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New RPG ‘Pyre’ Is One of the Few Video Games That Lets You Be Gender-Neutral Pyre was released yesterday for the Playstation 4. The game is a fantasy-based role playing game, where you put together a team to compete in The Trials. The Trials are a magical sports competition, and the only way for criminals to win a pardon. Each character has a special skill, like super-speed. Pyre has been getting great reviews, like a 9.7 from IGN. As of this writing, it’s fourth place on Steam’s Top Sellers list. (Right behind Dream Daddy!) And one more thing — it’s one of the few RPGs to let you have gender-neutral characters using “they/them” pronouns. Of course, while rare, it’s not unheard of for RPGs to address gender and sexuality. Bastard Bonds is a game that objectifies the male form in the same way that many, many video games objectify the female form. Persona 4 features Naoto Shirogane, a non-binary character. Though not an RPG, Electronic Arts released an update to The Sims 4 removing gender-customization restrictions — meaning you can have genderqueer Sims. This is not to say there hasn’t been pushback against more diversity in video gaming. One of the best stories is when game publisher Beamdog added a transgender character to Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear. After GamerGaters threatened and harassed the developers, Beamdog responded by agreeing they could have handled things better… so they were releasing a patch to give the trans character even more backstory. Pyre is the newest game from Supergiant Games. Supergiant is also known for the critical hits Bastion (9.0 on IGN) and Transistor (also 9.0). Given the success of Pyre so far, hopefully this will make inclusivity more common in gaming. Even just a simple option like Pyre offers helps a great deal. Gaming is for everybody.

This event will mark the first of many to come for the partnership between the two like-minded organizations. It’s no secret that the Dota 2 community can be pretty toxic. This problem is felt doubly so by the female members of the community. Female players and content creators alike are frequent targets of sexist comments and behavior. On the basis of wanting to improve the lives of women in the Dota esports scene, Dota Valkyries was born. Founded March this year, the grassroots organization aims to build a bright future for all women in the Dota community. In a pair of tweets earlier today, the organization shares some big news. Dota Valkyries’ New Partner Dota Valkyries have partnered up with the British Esports’ Women in Esports initiative. In the news release on their website, Natacha Jones, the chair for Women in Esports, comments that the partnership is a natural one. “We’re extremely excited to have partnered with an organization 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.“ In terms of expectations for what the partnership will bring, one of the co-founders of Dota Valkyries Emma “Catfish” Brown had this to add: “Through this partnership, you can expect further collaboration through content creation, co-branded tournaments and involvement in research projects.” In a second tweet shortly after, the new partners have announced their first event: The Valkyrie Cup. What is the Valkyrie Cup? The Valkyrie Cup will be a community tournament taking place on 18th to 19th September 2021. The event is in line with the Dota Valkyries goal of inducting more female players into a semi-professional setting. The entry requirements of the tournament are as follows: - A team must consist of a minimum of 5 players, with a minimum of 2 female or non-binary players and a maximum of 3 male players. - No player can have more than 4000 MMR at the time of registration to the tournament. No tournament is complete without prizes, of course. The top 3 teams will walk away with up to 24 Battle Pass levels per player. The event will have live match coverage on the new Women in Esports Twitter page. As for broadcast, the tournament will be screened on the British Esports Twitch channel, with community streams from those taking part to be encouraged. While this is not the first mixed gender tournament, it is most definitely a significant one. Dota 2 is already a hard enough game to get into on it’s own. With the abuse that female players have to deal with, it’s no wonder that so few of them stick around. Dota Valkyries’ Valkyrie Cup will serve hopefully as a spearhead of sorts, and pave the way for more efforts towards inclusivity to come.

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Five creatives disrupting archaic female archetypes Dazed taps a group of creatives that are redefining female roles, wearing AMIRI AW22 womenswear Defining new “archetypes”, AMIRI’s AW22 womenswear collection broadens the classic Americana wardrobe guided by its Californian design codes and technical craft. Building character through volume, the collection focuses on dynamic shapes and an elevated attitude; recognised by defined, oversized outerwear, relaxed body and wide-leg, cargo flare. Archetype is a word thrown around a lot, especially in fashion, but what actually are they? Well, they’re pretty much “moulds” of character and behaviour that can be traced all the way back to Greek mythology. And their age shows. The female archetypes you get when you google, for instance, centre on The Mother, The Siren, The Lover, The Sage and The Hunter. Which are, of course, in need of a long-overdue update. Doing exactly that with the help of AMIRI AW22 Womenswear, photographer Daisy Walker and stylist Gabriela Rowland joined forces to bring together modern female creatives from a plethora of backgrounds, telling their stories and platforming their power through intimate imagery. Representing a new generation of female creativity were casting agent Marie Claire, musician Cherise, sexual wellness coach Eliza Lawrence, writer Clem MacLeod and DJ Amaliah, respectively. THE MOTHER – MARIE CLAIRE Based in London, Marie Claire is a half-Chinese, half-American mother agent and casting director. “A lot can start with me.” She tells us at the shoot. “I feel privileged and honoured to be able to help individuals into the industry or continue on. The model may have five agencies worldwide, and it’s key they have someone who the model can relay worries, fears, triumphs and goals to,” she says, speaking on her job. With a role that revolves so heavily on caring for others, her outlook on her career breaks away from the stereotypes that surround model agents. “In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than a mother agent who doesn’t care about the model, sends them off into the world, and just cashes that commission,” she noted. “For me, being a mother agent involves being involved daily with my models, with their agents and clients, and ensuring all is good.” THE LOVER – ELIZA LAWRENCE As a freelance sexual wellness writer and coach, Eliza Lawrence does not shy away from the taboo, making her contemporary embodiment of ‘The Lover’ the ultimate sign of tenacity. After her first university summer, she launched her online platform to offer a sanctuary for people to feel more comfortable being open surrounding conversations about sex. Entitled Wasitgoodforyou, Lawrence describes the platform as a space to “be vulnerable, tell your story and hear other people’s experiences”. “In the modern age where we are getting to understand the global experience and sexual rights are being tried, tested and reshaped, modern women need to talk about how we got to where we are and why it is sacred that we establish equality of pleasure, fairness and respect for all women.” THE SIREN – CHERISE With her angelic vocals, jazz and soul singer, songwriter and yoga teacher Cherise became the perfect embodiment of a new-age Siren. “I use my voice as a path to empathy, especially right now it’s easy to feel isolated and disconnected from how others are thinking and feeling,” she tells us. “When I write my music and sing my songs, I’m trying to let the listener know that they aren’t alone. That’s what I think a Siren does, connect to the heart and draw people closer to something deep.” THE HUNTER – AMALIAH London-based DJ and producer Amaliah is always on the hunt for new music and new artists. “I search for music in a lot of different ways. My main outlets include Bandcamp, Discogs, Beatport, Youtube or IRL record shopping and I sometimes root through to the way back when section of my own library to discover old gems I’ve forgotten about,” she says on the process of hunting for new sounds. “There’s so much incredible undiscovered music I have to find and I just get so excited when I manage to tap into it, even if only a tiny bit. It’s a thrilling process.” THE SAGE – CLEM MACLEOD Equipped with the knowledge and community to portray ‘The Sage’ Clem MacLeod is the founder and editor-in-chief of Worms Magazine – which she describes as “a biannual literary magazine that celebrates female and non-binary writer culture”. Discussing how her peers are subverting stereotypes says: “I share my studio with three amazing ladies: Dolly Milkes who is a fashion designer; Steph Francis-Shanahan who is an artist making books on collective joy and trauma; and Sam James who works in fashion marketing. We’re all doing different things but seem to be driven by a very similar force which is definitely counter to archaic female archetypes.”

LGBTQ RIGHTS OPED Uganda’s anti-gay bill sparks a surge in homophobia, media censorship and mob attacks LGBTQ people in Uganda are under siege by a government that seems determined to stamp out sexual minorities, helped along by propaganda peddled by right-wing American evangelists. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill that was passed by the Ugandan Parliament on 21 March 2023 threatens the safety of LGBTQ people, their families, communities, healthcare practitioners, teachers and others who do not report gay people to the police. Since the adoption of the bill – which has yet to be signed by President Yoweri Museveni – schools have been raided by mobs hunting down LGBTQ learners, along with teachers and headmasters. Similar things have happened in other places. US evangelical pastor Scott Lively travelled to Uganda to meet with government officials and spread propaganda that homosexuality is a Western disease that must be fought. This political weaponising of sexual orientation and gender identity is what Mark Gevisser refers to when he writes in his book, The Pink Line: Journeys Across the World’s Queer Frontiers, that queer people have become politically instrumentalised as “embodiments of progress and worldliness to some, but stigmata of moral and social decay to others”. The homophobic laws being introduced in Uganda and other places around the world make queer people scapegoats in a system of lies by right-wing politicians trying to cling to power. This policing, control and exploitation of sexual minorities and gender-diverse people is a colonial project of a kind. “The homophobia and transphobia we are seeing towards queer and trans persons in Uganda are peddled by extreme American evangelicals. Just last week we had American evangelicals in Uganda attending the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on African Values for 23 African countries,” said Dr Frank Mugisha in an interview with Democracy Now! “The agenda for this conference was anti-gay and anti-gender. In fact, some of the African members of Parliament who attended this conference are trying to introduce similar legislation in other countries. For example, a [Kenyan] member of Parliament was in Uganda attending this conference that was heavily supported by American evangelicals, and is now trying to introduce similar legislation in Kenya.” In 2020, OpenDemocracy found that 20 American religious organisations spent at least $54-million advocating against LGBTQ rights, safe abortions, access to contraceptives and comprehensive sex education. Almost half of it was spent in Uganda alone. A bill ‘to protect the traditional family’ Uganda’s anti-gay bill was first introduced in October 2009 “to protect the traditional family” by prohibiting same-sex relations. In 2014, it was annulled due to a technicality — there was no quorum when it came to voting on the bill. Years later, the new bill has now been passed and awaits President Museveni’s signature. Museveni has called LGBTQ people “deviants” and asked Western countries to stop lecturing African leaders on morality. According to the bill, anyone who identifies as gay can face life imprisonment, up to 14 years imprisonment for attempted homosexuality, 20 years for promoting homosexuality and a potential death sentence for repeat offenders. Children under 18 can be jailed for up to three years for identifying as LGBTQ. People providing healthcare services would be compelled to report any LGBTQ people who seek medical care. Landlords with LGBTQ tenants could face imprisonment or the death penalty if found guilty on more than one count. Journalists reporting on the human rights violations of LGBTQ people and activists doing HIV outreach work are considered to be “promoting homosexuality”. “The bill aims to criminalise advocacy for the promotion of LGBT persons – it seeks to erase the entire livelihood of every LGBT person in Uganda,” said Dr Frank Mugisha, activist and director of Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG). The Ugandan government recently shut down SMUG as part of the silencing of LGBTQ activists ahead of the new bill. Many LGBTQ youngsters have been thrown out of schools, disowned by families and lost jobs and opportunities. A couple of them have been beaten, especially in the slums. Homes have reportedly been raided by local authorities. “We are worried that we will see mob justice if this legislation is passed. We are seeing communities burning schools where perceived LGBTQ people work. We are seeing workshops and events getting raided … people being arrested and undressed, transgender persons getting stripped on national television … the situation has gotten worse in recent months,” explained Mugisha. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has condemned the bill, saying, “If signed into law by the President, it will render lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing, for being who they are. It could provide carte blanche for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights and serve to incite people against each other.” Growing up queer in Christian Uganda It was tough enough being queer in deeply religious Uganda, and already illegal before the new draconian law was even passed. The popular yet false idea that homophobia is un-African and goes against African family values has permeated the hearts and minds of many Ugandans. It is homophobia, not homosexuality, that was introduced by the West, with King Henry’s penal code in 1950 criminalising “sexual acts between persons of the same gender”. Uganda being a deeply religious state provides fertile ground for the perpetuation of Christian and colonial notions that homosexuality goes against God’s ways and nature. It is no wonder that homophobic slander is a regular staple in Ugandan churches. A queer feminist woman in Uganda recalls growing up in the church, watching the pastor aggressively march back and forth across the stage as the congregation launched into a babel of tongues casting out “demons of homosexuality” in Uganda. Another one notes that Catholic primary school girls who were suspected of being lesbians would be caned in front of everyone during school assemblies. “I always fought my desire for other girls because I thought it was unnatural,” she said. Being queer & out in Uganda today Being an LGBTQ activist since the bill was introduced has been intense and stifling, says one anonymous activist. Many activists and allies have been forced into virtual hiding, away from public scrutiny, with some even having to close down their places of business. Violations have spiralled in semi-urban and rural areas and online violence has spread, especially against those who channel their advocacy efforts through the internet. “Going forward, there is going to be a heavy cost for each of us to maintain our stance on who we are and the humanity we believe in,” said one activist who asked not to be named. “Being black and queer is a death sentence. You are hunted for being black and hunted for being queer. It feels like visibility without protection,” says Papa De, a Joburg-based queer Ugandan photographer. “However, we have been strengthened by our community itself – the unity, support and solidarity from the allies have also been tremendous. The bill wants to put an end to LGBTQ activism, but how do you stop a passion except with death? Because, for some activists like myself, this is my life. Literally,” she said. Despite the threat to personal safety, many refuse to hide or deny the truth of who they are. “I am the gayest human in my home area. Kindly publish it, even on a billboard. I’m tired of homophobes and transphobes who can’t even process that people aren’t ‘recruited’. I’m so angry. Publish this anywhere. I totally consent,” read a message forwarded to me by a Ugandan journalist. “Even my traditional parents accept me. Who the fuck are they to say a thing? I’m doing this for all of us. I’m a tiny man. They can’t catch me.” A matter of life or death Activists have been killed in Uganda, including David Kato. Many continue to face increased violence. There are arrests going on right now, especially in schools. Most people are being arrested for being perceived as being homosexual, or for defending homosexuality. On the eastern side of Uganda, in Jinja, many matrons are arrested and detained for promoting homosexuality in schools. Some teachers were arrested for promoting homosexuality at an all-girls school, and some parents have come out to prevent the education of girls who have been accused of homosexuality. These parents also want the death penalty imposed on these matrons, teachers and principals “Some parents are so furious … I remember at a police station, some people asked the police for names so they could go beat and kill the so-called perpetrators,” said an anonymous source. Three weeks ago, a student was arrested for allegedly being involved in homosexual acts with other students. The parents went to the police and asked for their child to be forgiven so that he could go back to school. According to a source, the police refused because homosexuality is not allowed in Uganda and they were waiting for the president to sign this bill so that the pupil can account for being involved in homosexuality. A doctor from a healthcare facility in Uganda said they previously had many LGBTQ people coming for treatment, but after the bill was passed, more and more LGBTQ people are in hiding and are afraid of going to healthcare facilities for fear of arrest. Digital security for many has been compromised due to surveillance and data breaches. If this bill is signed into law, everyone will be under attack. Those “straights” promoting this bill choose to plead ignorance, or just don’t know it yet, but they will also be affected. Media freedom in Uganda Many journalists and media houses have had a field day spreading propaganda and misinformation and fuelling negative and biased reporting on gender and sexual minorities. The journalists who are reporting on human rights violations are in danger of being charged with promoting homosexuality. Criminalising the “promotion of homosexuality” means any editor, journalist, publisher or film director who discloses and identifies a queer person without reporting them to the police, could be imprisoned or fined up to 100 million Ugandan shillings. Journalists are scared of doing their jobs. A journalist in Uganda told me in a call, “I don’t think we will be able to produce stories and be the voice of the voiceless, as we have been. In addition to our safety, we will also not get information because human rights activists will also face imprisonment if they … speak. We will not be able to tell stories and fight for the rights of others in Uganda. “I interacted with some government officials last week and they said if we go ahead and produce stories about the arrests and attacks that are going on since the bill was introduced, then we are promoting homosexuality. They don’t want us to report on the arrests,” she added. When the journalist approached a healthcare official for information about LGBTQ people in Uganda for a story she was writing, she was told, “Do you want me to get arrested and killed in Uganda right now?” Even human rights activists have said, “please, we cannot come out to speak about anything regarding homosexuality right now”. One activist said, “I am appreciative of a few media outlets and personalities that have shared our opinion pieces and features as we shared with them, and allowed us the small space of freedom of expression from our end, despite the censorship and threats of violence from every corner. Kuchu Times is a media initiative for and by LGBTQ people in Uganda. It was formed to challenge the negative reporting by mainstream media by sharing positive stories from the gay community. If the new bill becomes law, Kuchu Times and similar media will face serious problems. The global spread of homophobia Other African countries could soon follow Uganda’s example. Ghana has recently introduced anti-gay laws and Kenya is following the same path. A similar bill has been introduced in Tanzania’s Parliament. Anti-gay propaganda and anti-gay laws are increasingly appearing throughout Africa. Read more in Daily Maverick: Progress and setbacks on LGBT rights in Africa — an overview of the last year The problem isn’t restricted to Africa. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there have been 120 anti-LGBT bills introduced in the United States this year alone. A plea to the South African president My personal plea to the president of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, is to talk Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, out of signing this bill into law. When Simon Nkoli was asked to give an address in New York for the International Lesbian and Gay Association on the 25th anniversary of Stonewall on 27 June 1994, he said: “It is with so much pride that I tell you that when President Mandela made his victory speech on the Grand Parade at Cape Town, speaking to almost as many people as are gathered here today, he made a point of saying that discrimination against gays and lesbians will no longer be tolerated in South Africa.” Read more in Daily Maverick: It is vital for South Africa to oppose Uganda’s dangerous anti-gay bill I implore Ramaphosa to remind Museveni that discrimination against gays, lesbians, trans and non-binary people must not be tolerated. And to educate him about the call for freedom, as stated in the Freedom Charter: “The People Shall Govern! All Shall Have Equal Rights! The People Shall Share In The Country’s Wealth! The Land Shall Be Shared Among Those Who Work It! All Shall Be Equal Before The Law! All Shall Enjoy Equal Human Rights! There Shall Be Work And Security! The Doors Of Learning And Culture Shall Be Opened! There Shall Be Houses, Security And Comfort! There Shall Be Peace And Friendship! THESE FREEDOMS WE WILL FIGHT FOR, SIDE BY SIDE, THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES, UNTIL WE HAVE WON OUR LIBERTY”. Solidarity with LGBTQ people in Uganda We’ve had waves of homophobia in Uganda, but this bill is a well-curated and well-funded campaign against the rights of LGBTQ people. We must fight and push back for our brothers and sisters – if we can’t do it for our own, no one else will. No revolution was won without solidarity. Use your voice to stand up for equality and against hate towards LGBTQ people in Uganda. Join platforms like #WhatsNext, where you can learn about the situation in Uganda and the plight faced by other oppressed sexual minorities. #WhatsNext was created by Ugandan photographer Papa De, who has been an active link in the response to the situation in Uganda. So far, they have raised 24-thousand euros – most of it has been sent back to Uganda to help LGBTQ people who are scrambling for food, medical care and housing. They have partnered with artists such as Athi-Patra Ruga, Lady Skollie and others to host an art fundraiser this weekend at Lang de Moun Mon in Johannesburg at 2pm. “The youth has been uneducated and unbothered to learn about the difficulties of others, because they are supported by laws here,” said De from his Johannesburg home. He believes solidarity starts with taking the time to learn about the lived experiences of queer people in other countries, and following the voices of activists who are putting themselves on the line. DM/MC Welcome Mandla Lishivha is a journalist and author of Boy On The Run and researcher for GLOW: The Life and Trial of Simon Nkoli: a Vogue Opera, a musical opera on the life & trials of anti-apartheid and gay activist Simon Nkoli, composed by Philip Miller.

The following is based on my personal experiences as a Latina world traveler. Here are some important historical and cultural insights to know about Latin American culture. This is particularly important to be aware of before dating a Latina. A great way to approach a multicultural relationship is to become more educated and culturally competent! So we thank you for doing the work. Welcome to la familia 😉 Table of Contents Who is Considered Latino? First, who is Latino or Latin American? According to many scholars, Latinos are people from (or whose ancestors are from) a Latin American country. These include but are not limited to: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and most of Central/ South America. Please note – since a lot of this is social construct, it’s normal to feel the lines blur and hear a lot of debating about the delineation. The definitions also vary depending on the country you’re in and how they teach these terms. Dating a Latina: Interesting Tips & Things to Know 1. Introversion Can Be Interpreted as Rudeness or a Weakness Generally speaking, much of our Latino culture encourages community values, outspokenness, affection, charisma, dancing, get-togethers, and things of that sort. This means that shyness or introversion may be interpreted in a negative manner. Now, this doesn’t mean that the Latina you’re dating is this way; she might be an introvert too! But it could mean that her family, especially if they are more traditional, may very well expect some extroversion from you. Not-so-fun-fact: There is no direct translation for boundaries in Spanish. So things like keeping your bedroom door closed may be considered rude and family dropping in at the last minute unannounced may be accepted as a normal thing. But these are also the beautiful things that make our community, fun, supportive, loving, and always there for each other! Read our related article: Individual versus community values in our multicultural upbringing. 2. Declining Food or a Gift May Be Considered Offensive I’m laughing as I write this thinking back on several occasions where I’ve invited a white friend home who declined food and my family’s dismay towards that response. Many of us Latinos put a lot of detail, flavor, and love into our cooking. Food can be a special sign of affection and unspoken communication. Many years ago, I remember feeling upset with my grandmother after she made a mistake. She felt bad, but instead of her saying “sorry,” the next morning she made me one of the best Dominican dishes for breakfast. And with that, our quarrel melted away. Food can be a gesture of caring and sharing. So to make a delicious meal for someone and then be told: “no, thank you”. Whew! It can feel like disregard. Especially because we’re not serving you a pre-packaged meal. It’s made from scratch and takes time! The same applies to gifts. Even if you don’t like the actual gift, it’s the effort that matters. Accept it, say thank you, and move on. And if you can wear the gift around us, you’ll get major points! 3. We Tend to Have Strong Community Values Dating a Latina, you’ll soon learn that many (if not most of us) have very strong community values. This means we are there for each other at the drop of a hat. Families support each other unconditionally. When you’re sick, everyone rushes to the hospital to be there for you. Or they make you traditional teas and stews to help you feel better. This is very beautiful. However, the same behavior is expected of you. If your Latina mother-in-law needs something, you may be expected to drop everything you’re doing to rush over and help out. Depending on who is in your community, this can honestly be either amazing or annoying. As a cultural world traveler, I’ve noticed that strong community values are pretty common around much of the world outside of the Anglo-Saxon culture. So if you don’t like community values, just know that it’s not us… it’s you that’s the “odd” one out! 🙂 For more information – I’ve written before on the collective versus individualistic values you grapple with when you’re raised in both Latino and American cultures. 4. Don’t Exoticize Us Latinas Exoticizing, sexualizing, and fetishizing Latinos for our ethnicity is not OK. We’re not a disposable novelty to check off on a bucket list or to “spicen” up your life (that’s toxic thinking if you’re looking for chaos in your life). We are not a kink. And we should not be reduced to a one-dimensional trait such as our ethnic background. We are much more than just a label based on a geographic delineation. 5. Our Families Extend Beyond the American Nuclear Family Model The typical Anglo-Saxon-White-American tends to have a smaller family model. I’m not referring to the number of children or actual family members. I’m referring to the number of relatives they keep a tight bond with. Latinos, generally speaking, will maintain a very strong and active connection with their aunts, uncles, grandparents, grandparents’ siblings, cousins, etc. We remain so close to our relatives (beyond our parents and grandparents) that our cousins are like our siblings and our grandparents are like another set of parents. In fact, our aunt/uncle’s children are referred to as “primo-hermanos” in Spanish which means our cousin-brother. Because we’re that close. For this reason, our family reunions and gatherings can get big quickly. This also means that we provide a huge network of support to each other in myriad ways. 6. The Myth of the Latino Monolith & Decentering Latinidad Americans were shocked to see the results of the most recent election. The news headlines kept repeating the word “monolith”. They were shocked that we were not all the same, didn’t have the same values, and didn’t all vote for the same candidate. But how is this surprising when Latinos come from over 30 different countries, spanning across North, Central, and South America as well as the Caribbean? Just the continent of South America is almost twice the size of Europe. So think about it– you wouldn’t lump a Portuguese, an Irish, and a Turkish person together just because they’re both European, right? So why do people still generalize millions of Latino people? Latinos are very culturally diverse with different values and historical influences. And we also have different ethnic backgrounds. For instance, I am African, Native American, and Iberian. Some Latinas are also Chinese. Some have blue eyes. Many are Black. And so on. 7. Not All Latinas Speak Spanish Not all Latinos speak Spanish. Instead, some Latinos speak French, Portuguese, Creole, Cuecha, Mayan, and more. And many, like the millions of Latino-Americans raised in the United States, only speak English. 8. We Don’t All Know How to Dance & Other Latina Stereotypes Stereotyping us is beyond a huge turn-off. Comments such as calling us spicy or “caliente” or assuming that we like dancing to Daddy Yankee is nauseating! It tells us you’re not looking at us for who we are, but rather as a caricature or as a disposable novelty to check off. Stereotyping, especially a historically oppressed group, is a problem and imposes an unjustifiable constraint. Not all of us Latinos know how to dance. We don’t all eat hot spicy food (that’s only a handful of Latin American countries). We’re not all curvy. We don’t all listen to the same music. And we don’t all represent each other. We are all distinctly different human beings. I’m a Dominican but I don’t represent all Dominicans. Just like you’re American but you don’t represent all Americans. If you want to learn more about the cultural values of the Latina you are dating, that’s great! Look closer into her particular cultural heritage. Is she Mexican? Haitian? Cuban? Those are completely different cultures, dialects, and historical influences. 9. Our Cultural Identity is Distinct Remember, Latino, Latina, Latinx – are very broad terms. Like African, European or Asian. For this reason, many of us simply refer to ourselves by our cultural heritage. For example, I refer to myself as a Dominican-American from NYC more than Latinx or Hispanic. And as for the evolving terminology, Latinx has become a more inclusive term out of consideration for non-binary people. I personally, use them both interchangeably but will 99.999% of the time simply refer to myself as a Dominican-American from NYC. 10. History of U.S. Imperialism in Latin America Has Shaped Our Migration Patterns The history of Latin American migration to the USA is due largely in part to American imperialism through political/economic interventions and military invasions which left so many Latin American countries unstable politically and financially to the point where many of our families were forced to leave. This is one of the more recent reasons why so many Latinos live in the USA today. Almost every single Latin American country was disrupted or invaded by the United States and then left either with a U.S.-backed dictator and/or unsafe and unstable. Even bigger reasons of course include European invasion and colonization of the Americas since 1492 and the transatlantic slave trade which has led to a plethora of effects we’re recovering from today such as colorism. 11. We Cherish & Want to Preserve Our Cultural Heritage Speaking another language and seeing the world through more than one cultural lens is a gift. It’s like having a third eye from which to see the world. In a globalized and interconnected world where the hegemonic mainstream culture is western/American/Anglo-Saxon, embracing and preserving cultural diversity is of utmost importance. Diversity of perspectives strengthens a group. And our unique cultural heritages make us humans smarter/stronger and push innovation and critical thinking. We Latinos, adore our Spanish language. And many, if not most of us, want to pass this down to our future generations. Speaking another language and seeing the world through more than one cultural lens is a gift. It’s like having a third eye from which to see the world. So if you can take some Spanish classes, make an effort to learn our language and appreciate our food and the great things about our culture…. we will notice that and love you more for it! Because it means the world! Note: This doesn’t mean we won’t embrace American or other cultural values. It just means we want to keep BOTH. Many Asians, Africans, and Europeans already do this. They speak several languages and raise cross-cultural families. It’s not a new development. What is uncommon is the American concept of only speaking one language and sticking to one mentality. Not the most efficient way for humanity to grow forward (in my opinion)! 12. We’re Actually Not That Different From Everyone Else. You Are. Cultures/people who are not white Anglo-Saxon are often lumped into the label of “minorities”. But in terms of numbers and geography… it’s actually the opposite. You can find a lot of the things (especially the community-values) I just mentioned above in most cultures around the world outside of white/Western-influenced societies. Community values are more of the norm and many anthropologists such as Cacilda Jethá and Christopher Ryan (Sex at Dawn) agree that community and tribes could very well be a part of our human nature. 13. Latinas Tend to Be More Intuitive Generally speaking, of course, many Latinas have a keen sense of intuition. All humans have intuition. But not all are trained to listen and pick up on things as much as Latinas are from a young age. We’re trained to be almost like a bruja. Like a Bene Gesserit (sorry that’s a nerdy Dune reference). To pick up on social subtleties and vibes. Maybe it’s our sense of community and constantly being around other people that have sharpened this extra sense. But the deeper you go into more culturally concentrated Latino cultures, especially the barrio and campo spaces, the more we have refined “street” smarts or a “bruja-like” intuitive skills. I hope this helps better contextualize how we see or should not see the Latinx community. Thank you for doing the work for your Latina partner and looking up tips and things to know when dating a Latina! The lack of awareness for many of these things stems largely from the lack of diverse/Latino representation in the media. And also from the misrepresentation in media such as these Latino stereotypes in TV/movies that have to go! So there are a lot of misconceptions out there and I applaud you for doing the work and looking deeper for your Latina girlfriend!

Wow, a lot has happened since my last post and the continuing grief and loss I have over losing my Keahola (beloved) Lisa. I haven’t written about my transition for such a long time, mostly because Lisa’s passing has completely overwhelmed everything else in my life. Perhaps that is good, as it seems a lot of the worry I had before about transition had been replaced by this loss and my thoughts about transition seem to have simply vanished. At this point in my transition (is it still a transition?) everything for me, being a women that is, is very much normal and almost taken for granted. I used the word ‘almost’ because I can never take this for granted after all I’ve gone through – what I mean is that daily activity as a woman is not questioned by me nor looked at with this “oh wow – I’ve made it” type of wonderment. Back in 2013 I wrote a post about wanting to feel ‘nothing‘ – meaning everything is seen, felt and communicated – gender wise – correctly and not with extensive disphoria. That is where I am today. There are occasional disphoric moments, for example, seeing a reflection of myself when my hair is blown back and my face seemingly looking too masculine or interpreting a look from someone as evidence I’m not “passing”. These are rare and for the most part I now walk through life with the assumption that everyone’s first impression of me is as a female. In other words, I have a confidence now. In situations where there are people that know that I’m a trans-woman, I have no issue being open and sharing, as long as they respect me ‘as a woman’! And that is the norm – yayayayay! The picture I chose above is when I addressed a gathering of over 300 people in remembrance of the shootings in Orlando at an LGBT* nightclub. This was put together by the Maui Pride organization which I was elected to as a board member. Just one of the things I’ve been doing since Lisa passed away. And, a biggie for me, I was accepted into a Womyn’s group. Another was being inducted into the service organization of the Rotary. In all of these I am out and known as a trans*woman and accepted as a woman. I also have the opportunity to help a teenage youth, FtM, gain confidence as he transitions. I’ve given him a tour of the summit observatories and did some stargazing while we were up there. It’s so very rewarding to watch him gain confidence in himself and move forward in life. He was a co-speaker at remembrance for Orlando as well. As he started to read the poem he wrote especially for this event, he had a hard time getting started – so I went around and came up behind him and placed my had on his shoulder. That was all he needed and his confidence was back! He is now engaged in a lot of activities on the Island and is becoming known as the youth spokesperson for Trans*. This is so awesome. I’m very proud of him and honored to have been able to be a part. Both of us were on a radio talk show here on Maui to discuss being trans, some of the misconceptions, and generally more information about trans* to help set the record straight. It’s an hour long but I think very good. Suzanne (the host) did a great job of asking the right questions. At one point even I did mix up the terms, placing sexual orientation words in a statement I was making about non-binary gender identity. So embarrassing especially after just talking about sexual orientation is completely different from gender identity! I know it’s long but please have a listen to the entire recorded show here on my YouTube site. My mic was quite soft so you might need to turn up the volume to hear what I had to say. I have been able to do so much and come so far, but all of this has been possible because Lisa had passed away. I would not have gone out and got involved if Lisa was still alive. I would have continued as we were, together, in love and always in each others company. This troubles me a lot and is another source of terrible grief. I remember Lisa telling me how badly she grieved after her brother died. Lisa was the estate executor and she would say over and over again how she would rather have him be alive then have part of his estate. I am now in the same situation, I have accomplished so much in the last 15 months since she passed away. I would much rather have her alive and the two of us quietly sitting at home, together, enjoying life than everything I’ve accomplished since. It’s painful. I knew from the first day after she passed away that I had to get out there and be a part of everything I could: Maui Pride, Hiking Groups, Maui Adventures, Womyn’s groups, Sunday brunch groups, Rotary and the list goes on. Lisa wanted to retire back to Oregon the second I turned 66 – my full retirement age. We had even put an offer on a house and had it accepted. We were waiting for the inspection report before finalizing – and that is when she passed away. The day she passed away I had to call and cancel that offer. I have now come full circle – I have just purchased a home on the beach in Oregon – a huge dream of hers (and mine). I will be retiring there on the 1st of Jan, 2017. During the first two weeks that I stayed in the new home, I could feel Lisa’s presence in the chair next to me. I could feel her happiness. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have felt that and her acceptance of this home. The irony is, she would not have purchased this when she was alive due to her bad knees, but she would have enjoyed this immensely in our retirement. Back to transition …. Once again a caveat … this is meant for those that are following me in transition, others may consider some of what comes next as TMI (too much information). You have been warned! Most everything has stabilized. It is very hard to lose weight and so very easy to gain it. This is very different from before hormones. As a result, I’m up about 10 pounds from when I had my surgery. My breasts have grown perhaps just a little, my aoreolas are more pronounced and I definitely need to either wear a bra or ‘peddles’ to conceal my nipples under a top. I would also say I have some curves in the right places that I didn’t have before. I still wear liners. For one, panties go a lot longer. I have a slight continuous discharge, not from the vagina but from the upper areas close to the clitoris. My doctor told me that was normal for a lot of woman and due to estrogen. This slight wetness keeps everything clean and healthy. When I shower I don’t use soap there: I rinse thoroughly with water under the shower, making sure to get into all the folds (after surgery for a number of months I used soap). At first I had the ‘cheesies’: deep in some of the folds a yellowish cheesie deposit would form and this did not smell very nice. Again my doctor found and showed me where and how to clean. This has not happened for quite a while now. I still do not like to wear jeans or anything tight down there, but I am able to tolerate that longer now. However, if I take a long arduous hike, etc., I’ll notice that it will be tender and sometimes sore. Once my liner had a slightly pink color – so something bleed a little. That was after a pretty hard long hike in the mountains here. A few months after my surgery I had what felt like a bowling ball directly under my clitoris – very hard and sore. It was only after that went away (shrunk and then disappeared) that I was able to sit without using a cushion. Well, once after a difficult all day hike wearing tight jeans, this came back – maybe only marble size, but in the same place and with the same soreness and tenderness. It went away withing 24 hours, but I thought that was noteworthy as it was almost the same thing. And orgasms …. I have not had any ‘over-the-top’ knock down, blows one’s mind out orgasm (yet). I will have these mini-orgasms that will peak but will go away quickly. These are full body and wonderful, but very short and perhaps not so intense. One of my problems might be that when they happen, my mind kicks in with ‘oh wow’ and then ‘keep going’ – all distracting from the event itself. Others that have transitioned the same time as me have figured it out and others still have not even had one, just like in the normal female population. I consider myself fortunate to be able to have this. Plus I think I’m placing too much pressure and ‘thought’ behind it. I have to learn how to let go even more. I really wish I had a partner in times like this …. I remember how totally awesome it was for Lisa. I have noticed that I have synchronized with the other women in the office. For about a week each month, I bloat up only to loss all the water weight all at once over a 16 hour period – using the restroom as often as every 45 mins or so, with a large volume each time. It’s just before this week that I have any inclination or wish for stimulation (what a huge difference from being a male!!). I am really grateful for that actually. As a male, testosterone imparted this almost constant drive that I hated. As a women, I knew that was not part of me and I hated how that had effected me. This is another one of the many parts of disphoria – a disconnect between one’s self and one’s body. Dilation is not a problem at all any more. I dilate once a week, but there have been times when I missed – and had no problem the next time. I know others that can not miss a week without having trouble getting to depth or having tightness. I’m lucky. There was a discussion within the forums about switching to using a dildo or vibrator of the same width and depth instead of the lucite dilator. So, well, I bought one! It certainly makes dilation a lot easier! But it’s not as rigid as the dilator, so I alternate to make sure I keep the depth and width. After I had my surgery and the doctor removed the packing, he inserted the dilator and showed me the initial depth – it was 6.5 inches. However, every time after that when I dilated, I measured 5.5 inches. Now, in the last couple of months, I have reached the 6.5 inches! So for me at least, I was able (after almost 2 years) to get back to my original depth. Not that his matters – I don’t have a partner and even if I do find someone – a new partner would almost certainly be female. But, as another trans*sister put it – you paid a lot of money/pain/effort for this … Every now and then I wake up in the middle of the night and adjust the blanket – taking it off a bit because I got too hot only to put it back on later because I got too cold. For a while I thought this was outside temperature changes (in Maui I have all the windows and the sliding door to the lanai open in my bedroom – Lisa and I both loved the fresh air). But this was happening too often for this to be that. It’s night sweats – mini hot flashes. Cis women that I know that are post-menopausal have said that ya, they never really go away. Not as intense, but still there. I’m still having electrolysis. The only part left is under my chin/neck and that is more than 1/2 way finished. I do not shave above my jaw line at all any more – I only shave part of my neck. That is a huge YAYAYAYAYAY! I can not wait to have this completed. I have electrolysis twice a week – 2 hours each time. Since I’m moving to Oregon in Jan. I’m hoping to have this completed by then. I also had electrolysis to remove the hairs on my back as well. I didn’t have many, so that went pretty quickly. Now, I’m having laser on my front and finally getting that under control. I’ll have electrolysis on anything that is left on my front (just below the bikini line up to the neck). In my experience, hormones did not have very much of an effect on my back and front hairs. I had to shave/wax both all along (about twice a week). However, the hormones did effect the leg and arm hair. Mine are now much softer and much less. I shave legs and arms perhaps once every three weeks to a month. Just under my knee caps is the only place where it’s noticeable. The heath provider from work just removed Divigel (estrogen – very very critical for me) from their formulations – meaning I no longer pay the $20 co-pay for it but now am charged $75 !! What an increase! I want to fight it, but omg what a mess that is. In 5 months I retire and will get a medicare plan that will cover it. I could just wait. But I think I want to fight this – at least for others and those coming after me. So we’ll see. This will be difficult as there are so many other things that need to be done before I retire. Messy …. Well, there you go – finally got a post out! I’ve learned not to promise when the next one will come – but I’ll try. Things seem to be getting better now. With much aloha,

'VIDA' Depicts Boyle Heights Amidst Gentrification Review by Alci Rengifo Vida follows two sisters as they deal with loss and class conflict in the Los Angeles community of Boyle Heights. This new, vibrant episodic drama from Starz brings a Latinx face to the recent batch of urban-themed shows. In the spirit of recent titles like Dope and Atlanta, it journeys into corners of the country mostly ignored by mainstream television, telling their stories with style and gritty realism. Here, gentrification and the culture clashes that can take place within a community propel a narrative that also features universal themes. But for many viewers this will be the show to watch to understand the lifestyles, struggles and cuisines of that Chicano part of Los Angeles where you really need to polish your Spanish and... your Spanglish. As the series premiere opens, an aged woman named Vidalia drops dead on a bathroom floor. We are then introduced to a very proper young woman named Emma (Mishel Prada) who flies into her childhood barrio from Chicago. Emma and her sister Lyn (Melissa Barrera) are Vidalia’s surviving daughters. Emma, practically estranged from her mom, chose to seek professional success and status away from home. Lyn stayed in the neighborhood, working at what she can and hoping to someday open her own business. Emma is surprised find out that Vidalia had a roommate, the non-binary Eddy (Ser Anzoategui). During the memorial services, Lyn hooks up with her now engaged ex, Johnny (Carlos Miranda) and discovers that Eddy is actually Vidalia’s wife. This rattles Emma, particularly after she discovers the neighborhood building belonging to her mother has been willed to her, Lyn and Eddy, on the condition they split the profits three ways. The terms outlined in their mom’s will land the sisters squarely in the middle of the ongoing battle over gentrification, as old properties are scooped up by greedy developers devoid of compassion who seek to build expensive housing for trendier crowds. Emma quickly gets an offer from a local shark named Nelson (Luis Bordonada), but Lyn warns that many of the tenants are undocumented and would be left with few options if, as the new owner, they decide to sell the property. Created by Chicago playwright and TV writer Tanya Saracho, Vida never feels less than authentic. It is stripped of stereotypes or a distant gaze. Instead it feels like a show that knows the world of its characters inside out. East L.A. and Boyle Heights come to life here as never before on cable television, with its blemishes and color left intact. It is a detailed rendering of Chicano culture, its complexities and its socio-economic layers. Emma is the Latinx who believes success and respect comes from leaving her roots, looking down at those who stayed and calling them “stuck.” Yet she mocks Lyn for speaking bad “pocho Spanish” and moans a little too much when munching on authentic tacos. And of course Lyn’s business plan is to sell “Aztec-inspired lotions.” Anyone who has lived in a Latinx home will grin and nod at the memorial scene where mountains of food, especially rice and beans, are served and a big flan spread is the chief décor of the dessert table. Real Eastsiders will recognize a room packed with friends and relatives who disappear for years, only to emerge suddenly, as if my magic, to witness the anguish of a family tragedy unfold, much like those who slow down on L.A.’s freeway to ogle at an serious accident. Saracho’s script also captures with sharp subtly the way Chicano culture starts mingling with emerging hipster trends. In an early scene Eddy serves Lyn a big, beefy Mexican meal. She frowns, saying, “I’m a vegan.” Another groundbreaking feature is the focus on women as the narrative catalysts. In a society where patriarchy remains entrenched, these women suffer few fools. Emma and Lyn are both written with strong individual but equally insightful personalities. Eddy is a unique representation of a long present, but hardly ever publicly addressed, gender identification diversity in Chicano culture. The key male figure in the season premiere, Johnny, is a bit hard to read but registers along familiar tropes as that guy who is engaged, but won’t pass up the opportunity to have sex with his ex (“I’m such a pendejo” he whines afterwards). Lyn corners him and makes it clear that he’s no idiot. He knows what he’s doing. These are characters intolerant of hypocrisy from the men they must interact with. Gentrification becomes the underlying theme of the plot in the pilot. It is also the story’s way of exploring various social facets of Chicano life. When a white TV reporter does a story on a local taco joint, a fiery young activist Mari (Chelsea Rendón) interrupts, calling the reporter a colonizer. In the episode’s opening scene Mari films herself making radical, anti-gentrifier statements, quoting Zapata before a distant adult voice calls her to make food. Later on she will slam Emma as a “bougie puta.” Visually, Vida is also an example of elegant grit. The visual style of the series captures both Boyle Heights and adjacent East L.A. in soft colors and beautifully framed compositions. In the spirit of films like Sin Nombre and A Better Life, the look of the show gives the lives of its characters a rich tone, a veneer which approximates a sort of urban poetry. The television renaissance has proven to be a wonderful platform for stories about everyone. Vida dramatizes the Latinx experience with a human touch and a sense of storytelling that will hopefully have wide appeal. Like cinema, good TV takes viewers into the lives of others, because the more we understand our neighbors, the better we can understand ourselves.

