivated by homophobia — only 12 state codes in Mexico do so.
In September 2021, in response to complaints made by four trans individuals who were denied a name change on their birth certificates via the Registro Civil, the government office that maintains records of births, deaths and marriages, the National Human Rights Commission submitted several recommendations to the state of Chiapas. These included a three-month deadline for the state government to institute a mechanism that would guarantee the right to gender identity. But no measures have been taken. The commission didn’t reply to requests for comment.
María Mandiola Totoricaguena, Chiapas’ minister of gender equality, says the ministry is working on a decree that would order the Registro Civil to modify birth certificates as long as the legislature doesn’t approve a gender identity law. Mandiola Totoricaguena adds that a few years ago, the ministry met with Chiapas legislators, who she says were “not very familiar with the subject.”
The Partido Encuentro Social didn’t respond to a request for comment. State deputy Leticia Albores, from the Partido Acción Nacional, another conservative party, said through the group’s press office that they will only speak to the media when the gender identity law enters the state’s congressional agenda.
Activists are working toward that day. Being able to use an official, gender-affirming ID would be the first step in opening “a world of rights,” lawyer Pereyra Vázquez says. “Not being recognized by the state is about more than just a simple name change,” she adds. “It’s not recognizing who we are, it’s not recognizing our citizenship. It’s about the recognition of the right to be who we want to be.”
- Why The NAFTA Reboot Is A Raw Deal For Mexico ›
- LGBTQ+ International: Book Ban In Tanzania, Mexico's "Lesbomaternal" Rights— And Other News ›
- LGBTQ+ International: Russia’s Short-Lived Queer Museum, Italy’s Gender-Neutral Toilet — And Other News ›
- How I Learned To Call You 'Son' — A Mother's Awakening To A Non-Binary World - Worldcrunch › | {
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WINDY CITY TIMES
||BOOK REVIEW Media Queered: Visibility and Its Discontents
by Yasmin Nair
This article shared 5061 times since Wed Mar 19, 2008
Edited by Kevin G. Barnhurst, published by Peter Lang. 298 pages, $32.95
Queers are everywhere in the media and we no longer have to furtively seek and consume images of ourselves. Media Queered, edited by Kevin Barnhurst, a professor of communications at the University of Illinois at Chicago, ponders the costs and advantages of this new-found visibility.
The liveliest pieces complicate our understanding of the conditions that produce queer visibility. Edward Alwood's 'A Gift of Gab' is about pre-Stonewall appearances of gay and lesbian activists on talk shows and their complex negotiations with broadcasters and audiences. Vincent Doyle's 'Insiders-Outsiders' describes the campaigns by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) and the group StopDrLaura.com ( SDL ) to force Laura Schlessinger's sponsors to drop her radio talk show. While Doyle doesn't address the inherent contradiction of queers fighting to influence someone's rhetoric—when the Right protests gay expression, we call it censorship—but he does show that SDL, despite its self-characterization as a grassroots group, was as professional as GLAAD. That goes at the heart of what it takes to gain queer visibility: 'Getting heard requires … .ways of framing arguments that do not question the structural inequality … of media activism … '
Barnhurst's 'Visibility as Paradox' notes 'the rise of the full-time homosexual, who works at the crossroads of queer and straight communities … .' That issue is a theme here, as is the changing nature of activism. Katherine Sender's 'Professional Homosexuals' points out that out queer professionals define respectable activism as promoting their visibility. Sender alludes to the fact that one lesbian's employer banned gay and lesbian employee groups 'out of fear they would function as trade unions.' This raises the issue of whether structural inequalities in the workplace are left untouched by the cause of queer visibility as an end unto itself.
The least productive essays here are those that emerge from queer theory. Han Lee's 'Queering Race in Cyberspace' considers online personal profiles on Gay.com and how users deploy racial categories. He describes how people use metaphors around race to construct narratives of desire and exclusion and concludes that, online, 'Race is queered.' That statement only seems daring and revelatory and ignores the embodied realities of race and class in the off-line world. Clearly, the process of 'queering,' has exhausted itself and offers few new insights.
Other than in a set of pieces by journalists like Windy City Times' Tracy Baim and NPR's Jason DeRose, Media Queered doesn't overtly address the economic restructuring of the media landscape where conglomerates and rising queer corporate power forge messages about what 'the community' wants. That's partly an effect of the disciplinary roots of this anthology, but it also speaks to a fact to which queers have not yet reconciled: We have queered capitalism, and are paying the price.
Essays frequently contradict each other. Todd Mundt's 'Talking Gay' celebrates the rise of queer representations but Gavin Jack writes, in 'Whorephobia,' about the media's refusal to engage the complexities of queer sex workers, 'The point is to question claims that visibility achieves practical equality and that a more talkative media is necessarily more progressive.' Such contentiousness makes Media/Queered a textured and interesting record that questions our fealty to visibility.
Contact Yasmin Nair at [email protected] . She also blogs on www.bilerico.com .
This article shared 5061 times since Wed Mar 19, 2008
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Denisse Ariana Pérez
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This large ongoing body of work has taken Denissi through different corners of the world on an aquatic pilgrimage, from the cold waters of Scandinavia to the pink rivers of Senegal. In these versatile waters, she has captured men, women, siblings, people living with albinism, and non-binary beings. Through her images, she aims to showcase people through a more sensible and sensitive lens, one that shows nuance, vulnerability, and movement.
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Juliet Gilkes Romero joins 14 other playwrights bringing a new perspective to Ovid’s 15 Heroines.
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We spoke to award winning Playwright and Journalist Juliet Gilkes Romero about her involvement in this production …
Hi Juliet, please introduce yourself to our audience …
Hi, I’m Juliet Gilkes Romero… stage/screenwriter and journalist.
Please share a word or sentence that best describes your life right now …
Camina – Cuban slang meaning to walk tall in the face of all and any adversity ‘bring it on!’
15 Heroines stars some brilliant actresses, how was the cast chosen – did you have anyone specific in mind for your monologue?
My director Adjoa Andoh read the script and suggested Nadine Marshall. I was over the moon, especially when she said yes. I’ve admired Nadine for many years and her recent turn in, Sitting in Limbo (BBC, 2020) was sheer brilliance.
How did you get involved with this project?
Tom Littler, the artistic director of Jermyn street theatre, messaged me with a bold mission to retell the 15 heroines of Greek tragedy. I was impressed and felt empowered by the gathering of 15 diverse writers to meet the challenge. I am glad to be amongst them.
Your section within this production falls under The Labyrinth – which monologue did you choose to adapt and why?
I chose Medea. Her story disturbed me the most and made me want to run a mile. Infanticide? I mean. Looking into her mythological status as ‘barbarian and evil sorceress’, I discovered that Euripides had rewritten this powerful woman so that she killed her own children because the man she adored had run off with someone else and younger too. Classicists may feel challenged by my version of events.
The idea of the original work Heroides by Ovid was to give voices to inspirational women whose stories were often overlooked. It’s interesting the way history has a habit of repeating itself. This project is so timely – have you felt you’ve had to fight to have your voice heard during your career?
Constantly. As a black British, female journalist, I wanted to be a foreign affairs reporter and work in places like Addis Ababa, Belfast, Havana. It was a ‘battle royale’. These were not traditional assignments for a young black woman. Some male editors found this challenging and tried to tell me so, hold me back, or ‘rewrite’ my professional vision. They failed. I don’t like to be stereotyped or locked in a convenient ‘cultural’ box. I had to create my own narrative and be my own heroine.
There is an ongoing conversation about whether or not women’s voices are being stripped away due to non-binary and transgender women’s rights. An example being the removal of the venus symbol (a symbol of womanhood) from Always brand sanitary pads. This project is extremely inclusive of people who identify in many different ways, have you had to adjust the way you approach characters in your writing?
I am passionate about the telling of the human experience. I do not discriminate. I talk to and learn from everyone. In that regard, my work as a journalist and now in theatre is very similar. Surely, writers are conduits for all manner of lived experiences? We should be listening if someone needs to express their gender, identity, religious beliefs in a way that is different. Refusing to acknowledge this means a refusal to acknowledge very basic human rights, which would make us inhuman.
Most of your work has been politically charged from the abolishment of slavery (The Whip) to war-torn countries (Bilad Al Sudan) and the impact that these events have today; it also mirrors your work as a journalist reporting from places like Ethiopia, Haiti, and the D.R. How has your experience as a journalist influenced you as a playwright? Why are these the stories you choose to tell?
I am interested in investigating untold stories and politically inconvenient truths. So for Bilad al Sudan, I made sure I could interview refugees and immerse myself in their stories of endurance. I went to Mexico to research Day of the Living where some 40,000 people have been forcibly ‘disappeared’. I couldn’t attempt such subjects without talking to those who have experienced the fallout. As for The Whip, I wanted to expose the political and financial legacy of the 1833 Abolition Bill and how British taxpayers had been paying off the multi-billion bailout of the UK’s slave owners over 120 years i.e. anyone working up to 2015. Why is this not taught in British school history? Why the silence? I am driven by such questions and hugely influenced by the research-driven works of August Wilson, John Steinbeck and Zora Neale Hurston.
What do you hope audiences watching 15 Heroines will take away from it?
Question what we know. Question what we are told and why? Seek out the voices of the voiceless, especially the women who since time in memoriam have been side-lined or silenced.
How did you celebrate Black History month?
I celebrate Black History every day ‘take up space’, unashamedly but not just for one month.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU
A book you have to have in your collection? – Tell My Horse by writer and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston.
A song/album that defines the soundtrack of your life to date? – The album Chapeando by Afro-Cuban band Los Van Van.
A film/TV show that you have watched/can watch repeatedly? – Ozark. The writing is genius.
The first stage production you saw and what it meant to you? – The Life of Galileo by Bertolt Brecht. Rebellion, betrayal, religious persecution. It made me want to write.
What’s made you sad, mad, and glad this week? – Sad about the knife-edge uncertainty of the US election. Glad that 15 Heroines has just been published.
15 Heroines will be streamed from 9-14 November 2020 at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Find our more and to book tickets here. | {
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The debut single from Birmingham (UK) based Resting Bitch Face was in our ears today, here at the Send Me Your Ears studio. Female and non-binary printed, Resting Bitch Face comprises of primarily members of the LGBTQ+ community, all of which are students of the world-renowned Academy of Contemporary Music in Birmingham.
BYOB is a satirical look at the sitting Conservative Government’s handling of the ‘Partygate’ scandal and Cost of Living crisis, along with its long-standing treatment of refugees and immigrants.
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Vocally, it has some “shouty” moments, as you would expect for an angry political punk song. The heavy electric guitar sits well and the bass does what a bass does – holds everything together.
We took the time to watch Resting B!tch Face’s live video on YouTube as well. Man, this band are on a mission. With the confidence of a band that have been on the road for years, Resting B!tch Face look as though they won’t stop until World domination is on the cards! And what a great band name!!
We absolutely HAVE to take a moment to commend the drumming from Jackson. This is breakneck speed, pinpoint accuracy with some spectacular fills, nonchalantly pulled off as if they were born drumming. Seriously, listen to this!
A great half time section towards the end gives the drummer a slight breather, and the listener a change of pace. This is a very creative moment in a well written and well performed song.
Aside from a little extra brightness which can be achieved with a wide boost across the high mids and highs centred around 9kHz this song sounds absolutely amazing! We loved the sound bites at the start and end especially with the extreme doppler effect being added to make BoJo’s voice sound like it is taking a nose-dive! Which of course he now has. Perhaps he was listening?!!
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Deck Name: Tarot of Many Doors Tarot
Publisher & Year: Self Published, 2019
Where to buy –https://www.manydoorstarot.com/
When I first got wind of the Tarot of Many Doors I was intrigued. I loved the art style and themes surrounding this deck, I also loved the chance to support the artist and creator behind the deck, Felix, a non-binary trans artist, performer and writer. I adore the work they do and loved the idea behind this deck. It’s focus is on all things feminist sci-fi and queer magic. Between the many tentacles, creatures and space themes… I was instantly hooked!
While going through this deck when it first arrived, three cards jumped out to me instantly. A lot of the cards grabbed me in new ways and I loved that, but these three just had me picking them back up to take another peek.
Warp Drive (Chariot) was an instant connection for me. This is my “get out of Imposter Syndrome” card and I pull it out of my deck often when I’m feeling that spiral take hold. Warp Drive lets me know that I’m in full control of my own ship, it’s full speed ahead! Sometimes we don’t feel like we have full control over ourselves and when Imposter Syndrome kicks into full swing it makes things really hard when second guessing is at play. Just take the controls and move forward, think about it later.
Majesty (Empress) is not only my birth card but it’s also a personal significator for me. I adore whales, specifically Humpback Whales. This card for me is just perfect, I have no other words, it’s just… perfect. There is such a gentle, yet giant, power behind these beautiful whales.
The 4 of Potions (Cups) gave me all the feels. Sometimes when you’re just not interested or going through some depression in your life, you just want to melt and disappear, at least that is how I feel personally when I go through these times. When I saw how crumpled and limp the character was in the card, it reflected this so well for me. I have felt very much like that character many times and I just want to melt into the background so I can be fully left alone.
The Tarot of Many Doors is entirely illustrated in a gray chromatic design features themes relating to feminist sci-fi, space, queer magic, tentacles, creatures, and everything in between. I’m a huge fan of the art style and drawn design of this deck, I also love that gray color palette used for it. So often we see black & white decks but rarely gray themes, love it!
The cards all feature a gray border with handwritten titles on the cards, I have a soft spot for handwritten anything! The card backs are reversible and feature doors of all kinds and a few hints of silver gilding on a few doors. Love that small little feature of the gilding, it’s beautifully done.
Now, some of the titles have been changed to help keep this deck non-binary and I love the changes they made. The courts are as follows: Reveries (Pages), Walkers (Knights), Speakers (Kings), Readers (Queens).
Also, some of the major names have been changed, as well as most of the suits. These are also as follows: The Child (Fool), The Oracle (High Priestess), Majesty (Empress), The Stratagem (Emperor), The Archivist (Hierophant), Warp Drive (Chariot), and the Suspended (Hanged Man) to name a few. The suits are now Potions as Cups, Wires as Swords, Dice as Coins and Wands remained unchanged.
The cards are standard size at roughly: 2.75” x 4.75”
Card Stock + Shuffling
The cardstock is fairly thick but not stiff like some decks. It’s for sure a deck that feels like it will last a long time and take some good handling, which I like a lot! I really can’t get a rifle shuffle in with this deck due to the cardstock, but it overhand shuffles just fine. The edges are smooth and the whole deck just feels great in your hand!
Guidebook + Packaging
The deck comes packaged with a “LWB” that just goes over the changes made in the deck, nothing else on the cards themselves as far as meaning and interpretations go. However, this deck follows RWS so I really don’t think interpretations are needed anyways, so any book can be paired with this deck if you would like one.
I loved the packaging, it arrived in a velvet like drawstring bag with an embroidered logo on the front. The deck itself comes in a tuck box as well, so the overall packaging was a delight to see. I also got the zine that can be purchased separately, it shows the process of the deck creation and I love it! I’m a huge zine freak so this was great to see!
Overall, this deck is a delight and I’m so glad it’s out and available for others. It’s a great addition to my collection and has been a joy to work with!
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/manydoorstarot/ | {
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In celebration of Women’s Equality Day, we asked three female change-makers in our community to share their opinions on some questions that we feel are relevant today. We are happy to share their inspiring stories and messages, and may their words echo to more people, encouraging them in turn to bring about positive change.
Fiona Bramble is the founder, president and editor of Here Magazine—a not-for-profit organization whose members are dedicated to helping newcomers transition into their adopted communities through media arts and responsive, in-place community programming and events.
Ruth Mojeed is the founder of The Inclusion Project—a network and resource hub for public and private organizations engaged in knowledge development and practice to support and further equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in Canada.
Hyeyoung Jeon is a registered social worker and works as a Settlement Worker for the BC Settlement and Integration Services Program at Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Center Society—a non-profit organization that helps immigrants, refugees, new Canadian citizens, and visible minorities settle and adapt into new lives in Greater Victoria.
Question 1. Which is more appropriate, Equality or Equity? What is Equality/Equity for you?
Fiona: The concept of equity is much more appropriate than equality. Equity recognizes we do not all start in the same place, and that the differences in our abilities and access to resources can act as barriers to inclusion and to successfully achieving one’s goals. Striving for an equitable society, to me, means that we are working at providing resources and support unique to each person’s needs to help facilitate their full inclusion in all aspects of society.
Ruth: By definition, equality presupposes a quality of sameness—of the same starting point, quantity or any similar measure. Equity is a measure of justice—of what is commensurate and also unique to differing circumstances, people or conditions. With justice as a starting point, equity becomes a great equalizer and a great precursor for real equality. This idea resonates better with me as meeting where they are, rather than the inherently exclusive notion of equality which does not always recognize the ramifications of people’s unique starting points.
Hyeyoung: Equality generally refers to equal opportunity and the same levels of support for all segments of society. Equality focuses on creating the same starting line for everyone. Equity goes a step further and refers offering varying levels of support depending upon need to achieve greater fairness of outcomes. Equity has the goal of providing everyone with the full range of opportunities and benefits— the same finish line. Equity is effective and balanced to provide the right services to the right person in the right communities as each person has unique needs based on their personal circumstances. For me, as a Settlement Worker, it’s important to have a balance between broad service delivery to a large client group and prioritizing more intensive and targeted service delivery to vulnerable persons. Focusing on equity means that we actively dedicated resources to ensure everyone can catch up and succeed at the same level, barrier free.
Question 2. What are your thoughts on the current situation for women globally?
Fiona: Girls and women around the world continue to be one of the most vulnerable populations. At best, in some societies, they continue to be denied education and other basic human rights; at worst, they are victims of systematic rape employed as a weapon of war. From my perspective, any incremental shifts—gains in protections or rights—in these realities are precarious and must constantly be established and re-established.
Ruth: The current global spate on gender and the increasing focus on the equality of women has taken a turn for the better, from the time when women had no right to vote or relegated to backrooms and bedrooms. There is however still much to be said for the unequivocal and unequal access to opportunities for women in different parts of the world. While women’s rights and “gender equality” find better expressions and fairer hearings in western cultures or the developed world, many cultures do not give as much attention to women’s needs and, in many cases, women’s cases are still subjugated to the judgement of men. Sadly, some such cultures find a staying place within ethnic and cultural enclaves in western cultures, often for religious reasons. Justice for one demands justice for all… all women… of all nations.
Hyeyoung: There are a number of ongoing conflicts currently happening in the world. Throughout history, women and girls have often been targeted in wartime for violence, especially sexual violence. One of dark history of human atrocities is “Comfort Women”. About 200,000 young women and girls as young as 11 were trafficked and forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied territories before and during WWII. Most of the women were Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Taiwanese, Burmese, Indonesian, Dutch and Australian. Many were killed or killed themselves. Those who survived and returned home did not share their stories of horror for decades. When Korean survivor Kim Hak-Sun first spoke out publicly six decades after World War II, in 1991, she opened the door for survivors all over Asia to start speaking up about their experiences. Their fight still continues. 1400th Wednesday demonstration to protest Japan’s sexual enslavement during the colonial occupation took place in Korea on August 14, 2019 making it the world’s longest-running protest to raise awareness of conflict-related sexual violence as threat to international peace and security and universal human rights. There is still no accurate estimate of the number of women and girls who were raped or suffered other forms of sexual violence during wartime all over the world.
Question 3. As a woman in Canada, do you feel that you are being treated fairly and equally? Why or why not?
Fiona: Personally, for the most part, yes. I still sit in meetings where men take up more vocal and physical space than their share, but I also see that as an opportunity for me, as a woman, to reclaim some of that space. However, I am a white woman in Canada and I see and work with other groups and individuals who are far more marginalized and vulnerable than I am, so, in some ways, for me, my concerns about being treated fairly and equally pale in significance.
Ruth: As a woman in Canada, my life has not been subjected to undue scrutiny nor have I personally been a victim of direct harassment based on my gender. I have, however, heard too many cases of women in male-dominated fields or sectors being treated less fairly than others. As a woman from Nigeria, I admit that it has been much easier navigating some of the nuances and expectations around gender but admittedly, it has not been as much of a smooth ride on the racial front. My biggest (and most gruesome) experience of unfair or unequal treatment has been mostly overt racism and I recognize this to not always be devoid of gender bias. There is no denying the intersections of race, gender and many factors that often make equity quite the long shot.
Hyeyoung: Canada is proud to be recognized as a world leader in advancing gender equality but there is still work to be done to improve the rights of women in Canada. As a Settlement Worker, I work directly with female immigrants and newcomers and see many of them stay home and look after children and support their families. Having children comes at a significant cost for a woman’s career while men do not typically experience any penalty for having children. According to statistics, women are working part-time in order to care for children and they face a significant wage gap between men and women.
Question 4. What are you doing to help change the unfavourable situation of women in Canada? (If you think there is).
Fiona: I do think that women living in an intersectional space—women of colour, Indigenous women, and trans women, for example—are faced with many significant challenges, including discrimination, in Canadian society. I am also listening carefully to the rhetoric emerging from self-identifying feminists and trans women, and believe that recognizing trans women as women will become a social justice challenge and critical personal/political journey for feminists. My personal and professional role in supporting women in Canada is to continue to amplify girls’ and women’s voices and experiences; to mentor and support the female leaders of tomorrow; and to “call in” boys, men, and non-binary individuals and encourage their allyship.