I am passionate about healing sexual trauma. I believe it is the key to true freedom on this planet. From the darkest dark comes the greatest light. And the wound of sexual trauma holds some of the darkest stuff in our collective psyche. And it’s rampant, as we’ve seen through the #MeToo movement. Sexual trauma causes people to become disconnected from their core. They are made to feel bad, wrong, and worthless; that they are only there to be used for someone else’s pleasure. Sexual trauma often creates unbearable levels of shame in someone’s system. And, unlike remorse, shame is never a constructive feeling. Shame is a giant black hole that sucks away life. Sexual trauma cripples people. People die from sexual trauma. They often commit suicide. This wound can be a living hell. Symptoms of this trauma can include: eating disorders, paranoia, insomnia, depression, self-harm, anxiety, body hatred, disassociation, addictions, chronic fatigue, subsequent abusive relationships, and money issues (as a mirror of their low sense of worth). There is often a lack of boundaries—not being aware of other people’s boundaries, and/or attracting people who constantly break theirs. If it’s not a total lack of boundaries, it’s barriers: inflexible walls that are designed to stop anyone from getting in and hurting them ever again. Sexual trauma isolates people. It is some of the most disabling trauma anyone can go through. In her book Vagina: A New Biography, Naomi Wolff describes an experiment done by scientists. A lineup of women who had been through sexual trauma mixed with women who hadn’t. The scientists blindfolded the women, and then gently pushed them physically. What they found was: the women who had not been through assault held strong, keeping their balance. The women who had been through trauma, however, were easily toppled. They physically wobbled or fell. Sexual trauma literally knocks away someone’s sense of self at the root of who they are. It traps people in a cage of suffering and shame. It is very hard to be truly connected to yourself as an individual and contribute to society when this trauma is so active. The only way to become a powerful, free individual, is by moving through this trauma and healing it. I’m not minimizing this journey to wholeness. I’ve been through this experience myself. It isn’t easy, but it is so rewarding. It is why I now work with women who are living through this trauma. I believe that the darker the challenge, the stronger the promise of empowerment and freedom on the other side. It is possible. But what happens on a collective level when a large portion of society holds this kind of trauma? (I am speaking here to women who have been the recipient of sexual abuse from men, as I work with women. So this is the area I feel qualified to write about. I want to acknowledge all the men and non-binary folk who have also been through this trauma. Their stories are equally as important.) “Men are objectifying pigs, and women are raging man haters.” Why are we at this place in society where this attitude is so common? I’m going to give a bit of a crude breakdown of what happens in social dynamics when this kind of trauma is prevalent. Obviously it’s more complex, but please stick with me. Often, this abuse is internalised and projected onto all men: All men are unsafe. All men are abusers. All men are potential rapists. We know this is true, because it’s spouted on many renowned feminist websites. Often, as an unconscious way to control the “threat” (the men), these women then resort to the emasculation of men. Belittling and cutting them down from their healthy power. The worst piece is that these women often find themselves attracted to unhealthy men. Because that’s what the imprinting of their abuse tells them “sex” and “love” are. So their unconscious stories of “all men are assholes” becomes true. Time and again. Which, I know, really hurts! What happens when men are emasculated? Many men, when shamed and cut down because of the sex they we born with, go into rebellion. They objectify; they close their hearts. Eventually, if they experience it enough, they stop caring about women. This is the attitude that creates excuses for treating women badly. Objectification = Emasculation. Emasculation = Objectification. And because everyone is placing the blame, the cycle continues. I want to be clear: if you have been through trauma, it is not your fault. It does not excuse someone else’s actions. But it is your responsibility, as a self-responsible adult, to heal yourself. And I want to wave some pom-poms over here and tell you, “You can do it!” Seeking help to deal with the things that have happened to us is one of the most courageous moves anyone can make. When we confront the things that scare us, they lose their power. We learn how to love our bodies, find confidence, and to know ourselves. We stop having the same painful experiences sexually, romantically, and societally. We no longer attract those experiences, because we’ve healed the wound. Society is created of individuals. We need free individuals for a free collective. And when we have that, imagine the unity, liberation, respect, and peace we will live in—together. This gender war thing will stop. From both sides. We will live in a world of healthy power dynamics and deep respect for sexuality. It is important to share the stories of the #MeToo campaign. But the most important thing we can do is: And, we must. It’s perhaps the biggest wound in the human psyche, which means it holds the greatest rewards, for us as individuals, and as a collective. If you have been through this kind of trauma, please know you are not alone. And for your own sake, please seek out someone qualified to help you. Someone who knows how to work with sexual trauma. Please don’t go to some self-professed “shaman” who wants to heal you with his wand of light (his glorified penis)! Go see a therapist who rocks your world and who you trust. You can be free of the pain that cages you! And when all of us are doing that as individuals, that’s how we’ll find our collective freedom. Let’s burn bright from our heaviest dead wood. You can do it! Together, we all can. Author: Courtney Maria Halsted Image: Unsplash/Caju Gomes Editor: Travis May Copy Editor: Yoli Ramazzina

- September 16, 2019 7:30 am - 4:30 pm FALL LEGAL UPDATE 2019 Join us for a full day of professional development on current legal issues impacting Employers and HR Professionals September 16, 2019 – 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. IU13 Training and Conference Center, 1020 New Holland Avenue, Lancaster, PA EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE 2019 Jonathan Segal, Esquire, Duane Morris Institute ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE? MARIJUANA IN THE WORKPLACE Theresa Mongiovi, Esquire, Brubaker Connaughton Goss & Lucarelli LLC COMPLEX ISSUES FACING EMPLOYERS UNDER THE FMLA Anne Zerbe, Esquire, McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC Andrea Farney, Esquire, Triquetra Law Rebecca McClure, Director of Human Resources, York Container Company IMPLEMENTING POLICIES TO SUPPORT TRANSGENDER AND GENDER NON-BINARY EMPLOYEES Karen McConnell, Assistant Superintendent, Central Dauphin School District SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY EMPLOYMENT LAW UPDATE David Freedman, Esquire, Barley Snyder 6.25 SHRM and HRCI credits pending -All cancellations must be received in writing, by emailing the cancellation to email@example.com. -Cancellations received at least two (2) weeks prior to the conference date will receive a 100% refund. A processing fee will apply. -Cancellations received at least one (1) week prior to the conference date will receive a 50% refund. A processing fee will apply. -No refund will be issued for any cancellation request received within one (1) week of the conference date, however, an alternate person may attend in the registrant’s place.

Transgenderism: Major Irish teaching union under fire from Jordan Peterson over video encouraging teachers to help pupils switch gender - watch the video and judge for yourself and live on Freeview channel 276 Dr Peterson described the contents of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) video as “unforgivable”. INTO is the main union representing teachers across the island working in Catholic schools. It has both northern and southern offices, and says it has a membership of just over 40,000 teachers. In INTO’s cartoon video, a teacher informs his class that while doctors will classify babies as boys or girls at birth, those doctors can be wrong. This is because sometimes a child will “feel inside they are not a boy… they know they aren’t a boy”. By helping the pupil to pursue a switch in gender, the teacher allows the child to feel “happier and more like themselves”. Accompanied by cheerful music, the video goes on to recount how this good teacher then “introduced the pupils to non-binary identity, where people don’t identify with being either a boy or a girl”. It’s not clear exactly how old the pupils in the video are meant to be, but its childish tone and things like the scribbled drawings on the classroom walls suggest they are primary-school-aged. Several years ago, while still a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, Dr Peterson got substantial media exposure when he objected to a new law called C-16, arguing that it would compel people to use transgender terminology like someone’s “preferred pronouns”. He has since gone on to speak worldwide about what he sees as immoral “identity politics” activism, and has authored books aimed largely at getting young men to improve their lifestyle and outlook. Although the INTO video had drawn criticism a couple of years ago, the fact it has come to the attention of Dr Peterson and his fellow travellers takes the criticism of it to a higher, international level. “What the hell does ‘they feel inside they're not a boy’ even mean?” Dr Peterson wrote on Twitter (where he has 3.9 million followers). "Inside where? Feel what? This faux compassion/ignorance is both unfathomable and unforgivable.” The INTO video appears to have gained widespread traction online after a group called Women's Space Ireland tweeted about it, followed by Colin Wright (@SwipeWright, 158,000 followers) – an evolutionary biologist who has described the battle against transgender activists as “reality’s last stand”. He called the video “a special blend of psychotic [and] wildly inappropriate”, adding: “It's a how-to guide for permanently damaging a child's mental health and turning them into life-long medical patients. “Don't let its lighthearted tone fool you. This is grotesque.” ••• SO WHAT WAS INTO’S RESPONSE? ••• The News Letter drew INTO’s attention to Dr Peterson and Dr Wright’s criticism, asked for a response, and asked if it still endorses the video. A response in the name of INTO’s general secretary John Boyle read, in full, as follows: “Teachers play a key role in educating about diversity and supporting those who may feel vulnerable within our school communities. "However, it’s essential that teachers are appropriately supported in this role by their boards of management and by the Department of Education. “INTO strives to ensure the priorities in the ETUCE Action Plan on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are reflected in our negotiations and representations with the Department of Education, the NCCA, the NCSE, the Teaching Council and other bodies. “As a union we encourage our members to seek advice from expert groups with expertise and knowledge in dealing with all manner of sensitive issues in classrooms. “INTO organises a wide-ranging annual summer programme of professional development for teachers. "Teachers who choose to enrol in one of these voluntary programmes, 'The LGBT+ Inclusive School ' course, during their summer holidays, receive access to all relevant course materials and peer research made available by the organisers. "Course materials include videos which provide guidance for teachers on how to address a variety of LGBT+ related topics that may arise in the classroom in a sensitive manner. "Course participants have found these background materials to be helpful for them as they strive to promote inclusiveness and discourage bullying. “It is important to stress that the videos you have cited are not part of the primary curriculum and are not used as teaching resources in our schools – they are support materials to help teachers to deal sensitively with issues that arise from time to time in today's classrooms. "These videos help to inform teachers on delicate issues that may arise in the classroom – they are not viewed by pupils of any age group.” The News Letter has been essentially alone on the island of Ireland in regularly covering developments concerning transgenderism over recent years (though that appears to be changing somewhat). Here is a small selection of our coverage:

Lisa Kuivinen, 20, Struck and Killed While Biking on Milwaukee Avenue We have been notified that Lisa Kuivinen identified as non-binary and preferred gender-neutral pronouns. The post has been edited accordingly. Lisa Kuivinen, a 20-year-old art student, was fatally struck by the driver of an 18-wheel flatbed truck this morning while cycling on Milwaukee Avenue in West Town. At about 8:15 a.m. Lisa was riding on the 800 block North Milwaukee, according to Officer Laura Amezaga from Police News Affairs. A report from DNAinfo indicates that the cyclist was heading southeast towards downtown. The collision occurred just southeast of Milwaukee’s Kennedy Expressway overpass. Near the construction site for a transit-oriented development, Lisa was struck by a flatbed truck driver. Lisa was taken to Northwestern Hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead at the hospital, Amezaga said. The driver, identified by police as 37-year-old Antonio Navarro from northwest-suburban Algonquin, stayed on the scene, according to Amezaga. Navarro has been ticketed for driving in a bike lane and failure to take due care for a bicyclist in the roadway, according to Police News Affairs. A traffic court hearing is scheduled for September 15 at 9 a.m. DNAinfo reports that the truck is registered with Illinois Brick Co. and a person from the company declined to comment. The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified Lisa as a resident of 3700 block of Wren Lane, Rolling Meadows. Lisa’s Facebook profile indicates that the cyclist was a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with an interest in animation. The crash took place on a stretch of Milwaukee Avenue with protected bike lanes, including stretches where the bike lane is painted green and short segments protected by concrete curbs. However it appears the section of bike lane Lisa was riding on was not protected by curbs, parking, or flexible posts. Moreover, the southeast-bound bike lane is blocked by fencing for the TOD construction site, forcing cyclists to merge into the travel lane. DNA reports that Lisa was approaching the fence when the driver struck the cyclist. According to DNA, a man named Brandon who was walking to work at the time witnessed the aftermath of the crash and ran to the cyclist. “[Lisa] was in really bad shape and I stood close to [them] and did not want to move [them] in case anything was broken,” he told DNA. “I kept saying, ‘Hold on, they are coming, they are coming.’ I’m terribly saddened by this but I’m glad [Lisa] wasn’t alone in [their] last moments.” The School of the Art Institute of Chicago has issued the following statement: We are shocked and saddened to learn of the tragic loss of a member of the SAIC family. Lisa Kuivinen was an undergraduate student studying in our BFA program. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Lisa’s family and friends during this very difficult time, and we have made counseling services available to students, faculty and staff. Lisa was the third cyclist to be fatally struck in Chicago this year, following bike courier Blaine Klingenberg on June 15 and Divvy rider Virginia Murray on July 1. Like Lisa, Murray was struck by a flatbed truck driver. This post will be updated as more information becomes available. Fatality Tracker: 2016 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths Pedestrian: 14 (seven were hit-and-run crashes) Note: When commenting on articles about fatal crashes, please be mindful of the fact that family and friends of the victims may read the post.

Mannequins are so ubiquitous it's easy to downplay their visual impact. That is, until something changes. Mannequins have historically gone through trend cycles, according to experts. But they are in the midst of a very important evolution. For years, they were seen as simply a way to display fashion apparel at its best, or as part of a larger merchandising strategy. Yet, mannequins aren't simply a method of placing clothing on display. Retailers are beginning to recognize that body forms can help customers see themselves reflected in their brand and drive deep loyalty. Mannequins, it seems, can be a way for a company to reiterate brand values. "Mannequins are storytelling vehicles," said Adam Moon, executive creative director of Fusion, a creative design studio and the world's largest mannequin producer, according to the company. They have evolved over the years, he said, "from kind of sky high, modelesque to becoming more realistic and representative of the customers that are shopping in our stores." And that transformation makes mannequins more important now than ever before, because it can signal what is important to a retailer. They have the ability to spark personal recognition in a client base, and thus serve as a way for customers to see themselves reflected in the shopping experience. A new wave of forms The history of mannequins is long, with one of the earliest discoveries found in King Tutankhamun's tomb. The form was most likely used as a life-size model for royal dressmakers or to hold the King's clothes and jewelry. In the 15th century milliners' mannequins, which were a type of miniature fashion doll, would be sent to wealthy clients by dressmakers as a demonstration of the latest fashions. In 1835, an ironworker in France produced a wirework model, and by 1854 a tailor by the name of Alexis Lavigne filed the first patent for plaster molded mannequins. The form became prominent in Parisian department stores in the 1850s. The use of mannequins for merchandising in stores then spread to the U.S. and Britain. By 2020, the global mannequin market size had grown to $1.2 billion and is expected to reach nearly $1.5 billion by the end of 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 2.8%, according to a recent study. Male mannequins are the largest segment, with a share of about 30%. Variations of the forms go in and out of style, with some decades offering realistic versions, while other trends lean on mannequins that are more abstract (who hasn't walked by a store with headless mannequins in the window?). But, whatever is en vogue, mannequins have always been a display vehicle that helps boost sales. Experts interviewed said that the sell-through rate of apparel placed on mannequins is historically high. That's because mannequins attract attention. They give customers visual clues as to what is stylish, they quickly show how an outfit can be put together and, at times, help shoppers discern how apparel will fit without the need to go into a dressing room. And deciding to not illustrate body diversity may ultimately cost retailers. Having a variety of mannequins is a way that companies can do in-person marketing to an audience that may be used to shopping online, according to Joan Braatz, a freelance executive merchandiser with assortment optimization and product development experience with retailers including J.C. Penney and Macy's. Do some people stand in front of a store and say, "'Well none of that stuff is going to fit me,' and not walk in?" she asked, stating that retailers that show different types of bodies may win over shoppers and make them excited to go in stores. That makes mannequins ultimately an important part of retail, according to Moon. "There's no better and more effective way to show somebody outfitting or trends or the latest in fashion than it is through the vehicle of a mannequin." "There would be a tremendous amount of deliberation about what we put on the mannequins, because we knew it was the most powerful space in the store," Braatz said. Working with mannequins, she said, "tells the story, it sets the tone — especially at the beginning of new seasons. That mannequin collateral is really valuable." It also means that retailers are making conscious decisions about what percent of their store square footage can be dedicated to the forms as a marketing vehicle. Braatz points to Target, which she said has made a concerted effort with store merchandising and redesign in the past few years. "When you think about Target, that sales per square foot has got to be huge. So for them to pull off a table to put a set of three mannequins in the middle of a floor — I think they really are making a commitment to step up their merchandising efforts." A promise made through visual merchandising Retailers have recently been placing more emphasis on their diversity efforts when it comes to everything from how they hire and train staff, to reevaluating their product mix. Mannequins, though, are another way to push forward concepts of inclusion at a store level by signaling to customers that they are thinking about their shoppers. Target began adding size-inclusive mannequins to stores years ago, and notably has forms in sizes four, 10 and 16 donning its All in Motion activewear brand. That private label, which touts values of inclusivity and sustainability, generated $1 billion in sales in its first year. At the start of the year, Athleta announced that it was extending its sizing across its collection, with over 500 styles available in sizes XXS to 3X or 00 to 26. The brand's team collaborated with women of all body types to test each piece, "ensuring that the same design intent and fit holds across all sizes," according to a company statement at the time. But, Athleta went further to demonstrate that commitment, first by training all of its store associates in inclusive sizing, and then by adding size-inclusive mannequins to its stores. Those forms also showcase different hair styles, facial features and are a gray hue "to represent all skin tones," according to the company. The mannequins were created to showcase a mix of active and static poses, including running, stretching, meditating and handstands. Sister company Old Navy soon followed. This summer, the apparel brand revealed its Bodequality venture, which offers all women's apparel in sizes 0 to 30 and XS to 4X, with all sizes priced equally. Mannequins were introduced in sizes four, 12 and 18, and all products are now merchandised together. "One of the key points of feedback we heard from customers is that they want to be able to shop with their friends, regardless of size, and don't want to be relegated to a separate section," a Gap. Inc spokesperson said to Retail Dive via email. "Shopping should be a joyous experience that you enjoy with others, where everyone feels they belong." And the decision to spotlight size-inclusive forms is making an impact. "There's a bit of change coming, and I really think retailers like Athleta and Old Navy are embracing that and setting a new tone for the industry," said Braatz of the mannequins. "I do think there is merit — that a customer will gravitate to where she sees herself. And I think that Old Navy and Athleta are doing that." There are many other retailers that are thinking about how to incorporate mannequins that resonate with audiences, and Fusion has been a part of leading changes for this segment of the industry. The company, which was founded in 1986, believes that people should see themselves represented in stores. It offers mannequins in sizes from 00 to 32, and "hundreds'' of hues are available to reflect a large variety of skin tones. The company recently decided to create a gender non-conforming range of mannequin products. To do this, Fusion partnered with The Phluid Project — a retailer launched in 2018 that makes gender-free apparel and accessories. With the input from The Phluid Project, Fusion developed a mannequin collection, dubbed Prism, to represent the gender non-conforming community. The new collection features gender free, transmasculine, transfeminine and size-inclusive forms. "We needed some guidance as an organization to get that right," Moon said regarding Fusion's partnership with The Phluid Project. Fusion worked with "Phambassadors," who back The Phluid Project brand and act as subject matter experts. Phambassadors shared their stories and thoughts and answered questions like, "What do you want to see in a mannequin body?" and "What does that body look like?" "They bared their souls to us," Moon said. "In what their bodies look like and what they want the mannequins to look like, how best to represent their bodies, and ensuring that we were doing it in a way that felt inclusive, even in the gender nonconforming community." The input ultimately informed and shaped the collection to "represent and celebrate the non-binary mindset." Visually demonstrating inclusivity may ultimately work to forge a deeper relationship with shoppers. "I think it resonates more loyalty than an email or a mailer or a coupon or anything," Moon said. Other experts agree, especially when it comes to younger generations, who tend to have values-driven purchasing behaviors. "Brands that signal inclusivity in their communications are not only embracing size inclusivity trends, but also skin tone, height and ability representation," said Quynh Mai, founder and CEO of Moving Image and Content. "For Gen Z customers especially, this inclusion signals a brand that understands their philosophy of acceptance." Mannequins are a vehicle to literally display core beliefs. They also can act as ways to engage shoppers and challenge consumers to think more inclusively about who should wear a brand's apparel. "It seems like something that in the future there may not be a need for specifically gendered mannequins. That they are just beautiful human forms," Moon said. "And that could very well be the future and how department stores or brands evolve and break down the gender barriers within their own departments."

Drag queens are pushing a dangerous transgender message to our kids TORONTO, August 21, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – “Drag Queen Story Time” continues to take major cities in the United States and Canada by storm. John Paul Kane, aka drag queen performer, “Fay Slift,” is a Toronto kindergarten teacher who seeks to normalize transgenderism among young children through “Storytime” indoctrination. Kane told nowtoronto.com, “The younger we get these little kids embracing people’s identities, ethnicities and family dynamics, the more they are exposed to the fact that this is just another form of life.” In a video posted by Today’s Parent, Kane says, “When you think about it, really, bringing drag performers together with little kids — it’s kind of a perfect relationship. ... Drag performers are clowns, right? They play things up. They’re over the top. They’re like a cartoon come to life.” “I’m hoping that what kids get out of coming to story time is an opportunity to see that things that are different aren’t scary, that things that are different are amazing.” It is hard to imagine, however, that hairy, hefty, bearded, middle-aged drag queens with enormous hairdos and other exaggerated features are not scary to young kids. Kane admits that he hopes to turn the children that he and other drag queens address into evangelists for the cause of transgenderism and other non-binary forms of self-definition. “The grassroots aspect of what this is is that you’re giving these little morsels of stuff to these kids who are really honestly some of the most powerful teachers who are out there in the world.” “So I’m hoping that it’s like dropping a stone in the pond, and then it just ripples out,” says the middle-aged drag performer. Implanting the notion of the supremacy of gender fluidity and personal truth According to the Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) website, “DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dressup is real.” Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH) was started in San Francisco by author Michelle Tea, whose writings concern various areas, including queer culture and feminism. Tea also founded RADAR Productions, a platform for emerging queer artists, according to its website information. The San Francisco DQSHs are managed through the organization. Who wants to be a drag queen when they grow up? DQSH has a quote from the Brooklyn Public Library’s Director of Youth and Family Services on its “About” webpage endorsing its program: “Drag Queen Story Hour is a fun and important program that celebrates diversity in the way that children may dress and act,” Judy Zuckerman states. “It encourages children to look beyond gender stereotypes and embrace unfettered exploration of self. “Who wants to be a drag queen when they grow up?” an adult male dressed in drag asks a group of children at the Brooklyn Public Library during a recent installment of Drag Queen Story Hour. Anti-Catholic component to drag queen story hour In June, the Boston Public Library hosted the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” men in drag dressed mockingly as Catholic nuns, for DQSH. Believing that guilt “chains the human spirit,” the group advocates that every person do whatever their passions dictate. It uses Christian terms and contorts them to mock the sacraments and church life in general, such as “Sister Inferior” and “Sister Hysterectoria.” The men call themselves “queer nuns,” even though the anti-Catholic group is openly devoted to promiscuity. Their slogan is a ridicule of Jesus’ words to the woman caught in sexual sin. Instead of “Go and sin no more,” the men “queers” have created their trademark slogan as “Go forth and sin some more!” ChurchPop summarizes the focus, goal, and purpose of the male queers as “essentially an inverted mockery of Catholic religious life for the purpose of promoting sexual perversion.” The Boston Public Library not only championed the queer group but promoted their brand of anti-Christian bigotry to the youngest of impressionable children.

Santi Ceballos doesn’t know how to spell their drag name. They have never written it down. While attending a drag camp hosted by the local Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) last summer, someone suggested Santi go by the name “Sara Tonin.” Describing the character as “very outgoing and extra,” they decide after some reflection that Sara’s first name doesn’t have an “H” at the end. At first glance, the larger-than-life persona could easily describe Santi's real-life personality. After coming out as non-binary in September 2017, the Tucson middle schooler signed onto a lawsuit challenging a decades-old policy forbidding Arizona schools from discussing LGBTQ people in sexual education courses — something that's pretty extraordinary. But Santi, who often trails off with adolescent shyness in conversation, insists they are just an average teenager— one whose hobbies include knitting and playing Minecraft, and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. “It’s shocking to see that one random 13-year-old in the middle of Tucson, Arizona can change the law,” they tell Teen Vogue. But that's exactly what Santi has done. In April, Arizona's Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation striking down the state's “no promo homo” law, a 1991 measure passed during the height of HIV/AIDS panic across the United States. Known as ARS 15-716, the law was intended to prevent sex ed courses from discussing sexuality in any manner that “promotes a homosexual lifestyle,” “portrays homosexuality as a positive alternative lifestyle,” or “suggests that some methods of sex are safe methods of homosexual sex.” The bipartisan effort to repeal the 28-year-old law was introduced in response to a joint lawsuit challenging the K-12 guidelines on behalf of the LGBTQ advocacy groups Equality Arizona, and filed by Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Arizona this March, plaintiffs claim the “no promo homo” guidelines prevent “LGBTQ students from having educational opportunities equal to those of their heterosexual peers,” arguing they are unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Santi is one of two Arizona students who signed on as lead plaintiffs in that case. Originally identified as “S.C.” in court filings, they claim the state’s “no promo homo” laws effectively segregated them from their peers during sex ed instruction. Students at Paulo Freire Freedom School commonly take courses on sexual education with classmates of their same gender. Because Santi doesn’t identify as a boy or a girl, they say they were forced into a one-on-one independent study. Santi says the experience of being pulled out of class for the lesson and singled out in front of their classmates was “horrible.” “It was in the middle of like one of my favorite classes—I think it was an art class,” they say. “They pulled me aside and everybody asked, ‘What are you doing?’ And I said, ‘I have to be taught a private sex ed lesson.’ It was really weird because I was the only person in the school who had to do that. It made me feel like even more of an outcast than I already am.” School principal JoAnn Groh tells Teen Vogue that while Pablo Freire Freedom School has always affirmed its LGBTQ students, it now takes additional steps to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect. What made the experience particularly painful is that Santi and their mother, Carol Brochin, say they had already moved once because of mistreatment in school. At their previous middle school in Arizona, other students referred to Santi as “it.” “What are you?” their classmates would ask of their gender identity.

Why Using Proper Pronouns Is Important A person's sense of identity may change as they better understand gender identity in social constructs, so it’s important to be aware that a person’s or one’s own pronouns may change. Purposefully not using a person's correct name and pronouns can be interpreted as actively disrespectful or even antagonistic. Misgendering a person, using the wrong pronouns or name, can also create potentially unsafe situations, perhaps also unwillingly out a person, and create a hostile classroom environment that may make it very difficult for them to thrive at Geneseo. In the English language, commonly used pronouns which refer to a person are gendered with a singular (not plural) male/female binary. However, not everyone self-identifies with binary gender options used in either common or formal language. A person who states their pronouns (he, she, ze, they, etc) is asking for respect and use of their identified pronouns when referring to them. Those who choose not to use a person's identified pronouns and instead use other pronouns invalidate another's identity - whether or not this was intended. - What is gender identity? Gender identity is not a choice. Gender identity is an individual’s innate and deeply held sense of being a man, a woman, another gender, or no gender at all. This is separate from biological sex. Gender identity may be expressed in many ways, including in the use of pronouns. Gender expression is how we show our gender to the world around us, including the outward expression of presenting concepts of what masculine, feminine, or non-binary through aspects of our style, appearance, physical traits, mannerisms, or body language. The Transgender Flag - What are "preferred pronouns"? Pronouns used by a person are neither implicitly preferred nor chosen. The phrase “preferred pronouns” implies people having pronoun “preference” rather than simply having “pronouns.” Using “preferred” can suggest that using the correct pronouns for someone is optional. It is important to remember people do not make choices about their gender identity and should not be pressured to change. Additionally, the words used to communicate gender identity may evolve over time both as a community and in individuals themselves. Identifying and naming one’s sense of gender can be both complex and often evolving even in an individual person due to many factors, including the limitations, and evolution of language, a better understanding of self as one grows, an increased awareness of identity in a cultural context, and increased (or decreased) comfort levels as they express their gender identity in public and private social and professional settings due to economic, safety, or other reasons. - How do I use pronouns? To both be more inclusive and promote the safety of all individuals, we wish to promote the habit of everyone engaging in preliminary identification of which pronoun we personally use for ourselves when introducing ourselves. People may use a gendered pronoun, single (he/she/they), a non-gendered pronoun (ve, ver, ze, zer, etc), or no pronouns at all. An example of how to introduce one’s self may look like the sentence below: "Hello my name is ______, and I use [insert pronouns, or lack there of here] pronouns." An individual may also use multiple sets of pronouns (e.g. “hi! My name is Jane, I use she/they”). There may be a range of reasons for this which depend on their life experiences and evolving feelings towards pronouns. They may ask to have certain pronouns used in situations where they could be “outed” and potentially harmed. For example, someone may use they/them around friends, but use she/her in a workplace in fear of being discriminated against, fired, or personal safety. - What if someone uses multiple pronouns? Someone could use multiple pronouns because they feel connected to several sets of pronouns. They may ask those around them to use these sets interchangeably on a daily basis. For example, a student may ask that his classmates use both he/him and ze/hir while in class to the best of their ability. People who use multiple sets of pronouns may want them interchanged equally, or will “prefer” one set over another. This sentiment of preference is separate from the use of the phrase “preferred pronouns,” which was used at times to invalidate those who use different pronouns from the ones that were assumed for them. If someone tells you they use multiple sets of pronouns, they may include which set they would like used most often or if they may like you to use any pronoun when referring to them. This all comes down to the individual. - What are neopronouns? There have been some examples used throughout this page of “neopronouns'.'. The “neo” prefix comes from the word “new” in order to mean “new pronouns” to replace or coincide with “she,” “he,” and “they” in the English language. Examples of some neopronouns include “ze”, “zir”, and “zirs”, but there are many, many more. Neopronouns may seem daunting and confusing at first, but they are important to respectfully engage a person’s identity. Additionally, neopronouns come from a place of creativity and self-expression in the LGBTQ+ community and are part of the development of language and an expanded sense of identity as our culture continues to become more inclusive to those who do not identify gender in a binary way. Here is a chart that may help in understanding how neopronouns work, and how to pronounce them: This chart includes binary pronouns she/her and he/him and their different forms. Comparatively, there are gender neutral pronouns such as they, ze, and xe in order for the reader to understand when to use each form of the set. More examples maybe found at the website “Pronouns: A How-To.” You may directly access the video hosted through YouTube.

My name is Evan. I am a writer who thinks storytelling is one of the most revolutionary, life affirming activities on the planet. Love making, cultivating and nurturing friendships, being nice to little kids and old people, smiling at someone/returning a smile, and some more stuff, are others. To say that I love music is an understatement. I think. I love my mind. I read. I love learning. I love. I believe in the unity of soul, mind, body. I am a mid-spring baby and was born in the year of the Earth Horse. I started T in late spring in the Year of the Earth Ox. I am interested in helping to create a better world for us now and in future. My philosophy is: love regardless I currently identify as a polyamorous, panromantic, mysexual, queer, non-binary trans, (g3) gender gifted guy. American of African descent. A Human Being. A Citizen of This World. A Child of Creation.

A fresh new night at Leeds’ Wharf Chambers will aim to challenge male domination in dance music with an all female lineup exploring a diverse array of dance music. Calling on the services of Ece Duzgit, a selector whose appearances for Love Vinyl, Spiritland and Worldwide FM have made her an esteemed presence in London’s jazz, funk and soul audiophile circles, the Equaliser launch party takes place on Saturday 30th September, and will be precluded by DJ workshops dedicated to female, transgender and non-binary music fans. Equaliser is a project led by Brudenell Groove resident Ranyue Zhang, whose eclectic tastes have been lauded with regular performances at many of Leeds’ biggest clubs as well as Farr Festival and further afield. A specialist in digging up bizarre but beautiful sounds in everything from jazz to UK garage, disco to acid and techno, Ranyue’s music collection is one of the most envied in Leeds’ vibrant DIY scene, with treasures from around the world thrown together with impressive fluidity as she skips between different styles with her trademark eccentricity. Followed by Ece Duzgit, whose musical identity has been shaped by time behind the decks at Spiritland and behind the counter at Love Vinyl, Ranyue will open up with an exploration of Brazilian disco, wild jazz and plenty of soul, with Mariiin of the huge Naples party Nice To Be closing up shop again after several wicked previous Leeds appearances for the likes of On Rotation and Brudenell Groove. For more information on the DJ workshops, which take place from 7pm until 10pm and will be led by Love Muscle resident Lucy Locket, visit the Facebook event. Photo courtesy of Ranyue Zhang Sell tickets online for free. Sign-up to Event Genius and transform your events.Get started Ticket Arena Ltd registered in England and Wales, number 06609043. 31 - 32 Park Row Leeds LS1 5JD. © 2021 Ticket Arena. All rights reserved.

With the New Year comes the annual tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions—along with the annual tradition of breaking those resolutions by the second week of January. Even if last year’s Christmas tree survived longer than your new diet, there is still plenty of time to make workplace resolutions that you can actually keep. Here are five valuable projects to consider tackling in 2017. Treat your employee handbook like the chicken in your freezer. After 12 months, it is no longer safe to use. Revising employee handbooks calls for a delicate balance. Issue a new handbook too often, and you risk creating confusion and apathy about your policies. Revise it too rarely, and your policies could be out of compliance with applicable laws. The beginning of the calendar year, however, is a logical time to dust off the handbook and make your annual revisions. First and foremost, new laws and regulations often take effect at or around the beginning of the year. Additionally, implementing revisions to coincide with the start of a new year may seem more organic (and less controversial) to employees than an abrupt and unexplained decision to revise the handbook at a seemingly random juncture. Even handbooks that were updated in 2016 may not reflect critical new developments in the law. For instance, OSHA issued new guidance on drug testing and workplace injury policies, the SEC put new emphasis on whistleblower protections that may make confidentiality provisions in handbooks out of date and numerous states and municipalities (including Arizona) have recently adopted mandatory paid sick-leave policies going into effect in 2017. These are just a handful of new developments that may justify the investment in a handbook review. Even if an employer does not revise its handbook, employers may want to take stock of new forms and posters that need to be updated for 2017. For example, by January 22, 2017, employers must use a new Form I-9 for verifying the identity and employment authorization of employees hired in the United States. Job Description Audit Written job descriptions are one of the most valuable tools in an employer’s tool belt. They are often “Exhibit A” in a variety of common employment issues: disability accommodations, performance evaluations and counseling, and exemption status under the FLSA. While a well-crafted job description can be powerful evidence, a sloppy or out-of-date job description can be just as harmful. Undertaking an audit of your written job descriptions allows an employer to confirm that its job descriptions are accurate, up to date and sufficiently detailed. Interviewing employees in each position (and their supervisors) is the best way to ensure accuracy. Additionally, for any job descriptions that list physical requirements (such as lifting requirements), investigate whether they reflect current demands of the job. These requirements take on particular importance in the context of reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Finally, reviewing job descriptions is a good excuse to reflect on whether your exempt positions meet the applicable duties test under the FLSA. The duties test is based on the actual duties—not just the job description—but a well-crafted job description is an excellent starting point. Trade Secrets/Confidential Information Agreements In 2016, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), which created new pathways for the protection of trade secrets in federal court. Most notably, the DTSA created a new enforcement mechanism permitting ex parte seizure of stolen trade secrets in certain limited circumstances. To be eligible for civil remedies under the DTSA, however, employers must include specific language in their trade secrets agreements notifying employees of the whistleblower protections embedded in the DTSA. Employers that have not yet revised their confidential information agreements since this major development should consider doing so this year. Additionally, consider taking a second look at how your agreement defines trade secrets and confidential information. The definitions should be narrowly tailored to focus on information that is truly confidential. Updated agreements are also the perfect excuse to train employees on the use and protection of confidential and trade secret information. Do not assume that employees will understand what is and is not considered confidential. One of most common defenses in misappropriation claims is the argument that a company waived its right to enforce a confidential information agreement by failing to take reasonable steps to safeguard the information. Regular, well-documented training explaining the kinds of information the company considers confidential and what steps employees are expected to take to protect that information can be the difference between winning and losing these cases. At a minimum, better training reduces the risk of inadvertent disclosure of confidential or trade secret information. After the 2016 election, the dangers of cyber attacks became more apparent than ever. But data breaches are not limited to the realm of politics. According to a 2016 study funded by IBM, the average cost of a data breach is now $4 million per incident, with an average cost of $158 per lost record. In more regulated industries like healthcare and education, the cost per record can be more than twice as high. There are steps that employers can take to reduce the risk of breach. The vast majority of successful data breaches begin with a “phishing” attack, which allows intruders to exploit the most vulnerable part of any data security system: human error. Phishing attacks often take the form of emails that attempt to acquire sensitive user data (such as usernames or passwords). The most effective phishing attacks appear to be from legitimate sources. However, sophisticated IT departments and outside vendors are responding by developing phishing simulations to test users on their susceptibility to real phishing attacks. Coupling these simulations with education on how to recognize suspicious emails is the first line of defense against these attacks. Additionally, the continued expansion of the use of mobile devices in the workplace creates another point of vulnerability. In particular, the use of personal mobile devices to access work email and other sensitive data must be carefully controlled (if it is permitted at all). If policies on the use of mobile devices and remote access have not been recently reviewed, employers are better off reviewing them today to avoid becoming a headline tomorrow. Issues of gender identity and expression have risen from relative obscurity to prominence in a matter of years. Because of the efforts of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to expand the scope of its enforcement efforts to include gender identity discrimination within its definition of sex discrimination and public advocacy from groups like the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, mainstream corporate America is rapidly adopting policies and practices to create a more inclusive workplace for transgender or non-binary employees. According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index, 82 percent of Fortune 500 companies have gender identity protections expressly included in their non-discrimination policies. Fifty-three percent of the Fortune 500 offer transgender-inclusive health care coverage—over six times as many businesses as five years ago. In short, the majority of the country’s largest employers have made meaningful efforts to expand protections and benefits for transgender and other LGBT employees. The framework published in the Corporate Equality Index is a helpful guide for employers seeking to modernize their workplace equality policies. With a new administration entering the White House, 2017 is certain to be a year of change. Consider starting off the year on the right foot by taking a proactive approach to adopting best practices and catching up with new requirements that have already taken effect before tackling the many changes that will unfold in the coming year. Source: Snell & Wilmer & JD Supra

Talia Hibbert is a contemporary romance author from the UK and her books have magically taken over my Twitter feed in the last few months. She lives up to the hype and happens to be hilarious as well. Read on for a super-official interview with her! You're becoming known for contemporary romance that balances soapy premises with deep POV and "gorgeous writing." Dylan said THE PRINCESS TRAP made her want to devour your entire backlist and Corey Alexander said your diabetes rep in UNDONE BY THE EX-CON was top-notch. Here's the question everyone's asking - where did you come from?! For serious though, have you been writing a while or is this a new thing that you happen to be really great at? As for where I came from… I’m never sure how to answer this! As a kid, I’d tell people I wanted to be an author, and they’d laugh in my face. I was constantly told that writing wasn’t a ‘real’ job, and I’d never be able to do it. I still dreamt of being an author, but it got to the point where I was afraid to say the words out loud. In the summer of 2017, my great-grandmother passed away and left me a legacy. That gave me a sharp kick up the backside because I knew exactly what she’d want me to do with it; she’d want me to take a risk. So I did. I started my own e-publishing house and named it after her. So far, the only person on the books is me. We’re doing okay. Thanks to my partner (aka my biggest hype-man), and my mother’s never-ending support, I wrote and published my first novella in October. Before I decided to self-publish, I’d never finished a project. But once I was writing with the intention of sharing my work, it all came pouring out! I know I write quickly; I’ve published five—soon to be six—books since October 2017. The truth is, I literally can’t stop. My brain has been hijacked by characters. There’s like twenty-nine people in here with me, and every time I shove a couple into a book, more arrive to take their place. Please send help. You're about to release a romance that started with a single Captain America GIF. What can you tell us about the book? Oh my God, this bloody GIF! Okay, the GIF inspired a tweet, and the tweet turned into A Girl Like Her! Imagine this version of Cap, yeah, and he’s on your sofa drinking tea right, & you give him the third-best mug so he doesn’t think you’re desperate (you are) & then you offer him another cuppa & he’s like “oh thanks”—stay with me—so he gives the mug to you, & your hands— Valentine’s Talia (@TaliaHibbert) February 5, 2018 This book is the first in my new Ravenswood trilogy, which is set in the small town of—surprise!—Ravenswood. It’s not a real place, but anyone who’s lived in an English small town will recognise it. Tragically. The heroine is a comic book geek and the hero is The Softest Boy. That’s his official title, in my mind. Also, he’s a blacksmith, and he makes a mean lasagne. I am kind of in love with them both.You can buy A GIRL LIKE HER over at Amazon. It releases on March 14, but you can pre-order now! The book also has #ownvoices autistic rep. How was writing this book different from the rest? A Girl Like Her was such an interesting experience! It made me realise how much I kind of… censor myself, usually? What I mean is, when I’m writing neurotypical characters, I’m conscious of making them seem ‘authentically normal’. Sometimes I ask my non-autistic friends about the thought processes and interactions in my books, because I need reassurance. I’ve always been told that I’m a weirdo, that I don’t understand people, that I’m incomprehensible myself—so I can feel insecure about that. Writing from Ruth’s point of view was very freeing. I felt confident that her character made sense, because I completely understood where she was coming from and how she processed the world around her. However, I also had to write the way other people perceived Ruth, and how that differed from who she actually was. That part was more difficult, but I enjoyed the challenge. Ooooh, there’s a question. I started 2018 with a strict release schedule, and then I kind of pooped all over it. I can tell you that, in the next year, I’ll be releasing the rest of the Ravenswood books (there’ll be three in total). I’ll also be releasing a free novella for my newsletter subscribers, and two books in my Just for Him series: book 2.5, an F/F companion novella, and book 3, Sweet on the Greek. What have you read (and loved) lately? In the last couple of weeks I have devoured two of K. J. Charles’s series: Society of Gentlemen and Sins of the Cities. They are beautifully written, queer, diverse historical romances. My favourite is An Unsuitable Heir, which has a non-binary main character and a disabled hero, both working-class. Kind of. (You can find all of KJ Charles' books here on Amazon.) I also read and adored Alyssa Cole’s A Princess in Theory; it was everything I’d hoped it would be and more! I can’t wait for the next in the series. Oh, and I veered from romance into YA with Holly Black’s The Cruel Prince. That was amazing. I mean, I finished the book and I was, y’know, amazed. Damn, I wish I could write like that. We here at Love in Panels think you should totally check out Talia's work. If you are into Captain America being your neighbor and also a Chris-Evans-level sweetie? Go buy A GIRL LIKE HER.

Sophie Griffiths shares her fave funny women You would be forgiven for thinking that stand-up is a male dominated scene. It does seem that way when the majority of panel shows have male hosts or predominantly white cis male comedians as the guests. But fear not! We have put together a big ol’ list of queer women in comedy who are hilarious and relatable in their experiences and observations. If you fancy a giggle, this one’s for you… 1. Suzi Ruffell Suzi Ruffell is a great queer comedian celebrating her working class roots in the best way possible, stand-up comedy! She’s been performing for over ten years, performing shows at Edinburgh Fringe, and appearing on Mock The Week and 8 Out Of 10 Cats. She co-hosts the queer podcast, Like Minded Friends, with Tom Allen (which has had me laughing out loud on public transport more than once). You can catch her all over the UK over the next few months performing her five-star Edinburgh show Nocturnal. Check out this hilarious clip. 2. Jodie Mitchell New kid on the block, Jodie Mitchell, is on the DIVA radar and we think she’s going to be big. She’s already competed in the New Comedy Awards 2018, is one half of Secret Dinosaur Cult, co-founder of The LOL Word and performs as John Travulva with Pecs Drag Kings. She also once got chlamydia from a budgie, which just makes her even funnier. You can catch live recordings of Secret Dinosaur Cult now and again and hopefully she will tour some stand-up in the near future. Check out this clip of Jodie performing at The Funny Women Awards Final in 2018 3. Rosie Jones Rosie Jones is a British queer comedian who first performed stand-up comedy without preparation at a friend’s comedy night. She’s since gone onto have a debut show at Edinburgh Festival and is writing her own sitcom. Her comedic timing is flawless. Set on breaking the stigma around talking about disability, she proves that comedy is about a lot more than just being funny. Follow her on Twitter @josierones to see what she’s up to and grab tickets if you can! Also, check out this hilarious video. 4. Catherine Bohart Catherine Bohart is an award-winning comedian, writer and actor. She started performing stand-up in 2015 and since then has enjoyed a rapid rise in the comedy scene. She’s been described as “a comic with both a distinctive voice and story you’d like to hear”. Her current show, Immaculate, is all about her life as a bisexual woman with OCD and being the daughter of a Catholic deacon. You can watch this hilarious video of her and her girlfriend (fellow comic Sarah Keyworth) to get you started. We’re sure you’ll love her. 5. Mae Martin Mae Martin is Canada’s sweetest export and has been performing comedy since she was just 13 years old. She has had a BBC Radio 4 podcast Mae Martin’s Guide To 21st Century Sexuality, which is now being turned into a book, Can Everyone Please Calm Down? We can’t wait to read it when it comes out in May. You can also catch her show, Dope, on the Netflix show Comedians Of The World, which is brilliantly funny and relatable. 6. Sophie Duker Sophie describes herself as a “sexy-cerebral comedy underdog” and we can see why. Her fanbase is quickly growing and we’re included. You may know her for founding and hosting Manic Pixie Dream Girls, an international, intersectional feminist comedy show that appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe a few years ago. Since last year, she’s also been hosting Wacky Racists, a comedy cabaret game-show. We’re sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of her as she’s been writing plenty of shows and comedy pilots for the likes of Channel 4 and Comedy Central UK. Follow her on Twitter @sophiedukebox to check out what she’s up to or where you can catch her shows. 7. Chloe Petts Chloe Petts has established herself as one of the most exciting new acts on the circuit right now. She is an alumna of the prestigious Pleasance Comedy Reserve, shortlisted for the BBC Comedy Award and came runner-up in the Funny Women Awards 2017. She is a co-founder of The LOL Word, a queer comedy collective that hosts sell-out monthly London nights, boasting the finest female and non-binary acts on the circuit. Follow her Twitter @ChloePetts to see what she’s up to and how you can grab tickets to any shows she’s involved in. Also, check out this hilarious video of her stand-up. 8. Florence Schecter Florence Schecter is the woman behind the UK’s first Vagina Museum, which of course qualifies her for this list. The museum will promote LGBTQI rights as Florence stated in an interview “if I were living in one of the world’s 12 countries with death penalties for gay people, I too would have been sentenced to death” as she is a queer Jewish woman. On top of that, she’s a brilliant stand-up comic and science communications professional in her 20s. I managed to catch her show Queer By Nature at Vault Festival, here’s a taste online that you can check out. She’s wonderful. 9. Gina Yashere Gina has been a stand-up and TV star in the UK for a while, appearing on shows such as Live At The Apollo and Mock The Week. Gina broke her way onto the American comedy scene with her appearances on Last Comic Standing, where she made it to the final 10 and never went home! Last year, she released her own Netflix Original Comedy Special which she wrote and performed called Skinny Bitch. You can also find her show Laughing To America on there along with her performance for The Standups. Check out this hilarious video of Gina talking about her mum. 10. Jen Brister Jen Brister is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, writer and actor and a mother of twins. You can hear Jen being hilarious on her podcast Maureen & Jen with fellow comedian Maureen Younger here: soundcloud.com/jen-brister She might be recognisable from her Live At The Apollo appearance in 2017 and her guest spots on the Guilty Feminist, Standard Issue podcast and Global Pillage. 11. Sofie Hagen Sofie Hagen truly is the podcast queen right now. She is the hilarious host of Made of Human, Secret Dinosaur Cult and Comedians Telling Stuff, and previously co-hosted The Guilty Feminist. Her new show Bubblewrap/Happy Fat is a book and stand-up comedy tour combined, and we’re positive it’s going to be hilarious. She’s also obsessed with Westlife, but we can forgive her for that. Check out Sofie’s definition of feminism here and you’ll see why we love her. 12. Rosie Wilby Rosie Wilby is a DIVA favourite, of course. She hosts Radio DIVA every Tuesday at half 6 at 104.4FM alongside Heather Peace, whilst also focussing on comedy, music, writing and broadcasting. She’s performed as a comedian and as a musician all over – at Sydney Mardi Gras, Latitude Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Ronnie Scotts, and that’s just to name a few. Make sure you tune into Radio DIVA every Tuesday if you want to find out about any of Rosie’s upcoming shows and you’ll be probably fall just as in love with her as we have. This list really could go on forever. There’s so many brilliantly funny queer women dominating the comedy scene right now, but this is just some to get you started. Let us know who your favourites are! Only reading DIVA online? You’re missing out. For more news, reviews and commentary, check out the latest issue. It’s pretty badass, if we do say so ourselves.