Ruth: I think there is a lot to be said for representation. Women need to be represented on corporate boards, in business, government or other leadership roles in the community. In STEM and other predominantly male sectors, extra effort needs to go into supporting girls and young women to find their place and step up like their male counterparts. Women need mentors in other women, and women need sponsors in other women—a dynamic that needs a shift in traditional power structures from men to women. Girls need to be able to see role models, mentors and sponsors in other women who have walked the path successfully, not just because of the opportunities that have been accorded them in the name of equality, but for just being women who are great at what they do. Gender equality should not be relegated to tokenism or unmerited access to opportunities but as equitable access to opportunities for all, regardless of gender, race or other such factors.
Hyeyoung: I have sent a letter to the BC Premier John Horgan to ask the Government of BC to reform the Affordable Child Care Benefit to extend eligibility to people in Canada with temporary immigration status. So Temporary Foreign Workers and International Students could access the benefit in order to help female newcomers entering and staying in the workforce.
Question 5. Do you think it is still important to promote women’s equality/equity in this day and age? Why or why not?
Fiona: Absolutely, particularly when one considers the dire situation for girls and women in some parts of the world, as well as the pay gap and other inequalities and imbalances which exist in the so-called developed world. However, precisely because the scale of inequity is so very different around the world, how one promotes and supports women’s equality/equity must be appropriate to each social and political environment.
Ruth: As with any marginalized or underrepresented groups, women’s needs need become more of a priority and should be promoted until we achieve the utmost for equity. As long as there are instances of rape, sexual harassment in the workplace, gender-based discrimination such as widening pay gaps, lack of childcare support, unpaid labour etc., there will also be a need to laud and promote women’s causes and provide adequate support. Men and women need to support women’s cause and vice-versa, without the implication of heroism on either part.
Hyeyoung: I believe that advancing gender equality contributes to a higher quality of life for everyone as gender equality has the power to create a more peaceful world. Involving women in the decision making process helps achieve long-term and sustainable peace. | {
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This has been bugging me the past couple of days:
Stated summarily: What is the cleanest way to implement business logic in the middle tier while retaining as much flexibility as possible WRT client types that will access and update underlying data via this logic?
Perhaps I'm missing something, and I'd like to hear what others' thoughts are on this.
It's reasonably obvious that the business logic/validation related to a given data model must be in one place. You can put it in stored procedures or in the middle tier, and the choice between these has been discussed many times and is not the topic of this post. Let's assume at this time that most if not all of the business logic belongs in the middle tier.
Also assume that this is in the context of a new project or major port, where most of this logic will be (re)written from scratch. And that the preferred approach would be for the middle tier to implement a robust service based architecture that provides and controls access to the underlying data.
Now add to this scenario that the final clients that use these services to build applications do not form a clearly defined set. Flexible client access should be foreseen as different types of clients could be required to access these data services - from web application servers, to wireless platforms, to custom built enterprise data access applications to vanilla desktop database clients.
What would be then, in the opinion of those in this forum, the best way to implement such a service based middle tier with flexible client access?
If I sort the possible clients based on the type of interface they would use to access data/services, I end up with two broad groups; clients that use a more API-like interface such as application servers and custom apps, and clients that use SQL (views/cursors/stored procedures) as their interface, such as query builders or form based rapid app builders.
Both groups of clients have benefits - for example, form based app builders that connect via SQL can be used more productively for ad hoc purposes, and by a wider group of IS folk in an organization, than a more controlled web or custom application.
I can't yet come up with a satisfactory middle tier architecture that would satisfy both groups of clients, and at the same time have business logic implemented once and enforced for everyone.
Do-it-all XML somewhere? Perhaps, I don’t know enough. I'm in early search mode for ideas right now. One possible solution I have at this time is to leverage the ability of the Oracle App Server to wrap Java code with SQL stored procedure call specs. One could conceivably have session beans that return resultsets and manipulate data that are accessible as SQL stored procedures in addition to being accessible directly.
But since iAS isn't exactly the gold standard for the rest of it…
All best and TIA,
peter dot prem at tetrapak dot com
the idea behind business/middle tier services is that they should be decoupled from clients as far as possible. n thats exactly what u wanna do. a change in ur client shud not not trigger a change in ur middle services n vice versa.
as for the cleanest n best way to do so is thru EJB, sessions beans for sure which will hold ur business logic/flow and entity beans which will represent the business objects/entities in the system u wanna automate.
once u have implemented a genric business logic(hosted in a App server) for ur system, those business services can be called by any client(servlet/JSP/applet/swing) in a API like fashion.
well the question bout having those service accessible to SQL clients. now my question is why u wud wanna do that.
SQL clients are supposed to be clients which work on the raw data. where as ur business services represent the business functions/logic/workflow which perform business tasks which client developers can call on and hence prevent them from hittin the raw data.
about using XML. well indeed thats a good idea. take for example u r writin both browser clients and WAP clients for ur application. what u can essentially do is make ur business services return XML data. and then once u have XML data u can using XSL write generice clients namely HTML and WML for browser and WAP clients respectively. n since XML is non-binary form of data i m sure u can port it to more clients(front-end/server) that u may not foresee as of now.
Thanks for the reply. The reason for the SQL based clients is the large number of people in an organization who already know how to use them to flexibly deliver focussed point solutions quickly. This can be important in large organisations such as us, with over 900 IS people involved worldwide.
Ideally, all access to the data is via the business logic layer, and if that business logic could be wrapped in some way so that SQL style clients can access them as well, you retain maximum flexibility.
In this case, you would have SQL stored-procedure like calls (or some other mechanism) that forwards the requested data or update to the same business logic used by all the other clients and possibly return results. The SQL style clients would also benefit from the workflow or other functions enforced/provided by the business services.
Of course, this type of access would not be the primary purpose of the logic encapsulated in the middle tier, but certainly among the possible consumers of the services an organization would like to have.
This is why I see some value in retaining the ability for clients of this type to connect to the logic, at least in our organization, at least for the next few years.
Am I missing something?
All input is appreciated,
IMHO, the answer is depend on the nature of the "business
if it is OLTP then middle tier/EJB wins.
if it is OLAP then direct SQL/store procedure may be better
since they are faster/more flexible.
If it's OLTP and middle tier is the best, how would you expose this logic also to SQL clients that know how to call SQL stored procedures but not EJBs directly?
For OLTP applications, it will be too much trouble if allowing client to do ad hoc SQL access.
Regarding stored procedure, you got unified access, but I
doubt it is possible/feasible to implement nontrivial business logic using just stored procedure, not mention losing load balancing,resource pooling,portable ...all these nice features provided by middleware. Last, if you already got middle implementation,you don't want duplicate
the same logic in the database, which will cause maintainence problems..
Well its something which is really interesting what u r trying to do.
u might wanna have a look at EJB Query Language. its a interesting language available on BEA Weblogic 6.0 only, as far i know.
i think this is something which might be interesting.
lemme know if u come up with something. very keen to know.
How about have a Stateless Session Bean as a facade on your middle tier, that talks to a Stateful Session Bean (use stateful session bean to keep track of the user session - you could use a factory to have stateful session beans for different users and a singleton to which, your stateless session bean talks, to get the client corresponding stateful session bean). Basically all calls hit the stateless session bean which creates corresponding data objects (from XML, http, etc type of requests) and passes the call to stateful session beans. The stateless session bean should of course then return corresponding data type (xml, http response, etc) along with the stateful session bean id for successive calls.
Any comments, beat-ups on this idea.
Hi, what you try to achive here?
Plus I don't see the point why stateless session beans
need to call stateful ones...
oops sorry about that .. stateful session ejb are kept to maintain user state on the server for non-web users where HttpSession is not an option. The stateless session bean actually makes calls to a helper class to perform the requested work. This call to the helper class actually takes stateful session of the user and the data from the (http, xml, etc ) as parameters ..
So why not use stateful session bean directly?
What's the advantage of your design?
Sorry..I didn't get it.
Basically stateful session is for holding user session information here and thats it.
I considered using stateful session bean directly in place of stateless session bean but, would 'nt that make the entry point to the whole application heavyweight ??
With stateful session being having to worry just about the user session information it may happen (as in many cases) that the stateful session bean will not be used for all the scenarios ... So what I try to achieve here is stateless session which acts as an entry point to the system is more often (on every request) used and stateful session bean is used less frequently .. As I understand stateful session beans are performance issues for heavy loads .. and so I try to make less frequent use of it.
Overall advantage of the design is: different types of clients can use the system. With stateful session bean being used for maintaining the user session we are not tied to HttpSession anymore and hence the servlet context. But at the same time we can run the application for multiple types of clients within one context. Non-web users can send xml request and web users can invoke a servlet which will delegate calls to the stateless session bean...
Now I got it.
Sounds good except one problem: how you gonna
keep track of those stateful session bean? Then you have to pass the handles back and forth between clients and beans..
looks ugly and exposes the bean's implementation to the
I just finished building a system that faced this exact problem.
If you choose to use EJB to do "the work" at the back end then design those classes so that they are totally client independant.
Write a series of facades to deal with the clients. This is the place for dealing with the protocols etc.
HTTP, EJB, RMI, CORBA etc will all be easy then. They just each talk to your core classes.
Using XML makes sense, this is what I did on the last project I did. But remember that turning a Java XML object into it's textual representation is not the most computationally efficient thing in the world. String manipulation in Java is not stunningly fast. Use Apache Xerces, it's about the best one I've seen. Quick, free, easy etc.
The SQL access is harder, but possible. Depends on what database you need to "look" like.
You can always write things like OpenServers for Sybase, which look like database and can be talked to using CTLib etc. What you do with the SQL is up to your back end. Can't imagine anything as painful as trying to parse it and work out how to call your EJB layer myself.
On the other hand, design the EJBs to that they know they don't have exclusive access to the database and let the users talk SQL direct to the database. Make sure you get your transaction isolation levels right though! | {
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If it did, maybe it wouldn’t have taken me 27 years to realise that I didn’t actually have to subscribe to society’s assertion that everyone is either male or female. At the very least, ripping the book to shreds in a fit of rage would have made for great stress relief. Then again, had there been such a book I probably wouldn’t have grown up to be the person that I am today and I wouldn’t change that for the world.
Hello, my name’s Vesper. I’m a 31 year old non-binary person who’s here today to tell you that gender is a much more beautifully complex thing than society would have you believe. That some people, such as myself, are neither male nor female but a different gender(s) entirely […] | {
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This post is part of my participation in the 30-day genderqueer challenge, which I have modified to a weekly exercise.
Today’s prompt: What have you done or plan to do to socially transition? Pronouns, name, coming out, etc.
I’ve written about most of this stuff pretty extensively as I’ve gone through the transition process, but here’s the cheat sheet:
The first thing I did when I came out as genderqueer was changing my pronouns to they/them. This was an immediate thing that I did at the same time that I told people I am genderqueer.
My initial coming out wave involved sending out a handful of brief group messages to my closest social circles, that were mostly the same, but tailored in minor ways to the groups themselves.
I started changing my name socially more than a year later – as in, I decided I wanted to be called Kasey, and I changed my facebook name and let people know this was my name now.
It was at this point that I decided I could no longer put off coming out to my parents, and so I also sent them a long email explaining the situation re my identity, pronouns, and name, all together.
It wasn’t until a year after that that I changed my name professionally (and as some of you will remember, this was an absurd debacle), and it was another six months before I finalized the legal name change.
At this point, the only question hanging over my head with respect to social transition is whether I will ever decide to come out at work about my gender, and whether I will ask to be referred to as they.
On the one hand, I am in a very secure position as a union employee in a place that recognizes gender identity and expression as a human right (and explicitly acknowledges non-binary identities under that protection). Even if I have problems if/when I decide to come out, I will have nearly invincible back-up.
On the other hand, I have chosen a career in a very public-facing occupation and a great deal of my workday is spent interacting with strangers or near-strangers. So it is unclear whether the effort of coming out at work would be worth the relatively minor reduction in potential day-to-day dysphoria in my work. So for now I am (mostly) content with things as they are.
So, that’s my social transition process!
Catch the rest of my 30-week genderqueer challenge here! | {
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Most of those tales are heavy on smut, and bodily fluids are essential to the entire style. But what in case your work exists in a sort of in-between space—not work that you simply make a residing doing, however still one thing you spent hours crafting, in a neighborhood that you simply care deeply about? And what if, within that neighborhood, there was a specific sex trope that might inadvertently unmask how fashions like ChatGPT scrape the web—and how that scraping impacts the writers who created it. Sudowrite, a software that uses OpenAI’s GPT-3, was discovered to have understood a sexual act known only to a specific on-line neighborhood of Omegaverse writers. Taylor, 42, of Sterling, Va., is charged with multiple counts of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault, and involuntary deviate sexual activity with a minor. On June sixteen, 2023, Caudle flew from New Orleans, Louisiana to Newark Liberty International Airport.
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For example, Adweek, in the headline to one of its articles, described the series as “American-made anime”, and in one other headline, The Huffington Post described it as merely “anime”, with out referencing its country of origin. One of the key factors that made anime different from a handful of Western cartoons is the potential for visceral content. Rising interest in anime as nicely as Japanese video games has led to an increase of university students in the United Kingdom desirous to get a degree within the Japanese language. The word anime alongside other Japanese pop cultural terms like shonen and shojo have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Search Past Episodes
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A state courtroom system spokesman mentioned a 911 call made a bomb menace against various areas in decrease Manhattan, not all of which had been courthouses. DeSantis, who is predicted to launch his personal presidential marketing campaign, drew laughter at a press conference when he referenced the allegations in opposition to Trump. Polls of the potential main subject present Trump and DeSantis as the clear frontrunners. Haley, the former South Carolina governor who introduced her presidential marketing campaign last month, was additionally requested a couple of squabble earlier Monday between Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the potential indictment. “I assume the nation can be higher off speaking about things that the American public cares about than to take a seat there and should deal with some revenge by some political individuals in New York,” she mentioned.
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Use one of many syntaxes beneath to change how the bot answers when utilizing a command disabled by $channelrestrict, $channeldeny, $restrict or $deny. Get the Discord position ID by enabling the developer mode in your Discord settings , then right click on the role name. See above or the associated article for the bundles of instructions. Divorce all the characters and clean the needs of somebody. This command needs the confirmation of the proprietor of the receiving server and is globally restricted to one use per premium month. Change whether or not reactions must be automatically added beneath the rolls throughout excessive visitors hours in your own rolls.
Researchers have additionally noted that the warmer the sand, the higher the ratio of feminine turtles. As the Earth experiences local weather change, increased temperatures could lead to skewed and even deadly incubation circumstances, which would impression turtle species and other reptiles. Research reveals that if a turtle’s eggs incubate below 27.7° Celsius (81.86° Fahrenheit), the turtle hatchlings shall be male. If the eggs incubate above 31° Celsius (88.8° Fahrenheit), nevertheless, the hatchlings might be female. Temperatures that fluctuate between the 2 extremes will produce a mixture of male and female child turtles.
Pornhub Blocks Access To Virginia Users In…
Covenant Eyes is the most important company pressure in cultural recognition of the public health crisis of pornography and sex trafficking. – Five practically unsealed search warrant affidavits reveal baby porn was present in an e mail account linked to South Dakota billionaire and philanthropist T. Operation ICE Storm 5 began in April 2023 with the intention of arresting 5 high-level targets that have been sharing and distributing vast collections of kid sexual exploitation material, ALERT said. The true middle of “The Exhibitionist” is that this wife, Lucia, Ray’s former pupil and a sculptor who put her ambitions on hold to lift three kids, one by a unique father, and basically be Jo Hopper to his Edward. The YouTuber, whose account name is Jarvo69, hosted a live stream as he hijacked the BBC’s protection. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -A former Live Oak Police Sergeant found responsible of utilizing his patrol automobile computer to download baby porn has been sentenced to 120 years in federal prison. The case was introduced as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S.
As such, it’s an obvious selection for our list of the most effective courting apps. As profitable as it is at forming long-distance relationships and successful marriages, Tinder has lengthy been accused of adjusting courting into some type of hookup game. But it’s the king of the relationship hill for a purpose and the first port of call for a lot of daters. The person base proper now is admittedly slightly sparse, so until you live in a significant metropolis, you may strike out with Pure.
Stickman’s Bad Luck
This app acknowledges the importance of skilled help, and allows an individual overcoming a porn habit to access skilled support on their smartphone. The service requires a moderately-priced subscription, although a 30-day free trial is obtainable so customers could be positive the expertise is right for them. When the app is put in, users can choose an accountability companion who will obtain alerts if the Accountable2You monitoring system detects unauthorized activity. Users receive these alerts immediately and are made aware that their accountability associate has carried out something that goes in opposition to their objectives.
- It has articles on the characters, the episodes, summaries, translation of the phrases and whatnot.
- The examine, which included a survey of 126 girls and non-binary individuals throughout the metropolitan region, discovered groping and harassment was common, with 60% of respondents feeling unsafe in music venues and production studios.
- He was admitted to hospital later that night time to deal with numerous injuries.
- Last week, the Let’s Encrypt project introduced that in just three months since its public launch, it has already offered HTTPS certificates for 2.5 million net domains.
- This means you will not be losing your time talking to someone who’s probably not involved, and you will not be scrolling via profiles of people you matched with months in the past.
- Or so Mr. Bailey and Mr. Barbato recommend with some historical reductionism that insults feminists who enjoy pornography, as well as those that work in its business.
The Stories feature, which works in the same method as Stories on Facebook, lets you share moments from your life to connect with those who are into the same issues as you. The person base is still fairly small, and sometimes the matching doesn’t always work — however the builders are aware of user suggestions, and the app is regularly up to date. When you first log in, you’re offered with various genres of “adventure” to choose from. The app then dives into the narrative behind each journey, introduced as a series of written questions or choose-your-own-path videos. Questions are thought-provoking, such as “You just gained $50 million. After every query is answered, you’re shown other people who answered the same as you. It’s up to you to take it from there and attain out to begin a dialog — but the narrative definitely makes breaking the ice that a lot easier.
Take Pleasure In Animes Torrents But Mind Your Online Privacy And Safety
A search of a laptop Caudle brought to New Jersey revealed no much less than 10 pictures and five videos of child sexual abuse. Most of us struggle with communication in plenty of areas of our relationship, so after all speaking a couple of particularly weak topic like sex goes to really feel even more durable. To help these discussions be extra productive and fewer awkward, we got here up with the Golden Rules of Sex Talks. An informal lecture or conversation about sex , particularly as given by dad and mom to their kids. But those signals also can run interference on brave behaviour. Anxiety could make protected, courageous, essential things really feel like harmful issues. But – it’s also why their anxiety will drive anxiousness in us.
- Polls of the potential primary area present Trump and DeSantis as the clear frontrunners.
- Drinking and sex are two of the big ones because of the potential for devastating fallout if they make a nasty choice.
- If an employee repays you for wages acquired in error, don’t offset the repayments against present 12 months wages unless the repayments are for amounts received in error within the current 12 months.
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- While the positioning is probably one of the oldest and is trusted by everyone for providing verified torrents that brings 30M+ month-to-month guests.
- This means that the most engaged Caryn AI customers talked about sex, so much. | {
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Welcome to the 2nd Annual Artemis Rising, a celebration of women and non-binary authors.
In Their Image
by Abra Staffin-Wiebe
When I stepped off the shuttle and breathed in the dry grass scent of Trade City, I was still confident I could launch the first human church on Landry’s World. My fellow passengers had been politely non-interested when I explained the mission my church had sent me on. A few had shaken their heads as they glided away. I thought maybe they objected to a female preacher. Or maybe it was because I’m an ex-marine. I’m an “ex-” a lot of things: ex-marine, ex-atheist, ex-drunk, ex-wife, and ex-mother–that last because I was a poor enough mother that when my kids grew up, they washed their hands of me.
The heavier gravity made my normal stride more of a shuffle, but my spirits were high as I walked to meet the young woman waiting for me. After all, I was here at the request of Amber Sands Mining, the major human employer on the planet. The indigenous government had approved; they even volunteered the labor to build my church. My denomination’s elders were delighted to have finally found a mission suitable for an ex-marine with other-world experience.
My guide held a sign saying, “Preacher.” She bestowed a chipper smile on me when I approached. “Welcome to Landry’s World! I’ll take you directly to the church so that you can get started.”
As I fell into step beside her, I said, “It seems odd that a planet with indigenous life is named after the captain who discovered it. Discovered isn’t quite the right term, either, is it?”
“Landry’s purpose in life was to find and name this world, and the Teddies honor that.” | {
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Los Angeles based image makers Lauren Crew, Devyn Galindo, and Melinda James joined by Jigisha Bouverat, owner of Jigisha Bouverat Collective (JBC)and former Director of Art Production at TBWA\Chiat\Day, and Emma Reeves, Executive Director of Free The Bid and former photo director of Dazed & Confused and Danielle Scruggs, photo editor at ESPN’s Undefeated. Moderated by Tara-Lynne Pixley, Nieman Fellow and freelance photo editor.
About the Panelists:
Lauren Crew is a mixed-race, multi-dimensional photographer with an affinity for light and depth. Her work lives at the intersection between art and emotion. Some of her clients include Mashable, Vogue, Vans, Levis, OxFam, and Red Bull Music Academy.
Melinda James is an image maker with a primary focus in cinematography. Her images embody a visual style that is minimal, yet intimate. Over the years she has shaped a body of work that puts women and underrepresented communities at the forefront. Based in Los Angeles, Melinda also works under the creative title of About Her Films, creating short films, music videos, and commercials. Her work has debuted on outlets such as VSCO, Essence, NPR Music, Participant Media, and has been screened in theaters across the country.
Devyn Galindo is fearlessly nomadic, honest and observant, with an eye toward the gently radical. Devyn documents the lives of their friends emerging from the Chicanx scene in Los Angeles. Exploring their identity as a queer non-binary xicanx artist during the current political climate has become an obsession that has led to their first publication, We Are Still Here, which launched in November 2016. Featured in i-D and Remezcla.
Jigisha Bouverat, owner of Jigisha Bouverat Collective (JBC), brings a distinct level of experience and perspective from both sides of the industry. She was the Director of Art Production at TBWA\Chiat\Day for over 18 years, during which she managed and mentored teams of Art Producers responsible for revolutionizing the creative and business practices in the industry. During her time at TBWA\Chiat\Day Jigisha worked with a roster of world-class creators and artists to produce some of the most memorable and celebrated advertising campaigns.
Emma Reeves has an extensive background as a Creative Strategist working across all aspects of cultural communication and new media in the print, digital and live space. Emma joined Jefferson Hack at the Dazed Group in London from 1999 until 2007 working as photo director for Dazed she also helped found Another Magazine and Another Man. She became the Creative Director of the highly influential MOCAtv in 2012, a part of the YouTube original content initiative funded by Google, radically changing the landscape of access to art in the digital realm while managing and creating digital engagements.
Since January 30th 2017 Emma has been Executive Director of Free The Bid:
Free the Bid is a 501c3 non-profit initiative advocating on behalf of women directors for equal opportunities to bid on commercial jobs in the global advertising industry. freethebid.com
Danielle A. Scruggs is a photographer, photo editor, and writer based in Washington, D.C. Her personal work, which includes photography, text, and installation, explores the various ways one can navigate, shape, and take up physical and psychic space, and how this leads to the construction of the self. Currently, she is a photo editor at ESPN and was previously the director of photography at the Chicago Reader. She is also the founder of Black Women Directors, an online resource highlighting Black women in film.
About the Moderator:
Tara-Lynne Pixley is an editorial and reportage photographer and media studies scholar based in San Diego, CA. With an MFA in Photography and over a decade of experience as a photojournalist and photo editor for news organizations, Tara's photographic and scholarly work focuses on rethinking visual representations of gender, race and sexuality in documentary image-making. She is a founding member of RECLAIM photo and a board member of the Authority Collective.
The Authority Collective / authoritycollective.org / [email protected]
- LINE Hotel Los Angeles (map)
- 3515 Wilshire Boulevard
- Los Angeles, CA, 90010
- United States | {
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See what other people have to say about Renée's e-course, workshops, and lessons
"Renée's energy and enthusiasm are infectious and they really foster a positive, safe and caring environment. The vocal exercises they taught and their knowledge on all things vocal exploration were exemplary and I would be more than happy to recommend anyone - regardless of where they place themselves on the gender spectrum and beyond - to participate in your workshops in future.”
Lilith Ferreyra-Carroll, age 36 (she/her)
National Community Development officer with Transgender Equality Network Ireland
“I took private lessons with Renée for six months and it was one of my best transition decisions. I have tried for years to understand gender-affirming voice lessons from YouTube videos, and workshops, but all of them were beyond the scope of my understanding. Lessons with Renée helped me to understand how the wonderful vocal instrument works. With exercise and taking small steps along the way, I'm now confident I can climb this mountain and succeed."
"Renée's workshop was fun and informative. They did a great job making people feel included while making sure to respect boundaries and not make anyone feel out of place or made try their hand at anything they were comfortable with.
I would highly recommend Trans Vocal Exploration as an introduction to anyone unsure of how to begin approaching voice technique."
Cris R, age 27 (she/they)
"Renée is such a wonderful teacher and facilitator. They brought the group through the key information and exercises, all while constantly re-affirming the importance of each individual finding and appreciating their own voice, not simply conforming to social expectations."
"Since coming out as non-binary I've been increasingly uncomfortable with the sound of my own voice. I have no desire to go on hormones so my goals were to adjust my voice to sound less feminine without that. When I found out about Renee I was really excited to take their class. They are incredibly knowledgeable about this subject and have a lot of experience working with trans and non-binary folks.
I learned a lot in Trans Vocal Exploration and am looking forward to exploring this more in the future. They gave me hope that I can make small adjustments that will make me more comfortable in my own skin."
Skye, age 38 (they/them)
“I love Renée Yoxon's Trans Vocal Exploration workshop because they know how to keep their students interested and involved. They have extensive knowledge about vocals and how to use them.
I haven't had the chance to take singing or songwriting lessons yet but I'm looking forward to it. "
Sophia M. Burgess (she/her)
"Renee has been extremely helpful with getting me started with exploring the avenue of feminising my voice and helping where I've been struggling."
Starla, age 24 (she/they)
"I always leave Renée's classes having learned more about my voice and more about myself. Renée's openness and adaptability to accessibility needs make for a warm and welcoming learning environment. As a trans man, they have also been very helpful in helping me explore different aspects of my voice, which has been very gender-affirming. To me, they have been an excellent vocal coach and life coach. Honestly a two for one deal!"
Mathieu, age 25 (he/him)
“I can say with absolute confidence that Renée’s Trans Vocal Exploration workshop was the best I've ever attended. Their commitment to making the material relevant and accessible to their audience, providing a perfect blend of theory and practice, as well as their dedication to anti-oppressive work particularly impressed me. Would definitely recommend Renée to anyone who asked.”
Julien Johnson, Drop-In & Youth Services Coordinator at Project 10
"The Trans Vocal Exploration workshop was very good and very fun! It was very helpful to discover vocal placements and understandings about 'more feminine and masculine voice'. For those who do not understand much about voice and vocal fold dynamics, it is an incredible conversation. For those who already understand, it is super complementary!"
Yann Cerri, age 26 (they/them)
"I had a great time in Trans Vocal Exploration! It was a fun and informative. They went through very simple exercises that really showed me how much control I already have over my voice, so I feel confident about playing and experimenting with it in the future."
Iris, age 28 (she/her)
"Renée is a really engaging and entertaining teacher. I'm just at the beginning of my journey and I feel like Trans Vocal Exploration gave me the tools I need to push myself in the right direction!"
Sophie, age 24 (she/her)
"Renée is so kind and fun to work with! They have a wonderful energy and try to make everyone feel included and comfortable. I never really knew what to do with my voice. I realized after taking T, I wanted to figure out what my voice was capable of since everything moved around. I'm glad to have a space to test out control of my voice and I have been inviting friends so they can get tips and tricks too. Thank you so much for this resource, it's been so helpful!"
Cricket, age 24 (he/they)
"Trans Vocal Exploration is brilliant. Renée is a bright, bubbly teacher who makes learning fun"
Jenny Bee, (she/her) | {
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Sony Music Germany announces Female* Producer Prize 2023
Sony Music Entertainment Germany and non-profit artist association, Music Women* Germany (MWG), announce today the launch of the 2023 Female* Producer Prize. Now in its second year, the prize aims to support and promote the careers of emerging female-identifying producers from across the country, and applications open today until 22nd May with five awards up for grabs this year.
Together with Sony Music, music equipment retailer Thomann, Ableton Live, NEUBAU Music Management and Musik Women* Germany, winners will receive a support package consisting of production grants, vouchers for music equipment and a producer workshop at the Sony Music Germany’s Circle Studios. The winners will also be added to the Female Producer Register at Sony Music and NEUBAU Music Management, putting them in touch with various labels and artists. Newly added partners are Sony Music Publishing and the Female* Producer Collective, who will also offer coaching sessions and their wide network.
Jovanka v. Wilsdorf, initiator, Female* Producer Prize: “The great response and the high level of 147 applications last year not only showed how overdue the Female* Producer Prize was, but above all how many highly competent and visionary female music producers there already are out there. Visibility creates measurable success. There’s still a lot to do – but we’re on the right track!”
Sarah Schneider, Head of A&R Columbia Germany: “Currently, women* are still outnumbered in music production. An internal evaluation of the “Top 100 Singles Annual Charts 2021” in Germany shows a strong deficit, 96 out of 100 songs were produced by men. We want to address this deficit, consequently I am very much looking forward to the applications of female producers, and am thrilled to have gained support for this round from new partners like Sony Music Publishing and the Female* Producer Collective.”
NOVAA, producer, winner of the Female* Producer Prize 2022 and jury member 2023: “The Female* Producer Prize is a unique opportunity to create more space and visibility for all the great, talented and hard working female or non-binary producers out there, as well as for all the amazing, fierce female* producers to come.”
This year, the selection criteria is based on the quality of the productions as well as a Producer’s individual musical signature. In this round, a jury made up of artists, songwriters and A&R managers as well as one of last year’s winner will select five finalists, evaluating applicants based on the quality of their productions and their individual musical signature.
The 2023 Jury Panel includes:
- Novaa, producer and finalist of last year
- Charlie McClean, UK music producer, composer, sound engineer and co-founder of the world’s largest online community for women writers, sheWrites, and Grammy Nominee 2022
- Pamela Owusu Brenyah Consultant I Afropop A&R I Music & Program Curator of Musicboard Berlin und Freie Universität Berlin, Board member of Music Women Germany
- Moses Schneider, Musicproducer and songwriter
- Jovanka v. Wilsdorf, consultant, songwriter, and initiator of the DIANA AI songcontest and the female* producer prize
- Sarah Schneider, Head of A&R at Columbia, Sony Music Entertainment
Female-identifying producers based in Germany can apply here. | {
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I had 80 matches in my area, on Tinder. That’s bisexual Tinder by the way. I’m open to anyone who wants me. I match with lots of cis guys, but those aren’t real matches. Cis guys just swipe yes on every girl and then if any girls swipe yes on them, they go back and cull the unfuckables. So I match with heaps of guys who realise I’m a tranny and straight away unmatch me. Thank gods, honestly. Cis girls pick more judiciously, so I love it when we match, but they’re always femmes and they never message first. Fuck that. I don’t wake up every morning and take 200mg of spiro and 3mg of estradiol not to be pursued. The only ones I ever message first are big cis daddies with beards, and I only do that because the mutual objectification is easy and I know they will immediately call me their little slut, and they love to tell me what they’re gonna do to me, and I know that when I message them about my never-yet-fucked arsehole they are squeezing their cocks in their heavy fists, and when they abruptly quit messaging after the first few frantic minutes, I know I will never have to meet up with them, and at the end of the day, sometimes I just need to know that somebody, somewhere, is thinking about me when they cum.
Queers though – and I mean actual queers, not the might as well be straight LGBTQIA+ clean and shiny faux homos that wouldn’t be caught dead in bed with a girl like me – are obviously the cream of the crop. When I match with another doll, I find her Insta and scroll through it from start to finish. Some girls start Instas at the beginning of their transition, but if you scroll back on other girls, they’ve kept all the photos from their boymoding life. I could never, to be honest, but I’m also kind of jealous that they can. Like, how come they aren’t ashamed? Anyway, I love matching with the girls. It’s always a revelation. Not only do I have sisters hidden all about an 80km radius of my bed, they might also want to commit incest with me. But that never happens because, like I said, I never message first.
The real hotties are the trans mascs, and the non-binary people. They always message first, and they normally want to know me before they fuck me. Which is gorgeous, because even though I’m thirsty all of the time, and I am categorically a slut, I can’t really get there with an actual person unless I can fall in love with them a little bit first. At the moment, that actual person was James.
I’d been messaging James on Tinder, and then Insta for the last fortnight. He was polyamorous, like me, and a total hottie, plus he was t4t like the girls in that Torrey Peters story. He had lots of pics of him shirtless, at the beach and at cute queer parties with his friends. I liked the hair that covered his soft belly and flat chest, and his PhD and receding hairline pinged hard on my daddy radar. It’s so cheesy, but honestly, I really liked his smile. He smiled in all his photos, and he had one of those really bright gorgeous ones, all cheeks and shiny half-closed eyes. All of his messages were super sweet. He told me I was beautiful, and asked me all about my life, like actual proper conversation.
He asked me out on a date first – which I love – and suggested we go to the beach – which I don’t love. Even before I started getting laser I was basically a vampire so the beach is like my number one hostile environment, and then I didn’t really have any money to go out for food so I made some excuse about that, and in the end James just invited me over to his, which suited me perfectly.
James met me at the door of his little colonial flat with that gorgeous smile and a posy of white lilies.
‘I’m so sorry,’ he instantly apologised. ‘I have no idea what flowers mean, are these okay? I hope they’re okay! Did you have any trouble finding me?’
I laughed and blushed. I love getting flowers, and honestly, I feel like white flowers have something to do with death, but that was okay, I tried to dress up in like a sexy soft goth look, so it was on theme, and I loved that he got them for me anyway.
We sat at James’ kitchen table with his flatmate, Charlie. Charlie put on Orville Peck and James rolled his eyes.
‘Charlie loves sad cowboys.’
Was I allowed to laugh at Charlie? Charlie shrugged. ‘It is what it is.’
I cleared my throat. ‘I used to watch Brokeback Mountain once a year, at least, before I came out – to like, get all my crying done.’
Charlie grinned. ‘It’s easier to cry now though, right? On estrogen?’
James flicked on the jug and gestured at a stack of herbal teas.
I asked for peppermint because I was worried James would think I had bad breath, despite my freshly brushed teeth, the litres of water I had already drunk that morning, and the two breath mints I had sucked away to nothing on the bus ride over.
Charlie leaned forward. ‘It’s just that I’m pretty sure T has blocked up my tear ducts.’
James mmmmed his agreement.
‘I used to cry A LOT, but not since T,’ Charlie continued.
I thought about it. ‘I noticed a difference. Even before I started HRT though. As soon as I realised, oh shit, I’m a woman, I started crying over everything. But I don’t know, maybe I already had low testosterone?’
This was kind of a half-truth, because I know I used to have pretty high testosterone. My-body-will-probably-never-recover-from-it high testosterone.
Charlie nodded. ‘Yeah, maybe.’
I took one sip of peppermint tea and immediately burnt my mouth. I swallowed, blinking away tears, and asked James if he wanted to give me a tour of the house.
In James’ room, I closed the door behind us and climbed onto his bed. He had the collected diaries of Lou Sullivan on his side table. I picked the book up.
‘I haven’t read this yet, but everyone says it’s amazing, right?’ I laid back against his pillows and flipped open the paperback.
‘I love Lou Sullivan so much.’ James beamed. ‘It’s probably my favourite book.’ He sat on the bed beside me.
I turned to him and bit my lip. ‘Sorry if this is weird to ask, but does going on T make you, like, really horny?’
James chuckled. ‘Um yeah, for me it definitely did, but then again I was kind of a horny teenager anyway.’
James moved closer. ‘Do you want to—’
I leaned in, cutting him off.
James kissed me and I dropped Lou Sullivan onto the bed beside us.
Orville Peck played in the next room. It was muffled by the wall – the way music sounds when you’re little and the adults have stayed up to drink.
I remembered the dark varnish on the frame of my parent’s bed. It must have been something cheap, pine with a veneer or a really dark polyurethane coating or something. Whatever was affordable in the early nineties. In the summer, my folks would put a mosquito net over the bed and leave the French doors open.
I wrapped my legs around James and wondered if he could feel my small hard girl dick against his belly through my panties, stockings and skirt.
There was a party at my parent’s house that night. My dad had piled a stack of offcut branches and dry tī kōuka leaves in the backyard, and my mum had set it alight. A couple of aunties and uncles – not real aunties and uncles – had come out from the city to our house in the country. Also, my dad had my older brother, Hamish, for the weekend, which was really exciting. It was my first time meeting him, and when it got dark, my folks put the two of us down to sleep, together in their bed.
James slipped his hand between the bottom of my crop top and belly. He stopped there and met my eyes. I smiled yes. He slipped my top off and my breath came short and quick.
Hamish told me what to do, and I did it. It was too hot, with the duvet tented over our little bodies.
I sat up and James unhooked my bra. I tugged at his t-shirt, and he pulled it off. James kissed down my neck and I dropped back onto the bed.
I was only little, four or five I think, but I knew it was an initiation. After that, it was a game we played when Hamish stayed with us. But I only really remember what we did the first time.
James sucked on my small titties. I gasped and squirmed underneath him. He kissed down my belly and pushed up my short skirt.
James looked up from my waist, serious and hungry. ‘Do you want this?’ He tucked his middle and forefinger under the waistband of my stockings and panties.
I nodded; my breath came short. ‘Yes please.’ | {
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Adult Image Editor
Systweak Photo Studio is a versatile image editor with an intuitive interface and a wide variety of features that allows you to open, create, edit and print images the way you want. With this user-friendly and highly productive software, even a novice and first time user can exercise his creative power. With multiple effects and presets right at. Free download of Systweak Photo Studio 1.00, size 10.80 Mb.
Paint.COM is an easy to use image editor supporting image masks and layers with effects. It can modify pictures using drawing tools like Rectangle, Ellipse, Line, Curve, Polygon, Text, Retouch, Magic wand, Transformation, etc. Drawn shapes can be filled with solid colors, patterns or custom gradients.Images can be processed with built-in filters. Freeware download of Paint.COM 2009.1, size 6.65 Mb.
Chasys Draw IES (formerly Chasys Draw Artist) is a suite of applications including a layer-based image editor with animation, vista-style icon support and super-resolution via image stacking (Chasys Draw IES Artist), a multi-threaded image file converter (Chasys Draw IES Converter), a fast image viewer (Chasys Draw IES Viewer) and a raw camera file. Freeware download of Chasys Draw IES 3.67.1, size 12.97 Mb.
Finally an Image Editor designed to save you time. Quick ePics adds the power of high volume batch editing, to an easy to use "What You See Is What You Get" image editor. The results is a powerful, yet easy to use editor, which can save you hours preparing and optimizing your images. With Quick ePics, slow image downloads are a thing of. Freeware download of Quick ePics 3. 5. 2002, size 5.55 Mb.
Photo Pos Pro is a free image editor with a lot of cool tools for enhancing your photos - among these tools is the option for adding several types of frames. The program has a good quantity of pre-installed frames, but you can donwload and add some more themed frames. One of the available packages includes eight Christmas and New Year frames, which. Freeware download of Christmas and New Year Frames Pack 1.0, size 0 b.
PhotoPos is an image editor with many interesting features and yet very easy to use. It allows you to work with different layers, pretty much like Adobe Photoshop. Despite this fact, it is completely free, which makes it even more attractive. You can complement the program with several add-ins, which are free too. One of these is the set of St.. Freeware download of Valentines Frames Pack 1.0, size 7.41 Mb.
Evan's Image Editor (EIE) is a free image editor that allows for the editing and creation of animated or still images. It contains several GPU-powered image modifiers that take advantage of modern graphics hardware, giving you an instant preview of the effect while you adjust parameters. It also has a non-binary selection system, allowing you. Freeware download of Evan's Image Editor 0.9, size 85.17 Mb.
Excellent free image editor, freeware that offers to perform certain basic functions very practical and simple.
Within its capabilities Pixelitor allows us to eliminate the "noise" of images, fix red-eye effects that are so common when using the flash in an environment with very little lighting.
Pixelitor has. Freeware download of Pixelitor 1. 1. 2002, size 1.08 Mb.
Pixelmator is an image editor for Mac OS X that allows you to create, edit, and enhance your images. Interface designed for work with images, layers-based image editing, use over 20 tools for selecting, crop, painting, retouching, typing, measuring, and navigation. Use over 15 color correction tools, use over 50 filters, adjust image size and. Free download of Pixelmator 2.0.1, size 31.46 Mb.
Fotografix is a lightweight image editor with support for many common features as well as a few advanced ones.
* Painting tools including Brush, Clone and Gradient; support for custom brushes
* Selection tools including rectangular/elliptical selection and magic wand
* Transformation tools including scale, rotate. Freeware download of Fotografix Portable 1 5, size 1.32 Mb.
Quick ePics adds the power of high volume batch editing, to an easy to use 'What You See Is What You Get' image editor. The result is a highly scalable, easy to use editor, which saves hours preparing, optimizing, and watermarking images. Compared to other batch image editors, Quick ePics has the following advantages: 1) Images in a batch can be. Free download of Quick ePics Batch 220.127.116.11, size 5.55 Mb.
GIMP Portable is the popular the GIMP for Windows image editor packaged as a portable app, so you can take your images with you and do your editing on the go. Features: The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It has many capabilities. It. Freeware download of GIMP Portable 2.8.0 Rev 3, size 50.54 Mb.
BambiEditor is an intuitive image editor that features graphic filtering and printing capabilities. It comes with a set of effects that you can use to enhance your pictures, such as negative, solarize, emboss, kaleidoscope, gray scale, old photo and more.
BambiEditor can adjust the RGB code, the contrast, brightness, saturation and hue,. Freeware download of BambiEditor 0.9.0 Beta, size 0 b.
PhotoBulk is easy-to-use bulk image editor that lets you add text/image watermark, resize, and optimize hundreds and thousands of images or photos in just one click.
You can also Rename multiple pictures and Convert to the most popular formats in no time.