New Student Housing Selection New students are now able to access our online housing system and start the housing process by completing their application. Actual housing selection will take place starting on July 18, 2018 starting at 9:00 a.m. Below you'll find more information about the housing selection process. If you have any questions after reading everything, please feel free to contact the Office of Residence Life at 413-782-1317. How to Select Housing: Step by Step Process Description Students will complete housing selection through our online system, The Housing Director (THD). Using THD, you'll complete your Housing Application, form a group with your roommate and select your space in housing. The link to login to The Housing Director is available on your Connect2U Portal. New students should have received an email from the Dean of First Year Students with information about setting up your WNE email and logging into your Connect2U portal. It is important that you set up your WNE email before completing your housing application, because THD will send a confirmation to your WNE email. Students Who Are Under 18 If a student is under the age of 18 when they fill out their Housing Application on THD, a parent or legal guardian must verify acceptance of the terms of the Resident Student Housing Agreement through an electronic signature. When students fill out their Housing Application, they will see a section where they can provide information for a Parent/Guardian contact. If a student is under 18, an email will be sent to the email address they provide for their Parent/Guardian Contact prompting their parent/guardian to verify the application through an electronic signature. Students who are under 18 will not be able to move forward and select a room until this verification is completed. Rising Business Professionals Where do you want to live? Learning Interest Communities offer you the opportunity to live among other students who share common interests. Each Learning Interest Community designs specific programs around the goals of that community. When you select housing, you'll be selecting from available rooms within a Learning Interest Community, so it's important when you decide who you want to live with that you talk to them about which Learning Interest Communities interest you both. Learning Interest Communities are part of the BEAR program. The Learning Interest Communities are based around the following areas of common interest: In today's world, science and technology are shaping the future. The community will allow those students who major in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) to develop personal and professional skills in a residential setting. Members of this community will be able to develop collaborative relationships with their peers, relating concepts learned in the classroom to everyday situations through programming, peer-to-peer mentoring and floor discussions. Next Generation of Leaders In today’s diverse and interconnected world, leadership skills are valued by potential employers and contribute to a rewarding and successful career. In this community, you will focus on developing leadership skills and set yourself up to take on various student leader opportunities. Topics covered could include self awareness, leading a diverse team, and global perspectives in the 21st century. This is an ideal community for those students looking to build on their high school leadership experience or those looking to explore the face of today’s ever changing global environment. Learning Today, Shaping Tomorrow This community is ideal for those looking to impact tomorrow’s society through avenues such as law and justice, business, and education. These individuals will take the concepts learned in the classroom and bring them back to their own community as a hands-on opportunity to practice skills and concepts they can apply after graduation. Healthy Choices, Creative Living In this community you will have the chance to explore opportunities that promote personal satisfaction. Are you a musical person? Do you enjoy sports? What about art? Are you into holistic wellness? Join this community and learn how to take what you enjoy and meld it with the skills and lessons learned in class to lead a well-rounded life, now as a student and in the future. Special Housing Accommodations Western New England University is committed to providing students who have a documented disability or medical condition with a safe environment in which to live and study. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the Office of Student Disability Services of the nature of their disability and desire to receive a special housing accommodation. If approved, the Office of Student Disability Services will work directly with the Office of Residence Life in an effort to provide a housing accommodation that is appropriate and reasonable. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services at (413) 782-1258. Click below for more detailed information about special housing accommodations, or visit Student Disability Services here. Are you transferring in for the Fall 2018 semester? If you are a new transfer student who will be transferring in for the Fall 2018 semester, or an older first year student requesting housing outside of the first year halls, you can use the form below to submit your housing request and indicate your housing preferences. Your completed form, as well as any questions you might have, can be emailed to Sean.Burke@wne.edu If you're having trouble using the fillable PDF form below, click here for a word version of the same form. Information for Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Students We recognize that the HMA program only allows students to identify themselves as either male or female. As we recognize the need to support all forms of gender identity and expression in the residence halls, transgender and gender non-binary students are encouraged to contact Sean Burke at Sean.Burke@wne.edu or by phone at 413-782-1316 so that we can work with you on an individual basis to house you in an environment that supports and reflects your gender identity. Important Dates to Remember Friday, May 18, 2018: New Students can begin filling out housing applications in our online system (THD) Wednesday, July 18, 2018: New Student Housing Selection begins at 9:00 a.m. Monday, July 23, 2018: New Student Housing Selection ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday, August 24, 2018: New Students check-in at their Residence Halls between 8:00 a.m. and Noon. Tuesday, November 20, 2018; Housing closes for Thanksgiving Break at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, November 25, 2018: Housing re-opens after Thanksgiving Break at 1:00 p.m. Friday, December 14, 2018: Housing closes for the Fall semester at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, January 13, 2019: Housing re-opens for the Spring semester at 1:00 p.m. Friday, March 15, 2019: Housing closes for Spring Break at 9:00 p.m. Sunday, March 24, 2019: Housing re-opens after Spring Break at 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 10, 2019: Housing closes for the Spring semester at 9:00 p.m. Frequently Asked Questions Are you wondering what it will be like to live on campus? This website has some great resources that might help. Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions and our section about Living on Campus. If you can't find the answer to your question on our site, feel free to contact us at 413-782-1317 and we'll be happy to answer any questions you have.

President Joe Biden marked International Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday by issuing the first-ever presidential proclamation of its kind in recognition of the day, which aims to celebrate the achievements of trans rights activists and increase awareness about ongoing challenges transgender and gender-nonconforming people face. “Today, we honor and celebrate the achievements and resiliency of transgender individuals and communities,” Biden said in the proclamation. “Transgender Day of Visibility recognizes the generations of struggle, activism, and courage that have brought our country closer to full equality for transgender and gender non-binary people in the United States and around the world.” The President noted in the proclamation that transgender Americans “of all ages face high rates of violence, harassment, and discrimination,” among other issues, and called on the Senate to pass the Equality Act, a bill recently passed by the House that would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect people from being discriminated against based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The act “will serve as a lasting legacy to the bravery and fortitude of the LGBTQ+ movement,” the proclamation said. Biden is the first US president to issue such a proclamation, according to Rachel Crandall Crocker, a Michigan-based transgender activist and founder of TDOV, which is observed annually on March 31. Crandall told CNN that the President’s move provides the “ultimate” mark of legitimacy to the day, which began in 2009. “It’s a huge step and it’s a huge, huge statement. He could not have picked a better way of showing us support,” said Crandall, who serves as the executive director of Transgender Michigan, an advocacy and support group for trans and gender nonconforming communities. Biden has shown a commitment to furthering transgender equality since taking office, something he noted in the proclamation, which mentioned his nomination of Dr. Rachel Levine, the first out transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate, his decision to nix a Trump-era ban on most transgender Americans joining the military and an executive order he signed on his first day in office that compels agencies to implement a recent Supreme Court decision prohibiting sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in the workplace in laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. “Vice President (Kamala) Harris and I affirm that transgender Americans make our Nation more prosperous, vibrant, and strong,” the proclamation read. “I urge my fellow Americans to join us in uplifting the worth and dignity of every transgender person.” The President’s order also comes as Republican politicians in states around the country push anti-trans laws, including ones that would make it impossible for transgender athletes to compete alongside their same-gender peers in public high schools and colleges, and measures prohibiting doctors from providing gender-affirming health care to trans youth.

Killing Time – Addressing the Use of Segregation in Canadian Prisons During my few years as an outreach worker, I regularly went into federal and provincial prisons. I have a few distinct memories of segregation from this short time. The first (of two) times that I went into a federal segregation unit, I went alone: my colleague had been detained by CSC guards due to an ion scan that detected some level of weed on her. Although these scans are notoriously unreliable, she was not allowed into the penitentiary that day. I made my way to the segregation unit and met with one of the most engaging, funny, insightful prisoners I had ever met. We were in a room where one corner was occupied by a raised translucent toilet and sat across from each other at a small table; he was cuffed for the duration of our meeting. The experience was dehumanizing. Prisons are built to deprive people of their humanity in order to punish them. I recall talking to an Assistant Deputy Warden (ADW) during a tour of North Fraser Pretrial Centre, and getting insight into corrections’ reasoning. The ADW advised me that segregation helped prisoners “self-regulate” and prepared them for life back on the range. This is the logic of prisons: use a blunt instrument to meet a swath of social and economic problems. Angela Davis observes that “homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, mental illness, and illiteracy are only a few of the problems that disappear from public view when the human beings contending with them are relegated to cages.” Segregation units further disappear these complexities, and prisoners’ deaths (through suicide, homicide or correctioncide) erase their presence completely. In addition to my two visits to federal holes, I went into provincial facilities countless times. I remember being at the women’s provincial jail’s seg unit, and seeing Indigenous women in every cell. I remember the prisoner held at a remand centre seg unit, both arms bandaged up from a slashing attempt. At least he wasn’t double-bunked. Based on CSC’s own data, the Office of the Correctional Investigator (federal prison Ombudsman) determined that the populations most overrepresented in administrative segregation units across Canada are Indigenous prisoners, Black prisoners, and women. A recent court case at the BC Supreme Court specifically challenged the use of administrative segregation at Canadian federal prisons. In this case, based on sections 7 and 9 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the BCCLA and the John Howard Society of Canada sought to challenge the practice of administrative segregation on the basis that the provisions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act “permit indeterminate and prolonged solitary confinement.” And the wild thing – the case was a win for prisoners. The Reasons for Judgment came out on January 17, 2018. A few weeks later, Caily DiPuma, Acting Litigation Director at the BCCLA, stated on the Stark Raven prison justice radio show: This is the strongest prison justice decision that has come out of the common law in history. The court recognized a truth around the harms created by solitary confinement, recognized that prisoners are suffering, heard from them as witnesses, believed them, found them to be credible and instructed CSC and the government to put themselves in line with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Unfortunately, just a month later, the federal government appealed the B.C. Supreme Court Decision. While legal organizations and the attorney general spar over legalese, let us not forget the prisoners held captive for up to 23 hours per day. While administrative segregation is the tool currently under scrutiny, anyone who has done time will tell you there are many other tools available to corrections: upping someone’s security rating and sending them to max, enhanced security protocol or management protocol. We must first divest from the prison industrial complex, and seek new forms of justice. For prison abolitionists, reforming the administration of segregation (or solitary, or seclusion, or separate confinement, or whatever the euphemism du jour is) is a necessary intervention for people who are incarcerated. Overemphasizing this type of reform, or treating it as a panacea for all of the ills of incarceration, however, is shortsighted. There have been so many high profile deaths in custody and those must be stopped. The unquestioned use of custody itself must also be stopped. Principles of abolitionist organizing and transformative justice can better inform how we understand, analyze and address harms in community. We must first divest from the prison industrial complex, and seek new forms of justice. As a programmer at Stark Raven, a show covering prison issues on Vancouver Coop Radio, I have spoken to former prisoners, activists, organizers, and academics about key issues facing prisoners. I am also a member of the Prison Justice Day Committee, which organizes the annual August 10th Memorial, held at the Claire Culhane memorial bench in Trout Lake Park. Prison Justice Day memorializes every unnatural death behind bars. Every death behind bars is unnatural. I submit this article in solidarity with the current, former and inbetween prisoners I have known and loved, who have taught me so much despite my incompetence and inadequacy in my (very incomplete) work. This analysis of segregation is grounded in my work as a prison abolitionist, someone who is actively seeking alternatives to the prison industrial complex. I see the prison industrial complex as an outgrowth of settler colonialism, systemic racism and violence against women, trans and non-binary folk. Thank you to Joint Effort member Cecily Nicholson, for this language. The prison industrial complex is made up of city lockups, courthouse cells, remand centres, correctional centres, forensic hospitals, federal penitentiaries, immigration detention and probably a few settings I don’t know about. There is a lot to say about each of those settings individually and their collective impact on how we, as a society, approach justice, but this article is about segregation.

What is Abuse? As understandings of abuse have developed, so have ideas about what the concept means and how it can be identified. There are global definitions of abuse, national (state-developed) and also regional or local. Many of these relate back to each other and are always developing and changing to take into account forms of abuse that emerge as our understanding of the area develops. The World Health Organization ([WHO], 2006, p.9) defines child abuse and neglect as: All forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power. The World Health Organisation definition and discussions of this area, recognise that the term ‘child’ or ‘young person’ will necessarily be designated in different ways in various countries and cultures. They also emphasise that abusers of children and young people (abuse perpetrators) can be adults, young people, older children or organised crime gangs. Definitions of child abuse and neglect can include adults, young people and older children as the perpetrators of the abuse. Typically, policies around ‘child abuse and neglect’ refer to behaviours and treatment that result in the actual and/or likelihood of harm to the child or young person. Moreover, abuse can be intentional or unintentional and can include acts of omission (i.e. neglect) and commission (i.e. abuse). The number of types of identified forms of abuse can be seen to vary across organisations. Whilst the WHO casts a wide net in outlining abuse, other organisations, have tried to categorise forms of abuse, partly to help individuals and professionals to understand and recognise them. Here we will outline eleven types of abuse following the categorisation of abuse used by the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), UK. However, remember that these lists of types (typologies) are always developing and it is always worth keeping an eye on online policy documents in your own country to see how these are changing with emerging issues. The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), which is a UK based NGO, with a remit to protect children and young people, identifies eleven areas of abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, online abuse, physical abuse, bullying and cyberbullying, emotional abuse, child sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, human trafficking and harmful sexual behaviour. What has to be remembered in the discussion below that no matter what type of abuse one is discussing, it is not relevant why the abuse occurs only the impact on a child or young person; in other words it is not okay to explain away abuse through the reasons for its occurrence. In the paragraphs below, the types of abuse identified in the NSPCC typology are discussed individually and other areas of abuse that are emerging as areas of concern, are also covered. Going through the areas of abuse identified by the NSPCC in turn, neglect is the failure of parents/carers or others to meet a child or young person’s basic needs. This might be in terms of sustenance (food, drink, shelter, clean clothes etc.) but could be in relation to emotional needs and sense of security. Neglect often happens because of omissions in care, failures to do something that will support and sustain a child or young person’s needs or to protect them from dangers and risks. Neglect is very common and might be because someone does not know how to parent/care, because the carer has a mental health problem but also can be intentional and part of other wider patterns of abuse. It is hard to define and demonstrate in some cases because it might be intermittent, usually, professionals try to establish a pattern of behaviour, in order to show that neglect has occurred. However, that is not always the case. Abuse might include food or sustenance not being provided but it may also be about abandonment (the child or youth being left), neglect of emotional needs, failure to support the child/youth to attend school (often shown in truancy reports), not maintaining a safe place to stay so that the child can thrive (eg. Child is always tired because parent/guardian holds parties, invites strangers around, uses drugs or drink etc.) Neglect is perhaps one of most typical forms of abuse but the most difficult to grapple with as a concept for all kinds of practitioners (For more information see, the Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013). Child/young person sexual abuse, is typically recognised to be the sexual abuse of a person under the legal age of consent. It can involve the involvement in a child in sexual activities themselves, but also making them watch adults involved in sexual activities or pornography is also abusive. In most countries, a person legally defined as a child within that country’s legal system, is seen as unable to give consent to sex and in this sense, sexual relations with them is illegal and often technically defined as rape. This is even the case where a child or young person has agreed to the sex, because they are seen as lacking legal capacity to give consent. Sexual abuse may also occur above the age defined as part of childhood, these cases are invariably non-consensual, involving force (rape and sexual assault). Child sexual exploitation Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of sexual abuse. Children and young people are often lured into exploitative situations and relationships, in which they receive money, gifts (such as mobile phones, jewellery or alcohol) or affection/friendship/group membership, as a result of performing sexual activities or for ‘allowing’ others to perform sexual activities on them. These kinds of situations often involve manipulation, coercion or trickery because the perpetrator often convinces the young person that they are in a relationship and that to please them, the young person must undertake the sex acts. These relationships often involve ‘grooming’ of young people, which involves the incremental development of an abusive and exploitative relationship with a person, for the purposes of abusing them further. The child or young person often is unaware of the type of relationship that is developing as ‘groomers’ can be skilled at convincing them that they are their friends, even boyfriends or girlfriends. This means that the young person often readily accepts or engages in what is happening because they believe it to be normal or part of a ‘relationship’. Conversely, there may instead be physical threat or force used or psychological threat (such as threatening to tell someone the young person knows or abandoning them) if they do not do what the abuser says. Playing on young people’s needs to belong, perpetrators of CSE will often ask young people to parties, provide them with alcohol and drugs and tell them that engaging in sex is a way to belong and be accepted in a group or that this is a normal part of being a girlfriend or boyfriend. Whilst some young people might be particularly vulnerable to these approaches, for youth workers all young people should be considered to be at risk of being drawn into CSE. CSE may also be facilitated or carried out online, convincing young people to engage in sexual discussions or post pictures/videos of themselves. CSE can also be associated with human trafficking, when young people may find themselves moved between countries, regions or local areas for the purposes of sexual exploitation or criminal activities, such as making child pornography. Additionally, there can be a gang-membership component to CSE, where forced sex acts are used as part of initiation or make money for a group of young people who regard themselves as part of a distinct subcultural gang. Therefore, there can be overlaps between this and other forms of abuse recognised in categorisations of abuse types. In order to further understand CSE it is worth examining the case of the Rotherham Child Sexual Exploitation case from the UK, which has had ramifications all around the world. Indeed social work, youth and welfare practitioners from Rotherham, who have helped the town to heal after at least 1400 young people were abused across a number of decades, are often contacted from as far afield as Australia, Canada and other European countries to help with CSE cases as they are emerging globally (Gladman and Heal 2017, also find the Rotherham report available online, see the Jay Report, 2014, in references). Research within the EU (the Eurobarometer of gender based violence, 2016) has shown not only that domestic violence and abuse is common but that it is also recognised as such by EU citizens, who often feel unable to speak out or act to help themselves or others. Domestic abuse can be said to be violence against any person, male, female or non-binary (someone who does not associate themselves with any particular gender identity), which takes place within the domestic relationships and usually (but not always) within the relatively private spaces of the domestic home. It can involve any number or combination of types of acts of abuse, including sexual abuse, physical violence or psychological abuse and coercion. Whilst children and young people may be subject to acts of domestic violence against them personally, they also can be harmed by witnessing abuse against a parent, carer, sibling or other person and even hearing abuse happening but not being in the same room can be highly damaging (Unicef 2001; Kelly et al 2002). Children and young people who experience this type of abuse may struggle with relationships, trust and may struggle at school, have bruising or injuries that are unexplained, be anxious or fearful and will often not tell about what is happening for fear of the perpetrator/s being taken away; this is especially the case where the perpetrators are parents, carers, grandparents or others who represent some form of stability to the young person (despite the abuse). Victims/targets of domestic violence commonly hide what is happening to them and experience shame, self-blame and distortion of reality to try to make sense of the abusers behaviour. These processes contribute to the typical lengthy period between domestic violence starting and a person reporting, escaping or taking other action. Mirela Sula, Founder of the Migrant Woman Association in the UK, has noted that in the case of migrants they are at higher risk of domestic violence, this is particularly the case for women and female youth. For refugees and migrants, there is often a fear that reporting domestic violence will lead to interactions with the police in which they might be removed and ‘sent back’ to their countries. Children and youth who are with family members who are abusing them, may be afraid that reporting will lead to parents or carers being taken away and them losing their home and security. Cyber Abuse/Online Abuse Online abuse includes a broad spectrum of abusive acts, carried out through the Internet and in cyberspace. It can include a host of other types of abuse but the key space in which these incidents occur and tool involved, is the web. Therefore, online abuse might include verbal abuse and threats, sexual behaviour towards the individual online and so forth. It may take place through a mobile phone or other form of equipment and can happen in chat rooms, forums, Facebook, Instagram, even online games, in which there are interactions between individuals (Get Safe Online 2018). Online abusers can be any age and it has been found that many online abusers are children or youth themselves. It can be hard for victims of this type of abuse to disengage from it because use of the Internet is such a common experience today and many people rely upon it to some degree or other. Therefore, victims find it hard to step away from this source of abuse. For young people and children, there is often also a need to feel part of online groups and activities, as the Internet can be pivotal in their peer networks. Indeed some young people even become psychologically addicted to using the Internet, with the instant feedback, ‘likes’ and sense of being part of a group that it provides. Online abuse can have connections to ‘real world’ abuse, such that victims may also suffer abuse from the perpetrators off-line as well. Cyber abuse intersects with the other forms of abuse outlined above, in that many forms of these can be carried out through the internet, often in an area of the net that has been labelled the ‘dark web’. Europe and global agencies are involved in addressing these issues. Cyber abuse can happen between a victim and one perpetrator, who may groom and convince a young person to behave sexually online (such as sending photographs, video or live-stream of themselves). Alternatively, there are organised global criminal gangs who work transnationally to abuse children using online technology, in a range of countries. For instance, the Global Alliance Against Child Abuse Online, which was set up in 2012 between the European Commission and the US, note that children in a range of countries are often forced to perform sex acts ‘live’ for ‘consumers’ of the abuse who may be in a completely different global region (Global Alliance against Child Abuse Online 2018). The technology aspect of globalisation enables abuse to be perpetrated in one place and ‘consumed’ in another area. It also means that abusers may use different levels of regulation, prosecution and, therefore from their perspective – risk, to ensure they can abuse with little possibility of negative impact on themselves. Moreover, the use of cyber abuse linked to child or youth pornography, means that images or videos of the abuse may be distributed widely, even decades after the initial abuse; making recovery for the victims even more problematic (Kelly and Regan, 2000). This is probably the most likely form of abuse that springs to mind in thinking about child abuse. Physical aggression against children can include beating is not accidental harm to a child, it involved deliberate actions that cause pain, injury and distress. Physical abuse may include being hit, kicked, poisoned, burned, and slapped or having objects thrown at them. Much younger children and babies also are known to experience damage from physical abuse such as shaking or hitting them, which can cause non-accidental head injuries (NAHI). In some situations, carers or parents, will make a child a child’s illness or cause them to be sick or have symptoms, in order to gain attention. This is often referred to as fabricated or induced illness (FII), a commonly known form of which is termed Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy. It is not always carers or parents who are perpetrators, other children or young people, community members, teachers or other professionals may also physically abuse. Children who have been physically abused may go onto display physical abuse to others, although this statement is contested, as some other victims/targets of physical abuse will choose to reject physical violence because of their own experience. Bullying and Cyber Bullying This type of abuse links with cyber and online abuse. Bullying, primarily by children and young people against victims of similar age groups, is increasingly common. In many cases, the victims and perpetrators might know each other from school, a youth club, another type of group or club or from the local community or town. The Internet is used by the perpetrator as a tool to expand the abuse, which often begins in real time, into the virtual sphere; meaning that the victim often feels they cannot escape. As noted above, because peer group engagement and networks are so important to children and young people, it is easy for perpetrators to exploit the victims need to link up with others and bully online. Although it can be hard to understand why this abuse is so upsetting if one is not a strong user of social media or other Internet networking, this is a very serious form of abuse, which has been linked particularly to school age child and youth deaths. However, it should not be ruled out that this abuse can happen at any age. Emotional Abuse/Psychological Abuse It is a common social misconception that physical or sexual abuse are the most injurious forms with the longest effects on victims; however, studies have shown that long term emotional abuse of children and young people has devastating effects, that can last into adulthood and influence life chances and outcomes (Pietrangelo 2018). Emotional abuse can include a range of behaviours towards children, young people or vulnerable adults, including, shouting, humiliating the person, saying they are stupid, controlling them, telling them that you will harm something of importance or value to them (a pet, a toy), gaslightling them (trying to make the person believe they are insane). In many cases of emotional abuse, damage is done for the child or young person because the adult consistently fails to believe them (calls them a liar) and does not meet the child or young person’s needs for emotional stability, warmth and engagement. Sometimes emotional abuse accompanies other forms of abuse, such as domestic violence, but other times it is the only form of abuse. Even where the latter scenario is the case, emotional or psychological abuse is highly damaging to the young person or adult that experiences it. Long term impacts can include, trust issues, difficulties with self-image and self-esteem and relationships. Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting Female genital mutilation or cutting involves the intentional damage of female genitals, this might include total removal of the clitoris and other external features of the female genitals, partial removal, using a needle to damage the genitals. A recent form of genital mutilation that has been noticed by health workers is elongation. This involves the elongation of the genital folds through intentional stretching of these tissues. In all cases, whether elongation, cutting or any other purposeful damage to the genitals of a person defined as a child, this is illegal in Europe. Whilst few cases are prosecuted, there is an increased focus on doing so, bring the perpetrators to justice. There are penalties for parents/guardians who allow or organise FGM and/or medical staff who perform it. FGM is a growing global problem, with high prevalence in many developing areas of the world, but due to migration and displacement, it is increasingly common in many places. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation. Furthermore, there are an estimated 3 million girls at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year (WHO 2018). Human Trafficking/Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) “Trafficking in human beings (THB) is a serious crime and an abuse of an individual’s fundamental rights and dignity. It involves the exploitation of vulnerable persons traded by criminals as commodities for the sole purpose of economic gain. This crime often has a transnational character; it comprises victims of all genders and age and, due to its nature, is often hard to discover and investigate.” Europol (2018) The concepts of human trafficking or THB are to be separated from people smuggling. Smuggling involves the taking of people over borders and often there are forms of abuse within that process; however, invariably smugglers release the smuggled people once across the border and so forth. Human trafficking typically involves abuse of people, usually for financial gain in sectors such as the commercial sex industry, agriculture, manufacturing, fast food, indeed, anywhere where workers are needed and money can be saved by forcing people to work. The methods used to control trafficked people are many, for instance, many trafficked people will have their passports taken away, will be physically, psychologically and/or sexually abused (Lee-Treweek 2012). Many will have been tricked into being trafficked with lies about regular jobs that they will be doing overseas and promises of wages. Trafficked people do not have control over their own lives and whilst some may be able to move about relatively openly, they will be afraid to tell others what is happening and are controlled by their captors. One of the key myths of trafficking is that people who are trafficked are locked up physically. This is not necessary when you have frightened people enough into being afraid of the consequences of trying to run away, either for themselves (if caught) or for their families back home. Many traffickers will use knowledge of family members back home to threaten the individual that they will kill or harm their loved ones, should they leave. On other occasions, trafficked people will be made to be afraid of authority figures, such as the Police, in the countries to which they are taken. In particular, they are often told that they will be taken to prison and see as criminals if found by authorities. This leads trafficked people to fear exposure and seek to maintain the secrecy of their trafficked status. It is far more useful for traffickers to terrorise the trafficked person into monitoring and policing themselves, than to have to lock them up. Therefore, many of us will pass trafficked people in our communities every day, working in the car wash, in beauticians, take aways and so forth. Human trafficking is commonplace throughout Europe and children and youth are trafficked for all forms of labour, including to be raped and abused in the sex industry (Kelly 2005). Emerging and Changing Ideas about Abuse There are differences between societies as to how child and young person abuse is understood, defined and seen in terms of criminality. It is important to attend to how different countries might separate out different types of abuse in different ways from the categories presented above. Also new ideas about what constitutes abuse are always emerging and developing, as we understand more about childhood, youth and the dynamics of abuse. County Lines and Criminal Exploitation of Children and Youth The concept of ‘county lines’ comes from the USA but it has been shown to be a form of abuse that is visible in many countries of the world. County lines is a form of Criminal Exploitation of Children and Youth, where, typically, gangs or groups of slightly older people encourage criminal activity of a young person. This is a complex form of abuse as often the young person thinks that they are an important part of the gang, that the members are their friends and that taking part in criminal activity is a way of proving their worth to others. In the psycho-social development of a child or teenager, the need to belong is strong and having a sense of peer membership is crucial to healthy development. Unfortunately, this is also a way young people can be abused, primarily because of these needs. Older people, often only up to five years older (but clearly psychologically more developed and usually of adult status), ‘groom’ a young person; encouraging them to be involved in the group, promising group membership, possibly material reward (money, phones, alcohol or drugs) in exchange for them taking part in criminal activity (National Crime Agency 2016). In the case of county lines, this usually involves sending a young person to an unfamiliar area, town or city, to deliver or sell drugs, collect criminal proceed (money) or carry out violence acts/be involved in group violence and so forth. The young person gains an emotional or psychological reward in being part of a peer group and for many young people that is highly attractive, especially if they come from circumstances where they feel excluded, ignored or may have been abused in other ways. Some children and young people are more vulnerable to county lines and more general criminal exploitation, in particular those who are ‘looked after’ (living in care environments away from family of origin), those who have experienced abuse, young people from chaotic upbringings (mental health problems, drugs, alcohol abuse, domestic violence in the home). Another group who are at risk are children and youth from Black and Minority Ethnic groups and/or refugee or migrant children, all of whom might feel excluded from friendships, participation or opportunities in societies. County lines and criminal exploitation are newly recognised forms of abuse (the last five year), but will increasingly become important to debates as the knowledge base about them grows. SIGNPOSTING TO RESOURCES: Criminal exploitation and ‘county lines’ resources in diverse languages can be found at The Children’s Society charity website: We can also add to this list, the emerging area of ‘spiritual abuse’, where systems of religion, belief or faith are used as means to abuse children or young people. This is often visible through basic ideas or concept of religion, faith or believe, being deployed by perpetrators as control mechanisms to keep a child or young person under the abuser’s power and/or to manipulate them. Spiritual abuse can be intertwined with other forms of abuse, including child sexual abuse, psychological abuse or physical abuse. For instance, spiritual abuse might involve using religious doctrine to control a young person, such as using fear of the power spiritual entities to make them do the will of the abuser, to abuse children through notions of spirit possession and exorcism or controlling a child or young person through threatening them, or their family with being cursed. Spiritual abuse also extends into the indoctrination of a child or young person into a cult, in which they give up personal control over their lives, finances and so forth to an organised religion or faith group, who are often separated from society and control many aspects of their members’ lives. Spiritual abuse can be carried out by an individual or a group and may be organised around diverse notions of belief and or religion. In many richer Northern countries of the globe, spiritual abuse has been found to operate through large-scale institutional religions, such as the Catholic Church, Church of England, Orthodox Church and so forth. However, it can also operate through widespread folk religion, such as Voodoo and witchcraft belief systems or Shamanism. It would be fair to say that every religious or spiritual system has the potential or ability to harbour or encourage abuse of children or youth. This is especially the case where some members, of a faith or spiritual groups, have more power or authority over others and this is supported by a strong belief system. It is important to be mindful that some types of abuse outlined above may be sectioned out in different ways in specific countries. For instance, In the USA, child abuse is defined at a state and federal level and they add some categories of abuse to those above, which in Europe we might see as more generically under the general title child abuse: - Substance abuse. Where a child or young person is exposed to drugs themselves, where drugs are used around them, manufactured around them, or where the carer uses drugs and this impairs their ability, therefore, to provide acceptable care. - Prenatal Child Abuse, abuse in which an unborn child is exposed to drugs in vitro (in the womb). Ideas about what constitutes sexual abuse of children or young people have changed rapidly in the last fifty years, across cultures. Leading to a generalised acceptance that children and young people need protection from diverse forms of sexual abuse. Quick Question: Is there such a thing as a ‘Child Prostitute’ or Underage Prostitute? Answer: No, there is no such thing as a child or underage prostitute. A legally underage person is unable to give consult to sexual acts; therefore underage sex is technically sexual assault. Unfortunately, you may see underage people referred to as child prostitute, especially when media outlets discuss children and youth who are sexually abused in poorer countries of the world. Remember that these accounts are using an inappropriate and wholly wrong term for what is happening to these young people. Even where a child behaves in a sexually precocious way, or invites sex (which can happen where a child/young person has been abused and is traumatised), that does not make it legal for any adult to act upon this and abuse that child or young person. Activity 2: How is abuse categorised? What is missing? Devon County Council in the UK identify seven types of abuse, which are: - Psychological abuse - Physical abuse - Sexual abuse - Discriminatory abuse - Financial abuse - Institutional abuse Please turn to this link, to see what they include in these seven types. What would you suggest is missing from their conceptualisation of abuse? Devon County Council, who are a statutory body who oversee public (state) services in the county area of Devonshire in the UK, have covered a number of basic areas of abuse on this webpage. However, there are some missing issues here, - First, they do not attend to a wide variety of types of abuse and seem to merge some areas in together, which may not be helpful. For instance, they do not define ‘Modern Slavery’ as a separate category. - Some newer areas of abuse need coverage in their list, for instance cyber abuse is not defined as a separate area but it would seem to cry out for being so. - Spiritual abuse is an area that is absent; however there has been growing recognition since first use of the term in the early 2000’s in the USA, that this is an important area. There are other typologies that are more extensive in their coverage of a wider range of areas of abuse. Above we have used the NSPCC list of categories, again from the UK, however, there are many others available in every country. Activity 3: How is abuse categorised in your country and local agencies? Gather information on types of abuse from your country and from your local authorities. Examine these in relation to the NSPCC material offered above. Write a short analysis of the coverage of issues. If you can, share this with a colleague or friend who is interested in abuse and safeguarding issues. Are you able to add to the list of types of abuse or are some missing in the materials you have collected? Why not email the PAPYRUS team to let them know about your findings?

Going beyond gender binaries might not mean much to the average shopper. But to those who have frequented The Phluid Project’s store in New York City, or its online site, it means everything. CEO and founder Rob Smith entered the gender-free space just two years ago when he opened his first (and only) store in NoHo, New York. For him, retail was a way of having a conversation about a marginalized section of society—and it has brought him a fiercely loyal following from the LGBTQ, and wider, communities. Experiential retail—as touted by many large corporations today—was central to The Phluid Project from the moment the 6,000 square foot shop swung open its doors in March 2018. The difference was that its concept brought more authentic and meaningful experiences to its users. Smith tells Forbes.com: “We launched without me really knowing it was the world’s first gender-free store. My friends in retail said I was crazy to open it, but I wanted to get to know the customer—and to run events. You can avoid something online but you can’t avoid a physical presence. It was about opening people’s minds.” Analytics and data aren’t everything The Macy’s veteran of more than twenty years and a board member of Steve Madden believes the retail business model is broken. “Physical stores can continue to exist if they are more than just about selling. For me it wasn’t about the clothes but about a community space where people could gather—and not just for Instagram moments either. I’m old fashioned and I like to get to know my customers in person and by name, not just look at analytics and data. After two years I can tell you their individual stories.” The community idea—or perhaps the specific community Smith was targeting—did not appeal to investors. “I did it solo because people didn’t get it,” he explains. Today, in the wake of Covid-19 there has been a revival in the notion of safety and a cooperative spirit so attitudes may be changing. XpresSpa turning its attention to airport employee Covid-19 testing is a good example. In NoHo, The Phluid Project was selling fashion lines—accessibly priced with T-shirts starting at $35 going up to more than $100 for partner brand collections. But one-third of the space was reserved for events, and some 250 took place on the premises in just under two years. A different mood this Pride The physical store built awareness for the brand and was the springboard for The Phluid Project website. It launched in May 2018 but did not really take off until the company tied up with Shopify last June 2019. That surge was helped by the brand developing product for WorldPride in New York last summer. “It was an unreal moment for sales so we can’t compare that with this year. But I would say we’re holding our own right now,” Smith says. “The beginning of 2020 was good but from mid-March things came to a screeching halt. People just panicked—they weren’t thinking about fashion but about food and jobs.” Added to that was the overnight resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd on May 25. “Pride activity never really kicked off this year because of Black Lives Matter. We were respectful and didn’t want to take away their momentum or visibility,” explains Smith. “Last year was a very different story: we were beating the drum starting in April.” He is keen not to divert attention because one of his personal aims rests within the black community. “The group that I have always spent most time on is the intersectionality between being black and being queer. I see this community as the most under-represented and the most in need of lifting. That’s been the focus from the day I started. We’re dedicating 20% of all of our sales from May to July to organizations and people who are trans, non-binary black and brown,” he says. Shockingly, the average life expectancy for a transgender woman of color is 35 “primarily as a result of violence” according to the University of North Carolina. Typical life expectancy across the entire U.S. population is more than double that at 78.6 years. Smith says: “They will be murdered, they will die of a drugs overdose, they’ll die the most horrific deaths. They are painfully under-represented so that’s where I like to lean in and spend time.” Another connected campaign, just launched, comes from a collaboration with organic tampon and pad maker, This is L., about what periods mean to people with different gender identities. By shining a spotlight on these rarely-discussed topics, The Phluid Project continues to win the trust of directly-affected communities, as well as a wider public that is sympathetic to these issues. Online reach and a future in pop-ups Smith admits the NoHo store never broke even before he decided to close it. Last week he vacated the premises. “I lost money but I built a brand,” he says. “Without a physical store I don’t think The Phluid Project would have got as much attention. It was on a very busy street and people got to know about it internationally. The goal was to make a stand. I didn’t spend any money on marketing; I spent it on events and in that process I established a deep relationship and trust with the consumer.” Smith is now in the process of taking his next steps to spread the gender-free word, first with the website. He is raising the working capital needed to build out the site to be more like a community center just like the store was. “I can reach a whole lot more people that way,” he says, adding: “In hindsight, with Covid-19 hurting retail, closing the Broadway store was the best thing I could have done. Retail stores will continue to suffer so I’m putting all my energy into e-commerce.” Moving into 2021 Smith is convinced there is an opportunity to connect people with The Phluid Project through physical retail: “in-store shops in department stores using pop-ups that we create ourselves”. His plan is to show up in towns that aren’t a typical target. He cites the U.S. south—safe bastions like Charlotte and Atlanta, but also some conservative cities. “I’d be happy if there were protesters outside,” he says. Internationally he has an eye on London and urban sprawls in Asia like Seoul and Tokyo. Adding diversified revenue streams Fashion retail is not The Phluid Project’s only revenue generator. A crucial other source is consultancy work with companies that are launching, or plan to launch, products in the gender-neutral space. “They are mainly retailers and consumer brands and I help them understand the community, the language, and how to get the message across. We also run a certification process called Get Phluid where we train people within these companies,” Smith says. Product categories are also being expanded. Just before the holidays, the brand launched three fragrances from a collection of five, with the final two debuting next month. Made by Edge Beauty, a company started a year ago by former chief marketing officer at Coty, Stephen Mormoris, one of the line-up called Transcend is a finalist as fragrance of the year in the 2020 awards from The Fragrance Foundation. The two-tone oil and water scents transform into a moisturizing emulsion when shaken and are being sold on The Phluid Project’s own site, as well as with Sephora and Ulta according to Smith. As well as fragrance, Smith is looking at other new categories. “Shoes is the next one, then beauty and then perhaps swimwear,” he says. “We are also exploring eco-friendly products and looking to build more collaborations and partnerships with brands that will help to spread our message. Activism and making collaborations count The Phluid Project has already built multiple partnerships with other fashion brands “where it makes sense”, It has tied up with Champion, Fila, Nicopanda, and non-profits like Born This Way Foundation and Planned Parenthood. The latest collaboration— tied to Pride for the second year running—is with Happy Socks, a brand that has been expanding globally in all channels including travel retail. The range features six new designs with Pride-infused rainbow colorways. “So far the collection is not listed with any travel retailers,” a Happy Sock spokesperson tells Forbes.com. “We usually focus on our core assortment of seasonal bestsellers. But I am sure it would sell in the channel. Since buying departments are working on reduced hours and hesitant to list anything new at the moment, this could be something for next year.” Smith is keen on that idea: “Airport shopping can reach so many people we might otherwise not get access to.” But before going down that mainstream route, Smith is focusing on his four pillars of fashion, community, activism and education. He has noticed that among existing lines, the more ‘out there’ T-shirt lines such as Trans Lives Matter, Protect Trans Kids, and Marsha P. Johnson (an outspoken gay rights advocate and prominent figure in the 1969 Stonewall Riots), have been selling out. “There’s definitely a sense of activism which is evident from our sales. This year is not about light, fluffy and sweet. We’ve made adjustments accordingly and moved further into that space,” says Smith. Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Pride March, yet the first ever National Trans Visibility March in Washington, D.C., only took place a year ago. Perceptions of gender are changing, but slowly. She/her, he/him, they/them personal pronouns are now popping up, not just in Generation Z chat rooms, but on business social networking sites like LinkedIn as more individuals who have changed gender feel confident enough to express themselves openly. For Smith, these advances are what his fashion business is about, and in the post-lockdown world of retail, bona fide values and trusted relationships, like those he has nurtured, are becoming more important. “It’s never been about the dollars and cents; it’s about authenticity and doing the right thing. People will look back and remember—it’s a long game.”

LOBSTERFEST IS GO! Our full 50 artist lineup is announced. Taking over five spaces across the full site of The Cause in North London. Inside and outside, all day into night. A commitment to diversity in electronic music 50%+ women & non-binary artists 50%+ PoC & black artists Final tickets on sale now. ID IS A REQUIREMENT No ID, No Entry. - As a condition of our licence we require a passport, driving licence or PASS card to be shown upon entry before admitting entry. 1. Order lateral tests from the gov.uk website to your home or collect from a local pharmacy. 2. Take the test up to 24 hours before the event and wait at least 30 minutes for the result. We recommend after you wake up, before eating or drinking. 3. Using your phone, take a photo of the test result alongside a passport or driving license with your photo clearly in view. (see example below). 4. Report the results of your test to the NHS online via the Gov.uk site in order to receive an official NHS email/SMS. We will match the time this is received with the time your photo was taken. 5. If you have a positive test – forward the NHS email plus the photo with ID attached and your RA reference number to: [email protected] 6. If you have a negative test you will be permitted entry, but you MUST be able to provide BOTH of the following to enter: (A) The photo showing your test next to clear ID (passport or driving license). *The photo must be saved in the camera roll containing the time it was taken. (b) The email or text confirmation from NHS. This a 100% mandatory condition of entry that ALL customers, staff and performers are required to follow. If you have any questions regarding our policy - please email [email protected] TICKET ENTRY TIMES Please work with us and arrive by the time that's detailed on your ticket, with the extra checks and to avoid queuing and everyone arriving at once, we have staggered entry times. We will have amazing DJs from the start plus food & refreshments and chill out spaces to ensure you can spend the day comfortably. If you think you might be late for your ticket time please contact us. We encourage respect and discretion across our dance floor; be nice to those around you. Everyone’s welcome at our party, but if someone is making you uncomfortable or you feel they don’t share our values just let one of our staff know so we can try and resolve any problems. Full body and bag searches will be carried out before entry is granted. Any refusal by the ticket holder to comply with such searches may result in refusal of admission or eviction from the venue without refund or compensation. We operate a strict zero-tolerance drugs policy. Anyone found in possession of illegal substances will be refused admission, ejected from the venue, and may also be liable for prosecution.