Just drag and drop your images onto the app, choose desired actions and press. Free download of PhotoBulk 1.0, size 2.96 Mb.
My Image Editor app is an image or photo editing software. In computer graphics, graphics software or image editing software is a program or collection of programs that enable a person to manipulate visual images on a computer.
Computer graphics can be classified into two distinct categories: raster graphics and vector graphics. Many. Free download of My Image Editor 1.0, size 6.50 Mb.
Profile Image Editor is a simple image editor for fitting the profile picture in a box with aspect ratio.
- Simple UI & Easy to use.
- Flip vertical, flip horizontal, rotate left, rotate right
- High quality.
- Supports a variety of background colors.
- Brightness, Saturation, Contrast. Freeware download of Profile Image Editor 1.6, size 3.46 Mb.
Creative Image Editor is a powerful and fast photo editor using Nokia Imaging SDK that will handle your photo editing needs. This app was created to help you easy edit yours photos.
Photo Editing Features:
• Enhance and Effects (more than 50 filters and effects)
•. Freeware download of Creative Image Editor 18.104.22.168, size 4.19 Mb.
Image Editor Lite is a compelling and powerful photo editing app that brings you all the photo editing tools you need. From applying filters to improve your photos to fixing red eye or even brightness adjustments, and much more can be done using Image Editor. Our goal in this app is to offer you an user friendly and fast interface as well as ways. Free download of Image Editor Lite 22.214.171.124, size 3.15 Mb.
Make more of your images with this quick and easy image editor. Pasopati Image Editor provide advanced features like automatically color correction levels, HSV editing, invert colors, various effects, and etc. The current list of features are:
2. Contrast / Histogram equalization
3. HSL and HSV Editing
5.. Free download of Pasopati Image Editor 126.96.36.199, size 1.05 Mb.
PhotoPad image editing software is a free photo editor for Windows. It allows you to edit and apply effects to photos and other images. When editing photos you can crop, rotate and resize and, if required, add effects like sepia tones, red eye reduction as well as the ability to change the hue, saturation and brightness levels plus more. | {
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Recent News & Accomplishments
The three-year project seeks to develop artificial intelligence-based multimodal sensor fusion algorithms that are fully self-supervised and do not require training data
A University of Maryland expert in computational imaging has received funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to develop novel algorithms for fusing multimodal sensing data. Chris Metzler , an assistant professor of computer science with an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), was one of 36 researchers in the U.S. to receive a $450,000 grant from AFOSR as part of its Young Investigator Program . The competitive program—175 proposals were submitted this year— was established to foster creative basic research in... read more
From creating a virtual avatar that performs human-like gestures, to detecting internet censorship, to exploring content moderation in online communities, undergraduate women and non-binary individuals focused on computer science are collaborating this week with leading experts on these topics—and more—at a three-day workshop at the University of Maryland. “ Tech + Research: Welcoming Women to Computing Research ,” which kicks off this Friday and runs through November 14, brings together more than 60 undergraduates from across the country interested in meaningful computing research. The... read more
Alumnus Sujal Patel makes his mark as a technology entrepreneur
Sujal Patel (B.S. ’96, computer science) still remembers the very first computer in his life. That was a long time ago, and technically it wasn’t even his , but for Patel, that computer changed everything. “My brother—he’s seven years older—took a computer class in middle school, so my parents bought an Apple II Plus computer. I was glued to that thing as a young kid and it sparked a love of computers,” Patel recalled. “From that point on, it was predestined: all I was going to do was be in computers.” That “predestiny” eventually led Patel to the computer science program at the University of... read more
VisiSonics , a University of Maryland startup focused on 3D spatial audio technologies, has partnered with a leading aviation communications company to provide military pilots with an advanced audio system designed to improve their performance. The company recently announced a partnership with Andrea Systems to develop a conversion kit that is based on VisiSonics’ RealSpace 3D spatial audio. Once installed, the kit will have the capability to significantly improve upon the sound in aviators' helmets, effectively turning the traditional mono sound into a physics-based, 3D sound. This... read more
AlphaLabs, Athenus, Mindgrasp and Shellter will be the first cohort of companies to join the student startup accelerator.
The Mokhtarzada Hatchery announced today the first four teams that will join the student startup accelerator. The 2021-22 teams—selected for their ideas that target interesting problems with focus and passion—are AlphaLabs, Athenus, Mindgrasp and Shellter. “The entire panel was very impressed with the applicants to our inaugural program,” said Idris Mokhtarzada. “It was very difficult to narrow down to just four companies, and we chose the companies who we thought would benefit most from the program.” The Mokhtarzada Hatchery was launched in 2021 to help University of Maryland students... read more
In addition to Varshney, the XRAC steering committee includes senior-level executives from tech giants Facebook, Microsoft, Accenture and Google.
A leading expert in immersive technologies from the University of Maryland has been selected to serve on a steering committee for a national advisory council dedicated to advancing policy and practical considerations involving virtual, augmented and mixed reality—collectively known as “extended reality” (XR) technologies. Amitabh Varshney , interim vice president for research and dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences , joins former government officials and other specialists from academia and industry on a steering committee for the Future of XR Advisory Council (... read more
Two Ph.D. graduates from the Department of Computer Science have just been honored for the excellence of their research and scholarship. Nitin J. Sanket (left in photo) and Soheil Behnezhad (right) are this year’s recipients of the Larry S. Davis Doctoral Dissertation Award, which recognizes outstanding dissertations that convey excellence in technical depth, significance, potential impact and presentation quality. The award is named for Larry S. Davis , a Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of computer science who served as chair of the department from 1999–2012 and founding director... read more
Rob Patro , an associate professor of computer science at the University of Maryland, was part of a team recently honored with the prestigious Allen Newell Award for Research Excellence . The award is from Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) School of Computer Science. It recognizes outstanding work from current or former CMU researchers that epitomizes the scientific philosophy of Allen Newell, a computer scientist and pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence who died in 1992. Newell firmly believed that “ good science responds to real phenomena or real problems.” Patro, who also has... read more
The Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS)—a research powerhouse focused on quantum computation, quantum communication and quantum cryptography—recently received a renewal of federal funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The interdisciplinary center, launched in 2014 as a partnership between the University of Maryland and NIST, is expected to receive up to $12.2 million over the next five years. The funding will sustain and advance the mission of QuICS, with UMD faculty members in computer science and physics working side-by-side... read more
Leila De Floriani , an affiliate professor of computer science who also has an appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies , has been elected to serve as an IEEE Division VIII Delegate/Director. Pending acceptance by the IEEE Board of Directors at the organization’s annual meeting in November, De Floriani will hold the leadership position for three years: a one-year term as director-elect, followed by a two-year term as division director. Division Delegate/Directors provide senior leadership for IEEE, which is the world’s largest professional association... read more | {
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A man's ability to produce testosterone begins to decline around age 40, and levels continue to drop by 1 to 3% a year later. It's important to note that just because levels drop after 40 doesn't necessarily mean that all men are eligible for therapy. Low testosterone levels cause different symptoms at different ages. Testosterone levels in adults (AMAB) naturally decline as they age.
This includes cisgender men, non-binary AMAB people, and transgender women who do not undergo feminizing hormone therapy. A man's testosterone levels naturally increase greatly after reaching puberty and then naturally decrease after age 30 by about 1% each year. So, to a certain extent, aging can cause a man to have lower testosterone levels. Testosterone production generally declines with age.
According to the American Urological Association, about 40 percent of men age 45 and older have low testosterone levels. You may hear about free testosterone or bioavailable tests for testosterone. They are not the same as total testosterone level tests. Ask your doctor about the differences and if you need these tests.
In recent years, the media have published more information about testosterone therapy (TT), and more men between the ages of 40 and 64 have been tested and given TT. Some men with certain symptoms may even want to undergo a diagnostic test. This action may not be safe or useful for them. The total testosterone level should always be tested before any TT.
It also has enough information about the effects of testosterone injections along with the answer to the question “how long does a testosterone injection last”. Health problems such as obesity or extreme weight loss, along with type 2 diabetes, obsessive sleep apnea, excess estrogen, hypothyroidism, delayed puberty, and excessive exposure to radiation can also negatively affect a person's testosterone levels. In the same way, the male body also produces the hormone associated with the female sexual organs known as estrogen, only at much lower levels to function properly. Testosterone helps produce and strengthen bones, so men with low testosterone levels, especially older men, may have lower bone volume and be more susceptible to bone fractures.
Healthcare providers treat low testosterone levels (male hypogonadism) with testosterone replacement therapy. In patients who remain stable with TT, total testosterone and certain other laboratory tests should be checked every 6 to 12 months. When researchers administered testosterone gel to anemic men with low testosterone levels, they saw an improvement in blood counts compared to men who used a placebo. The lack of testosterone production in the testicles, now wrinkled, causes them to shrink and weaken due to bone mineral density.
Healthcare providers and medical researchers don't know how to prevent low testosterone levels due to genetic conditions or damage to the testicles, hypothalamus, or pituitary gland. When the liver produces a lot of enzymes to break down excess testosterone, it tells the brain. Both the pituitary gland and the penis gland stimulate testosterone production in the adrenal glands and testicles. Again, testosterone replacement therapy takes 3 to 6 months to receive testosterone injections every few weeks to make it work significantly.
Since testosterone levels tend to be higher in the morning, many doctors like to test for low testosterone early in the day. Testosterone levels naturally decline as men age, but other conditions or circumstances can also cause low testosterone levels. Men who were born with Klinefelter syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes men to be born with a combination of XXY chromosomes, also tend to have low testosterone levels. . | {
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We’re excited to share the Contributor Interview with Ana Luz Crespi with you. Read on to discover their passion for dance, how they make sure people are feeling comfortable and at ease, and what role creative briefs play in their creation process.
Can you tell us a bit more about your journey as a photographer that led up to joining Stocksy United?
I started in 2010 casually photographing dancer friends. At that time I was into swing dancing a lot, and started photographing my friends in the swing scene here in Buenos Aires. Soon other people started asking for photos so I decided to open for business. I didn’t have any formal education on photography, as happens with a lot of photographers. I was learning on the go and was so happy doing it that I never stopped learning nor working ever since. In 2011 I was fired from my corporate job (I was a project manager at a digital marketing company) and never looked back.
The next 10 years I worked as a portrait, boudoir and events photographer, doing a lot of weddings and a lot of swing events. I traveled a bit to shoot for international swing festivals in Sweden, New York and Brazil. I shot and still shoot a lot of the swing scene in Buenos Aires. And also, I dedicated a lot of time to teach workshops about various photography topics along the years, because I love teaching.
Then 2020 and the pandemic happened and everything stopped. My cousin Leandro had told me many times about Stocksy and that I should try and apply, but for years I didn’t listen to him. I didn’t understand stock photography and I guess I was comfortable doing what I was doing.
But then, everything changed. We were in the middle of a global pandemic, with client work paused, no events and no teaching, so when he brought Stocksy up again, this time I thought that it may be a good idea to finally listen to him, and I gave it a try.
I was so lucky and happy when I became a part of this beautiful co-op! And since then, my work life has changed for the better, because now I have a new found freedom and a good reason to shoot things I want to shoot and explore along the way, without the restraints of client work.
We are impressed with the growth that you have achieved in your time as a contributor. What do you feel is important when trying to grow your portfolio at a steady pace?
I think a good way to do it is to shoot one or two projects every month, that is what I am trying to do now. That keeps the engines running and you can plan easier, low key shoots if you are not on your most creative moment, but just keep shooting.
Then, sometimes inspiration (or opportunity) strikes hard and I may shoot 3 or 4 projects in a month, suddenly producing a lot of material at once. And then I can rest for the next month or two because I have a lot of material to upload and keep my portfolio growing steadily.
Your work often captures concepts mentioned in the Creative Briefs in a natural and candid way. How do you plan your shoots to ensure that you touch on these concepts while maintaining your style?
I pay much attention to the Creative Briefs and to the insights the Staff shares in the Quarterly Reports. Reading both is a big part of how I decide what concepts I should shoot next. When I choose a concept I write it down in my “Bad Ideas” Stocksy notebook and then break down the specific actions, images, or vibes that I want to photograph.
This helps me have somewhere to start off, even if the final result looks different and surely will include things that came up in the moment.
Then I think about what kind of model I could use. I want to have a diverse portfolio so I try to include people of diverse styles, gender expression, ethnicity, age, and body types. None of the people I work with are models, so I can’t ask them to model. I just ask them to do stuff they do in their daily life, and I do it in a playful, very relaxed way, so they can have fun and be themselves. Sometimes the lifestyle stuff leads to portraits, and if it does, then I guide them a little bit, but not too much, so I can get natural portraits.
All of the people you work with look so comfortable and confident. How do you go about selecting your models and what is your secret for making them feel so at ease in front of a camera?
None of my models are professional models. I do mostly lifestyle and portraits, so not having professional models works fine for my style. Some models are my close friends. They are used to model for me because for 10 years I taught a “Portrait Workshop” every month, and they were my models multiple times. I think this created a nice dynamic where they have “model gigs” with me every now and then that they enjoy and have fun with, while I create new material.
Then I have a second pool of people that are people I know from here and there and that I offer collabs to. In today’s world everybody needs photos for something, so sometimes in the same shoot we do stuff for them and stuff for me, a nice collab that makes everyone happy. And finally, last year I started to do casting calls to add diversity that I couldn’t find among my friends and people I know, and that is how I met really cool transgender and non-binary people with whom I have been shooting lately.
I think my secret to making people feel at ease is to be kind, silly and very easy going. I can relate to anyone I met five seconds ago and I make it a mission to make people feel good about themselves when they spend time with me. I want people to feel pretty, valuable and appreciated while we shoot, and I talk a lot to them while we are shooting so they feel engaged and seen.
We’re currently nearing the middle of the year. Do you have any goals for the rest of the year?
I would like to reach 4000 assets at Stocksy before 2022 ends. I already have some ideas and some models chosen to make at least the next 5 shoots, so we’ll see if I can make it. Fingers crossed!
What is your motivation/driving force to create the work you create?
Right now I am on a mission to portray diversity. It was always important to me to have a diverse portfolio in terms of style, body type, gender, ethnicity, and age. I feel there is a lot of good to be done to society just by keeping stock media diverse and creating representation for the huge variety of humans that exists in this world.
One of the reasons I am so happy at Stocksy is because I think the Coop gets that and there is a strong vision and commitment to create a collection that doesn’t leave anybody out. It warms my heart and makes me proud to see how many Stocksy artists portray a diverse universe of people in multiple and creative ways in their own work and I want to be a part of it too. I want to be a part of the change on how we see ourselves and what we see as beauty and what we say is beautiful.
Do you have any hidden talents besides creating your wonderful work?
Well, I can swing dance! I am in love with lindy hop and jazz era urban dances, that is why I always keep shooting lindy hoppers and dancers, they were my first love when I started with photography. Right now I am very rusty and can’t dance like I used to, but I am picking up dance classes again.
For several years I co-organized an international lindy hop festival in Buenos Aires and also was a lindy hop teacher and performed with several dance partners and dance crews for some years. If you are curious, you can watch this video of me dancing in 2009.
How do you make sure that your work still stays enjoyable and that you don’t burn out on creating new content?
I don’t put too much pressure on myself, but at the same time I am used to shooting all year round because for 10 years client work kept me busy shooting several sessions every month, I really never stopped until the pandemic. I think that was the first time that I spent more than 1 month without doing a shoot. That was a big reset, and in retrospect, a needed one.
With client work I have to keep shooting even when I don’t feel like it, but with stock I can make 3 shoots in a month and then stop for a bit until I get new ideas. Usually my shoots are big in numbers, and it takes me a while to process from edit to publish, so I have material to upload to Stocksy for some time and my shooting breaks are not much noticed.
What is the one bit of advice you wish you knew from the start?
That you can go places with your photography even if you don’t have the best camera or gear. I still don’t own a full frame camera, after 12 years of living out of my photography. I will have one someday soon, but not having a “professional camera” didn’t stop me from traveling to amazing places with my work, from having amazing clients, from being accepted at Stocksy or from creating work I am really happy with.
Creative blocks can happen to everybody, what works for you to get out of them?
I just patiently wait them out. I can’t always stop shooting when this happens, so I just wait until the block passes. In the meantime I shoot in a more automated, methodic mode and suffer a little bit with the results which aren’t always super great, hehe, but I know that time will bring new ideas, creative juices and drive to shoot. It’s a part of being a professional photographer, you can’t always stop when you are not inspired.
Is there something that you can not go without while creating new work? And why is this so important?
Mmm, I am not much about gear, but I like to shoot with prime lenses, I do almost all my shoots with a 35mm and a 50mm. I have other lenses but these two are the ones I use the most, specially for stock projects.
“I think my secret to making people feel at ease is to be kind, silly and very easy going”
Do you have any advice for contributors just starting out at Stocksy?
Yes! Pay attention to the Creative Briefs and to the reports that Staff shares with us quarterly, there is tons of info, ideas and inspiration to get from them. It is very important to shoot stuff that is needed in the collection and doing it will contribute directly to your sales.
Stock is a long race so don’t despair if it takes some months to start to see some regularity in sales. Just keep uploading.
Oh, and one thing that is important and we don’t talk about much: once you’ve been here for at least six months or a year, start looking into and analyzing your stats. Analyze which shoots, models and galleries sell more (this is another good reason to use galleries and keep them very up to date). You will get very valuable information from your statistics page. Check the number of downloads instead of royalties, that will give you a more accurate idea of what is selling more. You will see what are the trends inside your own portfolio and by reflecting on them you will be able to decide if you want to repeat and get deeper with a model, a concept, a theme, an idea etc. When I don’t know what new thing to shoot, I just repeat, for example, a concept that is already working well and do it again, but with different models for diversity, in a different place and usually adding improvements or small changes for variety. | {
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The article about %%Keyword%%, which is
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I found this book on a whim, not knowing what to expect, but curious because, wow, a children’s book on RuPaul? How cool (and ADORABLE) is that?! It’s a book that I wish existed for me as a kid when I looked up to RuPaul as my hero and idol. This went above and beyond anything I could have imagined. For one, this book is SO INCLUSIVE. With it being published in 2021, it’s clearly on the money on describing what drag is and how drag is for everyone, I was very pleasantly surprised at how it even gives a nod to drag kings, trans queens, and non-binary queens, and how even cis women can be drag queens too! Being that this is a children’s book, it’s not going to dig too deep into RuPaul and the nuances of his celebrity, but there’s enough basic information and fun facts here that will make even a longtime fan of RuPaul learn something new about him. It’s written for a young audience but doesn’t read like it, I felt like it was written in a way where teens and adults can enjoy it too. Loved the illustrations which made an already super-cute book even CUTER! The inner child in me was so happy reading this, knowing that this book exists is truly a sign of how far queer representation has come and makes me so glad that kids, queer kids especially, can read about one of our most famous and beloved LGBT icons. | {
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JUNE 29, 2019
THIS WEEKEND IS THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY of the Stonewall riots in New York City, the event popularly credited with launching what we recognize as the modern LGBTQ movement. In the past two months, as rainbows have been splashed over every conceivable storefront and product, and Pride seems to be a citywide event in Los Angeles and elsewhere, I’ve seen things I never could have imagined as a queer child growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, in the 1980s and ’90s. In that world, being gay meant George Michael, it meant Melissa Etheridge, it meant a turbulent time for Ellen and Ellen DeGeneres, it meant The Real World’s Pedro Zamora struggling with AIDS, it meant DOMA and DADT ; it meant fear, it meant uncertainty, it meant being haunted by the specter of death from STDs, homophobia, or both. Queerness wasn’t here, and it wasn’t yet. It was something you were going to do elsewhere, and when you got there, you’d better be careful.
In May 2019, some three decades later, Pete Buttigieg, an arm around his husband Chasten, stares back at me from the cover of Time — an openly gay man who is a serious contender for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination. A gay man on the cover of Time, and it wasn’t a special issue about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a write-up of a daring-yet-ultimately-tragic mainstream film about “the gay experience,” or a damage-control story about some barely closeted queen who is now ready to tell the public his “truth.” Those were the stories I was used to consuming with anxious yet comforting identification. This was something different.
A few weeks later, as CNN Tonight with Don Lemon blared into the low-lit quiet of a friend’s house, I overheard pundit Hilary Rosen say, in the midst of a discussion with Lemon and fellow commentator Keith Boykin: “[T]he three of us are gay, right? […] I came out in politics when a politician wouldn’t even talk — when politicians wouldn’t even talk to me. […] Now, it’s a completely different story.” That “totally different story” is, of course, that there are three openly gay media figures on a primetime cable news program, as well as the fact that they aren’t the only ones. Anderson Cooper (CNN), Gio Benitez (ABC News), Shepard Smith (Fox News), Rachel Maddow (MSNBC), Jane Velez-Mitchell (HLN/CNN), and many others are out on the small screen in front of millions of Americans regularly, and it doesn’t seem to be causing anyone to turn the channel.
These images add themselves to a care package I wish I could send to my younger self. They take their place next to others from the realm of the aesthetic that I would also have loved to see as a kid, images that vibrate more deeply with structures of queer feeling and desire than their news media counterparts: Elio throwing his body upon Oliver in the film adaptation of Call Me by Your Name (2017), uncertain of what will go where (and how), but certain of his desire; the moment when Blue slides in next to Simon on the Ferris wheel and the crowd cheers at the end of Love, Simon (2018); the ecstasy of Sasha Velour pulling away her fire-red wig to reveal a cascade of rose petals falling to the beat of Whitney Houston’s “I Get So Emotional” in the season nine finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race. This is the image repertoire that could have helped me see a world where gay people can thrive rather than suffer through the marginal, hard-won lives that were the narratives of my youth. And yet, these images of normative romance and pop culture success are also the source of a nagging, persistent conflict about what counts for progress in the chasm between then and now.
Context, as always, is important. Despite its affirmative power, that Time cover of Buttigieg doesn’t feel that empowering to me (and I’m not alone). Pete and Chasten hardly look like lovers, for one; the shot could just as easily have been a candid photo of two mid-level managers, in their identical navy slacks, bemoaning tall Q3 expectations at the company barbeque. Part of the politics of that cover image informs what I call the “apologies” Buttigieg must make to the American public, the badges of respectability he must wear, so that he can be considered a candidate as a gay man: he’s married, he wants to have children, he’s a Christian, he’s a military veteran, he’s a Harvard graduate, he reportedly has some level of fluency with seven languages, he taught himself Norwegian so that he could read his favorite crime novels in the original. Of course, it’s also important that he’s a white, cisgender male.
Buttigieg has to be all of these things if he wants to be considered a viable challenger to Donald Trump, a thrice-married philanderer who has made a sport out of lying to the American people, trampling over basic norms of decency as he spews incendiary and disgusting rhetoric about people of color and immigrants, an alleged draft dodger who mangles his native language, a man who uses the American people as a bargaining chip in the now-national project of the greater glorification of himself. Buttigieg’s achievements are commendable, but there’s a certain sadness I feel at realizing that only this superhumanly Best Little Boy in the World could become the first gay presidential nominee. While Americans elected a president who admitted on tape to grabbing women by their genitals, would they ever elect a gay man who isn’t interested in marriage, isn’t interested in having children, and whose leaked text messages might reveal that he likes rimming? The scales have never been balanced in this country between those at the center and those at the margins, but they feel almost cartoonishly imbalanced in the present moment. That’s what I see when I look at that Time cover: progress, but also its limits.
Context is important, as well, to Hilary Rosen’s “the three of us are gay” moment on CNN Tonight. The comment was made during an on-air discussion about why Americans, especially Democrats, should be willing to forgive Joe Biden’s past support for the Hyde Amendment — legislation that would very strictly limit access to abortion. “If [we] didn’t give politicians some room to evolve on issues,” Rosen explained, “we’d never have friends.” While I understand the Realpolitik of Rosen’s position, I can’t help but hear in it the logic of a gay apology similar to Buttigieg’s, a willingness to look beyond the harm that others have done because otherwise “we’d never have friends.” But are these the friends we want? Is this the world that queers across the spectrum of our community fought for when they pushed back against oppression at Cooper Do-nuts in 1959, at Compton’s Cafeteria in 1966, at the Black Cat Tavern in 1967, and at the Stonewall Inn in 1969?
I’m not the only one who feels this way, of course. Many LGBTQ celebrities who have appeared in omnipresent Pride advertising campaigns, hawking everything from shoes to shaving razors, have also been forthrightly critical about the way businesses splash the rainbow across their products without meaningfully supporting queer communities. Likewise, Gay Twitter has been abuzz with hot takes on the commodification of Pride and tomorrow, the Queer Liberation March in New York will offer an important counter to today’s thoroughly commercialized Pride Parade. Here, we can see the deep ambivalence of queer life and culture under present-day capitalism. Appearing in advertising is perhaps what counts most for being “seen” in American life, and yet it’s also the moment you become a product for others’ profit, in which you are seen and then sold. These are the critical voices, always present in our history but growing louder now, calling our attention to the persistence of injustice and worrying about our collective future in an era of unprecedented queer visibility and acceptance.
Does it get better, as The Trevor Project implores us to believe? Sure. I’m happy. I have loving and supportive families, chosen and biological. I’ve shared my life for the past 13 years with a man who inspires, challenges, and loves me. I have a cat, live by the beach, and get to spend most of my time reading and writing about queer stuff. But I must also acknowledge that, amid the technicolor whirl of Pride and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, my feelings are a bit ambivalent, a bit stuck. The queer activism that culminated in Stonewall, and certainly in the Gay Liberation movements that followed shortly thereafter, was one of real radicality. It was against the police, it was a critique of capitalism, it was a critique of marriage and other social conventions, it was a critique of the military-industrial complex. When we survey the landscape of contemporary gay life this Pride Month, are we seeing the natural outgrowth of queer political vision after Stonewall — the ways that movements change in response to history’s onward march — or are we seeing a departure from that vision?
Queer activists fought, and many died, for the progress we mark in the possibility of a gay presidential candidate in 2020, in the constitutional affirmation of gay marriage, in such broad cultural visibility and acceptance. These are real and dramatic changes. But the contemporary politics we see in Pride celebrations seems to sidestep a radical queer vision that seeks to challenge the structures of capitalism, racism, misogyny, and other ills that continue to afflict our society. Over the past 50 years, the LGBTQ community has made real gains, but still I find myself wondering, in the key of Peggy Lee, “Is That All There Is?” What I’m trying to say, reader, is that I’m conflicted. And maybe you are, too.
Holes in History
Around this time last year, Martin Duberman, one of the foremost historians of LGBTQ life in the United States, published his polemic Has the Gay Movement Failed? By Duberman’s lights, the answer is yes, it has indeed failed in the years since Stonewall, and that failure can be seen in the movement of mainstream LGBTQ political energy away from broadly impactful legislation like the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) — first introduced in 1994 and subsequently introduced (and defeated) in nearly every year since — in favor of the more limited, assimilationist push toward gay marriage and military service protections. As I like to remind people, not everyone has to get married, but in the current world order, everyone does need to have a job. In a recent interview, Duberman and I groused about how, as money and influence filtered into the “gay movement,” it became more the stuff of mainstream political aspirations, of canapés and cocktails shared by the elite at glittering Human Rights Campaign (HRC) galas. What Duberman and I wanted for the LGBTQ community wasn’t merely the public presence of our most affluent members, but rather a political movement that would address, in ways resonant with the radical ethos of the queer past, the needs of our community’s most vulnerable members: the poor, people of color, women, transgender folx, sex workers, and others.
A few days after the Duberman interview aired, I received a long email from a self-described former “mid-level member” of HRC Boston who, piqued at my on-air quip about canapés, offered some historical context for the movement away from ENDA and toward marriage. It was, by his account, something of a fluke. “[ENDA fights] were going on in one place,” he explained,
but simultaneously, Mary Bonauto was working on marriage at GLAAD. I felt strongly that marriage was not the priority […] [but] it seemed to me that the LGBT movement was always heterogeneous and worked on multiple fronts, however much I might have wished for a sense of utopian unity.
What surprised everyone, he added, was that Bonauto and GLAAD were successful, as could be seen from the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s 2003 ruling in favor of gay marriage. “I can tell you that lots of us had no strong feelings about gay marriage,” he recalled of that moment.
But it was as if we’d been beavering away at one point in the wall of legal homophobia when all of a sudden Mary Bonauto and GLAAD opened up a hole at a completely different place. We didn’t ruminate much on why, or what the long-term cultural or legal impact would be if we switched over to that instead of pushing ahead with ENDA. We just observed that Mary opened up a hole in the wall, sort of got stuck in it, and [we] went over to help.
These exchanges bring to mind the generational gaps — what I call the “holes” in queer history — that are particular points of struggle in the LGBTQ community’s account of our complicated past. While communities organized around the lineage of the biological family have the benefit of cultural history transmitted over the dinner table, at holidays, and those family trees everyone has to draw in primary school, queer people don’t have such an institution. Our history is transmitted through gossip, through art, through books, through the connections we happen to make with older friends in bars or on the street. These spaces are dwindling, as many of us note the steady erosion of queer bars, neighborhoods, bookstores, and other businesses. When they go away, we will be left to the whims of whatever story mainstream and state institutions want to tell us. With those spaces also goes a fundamental and historically important resource for organizing and collective action, spaces where our history, our political and sexual desires, can be shared, developed, and channeled.
Amid these everyday losses is another major hole in our history: the trauma of the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and ’90s. What we lost in that period was more than just the utopian vitality of Gay Liberation; it was a generation of mentors. There have been some wonderful attempts to bring this history back in recent film and television, where it seems we may be experiencing a renaissance in the representation of this moment in queer history as it corresponds to contemporary feelings of urgency around political activism. In the second season opener of FX’s Pose, characters played by Sandra Bernhard and the incredible Billy Porter attend an ACT UP meeting, their anger channeled into action against a cruel and callous Reagan administration that demeaned and devalued the lives of gay men, leaving them to die in the early days of the epidemic. Drawing on the culture of Paris Is Burning, Jenny Livingston’s iconic 1990 documentary centered on the queer Black and Latinx ball culture of 1980s New York, Pose does important work representing queer-of-color experience on-screen and behind the camera (transgender luminary Janet Mock is a writer, producer, and director of the show, which features a number of transgender and non-binary performers). Yet, is it a call to action in the present or an entertaining, glossy packaging of that historical moment, one responsive to a need for more inclusive representation and a perennial interest in the narratives of a serial drama? Can it be both?
Across the Atlantic, Robin Campillo’s BPM (2017) explores the relationship between two young men who join ACT UP in Paris, following them as they engage in protests, fall in love, and manage seroconversion and death. The documentary 5B (2018), directed by Paul Haggis and Dan Krauss, tells the story of the brave, compassionate nurses who created the country’s first AIDS ward at San Francisco General Hospital, a place where their radical practice of care emphasized emotional and physical contact with dying patients, against the protocols of a cold medical establishment riven by fear and disgust. As I watch these movies today, they feel as if they’re from a world apart, a world that isn’t really my own. What does this history mean to us in the era of PrEP and Grindr, marriage and mainstream visibility, progress and the nagging persistence of shame, uncertainty, and alienation for LGBTQ youth?
Several books published in the past month have attempted to address this question of generational divide and how it might complicate our narratives of progress. In Out of the Shadows: Reimagining Gay Men’s Lives, clinical psychologist Walt Odets argues that today’s gay community is fragmented by the experience of three defining years: 1969, the year of the Stonewall riots; 1981, the year in which the first public reports of HIV (then known as Gay-Related Immune Disorder, or GRID) appeared in The New York Times; and 1996, the year in which highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) would usher in a significant drop in mortality rates. Those Odets refers to as “the older-group” include people who experienced the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic firsthand, who bear the severe trauma associated with the uncertainty of those years and the impact of seeing so many friends die. “Middle-group” men are those, like myself, who came out after the introduction of HAART treatments in 1996 and thus have little direct experience of the epidemic. Yet the middle group is marked by the “frightening association between gay men, AIDS, and horrible, disfiguring deaths” that was the stock in trade of a well-meaning but still harmful program of HIV/AIDS prevention education. The “younger-group” consists of those born into a period of increasingly “less ominous prognosis” for STDs and who seem to reflect the sexual values and experiences of Gay Liberation’s pioneers.
In Out in Time: The Public Lives of Gay Men from Stonewall to the Queer Generation, Perry N. Halkitis redefines these three groups as the Stonewall Generation, the AIDS Generation, and the Queer Generation. While approaches to sexual health, relationships, and LGBTQ identity vary widely across generations in both studies, queers’ understandings of themselves and the trauma they continue to experience offer some counterintuitive points of connection. If we read this march of generations along the narrative of progress, we would expect the Queer Generation to be forthrightly proud, confident in their identity, and protected in a society where they enjoy the same rights and validation as their heterosexual peers. But that is not so. Both Odets and Halkitis find that the younger generation struggles with intimacy and self-worth. Though things have changed, their feelings of isolation from friends and family as a result of coming out, their fears that they don’t fit into a queer world or a straight one, are achingly familiar. Also familiar are the more violent but no less systemic accounts of harassment, abuse, and above-average rates of suicide and homelessness for LGBTQ youth.
History hurts, but it also heals. Over the past academic year, I’ve been teaching a course at UCLA centered on the intersection between LGBTQ art and politics from Stonewall to the present. One of the things I hear most from my students is how much they appreciate learning their history. We pull at the threads we find in the archive, we rely on the voices that are still with us to tell us about the past, we read novels and we watch films and we look at art to construct a history that has, in so many ways, been hidden from us or papered over in the progress narrative. Coming into contact with their history made my students feel less alone with their complex queer experience. They could recognize how their feelings of alienation and loneliness — feelings of not embodying the normatively masculine, feminine, white, glamorous, and affluent iconography of mainstream LGBTQ identity — were expressed by other queer people across time, in Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance (1978), in selections from This Bridge Called My Back (1981), in Audre Lorde’s Zami (1982), in the poetry of Tommy Pico, Chen Chen, and others. For many of my LGBTQ students, the divides that have confronted our community for decades — the tensions between a white gay male centrism and the needs and experiences of QPOC, women, and trans folx; between normative affluent gays and their radical queer counterparts — had seemed like a crisis of the moment rather than a historical struggle for inclusion. Restoring the historical texture and density of these conflicts, especially the pull between assimilationism and anti-assimilationism, helped them not only understand their own queer lives but also connect with a vital political debate that spanned decades. Likewise, restoring our complicated and nuanced history to the queer present can revitalize and sharpen our struggle for a world in which every experience under the rainbow of LGBTQ identity can flourish.
Queer Politics After Pride
So, what can we learn from queer history and how can it inform our lives now, some 50 years after Stonewall?
Perhaps the most important lesson is the unfinished business of a coalitional queer politics. By this, I mean an engaged attention to the dream of a Gay Liberation movement intimately connected to the struggles of people of color, women, those who exist between and beyond the gender binary, immigrants, and all who have been marginalized by the hegemonic straight state. Crucially, I also mean engaged attention to the social structures that have often thwarted the realization of such coalitional politics — the misogyny, racism, classism, and nationalism that are alive and well in modern LGBTQ communities. We must celebrate the connections that early leaders like Harry Hay saw between the Civil Rights movement, the Women’s Liberation movement, and the Gay Liberation movement, but we must also understand and learn from the tensions that led women to leave the Gay Activists Alliance to found the Lesbian Feminist Liberation group in 1972, that led to the Salsa Soul Sisters as an autonomous Black and Latina activist collective in 1974, and that led the members of the Combahee River Collective to vehemently disagree with a radical separatist position that would require them to break political solidarity with men of color on the basis of sex in 1977. We must wrestle with why it is that transgender and gender nonconforming folx and sex workers were the first to fight back against the police at Stonewall and yet, 50 years later, are still the most vulnerable members of our community. We must wrestle with these issues, and we must work to change the structures that support and reproduce them. That’s what a history of queer activism was after, right?
History may also teach us the usefulness of the ultimately irresolvable tension between the assimilationist and anti-assimilationist poles of LGBTQ politics. From the days of the Mattachine Society’s radical fracture in 1953, when founding members including Harry Hay left the organization as new leaders strove to tamp down the group’s investment in subverting the heterosexual state, to the homo-nationalist logic of a contemporary politics that argues for marriage and military service, there have always been members of the LGBTQ community who want to be just like everyone else and there have always been those who want to celebrate queer difference as a resource for building newer, better worlds. Rather than see this political binary as an internal battleground, we might do better to think of it as pushing forward rights and political vision on a number of fronts. Even as the more radical camps within LGBTQ communities point us to a horizon of queer politics for which the status quo can never be enough, those groups fighting for integration with the mainstream have managed to secure important rights within the culture and society where we live right now. Those rights — so long as they are not seen as an end in themselves, so long as we recognize the historical truth that state institutions will not save us — can help support and fuel those pushing a more radical and inclusive world into being.
A third lesson concerns the benefits and costs of visibility for LGBTQ people and experiences, one that brings me back to the ambivalent feelings with which I started this essay, marking the real progress we’ve made as a community and confronting the ways in which that progress can feel like a departure from the more radical goals of the immediate post-Stonewall movement. On the one hand, moving our stories into mainstream media like TV and film does tremendous service to young queers looking for a sense of place and identity while also educating cisgender, heterosexual allies. On the other hand, the movement into mainstream, corporatized media also limits the kinds of stories we can tell, the ways in which we can tell them, and what purpose those stories ultimately serve. In comparing Rita Mae Brown’s Rubyfruit Jungle (1973) and Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance (1978) with Showtime’s Queer as Folk (2000–2005) and The L Word (2004–2009), we see the movement from novels that attempted to represent the agony and ecstasy of Gay Liberation for a queer audience to TV series that, at least in part, use the representation of gay and lesbian sex to titillate straight audiences and sell subscriptions. We must continue to invest our energies in queer art and representation that pushes boundaries and speaks to the community as a necessary and important counterbalance to the narratives that make us salable to a mainstream, heterosexual audience.
Likewise, we need to recognize that visibility always precedes backlash. Just as Gay Liberation in the 1970s was met with Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” campaign, so too did queer politics in the 1980s and ’90s result in similar waves of conservatives looking to degrade our lives and claim us as an existential threat to American culture. Today, in the wake of Trump’s election and the surge of a hypocritical and violent evangelical Christian movement that has in its sights women’s reproductive rights, immigration, voting rights, employment and health-care protections for LGBTQ people, we can see just how fragile the rights we’ve fought for half a century to achieve really are. Knowing how our queer progenitors faced similar struggles is an important part of preparing ourselves for the battle ahead, and therefore, it is also imperative that we of the younger generations actively reach out to older generations to listen and learn from them.
As the glitter fades at the end of this Pride Month, I hope that we can also embrace a few important principles for queer politics moving forward. The first is that there is no such thing as purity in queer politics, nor should purity be the goal of any LGBTQ movement. We are a diverse people with diverse experiences, and our politics should reflect that diversity. We shouldn’t insist on conformity to radical or assimilationist ideals and scripts, but rather should recognize that most of us are a blend of the two and should let each choose their own path. Fighting with one another over who subscribes to which fundamental beliefs is a waste of energy and a betrayal of the various forms of individuality and different thinking that gave queer politics its vitality in the first place. Purity, after all, is for the pious, and the pious are never much fun.
In similar fashion, we must also recognize that the institutions of the state were not built to support us and we have only a limited capacity to effect real and systemic change within them. As much as some of us work to reform the system, we must also, in tandem with the movements of people of color, immigrants, and women in the United States and elsewhere in the world, work to build new systems and new ways of relating to one another through and across difference that will foster greater freedom and equality.
Finally, we need to protect one another and recognize both what unites us and the various ways society divides us across the axes of race, class, and gender, among other social identity markers. Antiblack violence is an LGBTQ issue, anti-Muslim violence is an LGBTQ issue, the Flint water crisis is an LGBTQ issue, voting rights are an LGBTQ issue, gender pay equity and fighting against sexual harassment is an LGBTQ issue, indigenous rights to life and land and immigrants’ freedom to build their own dreams in this country are LGBTQ issues. This is so, I claim, because LGBTQ people are represented in every single one of these and other struggles, even if they aren’t the most visible members of those movements.
So, as you head out into the post–Pride Month dawn, consider our history, consider our present, and consider the possibilities for our future. We have much to celebrate and much to fix and we have no time to waste. | {
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June is Pride month because in 1969 a group of queer people — led by trans women of color and lesbians — fought back after suffering years of abuse from the police. On June 28 of that year, police raided the gay club Stonewall in the gay neighborhood of Greenwich Village in downtown Manhattan. Some of the drag queens and trans women who were kicked out of the bar responded by giving the police exaggerated salutes and putting on a little performance for the growing crowd. But when other gender-nonconforming patrons were ordered into police cars to be booked, the crowd responded by throwing bottles and coins at the police. The unrest spread into the surrounding streets, transforming into a riot — and the modern queer rights movement was born.
It’s an important, beautiful, hard history — and it’s one that we all should remember and pay tribute to every year. But one of the few things that Pride celebrations these days have in common with that riot at Stonewall is drag queens and trans women performing for the crowd. These days, Pride isn’t a riot; it’s a celebration — of our queerness; our fabulousness; our right to be out and proud of who we are. In Pride celebrations across the country, you’ll see a range of queerness, from drag queens who are six feet, seven inches tall in their heels and wigs to leather daddies in assless chaps to lesbian moms marching with their kids.
Personally, I always cry at Pride parades. Every. Single. Time. There’s something so beautiful and heartening and overwhelming about people who have been treated so badly for so long literally taking to the streets and saying “Screw your hate. Screw your stereotypes and screw everything you think about who I am. This is me and I love me.”
But I’m just one Millennial bisexual woman. Obviously I wasn’t and none of my peers were alive during that time, but we’ve all benefited from the bold moves those humans took in 1969. I was curious to know — What do other queer Millennials think of Pride in 2017, nearly 50 years after the riot at Stonewall? Here’s what seven told me.
1Jasmine, 30: Grown-Ass Woman & Tomboy Femme Dyke
This year I'm really looking forward to Pride because I feel like I'm finally entirely grounded in my gayness/queerness. I feel like I know who I am and how I fit in my community and like I HAVE A COMMUNITY! So this year Pride is a celebration of coming into my own (again and again and again) and being comfortable knowing I am living my truest life and I have lots of love surrounding and supporting me. I'm proud of my newfound fluidity between being a bit masc and a bit femme. I used to be afraid of the femme but now I hold it so dear and am loving that I am comfortable/proud enough to own my femmeness. I really relish it.