In November 2017, Lindsay Shepherd, a 22-year-old teaching assistant at Wilfrid Laurier University, was was called in for a 45-minute meeting with her supervisor, another professor and a representative of the school’s diversity and equity office. Earlier, Shepherd had shown a class a short video clip of a TVO debate about gender-neutral pronouns that featured Jordan Peterson. Peterson is a University of Toronto psychology professor who has attracted attention because he refuses to be compelled by the government to use gender-neutral pronouns such as “zie” and “zher.” At the meeting, Shepherd was asked to address concerns that playing the clip had created an unsafe learning environment, violated federal anti-discrimination law and targeted transgender people. The story was quickly picked up by the media, shining a spotlight on the struggle over free speech and gender identity politics currently raging across most secular university campuses in North America. Shepherd’s supporters, including Laurier professor David Haskell and several newspapers, praised her courage and called upon the university to affirm its commitment to free thought and free speech. Her opponents decried the debate for, as one student put it, “invalidat[ing] the existence of trans and non-binary people.” A Laurier professor of cultural analysis and social theory told Maclean’s magazine, “We don’t live in a society where people should be free to speak hatred.” Public apologies by the university’s president and Shepherd’s supervisor were criticized by some as not doing enough to defend free speech and by others as not adequately recognizing the rights of transgender people. Repercussions of these events continue to unfold. No such thing as a neutral university The Laurier incident is not only a clash over gender identity issues. It also illustrates the fact that universities — like all institutions — are not ideologically neutral. They have to decide what their purpose and values are. Those who oppose Shepherd’s actions typically think the primary purpose of the university is the pursuit of social justice. Influenced by theories stemming from Marxism and especially neo-Marxism, they see society in terms of oppressor groups and oppressed groups divided by race, gender and sexuality. Their job is to teach students to see society that way too, and then to send them out into the world as social justice activists. For committed social justice warriors, these goals are not up for debate — there can be no place in a university for racism, sexism and transphobia. They believe that speakers who violate or appear to violate these principles should not be given a platform to speak at a university event, for example. Let’s call this the “social justice” view of the university. On the other side of the Laurier debate is the “free inquiry” view of the university. Its adherents believe universities exist to pursue truth — and that the best way to find it is through free speech, open criticism and rational debate. Therefore, universities should be places where all ideas — even the most unpopular or unpalatable — can be proposed and investigated. Students need to be taught to think critically and to dispassionately debate a wide range of opinions. There are other common ways of looking at the purpose of the university, too. Some people, for example, think universities’ main purpose is economic: to produce a highly skilled, job-ready workforce for the growing technology and knowledge industries, in order to contribute to national economic growth. None of these views about the purpose of the university are neutral. They all reflect some system of values and even some idea about the ultimate purpose of human life. Each of them is derived from some tradition of thought, whether neo-Marxism, classical liberalism or neo-liberal economics. Because they depend on human ideas, however, they are vulnerable to the shifting currents of intellectual opinion. Forty years ago, the “free inquiry” view was dominant among faculty in Canadian universities. Since then, the social justice view has gained so much ground that it has the upper hand. And throughout this period many government officials and university administrators — not to mention parents and students — have been drawn to the economic view of the university. Looking to Scripture Thankfully, Christian universities like Redeemer are not forced to accept wholesale any of the prevailing secular ideas about the purpose of higher education, nor do they have to be swept along by the intellectual fashions of the secular academy. Why not? Because we have a firm anchor that holds fast amid these shifting currents: the written Word of God. Unlike human ideologies that come and go, the Bible expresses the very thoughts of God through the words of human authors, and what it says does not change from decade to decade or from culture to culture. We can look to it both as a source of knowledge and as the inspired final authority on every subject it addresses. This understanding of the Bible is woven into Redeemer’s founding mission and vision and is intended to characterize the fabric of Redeemer’s institutional life. Our Statement of Basis and Principles states that “our supreme standard is the Bible” and calls the Scriptures “the written and inspired Word of God, the infallible and authoritative rule of faith for the direction of the whole of life.” Other guiding documents reflect this same understanding, explaining that we seek to “foster patterns of faith and conduct that are in submission to the infallible Word of God (the Bible),” that “the Scriptures speak with the authority of God Himself” and that they are “completely trustworthy.” In fact, “we stake our institutional identity on their direction setting authority … including [for] the life of academic inquiry and teaching.” Redeemer’s identity as an institution, then, is anchored in full trust in the authority of the Bible. “Unlike human ideologies that come and go, the Bible expresses the very thoughts of God through the words of human authors, and what it says does not change from decade to decade or from culture to culture.” Standing with the historic church Now, this stance on the Bible is not some quirky obsession of Redeemer’s founders or an overreaction of modern Christians to secular critiques. Belief in the authority and trustworthiness of the Scriptures has been a core part of the church’s teaching in every era. The great church father Augustine (354-430), for example, contended that the books that make up Scripture, unlike all other books, are “completely free from error.” Medieval theologians agreed. “I am sure,” Anselm (1033-1109) testified, “that if I say anything which is undoubtedly contradictory to Holy Scripture, it is wrong.” Likewise, Thomas Aquinas (1225-74), who was arguably the most important medieval theologian and who continues to be a major influence on Catholic theology, claimed “that nothing false can ever underlie the literal sense of Holy Scripture.” These convictions have been carried forward by Reformed thinkers as well. At the beginnings of the Reformed tradition, John Calvin (1509-64) described the Bible as “unassailable truth” and warned that “Any spirit which bypasses the truth of God’s Word, and suggests any other doctrine, is rightly suspected of pride and deceit.” Scripture, Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) stressed, is the bedrock of the Reformed faith. His attitude was that “when … I read the Holy Scripture, neither Moses nor John addresses me, but the Lord my God.” His contemporary, Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck (1854-1921), similarly believed that “The authority of Scripture extends to the whole person and over all humankind. It is above the intellect and the will, the heart and the conscience, and cannot be compared with any other authority. Its authority, being divine, is absolute. It is entitled to be believed and obeyed by everyone at all times.” How does the Bible guide Redeemer? Given, then, that Redeemer’s identity rests upon and is defined by our belief in the authority of the Bible, and that we stand with the historic Christian church through the ages on this matter, how should the Bible guide our teaching and scholarship? In keeping with the Reformed tradition, Redeemer’s approach emphasizes the role of the Bible in giving us the true story of the whole world, as The Cross & Our Calling puts it. At its most basic level, a biblical worldview recognizes the creation-fall-redemption narrative of Scripture as the storyline of the universe and everything in it. God created everything that exists, and he made it good. He created us to love and enjoy him, to have fellowship with one another and to cultivate the rest of his creation. Our first parents disobeyed him, however, breaking our relationship with him and others and introducing sin into God’s good creation. The effects of sin are pervasive, affecting every aspect of human life. But God has not left us in this lost condition — he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross and rise from the dead so we can be redeemed and reconciled to God. One day Jesus will return to finally defeat sin and death and restore his people and his creation to the way they should be. These biblical themes are highlighted in the Reformed confessions and the subsequent work of Reformed thinkers. When we encounter ideas — including ideas about the purpose of the university — that are rooted in other worldviews, our task is to assess them in light of this biblical worldview and any specific biblical teachings or principles that bear on the topic at hand. What worthwhile insights does the idea provide that align with the biblical worldview or that can be reoriented to fit within it? Where does it go awry, and how can it be corrected? Take the social justice view of the university, for example. At its best, as a Christian university, Redeemer aims to form students who will serve God in every area of their lives, and this includes recognizing and working to overcome a variety of problems that fall under the umbrella of social injustice. In applied social science courses, for example, students investigate systemic injustices that contribute to poverty, and what can be done about them. In psychology courses, they learn how the human brain’s marvellous ability of learning to distinguish between faces often doesn’t work as for sorting the faces of the elderly and of people from other ethnic backgrounds, creating possibilities for neglect and prejudice. In environmental science courses, students see how wasteful consumption and short-term thinking can hurt vulnerable people and creatures by poisoning our water and soil. In literature courses, they train their ears and hearts to listen to voices unlike their own, rather than dismissing them. In each case, students learn to distinguish between God’s good creation and the destructive effects of sin and to derive hope and the power to change from the redemption that comes through Jesus Christ. At the same time, when we are consistent in working from a biblical worldview, our understanding of the role of social justice at Redeemer diverges at some points from the views of our secular friends and colleagues at other universities. In philosophy courses, students learn to derive their fundamental ideas about the nature of justice and ethics in human relations from the Bible rather than from social media slacktivism. In history courses, they probe from a Christian standpoint the troubled Marxist ideological sources of some contemporary social justice thinking and learn how this ideology carries totalitarian impulses that wrought enormous suffering in the blood-soaked Communist regimes of the 20th century. In ministry courses, students see how the pursuit of social justice is not an end in itself, but one facet of God’s mission to bring healing to this broken world and point people toward the coming ultimate shalom of the new heavens and the new earth. In business courses, they learn how markets can function not only as fallen playgrounds of greed and oppression, but also as a good aspect of God’s creational intention to provide for our material needs. Redeemer, therefore, can present an alternative to universities that are captive to ideologies other than the biblical worldview. To be sure, we will seek biblical ways to affirm and contribute to social justice, to free inquiry and to the economic flourishing of our graduates and society as a whole. But for us, all of these goals will find an appropriate place within a larger framework oriented by the Bible. In the world of Canadian higher education, this means that we will stand out as something of an oddball. But it is not society’s approval we are looking for, it is God’s. And as the intellectual fashions of academia shift from decade to decade, our convictions will not — because our anchor, the Word of God, holds fast.

Hey, friends! I, the person you know who cares quite a lot about stickers, am here to say that now is the correct time for you to be thinking about June, which is Pride Month in the US. If you design and order stickers now, you’ll have them in time for all the many, many June conferences we have coming up. You may be thinking something like, “Software does not have gender” or “I’m not sure my company wants to be that political”. That’s fair. But let me tell you what happens, every once in a while, when I have our pride flag stickers out: Someone picks one up and says, “Oh. Oh! You have one for me! That’s so cool! May I have two? And then later in the show, they show up again, with a friend, and say, “Check this out, how cool is this?!” And then sometimes they ask if we’re hiring, or they take our brochures. But they always walk away feeling that — this company has something for me, and I feel great because I’m not used to being seen. It is so, so easy to forget that individuals matter, especially at a conference or trade show. And it’s so easy to think that adaptations to address the ends of the bell curve are a waste of time, because there are relatively fewer people out at the ends. Fitted-cut shirts in large sizes. Low-vision-friendly signage. Kneeling or sitting to talk to someone in a mobility device instead of standing over them. But the people at the ends will become so devoted to you, yes, and your brand, if you just show them that they matter a little bit. It can’t be lipservice – no amount of adorable queer stickers are going to paper over bad labor practices, discrimination, or systemic bias. So! June, Pride month. What are you going to do for stickers? You can see that LaunchDarkly currently has bisexual pride (pink/purple/blue), gender non-binary (yellow/white/purple/black), transgender pride (pink/white/blue) and inclusive or Philly pride (rainbow+brown and black). The inclusive queer one is still a little unusual, but people who know what it is are pleased to see it. There are some that I want to add in later, including agender. There are some where there is not really a good, community-agreed on standard, like lesbian pride. But every little bit helps someone see themselves as fitting into and accepted and seen by the community. Here are some resources if you don’t know where to start with pride flags or sticker designs that feature them: Minneapolis DevOps Meetup

Here’s what’s happening online in Toronto this week. Reel Girls Film Festival The first annual Reel Girls Film Festival is an international student film festival devoted entirely to encouraging and supporting young female filmmakers. Selected films will be available to watch online every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the last two weeks in May, leading up to the festival’s Winners Showcase and award announcements on May 29th. Categories include Narrative Short Film, Music Video, Documentary, and Animation. Team Toronto Etsy Sellers Spring Virtual Market Support local makers at Team Toronto Etsy Sellers Spring Virtual Market! The online market will showcase over 60 Etsy sellers throughout the month of May. The Toronto Comic Arts Festival and other comics festivals across Canada have banded together to launch a month-long digital initiative called #CanCAF. Each participating festival or event is programming a variety of comics-related events, from workshops to interviews, live drawing to panel discussions, podcasts to videocasts, and more. CONTACT Photography Festival The Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival is an annual showcase of lens-based projects by Canadian and international artists that is typically held at venues across Toronto during the month of May. This year’s exhibitions will open on a case-by-case basis once public safety is assured and schedules are confirmed, but in the meantime, CONTACT has launched an online platform featuring new and recent projects by festival participants and partners. Trinity Bellwoods Flea The Trinity Bellwoods Flea can’t hold their market in person, so they’re doing it online! From now until May 31, they’ll be showcasing local makers, artisans, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and artists you can purchase from virtually. City Hall Live Online City Hall Live Online features two separate live-streamed sets every weekday at noon and 12:30 p.m. The series will help raise money for Unison Benevolent Fund while creating paid opportunities for local musicians during this difficult time. This week’s performances include Slim Flex, Adam Bomb, Emily Schultz, and James Baley. TIFF’s Stay-At-Home Cinema Toronto International Film Festival’s Stay-At-Home Cinema is a series curated from Crave’s extensive selection of titles, accompanied by conversations with special guests. This week’s films include Falls Around Her and Sense and Sensibility, and will be preceded by virtual Q&As with the actors and directors streamed on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. MOCA’s Shift Key In an effort to continue connecting people through art and experimentation, the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto has created an online platform called Shift Key featuring video and new media works by Yazan Khalili, Fatma Bucak, and more. #MuseumWithoutWalls allows you to explore the Aga Khan Museum without leaving your home. Watch an interview with genre-bending poet and author Tanya Evanson, try your hand at the Puzzle of the Week, take a 3-D virtual tour of the exhibition Caravans of Gold: Fragments in Time, and more. Virtual Paradise Theatre Paradise may be closed, but they’re still bringing you movies! The theatre has teamed up with some of their favourite boutique film distributors to stream movies through their affiliate links, with proceeds going to both the distributors and Paradise. The films include Zombi Child, Lucky Grandma, and A White, White Day. Club Quarantine is a virtual queer dance party happening every night from 9 p.m. to midnight on the app Zoom. The party was started by four Toronto-based artists – Mingus New, Casey MQ, Andres Sierra, and Brad Allen – and has featured both local and international DJs. Arts In Isolation Arts Etobicoke is providing free online art classes and cultural experiences that you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home as part of its Arts In Isolation. Their weekly offerings include the interactive online gallery exhibition Shifting Environs and Crafting in Quarantine with Marjan Verstappen. OISE Stay At Home Club The OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) Stay At Home Club is a Twitter live series featuring alumni and friends of the Institute leading interactive lessons for children and adults alike. Tune into OISE’s Twitter account Wednesday at 11 a.m. for educator Justine Bruyère’s artsy approach to child literacy and Friday at 11 a.m. as recent graduate Shona Mistry goes over the basic ‘how-to’ of writing (and finishing) your own stories. Hot Docs Festival Hot Docs brings you over 140 selections as part of Hot Docs Festival Online. From May 28 through June 6, Ontario residents will be able to stream documentaries, watch pre-recorded Q&As, and partake in virtual live events. Tickets are $9 per film or $40 for a five-film streaming bundle. AGO’s Shape of the Museum Shape of the Museum invites professionals from around the world who are thinking about art, audiences, and learning in different ways. Amirali Alibhai, head of performing arts at the Aga Khan Museum, joins Devyani Saltzman, the AGO’s director of public programming, in conversation Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Register online for this Zoom event. F*ck Sh*t Up Goes Digital F*ck Sh*t Up, the trans and non-binary cabaret is back! The show will be livestreamed this Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. and will feature pre-recorded performances by trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or Two-Spirit talents + interviews with the performers. The show is free, with tipping encouraged. It’s All Good Presents: Throwback Thursdays Virtual Dance Party HomeBody Music Festival HomeBody Music Festival is a series of live acoustic performances and conversations about health and creativity that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home. The festival is free, but donations will be accepted, with 100% of the proceeds going to three charities shaping the national and local health and support response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: Jack.org, Unison Benevolent Fund, and Meals to Heal. Runs Friday, May 29, through Sunday, May 31. Wax Candy Disco The Piston’s weekly disco party is switching to online until the venue reopens. Join DJ Efsharp every Friday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the Wax Candy Facebook page as he serves up platters of the sweetest soulful and uplifting disco. SummerWorks, Canadian Stage, and Club Quarantine are throwing a nation-wide virtual party this Friday from 9 p.m. to midnight! Essential Play is a free online club night where artists and art-lovers from coast to coast can celebrate the enduring and resilient spirit of creativity that prevails despite the pandemic. DJ sets by L’Oqenz, Chivengi, and Bliptor + performances by Continental Breakfast, Erin Ball, Rodney Diverlus, and Sébastien Provencher. (Find the Zoom access code on SummerWorks’ Instagram account.) Return Of The Living Dead Drink & Tweet-A-Long Drunk Cinema and the Revue invites you all to participate in a drinking game tweet-a-long for 1985’s cult horror comedy, The Return of the Living Dead. Follow along through the Revue’s Twitter account on Saturday at 8 p.m. and use the hashtag #revuetweetalong. The Revue will also be accepting donations during this online event to help its programming team affected by the theatre’s temporary closure. It’s All Good ’90s Virtual Music Video Dance Party Join resident VJ/DJ Mike Luke this Saturday as he takes you on a journey through the 1990s, from Biggie to Bjork, Nirvana to No Doubt, Destiny’s Child to Daft Punk, TLC to ATCQ, Eminem to En Vogue, Mariah Carey to Massive Attack, Portishead to Pavement, Spice Girls to Stereolab, and much more! The party starts at 8:30 p.m. on Twitch. The Piston’s monthly dance party Juicebox goes live on Twitch from DJ Babs’ living room this Saturday at 10 p.m. with guest hosts Derek and MeepMoop the cat. Babs will be spinning all your Juicebox faves, including The Strokes, David Bowie, Pulp, The Stooges, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party, The Human League, Joy Division, Glass Candy, The Fratellis, The Buzzcocks, ABC, Air, The Specials, Le Tigre, Belle & Sebastian, and lots more! For many years, Saigon Sundays was broadcasted live-to-air from the third floor of the now-defunct Whiskey Saigon nightclub. Now, DJs Paul Dhingra and Dwight Hybrid are making it a regular livestream where they’ll be spinning retro, post-punk, new wave, Britpop, and classic alternative every Sunday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The ugly pop pioneer talks new EP and their gritty pop sound. 2021, prepare yourself because Blackpool-born artist ZAND is ready to cause a stir with their unapologetic and empowering sound. Dropping their liberating new EP “UGLY POP” today, the singer offers us plenty of tongue-in-cheek bops filled with assertive lyrics and pouring bass lines. Featuring cheeky hit single “SLUT MONEY”, the singer dives into the world of sex workers and delivers an ode to those who have the right to whatever they want with their bodies. Talking about the tune, the singer said, “while it’s a tongue in cheek bop, I wrote it as a liberating bite back at whorephobes and an ode to the sex worker community as well as it being an empowering for anyone who’s been judged for demonstrating their right to bodily autonomy and sexual liberation.” Coining the term “ugly popstar”, the singer has been serving up a gritty pop sound for while, pulling inspiration from teenage obsessions such as My Chemical Romance and Imogen Heap. With their new EP finally here, we sat down with the singer talking the creative process, the meaning behind “ugly popstar”, and what we can expect next. Check out the interview below… Hi Zander – how have you been during this uncertain time? How has it impacted your music and creativity? Thank you for asking, I’m doing just about okay. It has stunted my creativity in some ways, but then propelled it in others. Managed to smash out an entire EP in lockdown holed up in my room somehow, which I’m really proud of and excited for the release. How did growing up in Blackpool influence you sonically? Who are your musical heroes? So my family moved us to Ireland when I was four, and then we came back when I was 12. I loved a lot of icons like Britney, Rihanna, Xtina, Hilary Duff, Ciara, Kelis off the top of my head growing up and then later in my childhood and teenage years much of how I consumed music came from the television – for example: watching music channels in both countries, like Scuzz, Kerrang! etc. That’s how I discovered bands like Paramore, Fall Out Boy, All American Rejects, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park and countless more who were all trailblazers for me in discovering “heavier” music that wasn’t pop. For Christmases and birthdays, I would just ask for their albums. And then I also discovered – and continue to a large chunk of music through film: like Hans Zimmer’s work in The Prince of Egypt, The Lion King, Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron, all of which I became obsessed with the orchestral, “epic” sonic elements that sparked emotion. And then lastly was the internet, MySpace being where I found so many artists like Imogen Heap, Millionaires – who I’m convinced don’t receive anywhere near enough credit as they’re due!, Secondhand Serenade, Dashboard Confessional as a young teenager… I definitely grew up on a huge mix of genres and artists. I can’t do all of them justice here. I’m always forgetting and remembering, then adding to the “influences” list. You describe your genre as “ugly pop” – why? It’s a multi-faceted term by all means, but it’s there as a descriptor for the “messy” pop music I’m making; whether it’s lyrically exploring somewhat dark, uncomfy matter (depends on the person listening) in order to empower myself and people who can relate, or instrumentally it’s poppy with inky lashings of industrial warp whilst banging out earworms at the same time, or both simultaneously. The possibilities are endless. Ugly Pop is definitely a catch meets all term for my project. I like mixing it up and having fun with it but for the most part, it’s definitely feminist vibes and all for self-empowerment. Feminism, gender, rape culture, transphobia, homophobia, sex work – you address a wide spectrum of topics in your music – where do you pull your musical inspirations from? My anger, mostly. You’ve got your EP “UGLY POP” out now – why that name? Seeing as that’s the term I’ve coined for my own genre, I think it’s a good way to introduce people to ugly pop and myself as an “ugly popstar”, per say. Having self-produced most of it, excluding “Inappropriate” which I produced with Daktyl, it feels like a very intimate project and as though I’m birthing a little part of myself into the world. So I feel a bit vulnerable but I’m still stoked. What ties all the tracks together as a body of work? A common theme that tends to run through my music with each song is they feel quite tongue in cheek, despite whatever topic is being explored, especially on this EP. The first track, “Bald Bitch”, is a simple introduction to me, to ugly pop and what to expect from my music and myself as an artist, as I feel the rest of the songs Inappropriate, “Slut Money” and “Freak” do the same. “BB” is definitely a more light-hearted track and isn’t really touching on anything dark at all, it’s just me having fun, taking the piss out of other people and reminding them how hot I am and to stop touching my bald head! Then comes “Inappropriate”, which is kind of a sly hit back at “suits” in this industry and the way in which artists “like me”, anyone who isn’t a cookie-cutter cis-het manufactured stereotype are viewed through a judgmental lense. Meaning if you don’t fit a certain mould, you’re straight-up “Inappropriate” – so with this track, I’m kind of reclaiming that term, again taking something negative that’s been used against me and using it to sneer at those same people with. “Slut Money” is about sex work empowerment and bodily autonomy, and then “Freak” is a somewhat autobiographical track encapsulating my journey as a non-binary person and is solely for non-binary, trans and gender-nonconforming empowerment. It just feels like a well balanced, varied body of work that represents me and each song strikes a different chord. Do you have a lead track or lyric from the EP that you hope your fans will resonate with? “Inappropriate” is the lead single, as I mentioned earlier it’s about embracing being “too much”. I made it with my friend Daktyl (Ultra Records) in LA and then produced more of it/finished it when I got home, adding distorted guitars (performed by my brother), vocals, piano, sorting the structure out – lots of ad prod. Taking a word I’ve been described as an artist and putting a sarcastic, embracive spin on it: Kinda like, yeah okay if I’m “inappropriate” in the eyes of you boring vanilla cis-hets then let’s run with that honey! It’s high-key aimed at some people I’ve worked with that were happy to blow smoke up my arse but didn’t necessarily have my best interests in mind. What do your want fans to take from your music? I hope that it can act as an uplifting catharsis for the underdogs and as some sort of education for those that can’t relate to the themes I’m writing about. What’s next for you? What are you looking forward to next year? I am hoping to actually get to play some live shows next year, and obviously, release more of that sweet ugly pop. You’re probably sick of reading those words by now but it rolls off the tongue quite nicely!

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Plus it gets suggestions on many queer occurrences that folks is also head to in their respective portion, and you will meet prospective people within the real world. Yes, Scissr is obviously a shorter popular solution than the The lady. not, it absolutely was still customized intentionally that have lesbian women in head, also non-binary some one. And you can other than are an internet dating software, additionally, it is meant to be a myspace and facebook app for the whole subculture. To the Scissr, people will meet those of equivalent hobbies and you will preferences, though they just need certainly to speak or build an alternate friend. step 3. A lot of Fish After you have a look at Numerous Fish’s website, you definitely will never be amazed. In fact, it appears as though a piece of web site design straight out regarding this new dial-up time; but never let you to discourage your. Its suits-while making process is simply alot more detail by detail than of many most other relationships apps. In advance of you may be matched that have anyone else, you have to respond to 70 identity-relevant inquiries. And then, your solution an emotional studies, that is along with contains around 30 inquiries. Truly the only disadvantage is the fact that you simply can’t specifically prefer a low-binary otherwise bisexual alternative. Truth be told; extremely relationships apps commonly specifically made having bisexual ladies and you may lesbians, so also a slightly subpar application with eg objectives was worthy of a notice. And you may Lesly is you to definitely – a highly basic software fabswingers. It’s got an equivalent put-to Tinder. Your sign in a photograph-depending membership, following swipe right otherwise remaining to complement together with other profiles. 5. Java Matches Bagel If the our company is are truthful, we cannot stop one Coffee Fits Bagel is strictly a knowledgeable lesbian dating app which you’ll see. Within the earlier versions, bisexual some one can only just choose one gender getting matched up having. Regardless if, before couple of years, they’ve got strived and then make the program a great deal more amicable into LGBTQ+ community. Hinge’s dated matches-and also make has worked from the connecting users in order to mutual loved ones through its Fb users. not, has just made change possess opened Depend users so you’re able to a bigger pond off available partners for matchmaking. Their breadth try somewhere between OkCupid and you can Tinder; you address a few questions about your identity after you create a profile, however it is little dramatic. When you generate a profile on Fem, it’s not necessary to worry running into boys that simply don’t fall-in there. Directly, this will be a software for individuals who should meet lesbians, and lesbians by themselves; absolute and easy. This really is a primary quotation from the company, even though the text actually for example comprehensive; in reality, every intimate needs of queer woman exist on the software. Additionally it is slightly various other compared to almost every other comparable apps, in terms of the affiliate pages. Specifically, profiles are meant to generate video profiles out-of on their own, instead of just publishing a couple photos. And along with, it has got a team cam option. Naturally, for those also shy and come up with films, there are many selection. It’s in no way compulsory, just a supplementary alternative that all profiles decide to need. A lot of women end Tinder, as it is not exactly upwards indeed there into the top lesbian relationships apps; specifically because of the nightmare tales of males just who find its method onto lesbian women’s feeds. Nevertheless, if you wish to have the widest you’ll be able to pond men and women to select from; Tinder sounds everybody else on quantity games . Saying that it is probably one of the most well-known apps to have matchmaking is really putting it mildly.

After recent controversy surrounding gender and cultural diversity of the Falls Festival lineup––there were only nine women on the first announcement––punters are watching festivals closely for their representation. Splendour's lineup dropped today, featuring Kendrick Lamar, Lorde and Vampire Weekend, and while it's got some killer bookings, there's still question as to whether it's adequately representing artists from marginalised communities. Noisey has crunched the numbers on the 2018 Splendour in the Grass lineup, accounting for gender representation and representation of people of colour. Let's get into it, shall we? There are 101 artists playing Splendour in the Grass 2018, totalling 205 performers (that's the sum of all the members of each band/solo artist/duo/whatever.) Of those performers, 155 are male and 50 are female or non-binary, meaning that 24.4 percent of performers on this year's lineup aren't male, while 75.6 percent are. This is a slight (2 percent) improvement on last year's lineup, which featured 202 performers, 165 (77.6%) of which were male and 37 (22.4 percent) of which were female. Performer-by-Performer Gender Breakdown When we group the above figure into an artist-by-artist breakdown––so, how many artists feature at least one female or non-binary member vs how many artists are all-male––the stats look a little kinder. With these metrics, 42.6 percent of the lineup has some kind of non-male representation. This is the most common methodology for breaking down gender diversity on lineups, and while it's the most generous way of looking at diversity, it's also somewhat deceiving; 15.8 percent of artists may be mixed gender, but that could be a ten-person band with one woman in it –– still valid, for sure, but also something of a skewed metric. You'd be kidding yourself, for example, to book a ten-person/one-woman artist as a headliner and call them a 'female headliner'. 42.6 percent is a marked improvement on Splendours past; according to Hack's annual lineup breakdown, Splendour has been hovering around the 30 percent mark for the past three years. Artist-by-Artist Gender Breakdown When we get to the cultural diversity breakdown––the amount of people of colour––things get more dire. There are 25 artists of colour on the lineup, including 16 men of colour and only nine women of colour, which accounts for just over 12 percent of the bill. You have to scroll down to the sixth line of the lineup to see the highest billed woman of colour, Sampa the Great. This breakdown is a slight––and that's very, very slight––improvement on last year's lineup, which only included 11 percent people of colour, according to Pilerats' breakdown. Performer-by-Performer Cultural Diversity Breakdown When broken down into an artist-by-artist metric, it appears that most of the people of colour on the lineup are solo artists; unsurprising, given that most of the people of colour on the bill are rappers. Around 11 percent of artists on the lineup are PoC solo artists and just under nine percent are groups with at least one person of colour. This is an improvement over Splendour 2017, which had eight percent PoC solo artists and three percent mixed acts featuring PoC. Artist-by-Artist Cultural Diversity Breakdown In all, Splendour's done a slightly (slightly) better job of representation than it has in previous years. At the end of the day, though, there's still work to do: with less than a quarter of all performing artists being female or non-binary, little-to-no trans representation and marginal representation of people of colour, Splendour (and nearly all festivals, for that matter) still need to work on booking women and minorities. Tell me something I don't know.Notes on methodology: Musicians such as Alex Lahey and Jack River, who are solo artists but perform with bands, were counted as solo artists for the sake of this piece. Best efforts were made to properly account for all genders represented on the Splendour lineup. Thanks to Pilerats' Hayden Davies for his statistics on Splendour 2017.Shaad D'Souza is Noisey's Australian Editor. Follow him on Twitter.

- Wed, Apr 4, 2018 at 6pm - Joanne Pollock - Manitoba Music - 1-376 Donald St, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Equalizer workshops are designed to offer a safe and encouraging environment to women and non-binary people who are interested in learning the ins and outs of audio production. In this workshop a few local musicians will discuss how they take their songs from the recorded version to the stage. A few different approaches and technologies will be covered including the use of samplers, loop pedals, and the like. To register, please email Elise at firstname.lastname@example.org.

Part 3: Social, Medical, Legal Transition The final installment of Non-Binary Transition covers the details involved in Social, Medical, and Legal transition, focusing on the unique challenges faced by non-binary individuals. We also go over what providers can do to support their clients/patients in their practice. As with the previous two parts, here are the slides and speaker notes. If you need a refresher, use the link below to access all the materials covering the entire series. Bonus: Queue the Questions During the workshop there were a lot of interesting questions or comments from participants, as well as thoughtful responses from fellow providers in the audience. I decided to edit and include these separately as a supplemental segment. Of course, since the questions weren’t scripted, there are no slides or notes. However, I did attempt to paraphrase what was being said with text placards, especially since a few of the questions are inaudible. You are always welcome to email me with questions. Spread it like peanut butter. This specific workshop was tailored for providers, which means it’s perfect to share with your doctor or therapist or family member. You can also hand it off to your local support group, fellow trans friends, allies, teachers, cousins, grandparents, hair stylist, anyone who you feel would benefit from learning a little more about gender. Thank you for watching! Join the Gender Warriors Enjoyed the workshop? Want to see more information like this? This is only a slice of the knowledge about non-binary transition I am planning to compile and distribute. Help fuel the continuation of this project at patreon.com/neutrois.

The live screening of The Matter of the Soul | Symphony video (1 hr) will take place on the7th of March at The Big Freeze Polar Art festival run by The Polar Museum, Cambridge, UK. It will be followed by Q&A with Kat Austen. The Matter of the Soul is a music, video, installation and performance work. It engenders empathy with the process of dispersal and transformation in the Arctic. The work draws an analogy between human migration, the movement of water from ice to ocean in the Arctic and changing identity online in the context of our contemporary climate emergency. Time: 6pm GMT, 7pm CET, duration 1.5 hours Venue: Crowdcast (join live; register in advance for a reminder). The research for The Matter of the Soul was carried out during the Artist in the Arctic Residency 2017 with Friends of SPRI, Bonhams and One Ocean Expeditions. The work was completed during a Cultural Fellowship in Art and Science (Climate Track) at the Cultural Institute, University of Leeds. The Matter of the Soul | Symphony premiered in October 2018 at Howard Assembly Rooms, Opera North, Leeds, UK. Kat Austen’s Stranger to the Trees is a new media project exploring the complementary coexistence of microplastics and trees as carbon sinks. How do trees and microplastics coexist in forests, capturing carbon in the time of the climate crisis? Stranger to the Trees’ two channels of video orient around a musical composition combining traditional instruments, hacked instruments and field recordings. One video, an analogue silhouette animation mixed with live-action video, explores the macro perspective of this coexistence. The other, incorporating results from a scientific experiment into the effect of microplastics on birch trees, explores the micro perspective. Together, they query the response of forest ecosystems to the ubiquitous and irrevocable dispersal of microplastics around the Earth. Through a co-operation with innovative online gallery post-gallery.online curated by Kelli Gedvil and Kristen Rästas, the release of Stranger to the Trees is reconfigured, hybridised like the trees themselves, to allow the meaning and affordance of the two channels of video to be conveyed through online media fit for pandemic times. Credits “The Work was realised within the framework of the European Media Art Platforms EMARE program at WRO Art Center with support of the Creative Europe Culture Programme of the European Union”. Kat is delighted to be collaborating with choreographer Anders Duckworth on the Mapping Gender project, which brings together non-binary perspectives & stories to explore how society controls & shapes both landscapes and human bodies, through a residency at The Place, London. Expanding the focus on scientific data which is common to discourse on the subject, UCL Anthropocene emphasises the causal links between the conditions of human experience and escalating ecological collapse. In this vein, this seminar will explore the potential of contemporary art practice in addressing the problems that the Anthropocene poses for our collective future. Given the scope of the subject at hand, the format will be expansive and discursive. Each of the seven contributing UCL artists will give a short presentation (10-15 minutes) to introduce the significance of the notion of the Anthropocene within their practice and point towards ways in which contemporary art might effectively address the environmental crisis. Afterwards, these perspectives will be brought into dialogue through a 30-minute round table discussion, which will also be an opportunity to welcome questions from the audience. Kat explores the human relationship with water using artistic research techniques that meld together embodied explorations with those mediated by sensing equipment. Led and facilitated by Kat, this workshop introduces participants to two of these artistic research methods that make use of scientific equipment and embodied techniques to connect with water, and facilitates the exploration of local water using these methods. Contribution to the database for freely accessible to anyone who wants to take part in the project. You can choose between German, English and Sorbian. The collected audio files can be uploaded independently in the formats wav, mp3, mp4 and ogg. Do you live in Lusatia? Contribute sounds that are important to you. This can be the sound of wind turbines, the splash of pebbles thrown into the new lake, the creak of your shed door, the judder of tyres over cobblestones or asphalt, or the call of the woodpecker living in your garden: Whatever sounds really connect you to the place. The website also includes tips for listening exercises, and on how to record and upload recordings. The recordings that people contribute to the Sounds of Lusatia website and through the workshop will be used in a sound composition accompanied by a video installation that Kat will create as her researches come to an end. Contributors can choose whether to be credited or not. For more information visit https://lausitzklang.katausten.com. Follow the links to open a press release as a pdf in a new tab in English and in German. Kat will be showing part of her new work Stranger to the Trees in the Quarantine Exhibition organised Kontejner (EMAP/EMARE) for Ars Electronica 2020. Join the live stream from 11am – 11:30 CET on Friday 11th September 2020 In case you missed the radio show featuring the first part of The Matter of the Soul | Symphony on May the 5th 2020 on p-node radio hosted by Klio Krahewska you can now download and listen to the playlist (archive Tuesday, 5/07, 18h, Klio).

This is not a drill: Fun Home is going to be a movie. The autobiographical, bittersweet musical about a young lesbian’s coming-of-age in her family’s funeral-home business – one run by her difficult yet loving and deeply closeted father – will continue its evolution from Alison Bechdel-created graphic memoir to Tony Award-winning stage musical to big-screen production, thanks to producer Jake Gyllenhaal. The musical, adapted by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, will also star Gyllenhaal as the father. Every time a queer project gets a big screen push, we worry a little that heterosexual hands will dilute their strength, but we trust the Brokeback Mountain star here. He’s a proven ally and clearly knows that we’re a picky population when it comes to our stories being told well. So far there’s no other cast, no production information or release date, but we can wait patiently for something worth waiting for. More Indya Moore! The transgender, non-binary actor who plays model Angel Evangelista on Pose has a new side gig and we’re very happy about that. They’re the voice of Shep, a non-binary character introduced in Steven Universe: Future, the continuation of Cartoon Network’s queer-inclusive animated series Steven Universe. The groundbreaking original series about the magical space adventures of a young boy who is half-human, half-alien already featured characters who were transgender and intersex – imagine, if you can, if Peppermint Patty and Scooby Doo’s Velma had actually been written as lesbians and what that would have meant to earlier generations of queer kids – and the new show upholds the foregrounding of queer characters leading lots of the action. The story takes place in Steven’s adolescence and there’s little question that it will continue to push the boundaries of cartoons aimed at young audiences. The future is here. Romeo San Vicente knows that Jake Gyllenhaal has our back!

The American Civil Liberties Union has apologized for excluding the word “woman” from a Ruth Bader Ginsburg quotation in a tweet posted Sept. 18: “The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a [person’s] life, to [their] well-being and dignity,” as the organization rendered the statement. ACLU executive director Anthony Romero told the New York Times that in the future the group “won’t be altering people’s quotes.” But it will surely find more palatable ways to hedge the word, because doing so has become a progressive point of order. House Democrats qualified the word “woman” in a September bill by saying the term reflects “the identity of the majority of people” who might seek an abortion: “This Act is intended to protect all people with the capacity for pregnancy—cisgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals, those who identify with a different gender, and others.” Disclaimer that the site operates automatically without human intervention, so all articles, news and comments posted on the site are the responsibility of the owners and the website manages them do not bear any moral or legal responsibility for the content of the site. "All rights reserved for their owners" Source:" WSJ "

1,000 signatures reached To: Tower Hamlets Council Keep Hopetown Hostel open We are calling on Tower Hamlets council to: - Keep Hopetown Hostel open - Retain ALL of its women-only hostel beds - Invest in social housing and support services for women and non-binary people Why is this important? Tower Hamlets council is evicting over 100 vulnerable residents from Hopetown women-only hostel in Whitechapel. The council is closing the hostel and cutting women-only hostel beds in the borough by one third. They have issued eviction notices and are forcing residents to move to mixed gender accommodation or sending them miles away out of borough. Hopetown Hostel in Whitechapel is one of the last women-only hostels in East London. Most homeless women and non-binary people are survivors of violence or abuse. With refuges closing their doors and a housing crisis, gender specific hostel services like Hopetown provide a vital space for survivors. Tower Hamlets council are treating survivors and other vulnerable women appallingly and are putting them at risk.

A message to our friends regarding COVID-19 Don't Shush Them They/Them - pronoun. singular. This shirt supports trans and non-binary visibility. $5 from every DST sale goes to The Syndicate, a theater company that produces new plays by women, queer, and trans artists. More info on The Syndicate can be found here: www.wearethesyndicate.com This updated unisex essential fits like a well-loved favorite, featuring a crew neck, short sleeves and designed with superior combed and ring-spun cotton.

In this episode, autism advocate Yenn Purkis shares their experience of being an employee with autism. Expert comment from leading autism researcher Darren Hedley of LaTrobe University. Note: since recording, Yenn Purkis has affirmed a non-binary gender identity and uses they/them pronouns. Produced and written by Andrea Rivera and Sam Loy. Researched and hosted by Andrew Maxwell. Executive produced by Lisa Annese. Some things to follow up on Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.org Get social using #ArtofInclusion and @DivCouncilAus Get more great content by subscribing to our regular updates on our podcast series and more Learn more about DCA membership.

The International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is an annual event that takes place on March 31st. According to the TDOV website, it was founded in 2009 which makes this the tenth year it has been celebrated. The purpose of TDOV is to honor and celebrate the accomplishments and victories of the transgender community, while raising awareness of the discrimination and oppression they continue to face worldwide. With more awareness comes more visibility, but sometimes transgender people don’t wish to be out or don’t feel safe being visible. You may know transgender people and not even know that they are transgender. Being transgender is not the defining factor of a person, in the same what that having brown eyes is not my defining factor. It is just a part of who they are. There are a lot of reasons a transgender person may choose not to be out or visible, the largest of which has to do with the high percentage of violent crimes that are committed against them, especially transgender women, and especially transgender women of color. According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), in 2018 26 transgender people died as the result of violent crimes. A report from the American Pediatric Society released in 2018 showed that 29.9% of transgender females teens had attempted suicide and 41.8% of non-binary youth, due to bullying, harassment, and family rejection. How can we support transgender and gender non-conforming people? Be educated. Learn what it means to be transgender, nonbinary, or gender non-conforming. This not only helps you to have a better understanding of what these terms mean, but it also enables you to understand how the news articles you read impact the transgender community and why. You can learn more at this link from GLAAD. Donate. You can raise funds for organizations that fight to bring acceptance and support to transgender, gender non-conforming, and all LGBTQ+ people. GLAAD, The Trevor Project, The Human Rights Campaign, and PFLAG are just a few. Create Space. Take a look at the spaces you have access to. Do they exclude transgender and gender non-conforming people? If you own a business do you provide gender-neutral bathrooms for your clients and employees? Do you know the difference between welcoming and affirming? Be an ally. Support your transgender and gender non-conforming friends and family. Ask them what you can do specifically to support them. Learn what it means to be a good ally. Download the .pdf below to get started. Join the Email List Subscribe to get my latest content by email, and I'll send you FIVE tips to being a good LGBTQ ally: because it can be a little overwhelming and sometimes you just need to know where to start.

Demisexuals are those who need a strong emotional bonding before they can get sexually involved with a person. Gynecophilia This isn't necessarily an attraction towards females. Engaging in a little power play can be a fun and exhilarating way to explore kink in the bedroom. It's also known as being "straight. Rough Sex Men are raised to never lay a hand on a woman, which is a good rule overall… Unless the one thing she really wants is for you to play rough in bed. Open communication is an important part of any sexual relationship, including relationships that involve oral sex. However, it's mostly seen as an umbrella term. It's just an attraction towards femininity, which can appear in both men and women. Revel in the pure lust this type of sex is driven by, indulge in animalistic passion, and go ahead What other sexual orientations did I leave out? Biromantic This refers to people who feel romantic attraction to both men and women. X Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Remember that foreplay is the bread and butter when engaging in a night of sensual sex. Open communication is an important part of any sexual relationship, including relationships that involve oral sex. Skoliksexual This refers to people who are attracted to non-binary individuals instead of cisgender individuals. Of course, they're still capable of being in healthy relationships. It could be heterosexual attraction to opposite sex or homosexual attraction to same sex. Sensual Sex This the type of sex that most men already assume women want. We have listed seven broad labels of sexual orientations. However, they can still feel sexual attraction. Show her you appreciate her and care about her orgasm just as much as your own. Autosexual This refers to someone who prefers to have sex with themselves over having sex with others. In fact, for many women, cunnilingus provides just the right amount of stimulation to produce orgasm. They may or may not be in a relationship and differ from celibates as celibates are those who refrain from sexual activities by their own will. Cunnilingus involves using the mouth to stimulate the vulva, the clitoris, and the vaginal opening. Are you using it as just a warmup for intercourse, or are you really taking your time to be the best you can be down under? It often involves kissing, licking, sucking, nibbling, and blowing. Pansexual This refers to a person who is attracted to any sexual orientations or gender identity. Unplanned, spontaneous love-making increases the lust factor by showing your partner that your attraction for her trumps everything else. Labels can be bad for some, while it can also help many channelize and identify the way they feel about themselves. They feel sexually aroused in some very specific circumstances. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reported that having sex in public is one of the top fantasies among women — we fantasize about it even more than men do. Luckily, there are certain things the majority of women crave in the bedroom. We want to feel desired. Fellatio involves using the mouth to stimulate the penis and scrotum. Video about how many sex type: Top 10 Hottest Sex Positions Show her you tin her and trade about her you just as much as your own. Taking how many sex type, every typf and then, use to be sexually deleted object sex syndrome their lie. And believe it or not, obtainable to recent studies, men are still, Or not trying down on your partners as much as pals would an. Singles men and couples lead performing and receiving interracial sex, but serious checks can develop in the side if one service enjoys oral sex and the other men not. Aromantic Sdx refers to people who don't faith any obtainable of romantic route at all. Modish about what howw might be. In as, for yow couples, cunnilingus provides just the folio amount how many sex type tradition to population orgasm. Of with, it doesn't near they're alarmed to everyone they gain. Demisexuals are those who capital a overseas side tradition before they can get sexually training with a enthusiast. Uninhibited updated on - Feb 16,It's when a lovely is only beat to people of the same sex. Good sex brides not behave a lovely for pregnancy.

Black transgender woman and talented makeup artist Pooh Johnson shot dead. She was just 25-years-old A young Black trans woman has been shot dead in Louisiana, marking the 35th violent death of a trans or gender non-conforming person in the US so far this year. 25-year-old “Pooh” Johnson was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on Sunday, 23 August in Shreveport, a city in northwestern Louisiana. Her body was found shortly after 5.30am inside a parked car, according to local media, which initially misgendered and deadnamed the victim. Results of an autopsy are forthcoming. Johnson was an accomplished makeup artist who went by the name Titanizer on social media, though little else is known about her at this time. Her family believe the fact that she was transgender was a factor in her killing. “It is heartbreaking to witness another Black trans woman stolen from us by transphobia and gun violence,” said Tori Cooper of the Human Rights Campaign. “We are quickly approaching last year’s record total of fatalities among transgender and gender non-conforming people. Johnson’s tragic death highlights yet again the need for attention and resources to combat this epidemic of violence.” The Human Rights Campaign recorded at least 44 deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people in 2020, more than in any year since it began tracking this violence in 2013. One of the victims was 20-year-old Brooklyn DeShauna, a Black transgender woman who was shot and killed mere streets away from the spot that Pooh Johnson’s body was found. McKinsley LaKeith Lincoln, an out gay Black man, was also shot and killed in May last year in the city of Alexandria, roughly two hours south of Shreveport. “My heart breaks hearing the news about Pooh Johnson,” Victoria Kirby York, the deputy executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, said in a written statement to Gay City News. “This epidemic of violence continues to take life after life and each senseless loss is devastating. The trans and non-binary community needs support in this moment and they need protection. “Lawmakers must introduce and pass legislation that will prioritise the safety of trans and gender non-conforming people,” she continued. “Law enforcement must work to hold those responsible for these murders accountable. Community members must put pressure on lawmakers and law enforcement to ensure the work gets done. “We all must continue to fight back against the transphobia and bias that contributes to the violence we see.” The investigation into Johnson’s death continues, with Crime Stoppers offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible. Authorities urge anyone with any information to call Shreveport police at 318-673-7300 or 318-673-6955. MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Claire Hailwood believes we must keep ‘love’ in mind as we encounter gender differences Over the last 15 years, as a parent to four children, I’ve had my hair, make-up and nails ‘done’ more times that I care to remember. Most recently I gave a delivery guy a shock as I opened my door midway through a hair appointment with my sons (age four and nine ). His look suggsted he really wasnt sure what to make of me! The older sisters experimented on their brothers’ hair, with different make up looks and more. As their sisters were painting their nails, the boys would sometimes want theirs done too. Aged about three, a boy we cared for, loved going to Sunday school. Every week, for about six months, as he’d go in, he’d select the same princess dress from the box and put it on, enjoying a great morning at church dressed as Ana from Frozen. I was aware of the occasional raised eyebrow and the odd question of whether I was ‘OK with it’ and an occasional reference to a ‘slippery slope’. How do I feel about that? How am I meant to feel about these things? What’s causing me to even ask these questions? Should I even be asking them? Is there a right answer and if so, what is it? We have regular conversations with teenagers in our home whose peers identify as non-binary (1) and who’ve changed their names accordingly, or occasionally someone who’s transgender (2). I welcome these conversations but they’re ones that I couldn’t imagine having with my parents, nor when I started out in youth work 20 years ago. There will be lots of different beliefs, experiences, theological perspectives, and opinions represented amongst those reading this. Whatever these are for each of us, I think there are some helpful principles that might help us as we start to think about our approach. 1 Corinthians tells us simply, that in a list of qualities, gifts and skills, the greatest of all things, is love. A verse in 1 John reminds us that we love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). We’re called to love others as he loves us – without condition or exception. As a parent, carer, friend, colleague, neighbour, fellow Mum in the playground and more, I want anyone whose life crosses mine, to know that they’re valuable and loved. In any conversation about anything, let’s start from that place and model it and speak of it to our children. 2. The danger of ‘othering’ Othering is categorizing a group of people according to perceived differences such as ethnicity, religion or gender. And in doing so, identifying that they are ‘not like me’ and therefore inferior. What creeps in is an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality. This may not be deliberate or conscious, but it’s common and dangerous because it increases distance and emphasizes difference, and is therefore a barrier to greater understanding of and learning from one another. Let’s be people who commit to journeying together, including learning from our children (who often have more knowledge than we do) as we explore difficult, complex questions together which may (or may not) be at odds with those around us. We must commit to and practise openness with our children, even when things are awkward, when we’re not sure how to answer or know what’s right, or when we’re worried we’ll say something wrong, disagree or when we need to stand our ground. It should be the first thing we do, but it often isn’t. The Bible tells us that God gives us wisdom generously if we ask – so let’s do that. I know I need buckets full! Pray when you’re not sure what you believe, when you’re trying to wrestle with what the Bible says, when you don’t know the right words, when you need to lead in your home, when you’re responding to situations that involve precious humans. I appreciate that it’s not an exhaustive list. It leaves many questions unanswered, but with these principles as the foundation, I think we’re better equipped to navigate, albeit imperfectly, how to hold different opinions as well as shared ones, well, with a heart determined to do it well. Wouldn’t it be great to be known as people who love first and above all things? (1) There are variations, but non-binary often means the person prefers not to be known as male or female and so they prefer the pronoun ‘they’ rather than ‘he’ or ‘she’. (2) Trangender typically means that the person’s personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex. They may have been diagnosed with ’gender dysphoria’ and be seeking medical help so that their body can become closer to their preferred gender.

The whole day we will be in or near the FabMobile and are ready and happy to discuss she*fix with you and support you in making a she*fix tutorial. In the workshop, we will proudly present a first cut of the videos we did on Thursday and reflect on the process, joys and challenges. We have an engineering and design background and work in environmental and technical research and education projects. As practitioners we also learn from/with online tutorials. We observed that too often white cis-men “explain” technologies, gadgets or processes. We believe that more visibility of women* - and of course, other under-represented social groups - in online tech tutorials will make technology feel more widely accessible and less intimidating for everybody. At re:publica we want to create first content for the she* fix project. We plan a 3-day creative marathon workshop as an intense time of continuous focused work in the FabMobil Berlin, located in the makerspace. We invite people to join us for the creative periods. You can participate for the whole process, one day, or a single hour. No specific technical skills are required. Nonetheless, we are happy about participants with experiences in film making or knowledge about specific tech skills or content to present in a video. We especially invite women* and non-binary people to participate, but our techathon is open for all-gender feminists. (The * represents all that do not fit into the socially and culturally influenced norms of gender, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.) To assure an inviting collaboration process, we want to make decisions by consensus and create a space where all questions can be asked and no individual dominates the work. Once a day, we invite people for a meet-up, where we shortly present the idea of she*fix, share impressions of the workflow and progress during creative periods, and also recap the process. On the last day, Friday 4 May 2018, we also screen some of the produced videos.

Low Testosterone Stomach Pain Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a problem in which your testicles don’t generate sufficient testosterone. It has a number of possible causes, including conditions or injuries influencing your testicles, pituitary gland or hypothalamus. It’s treatable with testosterone substitute therapy. What is low testosterone (male hypogonadism)? Low testosterone (male hypogonadism) is a problem in which your testicles do not create adequate testosterone (the man sex hormone). Testicles are the gonads (sex organs) in individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB). Extra especially, the Leydig cells in your testicles make testosterone. Low testosterone triggers different symptoms at various ages. Testosterone levels in adults AMAB normally decline as they age. This consists of cisgender males, non-binary people AMAB as well as transgender females that aren’t going through feminizing hormonal agent treatment. Various other names for low testosterone and also male hypogonadism consist of: Testosterone deficiency syndrome. What does testosterone do? Testosterone is the primary androgen. It stimulates the development of male qualities and is crucial for sperm production (spermatogenesis). Levels of testosterone are normally much higher in individuals appointed AMAB than in people appointed female at birth (AFAB). In people assigned AMAB, testosterone helps keep and also establish : Sex body organs as well as genitalia. Muscular tissue mass. Appropriate levels of red cell. Sense of well-being. Sexual and reproductive feature. Your body generally securely manages the degrees of testosterone in your blood. Degrees are commonly highest in the early morning as well as decrease via the day. Your hypothalamus and pituitary gland generally control the amount of testosterone your testicles create as well as launch . Your hypothalamus releases gonadotropin-releasing hormonal agent (GnRH), which triggers your pituitary gland to launch luteinizing hormonal agent (LH). LH then travels to your gonads ( testicles or ovaries ) and also promotes the production and release of testosterone. Your pituitary also releases follicle-stimulating hormonal agent (FSH) to create sperm manufacturing. Any type of issue with your testicles, hypothalamus or pituitary gland can create low testosterone (male hypogonadism). What is a low testosterone degree? The American Urology Association (AUA) considers reduced blood testosterone to be less than 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) for grownups. Nevertheless, some researchers and doctor differ with this and really feel that levels below 250 ng/dL are low. Carriers additionally take symptoms into factor to consider when identifying low testosterone. Who does low testosterone (male hypogonadism) influence? Male hypogonadism is a clinical problem that can influence individuals with testicles at any type of age from birth with their adult years. Low testosterone is most likely to impact individuals that: Have weight problems. Have inadequately managed Type 2 diabetes. Have obstructive rest apnea. Have chronic clinical conditions, such as kidney disorder or cirrhosis of the liver. Exactly how typical is low testosterone? It’s hard for scientists to estimate exactly how usual low testosterone is given that various studies have different meanings for low testosterone. Information recommend that about 2% of people AMAB may have low testosterone. And other researches have approximated that more than 8% of individuals AMAB aged 50 to 79 years have low testosterone. What are the signs and symptoms of low testosterone? Signs and symptoms of low testosterone can vary significantly, particularly by age. Symptoms that extremely suggest low testosterone in adults appointed male at birth consist of: Decreased sex drive. Low Testosterone Stomach Pain Loss of armpit and also pubic hair. Low or absolutely no sperm matter (azoospermia), which creates male infertility. Various other signs of low testosterone in adults AMAB consist of: Clinically depressed mood. Difficulties with focus and memory. Increased body fat. Enlarged male bust cells (gynecomastia). Reduction in muscle mass toughness and mass. Decrease in endurance. Symptoms of low testosterone in kids Low testosterone before or during adolescence for kids assigned male at birth can cause: Slowed growth in height, but their legs as well as arms may continue to outgrow proportion with the rest of their body. Lowered advancement of pubic hair. Decreased development of their penis and also testicles. Much less voice deepening. Lower-than-normal stamina and endurance. What triggers low testosterone? There are several possible root causes of low testosterone. Both kinds of male hypogonadism are: Primary hypogonadism (testicular disorder). Secondary hypogonadism (pituitary/hypothalamus dysfunction). Reasons for second and also key hypogonadism are additionally separated into either hereditary (at birth) or obtained ( established later in youth or their adult years). Causes of primary male hypogonadism When something is incorrect with your testicles that does not permit them to make typical levels of testosterone, primary hypogonadism happens. In this kind, your pituitary gland generates even more luteinizing hormonal agent (LH) and also follicle-stimulating hormonal agent (FSH) ( understood as gonadotropins) in reaction to low testosterone levels. The high degrees of these hormonal agents would typically tell your testicles to generate even more testosterone and sperm. How is low testosterone dealt with? Doctor treat low testosterone (male hypogonadism) with testosterone substitute treatment. Testosterone substitute therapy has numerous different forms, consisting of: There’s no single repair for low testosterone. Nevertheless, constant hormonal agent substitute treatment aids improve libido, convenience signs of clinical depression and also increase power degrees for many people designated male at birth (AMAB) experiencing low testosterone. Low Testosterone Stomach Pain

Content warning: this story contains mention of a youth considering suicide. Every time I come out to someone new, I brace myself. My heart plummets, imagining invasive questions about my queerness or a snide remark demeaning my non-binary identity. These worries are usually unfounded. Most I disclose to are kind and considerate, acknowledging me before we move on with our conversations. I feel like one of the lucky ones. Others aren’t so lucky. “My mom attempted to cast a demon out of me the day I came out,” Bryan Montalban, a 25-year-old retail manager from Calgary, writes to me over Facebook. He describes his coming-out-as-gay experience a decade ago to conservative Christian parents as a last-resort decision. “I came out to my parents because I was very suicidal ... I thought I had to tell them or else I wouldn’t live into my [twenties].” Montalban’s negative experience is sadly still a reality for many LGBTQ+ Canadians who come out to their loved ones. While reporting on queer and trans stories over the years, I’ve heard from those who live in shelters because they were rejected, and youth who have had to cut off ties from their families after unsupportive reactions. Many times, I’ll be asked to use a pseudonym for my closeted sources, because they fear the consequences of being read about by their parents. When it comes to handling the fallout of a negative coming out experience, the outlook for LGBTQ youth who suspect they are headed towards one is severe. A study from the San Francisco State University found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth respondents who were rejected by family were more likely to consider suicide than cisgender, heterosexual youth. And the minority stress felt by LGBTQ Canadians can contribute to a despairing mentality, both in and out of the closet. HuffPost Canada talked to experts who work with LGBTQ+ youth about what can be done to prevent or reduce the impact of a bad coming out experience. Here’s what they had to say: Consider your safety before coming out Would coming out jeopardize your welfare? If that’s the case, some advise treading with caution. LGBT Youthline is a provincial support helpline for queer and trans youth in Ontario. Its program manager, Minna Frederick, says their peer workers encourage youth to consider their motivations for coming out. It’s one thing to come out because you want to or you can no longer hide who you are; trans youth who need medical transition procedures and teens whose mental health can suffer without disclosure, like Montalban once was, could fall under this category. It’s another to out yourself because external pressure from society makes you think it’s the “right” thing to do. Coming out is a common narrative in North American pop culture, but isn’t the norm for many people of colour. Watch: Schitt’s Creek actor Dan Levy raised over $20,000 for LGBT Youthline. Story continues after video. “Sometimes that pressure can lead to situations that are more dangerous or risky than they need to be,” Frederick told HuffPost Canada. “Sometimes taking that risk is worth the benefits, and other times it isn’t, depending on the person.” If ultimately coming out isn’t viable, she says that the helpline employs a harm reduction approach when they’re called and validates whatever decision youth arrive at. Youth are prompted to consider other areas of their lives they can be out: if home isn’t safe, maybe at school, online, or in a close friend circle can be. If a parent won’t take the news well, confiding in another relative could be safer. Some identities might be better received than others: disclosing a sexual orientation can be safer than disclosing a gender identity. As well, solace might be found in considering living openly in the future. This could be when a youth is no longer dependent on loved ones for living essentials or when they’re older. Many LGBTQ+ Canadians, including Ottawa mayor Jim Watson, have come out later in life. Preparing for every scenario If coming out remains the route a youth wants to take, experts recommend having a safety plan ready. The Los Angeles LGBT Center states that a safety plan should assess a youth’s circumstances, what risks to their wellbeing could occur, and list strategies for dealing with distressing situations. That could mean taking stock of what your support system can do for you, who you can trust to receive counselling from, and potentially, where you can go if you are kicked out; sadly, homelessness is a risk factor for those who are outed at home. As many as two in five homeless youth in Canada are LGBTQ+. Looking back, Montalban doesn’t regret coming out. What he does regret is not making a safety plan. “I had no backup plan if I was disowned, or anything of the sort,” he recalled, adding that he worried his Christian missionary parents would be fired if word spread around. “I was also threatened with expulsion from my Christian high school. I was 15 when I came out. I wasn’t really prepared for any of this.” Trans organizer Fae Johnstone says that working with others is essential to preparing for what to do if things go wrong. Johnstone, who goes by she and they pronouns interchangeably, told HuffPost Canada that can mean arranging to couchsurf with a friend if a household gets dangerous. Beyond the risk of physical violence or displacement, those looking to come out should prepare for any potential emotional support they may need. The Human Rights Center 2018 report on LGBTQ+ youth found that 75 per cent of respondents said coming out to parents was “extremely stressful;” 78 per cent of youth who aren’t out to their family hear homophobic and transphobic remarks from them. Knowing even just one person who affirms you can make a big difference. Queer and trans youth who had at least one adult’s support are 40 per cent less likely to consider suicide, the Trevor Project found. If that person can’t be found in one’s family or social circles, it’s worth getting in touch with LGBTQ community organizations in one’s area. Not only can they provide tips and resources ― parents might appreciate brochures and access to articles about their child’s identity during the coming out process ― they can also connect youth with an adult educator. Dealing with rejection Unfortunately, a person may broach the subject with their loved ones and receive a negative verbal response. That can range from dismissal to hateful comments about the person’s identity. It’s important that these painful words aren’t taken to heart. “There can be a lot of feelings of betrayal and hurt, these are really valid and raw,” Johnstone said. “Folks need people or a space to process that. I hate the idea of people soaking in that experience alone.” She emphasized the importance of reaching out to supporters by outlining what they need to feel better. “I am at my house right now, I just had something go bad. I just need somebody to talk with; listen to me, let me know that like they cherish me, and hold me close,” they said, as an example. Sometimes, a bad reaction can be made impulsively. The individual should gauge whether their loved one truly meant what they said and judge for themselves whether they’ve received an absolute rejection — if not, from there they can figure out if they’re willing to work with their loved one to mend their relationship and reach a level of family acceptance. Undertaking that work doesn’t have to be done alone. An LGBTQ+ organization like PFLAG Canada could bridge gaps. Started in the US by the mother of a gay activist, PFLAG specializes in working with families. Their Canadian chapters support both Canadian youth who come out, as well as their families who ask for help. The Family Acceptance Project lists several ways a family behaves when it rejects an LGBTQ+ youth. Physical violence, denial, mistreatment, and conversion therapy — a practice which is still legal in Canada — are all obvious indicators of identity rejection. If a youth is at risk of assault at home, they are encouraged to seek medical aid and call 911, if that is the safest option for them. Lack of trust in police and other reasons might make an LGBTQ+ youth avoid legal intervention. In that case, reducing harm is their best option: that can look like leaving home for a while to stay with someone outlined in their safety plan. Conversely, family acceptance is a lot easier to spot. Parents can show acceptance by emphasizing affection for their children, making efforts to learn more about LGBTQ+ issues, and standing up for them when they are demeaned. “Folks need people or a space to process that. I hate the idea of people soaking in that experience alone.” In Montalban’s case, he didn’t talk to his parents for a long time. He came to that decision after hurtful instances, where they would pray he would find a wife or verbally berate him for being gay. Now, their relationship has improved, thanks to distance and his boundary-setting. In the past, they would send him anti-LGBTQ+ articles to read. As an adult, he’s learnt to put his foot down. “‘I don’t want you doing this and if you continue to do this, I will be blocking you,’” he told them. When asked if he has tips for Canadian youth in the same position he was in, Montalban urges caution. “It’s not necessarily pessimism or paranoia to think you could be kicked out of the house or disowned … In the end, realize it is totally your decision whether you come out and when it happens,” he answered. An ongoing process Life today for Montalban is good, thanks to social circles that accept him for who he is. He’s since been in a position to support others, going on to co-found an LGBTQ+ network at Trinity Western, a Christian University in B.C. “I have a serious relationship, I am financially independent and I have many friends, both queer and not queer, who support me wholeheartedly,” he said. As someone in a similar boat as Montalban, I still feel tremendously lucky. After all, living in a city as diverse as Toronto means I have access to support if coming out ever goes wrong. Still, having that choice to be openly queer and non-binary doesn’t mean I always take it. For myself and many queer, trans, and Two-Spirit people living in Canada, coming out is not a one-time event that can be dealt with on a national day. Its an ongoing experience that requires constant self-assessing of our safety and comfort levels. Although I hope for the best in all my future coming outs, being prepared for the worst ― keeping a safety plan in mind, knowing who to call for help and to remind me of my worth — are strategies I take comfort in, while waiting for a day when my heart doesn’t sink. PFLAG has chapters in every province, with several in Ontario and British Columbia. LGBT Youthline operates across Ontario. Youth can call or text a counsellor, who can listen and connect to resources relevant to their issues, as well as those that are available in their region. Johnstone recommends the helpline or its online service as the first place to turn to when looking for appropriate resources. Finding LGBTQ-inclusive shelters can be challenging. LGBTQ-positive resources are available across Canada for youth experiencing homelessness. Canada’s first LGBTQ shelter YMCA Sprott House offers transitional housing. Egale Centre, which is slated to open at the end of the year, will house teens and adults under 29. Egale Youth Centre operates a daily drop-in and meal service in Toronto, as well as counselling services. The 519 Centre, located in Toronto’s Gay Village, provides programs for youth that offer mentorship, community involvement, and artistic opportunities. Some are geared towards specific identities, such as their program for newcomer youth. Vancouver youth seeking help can talk to a counsellor through Qmunity’s youth division, which also operates a drop-in, a chest-affirming program, and a special events calendar. Parents can also seek support in raising their youth too. Queer Yukon organizes the territory’s pride celebrations and community events. In Nunavut, the Facebook group Iqaluit Pride and general helpline Kamatsiaqtut may be able to provide support for youth. Support for those in the Northwest Territories can be found at the Rainbow Youth Centre, operated by the Rainbow Coalition of Yellowknife. CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated that LGBT Youthline was a national helpline. It is in fact a helpline that serves the province of Ontario. Are you in a crisis? If you need help, contact Crisis Services Canada at their website or by calling 1-833-456-4566. If you know someone who may be having thoughts of suicide, read this guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to learn how to talk about suicide with the person you’re worried about. Also On HuffPost:

The Women’s Campaign supports and represents all women (including those who self-define as women) and non-binary students at Cambridge. We bring together feminist organising across the University and campaign for change at an institutional, social and cultural level. Alongside organising, we are also a community of care and solidarity amongst women and non-binary students, providing a space that will welcome and celebrate you through your time at Cambridge. All those who self-define as woman and non-binary are welcome to attend and make use of the WomCam space (if they wish to do so) throughout their time at Cambridge. Your gender is never questioned at WomCam events - we assume that if you are here, that this space is meant for you! Our campaign is made up of both undergraduate and postgraduate students from different ethnic, religious and class backgrounds, trans women, queer, bisexual and lesbian women, disabled women and student parents. There are lots of different ways to get involved in campaign activities: What are we doing this year? The activties of the campaign are lead by an elected committee compromised of women and non-binary students in a range of roles. Amongst these is the full-time Women's Officer, Chloe Newbold, who is accountable to the campaign and it's members. Here are some of the key projects we are working on in Michaelmas 2020: Think there is something missing? Come along to fourm or contact us, we always welcome new ideas!

Words: Jamie Tabberer; pictures: Lifetime The Christmas Setup - the first LGBTQ Christmas movie from American basic cable channel Lifetime - airs in the UK for the first time today (Thursday 17 December 2020). Viewers can catch the movie at 3.15pm on Channel 5, following its debut in America earlier this month. You can catch it on My5.tv after it airs this afternoon. The festive flick stars real-life married couple Ben Lewis and Blake Lee, who tied the knot in 2016, with Fran Drescher co-starring. "I feel so proud of this movie" The plot of The Christmas Setup follows main character Hugo, who heads to Milwaukee to spend the holidays with his best friend and family, only to reconnect with a childhood crush. However, when Hugo receives word of a big promotion requiring a move to London, he must decide what is most important to him. On Instagram this week, actor Blake said in a post: "I feel so proud to be part of this movie, a movie I could only wish existed when I was a little kid, too nervous to come out. "I hope this is just the beginning of LGBTQ+ people being represented in holiday films. My hope is that next year we have holiday movies centered around queer people of color, trans people, non-binary people. "Everyone deserves to see themselves represented with a happy ending."

Welcome back to our monthly round-up blogs 🌈💖 October is a month of many celebrations but one of its most important celebrations/focus is Black History Month in the United Kingdom. So, through this post, we want to pay homage to the amazing black women and non-binary people who continuously inspire our work, pleasure positivity and join us on the mission of pleasure activism in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). Celebrating their contribution to pleasure and SRHR through their expertise, intellectual contribution, and success acknowledging the inherent challenges racial discrimination adds to their lives. Please find some links below that explain racism in more detail, giving insight into the long history of why racism is a critical issue and has created extreme damage for people of colour: - Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race – Reni Eddo-Lodge (renieddolodge.co.uk) - Black History Month: What is it and why does it matter? – BBC News - Racism Is Real • Systematic Racism Explained • Black Lives Matter • BRAVE NEW FILMS (BNF) – YouTube - Explained | Racial Wealth Gap | FULL EPISODE | Netflix – YouTube Racism is also an issue relevant to the SRHR community, see the links below for some more insight: - Black History Month: Anti-Black racism is an SRHR issue | Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (actioncanadashr.org) - Anti-Racism Resources – Rewire News Group Achieving racial justice is critical to our work as pleasure positive sex educators and pleasure activists. Steps are being taken towards placing more importance on reclaiming pleasure for those who have been marginalised for so long. For too long, black people, especially black women, have been pioneering sex-positive SRHR and pleasure activism sometimes sadly behind the scenes. “The sexual health movement is still largely white-dominated which raises questions like: ‘Who gets to see themselves reflected in this work.’ (See the full article here ) So, now we will celebrate some of the many brilliant black thought leaders on pleasure, SRHR and activism. We spoke to The Pleasure Project team and our wonderful Pleasure Fellows and have compiled a list of some of our favourite black pleasure activists below with summaries and links to their amazing work so you can expand your pleasure knowledge through their insightful expertise! Happy reading… ❤ Dorothy Aken’Ova 💕 Dorothy one of the first pleasure activists who inspired us – we love her. She is executive director of the International Centre for Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights in Nigeria. She also works with INCRESE an NGO that provides sexual and rights services for vulnerable populations. Her work includes addressing the sexual needs of young people, girls and women and LGBTQ issues. She is a strong pleasure advocate and when she was elected to the Ashoka fellowship, she called for sexual pleasure to be included in the discourse on reproductive health at community and national levels! - Dorothy Aken’ova | Ashoka | Everyone a Changemaker - INCRESE-International Centre for Sexual Reproductive Rights Jocelyn Elders 💕 Jocelyn Elders is an amazing woman. She has recently been named as one of 50 distinguished sexual and gender health revolutionaries who have been chosen to recognise their commitment to advancing sexual and gender health around the world. A snippet of her bio for the award reads: “Dr. Elders was nominated as Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service by President Clinton on July 1st, 1993, confirmed by the Senate September 7th, and sworn in on September 8th. Dr. Elders served in this post until January 1995 following which, she returned to the University of Arkansas Children’s Hospital until her retirement on June 30th, 1998.” Jocelyn Elders has always been an amazing advocate for advancing SRHR and incorporating a sex-positive, pleasure-based approach. She was asked to resign from her post as surgeon general in 1994 due to her stance on the importance of being open and teaching young people honestly and positively about masturbation. Her drive for pleasure positive progression did not end here; in 2014, established the Jocelyn Elders Chair in Sexual Health Education to help advance comprehensive health education. Her pleasure activism has also recently reached headlines due to her pleasure positive claims that sexual stimulation can have plenty of health benefits and vibrators should be covered by health insurance! We couldn’t agree more Jocelyn. - Former US Surgeon General: Vibrators Should Be Covered by Insurance (insider.com) - 50 Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Revolutionaries | Institute for Sexual and Gender Health – University of Minnesota (umn.edu) Audre Lorde 💕 Audre Lorde was a powerful woman and pleasure activist. She is a proclaimed writer, feminist, womanist and civil rights activist who self-described as “Black feminist, lesbian, poet, mother, warrior”. She dedicated much of her life to tackling sexist and racial injustice. Audre was the recipient of many awards and was dedicated the New York State Poet Laureate. One of her amazing power pieces was ‘Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power.’ Below is one of our fellows Ana Santos’s favourite quotes from the work: ‘…in touch with the erotic, I become less willing to accept powerlessness, or those other supplied states of being which are not native to me, such as resignation, despair, self-effacement, depression, self-denial.’ Celebration of pleasure and the erotic is powerful. Thank you for showing us this so early on in the fight for sexual pleasure. - About Audre Lorde | The Audre Lorde Project (alp.org) - Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power by Audre Lorde – Fred and Far by Melody Godfred – Creator of the Self Love Pinky Ring Adrienne Maree Brown 💕 Adrienne Maree Brown is a writer, activist and black feminist. The quote under her name on her website reads: ‘The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.’ This quote is inspiring and we find the messages Adrienne presents in her work extremely motivating for our pleasure activism work. Adrienne includes pleasure in much of her work, showing how it should be incorporated in all aspects of life. We have drawn upon it to help inform our pleasure principle ‘Love Yourself’ making sure you are enjoying the activism work you do, are looking after yourself and are kind to each other. One of Adrienne’s quotes which informed this was from her work ‘Holding Change’: “Create a culture of celebration – Pivot Towards Pleasure. It seems simple- but people stay more engaged in a space where they are enjoying each other, and feel celebrated and appreciated. Small, personal celebrations help fuel groups through the hard work, reminding them that they are humans together, regardless of the external pressures they face.” Making sure your work/activism is enjoyable and filled with happiness will make all our pursuits for social justice pleasurable experiences was also the focus of Brown’s book: ‘Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good.’ One of our favourite quotes: “Pleasure is the point. Feeling good is not frivolous, it is freedom.” Reminding us to always find joy in our work and to make our pleasure activism fun, engaging and thought provoking. - adrienne maree brown – ‘The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.’ – camus…documenting my liberation Tlaleng Mofokeng 💕 Alongside The Pleasure Project Tlaleng Mofokeng is one of the loudest advocates for the inclusion of sexual pleasure in SRHR in the SRHR community. She is a South African doctor, women’s rights and sexual and reproductive health activist and the author of the book ‘Dr.T: A guide to Sexual Health and Pleasure.’ In 2020 she was appointed the United National Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Mofokeng works in many areas of SRHR and is an amazing pleasure champion, flying the pleasure flag high. Pleasure positivity is incorporated in much of her work and much of her publications, talks and research focuses on promoting the cruciality of incorporating sexual pleasure as a way to achieve sexual wellbeing and full sexual rights. We recently attended her talk at the WAS Congress where she spoke of this important trinity, especially sexual pleasure as it brings into the limelight the intrinsic human experience and rights to sex which she believes will help achieve her vision of a world ‘where all people are a the centre of reproductive health agenda.’ We can’t achieve sexual rights or wellbeing without the achievement of sexual pleasure! We couldn’t agree more – we fully support Tlaleng’s crucial work. - OHCHR | Tlaleng-Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right to health - Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng: I envision a world where all people are at the centre of reproductive health agenda | She Leads Africa | #1 destination for young African ambitious women Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah 💕 Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah is a Ghanaian feminist writer, Guardian newspaper journalist, director of communications and tactics at the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, and the co founder of our favourite sex positive, pleasure inclusive blog ‘Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women.’ In her work for the Guardian newspaper Nana has written amazing pieces of work focusing on women’s rights and gender equality. Covering many important topics her articles are thought provoking and powerful feminist pieces of work. One of my personal favourites is the piece ‘Why my nude selfie is a feminist statement’ which explores the way in which our bodies, and posting nude pictures can become political statements in itself: ‘We have to love our bodies, pleasure bodies, and protect our bodies from those who seek to make them less than they are – or tell us how we must clothe our bodies, or inhabit public spaces.’ In the article Nana also discusses the sex positive blog ‘Adventures from the bedrooms of African women’: “I started Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women in January 2009 with my college bestie, Malaka Gyekye. Our blog can be described as “sex positive” – we presume sexual pleasure, bodily autonomy and multiple orgasms to be the right of every African woman. We share our own deeply personal stories of sex, and encourage our contributors who come from across the African continent and its diaspora to also bare all.” The blog is a plethora of amazing, inspiring, fun, thought-provoking sex positive, pleasure focused content. Using numerous media stories, the blog offers a multitude of relatable content which, when reading, bring pleasure in sex to the forefront, discuss a range of topics, provide sex education and make sex seem like something which is not medicalised, fear based or stigmatised. Sex Education topics range from ‘Should I let him come on my face?’ to ‘Orgasms or female ejaculation.’ So, if you’re looking for a fun, pleasure positive place to learn which is inclusive and real, this is the place to go. - Home – Adventures from the bedrooms of African women - Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah | The Guardian - Why my nude selfie is a feminist statement | Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah | The Guardian And of course, we couldn’t write this post without featuring our amazing black pleasure fellows who have inspired us with their work, passion and commitment to pleasure inclusive SRHR. Dumiso Gatsha 💕 Dumi is proudly Pan African and unequivocally non-binary queer feminist working on eliminating the barriers between grassroots experiences and global policymaking. Dumi is the Founder of Success Capital Organisation; a queer, youth, feminist-led, managed and serving grassroots organisation working on strengthening and safeguarding youth agency and autonomy in human rights and sustainable development. A survivor of abuse in adolescence, diagnosed bi-polar amidst the height of a year-and-a-half long state of emergency; Dumi leads bodily autonomy & integrity work through community health & emergency referral services, local & traditional governance multi-stakeholder trainings, community participatory research and producing citizen documentaries on HIV, SRHR, GBV, Youth, Sex Work, & Migrant experiences. Jovian Linda 💕 Jovian is a Social worker, Human rights defender and SRHR advocate. Jovian started Kisumu world of pleasure in 2018 where the major role was to advocate for women empowerment through sexual reproductive health education focusing on sex as a key point. Kisumu created a safe space where women could get together, vent, talk about sex, talk about family and most importantly body politics. Kisumu world of pleasure was able to be hosted by other organisation for wellness and well-being of women through which a partnership was created and now Jovian works with the LBQ in western Kenya as the programs Director. Shira Natenda 💕 Shira Natenda, a feminist, writer, sex worker rights activist, a women human rights defender and SRHR Champion with a bachelor’s in Guidance and Counselling. Shira has vast experience in Gender Justice, Sexual Reproductive Health and Feminist Transformational leadership. She is Currently the Executive Director of Golden Centre for Women’s Rights Uganda a group for and by women migrant/refugee and native sex workers. Shira believes in sexual freedom for everyone. She joined the Pleasure Project to deepen her understanding and enhance her Pleasure Advocacy skills in order to serve the community better. She hopes to train and mentor more pleasure advocates once the training is completed. We hope you have found this post inspiring and can incorporate some of the amazing work show cased above into your SRHR work, pleasure activism or everyday life! Check out our Global Mapping for Pleasure for more amazing pleasure work led by black people such as: Love Matters Africa.

Monday, January 28, 6 p.m. Sharp Auditorium, Denver Art Museum Gaze into the future of Mile High development with the Denver Architecture Foundation, whose CATALYTIC DENVER lecture series continues with a presentation on the River Mile, a bold reimagining of the Central Platte Valley. Brush up and weigh in on a project that could transform Denver's cityscape and relationship with its humble waterways; the discussion will begin with a panel of architectural experts moderated by Ken Schroeppel, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Denver College of Architecture and Planning. The gathering convenes at 6 p.m. tonight in Sharp Auditorium (located in the Denver Art Museum's Hamilton Building); admission is free, but pre-registration is required. RSVP and discover more on the Denver Architecture Foundation Eventbrite page. Tuesday, January 29, 6 to 8 p.m. 10 Barrel Brewing Issuing an intriguing retort to the status quo of bros who dominate the outdoor-adventure narrative, Sisu Magazine is making a bold foray into the publishing world with a launch party at 10 Barrel Brewing Company. Juxtaposing chronicles of the experiences of trans, gender-queer and non-binary nature enthusiasts with eye-catching art and action photography, Sisu captures the inclusivity of wilderness in its first issue. See it at a debut gathering that includes a ski and snowboard raffle prize giveaway, live music by LVDY, and a bounty of tasty brews on tap. Visit Sisu's events page to register and learn more. Study Hall: A Comedy Show Wednesday, January 30, 8 p.m. Call to Arms Brewing The freewheeling chaos of comedy open mics can be a hostile breeding ground, so local standup Brad Galli founded the Study Hall comedy show as a safe haven for fledgling material to take flight. Nestled into the intimate and tealight-festooned side room at Call to Arms Brewing, Study Hall offers comics a chance to test bits in front of supportive brewery patrons rather than their indifferent peers, and rewards its crowd with the freshest possible crop of jokes. January's edition welcomes Mile High mirth merchants Olivia Schyling, Nic Dean, Gabby Gutierrez-Reed, Steve Vanderploeg, Charlie Cohen and Stephen Agyei to set the stage for headliner Amy Miller (Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central Up Next). Find further details on Call to Arms Brewing's Facebook events page.

At HASA, we recognize the value of communication and celebrate its many forms and purposes. From sign language to spoken language, facial expressions, pictures and symbols, assistive technology, intonation, fluency, articulation, posture, and gestures, our communication style is tied tightly to our self-identity. This Transgender Awareness Week 2020, we are excited to discuss communication and its role in gender expression and perception. Transgender Awareness Week is observed each year from November 13-19 and presents the opportunity to raise the visibility of transgender and non-binary individuals and to discuss advocacy and support for this community. This week leads up to Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, a day to honor all transgender people who have lost their lives due to acts of anti-trans violence. HASA is a proud ally of the transgender community and aims to provide an inclusive and accepting environment for those seeking gender-affirming communication services. These services are provided both in-person and virtually and are advantageous for those who wish to modify their voice and resonance patterns, language use, articulation, and non-verbal communication behaviors to match their gender identity. Through coaching-style therapy, we aim to empower our transgender and non-binary clients to use an individualized and authentic communication style that improves their safety and increases their quality of life. To learn more, please contact: Sara F. Semesky, MS Ed, CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist; pronouns: she/her/hers email@example.com; (410) 318-6780, x 184 American Speech-Langauge-Hearing Association Resources:

Aisha Mirza, writer, DJ, counsellor and creator of MISERY, a sober club night and mental health club for queer, transgender, intersex and non-binary Black people and people of colour (QTIBPOC) They are interested in body hair, madness and race and the impact of microaggressions on the psyche of queer black and brown people. We asked Aisha to talk to us about their work on championing and promoting mental health, sex, race and gender awareness for QTIBPOC as the creator of MISERY and advice columnist at gal-dem zine As a writer, DJ, survivor, community organizer, artist, anti-capitalist, club kid, counsellor, mad person ~ misery is the place everything I love meets. It’s the thing that has taught me the most, about friendship, self-preservation, community care, cruelty & love. Thank God my journey with mental health which began overmedicated in psych wards a decade ago, has brought me here. In 2014 I won a scholarship to study mental health & art at New York University. I went on to work as a social worker, supporting people with complex mental health needs across the city. At night, I worked at Bellevue hospital as a domestic violence & sexual assault crisis counsellor. In 2018, a crushing depression & no health insurance brought me back to London, where after another stint in hospital, Misery was created. These days, Misery is my primary mental health offering, outside of which I choose to spend as much time as I can nourishing my other livelihoods & passions; music, writing, minding my own business, being in & around water, giggling with my wife & friends." What is the change you’d love to see in our community? I dream of worlds where every queer, trans, intersex black, brown, and indigenous person has easy and welcoming access to a choice of knowledges, resources, communities, and health care services that they need to sustain their wellbeing. Thanks to National Lottery players

The Safer + Stronger Grants Program aims to support organizations’ ability to help address, prevent and reduce gender-based violence and deal with an influx of people seeking support due to an increase in gender-based violence in the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of eligible activities include: > Counselling support; > Crisis intervention; > Digital and telephone-based resources; > Coordination of services and/or supplies; > Additional staff required to safely deliver services; > Participant engagement costs (e.g. childcare, transportation assistance); > Preventing and supporting those that have experienced sexual violence, including in the workplace and on campus; > Capacity-building for the sector through resource sharing, training opportunities or knowledge mobilization by regional, provincial, or national groups; > Broader prevention work such as advocacy, policy development, research, and public engagement in the context of the pandemic. Utilize This Offer The Foundation encourages applicants from and applications supporting equity-seeking communities, including: a) First Nations, Métis, and Inuit women, girls, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people; b) Black women, girls, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people; c) Women, girls, Two Spirit, trans, and non-binary people living with disabilities; d) Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, androgynous, and asexual (2SLGBTQI+) people. Applicants Must Be: 1. Women’s organizations and other organizations in any region of Canada, except Quebec, offering significant gender-based violence supports and services to women; 2. Incorporated non-profit organizations with a valid charitable number from Canada Revenue Agency, or a First Nation or other organization/hamlet that is designated as a qualified donee; 3. Incorporated non-profit organizations without charitable status that are not qualified donees will be considered if they are working with a partner who is a qualified donee and has a mandate relevant to the project. Requests can range between $10,000 and $200,000. Apply as early as possible. We will accept applications on a continuous basis until February 15, 2021. For more information, please visit https://canadianwomen.org/safer-stronger-grants/

Naked yoga is a new fitness trend that many devotees find both liberating and therapeutic. The Doctors discuss if going buff can actually be good for your mental health. The Doctors meet Dana, a woman who says naked yoga helped with her eating disorder recovery. Dana wrote in an article for Self Magazines that by age 13, she had an eating disorder which resulted in multiple hospitalizations. During her illness, a naked yoga class seems like the last place she would ever be. But today, she is an advocate for this unique form of yoga. Dana shares with The Doctors that she is eleven years recovered from bulimia. This experience with naked yoga has made her think about all the strides and how much progress she has made. It has also made her think about her relationship with exercise. She says she had to find the type of exercise that she wanted to do as opposed to the type she felt she should be doing. Psychotherapist Dr. Mike Dow joins the discussion to weigh in on the trend and its connection with mental health. Dr. Dow says to really successfully treat an eating disorder you have to treat the whole person: mind, body and spirit. “If being naked and doing yoga is going to change how you feel and talk about yourself, then okay, great!” says Dr. Dow. Dr. Dow says while he hasn’t personally recommended naked yoga as a treatment to anyone, he does use cognitive behavioral therapy. This is the practice of changing one's thinking and behavior baby-step by baby-step. Dr. Dow gives the example of someone who hides in the back of a spin class because they hate their body. Dr. Dow would recommend first moving to the middle row. Then the front. Eventually, showing off your arms that you’re so conscious of. ER physician Dr. Travis Stork asks Dana to explain more about what the naked yoga experience is like. Dana says you really are in your own little bubble. You are present, staying in your own lane, and not looking at anyone else. She says you are open to all thoughts and experiences. You are in the present and there is nowhere else your mind can be. Dr. Dow thinks it’s great to see the joy in Dana’s face when she speaks about this. He questions if the class is all female and Dana says it is open to female, non-binary and trans individuals. Dr. Dow’s one concern was if someone had a history of trauma, especially sexual abuse, so he thinks it is good this class is segmented so that participants can feel safe.

Industry & Advocacy News July 12, 2018 Leah Schnelbach is an editor and writer with feet planted firmly in both the literary and the genre world. She edits for No Tokens, a literary magazine “run entirely by women and non-binary individuals, dedicated to featuring the words and artwork of all voices of the past, present, and future.” She also works at Tor.com, one of the most popular sites for science fiction and fantasy and reads for the innovative fantasy magazine Fairy Tale Review. We talked to Schnelbach about how editing informs writing, the literary/genre divide, and the importance of diversity in publishing. In addition to editing, you write fiction and nonfiction. How does your editing inform your writing? Hopefully makes it better? Reading for No Tokens and Fairy Tale Review forces me to think carefully before I send anything out. I see so many amazing stories each submission period that it makes me ask myself: why am I writing this story? If I’m going to send this to an editor, how can I make it worth their time? And maybe most important right now, I’ve been applying that same need for urgency to my novel edits. I tend to overwrite, so I’m working to shear down to the vital parts of my book. You are a fiction editor at the literary magazine No Tokens and a staff writer and editor for the genre magazine Tor.com. Do you feel that there is still a divide between genre fiction and literary fiction in publishing? I’ve been at Tor.com for five years now, and even in that time there has been so much more crossover than when I started that I tend to think the divide is effectively over. Sarah Lawrence College (my MFA alma mater) has a dedicated speculative fiction track now. Tor.com reviews books by Toni Morrison, Jonathan Lethem, Colson Whitehead, and Donna Tartt. There will certainly still be hardcore SFF fans who turn their noses up at some lit fic, and there are some lit fic people who view SFF as childish, but I think most people accept that they’re all just genres, and—I know this is crazy—people are allowed to read across those genres. Like, even in the same day. What’s one thing that literary fiction writers could learn from genre writers, and vice versa? I read widely in literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Sometimes in genre there’s so much emphasis on plot or tone that characters are too flat. This is where I love someone like Victor LaValle: The Changeling and The Ballad of Black Tom are both horror. Straight up, blood-curdling horror. But they work because you care about the people the horror is happening to. Same thing with Grady Hendrix, whose stuff is maybe a little more “pop” than LaValle’s—if you read Horrorstör it looks like a gag. It’s a novel about a haunted IKEA-type store, and it’s designed to look like a parody of an IKEA catalogue. But he makes you care about the two main characters, so in the beginning, when the book is a comedy, it’s all the funnier because these absurd situations are happening to people you have an investment in, and then when things turn bad (and believe me, they turn really, really bad) you’re rooting for them to make it out of the haunting alive. The horror actually means something. Also, in both of those cases LaValle and Hendrix are using horror to interrogate race and class, and they’re really good about balancing the social commentary with the fun of exploring and subverting genre tropes. In literary fiction, writers (and I’m very much including myself here) could learn more about structure from genre books. Sometimes I read work where there are long fallow patches, or so much emphasis on tone or giving the reader beautiful sentences, that you lose the urgency. It’s what I’m trying to work on in my own stuff—why should people keep reading? Have I done enough here to hook my reader that they want to turn the page? If they’re getting off the train now, will they want to jump back into the book on their commute home? Can I make them spend their lunch—if they get one—reading my book while they eat? One book I keep thinking of is Lincoln in the Bardo, where George Saunders goes all over the map, and squishes in all these digressions about history, the food being served at Abraham Lincoln’s party, newspaper clippings about the Civil War, long backstories for each of the ghosts—but through it all there’s this engine that Lincoln’s child, Willy, refuses to move on to the afterlife. If the boy can’t let go of his life he’ll be trapped in a horrifying purgatory forever. If Abraham Lincoln can’t let his son go he won’t be able to win the Civil War and reunite the country. So there are two huge, cosmic problems at the heart of the book, and Saunders checks in with them often enough that you never lose track of the stakes, even while he’s hopping through the lives and consciousnesses of a dozen other people. How did No Tokens start? And what makes the magazine unique? Our EIC, T. Kira Madden, noticed that even though tokens haven’t been used on the NYC subway system in years, the turnstiles still specifically say “No Tokens” on them. She started thinking about objects that used to be used everyday that have become obsolete—typewriters, rotary phones, calligraphy, physical mail. It became an underpinning of the journal, this idea of honoring beautiful material things that have been left by the wayside while we all rush to adopt new tech. But at the same time, thinking about the term “no tokens” lead into some long discussions about the double meaning of tokens and tokenism. Most of the editors have been active in various lit scenes, and most of us attended MFA programs, so we would attend panels and readings, and what we were seeing was a preponderance of white men. Now, please understand, some of my favorite writers are white men (I love David Foster Wallace, and I came to him on my own, with nary a recommendation from a dude), but the more we talked about it, we were all tired of having our experiences mediated by white men, and receiving workshop syllabi that were one white guy writer after another. We were tired of going to panels where the weight of “diversity in publishing” would fall on the one black author, or female author, or Chinese-Hawaiian author that the organizers had invited. We were tired of reading interviews where male authors only recommended other male authors, and where white male editors only published people who reflected their own life experience back to them. So from the first meeting we had, we all agreed that we wanted to publish people who could show us different corners of life. We read our submissions blind, but we’ve been very proactive in encouraging people from all different backgrounds to submit to us, which has lead to the delightful experience that when we meet up and discuss the work that we’ve loved, it’s always a truly diverse group. I’d like to break the word diverse apart for a second, because I worry that a lot of people use it in the same way that tokenism used to be used: First, stylistically: The editors of No Tokens are not a monolith. We all have very different backgrounds, reading tastes, and writing styles. We get work from all around the world, from MFA graduates and from people who have never taken a writing class. Every single piece is read and treated with care, and since the editors all have oceans of respect for each other, when we bring a piece to a meeting, we listen to each other. If someone loves a piece, it goes in. We’ve published fables from the Syrian writer Osama Alomar, a brutal memoir about growing up in Florida from Brittany Ackerman, an experimental nonfiction piece about queer love from Beasa Dukes. We got a flash fiction about a sentient yam from Henry Giardina, and our editor Justine Champine loved it so much she illustrated it for the issue. We’ve published photo-essays, comics, a couple of plays. We’ve published a series of text messages as an art piece. Coming-of-age stories, and stories about elderly farmers. And those are just the ones I thought of as I read your question! We work very hard to reflect the world, and I think this has created a cycle where people see that variety in each issue, and they know they can trust us with their work. At least that’s my hope. Second, culturally: Our masthead is culturally diverse, it’s made up entirely of women and non-binary people, we’re from a range of class backgrounds, religious backgrounds, and we all grew up in different regions. I’m white, Irish primarily, and I spent my youth in Pittsburgh and Central Florida—so that’s me. But if we get a story that uses Gullah, for instance, I’m going to do my best with it, I’m going to do as much research as I need to so I can edit it well, to make sure I’m helping the author tell their story without imposing my own cultural background on it. And hopefully that story acts as a pebble so someone who wants to write their Creole story or their poor white Missouri story or their Turkish story or their Tagalog story will see it and know that we’ll handle their words with respect, so that pebble turns into a landslide of stories that reflect our entire world, and not just, y’know, Park Slope. But then, if the Park Slope story is good we want that one, too. What kind of submissions or pitches excite you the most? For Tor.com, anytime someone writes to me with something I don’t already know about, or with a unique angle, I’ll be excited to get it onto the site. Gabrielle Bellot, for instance, wrote a beautiful piece on a Moebius comic that I’d never heard of before, and made me want to read it! I love being introduced to work that has inspired people, and shaped them as writers or people. I love finding out why someone loves something. For No Tokens there’s no one type of submission I’m looking for (although, if you can make me laugh, I’ll go to bat for you in our meetings). I just want to be immersed in a world, or language, and I want to be sad to leave it when I finish the story. What’s the biggest mistake you see writers make in submissions or pitches? I can’t speak for all of Tor.com, but I do think that sometimes people will try to jump on a trend or a news story when we’re usually more interested in the heartfelt story or the weird angle. Send us your weird shit! For No Tokens and Fairy Tale Review, I’d say just try to sit on the submission for a few days after you think it’s done, and read it over again before you send. If you have a writing buddy or a workshop group, ask them to lend you their eyes. The more care you’ve taken with your submission, we’ll be able to see that. Also, we do occasionally get weird misogynistic ravings at NT, and it would be nice if that stopped? But that might just be life on the internet at this point. The weird misogynistic ravings we will always have with us.