I will be bartending a couple events which allows me to give others in the community a safe space to celebrate. I also will be attending a couple events as well as the Trans and Dyke March (and the park time that goes along with both).
2Kae, 28: Agender, Queer
This is the first Pride month/celebration since Orlando, and the first since Trump has taken office. This year it feels extra important to take a public stand to show that we cannot be scared back into the closet and we cannot be ignored.
I plan on celebrating by: F*cking, loving, kissing, singing, dancing, shouting.
3Nina, 24: Female, Bisexual
It's my first pride since I officially came out, so it means finally finding my space within the LGBTQA+ community, as opposed to being an ally! I'm so excited to engage more actively in gatherings and issues that go beyond this celebration.
I am so proud learning to love my femininity, such as my love for dresses, pink, and having a cry at a sad movie. For so long I would hide or be ashamed of my "feminine" qualities, but I am learning to embrace them fully. I am also learning to stop erasing bisexuality in queer discussion, something I was guilty of doing myself even as a bisexual woman. I am proud of the strength of the women in my life who continue to inspire me through overcoming their day-to-day challenges of misogyny, patriarchal BS, microaggressions, and pain. I am also proud of myself for allowing myself to feel queer this past year and having the coming to officially come out. I thought I wasn't allowed to come out because I wasn't gay/queer enough, hadn't had a long-term girlfriend, or I would lose support because of it. However, my Mum keeps buying me little bits and pieces with rainbows on and it makes my heart so warm to know that I have the love and support of my community, regardless of who I fall in love with.
I am going to dance and march and explore the fair/festival/parade in Portland, Oregon. There is an entire week of LGBTQ friendly activities to take advantage of here and I am so excited. My best friend and I are going to go and have a great time dancing, parading, and hopefully meeting some cool new friends!
4Jake, 32: Cismale (Presenting, But Really More Genderfluid), Bisexual/Queer
Well, I live in Canada, and there's been a lot of controversy surrounding Pride both last year and this year. Pride has become very corporate, as well as a way for politicians to profit off of work that marginalized groups have been putting in for decades longer than said politicians have been Pride-friendly. I'm still not sure if I'm going to march this year, partially because of all that, partially because I'm bisexual and have never felt completely welcome at Pride (or in the straight community, if there is such a thing), partially because I think the Canadian Pride's reaction to the BLM protests at pride last year have been less than ideal. So it's complicated.
I am of course very proud of my sexuality, especially since it took me many years to get to that point, but I'm also loud and proud year round and feel odd about going out of my way to be something I already am for just one day (or month or whatever). All that said, I still think pride is extremely important and I fully respect people's choice to either go or not go to Pride events. I think a case can be made for either decision (personally I'm clearly still very much on the fence). If I do go, it will be with my partner and friends and I will be high as a kite and covered in glitter and rainbows.
I present as very cismale, but I've actually always felt much more femme than masc. The tricky part is, I like having a beard and I have a short/stocky frame so no matter how I choose to present myself I feel like people will always see me in a masculine light (even though the real me couldn't be further from that). So my relationship with the way in which I present my gender to the world is currently too complicated for me to be specifically proud of it. My sexuality on the other hand, took me nearly two decades of both straight and queer people telling me I was greedy, lying, in a phase, etc. etc. etc., before I was finally able to really own who I am. I use the term bisexual because it's widely known so it's an easy answer (and because pansexual sounds pretentious, even though it obviously isn't) but really my sexuality can more accurately be described like so. I like people. Doesn't matter the shape, size, creed, etc, and it especially doesn't matter what bits they're packing. If I'm into them in a romantic/sexual way, I would very much like those bits in my face from time to time (if they're also into said arrangement obviously). I am very proud of my bisexuality/queerness.
5Suzannah, 26: Non-binary, Female, I Don't Identify With A Sexual Orientation
Pride means acknowledging that there are more ways to live and to be than what society would have us believe. I came out as non-binary about a year ago, and it marked a realization that I got to decide who I was rather than letting anybody decide for me. That I didn't create the system of gender, and therefore I have no duty to subscribe to it. But honestly I have no plans for Pride — I haven't even had the chance to think about it.
6Dylan, 33: Male, Queer
Pride means celebrating and reaffirming your right to be who you want to be and love who you want to love. I am proud that despite a lifetime of attacks on my identity, my relationships, and my community that I can still find the strength to fight, to exist, and to celebrate. That strength is widespread among the LGBTA, and it is perpetually inspiring. Unfortunately schedule conflicts prevent me from attending any of the events this year.
7Sebastian, 22: Non-binary Transgender Man, Pansexual/Polyamorous
This year, Pride means the most to me because I'm starting the process of my hormonal transition this month! I'm proud to be a man, I'm proud to be feminine, I'm proud to sexually and intimately appreciate people of all genders and I'm proud to have an open and honest relationship.
I have never celebrated Pride, either because I was closeted or I was in proximity to a queer community that rejected me for not being "queer enough." I recently moved and the community seems much more supportive here. I'm open to, but reluctant about, celebrating this year.
As you can see, Pride means so many things to members of the queer community — and there's certainly not one way to show your support for equality either. | {
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At rhyFlower Knits, we believe in creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone. We are committed to anti-racism and inclusivity, regardless of age, gender, religion, gender identity, ethnic or cultural background, sexual orientation, color, level of income, size, education, physical abilities, or location.
We are continuously learning and evolving, and here are some of the actions we are taking:
- Stand Against Bigotry and Discrimination: rhyFlower Knits stands against bigotry, prejudice, and discrimination, including racism, sexism, ableism, ageism, and sizeism. We are actively engaging in ongoing anti-bias and anti-racist learning as part of our team development and implementing this work in our business operations.
- Reject Intolerance: We have no tolerance for racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or ideologies that seek to deny equal rights to all human beings. We acknowledge the privilege that this gives us in our business relationships and daily work and recognize our responsibility to leverage our privilege to move our industry towards equitability, by hiring, promoting, working with, and supporting Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and members of other marginalized groups in our community.
- Accountability and Learning: As we navigate our privilege and socialization, we recognize that we are not immune to making mistakes or committing harm. We center impact over intent and hold ourselves responsible for our actions and emotions. We pledge to be accountable, to be open to feedback and critique, and to accept opportunities to learn and to do better, with gratitude and humility.
Our actions speak louder than our words – below are the action items that we are currently working to achieve:
- Creating Safe Spaces: We ensure that our spaces, both physical and virtual, are safe and welcoming for marginalized people.
- Intolerance Vigilance: We do not allow behavior or words that compromise the safety of any person. We take responsibility for maintaining vigilance against intolerance and taking appropriate action to call out and prevent it.
Intentionality in Partnership
- Ethical Standards: We seek to conduct business with partners at the highest level of ethical standards. When building new working relationships, we commit to sharing our values and code of ethics as stated here to establish accountability.
- Diversity and Inclusion: We pledge to seek out, maintain and nurture relationships with businesses owned by women, non-binary people, trans people, Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, and people of other marginalized identities. We commit to encouraging applicants from marginalized groups to apply for test knits. We continue to ask prospective retail stockists what actions they take to foster an environment of equity and inclusion in their spaces, and how they ensure that their physical space is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible (when achievable).
Mental Health Advocacy
- Understanding and Compassion: We pledge to be understanding and compassionate towards the mental health challenges that people may face.
Pattern Production and Accessibility
- Inclusive Knitting Patterns: We pledge to publish knitting patterns that are inclusive of skill level, size, body shape, and gender expression, and that provide diverse instruction styles. When it is technically feasible for a design, we include instructions for customization to accommodate varying body shapes, sizes, and gender expressions.
- Accessibility Initiatives: We continue to explore initiatives to increase accessibility to our patterns for people of different income and skill levels. We will continue to educate ourselves on accessibility and will work to include low-visibility and screen reader-accessible versions of rhyFlower Knits patterns.
Please feel welcome to contact us with suggestions, and feedback, or to hold us accountable for the pledges we have made here. You can reach us via email at [email protected]. | {
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Through our long-term intensive program, we train adults with the most economic need and potential to get their first tech jobs, advance in their careers, and become the next generation of leaders in tech. Our graduates are hired by leading companies like Uber, Pinterest, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase, and increase their average annual salaries from $18,000 to over $90,000.
Pursuit was originally founded as a community-building and advocacy organization in 2011. When we launched the Pursuit Fellowship back in 2013, we recognized the immense impact that technology was going to have on our society. We also recognized the immense opportunity gap that existed. The tech industry has created more wealth, more companies, and more jobs than ever before. At the same time, we saw that these opportunities weren’t reaching everyone—further deepening income inequality and increasing the economic divide. And so we set out to create economic opportunity. We’ve helped transform the lives of hundreds of Fellows, their families, and their communities.
Our Fellows are representative of the community we want to build. Fellows are, on average, in their early 30s, and ages range from 19 to 64. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, or geography. We aim for these cohort demographics:
- 100% from low-income backgrounds
- 50% women, trans, or non-binary
- 70% Black or Latine
- 40% immigrants
- 55% do not have a bachelor’s degree
- 50% receive public assistance
Pursuit HQ is located at 47-10 Austell Place, 2nd Floor, Long Island City, NY, 11101. The closest trains are the 7 train to Hunters Point Avenue or the G train to 21st Street - Van Alst Station.
In the Fall of 2023, we will be moving to a brand new building at 1 Court Sq. in Long Island City.
Pursuit provides you with industry-standard laptops, a monitor, and a display adapter to keep. They are provided free of charge and are not loaners. For the application process, however, applicants will need a computer and a reliable internet connection. If this might pose an issue for you, you can come to our headquarters to start and complete your application. Please let us know at [email protected].
The Pursuit Fellowship is a 4-year program, which is broken down into two separate parts, Pursuit Core and Pursuit Commit.
The Pursuit Core is your ~15-20 months of training, with the goal of this training being to get you ready for your first job as a software engineer. This time is followed by Pursuit Commit, which is a ~30 months career development program that is designed to ensure you thrive in your new career.
One of the major benefits of the tech industry is that you do not need certifications to get hired. Instead of working towards getting a certificate, you’ll be working towards getting a job. The goal of the Pursuit Fellowship is to help you gain a job and build your career. That’s why the Pursuit Fellowship is skills-based and project-focused. By the time you’re ready to start applying to jobs, you’ll have a personal website and a project portfolio that highlight your technical skills.
Classes will vary by cohort but range from 30–40 Fellows. We aim to create a thriving classroom culture and learning environment, with support from coaches, volunteers, and mentors.
Our mission at Pursuit is to create economic transformation. We do that by helping you launch a new career in technology. The Fellowship is designed as a four-year journey, with the first year focusing on getting the skills to land your first tech job (Pursuit Core) and the next three helping you build a career (Pursuit Advance).
The curriculum for the Pursuit Fellowship consists of three Pursuit Threads: Technical Mastery, Industry Readiness, and Leadership & Personal Development. You’ll develop yourself technically, professionally, and personally by learning:
- how to build websites
- how to navigate the job search
- leadership styles and how to work with others
- broader industry insight (e.g. emerging technology, industry trends)
- basic professional skills (e.g. communication, making a pitch, project management, and teamwork)
- developer team practices (e.g. documentation, debugging, unit testing) The curriculum is regularly updated to ensure that it is up-to-date and aligned with industry needs. Our comprehensive approach prepares Fellows for a variety of jobs in the tech industry. If you have additional questions, consider reaching out to [email protected].
Pursuit currently offers a full-stack web development curriculum which includes but is not limited to:
- HTML and CSS
All classes are conducted in English. A working grasp of professional English is required to be accepted in the program and will be assessed during the admissions process.
Our classroom environment operates in a way that is inclusive of people with a variety of learning styles. It doesn’t matter if you’re outgoing or quiet, what matters is that you’re an active participant in your own learning and you Own Your Pursuit. This means having a willingness to research your own questions and proactively asking for help.
We won’t score you on how talkative you are, but we find that thriving in the classroom means going above and beyond to take one’s learning into their own hands. Regardless of your learning style, all Fellows will be expected to gain presentation skills, practice talking about their projects, and learn how to interview for both technical and non-technical interviews. These are critical components of the curriculum. For example, one requirement for the final project is to present your team project to an external panel of judges.
Yes, instructors will have weekly office hours on a limited basis. There will also be instructional assistants (IAs) who will have their own office hours as a resource to Fellows as well. Because the program is designed to help Fellows learn how to learn and Owning Their Pursuit, we also encourage self- and group-focused learning. The Fellowship also has a volunteer network that helps provide additional learning support. Fellows are encouraged to develop relationships with peers who can support their learning as well and take advantage of class notes and recordings, assignments, group work, and class time to resolve questions.
The in-class schedule is provided at the start of the application and is also in the agreement Fellows sign.
In addition to ~25hrs of class time, all Fellows are expected to commit 20 additional hours of self-study outside of the classroom. The full commitment is closer to 45+ hours to take into account homework, review, self-study, and external networking.
Scheduled instruction runs from 10am to 6pm with a one-hour lunch break. Each day starts and ends with the full class. Throughout the day, you may have solo work, team work, and breakouts depending on the content for the day.
Our Nights and Weekends program can be a viable option for our Fellows who also work full-time hours during weekdays. While many Fellows have been successful in working full-time and learning as part of the Nights and Weekends program, keep in mind that the Fellowship is its own full-time commitment. Please take into careful consideration your schedule and other professional and personal demands. We expect the same level of rigor and commitment regardless of the Daytime or Nights and Weekends schedules.
Classes are taught by live instructors in a fully remote, virtual-first setting. During the program, you can expect to attend some milestones and community events in-person at our office, in accordance with local and state health regulations.
Yes! Pursuit HQ is located in Long Island City, Queens. Fellows can also reserve time in the Pursuit HQ in Long Island City should they need a separate workspace, wifi, a central place for study groups, etc.
The Pursuit Fellowship is a full-time commitment and we expect Fellows to attend 100% of classes. Our attendance policy allows Fellows to miss no more than 4 classes per module.
Up until right before signing the agreement, i.e., two weeks before class starts.
We do not recommend doing this because each class quickly forms its own community, and the instructor will be working closely with you and following your schedule. If you have a life-altering event, reach out to us—we will work with you.
We request that visitors to HQ provide proof of vaccination to circulate within the space unmasked. Individuals who are not vaccinated must wear a mask and socially distance. As an additional safety protocol, we have upgraded our HVAC with an ionization system which will help neutralize airborne contaminants. We have also installed 10 commercial-grade HEPA air purifiers throughout the space, including one oversize hospital-grade machine that services our common area.
There is no upfront cost for our program, no loans, and no debt, and you pay nothing until you secure a well-paid job making a salary of $50k/year or more.
If you do not get a job, you do not pay. Once you secure a job making $50k/year or more, you’ll pay the progressive rate corresponding to your salary to Pursuit for 48 monthly payments (4 years). If you lose your job or, for whatever reason, your salary dips below $50k/year, your payments pause until you either resume making $50k or more, or 8 years have passed since your class start date—after which Pursuit Bond expires. Click here for our progressive rates.
There are no upfront costs to the Pursuit Fellowship. You pay nothing into the Pursuit Bond until you get a job making $50k/year or more. We call that the Pursuit Bond Agreement.
No, you should not sign another income share agreement after Pursuit. Your Pursuit Bond agreement with Pursuit includes this provision to ensure you do not stack payment commitments and never have unreasonably high payments. Furthermore, our goal is to help you get a high-paying job and we will continue working with you.
Your payments are due the first day of each month following a month in which you earn compensation above the threshold of $50k annualized.
Because your Pursuit Bond payments are calculated depending on your annual salary, your monthly contribution will vary on how much you make. To estimate your monthly payments, see our payment illustration here.
If you lose your job or if your salary falls below the income threshold, your payments will pause. If you experience further additional financial hardship, please get in touch with our team. We have Economic Hardship policies in place to support you and can work with you directly.
Yes, the $50,000 salary threshold is applicable for any job regardless of industry or type of company. All industries are now powered by technology, and it is difficult to draw the line as to what a tech job is or what a tech company is.
All jobs are applicable for this, whether it’s full-time, part-time, or an internship or apprenticeship. In fact, some internships in the tech industry are well-paid, nearing almost six figures. The average incoming salary of Fellows across all of our cohorts has been around $18,000 so being able to secure a job at $50k or more we believe is demonstrative of skills obtained from the program.
The Pursuit Bond will apply regardless of what industry you’re working in, as long as you are in a well-paying job. We also train you in areas other than software engineering, i.e. resume prep and networking, and you will take these skills into all areas of your life afterward. This also helps to ensure that we can help support current and future Fellows.
As part of your Pursuit Bond agreement, you will be required to share information about your job. You’ll provide information when you get a job or if your job changes, as well as on a quarterly and annual basis during your covered period.
Our Pursuit Bond team can provide you with that specific information.
The repayment amount is a percentage of your gross income, i.e. before taxes.
We provide all admitted Fellows with a sample contract to review and understand in advance of acceptance. Please reach out to the Admissions Team at [email protected] if you have specific questions.
Yes! Sign up for an info session to learn more about the program, Pursuit Bond, and how it all works. And email [email protected] for any questions you may have about Pursuit Bond, how it works, and why we use it.
Our graduates are hired by leading companies like Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Peloton, at an average starting salary of $85,000. We work directly with companies to create exclusive job opportunities, through an on-the-job career program called Pursuit Commit, for every Fellow who successfully works through the Pursuit Core program and gets job ready.
To be eligible to attend the Pursuit Fellowship, you currently have to be a resident of the NY Metro Area (Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey) After the program, however, Fellows secure jobs all over the US and in Canada.
Pursuit’s model is not just to provide you the training, confidence, and network, but Pursuit also provides you a job opportunity if you persist through Core and become job-ready. Tied to this job opportunity, we provide on-the-job career support to ensure you’re successful on the job.
You’ll still need to apply, interview, and complete the hiring process with a Pursuit partner company, but you will be interviewing for a job that is held exclusively for a Pursuit Fellow like you, and when you join that job, you will get tailored support from your company and Pursuit to ensure that if you put the work in, you will successfully advance in your career there.
Pursuit is committed to supporting every Fellow for as long as it takes for an individual to get a job. We create exclusive job opportunities for our Fellows with tech companies, line up mock interviews with engineers from big tech like Twitter, and we have dedicated career resources to help you build job readiness tools like your resume. Our Employment team will be there to work with you after you complete the Core program as you work to land that job. The overall hiring rate varies by cohort but is approximately 80%.
First, the instructional team evaluates Fellow technical and professional skills with the employer's needs and requirements. Next, we take into account Fellows' interests and experience. We will confirm your interest before introducing you to a partner company to interview for a Pursuit Commit role.
We strongly recommend it, but will work with you to understand why you may think it's not a good fit. Your first job is meant to give you the experience, insight, and network to track you onto the path of where you want to go in the future, and may not, on the onset, be the perfect job.
Over 120 Fellows have secured jobs since February 2020. We've had Fellows secure jobs both independently and through Pursuit partnerships. There have been more remote opportunities but depending on the employer, they may also be operating on a hybrid model.
Yes, we have a number of companies who recruit specifically from Pursuit.
Our Fellowship offers only one curriculum, but we encourage Fellows to incorporate their own interests and career ambitions in their projects and classwork, etc.
No, the majority of Fellows have never coded before joining the program.
There is no academic or education requirement to be eligible for the Pursuit Fellowship. In fact, half of our Fellows do not have bachelor's degrees.
To apply for the Pursuit Fellowship, applicants must complete:
- An application with your background information
- A resume that describes your academic and professional background.
- An assessment covering topics in 9th-grade math, logic, reading comprehension, and computer literacy For complete eligibility requirements and learn more about the application, please check the admissions page here.
Yes, the NY Metro Area includes the states of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Fellows need to attend in-person class 2 times a week and they will be asked to attend HQ for Launch Week, as well as other key milestone events throughout the year. Fellows are expected to cover transportation costs to/from HQ for these events.
Unfortunately, our program is only open to people who reside in the NY Metro Area (Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) at the current time. If you are looking for similar programs in your area, we encourage you to include terms like "income share agreement" and "software engineering fellowship" in your searches.
Yes, applicants have to be eligible to work in the US.
As long as you meet our eligibility requirements, including eligibility to work in the US, you can become a Fellow. Because the program is full-time and very intensive, please carefully consider your schedule and demands before committing to the program.
Yes. When starting your application, put the income you are expecting to make this year.
Our eligibility requirement only takes into consideration your personal income. However, our program is designed to serve those with high economic needs who wouldn’t otherwise have access to training programs like the Pursuit Fellowship or have faced systemic barriers to entering the industry. If you are able to financially access a similar type of program, please carefully consider your circumstances before applying.
Unemployment benefits and other forms of government assistance do not count towards your reported income in our application.
The salary maximum is a hard cut-off. We designed the Fellowship and the Pursuit Bond with the goal of helping Fellows be better off financially after the program and getting a high-paying job. Our maximum salary requirement is tied to the Pursuit Bond payments. Our mission is to create opportunity for low-income individuals. If you make above the $45k salary limit, please carefully consider whether this program is right for you or if another training program may be a better fit.
After submitting your application and assessment, you should hear back within a 4–6 week period. After this window, if you still have not heard back, reach out to the Admissions team at [email protected].
Yes! We encourage applicants who do not get into the Fellowship to apply again. Being a repeat applicant will not affect your chances of becoming a Fellow.