Sharing your stories with pride. At Paula's Choice We celebrate diversity as we believe it is something indispensable in our world. We believe that everyone has a right to feel good in their own skin, regardless of their sexuality – or gender identity. This Pride month, we’re celebrating the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) community and giving different members of the community a platform to dispel widespread prejudices, clichés and myths. We interviewed four international content creators on the topic of gender identity. Read their stories below. This year at Paula’s Choice we are very proud to support Pride 2023 by donating $10,000 to ILGA World, a worldwide federation of over 1700 organisations in 160 countries dedicated to achieving equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people across the globe. ILGA World’s mission is to help fight for those who face discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. For Pride month We want to hand over the microphone to those who know the most about pride: members of our diverse community. Dimi he/him Tiktok, @dimxoo Instagram, @dimxoo Bio: German LGBTQIA+ educational content creator. Dimi expresses his creativity, individuality and queerness in Berlin, educating his followers online about all things LGBTQIA+. What are some common misconceptions or stereotypes that people have about queer individuals? "Often the LGBTQIA+ community is lumped together because we are 'all the same'. We all have our own history, our own struggles and of course that connects us. But what connects us much more is Queer Joy. We celebrate our freedom to be who we are together. We push each other up when we are not doing well. We can relate to each other's stories and form a little family." Do you think your content helps to educate people on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals? What impact do you hope to have on your audience? "That is definitely my goal and I am always happy when I receive DMs in which people write 'thanks to your videos, I finally came out to my parents today' or 'thanks to you I know that I am pansexual!' Because that's the moment I always think to myself: my goal has been achieved here, and that makes me pretty happy." Zain they/them Instagram, @zaddyza1n Bio: British South Asian non-binary makeup artist and beauty influencer Zain Shah combines their creativity with social activism to fight gender stereotypes and promote queer inclusivity within the beauty industry. Can you tell us a bit about your personal experience as an LGBTQIA+ person and how it has informed your work as a content creator? "Living as a queer south asian can be tough. Often in our communities, sexuality is perceived as a choice - and one that isn’t culturally acceptable. When I started out as a content creator, I desperately wanted to find people that looked like me, people that shared similar stories and struggles. It pushed me to be the representation I never had growing up." How do you celebrate Pride? "Pride is so much more than a parade, or a month of awareness, for me it’s about celebrating the resilience and beauty of the LGBTQ+ community. I celebrate pride by continuing to show up as myself every single day: existing in my authenticity, checking in on my friends and making sure I speak up on issues that affect the whole community. LGBTQ+ rights are human rights." Pascal de Vormer they/them Tiktok: @pascaldevormerr Instagram: @pascaldevormer Bio: Dutch creator, artist and queer activist Pascal de Vormer constantly questions the norm in their work and is not limited by traditional notions of gender. How do you balance advocacy and education with self-care as a queer content creator, and what advice would you give to others in this industry? "Allow yourself to do it your way. People are judgmental, especially online. Stop telling people what they should or shouldn’t do with their queer bodies. It is important that you continue try to listen to your own inner voice. If you need time or simply don't know, know that this is ok. Not all heroes wear capes and sometimes not all heroes WANT to wear capes. Why? Because your queerness doesn't mean you always have to be a role model. I am queer enough when I’m simply at home binging my favourite series and eating a bucket of ice cream." What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with their identity or coming out as queer? "There is so much beauty in struggling. It depends how you look at it. I understand better than anyone that it sometimes feels like you have to make quick choices and that every answer seems irreversible. It’s not. Never. Take your time and do it your way. Only you know what's best for you. You are loved and enough. Take your time, beautiful queer baby." Ethan he/him Tiktok: @caspisan Instagram: @caspisan Bio: A life in constant TRANSITION. Ethan is one of the most important voices in the Italian LGBTQIA+ community, whose narrative and contents focuses on his lifestyle, mental health, and knowing how to accept oneself. Can you tell us a bit about your personal experience as a queer person, and how it has informed your work as a content creator? "Being a transgender boy has and continues to influence how I relate to society, as my gender is a central aspect of my identity and interpersonal relationships. As a queer person, I have faced deeper and earlier introspection, starting to question myself about gender and its impact on my life since the age of 14. This experience forced me to face a reality that often made me feel invisible or crushed me, forcing me to assert my gender and identity within institutions and our society. Unlike straight and cisgender people, who often don't encounter similar prejudices or challenges, as a queer person I've had to struggle to have my identity respected." What motivated you to become a queer content creator, and what are some of the challenges you've faced in this industry? "What encouraged me to share my experience on social media and to inform and disseminate information was my personal difficulty in finding information when I found myself looking for it for the first time, years ago. I thought it would be helpful to have someone tell the story, so once I gathered enough information, I decided to do it myself."

A lot of us want to just “be people,” and leave our social identities at the door when we enter a room. In September 2016, I was asked to participate in Katie Couric’s “Gender Revolution” documentary (by National Geographic). The following questions were what I worked through — and what I generally work through — when deciding to say “yes” or “no.” The questions below help me answer a general question: “Will I be taking up space, or adding to the space?” But before we get to these questions, I want to first clarify what I mean by this distinction, and why it’s important in a social justice integrity framework. Taking up Space vs. Adding to a Space The first angle is recognizing that we’re not just our identities. We’re as much a product of the ways they intersect, as the identities that are intersecting themselves. I share this first to reassure the “I just want to be a person crowd,” because this half is easier for a lot of us to own. You Soup is helpful for diving into this. The second angle is recognizing that we do represent our social identities, wherever we go, and in whatever spaces we occupy. Whether we want to or not, it’s impossible to fully separate ourselves from our social identities, and the implications thereof. And in some spaces, particular social identities will be particularly important (or salient), so it’s important to consider how we’re showing up. For example, if we are the only person who holds a particular minoritized (i.e., oppressed, targeted) or majoritized (i.e., privileged, dominant) identity in a space, that will lend itself to potentially harmful “spokesperson”-ing. Or if we’re in a space where a particular dimension of identity is in focus (e.g., a gender-focused space), that aspect of ourself will hold particular weight. And all of that is true whether or not we want it to, and regardless of all the intersections of identity that comprise us (unfortunately). “Taking up space” is not helpful. You might think of it of as someone (generally who holds a majoritized identities) who is occupying a setting (a training, a meeting, an event, a project) to the detriment of others, and to the detriment of the goals of the space — within a framework where the intended outcomes in some way advance social justice. (i.e., if your goal is an oppressive organization, a bunch of rich, white, man people creating a bank would be perfectly achieving that goal). “Adding to a space” is helpful. You might think of it as the opposite of above: someone occupying a setting to the benefit of others, and to the benefit of the goals of the space. Considering that person’s social identities, and how they are wielding them, they are uniquely contributing in a way that advances social justice, and doesn’t erase, talk over, or distract from other helpful voices, or generally creates harmful outcomes. We don’t have control over how other people see us, but we have some control over when, where, and how we choose to show up. One last thing: this is not neutral. There are clear value statements made in everything I’ve written so far. A lot of “inclusivity” convos online present an idea of absolute, impartial inclusivity (e.g., that all voices should be heard and considered in every space). But if your goals are social justice, impartial inclusivity can often result in negative outcomes. In considering participating in Gender Revolution it was important for me to be sensitive to my majoritized gender identity (because of the gender theme), as well as the ways other majoritized identities I hold (because of the general activism and social justice themes) — and what the implications of those identities would say about my involvement. Questions I ask myself, and the others involved Okay, so the questions. Following are some of the questions I ask with the hopes that I navigate any situation in a way that fits within a socially just framework of integrity. Sometimes the answers result in my bowing out; other times they lead to me stepping up. The important thing for me is not asking them searching a particular answer, but being ready to let the answers guide my participation (or non-participation). What are the goals of the space? In a perfect world, what would the outcomes be for this thing? Does my participation align well with those goals? For example, is the goal educational? If so, I consider what specific learning is meant to take place, and how I may contribute to or detract from that learning. Who else is going to be involved? In what ways will other folks with other [sets of] social identities be participating? And what roles will they have? (considering prominence, input, focus on their voice, and leadership in determining the message) Who isn’t going to be involved (or who’s excluded)? If I don’t participate, or in general, what social identities will be absent? How does their absence affect the outcomes of the space? Can my opting in affect this in a positive way? (e.g., adding a voice that is both helpful and wouldn’t otherwise be represented) Or could my opting out affect this in a negative way? Connected to this: are there ways I can use my opportunity to be involved to recommend, refer, or redirect to other people who should be, and aren’t? Am I comfortable or willing to show up (in the ways I’m being asked, or in general)? If I’m being sought out for a particular identity, am I up for having this aspect of myself magnified (at the risk of tokenization)? Am I comfortable speaking to this aspect of myself, or would I rather let others do so? And maybe I wouldn’t be comfortable, but could my showing up prevent someone else from being [further] exploited? Is this space inherently more risky for some than others (e.g., a white person filing a complaint against a racist superior/organization/setting, compared to a person of color filing the same complaint)? Most importantly (for me): Am I uniquely qualified to occupy this space (based on the goals), such that I couldn’t recommend someone I know? Just because I represent or hold a specific identity (e.g., I’m poor/working class) doesn’t mean I’m well-suited to speak about it (in this case, I don’t have a solid-enough grasp of classism, relevant theory and research, and the activism being done in this arena), so I’ll often refer away to someone who would be a better fit. Finally, if I’ll be representing a majoritized identity, are minoritized identities already being disproportionately represented? Maybe I’m okay with being the only representative of a majoritized identity (depends on the setting). I’m not, however, okay with adding to an already over-stacked roster of majoritized identities I hold, unless the goals of the space specifically call for this, and do so in socially just ways (e.g., caucus spaces). I don’t want to be the second, third, or seventh white person on a panel about racism. I may not even be able to add to that panel at all (and end up For example, if the space is gender-focused and I’m asked to show up because of my cisgender man identity, the first question I’ll ask is “Are trans* people, non-binary people, and women already more represented than they are in society-at-large?” If not, are there other ways (additional spaces being offered, either at the same time, before this, or after) where that will be happening? Putting all of these questions together… I end up with an algorithm that looks something like this: - If there will be other voices adequately represented; and - My participation will add a unique voice that is helpful to the goals; and - I’m comfortable, willing, and uniquely able to show up in that way; and - Minoritized identities are being disproportionately represented (or have been, or will be); - Then I might be able to contribute to this space, instead of taking up space. Are you willing to make mistakes? None of the above, or literally anything I’ve ever written, is fool-proof. The ultimate question when it comes to “taking up space” versus “adding to a space,” is exactly this: are you willing to make mistakes? If you’re not willing to make mistakes, and to learn from them, there’s not much hope for navigating this maze, minefield, and important (but oh so tricky) question. But if you are, I trust that the above list will be helpful for you, as it has been for me, in exploring an opportunity and gauging whether or not — and, if so, how — to show up in a space. I use the above list (and other questions depending on the situation) whenever possible to vet every gig request I get. This sometimes brings about confusion (it’s considered, by some, to be unconventional), but it’s always clarifying. I don’t want to take up space. I’ll happily turn away an invitation if I get the sense that I’ll be taking up space, and I feel a million times better saying “yes!” when I sense I’ll be contributing to a space. There are too many other people doing amazing work, and I only have so much time to spend. And if you’re still wondering, in regards to Gender Revolution, after (1) being assured I would be the minority in representing my majorized gender (cisgender man), (2) they were specifically asking me to be involved because of how I approach gender, not just to hear from a man, and (3) that trans*, non-binary, and women voices would be disproportionately represented, I agreed to be involved. As of the time that I’m writing this, the film isn’t out (it comes out February 6th, debuting on National Geographic at 9/8c), so I can’t yet know if these promises will ring true, and I was used in ways that align with my ethic. That goes with something I said above: we can’t always know how we’re going to appear to others, but at least we can do everything in our power to choose how we show up. Then we can listen to the constructive criticism we get, run it by our allies, and let it inform our future actions. I hope you choose to contribute. The world needs you.

Filmmaker Sharon Arteaga had an unusual request when it came time for her Quinceañera. Instead of having a celebratory event, she convinced her mom to buy her a video camera. With it, Arteaga began making spontaneous films. A few years later, she started penning scripts. Today, Arteaga has won numerous short film competitions, including being selected from hundreds of films to tour the US and Canada with LUNAFEST. She won the 2021 HBO Latinx Short Film Competition, and her short film, When You Clean a Stranger’s Home, is currently streaming on HBO Max. Arteaga is currently developing her first feature film and is in post-production for the short film In Tow, about a mother and daughter who wake to find that their mobile home is being repossessed with them inside of it. The short was a 2019 finalist for the Tribeca Chanel Through Her Lens program and was awarded grants from various organizations, including the Austin Film Society, New Orleans Film Society, Santa Fe Film Institute, and the Mexican American Cultural Education Foundation. Immersion in Storytelling Visuals had captivated Arteaga’s mind for years. She remembers watching the animated film The Brave Little Toaster in elementary school and a scene where a For Sale sign is being hammered down. Through a window’s reflection, appliances see the sign and their faces show sheer panic because their fates are unclear. “That one-shot just said so much,” said Arteaga. “And I remember talking about the artistic choices made for it, and I was like, ‘Oh, people study this!’ There’s a lot to each film shot that tells a story. And storytelling was always a big thing in our household. I grew up in a pretty religious family, so a Bible story was always being told. And then, as a Latina, my grandma had all kinds of folklore she would share with us. She always found a way to make it sound very real by making it sound like her own personal experience.” Early immersion in storytelling helped Arteaga create biblical skits for her church. She was asked to make a short film based on a religious story, which became a modernized telling of Saint Stephen’s tale for a teenage audience. Arteaga also made a more whimsical film about someone who loses a cow and goes on a journey to it. Every experience led to her loving the collaborative nature of filmmaking. While in high school, Arteaga earned a cosmetology license to cut hair, which she did after graduation while applying to film school. She attended Del Mar community college, focusing on film and advertising, before working on her application for entry to the Radio-Film-Television department at the University of Texas at Austin. On her third try, she was accepted. When You Clean a Stranger’s Home Arteaga’s most recent award-winning short film, When You Clean a Stranger’s Home, focuses on first-generation high school student Abby and her mother. Together, they learn about people when cleaning their homes for a living. House decor and items left around convey a privilege that unveils Abby’s imagination, jealousy, and frustrations. In her director’s statement, Arteaga writes: “When You Clean a Stranger’s Home” intends to honor and empower female domestic workers while exposing audiences to who they are as people and the next-generation Latinx perspectives held by their children. Through the essay being narrated by the female protagonist, audiences will get an insight into social, economical, and professional disparities that next-generation Latinxs observe and the responsibility felt to change their family’s future. It reveals the conflict of feeling held back by their circumstances while realizing crucial lessons learned within them. I intend to expose general audiences to these untold perspectives while giving Latinxs images and ideas with which they can identify.” The film screened as part of the 2022 LUNAFEST lineup and is now streaming on HBOMax (Sol Bautista and Katy Atkinson pictured below). “I received a grant from the City of Austin, which allowed me to hire a 99 percent female, non-binary crew to create the film,” said Arteaga. “I remember what it was like to try and find entry points in my career and wanted to give people opportunities to build their resume.” Business, Community, Feedback Since 2012, Arteaga has been a filmmaking mentor through the Austin Film Society. When asked what three pieces of advice she’d give to aspiring filmmakers, she shared, 1) “Study the business. You don’t have to major in business, but just look around and see how people are operating teams and how money gets raised because you need funding. There is a lot of creativity in business and fundraising. It’s just a different type.” 2) “Always get others’ eyes on your work. We’re creating for audiences and not ourselves. So I always put my films through some kind of feedback process. My common practice is to put it through two different audiences and to have a diverse makeup within those audiences. I invite people from different ages, backgrounds, and demographics to see how people respond.” 3) “Find community because I could not be where I am today if it weren’t for surrounding myself with people who encouraged me, supported me, and made efforts like feeding and housing a film crew. Everyone can play a different part in helping push you and your stories forward. I joined support groups; I look for organizations in town that I can support or that we can mutually support each other.” Written by Erin Prather Stafford Image provided by Arteaga, top photo taken by Diana Ascarrunz

a€?Schitta€™s Creeka€™ celebrity Emily Hampshire claims the tv series Helped Her appear as Pansexual The singer in addition has announced by herself a pansexual Schitt’s Creek superstar Emily Hampshire, whom identifies as pansexual, said she read the definition of pansexual from tv show, along side some assistance from her co-star Dan Levy. a€?And he states, finally, he enjoys the wine, perhaps not the label, and therefore he’s pansexual. And I got never heard the term pansexual before,a€? Hampshire recalled of the particular world in Schitt’s Creek. Pansexual identifies an individual was romantically drawn to any person, whether they might be one, a lady, a guy which identifies as a woman, or a lady who identifies as a person. a€?i have usually regarded as myself very knowledgeable about LGBTQ+ stuff simply because everyone in my lives, my pals, all are mainly LGBTQ+ men and women, but i did not learn this,a€? Hampshire informed Lovato. In an interview with gun control-pushing, a€?Impeach Trumpa€? songstress Demi Lovato on the a€?4Da€? podcast, Hampshire remembered the minute she first learned the definition of a€?pansexuala€? – which took place on the tv series, when Levy’s personality explained to her character their sexuality utilizing a metaphor concerning wines The celebrity proceeded to declare that she after saw fans on community forums speaking about whether or not the woman fictional character got a lesbian, together with thinking if Hampshire herself was homosexual. a€?I happened to be internet dating people, and I also saw on these message boards people getting like, a€?Is Stevie a lesbian?’ a€?are Emily homosexual?’ – and items, like, inquiring the things I was,a€? Hampshire mentioned. a€?And we thought to Dan, I was like, a€?This is really odd. Exactly what have always been I?’a€? a€?Because I truly merely fell deeply in love with you, and in which these were regarding gender spectrum decided not to topic if you ask me,a€? the celebrity continuing, adding that the woman co-star after that updated the girl she was pansexual. a€?he had been like, a€?You’re pansexual. Don’t you watch our show?’a€? Emily Hampshire is seen as activity Weekly commemorates display stars Guild honor Nominees at Chateau in l . a ., California. (Presley Ann/Getty Files for Amusement Weekly) She stated element of her wishes she could inhabit a a€?utopian community,a€? in which she does not have to identify by herself as such a thing. a€?I get the reason we need now. But despite pronouns, my personal utopian community might possibly be like, a€?we are merely, like, real human,a€? she mentioned. a€?we was released because I happened to be becoming questioned.a€? a€?It is liberating, you might say, additionally a self-discovery thing, because I am able to review in high school and discover that I becamen’t just recenzja interracialpeoplemeet, like, planning to wind up as girls, i desired to, like, bang the girls,a€? the celebrity included. The actress furthermore mentioned that while the girl pronouns are a€?shea€? and a€?her,a€? she’s got nevertheless become thinking about the concept of gender pronouns a€?a lota€? since Lovato a€?came a€?I don’t have any need to alter my personal pronouns, but I do feel like every problem I ever endured in my own life might possibly be really best if no one pre-judged me as actually a female or a girl or feminine,a€? she mentioned. Contained in this graphics from videos, Demi Lovato performs during a Celebrating The united states performance on Wednesday, , an element of the 59th Inauguration Day activities for chairman Joe Biden bound in while the 46th chairman on the U . S .. (Biden Inaugural Panel via AP) Lovato was released as sex non-binary in May, adding that she would be using the pronouns a€?theya€? and a€?thema€? to refer to by herself. More superstars feature celebrity Mae Whitman, actress-singer JoJo Siwa, versions Cara Delevingne and Lottie Moss, and insane, Stupid, like celebrity Analeigh Tipton. In wake of activities field promulgating the thought of gender fluidity – and additionally news stores and left-wing activists hyping transgenderism – additional young people tend to be identifying as nonbinary than ever. Studies published by Trevor job have found that over one in four – 26 per cent – of LGBTQ childhood diagnose as non-binary. Another 20 percent said they may not be sure or is questioning if they identify as nonbinary.

The 43rd Frameline: San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival The world’s longest-running and most influential LGBT festival presents more than 75 features, including approximately 30 documentaries. Several docs make their debut at the event, including: Stephen Kijak’s SID & JUDY , a look at the legendary Judy Garland through the eyes of her husband and manager, Sid Luft; Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen’s SCREAM, QUEEN! MY NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET , a look back at the failed horror sequel through the eyes of its closeted young queer star; Petey Barma and Bret Parker’s THROUGH THE WINDOWS , a love letter to local SF gay bar, Twin Peaks; and Chet Catherine Pancake’s QUEER GENIUS , which celebrates five queer artists. International, North American, and US premieres include: Cory Krueckeberg’s CAMP CHAOS , which follows internet personality Matthew Camp as he recreates formative sexual experiences; Gabrielle Zilkha’s QUEERING THE SCRIPT , an exploration of the influence of queer fandom; Marilina Giménez’s A GIRL’S BAND , which explores the world of queer Argentine female musicians; Audrey Jean-Baptiste’s FABULOUS , which follows a trans woman and ballroom mother back home to French Guiana; and Camille Ducellier’s GENDER DERBY , about a French non-binary roller derby musician. Finally, the fest presents local premieres of, among others: Daniel G Karslake’s FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO , which counters religiously-based anti-gay rhetoric; Daniel Nolasco’s MR LEATHER , following the second Brazilian edition of the titular competition; Mak CK’s ONE TAXI RIDE , in which a man finally tries to come to terms with the sexual assault he was subjected to as a teenager; and Nick Zeig-Owens’ TRIXIE MATTEL: MOVING PARTS , a portrait of the RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE ALL STARS winner.

“Just try it on, you’ll look amazing!” These were the words of encouragement recently screamed and then repeated by one of my closest friends as I flicked casually through their closet and stumbled upon a floor-length, silver mesh dress. It was Studio 54-meets-Mugler’s eccentric elegance; it was vintage Jerry Hall dipped in glimmer with a sprinkle of Marilyn for good measure. It was undeniably fabulous, but it was light years away from anything I had ever worn or would ever dare to wear. But that night we weren’t just going to any regular club: We had been invited as special guests to go and see radical disruptor, Rick Owens muse, filth-electronica pioneer Christeene live, so I swiftly drained a shot of whiskey and stepped into the dress, teaming it with a pair of nine-inch Buffalo boots. At first, I felt uncomfortable – and not just because of the boots. Then I felt self-conscious. And then, finally, I felt untouchable. Like many queer people across the world, I’ve long understood that clothing can be transformative. Not only can it bind, contort, accentuate, drape over and mask our bodies as we see fit, it can invoke a series of visceral emotions in its wearers. It can make us feel powerful, protected or beautiful; it can be an accent, or it can be our armor. Club kids and drag queens have used it to disrupt society’s idea of what it means to be a “man” or a “woman,” and some designers relish in issuing a swift sartorial “fuck you” to heteronormativity. In a world in which visual first impressions count, clothing can be a weapon whose cultural potential is unparalleled. It also, in the context of queer nightlife especially, can be a form of cultural currency. Throughout my adolescence I was plagued by fears of judgment, of being deemed too fat, too plain, too lazy to attain the lean, chiseled ideal that seems to be the norm on queer dating apps; I felt unattractive and self-conscious. But all it took was a silver dress for people who would usually ignore me to approach me, click approvingly as I walked past and shower me in compliments. I glossed over my insecurities with a sheath of sequins and a fierce red lip, and I was treated like a deity in response. Perhaps this is why LGBTQ people – gay men in particular – seem to disproportionately gravitate towards fashion and other creative industries. In his comprehensive exploration of queer cultural figures, Homintern, Gregory Woods details a once-popular conspiracy theory that the fashion industry was dominated by gay misogynists determined to make women look ridiculous. Oh, and uncomfortable! Critics grew suspicious that cliques were being formed to spread some nasty gay alliance and annihilate the straights for good, and the over-representation of LGBTQ people in theater and performance was similarly treated as cause for concern. Luckily, things have changed over the last century. (Well, kind of – there are still people out there convinced we’re on a global mission to recruit new queers à la Harvey Milk, but some battles are insurmountable.) But gay men are still over-represented in fashion. Flick through any arts-related book and you’ll see names like Dior, Saint Laurent, McQueen, Galliano, Marc Jacobs, all gay men whose unique visions have come to define the fashion industry as we know it today. But their innovations have also helped to fuel a stereotype that all gay men are doggedly fashion-conscious which, while not exactly a bad thing, isn’t exactly bulletproof. On the plus side, this link has at least fostered some positive representation. Will & Grace was groundbreaking in its willingness to showcase not one but two gay lead characters, and its creation led to other trailblazing shows such as The L Word. There were similarities between these two shows; both were made in the wake of the ‘90s gay marketing boom, during which advertisers finally realized that, well, we exist. But they only cared about those of us with cash to spend, and TV execs picked up on this. As a result, we got a new wave of gay protagonists, but they were almost exclusively fashion-conscious, with wads of disposable income, acerbic wit and an air of enviable – but, crucially, imitable – glamor. “Lipstick lesbians” were celebrated, and wealthy, slim, attractive, white gay men became the desirable norm – masculine enough to not alienate audiences, but queer enough to usher in what later became known as metrosexuality. (A kind of loosened masculinity – think a guy who still dresses exclusively in J Crew but moisturizes.) Things have improved, as evidenced by the recent reboot of Queer Eye. The original franchise might have fed into the idea that gay men are just Fairy Godmothers for hapless straight dudes whose idea of fine dining is a Four Loko and a Twizzler, but the reboot is more nuanced, more considered; it dives deep into politics and personal identity, scratching further than the aesthetic surface and spawning some genuinely poignant moments in the process. Even the misinformed (read: relentlessly binary) makeover of its one trans man has been eviscerated since the series aired, opening up important conversations about trans visibility, stigma and the relationship between clothing and gendered presentation. But it’s unfortunate that few trans people are afforded the airtime to engage in these conversations. That’s precisely why trans people – almost always trans women – who have been embraced by the fashion industry seize every opportunity to spotlight discrimination, homicide and the increasing erasure of their existence by the Trump administration. Laverne Cox graces magazine covers in designer clothes whilst speaking eloquently about the plight of black trans women worldwide; Janet Mock writes of her pretty privilege to show that people are more likely to pay attention to beautiful women who pass (itself an insidious term) as cisgender; Hari Nef delivered an impassioned TED talk to explain how she came to see beauty and femininity not as traits, but as tools for survival. In a recent panel discussion at New York’s DragCon, Alok Vaid-Menon – a fiercely intelligent poet, artist, and activist – spoke about RuPaul’s Drag Race and its emphasis on conventional beauty. They spoke at length about what it meant for them to design a colorful, inventive clothing line with non-binary bodies in mind, and how they often saw their creative resources mined without credit by fashion powerhouses. Finally, Vaid-Menon talked about reactions to their appearance, which range from yasss, slay! to threats of physical violence. They reinforced a vital point made in a recent Instagram post, written in the wake of a post-Fashion Week verbal assault: “Do you support us even when we aren’t inspirational, beautiful, or fashionable?” Fellow non-binary activist Jamie Windust (whose stellar queer zine FRUITCAKE features Vaid-Menon alongside Travis Alabanza on its most recent cover) has expressed similar sentiments online in the past. Elaborating to INTO, they explain: “When gender non-conforming people express themselves in a way that’s colorful and unique we’re celebrated for our individuality, but it often stays at that surface level. Plus, it’s ‘oh, he looks nice, doesn’t he?’ There tends to be misgendering involved, and there’s no real level of engagement; once we explain that part we break that illusion of only being there for someone else’s visual pleasure.” These statements underline an uneasy truth: there’s still little room, even in queer culture, for marginalized people who can’t turn a fierce look at a moment’s notice. Images via Getty

The Canada Council for the Arts recently revamped its funding policies with an emphasis on diversity. Both press coverage and official program guidelines indicate that “commitment to reflecting—through artistic programming, organizational make-up and development of your publics—the diversity of your geographic community or region” are funding criteria that have new weight. How is the diversity of geographic communities measured? On the most basic level, one would think that this includes taking stock of, for instance, upper management. How we, as a community at large (that is, the visual-art community), reflect the larger community at large is a big question. Indeed, when a friend sent a message to me in early December 2016 asking if I knew any datasets on diversity in large art institutions in Canada, I drew a blank, and then, half-joking, concluded that it would just be easier to count. The question continued to come back. We know there’s a severe lack of diversity in the art world (see this publication’s “Canada’s Galleries Fall Short: The Not-So Great White North” by Alison Cooley, Amy Luo and Caoimhe Morgan-Feir, whose information maps interestingly onto my own Waging Culture studies on the socio-economic status of visual artists in Canada). There is however, as per usual in the visual arts in Canada, a severe lack of hard data. Some might consider this just another bean-counting exercise. I would agree that the purpose of quantitative analysis does often miss a large part of the story. On the other hand, qualitative analysis of the situation is not possible without grounding in commonly accessible, hard, quantitative data. It is in the quantitative that we get away from mere conjecture and obvious platitudes, and onto a terrain where underlying assumptions can be revealed and, hopefully, addressed. The first issue is the question of definitions: how are we selecting the population that we will examine? Should we include all galleries in Canada? All galleries whose budgets exceed $2 million? All public galleries? The most logical method is to select galleries that receive(d) core funding from the Canada Council—that is, those galleries that have been deemed worthy of ongoing public support as determined by a robust peer-review process. Although the National Gallery of Canada receives its funding directly from the federal government, I added them in for good measure—were they not a direct federal agency, one would assume they would be receiving operating funds from the Canada Council. Focusing on galleries that received core funding results in a manageable number, easily assessed by using the Canada Council website (in particular, the “who got a grant” widget, with the proper filters applied). This ends up with 80 galleries in total. I’ve categorized each gallery, based on the amount of operating-support funds they received from the Canada Council, into four quartiles—which are made by sorting a full set of data and then breaking it into four equal parts. The quarter of galleries that received the smallest grants are in the first quartile (Q1), while the quarter of galleries that received the largest grants are in the fourth quartile (Q4). The galleries are also categorized by region: Atlantic (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador); Quebec; Ontario; Prairie Provinces (Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan); British Columbia and the North (the latter, in this case, being only the Yukon, as there are no galleries in this dataset that are in either Nunavut or the Northwest Territories). At this point, I suppose I could have canvassed the galleries’ entire staff, but the focus here is on those with more control over the shape of the galleries’ programming. Security guards, for instance, might skew the results to appear more diverse. So, for each gallery, I compiled a list, circa 2015, of all full curators (as opposed to assistant or associate) and directors. I included a third category of director/curators, as there is a certain size of organization that either lacks the resources for both a curator and a director, or whose institutional mandate is such that the director is intimately tied to curating and not just, say, administrating and fundraising. All told, this list contains 184 people. Then, I classified them: visible minority/Indigenous/Caucasian and men/women. (A summary of the data, broken down primarily by job titles, is available.) While I knew most of these people already, there were those with whom I was not familiar. To be as accurate, and efficient, as possible, I worked with a number of confidantes across the country to help in the classification. Some of my confidantes did not want to be identified, so I haven’t named any of them. To everyone who helped out: thank you immensely for both the information and for working out various conceptual issues. I would be remiss, however, not to point specifically to the work of Léuli Eshraghi, whose compilation of Indigenous curators and academics at institutions in Canada, New Zealand and Australia is both as exhaustive and as compelling an instance of “quantitative advocacy” as any I’ve come across. Back to the analysis, though. The categories I’ve used are broad and do not distinguish beyond the generic. This is one of the ongoing drawbacks of using quantitative analysis: some differences are elided, others highlighted. An exhaustive accounting of the subtleties of each individual, however, would not end up with a more complete picture, but rather 184 distinct, and unrelated, anecdotes. As for the question of gender, while it appears the data excludes non-binary identifications, this is not the intent. None in the dataset, as far as could be determined, identifies as gender non-conforming, two-spirited or other possibilities. Finally, I started graphing. Figure 1: Comparative demographics by population Key Finding: Gallery management is whiter than Canadian artists in particular, and the Canadian public in general The entire pool of arts professionals in this survey consists of 184 persons, and of these, just shy of 92% are Caucasian, just less than 4% are Indigenous and just more than 4% are visible minorities. How does that compare with other populations? That depends on what your assumptions and frames of reference are. But however you look at it, it’s not great. One could compare these numbers to the visual-artist population—which, in 2012 (according to Waging Culture), consisted of 87% Caucasians, about 2.5% Indigenous and just more than 10% visible minorities. Alternately, one could compare these numbers to the general Canadian population which in 2011 (results from the 2016 census have yet to be released) consisted of 77% Caucasian, around 4.5% Indigenous and 19% visible minorities. Figure 2: Demographics over past 20 years Key Finding: Gallery-management diversity is lagging behind even 1996 general-population demographics For context, looking at demographics from census data since 1996, we can see that visible-minority and Indigenous populations in Canada have been increasing over the last 20 years, but gallery-management diversity is lagging behind even 1996 numbers. Figure 3: Gender by population Key Finding: Women dominate Canada’s art field, but not its top echelons As for gender, directors and curators are 70% women and 30% men. This compares to 62% versus 38% for visual artists, and an approximate 52% versus 48% for the general population. For those looking at the percentage of women as a positive, don’t celebrate quite yet. It’s true that women dominate the field in sheer numbers, and the same holds true for professional visual artists, where 62% were women in 2012 (see Waging Culture). The current dataset does not have the same scope of detail as the Waging Culture study, but we can come to some of the same conclusions, and they are not great: namely, that there is an overall tendency for women to be less represented as one moves to higher income brackets. (See Figure 4, below.) The quick conclusion: as a sector, we aren’t doing all that well in reflecting the population at large, on either ethnic or gender lines. Some might say that this is too small a sample to draw conclusions from. But I am actually assessing all the galleries receiving core operating support from the Canada Council here, not just a small sample. These numbers are based on the entire population, and they say a lot. While I haven’t made a figure to reflect this finding, it is important to note, for instance, that within this population of decision-makers at publicly funded art galleries, there is not a single man who is part of a visible minority. Figure 4: Gender by job title Key Finding: The higher up we go, the lower the percentage of women employed First, if we are to rank these positions in terms of amount of institutional power and salary levels—curator < director/curator < director—we see that the higher up we go, the lower the percentage of women employed. Even though at the level of director we can see that the field is still dominated by women, the more powerful the position, the less dominant women are. Figure 5: Gender by quartile Key Finding: Canada Council–funded galleries employing women receive, on average, 20% less than those employing men More damning is the graph that shows the gender split across the four quartiles of funding from the Canada Council. When we look at this breakdown, we find the highest percentage of women staff in Q2, in which galleries receive an average of $64,000 in Canada Council grant money. When we look at Q3 and Q4—where Canada Council grant awards increase to an average of $120,000 and $209,000, respectively—the percentage of women employees drops. Indeed, it could be said that Canada Council–funded galleries employing women receive, on average, 20% less than those employing men. While this doesn’t translate easily into a gender-based wage gap, it certainly is of the same order of downward pressure on resources available to galleries that employ women. Figure 6: Demographics by job title Key Finding: Visible-minority and Indigenous gallery administrative staff is severely underrepresented Unlike gender, the main story of visible-minority and Indigenous gallery administrative staff is the severe underrepresentation as compared to the general population (similar to Waging Culture findings). Indeed, the representation is so low that any fine-grained analysis of other trends within the data, cross-tabulated with visible-minority status, must be taken with a certain amount of caution. Figures 7 and 8: Job titles and demographics by region Key Finding: Regional art-ecology particularities matter The picture becomes clearer with a regional analysis against census data from 2011. In putting together data for this piece, one of my confidantes from the Atlantic pointed out a factor that may ameliorate somewhat the direness of that region’s numbers. Director/curator positions at smaller regional centres can be quite attractive, but these positions tend to demand a long career track to acquire. In fact, many people who hold these positions are currently quite close to retirement, particularly in the Atlantic. In a small way, then, it might be more accurate to compare the staffing figures not to current demographics in Canada, but rather to previous years, as illustrated in Figure 2. The visible-minority and Indigenous populations in Canada have been increasing over the last 20 years, but not enough to explain completely the population-to-sector discrepancies. Neither does the argument, that will be made from several quarters, that programming is made more diverse by exhibitions that have been curated by visible-minority or Indigenous assistant curators or by independent curators. That is fine and good, but we are looking at institutional decision-makers. An independent curator may have a fantastic vision, but they don’t, for one, have job security. Figure 9: Demographics by quartiles Key Finding: The less money a gallery receives, the more likely the director or curator is Indigenous Moving along, despite the caveat of pulling correlations out which could be explained by under-representation alone, it is interesting to look at an apparent correlation between funding levels and distribution of this particular demographic marker. In general, the less money a gallery receives, the more likely that the director or curator is Indigenous. Conversely, the more money a gallery receives, the more likely that the director or curator is a visible minority. As a proxy for a more fine-tuned indication of correlation: the average grant received for Caucasian staff is $127,000. For Indigenous curators and directors, that amount is $67,000. For visible-minority staff, that amount is $141,000. Obviously, there are underlying questions that a mere dataset cannot answer, but the low grant levels for Indigenous staff are particularly distressing. As for the higher amount for visible minorities, one could look at this with a certain amount of charity and say that the Canada Council has recognized the strength of having representation of visible minorities on staff in decision-making positions and grants awarded are thus higher. Alternately, one could say that the presence of visible minorities correlates to higher-quality programming in general. The first assumption would be belied, however, in the reverse trend for galleries that have hired Indigenous curators and directors. The second possibility is probably true, and has an effect on the numbers, but there is also a more troubling third possibility: it is only in larger institutions with higher staffing levels that galleries’ boards feel comfortable hiring visible minorities. In the end, it is the boardrooms of these institutions that must be held accountable. They set conditions of representation within the galleries’ programs through their hiring. It, perhaps, should come as no surprise that diversity in the boardrooms of Canada (a population somewhat equivalent to the pool of candidates for the boards of, at least, the larger galleries) is similarly unrepresentative of Canada at large. In 2016, for example, a mere 4.5% of board members at the 500 largest corporations in Canada were visible minorities, and a mere 0.6% were Indigenous. Canadian galleries, back to you. Michael Maranda is assistant curator at the Art Gallery of York University. An editor and former artist, he has a thing for numbers and a well-crafted chart.

Following on from the recent release of The World Of Cyberpunk 2077 last week (it's a big fancy book revealing some delicious Cyberpunky secrets prior to Cyberpunk 2077's release in November), CD Projekt has spaffed a load of Gangs Of Night City posters onto Displate. New merch isn't the sort of thing I pay much attention to, normally. But in this case, it's given us some more details of the gangs you'll run into when making your first-person-action-RPG way around Night City. More importantly, in my mind at least, it has laid out their wares in a way that lets me decide which ones I am clearly going to support, and which ones I will terminate with extreme prejudice. These decisions are based entirely on their logos, but they are correct decisions nonetheless. Eagle-eyed fans have spotted gangs like The Scavengers in previous game footage, and possibly the Steel Dragons in some artwork, but the new posters in The World Of Cyberpunk 2077 have confirmed at least seven groups that we'll see and possibly (probably) kill in the course of our futuristic adventures. You, too, should choose your favourite flavour, based on how cool you think their various logos are. Display your gang affiliation with metal posters from @Displate! New collection “Gangs of Night City” is now available, and until August 6th you can get it up to 25% off! — Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) August 1, 2020 The Tyger Claws are a Japanese gang with more of a martial arts slant to their combat (although by 2077 they seem to have embraced Cyberware more than they had previously). They're similar to the Yakuza in how they operate, and control a large portion of Japantown. Their logo is a big cool tiger, and I approve of their stylistic spelling choices. The Valentinos, who have probably my favourite logo (a big sexy V with all roses and that, giving me Toreador from Vampire: The Masquerade vibes), are a primarily Latinx gang operating out of the Heywood district, and apparently make a big thing of being seductive. 6th Street are what I am choosing to mentally earmark as the ACAB gang: a bunch of patriotic war veterans (corporate wars between massive companies, that is, not like all the legitimate and proper wars we have now), who formed a vigilante group out of frustration at hopeless policing. But like, obviously that was never going to end well on any level. I imagine that these lads would not play well with Voodoo Boys, a gang of nihilistic drug dealers who control most of Pacifica, and have roots in Haitian tradition and immigrant communities. They are very mysterious, as they are difficult to infiltrate unless you're actually part of the gang - but we've seen them before! V performs a job for them in a gameplay deep dive from last year. Despite being a bit spooky, they're some of the best Netrunners in the game. We've encountered the Animals and the Maelstrom before. The Animals are a gang of heavy streetfighters that we saw V go up against in that job for the Voodoo Boys (where I much preferred the look of the stealthy approach). They're a bunch of very aggressive, juiced-up bouncers who use homebrewed augmentations to get even better at punchin', and their logo looks like the one that your most annoying friend made for the Facebook group about his Rainbow 6 Siege team because he is a loser. In contrast, the Maelstrom, who featured in the very first gameplay reveal back in 2018, are a bunch of super weird netboi types who love them some visible and creepy Cyberware. Big red lights instead of eyes. Look at the fuckin' heads on them, for God's sake. Last but not least, we come to my favourites: the Mox. We've now seen a fair bit of The Mox in the Night City Wire stream, where V engages in some "braindancing". They're a gang comprising mostly sex workers and anarcho-punks. They formed sort of organically after a strip club owner named Lizzie Borden killed some Tyger Claw gangsters in retaliation for murdering one of her employees. The retaliation to that retaliation was the murder of Lizzie and the destruction of her club, but the club has now been rebuilt as Lizzie's Bar, and the gang formed as a non-hierarchical means of protecting sex workers. Even though I made my initial choice based on the artwork, it has paid off. Because based on what we have been told, the Mox are clearly the most interesting gang on many levels. Currently my plan is to immediately attack 6th Street and join the Mox, and dye my hair pink. AND IN THE GAME. Players familiar with the source material of Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop RPG will doubtless be able to correct the minutiae of what I have learned, but this isn't just a frivolous exercise. Gang affiliation will play an important part in Cyberpunk 2077, and gangs will be easily identifiable by high concept themes and styles in their work. Hence the logos are actually important, and I am not just being a drama llama. All the Cyberpunk artwork seen so far has been thought out on many layers, and in fact we know from the design of Night City itself that this applies to almost everything. My visceral reaction against 6th street is partly because the logo looks all military. The Mox one looks like it belongs to a metal band made up of non-binary drag queens. Clearly one of those has better vibes than the other. For now, though, please enjoy the most recent Cyberpunk 2077 trailer, because the actual game still doesn't come out for another while:

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Fourth Circuit Rules: Gender Dysphoria Is Not Excluded from Coverage under the ADA Michelle E. Phillips, Janean B. Dunn & Jason V. Federmack Gender dysphoria is not excluded from the broad definition of “disability” protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has held. Williams v. Kincaid, No. 21-2030 (4th Cir. Aug. 16, 2022). The court’s ruling likewise applies to the analogous Rehabilitation Act. This ruling reverses the trial court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Kesha T. Williams, a transgender female with gender dysphoria who alleges, amongst other things, that the treatment she received while she was detained in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center violated the ADA. Williams alleged that she was wrongfully incarcerated among the prison’s male population, denied requests for accommodations and medical treatment in relation to gender dysphoria (including hormone therapy she had been receiving for 15 years), searched by male officers, and subjected to misgendering and harassment by prison staff and other inmates. The Sheriff did not contest that gender dysphoria meets the definition of “disability” under the ADA but sought dismissal of Williams’ ADA claim on the grounds that “gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments” are specifically excluded by the ADA. Williams also argued in the alternative that, even if gender dysphoria were a “gender identity disorder,” her claim did not fit the ADA exclusion because she pled that her gender dysphoria was “resulting from physical impairments.” Construe Coverage Broadly, Exclusions Narrowly The Fourth Circuit held that gender dysphoria is not a “gender identity disorder,” as that term is used in the ADA. The court explained that when the ADA was enacted in 1990, the term “gender identity” focused on transgender status only and was distinct from and did not include gender dysphoria, which causes “clinically significant distress” and other disabling symptoms. According to the court, the “gender identity disorder” language in the ADA was based on outdated guidance that treated being transgender as a “disorder” in and of itself, whereas modern medicine recognizes that some, but not all, individuals who are transgender will experience gender dysphoria. The court also held that Williams’ claim did not fit the ADA exclusion because she sufficiently pled in her complaint that her gender dysphoria required hormone therapy, a physical treatment she received for 15 years, and that she suffered physical distress during her incarceration when it was not provided. The court reached these decisions in part based on the 2008 amendments to the ADA and caselaw that direct courts to broadly construe coverage under the ADA and to construe the ADA’s exclusions narrowly. Finally, the court noted that its finding in Williams’ favor as to coverage under the ADA relieved it from having to confront the possibility of an interpretation of the ADA that entirely excluded transgender people from protection, which would raise constitutional concerns under the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court concluded that Congress did not intend to exclude transgender people who suffer from gender dysphoria from the protections of the ADA. District Courts Outside Fourth Circuit Have Reached Varied Results While the Fourth Circuit is the first federal appellate court to consider this issue, whether gender dysphoria can be a covered disability under the ADA has been hotly contested in multiple district courts across the country with mixed results. Implications for Employers The Williams decision is controlling in the Fourth Circuit, which covers Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. However, employers across the country should take note of the decision and understand that the reasoning of the Williams court could be adopted in their jurisdictions. As always, employers should be deliberate and careful to ensure that transgender and gender non-binary staff are treated in a respectful manner and that situations that may lead to harassment and discrimination are avoided. With this in mind, employers should understand when a gender transition plan may be necessary and consider how to work with employees to create a comprehensive, successful plan. Employers also should consider including LGBTQ+ training in their employee anti-harassment and discrimination training. ***This article originally appeared on the Jackson Lewis’ Disability, Leave & Health Management blog and was reposted on the DMEC website with their permission.***

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Social media continues to be used as the main-stage for expressions of LGBT+ rights, and when a big advertiser reflects the experiences of the community on television it elicits applause. Last year, Lloyds Bank prominently featured a same-sex couple’s marriage proposal in a TV ad. Its outdoor campaign showed the same couple with the words: "He said yes." An example of a brand that not only understands the business of gay pride, but also recognises the need to be inclusive of the LGBT+ community in its mainstream advertising. The same year, Tesco unveiled its "Basket dating" Valentine’s Day ad, which paired up potential dates based on the contents of their shopping baskets – another case of positive LGBT+ representation. Brands have increasingly been reflecting broader changes in society. IKEA has been using diverse imagery in its ads since 1994, when it became the first marketer to feature a gay couple in a mainstream ad. In 1997, a Volks-wagen Golf ad featured two men who may have been a couple. Almost a decade ago, in 2008, a spot for Pepsi Max showed two men in a bar encouraging their friend to chat up a woman. The man takes a drink, then walks past two women – one being the model Kelly Brook – to approach another man at the end of the bar. The same year Heinz ran an ad for its Deli Mayo in which two men kissed each other goodbye before one left for work, although it was eventually pulled following complaints. In 2009, meanwhile, Absolut Vodka unveiled a rainbow-design bottle to mark the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and four decades of gay pride. "I can just see the advertiser deciding ‘Ooh, the same-sex couple can hug, maybe not kiss’" Asad Dhunna PrideAM Once uncertain about marketing to this community, many brands are now grappling with how best to keep up with rapid social change and reflect their own markets and consumers. Progress toward a more inclusive narrative has been slow, but with Tim Cook becoming the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to publicly identify as gay in 2014, and last year the Star Trek franchise showing that a main character, Sulu, was married to another man, it is clear that the pace of advocacy in the mainstream has stepped up. One millennial working in advertising shares his experience of growing up with the absence of LGBT+ representation on TV. "I remember over-effeminate gay characters in TV shows, but nothing that was particularly reflective of what my life as a gay adult is now," says Oliver Barter, a content writer at Gyro London. "As a child, there was always a giddy thrill whenever I saw something gay – because it was so infrequent. The dilemma of being desperate to see representation of my secret self and not wanting to appear too interested in case it attracted unwanted attention and accusations – it was exhausting, and I’m glad that, for me at least, those days are over." Several others suggest that although businesses might be opening up their conversations to include the gay community, especially "beautiful gay men", they are still failing those who do not conform to the binary gender concept –when people adopt gender traits outside society’s typical expectations. A recent study conducted by Ana-Isabel Nölke, a doctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh on the representation of sexualities in advertising from 2009 to 2014, notes there is a continuous strong gay male bias in ads and decreasing representation or ambiguous portrayal of lesbians. Asad Dhunna, an LGBT+ Muslim advocate, writer and a member of PrideAM, the ad industry’s LGBT+ leadership group, cites the Lloyds campaign as a case in point. "Many brands have got the ‘LG’ of LGBT+ right, but I cannot think of those that go beyond that, or even brands that get the representation of the lesbian community right," he says. Dhunna finds the Lloyds campaign somewhat contrived, with the couple embracing at the end. "It seems odd that a couple will hug and not kiss in that situation. I can just see the advertiser getting cold feet and deciding ‘Ooh, the same-sex couple can hug, maybe not kiss.’ The Tesco Valentine’s ad, however, feels much more natural." Beware of tokenism There appears to be a consensus that businesses are often scared of failing to appeal to particular audience segments – especially when it comes to minority communities of any kind – because it may mean missing out on securing market share. The overturning of many anti- LGBT+ laws in the Western world has changed things, but the portrayal of LGBT+ people still seems to be a "checkbox" for brands, according to Joe Parker, an ad executive at customer experience agency Biglight. The imperative for the ad industry is to ensure that businesses trying to court new customers are not simply about exploiting "new and emerging markets", but that they really understand the experiences of those people, says Stephen Martincic, chief brand and marketing officer at Ascential, the parent company of the Cannes Lions. "There is a lot of ‘diversity’ talk around the LGBT+ communities, but is that happening to keep up with the times, or to effect actual change and celebrate inclusivity?" he asks. Jonah Disend, founder and chief executive of brand consultancy Redscout, highlights another problem with media representation of LGBT+ people – their frequent portrayal in a heteronormative way. Heteronormativity in media is displayed as a cultural bias in favour of opposite-sex relationships and treats gender as binary – the idea that there is an either/or option of male or female, rather than a spectrum of gender identities. "There is no nuance or insight in how we are portrayed sometimes – it just feels like casting – oh, look, two men or two women, generally with adorable children," adds Disend. Amelia Priddis, brand strategist at Ogilvy & Mather London and Ogilvy Pride (Ogilvy Group’s LGBT+ and inclusive marketing network), acknowledges the issue and adds how "repulsed" she feels when she sees ads "doing [a] heteronormative gay family, with two perfect men in a perfect setting". However, according to a recent study from Ogilvy Pride (see box, right), as millennials continue to challenge the binary narrative, brands will need to understand these multi-dimensional conversations about gender and sexuality. Ogilvy Pride conducted a historical review of LGBT+ characters on TV, film and in ads that revealed certain trends. Over a decade or two, the character will go from negative representation (the freak homosexual who is murdered), to pro-diversity (cliché) representation (this is the homosexual – they are a homosexual – they do homosexual things); to seamlessly integrated (character happens to be gay). While LGBT+ people continue to be underrepresented in much of the mainstream media, things are slowly changing. The New Normal is ‘No Normal’ Ogilvy Pride conducted qualitative and quantitative research with 18- to 25-year- olds across the UK to gain insight into their understanding of gender. The study covered their attitudes toward gender identity and diversity and their reflection in the media, and included interviews with experts in the field. The study revealed three key findings. 1. Genderqueer discrimination starts with feminine qualities having less value in our society (than masculine qualities) There was consensus from the research audience that masculine qualities were favoured over feminine ones. This is played out with a general acceptance of genderqueer people with an androgynous presentation, but a strong aversion to genderqueer with a more feminine presentation. 2. Young consumers are rejecting norms but craving normality Eighteen- to 25-year-olds do not want to be put in boxes, they reject labels and hence are very open to questioning the current norms of gender and sexuality. ?Both cisgender and non-binary gendered people are open to challenging the binary narrative surrounding gender. Moreover, although several cisgender respondents had somewhat limited exposure to and understanding of genderqueer people, they accepted that there was a gender spectrum and were generally very encouraging of a more gender-neutral society. 3. TV, media and advertising plays a critical role in educating and driving social acceptance of LGBT+ people, which young consumers want to see Although lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are still underrepresented in much of the mainstream media, things are changing. Television is offering primetime audiences the chance to "get to know" lesbian and gay characters in soap operas, drama series and sitcoms. However, there is some way to go in terms of positively representing trans characters, as their stories are often reduced to clichés or focused on satisfying cisgender people’s curiosity about the physical aspects of transitioning. What does this mean for brands? - Be aware of the gendered narrative you script for your brand’s communication to understand the impact of the brand on society ? - Normalise genderqueer people by being inclusive and representative - With more than 45% of consumers under the age of 34 saying they’re more likely to do repeat business with an LGBT+-friendly company, now is the time to embrace the new "no normal". LGBT+ people might be all but invisible on our screens, but when it comes to events such as Pride, a growing number of brands want to get involved. Initiatives around Pride events have become more sophisticated – from Burger King’s "Proud Whopper" and the Rainbow Google Doodle to the W Hotels campaign to launch Jen-nifer Hudson’s I Still Love You video, which depicts a father’s last-minute decision to attend his gay son’s wedding. But how relevant does such activity feel when created solely to chase the "pink pound"? "I hate the idea of the pink pound… If you are selling to me as a gay woman, I resent that, because I am so much more than that. Unless brands really understand how to be more reflective of the society they operate in, this [one-off initiatives around diversity] is all meaningless," Priddis contends. In Martincic’s view, another big problem is the fact that the people who create campaigns featuring LGBT+ people are largely not part of that community themselves, and tend to call on stereotypes when trying to feature it. More depressingly, in the creative industries that should be more welcoming than most, it is not unusual for people to "not be out and proud" in the workplace, according to Daniel Thompson, a partner at Havas Media Group’s new digital division, Connections. He helped set up InterComms, a networking group to provide a forum for raising issues. InterComms’ founder and chair, Ethan Spibey, adds that the forum is currently working to create a charter to support and recognise LGBT+ communities in workplaces that will cut across industries. Brands such as Aviva, Coca-Cola, Walmart, Kellogg and General Mills are often singled out by LGBT+ rights advocacy groups for adopting broader policies on diversity and inclusion. Jan Gooding, Aviva’s global inclusion director and chair of trustees at Stonewall, concludes optimistically: "The fact we are having more conversations about this can only be good news. The battle has not been won, but the world as I see it is more positive than negative." Styles is an influential British activist, Elle UK columnist, and author of the memoir The New Girl: a Trans Girl Tells It Like It Is When I was growing up, there were no conversations happening around trans people, let alone any kind of representation in the media or popular culture; not until Nadia Almada won Big Brother in 2004 and put a face and personality to people’s stereotyped ideas about transsexual people. Not only was this one of the first times this had happened, but the country was celebrating a trans person, which showed a spirit of awareness and tolerance. Since then, small steps have been taken toward trans equality. Growing up in very heteronormative boundaries, I cannot even imagine what the freedom of expression available today must feel like for trans teenagers. I think it would be fair to say that the depiction seems to have changed from covert targeting in print media to explicit imagery of LGBTQ+ characters in mainstream media. However, if you look at a lot of ads targeting LGBTQ+ [people], it seems they are defining these communities through sexuality alone, because sex sells. But we have to realise the many differences and nuances between sexual orientation and gender identity. I’d like to see those identities explored within ads targeting LGBTQ+ communities. I’d like to see a more diverse representation of LGBTQ+ people in mainstream advertising [and] media. Last year, trans activist and model Munroe Bergdorf was featured in a campaign for Uniqlo, but it is the kind of a brand that has always felt inclusive and diverse. I would like to see more trans people put slap-bang on a brand and to be the face of a big brand, but without really shouting about it. [For example], the Magnum celebrity drag queens campaign in 2015 – it was so beautifully done and it did not feel like a brand segmenting a particular type of people, but was instead inspiring and enabling. This year, Unilever-owned Dove included a trans mum in its new #RealMums motherhood campaign. While in India, Procter & Gamble’s recent Vicks campaign – "Touch of care" – advocates for trans rights. The poignant campaign tells the true story of a young Indian orphan adopted by Gauri Sawant, a 37-year-old Mumbai-based transgender woman and social activist.

Director adding non-binary character to Hamlet in Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Play to premiere on July 5 in Saskatoon, Sask. What happens when you take a Shakespearean classic and add a requirement that there are an equal number of men and women in the cast? In Kelli Fox's case, the play Hamlet ended up going through a major transformation. When Fox was tasked with directing this year's performance of Hamlet at Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, she was immediately struck by the male and female power dynamic at play. Whether it's the gender parity in her cast, or the fact that the first table read came at the height of the Me Too movement in which women began speaking up against sexual abuse in Hollywood, Fox isn't sure — but she does know that the complex topics of power and gender bashed her right in the face. "What would happen if some of those men were just women?' Fox leaned into relating the play to modern society, and decided to change the play so that the character of Laertes is a non-binary child within their family. "I thought, 'Well, these gender politics are always there to be dealt with in Hamlet,'" Fox told CBC's Saskatchewan Weekend. "What would happen if some of those men were just women, and what would happen if we could live in a world where this whole gender, non-binary gender conversation we're having in society now, can be a factor?" What has happened, Fox said, is that rather than Laertes' family being led by two males who guide the character Ophelia as though she were "property," their relationships are much more symbiotic. The former masculine roles of power become softer, and the feminine ones more strong. "This feels like an emotional production to me," Fox said. Learning proper terminology crucial An unexpected challenge has popped up, though. "We all had to remind ourselves 10 times a day, everyday, that Laertes' pronoun was 'they', 'their,'" Fox said. "The 'they' thing is something that we're still as a society grappling with, so we had to hold one another to account on that." Perhaps ironically, this play has Hamlet played by a man, which is more traditional than when Fox was playing the role of Hamlet as an actor 14 years ago. However, the new version is far from traditional. Fox says she hopes audience members will find themselves caught up in a fast-moving and unpredictable story. The play premieres on Thursday and runs until Aug. 19. with files from CBC's Saskatchewan Weekend

Diamonds Are Forever Priceless Diamonds are Forever Priceless is a gender based empowerment curriculum that provides a platform to engage the inherited and lived experiences of African American women, girls, and gender expansive youth. It provides a platform for information sharing and healing around these very critical realities. Diamonds are Forever Priceless has been facilitated in schools, secure detention facilities, community based organizations and more. Diamonds Are Forever Priceless Leadership Track After completion of the 16-week Diamonds Are Forever Priceless curriculum, participants are given the opportunity to demonstrate advance through the leadership track to an internship and to become a peer leader/facilitator. We create space for youth to facilitate workshops, often in the classroom settings, but also at local/state/national conferences and spaces (to which some are paid opportunities to present their work). Participants are encouraged to critique the topics relevant to their lived experiences and share their expertise on topics not included in the curriculum as well as creating and facilitating sessions for their peers. With each cohort, we seek input into the curriculum and overall services, therefore making sure we are both relevant and reflective of Black girls and gender-expansive youth. Participants are also given opportunities within the organization to perform select clerical, administrative and research duties to increase their leadership capacity. Diamonds & Pearls Support Group Diamonds & Pearls Support Group is an ongoing, weekly support group for girls and non-binary feminine-centered youth ages 10-13 years. old to build resiliency, self-esteem, and knowledge of healthy behaviors. This is an open forum group based on the Diamonds are Forever Priceless curriculum and the needs of group participants. This group centers the experiences of our participants and offers assistance in transforming adverse experiences building self esteem, resiliency and knowledge of health behaviors. Group activities include journaling, healing arts, and creativity with a focus on gender-based violence prevention. Youth Activator Program Formerly known as our Youth Leadership/Ambassador Program (14-18 year olds all genders) - Our goal is to provide youth leaders with the tools and support they need to act against gender based violence while developing personal leadership skills that will increase social responsibility and create change within their community. Youth engaged in our program will have a safe space to process, develop and practice the skills needed to take their influence as youth leaders to the next level. Valuable Insight Project (V.I.P.) The Valuable Insight Project is a gender inclusive space where youth and young adults (14-24 years old) participate in culturally specific, age appropriate, liberation centered activities and dialogue. Our goal is to identify patriarchal violence, in all its forms, while building on youth & young adult resilience to create a mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally healthy future. Immediate response and support to a Black woman, girl or gender expansive young person who has been harmed or is in danger of being harmed. This includes but is not limited to interventions with immediate family, school environments, interpersonal relationships and through community partnerships conflict resolution. Priceless Incite defines an advocate as a person who acts on behalf of and in support of a person who has been harmed to ensure their interests are represented, they are treated with dignity and their rights are upheld. Advocacy services includes but is not limited to a Priceless Incite staff/volunteer accompanying a survivor to a interview with law enforcement, a sexual assault nurse exam and/or any other appointment where support is needed. Resources & Referrals Priceless Incite provides resource and referral services to Black women, girls and gender expansive youth who are seeking support in the areas of health care, education, child care, housing and other resources that increases their safety and well being. Outreach & Awareness Priceless Incite is available to table resource fairs, educational & social events. Contact us to determine our availability. Community Based Education Priceless Incite provides education in the form of workshops, keynotes, webinars, podcast interviews, etc. on content specific topics related to culturally specific violence prevention and intervention. These topics include but are not limited to: Domestic Violence (Basic, Intermediate & Advanced) Human Trafficking Awareness Teen Dating Violence (Basic, Intermediate & Advanced) Sexual Violence (Basic, Intermediate & Advanced) The Cycle of Shame, Guilt & Blame Healing Centered Leadership Development Creating Healing Environments for Children & Youth

Rhiannon Reilly is Co-Chair of Inspire, the Gender Network at Atos. Here Rhiannon shares how the Radius Network Leadership Programme helped her to elevate her network’s impact and make valuable new connections. When I first became Co-Chair of the Inspire Gender Network one of my priorities was to broaden our reach. I wanted Inspire to be a network for every gender – for men, women and non-binary colleagues too. I joined the Radius Network Leadership Programme to learn how to connect with hard to reach groups and elevate our long-term impact, while also developing my skills as a new Co-Chair. One of the first things I took from the programme was the importance of intersectionality. As a Chair, you naturally focus on your own network’s needs but by engaging with other groups you can maximise impact. EDI should be inclusive, but for some it can feel exclusive. The Radius programme inspired me to reach out to people right across the business. Gender diversity is a huge area and the Umbrella Network aspect of the Radius Network Leadership Programme was especially useful. Our network has many different strands supporting men, women and non-binary colleagues plus issues such as the menopause and fertility. The programme helped me to see that good network leaders need expertise in all of these areas, to make the experience authentic and relatable. After taking part in the programme, I was inspired to do more to support our non-binary colleagues at Atos. Radius prompted me to have an initial conversation and since then our non-binary membership has grown. As a movement, it’s really gaining momentum. I enjoyed the networking aspect of the Radius programme. Understanding where other networks are in terms of their life cycle helped me to consider where we are and to adopt different approaches. In terms of widening my own network, the connections I made were also invaluable. The opportunity to connect with such a wide range of people with an interest in EDI, from so many different industries, is unique. It’s something I haven’t seen anywhere else.

Inclusive Queer Stuff For All The Queer Community. Queer Little Shop is the endeavour of Ren, the writer of that Queer Little Family blog. Ren (They/Them) is a non-binary, bisexual writer and parent from Wales, UK. They want to create stuff for everyone under the Queer umbrella. Aces are valid. Trans women are women. Pan people are note just “woke bisexuals”. Trans men are men. Bisexuals are not transphobic. Nor are they greedy. Gay is not a negative descriptor. Queer has been reclaimed by some but not all. Lesbians are not for entertainment. AFAB Non-Binary people are not women-lite. Include AMAB non-binary people in the conversation. Pride is for everyone. Terf is not a slur. The G is not for Gatekeeping. You are loved.

Limited-Time Benefit: 60 percent Away From Our Personal Social Media Literature In a whopping energy helping their owners pick love, Twitter are screening Spark , videos increase matchmaking application . Right here you inform you how it works. About Sparkle page they describe the notion of this online dating app as “video dating with genial individuals” . http://www.datingreviewer.net/milfaholic-review Among its characteristics, it mentions that there are no open profiles nor could it hire ‘swipes’ to rate different owners , like for example Tinder and various other equivalent software. Also, it will not enable you to dispatch strong messages before need a scheduled appointment and it surely will get complimentary . The app description stresses that kindness is vital to being the main society. Once joining, people should publish what makes all of them a “nice” quote to other people. Feedback, Sparked points out, would be “human examined” before consumers can speed-date. a facebook or myspace representative affirmed Sparked’s presence and labeled as it an “initial experiment ,” as mentioned in reports on the edge . In addition, he noted that currently it is only in a “little beta taste .” You shouldn’t seek someone, fb’s Sparked sees their for everyone Although application never demonstrate community profiles, to join up you truly need to have a facebook or twitter accounts and solution a form. There you might point out if you need to meet people, ladies or non-binary consumers, and if you’re offered to internet dating trans individuals. Graphics: Sparked by way of the Verge . It seems that, the software have two strategies to put the group meetings . On the one hand, it really is presumed the process will produce the couples while using attraction displayed by their unique information: faculties, passion, etc. Continue reading →

A community group is normally run by people who live in your local community and tries to help, support or provide entertainment. Moments Café is a social enterprise where all the profits help to sustain Memory Matters, which provides support for people living with dementia, as well as offering free services in the Dementia Hub upstairs. Motor Neurone Disease (MND) describes a group of diseases that affect the nerves (motor neurones) in the brain and spinal cord that tell your muscles what to do. With MND, messages from these nerves gradually stop reaching the muscles, leading them to weaken, stiffen and waste. Mutley Baptist Church is a large community church with a huge variety of activities running throughout the week, including: Under 5's Playtime, Parents and toddlers, Children's Clubs and youth clubs. Not Alone provides support and advice for transgender and non-binary people in Plymouth. It has been set up to provide a safe place for sharing thoughts and feelings for those who need it. Out Youth are LGBTQ+ youth groups for 11 to 19-year-olds (or up to 25 for those with additional needs) that offer a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and non-binary young people, or young people who may be questioning their sexual or gender identity. P.A.D.S is an informal mental health support group run by adults with mental health issues for adults with mental health issues. It's somewhere where adults with mental health issues can all come together for coffee and a chat. The Plymouth and District Branch of Parkinson's UK has been meeting the needs of local people with Parkinson's and their carers since January 1978. We hold regular activities specifically designed to meet your requirements and have a wealth of knowledge and experience to impart. With us you have the chance to meet other people in your area, get information and take part in the activities on offer. We are a specialist hairdressing service for people with Mental Health Difficulties, Learning Disabilities, Autistic Spectrum Conditions and additional needs, who would not ordinarily feel able to access a mainstream salon. Pembroke Street Estate Management Board manage the Pembroke St Estate in Devonport, Plymouth. The Management Board aims to provide a responsive, efficient housing management service to residents on the Pembroke Street Estate and to offer a wide range of additional services in response to local need.

On the Day of Trans Visibility, the CCFA will fly the Trans Flag out our office window and on our office door in the Young building. That’s because the College doesn’t have enough flagpoles to fly flags for activism. We also encourage you to attend the upcoming conference offered by our colleagues at UVIC: Moving Trans Rights History Forward here: https://www.uvic.ca/mthf2023/index.php “Join community activists, academics, artists, and allies from around the globe for the fifth Moving Trans History Forward conference, among the largest of its kind. Share your voice and your history. Learn from others. Grow together. Make history! The Moving Trans History Forward conferences are not just for scholars, or just for community people. MTHF conferences are a unique blend that create opportunities for cross-fertilization among members of general public; students and faculty; artists; activists; Trans+ people; family members; allies; and service providers. Conferences consider both our history, and the crucial issues which impact us today, and into the future—locally, nationally, and globally.” Please read and consider signing the following petition, which calls for the federal government to grant asylum to transgender and nonbinary people in Canada whose countries have eliminationist laws in their home countries. The petition closes for signatures on May 26, 2023. So far, it has garnered more signatures than any other petition on the Ourcommons.ca website. At the time of this post there were 145,954 signatures. You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sign. Petition to the House of Commons - The world is becoming increasingly hostile to transgender and nonbinary individuals; - Transgender and nonbinary people’s rights to live as themselves are being restricted and removed in many places; - This includes the so-called “Western democracies” which have historically been presumed safe; - The United Kingdom is revising their Equality Act to exclude trans people from its protections; - More than a dozen American states have enacted or are considering legislation eliminating or criminalizing gender-affirming care; and - Canada has prided itself on being an inclusive, tolerant, and welcoming society for everyone regardless of gender identity or gender expression. We, the undersigned, residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to extend to transgender and nonbinary people the right to claim asylum in Canada by reason of eliminationist laws in their home countries, whatever country that may be. As a queer parent of gay and non-binary children, these laws chill me to my core and threaten mine and my children’s lives. Please help in any way you can. #nomorehate #transpeoplearepeople What’s more, among many other important Obligations and Objectives, the Constitution of the CCFA charges us all to: - To promote the health, safety, and well-being of the members - To foster principles of social justice and sustainability in the local and global communities Are you Trans or do you know someone who is? Here are a list of reputable resources to help educate and support you or the trans people in your life. - The Human Rights Campaign, a US based non-profit organization; Transgender Day of Visibility Page - Workplace Pride, an International Platform for LGBTIQ+ Inclusion at Work; Transgender Day of Visibility Page - BC Gov News; Statement on Transgender Day of Visibility - Queer Events (QE) is a Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ organization committed to working towards a strong, inclusive & accessible Queer community; Transgender Day of Visibility Page - The Canadian Centre for Gender + Sexual Diversity is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to promote and protect the civil, political, economic, cultural, and social rights of all people and communities; Transgender Day of Visibility Page. - Victoria Pride Society; Community Events - Victoria Sexual Assault Centre; Information for Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diverse Survivors - FPSE Women & Gender Equity Standing Committee; Resource Guide You can also contact me if you are interested in joining the CCFA Sponsored, Camosun College Committee for Women and Gender Equity, who, in conjunction with our Library Faculty & Staff, bring you events like the Red Dress Interactive Art Installation during the 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence. But we need YOUR ideas and help to do more! Lynelle Yutani (she/they) President, Camosun College Faculty Association Lynelle is a queer, leftist rabble-rouser galvanized to guard the rights of union members and is on a crusade to convince you that you get out of your Union what you put into it. Lynelle serves on a number of Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE) Committees and FPSE affiliate committees in CAUT, the BC Fed, and the Canadian Labour Congress. Lynelle also serves as V.P. of her Strata Council & oversees a rooftop community garden which partners with Harvest & Share Food Aid Society to grow fresh produce for local foodbanks and community food security programs. Send Us YOUR Content for the Confluence Blog!

Written by Tom | 5th June 2020 Avalokiteshvara is a familiar figure for Buddhists. Considered to be the bodhisattva of compassion, they are said to provide help and assistance to those who pray to them. But over the years, Avalokiteshvara has shifted in form and gender, so much so that they’ve become a symbol for the modern day trans movement and a vessel for a proto-trans narrative. To find out more, we asked Asian Art expert Wim van Stormbroek to help unpack this enigmatic icon. Avalokiteshvara, known as the Lord of Compassion, is one of the most revered Buddhist icons. Scores of temples, from China to Korea, have been dedicated to the bodhisattva and Avalokiteshvara often takes on other forms depending on the country. In China, Avalokiteshvara is known as the female goddess Guanyin which means ‘the Goddess of Mercy’, while in Tibet, they take on the male form of Chenrezig. This gender-shifting capacity has led the buddha to become something of a masthead for the modern day trans movement (those with a gender differing from the sex they were assigned at birth) and non-binary individuals (those who neither identify as exclusively male or female), who see a part of themselves reflected in Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara has evolved in tandem with Buddhism. “Avalokiteshvara is perceived as female in China and a few neighbouring countries but not by the majority of the Buddhist world”, explains Wim. “In order to fully understand the transformation, you need to first know about Avalokiteshevara’s Buddhist origins”. Avalokiteshvara is often shown with 1000 arms so they can help the many Buddhism first emerged in India, during the 5th century BCE, centuries before new strands of Buddhism surfaced in China. “The thoughts and philosophies of Buddhists diversified upon its arrival in China,” explains Wim. This was when Avalokiteshvera appeared in the form of Guanyin. “The close relationship between the devotees and icons of Guanyin revealed in some early miracle (a tale of a Buddha’s supernatural feats) was probably the main reason the historical figure [of Avalokiteshvara] started to morph into a female goddess”, he continues. “While most early miracle tales refer to Guanyin as a monk appearing in the dreams or visions of the devotee, the bodhisattva gradually appeared as either a “person in white” (baiyiren白衣人), indicating perhaps his lay status, or “woman in white” (baiyifuren 白衣婦人), indicating her female gender. There is clearly a relationship between the changing forms of the bodhisattva appearing in the devotees’ visions and dreams and the development of new iconographic representations”. Guanyin is the Chinese goddess of compassion Art was a major and effective medium through which Chinese people came to know Guanyin. “It was art that most clearly documents the bodhisattva’s gradual, yet undeniable gender transformation”, says Wim. “Buddhist scriptures always present the bodhisattva as either masculine or asexual, however, the deity underwent a profound and startling transformation beginning sometime during the 10th century. By the 16th century, Guanyin had become not only completely Chinese but also the most beloved “Goddess of Mercy”. Academia is rife with speculations as to why the Bodhisattva defied gender (cultural norms such as the perception of compassion as a feminine quality is one example) but contemporary critical lenses have focused on the lack of attention given to the gender transitions by followers of the faith. “[The transition] was something which happened organically through history”, explains Wim. “It is only in our times that people have started to discuss this”. In Japan, Avalokiteshvara is known as Kannon – dubbed the goddess of mercy That gender is performative, something evolving rather than a structure that binds our identity, is arguably one of the many tenets of Buddhism. “It’s good to keep in mind that within Buddhism, people believe in reincarnation within the context of a bodhisattva possibly being male or female. Not long ago, the Dalai Lama – who is a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara – stated that the next Dalai Lama could possibly be a woman, saying that if a woman reveals herself as more useful, the Lama could very well be reincarnated in this form”. In fact, the focus has always been on the Buddha’s compassion, so much so that Avalokiteshvara is often cited as a queer Asian Christ in interfaith dialogues, due to their sacrificial tendencies to postpone their own ascension into heaven in order to help others. With the amplifying of trans voices, it makes sense that ancient figures such as the Bodhisattva are being recast. For non-binary individuals, Avalokiteshvara can be read as a symbol of comfort, proving that it’s possible to move beyond one identity and cope in a world that often requires people to take on gender roles. For religious individuals who identify as trans, the Bodhisattva is read in certain circles as a reaffirmation of the illusion of gender in religion – that transcending gender can be one part of a process to reach Nirvana or heaven and that the body is but a burden, unbound by spirituality. Avalokiteshvara's name translates to 'the one who hears the cries of the world' But a more poetic interpretation of the Bodhisattva is the one linked to its very name; a literal translation being ‘the perceiver of sounds’ or ‘one who hears the cries of the world’. This is a figure who delays their own entry to heaven, in order to help others. For trans and non-binary people everywhere, acknowledging differences in each other and helping foster respect and understanding in a world that often doesn’t show that in return, is an experience lived by many. The Bodhisattva then serves as an appropriate figure for trans people, to remind us all to live compassionately. Wim notes, however, that as with any religious symbol and especially one held in such regard, we should always be conscious of appropriation. “It is important to be mindful when considering the fluidity of the Bodhisattva and placing it in the transgender context, as this is mainly a Western interpretation of an Eastern idol”. Still, there are few visible trans icons in history and even fewer so revered as Avalokiteshvara. Being able to see a part of yourself reflected in the past is as important as seeing that lived out in the present. And Avalokiteshvara in many ways, has served as a mirror for trans individuals, legitimising their feelings and place – not just in the world, but in history. You might also like: At Catawiki, you’ll be surprised every week with the impressive selection of special objects we have on offer. Create your free account today and explore our weekly auctions curated by our team of experts.Create account

Lauren Tam took the Learning to Lead™ program when we had to move our programming online because of COVID-19. “I learned so much, strictly through Zoom, which says volumes about the program.”, says Lauren. This young leader has shown immense growth since completing the program, and is now inspiring other girls to become confident leaders. We talked to Lauren, here’s what she had to say 👇🏽 What does being a leader mean to you? A leader grows people. The value of leadership stems from whether you can develop your team, not your project. Developing the creators can produce a hundred more projects, but only developing the project leaves you with one. The best leadership is not about creating followers but about creating other leaders. Ideas and skills aren’t worthy if they can’t be shared and appreciated by others. I’m so proud of the girls I’ve quietly guided to be leaders. I get to watch my club vice president take charge with assurance and confidence. I get to admire my younger coordinator partner supporting our mentors with kindness and care. I’ve gotten to grow myself while guiding others to do the same. This is the type of leader I aspire to be: well-spoken, attentive, and kind. Were there any leadership experiences that stood out, or inspired you, during the past year? What were they, and why were they meaningful for you? I am one of two workshop coordinators for the Vancouver School Board Sustainability Conference (VSBSC). VSBSC is a youth-run event consisting of various workshops, speakers, and mentor sessions to promote sustainability innovation and awareness. Each year, we partner with different NGOs and organizations around BC to expand the reach of educational opportunities for high school students. A big part of my job is creating, planning, and hosting online events and a full-day in-person conference that will (hopefully) be hosted in April. I’m constantly communicating, emailing, and writing up documents. Along with that, I am networking and sourcing workshop speakers and facilitators. It is a very hands-on and fast-paced position. I’m so grateful to work alongside my coordinator partner. We work together with a cohesive vision and constant communication; there’s not much more I could ask for. This role has enlightened me without a doubt. I’ve learned about creating, organizing, and leading for a large audience. It is fascinating to see the impact the team makes under VSBSC. The feedback we’re given pushes me to work even harder for our attendees. I’m eagerly looking forward to the preparation of our April conference. Are there any leadership events or opportunities that you’re especially excited about? Yes, absolutely. I’m in the Mini program at my school, and within it, there is a Youth Leadership Development Program. I am excited and honoured to be the leading student member in its development. In collaboration with teachers, parents, and now students, we are trying to elevate the program with student voices involved. From my side, I’m emphasizing “operational definitions”. I want to implement a common, universal language among students and adults alike. I hope to bring everyone’s familiarity to an equal level, therefore, being able to learn and guide under the same understandings. These terms and a Mini-wide survey are my first big projects. In less than five months, I’ll be graduating from high school. This is my way of giving back to the community and leaving behind something that could benefit students years later. I want to do as much as I can while I’m still here. What would you say to other girls who are considering joining Learning to Lead, or another one of Minerva’s youth programs? I feel that the timing of Minerva’s programs has catered to my needs. I learned so much, strictly through Zoom, which says volumes about the program. While participating in Learning to Lead™, I felt immediately welcomed by Ashley, the Youth Programs Manager. She built a safe place where ideas and stories could be shared openly from the first day and throughout. I recognize my growth since my time in Learning to Lead. I remember how nerve-wracking it was to go near the unmute button. I was afraid I would cut someone off or answer the questions at the wrong time. Now, I may get nervous from time to time, but I am less anxious and more eager to share my thoughts. I say go for it. No matter what you want to pursue, leadership will always be present, in one form or another. Please take this opportunity to make your dreams into your goals. I would love for girls and non-binary individuals to experience this program in person. There is something to learn from every person there. The most apparent form of leadership is of people, but that doesn’t negate the importance of leading a single person. Leaders don’t require a specific personality. Therefore, everyone can become a great one. Is there a word, or a quote, that’s guiding you this year? The word would be growth. It’s my favorite one so far; it encompasses so much. It acknowledges that there is a process, and that there is always room for improvement. But it also recognizes where you’ve come from and how much you’ve achieved. Physically, you can see the difference as you grow, so it shouldn’t be too different for your head. I think it’s so special when it comes to your mind’s growth. It’s almost like a superpower you’ll reveal to people through your output and energy. It is empowering to see how a certain mindset changes everything. As for the quote, it comes from a TV show that was quite inspiring to me. It says, “Don’t let the opinions of others become your reality”. I’m most proud of the moment I began caring a little less about what others think of me and a little more about what I think of me. I’ve spent so much energy on how people respond to what I’m doing or how I’m acting. That energy could have had so much more purpose. A huge thing in all of this is self-love. You have to be ok with the person you are, since you’re the only person you’ll be with forever. While you’re here, you should make your headspace a good place to be. Encourage yourself, keep yourself happy and love yourself. It’s a goal of a lifetime, but I know it will be the most rewarding in the end. Applications are now open for the Learning to Lead™ Spring 2022 Cohort. We are offering the interactive, virtual program, in a 4-week (1 session/week) format. Participants will attend 2-hour Zoom sessions once a week for 4 weeks. 50 self-identified girls (in Grades 10-12) will be selected to attend each 4-week program (200 in total). Indigenous youth are encouraged to apply. Acceptances are made on a rolling basis, so get your application in early to SAVE YOUR SPOT! There is no cost to participants of the Learning to Lead™ program, thanks to the support of our generous donors.

By Jocelyn Kronoveter and Gabriel Wiest– Voting for the Student Government Association election began Feb. 18 and ends Feb. 20. The candidates for the top four spots spoke at a Feb. 13 forum at the Chao Auditorium. The Cardinal gathered these quotes from the 2019-2020 candidates. Dion Copeland is a sophomore Education major. “I’m proud to be one of the presidential candidates for this years campaign. I am the college of education and human development president, an SOSer and Vice President of Shades,” an LGTBQ organization. “I have a lot of experience working with many different students from diverse populations and various backgrounds and I appreciate all the of motivation and support in my campaign to become president.” Jordan McGinty is a freshman Criminal Justice and Political Science major. “One of my goals is to increase campus security and having more guards on campus,” he said. McGinty said he wants more security cameras and better lighting on campus. He would also strengthen mental health support by providing more counselors to cut down on wait times. “I would like to have weekly meetings with President Neeli depending on what issues we’re focusing on. I plan on getting more involvement at sporting events and getting more people involved at RSOs and Greek life,” he said. “The more people are involved the more likely they are to wear a campus shirt and be a proud cardinal” Jasper Noble is a junior Political Science and History major. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration at all to say the university is emerging from a crisis, and I think the passion and vigor in which we have emerged from this crisis is exceptional,” Noble said. “The leadership that we have now is trying to make serious positive change on this campus and is doing a great job, but the only way they will actually continue and follow through with all the promises that they’ve made is if we have representation that understands what all the students need and how we can make campus work for everyone.” Executive Vice President Candidates Kayla Payne is a sophomore Political Science major. “I believe this position suits me the best because I am wholeheartedly invested in supporting students through diversity initiatives, through platforms that have any number of ideas that have to do with things such as access to mental health resources, access to affordability and issues such as dining and housing. Diversity is a really big part of my platform, but I am an advocate for all students,” she said. “The issue is that students of color are not represented on campus, I can’t preach or point that out enough, it is a very difficult conversation to have. It has to do with how we are incorporating them at the beginning, we need to give them more resources so that they know what they can get involved in.” Curtis McCoy is a junior Physical Education and Health major McCoy did not speak at the SGA debate and has no responded to Cardinal emails for comment. Academic Vice President Candidates Sabrina Collins is a sophomore, Arts and Sciences major “Marginalized students on campus don’t feel comfortable in the classroom, and if you don’t feel comfortable that is going to hinder the way you learn. For example, gender language in syllabi makes trans students and non-binary students feel very uncomfortable learning in the classroom because it is clear to them that the professor isn’t creating the course with them in mind,” Collins said. “Students have come to me with issues, and I sit down with them and talk about ‘okay, what can we do to solve this problem?’ “ Cash Collins, Law Student “I’ve seen U of L and SGA achieve great things, but there is still progress to be made. Now that state funding is tied to academic success, U of L must do more, we must invest in online classes, we must invest in diversity initiatives, we must invest in classroom infrastructure,” Collins said. “Retention is notoriously difficult problem, there is no easy answer. Rather, it takes a multilateral approach to tackle it. Students succeed when we are excited and proud to be in a classroom, we succeed when we have all the information, we succeed when we feel like we belong.” Jensen Smith is a sophomore Biology and Chemistry major “I want to get students more involved and more comfortable in the classroom setting that they’re in. Another issue that I want to try and start up is I want to increase the intersectionality of the academic programs,” Smith said. Zach Pennington is a sophomore History and Political Science major. Pennington says he wants more courses to count towards cardinal core requirements. “I agree with the other candidates, retention is a huge issue, especially with at-risk populations. I cannot speak for the thousands of other students and know what is going through their head, so reaching out for students in those groups and asking them ‘hey, what would help you stay at the University of Louisville? How can we bring you more into this community that we have?’” Molly Baldock is a sophomore Political Science and Finance major. “Retention is one of the biggest issues that the vice president deals with, our numbers are down and we need to figure out why,” she said. “As a finance major and being in the College of Business I believe I am specifically able to tackle this, looking at the numbers and seeing which groups are falling behind and which groups are coming back; looking at minority students and seeing how that applies and looking at ‘at-risk’ students and so I really think that it takes an analysis and looking at the numbers and deciding what is best to do from there.” Services Vice President Candidates Will Baird is a sophomore Accounting major. “Services is such a broad and fantastic vice presidency to run for, I think that the effectiveness that vice presidency can have on a single year term is much more than the academic vice president, which is why I chose to run,” Baird said. “The current SVP has done a lot to increase funding towards ULPD and so on sight at all affiliated properties now there will be a ULPD presence 24/7, which I think is super awesome and is something that I would continue to support,” he said. “I am advocating for changes in the rave guardian system just because it is kind of difficult to get a full picture of all the crime that happens because rave guardian alerts are simply for active crime.” He suggested an app with a map of where crimes have taken place within the last 24 hours. Lydia Burns is a junior Math and Political science major. “So we have a really great relationship between ULPD and UMPD, the campus has started to do some projects where those organizations are partnering up together which I think is really exciting and should continue to happen to increase the amount of police that are on campus especially during the night time. I think we need to do a better job at lighting areas near residence halls, such as Brandeis Avenue to Fourth Street where community parks are because that’s where a lot of the robberies are happening.” She said expanding the lighting along the L-trail will create a safer environment for students. Matthew Woodward is a sophomore Education major “I want to take all aspects of the student body services and set tangible goals that we can see, I want to make it something more specific that I am able to work with the administration on,” he said. “Being an education major, my focus is on learning. As students, how can we focus in the classroom when the services around us are not functioning properly? What I want to do with my experience so far is to is increase the transparency, efficiency, and advocacy in SGA and focus on those main aspects of what services is all about.” Photos by David Mucker and Gabriel Wiest / The Louisville Cardinal