We are unable to reuse application data from previous cycles. You will have to submit another application.
The assessment allows us to learn more about our applicants and their needs, skills, and strengths. The Pursuit Fellowship curriculum is comprehensive and includes Technical Training, Industry Readiness, and Leadership & Personal Development. To ensure that accepted candidates are ready to start the program, the assessment measures foundational skills across 9th grade math, logic, reading comprehension, and computer literacy. An applicant’s assessment test scores are considered in relation to other factors like economic need and passion for the technology field.
After finishing your assessment, you should hear back within a few weeks. Check your email inbox for any next steps. Our best advice is to promptly respond to any emails that arrive.
You can reach out to the Admissions Team with questions at [email protected]. While our Admissions Team does not have the capacity to meet individually with applicants, we regularly host drop-in application help sessions if you need help with a specific part of your application. Check out the schedule and RSVP at this link.
Give yourself a pep talk before the interview. Come prepared to walk through your take-home challenge. Answer questions fully and thoughtfully. We know the process can be intimidating, so we’ve prepared a resource in order to help you prepare for the interview. Read our blog post on this topic here.
Pursuit Bond is a funding model that brings our Fellows, Pursuit, and social impact investors together to create transformation for low-income, high-need communities. With Pursuit Bond, we are able to secure funding from social impact investors to create high-quality programs and deliver them to many more people than would be possible with grants and donations alone.
To learn more, check out our article "How Pursuit Bond Works." We secure funding from social impact investors who cover the upfront cost of your training. Unlike investors in for-profit companies, social impact investors want to create positive change for you, not just profits for themselves. Unlike funding models used by for-profit coding schools, we designed Pursuit Bond to ensure that you will be financially better off after you come into our program than you did before you came in.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how it works:
- We secure financing from our social impact investors to cover the upfront costs of your training.
- We help you learn to code, hone your professional skills, and get a high-paying job.
- We offer career-building services to help you keep your job and find your next great opportunity.
- You contribute a percentage of your earnings to Pursuit. For as long as you don’t have a job, you pay nothing. If you stop working for any reason, your payments pause.
- We pay back our social impact investors for the funding they gave to cover the upfront costs of your training.
- Repeat the virtuous cycle!
When we first started Pursuit, we were funded exclusively by grants and donations. However, we realized that if we wanted to create high-quality programs and deliver those programs to many more people, we needed a larger and more sustainable source of financing. The problem: there aren’t enough grants and donations for adult workforce training like ours to achieve these goals. So, we expanded our financial model to include social impact investors who can provide large amounts of funding while supporting our work and mission. Grants and donations still play a critical role in our operations. But social impact investments are necessary to create high-quality programs and meet the vast need for high-paying jobs.
Impact investors are investors who commit capital to companies and organizations with the goal of creating positive social change. Our social impact investors are part of our One Big Team, and they share our mission of creating transformation for low-income, high-need audiences.
When you get a high-paying job, you pay a percentage of your gross earnings for a set amount of time. For as long as you don’t have a high-paying job, or if at any point your salary falls below a certain level, you pay nothing. If you stop working for any reason, your payments pause.
Pursuit Bond is a central part of our work as it enables us to provide high-quality programs and meet the vast need for high-paying jobs. Additionally, we use Pursuit Bond because it makes us accountable for your success. If you don’t get a high-paying job, then you can’t pay for your training and career-building services. And if you don’t pay, then we can’t repay or secure more funding from our investors. In other words: we’re only successful if you’re successful. So, we give it our all to help you get your first job and build your career.
With a loan, you bear all the financial risk because you have to pay back regardless of whether or not you get a high-paying job (for example, you still have to pay your college loans even if your degree doesn’t help you get employed). With Pursuit Bond, you only pay if you get a high-paying job. What’s more, loans come with interest. So, even if you lost your job and you were unable to pay back your loan, interest on that loan would continue to accrue. With our Bond, if you lose your job, your payments pause and no interest accrues. Simply put: you only pay for your training and career coaching if you’re successful. If you aren't successful, it’s our responsibility—not yours—to make sure our investors get their money back. Taking on the financial risk demonstrates our belief in you and drives us to help you build a successful career. If you’re not successful, then we’re not successful.
Pursuit is a mission-driven nonprofit organization, and we designed Pursuit Bond to maximize impact for low-income, high-need audiences. We do this by working with impact investors who want to create positive change for you, not just profits for themselves. This means that we can design Pursuit Bond to ensure that you are financially better off after you come to Pursuit than you were before you came in. Furthermore, whereas most for-profit programs use an outside party to process their ISA payments, we do this ourselves. This allows us to better respond to your needs (for example, during this time of Covid-19, we were able to offer our Fellows emergency cash assistance and cover a month of their Bond payments).
Because your payment goes to paying for “services” as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, i.e. your training and career coaching, they are not tax-deductible. This is a common practice among nonprofits, which accept charitable contributions and provide fees for services (for example, hospitals and universities provide healthcare and education, respectively, in exchange for a fee).
Yes, Pursuit is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and yes, non-profits can have investors as an alternative source of non-grant funding to support the work. Pursuit has impact investors, who are committed to our mission and provide us with a sustainable source of funding so that we can help more individuals. To learn more about impact investing, please check out this ‘Short Guide to Impact Investing’ from the Case Foundation. | {
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On January 27, 2017, the Chinese horoscope will shift from the intense Year of the Monkey to the meticulous Year of the Fire Rooster. Here’s what the new Fire Rooster energy will bring to the world.
Time to get #woke? The Rooster is crowing, sounding the alarm for us all to get alert and aware.
Let’s be honest: What the world needs now is love, sweet love—NOT a flock of hot-tempered fowl strutting around like they rule the roost. Take heart: Although Fire Roosters may be show-offs, if we look past the plumage (as fine as it is), it’s evident they’re not competitive tricksters like 2016’s Fire Monkey. In 2017, we’ll start to play fair again, realizing that “winning” (and slinging mud) isn’t worth much if it comes at the price of our pride and personal relationships.
If you were born in 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993 or 2005, you could very well be born under the Chinese astrology sign of the Rooster. But if your birthday is in January or February, you’ll need to confirm (here’s a handy calculator) because the Chinese New Year always begins at the Aquarius new moon, the date of which changes annually.
You can learn more about your own Chinese horoscope and its traits here. And here’s what we can ALL expect during the Year of the Rooster:
1. Hard work will pay off—so tend to that nest egg.
Good old-fashioned hard work—with some feathery, Rooster-style flair—will rule the roost in this Chinese horoscope year. The rooster rises with the Sun, so get an earlier start to your days. Create a morning ritual and become mindful with your money. This is not the year to rush ahead without a solid plan. Good habits and regular exercise will also keep us productive during potentially uncertain times.
Beware: This may be a year of inflated egos and power trippers. Be clear about the pecking order in any joint projects, even if some people have more authority than others. If you’re in charge, don’t be “all squawk, no action.” And watch the cutting critiques of other people in power.
The Year of the Fire Rooster is a fine time for joint ventures. Gather the flock and pool your resources. With the thrifty and financially strict Fire Rooster at the helm, there may be large cuts in government spending in order to get national debt under control. Collecting back taxes and recouping old debts may also be a strategy that is deployed with vigilance.
2. Love will get flirtatious, showy and hot.
The feisty Fire Rooster is a shameless flirt who loves attention. Let yourself be a little more flamboyant as you court the sizzling spotlight or strut through the metaphorical henhouse. As modern-day humans, let’s take gender (and all its complicated roles) out of the equation. No matter your romantic preferences, titillating and tawdry exchanges (with consent, of course) can burn up the barnyard. But don’t mistake Rooster swagger for the real deal. Sometimes, a little tempting and teasing is just for fun, so enjoy a little “cage-free” fun for it for what it is.
3. Flamboyant fashion will be a trend.
Break out the feathers, headdresses and showboating style! The preening Rooster loves to be noticed. Mega-entertainers Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears were all born under the Chinese horoscope sign of the Rooster. A little Vegas-style glitz (sequined bodysuit, anyone?) or a return to the 1970s (think: Superfly-inspired chic with bellbottoms, body-con button downs with big collars and wild patterns) could return with the colorful Rooster.
4. The role of men will get a much-needed upgrade.
With 2016’s Monkey-minded misogyny fading in our rearview mirrors (fingers crossed!), you may feel some mixed emotions about 2017 being the Year of the Fire Rooster. And while the barnyard king can be a bit cocky, he does take care of his hens. In 2017, the fight for gender equality will wage on—and it won’t just come from women. We expect to hear more men and non-binary people standing up for women’s rights—and even embracing the feminist label.
Simultaneously, there could be a return to chivalry that may arguably be considered chauvinistic at times, even if it comes from a caring place. There’s a thin line between helping out, versus treating women like helpless “little ladies.”
On the world stage, 2017 could bring more swagger from governments who puff themselves up to look strong. Global leaders must be careful not to get swept into petty “cockfights,” while also being strategic and focused on details. Homeland security will be a big issue for many countries: Gotta keep the coop safe! If unchecked however, this could bring another wave of xenophobia. We’ll have to strive harder to keep open dialogues in 2017, instead of continuing to polarize across racial, philosophical, gender and class lines.
5. Health and wellness will continue to be thriving issues.
And are you caring for your body well? The fastidious, Virgo influence of the Rooster helps us integrate wellness as part of our regular routines. Find a gym or set one up at home—and make sure to move every day. Schedule your checkups, and find a doctor who actually listens to you and wants to help you discover any underlying chronic health issues.
Preventative medicine like massage, acupuncture and a vitamin-rich diet is the smartest prescription in 2017. Clean eating gets another boost from the Rooster year, and with the fire element afoot, the menu will likely include more spices (turmeric, anyone?) and cooked foods, along with the raw juices and smoothies. Results won’t come overnight this year, but by putting healthy practices in place, we’ll be crowing AND glowing by the time 2017 is through. | {
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1. Cristian Siriano
Inspired by the Italian women in his life, Cristian Siriano is absolutely here for the drama. The famous designer, who created a nostalgic collection inspired by the orange dress that his grandmother wore in the photos of the 60s and 70s in Positano, is creating a feast full of romantic references. Siriano's voluminous looks, especially those with gigantic ruffles, which also appeared at the Venice Film Festival, were undoubtedly among the signature looks of New York Fashion Week.
2. Prabal Gurung
“All I wanted to do was create a collection that showed the world what beauty may look like. I truly believe that the world is a better place with women.” Welcome to Gurung's game, in which gender stereotypes are broken. If you ask him, he believes that women make the world a better place. His non-binary silhouettes exemplify this. Prabal Gurung continues to set the rules of the game by drawing a strong feminine portrait by eliminating sexual identities with remarkable forms.
Ladies, let's get together for lunch.
Moschino's new Ladies Who Lunch collection is all about pastel outfits, cropped jackets and toy elephants. “It's very ladies who lunch, but it's also nursery rhymes, so it's baby lady,” Scott explained behind the scenes of his seasonal theme. Gigi Hadid returned to NYFW following the birth of her baby Kai, holding a baby bottle as a hidden gift for Kai.
4. Proeanza Schouler
The trip to Kauai by Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough was more than enough to inspire this collection. This is how the creative duo's new collection was born, with the fresh air of the island, scuba and surf figures, nature's bright color palette, and Maui's native flavors stuffed into their return suitcase. Mentioning how "healing" travel is, Hernandez and McCollough duo attribute all this optimistic mood in their collections to this.
Author: Zeynep Gür | {
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Ftm | I am a boy
Love how it states "Feel" Masculine. You do 't have to present yourself in a masculine way to validate your gender. You can wear dresses and still be a boy.
What to do when your trans boyfriend is on his period
FtM problems by Haasap-Gasko on DeviantArt <<< I'm non-binary but this applies to me and my parents too :P
2ame except iim 2traiight , but ii 2tiill love people :D iim really friiendly , but 2hy lawl) but ju2t 2ome people not iin that way ehehe
Point 5cc shares FTM hair style and maintenance tips plus an inspiration guide to help you pick your new 'do, look sharp, and feel great.
Growing up I always heard "you can be whatever you want". So never judge who wants to be who or what they want to be. People are People.
YES OMG THAT ONE BITCH TEACHER. (B.N) sit forward *moves chair* Sit like a lady *moves leg* no sit like a lady *opens legs wider*
nice. good to know my favorite veggies have been lowering my estrogen this whole time :D | {
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When there aren’t any models for how you want to move through the world, it’s harder to move through the world. There’s no one right way to do ethical non-monogamy, just as there’s no one right way to do ethical monogamy, and no way is better or worse than any other, just better or worse for those involved. Poly Pocket looks at all the ways queer people do polyamory: what it looks like, how we think about it, how it functions (or doesn’t), how it feels, because when you don’t have models you have to create your own.
Lazarus Letcher is a 24-year-old Black kid with a white mom, is non-binary trans/genderqueer, and is queerly flying solo through poly life in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are currently balancing dating, finishing up grad school with a focus on Black liberation movements and decolonial queer studies, playing viola and singing with cutie queer folk band Eileen & the In-Betweens, and working as a sex educator/dildo slinger at Self Serve Sexuality Resource Center.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.
Carolyn: So when did you start to explore polyamory?
Lazarus: About three years ago. I was single for the first time in a long time, and was looking forward to making new types of relationships and connections. I had realized during my last monogamous relationship that when I was dating someone I felt this obligation to devote all of my love and emotional support to that one person. My friendships always suffered when I was in a relationship, even long distance ones. I realize now that the model of love and relationship I had absorbed was one rooted in capitalism. I thought that there was only so much love available to give, a scarcity of emotions, and that because of that they all had to be devoted to one special person in my life. Any love I spent outside of my homonormative couplet felt like cheating to me. It was also around this time that I just began to question the shit out of everything, and myself. I realized that I had not really allowed myself to imagine a future that wasn’t centered on having a career, a partner, and kids. I also realized I didn’t have to be a woman. For me, my polyamory journey is deeply connected with stepping into my gender and myself.
I started dating a true gem of a human after I’d decided I wanted my next relationship to be poly. They had been poly since they were 16, and it was really nice to have my first non-monogamous relationship be with someone who had experience and just some dope ass communication skills. I realized I had never explicitly asked for what I wanted in a relationship until I was poly. It was the first time I felt like I could be fully myself in a relationship. Expressing attraction or adoration for others wasn’t grounds for terminating our relationship. I could love and be loved in return with no shame or guilt.
“I had never explicitly asked for what I wanted in a relationship until I was poly. It was the first time I felt like I could be fully myself in a relationship … I could love and be loved in return with no shame or guilt.”
Carolyn: What is your relationship situation like now?
Lazarus: I just pretty recently started officially dating someone. The relationship is really my ideal poly situation. I’ve known them for awhile because the queer universe is a tiny fishpond no matter where you live. We struck up a really natural friendship that blossomed into play partners that turned into feelings which now leaves us as two giddy teens dating. We’re both in the kink community and play with others and have other relationships that beautifully blur the line of friend/lover. They live with an intentional community, and I’m really excited to explore the kinship potential that first attracted me to polyamory.
Carolyn: What kind of kink dynamics are at play? Do they influence your poly dynamics at all?
Lazarus: I’ve been pretty switchy my whole life, and my appetite in giving and receiving pleasure has really transformed since I started testosterone. This winter solstice will be my one year anniversary of second puberty, and over the course of this year I feel like I’ve suddenly been present for the first time in my body since I was a kid. I view kink as a way to explore and love this new body that’s entirely my creation. I tend to be on the submissive side of things more, which feels radical to me as a queer person of color. Being Black in the kink world is kind of like being Black everywhere else, I’m just waiting for someone to say something fucked up. I’ve heard stories from friends about being propositioned to be involved in “historically accurate” slave situations with white men, and that’s a really fucking hard limit for me.
I do identify as a submissive and my white partner is a service top. While it may not seem this way, I find that choosing to submit, choosing to let my body receive, being ultimately in control of my pleasure, is radical. I think our kink dynamic does impact our relationship in a really great way. The communication that’s necessary to play is a great model for everyday interactions. Consent, checking in, asking what someone’s desires are, these are all marvey things that can benefit any type of relationship.
“I find that choosing to submit, choosing to let my body receive, being ultimately in control of my pleasure, is radical.”
Carolyn: Have any specific communication strategies been particularly successful (or not) for you? Why/why not?
Lazarus: I’ve tried a few. I’m embarrassed to admit for how long I bought into so many romance myths (I’m gonna go ahead and blame young adult novels). I think the most dangerous myth I believed in was that if someone loved me they should be able to read my mind. That is just a fucking nutter butters presumption. It’s taken a lot of work to be able to articulate what my needs are, and that’s a really huge first step in communication. I’ve also learned that once I’ve processed something that’s bothering me, it’s better to share it than let it simmer for months and fester into something much worse. Fear of hurting someone is legitimate, but I’ve found that delaying the news helps no one.
Consistent check-ins have been the most helpful. In my first poly relationship we’d try to catch each other up on what our goals for the relationship were, what we appreciated about each other, and what we’d want to work on as a unit every few months. The goal was to preempt a backlog of resentment essentially, and just get everything out there. I’m a super anxious person, especially when it comes to communication, and going into a serious talk with an idea about the structure is extremely helpful for me.
Carolyn: How do you negotiate conflict? How do you negotiate change?
Lazarus: In most of my poly relationships thus far I’ve been a play partner or “special friend” to married folks. In these situations I’d say I have not handled conflict well, and I think it has to do with my resistance to hierarchal relationships that just seem inevitable if you’re dating someone married.
The conflicts I struggle with the most center around being Black in this polysphere. I was playing with/seeing a white person when Terence Crutcher got murdered and their inability to even grasp, or begin to grasp, the terror I felt completely shut me down. In that situation I just ghosted rather than deal with white tears. It feels strange talking about love and relationships in a time like this — with the powerful Indigenous-led resistance at Standing Rock, the deadliest year for trans folks on record, and the election of Trump, and I am honestly struggling to feel compassion for white folks right now, a conflict that I anticipate in a lot of my relationships.
About six months ago I ended my first long term poly relationship, and that change was hard. In addition to our relationship ending, the quad we were in changed drastically. It was a situation where I had realized my needs and not articulated them until I ended up hurting a lot of people, which I regret immensely. I’m still close with everyone in the quad, and some folks are still dating, but the reconfiguration of this web of relationships, with absolutely no fucking model for what that looks like, has been hard.
“I envision a future where I can reopen my heart, and fight for a world where I’m not scared to leave my apartment with all of my identities intact. My dream world and future is one with less fear and more vulnerability.”
Carolyn: With no models, where do you turn for advice or support?
Lazarus: I am extremely lucky to work at a business that is not only totally accepting of every facet of my identity including polyamory, but is also a hub for the local poly community. Albuquerque has a fairly sizeable poly and kink community. I have folks in my life who have been poly for decades and hearing how they’ve navigated life and the law has been fascinating. I still haven’t told my family, what better way than a very public article? Almost everyone in my friend circle practices some type of non-monogamy. Having no model can be scary, but also extraordinarily liberating. Making, creating, and nurturing relationships, in a way that aren’t just regurgitating the heteropatriarchal settler colonial white supremacist holy of holy couple, is amazing.
Carolyn: Where does poly intersect with other elements of your identity? How does it function within your understanding of yourself?
Lazarus: I think my poly identity fits in neatly with my identity as a radical anti-racist decolonial sex-positive Black trans queer. I’m at a point in my life where I’m trying to undo a lot of damage. I’m trying to interrogate the aspects of my life and identity that are the results of oppression, or that perpetuate oppression. For me polyamory is an aspect of this. I view polyamory as a structure that’s helpful in me decolonizing my love life and the way I view relationships. Having complete ownership of everything within the borders of my skin, and doing what I desire with it and with whom, is an incredible “fuck you” to the systems of oppression I seek to dismantle (and a fun one!). Allowing myself to love fully and completely has helped me foster compassion and empathy in ways I never anticipated, and I think these are two key parts of being an effective organizer or activist. The ability to love openly and fiercely, especially in times like this.
It also has enabled to see myself as a part of a larger web of things, not just in transit from one family unit to another. An alternative kinship without discrimination.
Carolyn: What do you want your future to look like? What vision are you working towards or hoping for?
Lazarus: Uff da, what do I want my future to look like? Open and loving. Growing up in the rural Midwest, Black, queer, trans and scared, I felt isolated. I’ve worked hard to open up my heart, but right now it seems really hard to articulate what my future might look like. I’m fighting for my life on stolen land. A banner reading “Whites Only” was hung on a business down the street from me. I envision a future where I can reopen my heart, and fight for a world where I’m not scared to leave my apartment with all of my identities intact. My dream world and future is one with less fear and more vulnerability. I think the support networks I’ve found during my time as a poly person exist in a lot of queer spaces, the notion of chosen family is new to no one on the margin. I don’t know if I want kids of my own, but I would love to take part in helping raise kids in a poly scenario. My vision is for all of us to find love, inside or outside of the models presented to us. | {
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Online Musical Theatre Festival
MPTheatricals, Queerly Productions, ALPMusicals & Musical Theatre Network/Mercury Musicals Development are thrilled to present MTPRIDE: an intersectional online musical theatre festival.
Over three weeks, three bespoke evenings of musical theatre will explore queer pasts, presents and futures. Unlocking histories, voicing untold stories, navigating identity mazes and celebrating identities: MTPRIDE celebrates queer beings through the powerful art form of musical theatre.
The season is curated by Lucy Dickson, Matt Powell & Meg McGrady, produced in partnership with MPTheatricals, Queerly Productions, ALPMusicals, Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Development. Technical Production provided by theatrical.solutions.
Festival Artwork by William Lloyd
queered (Volume One)
Queered reframes existing shows and reimagines classic MT moments in completely new contexts to explore queer histories, lost stories & personal experiences. In volume one, stories of love and lust, community and identity are brought to life through new arrangements and performances of musical theatre's vast repertoire.
Featuring a cast of LGBTQ+ talent, queered's debut digital performance blends live performances and spectacular recordings to create an evening that celebrates and interrogates what queer representation in Musical Theatre can be.
Director & Editor: Matt Powell | Musical Directors: Flynn Sturgeon, Sam Young, Zach Flis | Assistant Director: Ryan Wiggins | Technical Production: Adam Lenson & Chris Czoryji (technical.solutions)
Cast: Adam Raymont, Aitch Wylie, Alan Lewis, Ashley Gibbins, Charlotte Yorke, Conor Gormally, Eleanor Faye, Elliott Wooster, Emily Qualmann, Evie Rose Lane, Faye Wheeler, Freddie Love, Harrison Knights, Jo Eaton-Kent, Joash Musundi,
Jordan McMahon, Kaidyn Niall Hinds, Lucy Dickson, Matthew Jacobs Morgan, Richard Aaron, Roly Botha, Roshani Abbey, Waylon Jacobs
For so long in musical theatre, Queer Womxn and Trans folk have been relegated to being nothing more than ‘The Lesbians From Next Door’ or the ‘Token Trans Character’ with little to no opportunity to explore their own stories. We have our own exciting, interesting and varied anecdotes to tell, and in the age of the Girl Power musical and increased visibility for Trans performers, the time has come for us to make our voices heard.
Our hosts Teddy Lamb (Since You’ve Been Gone) and Francesca Forristal (Dragprov, P.S. I’m a Terrible Person) will choose songs through which their own life story as an LGBTQ+ womxn/enby can be told: from queer classics, to re-imagined pop songs, and new writing. These songs will be brought to life by an ensemble of west-end experienced and up and coming queer performers, resulting in a hysterical, heart-warming and occasionally challenging show about discovering your own queer voice.
LGBTQ+ Representation in Musical Theatre Panel
The history of musicals has included many artists who haven't identified as heterosexual, yet the vast majority of musicals have remained heterocentric, even when LGBTQ+ characters are included onstage. In recent years we've seen a slight increase in the diversity of LGBTQIA voices and characters represented in new musical theatre, including stories with trans protagonists and non-binary characters. Sometimes this has led to new questions about representation, and who is telling whose story appropriately. What do we hope the future holds?
The panel includes
- Susie McKenna (Associate Director at The Kiln)
- JBR (JBR Management)
- Rikki Beadle-Blair (Team Angelica)
- Olivier Award winner Sharon D Clarke (Caroline, or Change)
- Amy Ann Kemp (Trans Voices Cabaret)
- Gus Gowland (Pieces of String)
- Dr. James Lovelock (Lecturer in Musical Theatre at the University of Wolverhampton)
Bringing the festival to a close, MTPRIDE is proud to be collaborating with musical theatre director/producer Adam Lenson to present SIGNAL x MTPRIDE, a concert of queer artist driven new musical theatre. Since lockdown ALP has produced five multi-location SIGNAL ONLINE concerts that have been watched by over 40,000 people. In this special version of the acclaimed series, twelve LGBTQ+ musical theatre writers will present new songs live from their living rooms to yours.
Featuring new work from Harry Blake & Jennifer Fletcher, Roly Botha, Lewis Cornay, Francesca Forristal and Jordan Clarke, Jacom Fjedheim & Keuirm Hur, Joriah Kwame, Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss & Zak Ghazi-Torbati, Laura & Meg McGrady, Emily Rose Simmons, Robin Simoes Da Silva & Teddy Lamb, Jude Taylor & Eden Tredwell. | {
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The Inaabandam Symposium will foreground issues of concern and interest to Indigenous Women and other Gender Marginalized artists from multiple disciplines including film, performing arts, visual art, and customary practices.
Inaabandam will feature open teachings with elders, panel discussions, an exhibition and reception.
Inaabandam will take place January 17, 18, and 19, 2020, at the Toronto Media Art Centre on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the traditional territories of the Huron – Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe.
*Inaabandam (pronounced in-aw-buhn-duhm) means to dream a certain way in Anishinaabemowin.
*For NWIA “Gender Marginalized” includes Trans & Cis Women, Trans Men, as well as Two-Spirit people who may identify as Non-Binary or Gender Queer. | {
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Want a more resilient vibrant economy? Diversity is key to achieving this goal. It helps companies earn more and employ more while increasing profits and innovation. It's not just about attracting a mix of employees. It's about penetrating untapped markets. It also means access to diverse suppliers who are agile, cost-effective, and provide innovations to meet the needs of corporations better and to serve their customers better.
The diversity conversation has risen slowly and steadily and, during the past five to eight years, has become one of the top five strategic imperatives for every CEO running a large corporation, according to Robyn Streisand, founder and CEO of The Mixx and Titanium Worldwide.
In 1996, when the fintech company she had worked at for 10 years moved to Long Island City from Manhattan, Streisand took the move as an opportunity to start her own graphic design firm. Streisand wanted the name of her company to reflect her values. As a child, she made yummy chocolate chip cookies with her mother. The reason the cookies tasted so good, her mother said, was that “it’s all in the mix.” The word was a perfect reflection of her passion and the legacy she wanted to leave. However, when she went to register the name, it was taken.
Was this a sign that Streisand shouldn’t move forward? A friend pointed out that Streisand was also about love and community. Reflecting the word “kiss,” she added a second x to The Mixx and expanded the meaning of the company.
During her 10-year corporate career, Streisand had grown an extensive Rolodex of colleagues who had moved to other companies, including outside the financial services industry. These people knew the caliber of Streisand's work and trusted that she would deliver creativity that was grounded in the corporation's strategy and met the objectives of the campaign. Her clients now include Mercedes-Benz USA and Fortune 100 firms.
Over the first few years, the company quickly evolved from a graphic design studio to a creative services agency. However, making the transition from print to digital was painful. "None of my creatives knew anything about digital," said Streisand. Some embraced the change, while others did not. "We overcame the challenge by changing some of the team and bringing in resources that were digital savvy."
In 2001, The Mixx won a large-scale project from a Fortune 500 media company. Streisand was asked for her certification. "Huh," she thought. "What's that?" She was unaware that there are business development and third-party certifier organizations for women (e.g., Women's Business Enterprise National Council — WBENC), minorities (e.g. National Minority Supplier Development Council — NMSDC), people with different sexual preferences and non-binary gender identities (e.g., The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce — NGLCC) and veterans (e.g., National Veteran Business Development Council — NVBDC). (By the way, WBENC’s big annual conference is June 25-27, 2019 in Baltimore.)
"This was an 'aha' moment for me," said Streisand. Since then, she's become a huge proponent of certification. She's also taken the time to learn how to leverage her certification. "It was like going back to school,” she said. But it was worth the time. “I got opportunities that I might not have ever gotten before … It’s become a key differentiator for my company.”
For example, The Mixx is working with a big four consultancy’s chief procurement officer, on a communication framework so that everyone — from partner to someone on his staff — speaks with a consistent voice about supplier diversity, both internally and to the outside world.
The Mixx has also developed a pilot program that enables companies to test the validity of the strategy and tactics by starting small, without committing millions. Companies like Mercedes Benz have had enormous success with this approach.
In addition to the value-added that certification has provided, Streisand recognized that she had another advantage. As a boutique agency, her company was getting accolades from clients for the higher quality work it did compared to conglomerate agencies. She started receiving requests for proposals (RFPs) for much larger-scale projects. However, “because of our size [20 employees], we were not being asked to go to the next level,” she said.
Streisand asked herself the question that changed everything: What if I could offer anything that a large company can by organizing a best-in-class network of diverse, independent agencies with expertise across multi-disciplinary fields, using one point of contact? She had a rigorous selection and vetting process to ensure quality and cultural fit. Importantly, the agencies had to work collaboratively and not competitively. Titanium Worldwide was born five years ago to compete more efficiently and effectively for large-scale opportunities against major agencies and holding companies.
While it does not have a global presence yet, Titanium Worldwide is signing business and has attracted very senior procurement executives to its advisory board. They understand the unique value Titanium brings — the belief that to attract new audiences, the brand has to connect to the market authentically.
Finding imagery for campaigns targeting new markets is challenging. Most stock image houses don’t get the need. One does. "Very few providers have the asset library Adobe has," said Streisand. "They see how ripe this opportunity is." Importantly, when Streisand's team identifies gaps, Adobe works to fill it.
The large companies have a significant role to play in helping small businesses grow. At the same time, small businesses have a vital role in helping large companies be agile, innovative, and responsive to changes in the market. How will you take advantage? | {
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Staff Interview by EHN Guest Writer
Written by Lorelie Rozzano, an internationally recognized author and advocate.
At 12 years old, EHN Canada counsellor Lauren Melzack had a big secret. Lauren discovered she was attracted to the girls in her class. Terrified that her friends and family would find out, Lauren drew inwards. It was the early seventies, and the world viewed being gay as sick and wrong. For many years Lauren kept her secret, living in a fantasy world where she spent most of her time alone, believing there was something wrong with her.
Socially shy and awkward, Lauren describes herself as depressed. She called herself fat and ugly and blamed her problems on overeating and being overweight. At the age of 15, Lauren thought she had found her solution when somebody handed her a joint. Lauren’s painful emotions and insecurities vanished. Smoking marijuana helped Lauren feel like she could survive and conquer her troubled world.
Lauren also discovered alcohol at 15, but she didn’t like the taste of it. However, it wasn’t the taste Lauren was after. Lauren wanted to be intoxicated. She recalls pinching her nose closed as she drank. Even after she came out at age 18, the heavy drinking and smoking continued.
When she was 23, Lauren realized drinking and drugging had become problematic. Lauren was smoking weed 24/7 and drinking heavily. Lauren sought help through psychiatry but he recognized her issues with drugs and alcohol and said he couldn’t help her until she got sober.
I didn’t know I could have fun without getting high
A lot of gay life is lived in the clubs. When Lauren entered treatment, she wondered how she would connect with others like herself. Without the clubs and the freedom she found in drugs and alcohol, Lauren thought her life would be dull and boring. But Lauren discovered gay and lesbian meetings, and she realized that fun didn’t just come in a drink or toke. Lauren was the outlet for fun.
Completing a 30-day treatment program and two years of aftercare, Lauren went to meetings and met people she felt completely comfortable with. Lauren dove headfirst into her recovery and thrived there. She got a job in corrections, as a prison guard and twelve-step meetings took the place of the clubs. Lauren went out to dinner, dances, and learned to bowl. Lauren says going to treatment and coming out, allowed her to learn how to love and accept herself. This also gave her a clear understanding that she wasn’t an addict because of her sexuality but now was equipped with the tools needed to address both issues in a healthier manner.
Sobriety gave Lauren the confidence to embrace all her dreams
Lauren completed an Associate degree in criminal justice, a Bachelor’s degree in management, and her Master’s degree in environmental science. Lauren also completed her Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation (CACCF).
In June of 2008, Lauren began working at EHN Canada’s Edgewood facility in Nanaimo. As a clinical counsellor, Lauren works closely with patients and their families. Recently, Lauren was promoted to Deputy Clinical Director and put in charge of EHN Canada’s new program for LGBTQ+ individuals. This program is designed to address specific needs and issues this minority population faces. It allows LGBTQ+ individuals to openly discuss gender and sexual identity complications and challenges that they’re not able to address in the general population.
As a lesbian with years of experience navigating the trouble waters of identity and self-acceptance, Lauren is an excellent candidate to head this program. Lauren says, if I had had one person in high school tell me I was okay, it might have made a big difference in my life. Instead, I hid my true self and numbed my shame and anxiety with food, drugs, and alcohol.
What people who aren’t LGBTQ+ don’t understand is the sheer terror you feel when you’re contemplating coming out
Lauren says if you identified as LGBTQ+ and struggle with addiction, it’s essential to find someone safe to talk with. You can call me. I’ve walked in your shoes, and I know the terror of being vulnerable and sharing something so incredibly intimate about yourself.
EHN Canada’s LGBTQ+ program is a specialized track for LGBTQ+ individuals who are seeking a safe, supportive environment with a treatment focus. It’s important to note, some people don’t identify sexual gender one way or another. Non-binary gender identity is neither exclusively male nor female. It’s okay not to be certain about your sexual/gender identity and to affirm yourself regardless. The program is about resources, acceptance, and love. We can make accommodations for everyone’s needs. EHN Canada recognizes although addiction is a predictable illness, we are all unique individuals with different challenges.
I spent so many years thinking there was something wrong with me
Reflecting on her 12-year-old self, Lauren says, if I could say one thing to myself or anyone else who struggles as I did, I would say this. Hang in there. It gets better. You are lovable. There is nothing wrong with you. Being gay is not a disease. Being gay is just who you are, and masking your pain with drugs and alcohol or other mood-altering behaviors is not your answer.
We Can Help You
Lauren and the professionals at EHN Canada can help you can overcome substance use disorders in an environment that’s safe and accepting of your sexual orientation and gender identity. Our new program allows people identifying as LGBTQ+ to feel like part of the majority rather than the minority. The program provides a 50-day inpatient experience that includes individual counselling, group therapy, and Certified Sex Addiction Therapy (CSAT) available for any members of the community who may have compulsive behaviors they want to address.
If you would like to learn more, please call us at 1-800-683-0111. Our phone lines are open 24/7—so you can call us anytime. | {
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2021 Job Postings:
TWM is currently hiring for 12 new Block by Block positions in Agincourt, Parkdale, Regent Park and Victoria Park. Application deadline is April 19, 2021. Read the job descriptions below and apply to join our team!
Local Program Coordinator Positions Available
Do you have community outreach and event planning experience? Enjoy working with young adults? Want to give back to your community?
Apply to join the Toronto Ward Museum’s Block by Block program team as a Local Program Coordinator. This is an opportunity to mentor a small team and work on an exciting project in a community setting.
From May 2021 through December 2021, we are looking for four local program coordinators, to each guide a team of two young adults to preserve and animate migration stories rooted in the neighbourhoods of Agincourt, Victoria Park, Regent Park and Parkdale. The local program coordinators will be supported by the Block by Block Program Director and local program partners.
Each Local Program Coordinator will be expected to:
- Participate in a series of online project orientation and training workshops starting in early May
- Conduct community outreach for Block by Block in their neighbourhood. Spread
- awareness of the program, encourage participation in it, welcome and integrate feedback.
- Secure 10 oral history interviewees in the neighbourhood, ensuring diversity of ages, cultural backgrounds, lived experiences.
- Meet weekly in person with their young adult research team to guide their work and support them to conduct oral histories, create exhibition materials and maintain relationships of respect and trust with storytellers and community members.
- Organize and facilitate at least one community story-sharing session for fall 2021
- Lead their local team to plan programming, logistics and publicity for a neighbourhood “Block Party”, which will be held in spring 2022.
- Support their local team to create audio-video components for a Block by Block online exhibition.
- Contribute to the creative work of the larger research/curation team by leading weekly local check-in meetings, participating in larger team trainings and meetings, voicing ideas and concerns regularly to help steer the project.
- Participate in Program Evaluation
Local Program Coordinators will receive up to $6000 CDN (Six Thousand dollars, Canadian) for their contributions to Block by Block. The expectation is that each Coordinator will work 300 hours between May 15, 2021 and December 15, 2021, at a rate of $20 per hour. The workload over this period of time is equivalent to approximately 9 hours per week of work but will vary over the course of the project. Regular weekday availability will be necessary for these positions, as will some flexibility in order to meet deadlines. TWM is currently working remotely but may return to in-person activities if public health guidelines change.
We are looking for individuals who are self-motivated, well organized and comfortable working with young adults and in community settings. Ability to work creatively and respectfully in a team is a must, and experience with event planning and/or community outreach will be a valuable asset. Willingness to work flexible hours in order to coordinate with the rest of the team and meet project deadlines is also necessary.
Other assets for these positions include:
- Ability to manage schedules and meet deadlines
- Experience mentoring, training or managing youth or young adults
- Community experience in one of the four neighbourhoods (Agincourt, Parkdale, Regent Park or Victoria Park)
- Experience with community outreach
- Fluency in Bengali, Somali, Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Tamil, Tibetan, Tagalog or Hungarian
- Effective leadership skills
- Community arts or community programming experience
- Interest or experience working in media, community history, museums or oral history
- Availability during working hours on weekdays (9 am-5 pm, Monday to Friday)
Local Program Coordinators will typically be working in one neighbourhood for this project but must be willing to travel to other parts of the city by TTC for team meetings and workshops if public health guidelines change over the course of the contract. In the meantime, Local Program Coordinators must have the capacity to meet and conduct their work by zoom and phone using their own equipment and wifi.
How to Apply
If you are interested in applying to become one of Block by Block’s Local Program Coordinators for 2021, please complete and submit an application by Monday, April 19. You can either fill out an application using our Google Form (https://forms.gle/a6cTFFKuvTwj2mnN8), or answer the questions in this pdf document and send by email to [email protected]
Young Researcher/Curator Positions Available
Are you between the ages of 19-29? Interested in stories, photography, podcasts or media arts? Looking to learn more about your community?
Apply to join the Toronto Ward Museum’s Block by Block program team as a young researcher/curator. This is an opportunity to champion community stories and work creatively with other young people.
We are looking for 8 young adults between the ages of 19 and 29 to preserve and animate 32 migration stories rooted in the Agincourt, Victoria Park, Regent Park and Parkdale neighbourhoods between May-December 2021. The work of the young researchers/curators will be guided by local coordinators in each neighbourhood and will be supported by the Block by Block Program Director and local program partners.
Each young researcher/curator is expected to:
- Participate in a series of online project orientation and training workshops, starting in mid-May 2021
- Work with the other members of their neighbourhood team to conduct 8 oral histories, as outlined in the project orientation and training.
- Deliver oral history outcomes to the Program Director by the assigned deadlines.
- Meet weekly in person with their local coordinator and team to review tasks, coordinate schedules and reflect on the process and stories.
- Work cooperatively with the rest of the team to create an online exhibition (this includes participation in curation training workshops).
- Develop programming for a neighbourhood Block Party/exhibition launch, which will be held in Spring 2022
- Co-host a neighbourhood story-sharing circle in Fall 2021
- Meet regularly with the rest of the Block by Block citywide research/curation team to collaborate on program outcomes
- Establish and maintain respectful relationships with community members and the rest of the Block by Block team.
- Participate in ongoing program evaluation
- Work approximately 10 hours per week on this program, at least half of which will be on weekdays during daytime hours.
Young Researcher/Curators will receive up to $5760 CDN (Five Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty dollars, Canadian) for their contributions to Block by Block. The expectation is that each Researcher/Curator will work 320 hours between May 15, 2021 and December 15, 2021, at a rate of $18 per hour. The number of working hours is equivalent to approximately 10 hours per week but the workload will vary over the course of the project. Flexibility will be necessary at times to meet project deadlines. Regular weekday availability will also be necessary.
There are no specific experiences or qualifications required for these positions. We are looking for young adults who are good listeners, self-motivated, responsible and flexible. Ability to work creatively in a team and availability during daytime hours on weekdays are a must. Other assets for these positions include:
- Community experience in one of the four neighbourhoods involved in the project
- Interviewing skills or experience
- Research experience
- Fluency in Bengali, Somali, Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, Tibetan, Tagalog or Hungarian
- Interest in photography, digital media, filmmaking, podcasts or digital storytelling
- Design skills or experience
- Community arts or community programming experience
- Experience working with seniors
Young researcher/curators will typically be working in one neighbourhood for this project but must be willing to travel to other parts of the city by TTC for team trainings, workshops and city-wide meetings if public health guidelines change over the course of the contract. Willingness to work flexible hours in order to coordinate with the rest of the team and meet project deadlines is also a requirement. TWM is currently working remotely but may return to in-person activities. In the meantime, Young Researcher/Curators must have the capacity to meet and conduct their work by zoom and phone using their own equipment and wifi.
The Toronto Ward Museum is committed to community leadership, meaningful diversity and work by and for historically underrepresented groups. We welcome applications for these jobs from young adults who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Color, newcomers, immigrants, refugees, persons with disabilities, women, queer, trans or non-binary persons or any combination of these intersections. We will also prioritize applications from young adults who live or have community connections in the neighbourhoods we are working in. We encourage you to self-identify in your application.
If you are interested in applying to become one of Block by Block’s Local Program Coordinators for 2021, please complete and submit an application by Monday, April 19. You can either fill out an application using our Google Form (https://forms.gle/o7BWBYzGLcDi5QkaA), or answer the questions in this pdf document and send by email to [email protected]
Toronto Ward Museum Membership Sign Up | {
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Who we are
Mermaids is the largest, UK-wide charity working to support transgender, non-binary and gender diverse children, young people and their families. Mermaids’ overarching aim is to create a world where transgender youth can be themselves and thrive.
Mermaids promotes education and awareness, and lobbies for change. We offer information, support, friendship and shared experiences to children, young people and their families, as well as providing local and national opportunities to meet others. | {
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