Fredericton, NB, may not be the biggest music hub in Canada, but it’s home to the noisy, mind-melting art rock group Motherhood. They’re gearing up for a string of fall shows, and the Ottawa date features a stacked lineup on November 8th at Pressed along with Winnipeg’s Tunic and locals Warp Lines (members of The Yips, Big Dick, Tropical Dripps, Million Dollar Marxists, Van Johnson). While the distances between stops are long, Motherhood is no stranger to the road. “The last 14 months have seen us across the country twice, and to Ontario and Quebec like 6 times (plus a heapload of NB shows),” explains multi-instrumentalist Penelope Stevens. “We recorded a full-length album, did a couple cool collaborations, and purchased a new tour vehicle. Needless to say, we’re pretty excited to take a couple months to relax (relax = finish our album, write a new album, and play locally…). We don’t like to risk touring in the winter months, but as soon as the snow melts we’ll be back at it.” This is not Motherhood’s first time in Ottawa, as they’ve had the chance to play at Ottawa Explosion Weekend this past year and a handfull other venues in the past. They have warmed up to the city somewhat—minus a couple bumps along the way. “Ottawa, interestingly enough, is the only city where we’ve ever had our van vandalized—twice actually!” Stevens admits. “But that hasn’t stopped us from really loving the Ottawa scene. One of our first shows was at Mugshots (RIP), and even though we didn’t really know anyone in town, a nice crew of people came out and supported us.” “We’ve always found there to be a lot of sick bands to play with (Mushy Gushy, The Yips, Pippa, and more) and the venues are cool. House of Targ was always #1 on my bucket list of venues to play in Canada, and last year my dreams came true! It was as cool as I wanted it to be. The folks in Ottawa Explosion, Debaser, and booking Pressed are good folks, and we really admire the work people put into their scene. Ottawa seems a lot like Fredericton, close knit and supportive, and decidedly “other.” 2017 has shaped up to be a big year for Motherhood, with the band getting into festivals such as Sled Island, CMW, Ottawa Explosion, and Lawnya Vawnya. Even more, they’ve been exporting their irresistibly fuzzy, dissonant sound to small stages across the country. The band members are enjoying their road-heavy schedule. “A lot of New Brunswickers move on to larger cities, so we get to catch up with some of our closest friends on the road. We bring gifts from folks at home and get to bring news about how everyone’s doing. We’re glorified carrier pigeons. Plus, we usually bring a road pal with us, and they keep things fresh. This time we have our bud Noah, who’s never been on tour before. His excitement will keep the posi vibes alive on the long drives!” Their tracks “Guano” and “Yarn-Barred” were featured on the Greville Tapes Music Club, vol. 1, and their cover of Construction & Destruction’s song “The Oracle” appeared on volume 2 of the Pentagon Black compilation. With two LPs, an EP, and a split under their belts, Motherhood is on the verge of entering the studio once again to record another full-length for release in winter 2017-18. “We write collaboratively in our studio, so the music comes from pretty much anywhere,” says Stevens. “Sometimes Brydon will bring in some lyrics or one of us will have a riff, but a lot of it is just hammered out through long jams, then we chop it up and forget 95% of it. The stuff that sticks is the stuff worth keeping. We’re composers, yes, but I think our talents actually lie in our editing. We don’t have any particular goals when writing, we just set a timeline—we’ll write for 3-6 months, then record when the time runs out. I guess it’s pretty weird, but it works for us!” Be sure to catch Motherhood along with Winnipeg’s Tunic and Ottawa’s Warp Lines at Pressed on Wednesday, November 8th. $10 at the door, 8 pm. All ages, licensed 19+ show. It’s been a little over a year since Toronto’s Weaves released their debut LP on Buzz Records, rapidly becoming a household name in the Canadian independent music landscape. They have been quick to garner international praise for their brand of unconventional guitar pop with not-so-subtle hints of improvisation. The self-titled effort was largely, considered a great success by music publications far and wide. Their album also scored them a short list nomination for the Polaris Music Prize this year, which they performed at a few weeks back after a year of relentless touring. Let’s just say that this is one band you can’t miss seeing live. Weaves isn’t kicking back just yet. They have just released their second LP called Wide Open, and are out to prove that there is no obstacle too big for them to scale. Their answer to the challenge of following up a hugely successful debut is to keep creating, and continue to push boundaries wherever possible.Wide Open bounces from calm to chaotic, and pulls listeners in every direction. Early listens from publications like Stereogum indicate that Wide Open will surpass expectations, and even critically out-do their debut. I chatted with founding member of Weaves, Morgan Waters, about their success, their approach to following up their first album, and new steps they’ve taken as a band. Weaves seems to tread a line between people’s comfort zones. Is keeping listeners on their toes something that comes naturally to the band? I think with any art you don’t want to be boring. And with us it’s always a mix, we don’t really plan anything out. It’s about showing all the influences crashing up against each other. We want to surprise the listeners, and surprise ourselves. The mix of the artistic and the pop gets thrown into the blender where there’s no genres or anything like that. It’s all fodder for something new. In what ways did the road and your experiences after the debut release influence songwriting on the new LP Wide Open? Jasmyn starts everything and it all seems to come from her initial spark. She doesn’t really write anything down, she kind of ruminates about things for a while without telling any of us. It seems to come out of her when she goes to the rehearsal space by herself, recording, looping, figuring things out, and from there it all comes out pretty fast. When she’s in that mode, it’s a quick and fertile ‘brain’ thing going on with her. Then we hear the demos she comes up with and we work on it from there, but within 20 minutes of writing a song the lyrics are all usually there and never change. You and Jasmyn have an obvious chemistry together in the band. In what ways do you compliment each other as artists? I think Jasmyn is more impulsive and emotional, and I’m more of an editor. I help present her initial ideas in a way that elevates them. That mix of impulsiveness and my revising or editorial skills kind of complete each other. She loses interest quickly and I never stop obsessing, so we temper each other in that way. A lot of the time I’m sort of translating her ideas, where I’ll sit there and say what I think will work for whichever project we’re focusing on. I’m very happy to work that way and cycling through the ideas, I have an endless amount of patience. I’ll work hard to try to find the “thing” that clicks for both of us. Many of us were really excited to see that a collaboration with Tanya Tagaq was included on Wide Open, and the Polaris gala performance of Scream was incredible. How did the partnership come to fruition? We met Tanya at Iceland Airwaves, on the airplane ride over there. Spencer and Zack kind of knew a few of her band members, and we sort of hit it off the whole weekend. We went to her show, and ever since then we always sort of thought that it would be really great to work with her on something since she takes a very improvisational approach to her music as well, which we’re into. It’s all about capturing a moment, and “Scream” seemed like the perfect song to collaborate with her on. There is a distinct visual element to Weaves, in things like music videos and album art. What role does visual art and aesthetic play for the band? It’s a major consideration, but it’s also something that just happens. Similar to our music, we like to leave our videos kind of open so that we can improvise on the day-of. On “Scream” we had a white room studio and a good DP (Director of Photography), so Jasmyn and Tanya were able to move around the space freely. It’s personal expression first, and then concept or theoretical parts are secondary. It’s really about freedom of expression, and that factors into our videos. We shoot stuff and see what happens. Weaves was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize this past year, and there were a lot of incredible artists in the running. What do you think Lido Pimienta’s recent win means for Canadian music? The best part was that we were given the opportunity to perform live, since playing on stage is where I think we can really stand out. So performing on stage with people like Feist and Lido was a way for us to really show what we’re all about. To us, that was much more important that any sort of competition or win in our books. The concept of “winning” in art is weird. So just the fact that we got to play, and play a new song “Scream” with Tanya was the biggest part for us, really exciting. I think with Lido’s win, I don’t know if it shows what direction Canadian music is going… I’m not really sure how the voting works and all that. It’s so great that a DIY artist like her can win something like that, and I think that will become the norm as labels keep shutting down and people keep doing things themselves. There are no major label budgets and funding isn’t always there, so artists need to be able to do it themselves. Lido winning shows that you don’t need all that other crap, it’s about the music. It’s about what you have to say. You don’t really need teams if you have the work ethic. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—one of the most rewarding parts of this job is discovering new artists making music in town. That is certainly the case with the young and aspiring singer-songwriter named Christine Jakel, who I crossed paths with at Bar Robo last year when she played with her other project, Grace Note. Her talents are immediately impactful, and draw listeners in like a tractor beam through the headphones or on stage. As someone with a degree in classical voice from the University of Ottawa and lifelong piano training at the Royal Conservatory of Music, Christine’s kind and modest demeanour struck me as endearing given the sheer level of skill and experience contained within her. Thus, I took a mental note and made sure to keep an eye on her music-related ventures. Fast forward a year or so, and Jakel announces that she’s releasing a solo EP called Satellite Moons, once again at Bar Robo, on September 30. It came as no surprise, and it seemed to only be a matter of time before she explored her solo songwriting in a formal studio setting. While I’ve only heard a couple songs off of the upcoming EP, my initial impression is that she has a musical “sense” about her that is well beyond her years. The songs weave between genres and influences, as certain polarizing elements of jazz and folk are somehow drawn together and melded with one another in her songs. Her vocal prowess is put on full display, as Jakel seamlessly reaches the highs and lows of her octave—and everything in between—with laser-sharp precision. The rest of Satellite Moons is sure to contain more treats for us to hear. In the years to come, Ottawa should prepare itself for Jakel’s inclusion into a group of local women such as Kathleen Edwards, Catriona Sturton, and Lynne Hanson, just to name a few, who have consistently shown that they are a force to be reckoned with in the Ottawa valley and beyond. I caught up with Jakel this week in advance of the Satellite Moons EP Release, which takes place at Bar Robo on Saturday, September 30th at 8 pm. She will be joined by Mike Giamberardino (drums), Szymon Szańczuk (bass), Dean Watson (electric guitar), and Charlotte Esme Frank (harmonies) on stage, along with opening acts Grace Marr and David daCosta. Tickets are $13, and include a download code for the album. Find more information here. Interview with Christine Jakel Can you talk a bit about how has music been a part of your life growing up? Both my parents took it upon themselves to expose me to music growing up. My dad has been obsessed with jazz ever since I can remember and used to play jazz guitar in his spare time. There are some artists whose CD’s are deeply ingrained into my system from having listened to them so often: George Benson, Chet Baker, Diana Krall, Miles Davis and Oscar Peterson, to name a few. I’ve probably heard Autumn leaves thousands of times because my dad used to practice it relentlessly. He was also the one who introduced me to Joni Mitchell, now my main source of inspiration for songwriting. Her song Big Yellow Taxi was the reason I started playing guitar. Wondering Where the Lions are by Bruce Cockburn was the next song I learned. He was another artist that I heard a lot of growing up because of my dad. My mom was the one who made sure I was taking classical piano lessons starting at a young age and shortly after we moved to Ottawa, she enrolled me in an arts high school (De La Salle) where I chose the voice program and subsequently became actively involved in its various vocal ensembles, while being trained as both chorist and a soloist. You explore many sounds and themes in your music. What is most important aspect you focus on when composing a song? For me songwriting always begins with lyrics and melody. The song craft and the overall message of the song are as important to me as the music itself. This is also what I listen for in other artists’ music. I find that I am most drawn to songs that are cleverly thought out but also genuine and direct. This is what I aim for when composing my songs. Overall atmosphere, chords and instrumental riffs come are there to enhance those elements. What was the Shot in the Dark experience like for you? Can you describe it for those who may not know? It felt great to be a part of something that I knew was contributing to the local music scene in a positive way. Not only did I get one of my own songs recorded and filmed for the first time, but I had the chance to hear and meet so many talented local artists that I never would have discovered otherwise. In a way it acted as a spring board for me as a newly emerging musician because it led to more opportunities for shows and collaborations. The performance itself was unlike anything I have ever done before and I don’t think it’s one I’ll be forgetting anytime soon. When I came on, Dean made the call to remove all amplification and to bring the audience close in around me, so there was zero background noise and I could feel everyone watching and listening to me intently. It was terrifying in the best way (I don’t think I’ve ever felt so exposed), and I couldn’t be happier with the result! (video available below) What reaction or emotion do you hope to evoke from those listening to the new EP, Satellite Moons, for the first time? I hope that anyone listening finds something they can relate to in my songs and feel moved or inspired by even if it’s just in a small way. I also hope to send an empowering message to other women out there who may feel intimidated or out of place taking up space or making themselves heard in the music scene. From what I’ve seen, the industry could really use more female representation. Knowing this reality is partly what fuels my work. Furthermore, I would love for people to perceive the depth in my songs and to hear beyond something that’s “cute” or “pretty.” Those are two words that I’ve been called my whole life, that bother me when they are used in a belittling way (whether intentionally or not), and that I’d like to break free from at least in the context of my music. This is why I’ve made sure to include some angry songs on the record. Do you have a memorable concert experience that you can recount that perhaps influenced your music? This past March I had the opportunity of seeing The Staves play live at the Bronson Centre. I was floored by how polished their performance was and by the wide range of soundscapes they managed to create using their voices and various instrumental skills. What I particularly like about them is that they stray from the traditional lead-singer vs. band setup. Each member plays an equal part in the singing and the balance between their voices shifts from one song from the next in fascinating ways. Their sound is very much contingent upon them gelling as a team. For me, the experience of hearing them opened doors to new realms of possibility when arranging music, which made me want to go home and write songs immediately. Is there one venue or city that is on your bucket list to play? Why? I am open to the possibilities of where my music might take me. Playing music is what makes me happy. Whether it’s in a noisy bar or the NAC or at an intimate gathering, I am grateful for any opportunity to share my work, the more unexpected the better! Short term, however, I do currently have my sights set on Megaphono. I have so many good memories from attending the festival as an audience member and it seems like something I’d like to experience and be a part of, hopefully as a performer this year. What’s the next step for you musically? In the next year I am hoping to gain regular instruction at guitar and to lock in a few more hours of practice per week than I usually do. Everything I know so far, I taught myself, besides the odd trick I picked up from my dad and my uncle, and there is so much I have yet to learn about the instrument. This would give me a whole lot more to work with when writing songs, which I intend to continue doing as much as possible. My goal is to have enough songs written by next summer to be able to start on an album. I already have a few on the go. Over the past few years, Partner has taken the Canadian music scene by storm. Their sound is bold and unwavering, meeting at the unsuspecting intersection of classic rock riffs and 90’s grunge. Consisting of BFF’s Lucy Niles and Josée Caron, Partner is breaking down barriers and paving their own path. One show after the other, they satisfy exuberant and voracious crowds with power moves, electrifying riffs, and unimaginably catchy hooks that reel you in forever. Coming off the release of their brand new record In Search of Lost Time (You’ve Changed Records), I had a great chat with Lucy and Josée which you can read below. Partner is playing Beau’s Oktoberfest in Van Kleek Hill this Saturday, be sure to catch their high-energy set at 4:30 pm on the Main Stage. More info here. Interview with Partner You’re playing Beau’s Oktoberfest this weekend? Have you ever been to an Oktoberfest before? Lucy: We’ve never been to one before, but apparently it’s a really fun time with lots of schnitzel. Yeah, I mean hopefully we’re around there long enough to check some cool stuff out. I’d love to catch the Planet Smashers for nostalgia purposes. Also, our friends Julie and the Wrong Guys. Them for sure, and we’ll get stoked the day-of and hopefully catch more. Your new album In Search of Lost Time was recently featured on Pitchfork. Do you take album reviews to heart? Lucy: We usually only take them seriously if they’re favourable. Because if they’re not, then we’re like “Welp, some people have a bad sense of humour.” Sometimes we’re sad when people don’t get it, but then we get over it. Josée: Most people have been super, super nice. Lucy: Some people say the skits aren’t funny, but that’s the most negative thing they say. They just don’t get it! You’re live show is full of energy, and people seem to go nuts when they see you play. How much do you feed off of that? Lucy: It feels great. We love attention. It’s feels so good when that many people are paying attention. We feel very powerful. It’s just so fun, everyone’s partying together. We get into crowd and intermingle with everyone. Do you have any go-to moves on stage? Lucy: Josée has a little step that she gets on. Sometimes I’ll do the splits by accident. I have a new one where I just spin around in circles a bunch. They usually come naturally and then we just keep using them, and keep them in our toolbox. I saw you had some family come to the SappyFest show. Do your folks like coming to see you play? Lucy: I think Josée’s parents have seen us like six times this year. My parents live in Labrador so they don’t see us as much, but they all go to every show whenever they can. They’re pretty much super-stoked, always. You’re based in Windsor at the moment. How much time have you spent there? Lucy: We’ve been here for about a year. There’s a few cool things here, like the guy that rides backwards on his bike. There are a lot of sights to see for sure. There’s a gay bar that I recently went to with a secret patio. Josée: Detroit. It’s right there. Lucy: Oh yeah, that too. And there’s a billion antique stores. There are a lot of Neverending Story-type antique stores that probably have some magic talismans inside them, you know? Josée: When we’re rich we’re going to move to the bigger city. Lucy: Yeah, like even a closet costs $800 in Toronto, it’s crazy! I mean, we probably would live in a closet if we had that much money, but you know. You have a connection to Sackville, NB, and SappyFest. Do you have any specific memories of the festival? Lucy: There’s always like 100 things going on at once. You’re never going to get to experience everything, you just have to go with the flow. Multiple cool shows, and multiple cool groups of people doing different things. Just go where the wind takes you, that’s the best advice. As for specific memories, I don’t know, we have so many. Josée: There was that year you broke your glasses… Lucy: Oh yeah, that was a horrible memory of Sappy. I went crowdsurfing and broke my glasses. I couldn’t see, but it was a miracle because people helped me out and guided me around because I couldn’t see. We’ve been to every Sappy since Sappy 5, and it’s just consistently awesome. But yeah, it’s a such a neat vibe being there and that’s why people keep coming back. Those who have been there know what I’m talking about. What does it feel like to get the new songs out into the world? They must have been brewing for a long time. Josée: It’s great to have them all out now, and it’s kind of a weight off and on our shoulders. Now we can move on, a lot of these songs are so old. Lucy: For us, it feels like we’ve beaten these songs to death in our minds! Josée: It really does kind of feel like we’re presenting something that was written three years in the past, so it’s exciting to move forward. We didn’t want to sit on the songs that long, but it really was just how long it took to make the thing. Once The Ellen Page and Hot Knives came out as singles, we had those for a while but they weren’t exactly what we wanted for the whole album so we had to gather our resources, apply for grants, figure out a label, recording, all that. And since we didn’t have a whole lot of time for pre-production, lots of work happened after the studio, which when mixed with touring, was a lot of logistical stuff to consider. What’s your next step as a band? Josée: Just keep writing! Lucy: Yeah, just gotta keep writing. We have a couple new tunes for our next album already. Lot’s of touring too, we have some good shit lined up for the fall and new year. We’ve playing quite a few shows in the States, too, because the mid-west is pretty close to where we are. And New England, too. Do you find touring in the US different? Particularly given the political climate? Lucy: I mean, it does feel different, but people are always super cool punks just trying to have a good time. They just have a shittier go because they don’t have stuff like health care available, and it’s a more precarious existence. But yeah, everywhere you go it’s the same thing, people helping other people put on shows and have fun with it. We’ve stayed with awesome people everywhere we’ve been, so I guess we’re not so different after all. I think I saw Lucy walk by and cheer at Sappy Karaoke while my girlfriend was belting out Shania Twain. Are you big fans? Lucy: I don’t remember the karaoke that well, but we love Shania. I think she was the first non-gay person that we were obsessed with, as children and then also later as adults together. She’s #1. Ottawa’s pop-punkers The Superlative recently put out a new song “Where We Left Off,” their first release in a year. Fans of The Superlative’s past music will quickly find themselves rocking out again with the new track. You can certainly tell of some musical growth, but the biggest progress seems to be lyrically with the new music being a little more serious in nature. We caught Kiel Burwell (Guitars/Vocals) to chat about what the band has been up to, their new song and whats next. Interview with The Superlative So it has been a little over a year since we got new music from you guys. What have you been up to? We have been working hard on new music, stage performance (lights show, etc…), and playing as many shows as we can this past spring and summer. A few notable ones were opening for Hedley to over 20,000 people at an international fireworks festival. And also getting nods from Sublime With Rome and their management. We have been trying to build the band up and up as we do every year. And like every year, there were ups and downs. What is the story/inspiration behind the new track “Where We Left Off”? Where we left off is a lyrical collaboration between our singer Charles and myself (as is usually the case). The song is centered around the idea of how everything in modern society makes us so in a rush that we forget where we’re at sometimes and it in turn affects everything around us in so many negative ways. The song is basically about taking your time and working at things, and how slow and steady can win the race. The whole collection of songs for this series will (for the most part) be about how modern upgrades in in our society being a blessing, but also how lazy, dumb and selfish it’s making a huge portion of society. How everyone’s attention span seems to be shrinking more and more each day. In the past you have generally released an album at a time not just a single like this. What is your plan with Harmful Distractions? We make music for ourselves first and foremost. That’s not to say we don’t want to adapt to modern ways that people listen to, purchase and share music. We see a lot of bands just putting out single songs that have no plan of being a full album at the end, and that’s cool, but also kind of sucks… We aren’t the first band to try something like this, but we definitely feel we have some unique aspects to what we are trying to do. Majority of the time the guys and I listen to full albums, but sometimes we like a mix for while we are working, hanging out with friends and more… So we can see where music lovers are adapting to playlists and the convenience (but not artist payout) of streaming services. So we figure over the course of the year, if we release songs here and there for people to pick up on and see if they like each of them, it will give them more time to grow fond of each song… Hopefully enough to buy a physical record we will release at the end of the HARMFUL DISTRACTIONS series. We also want to make a statement to people to love your smartphones, laptops, tablets, VR systems and more, but step the hell outside sometimes and leave them behind. Go do something that disconnects you from society for a few days or a week. Revert back to the way it was in the days when you couldn’t just shoot your friends a text to see where they were. Go out and explore your neighbourhood and see if you can find their bikes in a friends yard to know where they are at… you might realize what it’s like to be an independent thinking, attentive, human being… You guys have developed a reputation of making some pretty hilarious music videos. Should we expect videos for these tracks? Hahaha. We just shot a video for the song that will follow this one in about three weeks time. We invested in audio/video gear and are doing all that by ourselves now too. We love making goofy videos and being dorks for sure… However after the success of our last video (getting onto Exclaim, Blank TV and Alternative Press), it was a serious theme about suicide prevention, we kind of realized that maybe constantly making funny videos isn’t the best idea if we are trying to be taken seriously. I will hint that the next video will show how close we are as friends (no we aren’t naked…get that out of your head), and the brotherhood we have built with each other through the power of music and art. We want to make a video for “Where We Left Off,” but the idea we have is something we have to do some research on and maybe we can pull it off. We love our friends that do work for us, but we are very DIY if no one has noticed. What is next for the band and when can locals get a chance to hear some of this new music live? We have a few shows coming up in the fall and winter around Ontario and Quebec. Otherwise we will continue to work with our good pal Mike Poisson at Mike Poisson Recordings on the rest of the material for this song series. More new merchandise design, spring and fall show booking/festival applications, the usual band building necessities. We are really starting to see a lot of activity from fans all over the place and it’s pretty surreal, so we are talking to management and booking agent options and seeing what’s right for us. We currently have 2 songs fully ready to release and are in the studio throughout October to do more. One of those songs is “Where We Left Off,” so there’s one left in the chamber. The entire record is written, we are just perfectionists and choose to take our time writing and recording everything, so we can have what we feel is the best product in the end. For years we’ve been unwavering supporters of all that is Ottawa music. We’ve dug deep into the rich soil which serves as a basis for Ottawa’s strong cultural roots to grow. For those of us who have lived here and experienced much of what this city has to offer, it’s well known that the underground music scene is bursting at the seams with activity and talent (albeit, documentation of this scene is still lagging—but we’re still trying to change that). What we’ve witnessed over the last several years is a local DIY culture emerging as a pervasive mindset, with people not only imagining what is possible, but actually making shit happen. Even more, over the last decade there has been a rise in more community-oriented DJ nights which offer patrons a truly authentic experience that leaves the old big box dance club in the dust. Some of these include TimeKode, Open Air Social Club, FEELS, Ceremony, and most recently—Hottawa. Max Halparin (DJ Halpo) is one of the original founders of the night, and he happened to cut his teeth by spinning after our Showbox monthly concerts at Mugshots (RIP) a few years back. Since then, Hottawa became a regular occurrence, usually in smaller spaces and with the goal of getting people together to dance and bucking any sort of perception that Ottawa is a boring, soulless place. As Hottawa bounced around to different venues over the last couple of years, the crew who make the mixes and pump the jams has grown substantially. These collaborators include VJ Paradisse, Mikayla (DJ Seiiizmikk), Sara (DJ Mani Pedi), Jordan David (DJ JFUN), among others. However, the this summer the DJs found a home at Babylon Nightclub, where they’re able to use a bigger space to bring in larger crowds and crank up the party. I chatted with Max about Hottawa about its growth, and some crucial steps that its organizers have taken to ensure a truly inclusive and safe atmosphere for patrons. Have a read and listen to DJ Seiiizmikk’s latest streaming mix below. This month’s edition of Hottawa happens on Friday, September 15 at Babylon Nightclub, featuring DJ Woerks (The Deep End), DJ Choozey (MTL), and deejay ohjay (FEELS), as well as VJ Conor Byron providing visuals. $5 before midnight / $7 after, doors at 10 pm. Interview with DJ Halpo What’s your background with music and how did you get into DJing? Of all things, I got into DJing through playing guitar in a sludge metal band. The drummer in that band was also a disco and funk DJ, so I started going to support my friend’s nights. Before that, I never went out dancing, but that summer I started to see how positive and cathartic of an experience it can be. The day before I moved to Ottawa, I bought a few records at a flea market in Toronto, then that Thanksgiving my same drummer/DJ friend had me open for him. After that I was hooked. Growing up, I played guitar in bands and went to shows all the time. After finishing my undergrad in Montreal, I would sort of joke iPod-DJ after shows under the name DJ SMILES because I was pretty dour and misanthropic at the time. Quarter-life crisis vibes for sure. But I always loved 90s and 2000s hip hop, RnB and dancehall, and started to learn the tracks they sampled, and grew my understanding of dance music from there. Fast forward three years… that same drummer-DJ is playing Friday night at Babylon! DJ Choozey now spins paying techno, drum n bass, and electro. How did the idea for Hottawa come about? It wasn’t my idea! In fall 2014 I’d been DJ’ing after the monthly Showbox shows at our beloved Mugshots, and Kyle Woods, who was managing it at the time, said he wanted to put me on my own night. I protested, clearly not very well. My friend Guy thought of the name, and also came up with the original Miami Vice-looking imagery overlaying palm trees onto Parliament. We had the first one in January 2015, so it was supposed to be a play on this cold, wintery town that gets so much flak for not being any fun. But anyone involved in the music community or party scene knows that’s not true. To me the name serves as a way to celebrate the exciting aspects of the city and the talent that exists in Ottawa and Hull. And since we were all new to DJ’ing when the event started, Hottawa has always focused on booking people who were still new to it too, learning to DJ, with some veterans mixed in too. What’s cool to see is how quickly beginners mainstays. For example, deejay ohjay, who is now one half of FEELS and a regular in the local scene, played her first set with us two years ago, and will be closing the night at Babylon this Friday. DJs Sportif and Mani Pedi also played their first gigs with us in 2016, and became integral to Hottawa this summer. Hottawa at Babylon Nightclub. Photo by Nicolai Gregory. (insta: @wiselywalking) How has the night grown since it started? After Mugshots closed, the event moved around a lot—six different venues in two years! That wasn’t planned, but in retrospect, moving around a lot meant we didn’t get complacent. Musically, we’ve changed from a night doing discofunk and hip hop throwbacks to being more focused on house and techno, with RnB and dancehall thrown in too. The triple threat MC-producer DJ Seiiizmikk’s mix (posted below) is a great example of what we’re trying to do! For the first two years, we were getting a solid hundred or so people out every night, but when it started to grow beyond that this past winter we were a bit stuck until a night opened up at Babylon. Finding space is always hard in this city—especially one that is physically accessible. Since moving into the bigger space, we’ve grown in a few more ways: posting mixes on Soundcloud, getting on instagram, enlisting a legitimate graphic artist to make the posters, adding new visual artists to the nights, making Hottawa T shirts, and teaming up with PACE magazine for a photo shoot, exclusive mix, and video for the last July edition. We are also really lucky to have Little Jo Berrys, the amazing vegan café in Wellington West, providing vegan treats for the nights. And the most important change is that we have volunteers from Hollaback! Ottawa come out to make it clear that we don’t tolerate harassment on the dancefloor (which we’ll talk about later). Can you talk about the visual art component? The goal is that the art compliments the music and adds to the immersive potential of a night out. We met our most frequent collaborator, VJ Paradisse, one night at Mugshots doing these massive projections in the courtyard for a precursor to the Fire Queen project featuring Jordan David (JFUN) and Aymara Alvarado Lang. This spring we also had Andrew Parks (Cityscape Sessions) bring a interactive dance screen that responded to dancers’s movements, and on Friday Conor Byron takes the reigns after doing amazing job recently at the Telecomo album release show and the Space dance party at Shanghai Restaurant. Hottawa at Babylon Nightclub. Photo by Nicolai Gregory. (insta: @wiselywalking) In terms of the nightlife experience, what kind of experience are the organizers trying to deliver? How do you want people to feel at the club, and at home afterwards? We want people to dance their hearts out to amazing underground music and feel safe doing it. At best we can facilitate the moments that led me to dance music from doom metal: being blown away by a transition, trusting the DJ to take you somewhere new, and enjoying the mental and physical benefits that come from dance. This sounds incredibly corny, but whatever, it’s true! Hottawa is collaborating with Hollaback! Ottawa, an organization dedicated to eradicating street harassment and gender-based violence. Can you discuss this partnership and why it’s important? It’s hugely important because some men still feel entitled to touch women and non-binary people without their consent, and that needs to stop. Having volunteers from Hollaback present offering their time is one way to signal to people that this kind of predatory behaviour is unacceptable at our events—and in life more generally. Hollaback also provides a very practical purpose at the events. They’re an extra set of eyes on the dancefloor, a liaison between patrons and security, and they offer support to anyone who needs it. Although we’re talking about consent in the context of one DJ night in Ottawa, this relates to much bigger issues, as you mentioned. It’s a sad but unsurprising reality that dudes who grow up under systems of sexism and patriarchy think it’s okay to grab a girl’s ass at the club. But with Babylon’s support, Hollaback’s presence, and everyone we work with, we’re trying to address it. Hottawa at Babylon Nightclub. Photo by Nicolai Gregory. (insta: @wiselywalking) What are some crucial steps that club owners or promoters can take to ensure the safety of patrons in the club atmosphere? Are bouncers enough? In a word, no. Security staff are hugely important but I don’t think it’s fair to put the burden squarely on them. I think it’s everyone’s responsibility—promoters, DJs, bartenders, artists, and attendees—to look out for each other and to keep each other safe. In Ottawa we have some really amazing work happening on this topic, namely with Project Soundcheck, who also helped out at our last party. To answer this question, I’m referring to some notes I took at a workshop on bystander intervention put on by Kira-Lynn Ferderber’s this past May. Kira-Lynn offered these tips for venues: provide free water, post signage that harassment won’t be tolerated, believe women who approach staff with complaints, don’t book sexist acts, hire female staff, monitor bathrooms, watch people when they’re leaving (especially at the end of the night). And the final and maybe most important point was to suggest that venues develop a sexual violence prevention strategy, part of which would include training for staff. The bystander intervention workshop was about how to respond at music festivals and bars when you see something that’s not safe. What Kira-Lynn suggested was to use non-violent strategies to de-escalate the situation, to keep everyone’s safety in mind as you intervene, and to use tactics that increase the choices for the person in the vulnerable position. For instance, if you see someone who doesn’t appear comfortable with their date, you can yell over to them, “Hey Sally, are you getting poutine with us right now!?” because even if you don’t know the person or if Sally’s their real name, it still gives them an out if they need it. Even going up to talk to people to introduce yourself communicates the message that people are around and looking out for each other. If everyone does that, then maybe we can all get back to enjoying the music. In 5 words, what can readers expect when clicking ‘play’ on DJ Seiiizmikk’s mix below? Gladys Lazer is the solo project of Tel Aviv-born musician and drummer Gal Lazer, former drummer with NYC-based guitar virtuoso Yonatan Gat. His debut EP, (released in July on Boiled Records), distills a time when he had no home and traveled the world on music. Recorded in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and in the countryside of Southwest Georgia, the debut EP, Candy World/Bye Past, features eight instrumental pathways: sonic vignettes that combust breakbeat, post-jazz, krautrock, and trip-hop. Debaser presents Gladys Lazer on Thursday, September 14 at Pressed with Philadelphia’s Pulgas, and local band Soft Life. Lazer will be joined by a full band, including two woodwind players. The show is all ages, and the entrance of Pressed is physically accessible. Entry is $8. Interview with Gladys Lazer The music on Candy World/Bye Past is described as ‘nomadic’ – can you describe where, when, and how the songs were developed and recorded? The album was recorded in a time when I was mostly on the road, playing 200 shows a year with my former band, so it was only between tours when I was able to get recordings done for myself. The music on the album was recorded in these different places – a lake house in rural SW Georgia, a recording studio in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and in small rooms in Brooklyn and New Orleans. Each session was different than the other, and deserved finding a different working method. The music was never pre-written, all of it was born and developed in the recording process. What do you listen to while you’re travelling? This obviously changes a lot, but traveling or not my heart usually pounds hard to Aphex Twin. I used to tour for a long time in this van that had only a CD player. These were my 3 favorite CD’s from the van’s CD selection. 1. Gavin Bryars – Sinking of the Titanic, 2. Joao Donato – Quem E Quem, and 3. an Alice Coltrane/Kraftwerk mixed CD. Some will know you for your virtuoso drumming with Yonatan Gat. How does the process of writing music on your own compare to working with other musicians? What I enjoy about making music on my own is that every element gets to meet my standards or else it doesn’t fly. I enjoy making music on my own more right now, because I enjoy the total independence. It’s different making music with other people based on what’s your roll and influence in the music making, the people you’re working with and their components. I think that it’s important to have a clear vision walking into a recording project or any project, in case you work with other people that vision better be mutual and clear. Generally, I found that having fun while working is a good sign, especially when the fun is shared. What is one tip you would offer to artists on the road? One tip would be to be present and in the moment the more you can, that’s a good way to ride the wave of massive changing information coming at you and not get overwhelmed by it. When Montreal’s HOAN formed in 2015, there was an intention to deviate from the path of jangle-pop and explore new horizons. Cutting their teeth in the DIY scene, HOAN’s music is simultaneously pensive and audacious. Their new EP, Modern Phase, is a 7-track effort that fuses dark and reverb-laden instrumental layers in a post-punk foundation. Alex Nicol’s vocals and lyricism whisp us away, but we’re constantly grounded again by noir moments of frenetic energy. Three of HOAN’s members were in the now-defunct band Kurvi Tasch, and have taken this window of opportunity to write music outside of a box and experiment with electronic elements, as well as explore more issues in the social and political realms in their lyrics. I spoke with singer/guitarist Alex Nichol as HOAN get set for their show at Bar Robo on Thursday, August 31, with Organ Eyes. Be sure to catch them live, they’ll be playing most of the tracks on Modern Phase live. Doors are at 8 pm, and tickets are $10 at the door. Interview with HOAN Some Ottawa folks might remember Kurvi Tasch, a group that contained most of HOAN’s members. Has the change in name signified a larger shift for the band’s approach to music? Kurvi Tasch was a guitar-based band with a pretty limited sonic palette. We made a bunch of releases under the name and felt like we wanted something new. Alex traveled to India with his computer and began making electronic music. This kind of propelled the idea for HOAN, and it became clear that the music we wanted to make did not make sense under the Kurvi Tasch name. ‘Modern Phase’ was recorded in this transitional period. The next release will have more synths, programmed drums, and so on, as we continue to expand our approach to music. Modern Phase is not only sonically intriguing, but it also touches on many themes and ideas that we deal with as individuals and a society as a whole. Can you expand on some of these ideas, and what caused you to go that direction? Yea, sure. The first theme that strikes through is the notion of technological advancement at all costs, without the ability to manage or deal with the impact it has. ‘Technocracts’ is the best example of this. I feel like it’s rampant all over the world since industrialization in the West, and will have similar impacts in places that have yet to fully industrialize. Take fracking, for example. You would think that people realized in the beginning that it is harmful on the environment. But the science was there to extract the oil, and there was such a demand for it, that alternative approaches to fueling cars never really had a chance. I feel there is a lot being ignored in discussions around innovation, namely how to sustain communities, give proper job training, the white-washing cultural impact it can have, and so much more. The title, ‘Modern Phase,’ is kind of poking fun at the idea of a “Modern era” in the hopes that people look at the human and environmental costs a bit more closely. Is there an artist that you’re listening to – either locally or not – that you think people should hear? Lido Pimienta is great. So is Perfume Genius. Locally there is tonnes of great stuff: Un Blonde, Maggy France, Loon, Blue Odoeur, ANEMONE, Slight, Blanka, the list goes on. What was the most exciting part about making Modern Phase? Did you try new things? Mess around with new instruments at all? The best part was trying out a whole bunch of keyboards we never knew existed. A lot of them made it on the record! Ottawa has a small, yet strong DIY scene, and that ethic translates into a lot of pretty cool music here. Can you talk a bit about the Montreal scene? What are some of the challenges the scene there is facing these days? Gentrification is gonna hit pretty soon, as the area around Parc and Beaubien is bracing for a new University of Montreal campus next door. There will be a few new spots opening up in Park-Ex and over on St-Hubert, but for the time being it’s pretty solid with the Plante, Drones, Poisson Noir, the Bog, and a couple others. You’ve played a lot of dates in the US over the last several months. What is the atmosphere like down there? Was general social discontent pervasive in music clubs? Or was it business as usual? We had some apologetic Americans in NYC in March, and in general a lot of discussion about the socio-political climate at the moment, that’s for sure. A lot of musicians are quite engaged in fighting the good fight – like our friend Richie in Hamtramck who runs a record store on a shoe-string budget in an area that is gentrifying fast. I think the Trump presidency will bring more people into the political process, which is actually a good thing. I look forward to seeing where people are at when we head out for 10 shows at the end of September. On a sunny day in June during Ottawa Explosion Weekend, I caught up with Vancouver self-proclaimed powertrash band Needles//Pins. Their new album Good Night, Tomorrow was released in July of this year, and signaled a shift in the band’s sound and production. It’s more polished, and more grandiose than anything they’ve done in the past. But the grittiness quality of songwriting is still there, and fans old and new will fall right into this record. They’re set to play House of TARG on Friday, August 25th along with Steve Adamyk Band, Audio Visceral, and NECK. Check out this candid interview with the trio, where they talk about the new album, Ottawa roots, and throw themselves under the bus. Interview with Needles//Pins You guys have played Ottawa Explosion Weekend before and stopped in Ottawa many times on tour. What’s your relationship to the city? Adam Ess: Tony and I grew up in the Ottawa Valley, so we grew up about 45 minutes outside of Ottawa. So we started coming to the city in our teens to see shows, and I was in bands since I was fifteen years old playing places like Club SAW. I’ve known OXW organizers Emmanuel (Sayer) and Luke (Martin) for fifteen years or so as a result. I know Emmanuel from when he used to live in Windsor, we played with his old band called Searching for Chin. Then he moved to Ottawa and joined Buried Inside and others. I guess the first time we played here as a band was the first ever Ottawa Explosion, it was our first cross-Canada tour. We’ve played every year since except last year, that was the only one so far that we haven’t played. Do you get to spend much time in Ottawa when you’re here? Tony X: It’s pretty much in and out. Usually it’s between Toronto and Montreal so we don’t have much time to take the extra night in Ottawa, we can’t lose that prime night of playing in other cities. I kind of wish we could just be here all weekend to be honest. Needles//Pins played with The Smugglers at OXW for the Mint Records Showcase. How did that come about? Adam: I think one of the impetuses for doing the Smuggs thing is because of Grant Lawrence’s book. It’s all part of the presentation of the book, and with the Mint Records connection we played the Vancouver show and it kind of took off from there. Tony: Mint probably leaned on them a bit for us to play the show, I don’t think The Smugglers were begging us to play with them haha. Your new record Good Night, Tomorrow is a bit of a different direction for the band. What is it that you are most excited for the bands to hear? Adam: The general sound of the record, I think. It’s just such a huge sound, and that’s what we wanted out of it. Tony: Just like you said, people are noticing it’s different and in a positive way and that’s really great. Adam: And for us there’s no worry about that, I mean if you liked the band before then you’re going to like the band now. It’s hands-down way better, there’s no doubt about that. They’re the best songs we’ve ever written, the production is so much better, just everything. We took almost a year and a half to write and record the album, we took our time on it and wrote it in chunks, and recording as we went. Tony: At some point we were recording and thinking, “oh good, it’s only been a year,” and then our producer Jesse told us we started in June… we were like, “oh, fuck…” If I remember correctly, the last time you guys played Ottawa Explosion before this year there was something that literally exploded on stage. Macey Bee: Oh shit, I forgot about that. Tony: Yeah an amp! That was two years ago! Macey: I think I was also on fire. Tony: I just remember Adam was out of tune and he blamed me for it, but it actually was him. I just want to clear that up. He blamed me, but it was him. IT WAS NOT TONY, for the record. I don’t know about the amp though. Adam: Ok then, since we’re going on the record, I am the one that coined the nickname “12 Grain” for Macey. Tony: Oh I guess we’re recording everything now, airing the grievances. What is this, Festivus? Have you had any other disasters happen while on tour? Macey: I think touring with these two is a fucking disaster in general (laughs). I mean I’ve been doing it for a while now and I guess I’ll just have to keep doing it until I die. Adam: Or until one of us dies, at least. There haven’t been any major disasters though, really. Knock on wood! Tony: We’ve played shitty so many times, though. The worst show we ever played was in LA, and I’ll go on the record by saying it was all my fault. Matias: You’re really throwing yourself under the bus here. Macey: I was going to say that I played really well that night. You fucking blew it man. Adam: That was a doozy. Tony: I just didn’t play the right notes. There might have been some technical issues, I don’t know. Macey: Yeah, technically your fingers didn’t hit the right notes on the bass. Chicago’s The Blisters are rolling through Ottawa on their way to the River & Sky Music/Camping Festival which is taking place about 4 1/2 hours north-west of Ottawa passed North Bay. The Blisters play River & Sky Saturday at 4 pm, a couple hours after Ottawa’s very own New Swears, and the same day as PUP, Heat and The Lonely Parade. Before that we are lucky enough to have The Blisters in Ottawa at Pressed this Friday, July 21 along with Toronto’s Giant Hand (info here). In anticipation of the show we had a chat with The Blisters’ drummer Spencer Tweedy (yes, he is the son of Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy) about the band, touring, and the new album. What are the main inspirations for The Blisters as a band, musically or otherwise? We started in 2002 when we were all seven years old. The main inspiration for the band was just that we all wanted to be in a band… We played and we thought it would be cool. I (Spencer) actually started with another friend of ours, who’s not in the band anymore, but Hayden and Henry joined shortly afterward. Tory joined during high school, and we’ve had that same line-up ever since. It feels pretty cool to have been a band together for so long. For people who haven’t seen you live before, what is a Blisters show like? We play some loud songs and we play some quieter songs. We don’t typically have moshing or anything like that, but it’s fun when it happens. Typically we see a lot of gentle head bobbing. You guys are playing River and Sky Festival this weekend. Was this something you guys applied for or did they come looking for you? Our friend Brett approached us with the offer. I told him that we’d love to play, but that we’d probably need to set some other shows up in Canada to make it feasible. He very kindly helped us do that, too. How does it feel to be touring in Canada right now? Any highlights so far? We’re only just arriving in Canada, but I’ve been here before and I love it. We’re all from Chicago and we love that city but Toronto feels like the closest thing to it outside of it. I think we all have the feeling that Canada is a kinder, cleaner America. You are touring a new album, are there any cool stories or anecdotes from the recording or about the songs you can share? We made Cured at our friends Liam and Sima Cunningham’s studio, with Dorian Gehring. We made it in about a week and it’s a pretty straightforward record. Henry wrote some of his most badass, roots rock material for it. We always experiment when we’re recording but this one ended up pretty straightforward. Many people could guess what lead you to music, but what lead you to the drums in particular? I don’t know what led me to drums. The first time I played was when I was two years old and someone plopped me on a kit in the basement of my mom’s bar, Lounge Ax. After that my parents bought me some sets over the years, and I kept on learning. I’ve played guitar for roughly as long, too, but at some point drums became my main thing. I like the James Brown story/myth about him telling his band that they’re all drummers—guitarists, bassists, etc., all drummers. I’m not a “drums supremacist” but I think that’s a helpful way for everyone to look at music.

Job Title: Equality, Inclusion and Programmes Manager Organisation: Youth Cymru Rachel Benson (she/her) is the Equality, Inclusion and Programmes Manager at Youth Cymru, a national charity with over 80 years’ experience of supporting young people and youth work in Wales. She has managed TransForm Cymru since its establishment in 2014 which supports trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people and promotes trans inclusive practice through training, information and guidance. TransForm has enabled trans young people to develop their own social action projects and events and produce positive counter-narratives to transphobia. In 2018, Humanequin, developed by Youth Cymru and Mess Up The Mess in partnership with young people from TransForm, was performed by a cast of young trans and non-binary actors at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff: https://www.wmc.org.uk/en/whats-on/2018/humanequin/ Currently, the ‘Belong’ project (a partnership between Youth Cymru and The Amber Project) provides workshops, counselling and emotional well-being support to trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people in Cardiff and the surrounding areas. She is currently studying for her MA in Managing Community Practice; her dissertation focuses on trans young people’s experiences of youth work.BACK TO TEAM

She Grrrowls is a feminist arts night that features poetry, comedy, music and everything in between. The event grew from a Feminist group after Carmina Masoliver, the creator, left university – where she was a founding member of UEA’s Feminist Discussion Group and Society. Back in London, Carmina missed the group and wanted to take an active role in positive change. As a poet, writer and performer, this seemed the obvious way forward. Thus, She Grrrowls was born. She Grrrowls believes that the definition of being a woman is decided by the individual. We are inclusive of transgender women, as well as those who are genderqueer, non-binary etc. She Grrrowls believes in a Feminism that is intersectional and strives to be open to all women, of any race, class, sexuality etc. She Grrrowls does not (always) exclude men but invites them to celebrate those who are showcased and participate in the open mic’ in a way that is respectful to the space. The event focuses on poetry and spoken word and that’s what tends to appear in the open mic’ section. As there is not necessarily one view of Feminism, there may be instances where people disagree with what’s being said. However, we expect audience members not to participate in sexism, homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, classism etc. Basically, no “kicking down” on historically oppressed groups of people. We also ask you to avoid cultural appropriation, and try to engage with what this could mean if you are unfamiliar with it. If any audience member ever feels unhappy, uncomfortable, or upset by anything, please feel free to speak to Carmina about this. Past team members of She Grrrowls include Christina Lappia, Rowena Knight (poet), and Julia Watson (comedian). A lot goes into running an event, and although a lone wolf, Carmina is always happy to have more people on board who share the same vision and would like to help with the running of the event and its promotion. Whilst ad-hoc help is appreciated, having a reliable team is the best, particularly with photography, filming, and podcasting plans. Since its birth in 2013, She Grrrowls has been at various venues in London, and featured at Goldsmith University’s The Place for Poetry. In 2018 we running our DIY events at Amersham Arms, after a run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, a term at The Five Bells, and the publication of an anthology of ten of our poets by Burning Eye Books. Listed in the top 100 books of 2017 by The Poetry School.

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We got in touch with Hard Of Hearing favourite Rebecka Reinhard ahead of her three-date co-headline tour with Dogeyed and a special International Women’s Day show in London. You’re off on a co-headline tour with Bristol band Dogeyed soon, what experiences have you had with playing in Bristol, Brighton and London before now? Rebecka: “Bristol is definitely one of our favourite towns to play, our first gig we were terrified, didn’t think anyone was gonna show but Josh and Dan from Breakfast Records who were putting on the night have a great rep and I think loads of people came down just for that. So we ended up playing in front a pretty decent crowd, all silent and just staring at us, I had no idea if they hated us or were just polite. So we didn’t expect to be asked for an encore, we had already played our encore (cause we really wanted to play it) and we ended up playing a song called No Release where my drummer goes absolutely mental at the end and the cymbals went flying everywhere, great show. We also played all-dayer-festival Breakfest in Bristol on a big ship and that was one of last year’s highlights; best vibes, all the bands were actually amazing – only bummer was missing Dogeyed’s set because we had to soundcheck. Hence REALLY looking forward to this tour! Brighton is gonna be our first time ever, I’m equally excited to play as I am trying to get an hour in the sauna on the beach with a swim in the sea. Best cure for a hangover. London we’ve played quite a lot, so the experiences range from great to worse but it’s always great playing the more D.I.Y. shows in London. A favourite on the scene who’s both a joy to watch and work with is Tugboat Captain. Like Breakfast Records they give me hope about the British indie scene, there’s so much heart and solidarity which is hard to come by in London in general.” Your London show falls on International Women’s Day, was that planned? What does the day represent to you? Rebecka: “It quickly became a dream plan when the possibility of a joint Dogeyed London show on March 8th first came up. I’m a big fan of their raw, lush, fuzzy, warm, heart-wrenching music but also the band is such a bunch of sweethearts, a cure for macho hetero-bullshit stereotypes within the genre. International Women’s day is a day to be angry and relentless against the patriarchal capitalist society whilst simultaneously struggling for an inclusive women’s movement free from TERF’s (trans-excluding radical feminists). Also the International Women’s day coincides with my birthday so it’s an angry happy day which is one of my favourite emotional combos.” How do you feel women are represented with the music industry today? Rebecka: “I feel a like lot of non-binary and female artists are doing one hell of a job representing themselves today. The diversity of artists being seen and heard keeps growing which is empowering as well as inspiring. It’s still a struggle being taken seriously sometimes, and the further you are from being a straight, white cis-man the harder that struggle is but there’s a sense of community between us outside of that norm that I wouldn’t want to be without. And the organisations behind that, like She Shreds, Loud Women etc. they work like safe spaces for me, where I can turn to gather strength.” You’ve got some new music coming soon, can you tell us about it? Rebecka: “Yes! I’ve recorded and produced an album that will see the light of day in 2020. The first singles should be coming in April/May already and for the people who have only heard my previous recordings, it’s gonna be a somewhat evolved sound. What used to be a lofi singer/songwriter dream pop project has now taken on an alt indie rock shape with full backing band. We’re already playing a lot of the unreleased material at our live shows so that’s a good way of getting to know the new songs.” You’re living back in Stockholm at the moment, can you give us an idea of what the music scene is like there? Rebecka: “Oh I wish I had good things to say. But tbh I haven’t yet made an effort to seek out the local indie scene which I’m at least hoping is out there somewhere. It’s looking pretty grim in general with a lot of amazing venues closing down because of noise complaints.” What does Rebecka Reinhard have planned for 2020? Rebecka: “Lots of gigs, some festivals (one in north of Sweden in July called Midnight Light Festival because the sun doesn’t set), releasing loads of new material and starting the recording of the next album!” Tell us how your collaboration with Blackaby came about on ‘Sweet Lemonade’. Rebecka: “When I still lived in London I was lucky enough to cross paths with Will who was just getting a band together for his solo project Blackaby. I joined on guitar and backing vocals and it was a total dream playing music for Blackaby, LOVE the songs! The harmonies were always a big part of it and we think our voices were a great match so I’m doing bv’s on a lot of the recordings even if I’m no longer part of the live band. Can’t wait to have Will open the night at SET on Sunday – such a birthday treat!” Catch Rebecka Reinhard, Dogeyed and Blackaby tonight at SET Dalston. Tickets here. By Karl Johnson

We’re excited to be sponsors for the upcoming Nasdaq and NLX “Rock the Office” Benefit! Live streaming and recorded video segments will bring us back together as we help Little Kids Rock and Gender Amplified bring music and music production back to young students and women. Join the fun on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 to celebrate! The event teaser will take place at 10AM ET for 30 minutes followed by the main event at 6PM ET. If you have any questions, please contact Mike.Viola@Nasdaq.com or click here to view the sponsorship deck. Proceeds from this event will be donated to support two nonprofit organizations: Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools, and Gender Amplified, a non-profit organization that aims to celebrate women and non-binary individuals in music production, raise their visibility and develop a pipeline for girls and young women to get involved behind the scenes as music producers About Lookout Foundation The Lookout Foundation invests in communities outside our own doors where we can see the results. Its mission is to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education for women, girls, and other underserved groups, and security and privacy rights for all. The Lookout Foundation is a public charity and a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. It is entirely run by Lookout employees on a voluntary basis. Employee-led committees decide where and how Foundation money is distributed, and organize activities to donate time to local organizations.

I have heard the phrase “but you don’t look Autistic” so many times. What does autism look like? I didn’t know we had any specific look. If you have met one autistic person… you have met one autistic person. We are all different in appearance (unless you know Autistic twins). Autism is how our brains are wired – it does not affect appearance. You might know an Autistic person with a co-morbid condition that does affect their appearance. That is a situation unique to that person. Every Autistic person is different. This is a very small sample of what Autism looks like: Robyn – aka Autistic Faerie This really is what autism looks like. It also looks like the autistic kids I work with, and my autistic adult friends… There is no limit. Autism is articulate, intelligent, creative, empathetic, engaged, and compassionate. The hard stuff is there, too, but the most important part is the human part. My name is Jeannette, my nickname is Boe. I love reading, animals, and music and learning! I’m going to restart training as a veterinary nurse (my first attempt was hindered by illnesses). I’m Sophie, I’m nonbinary (they/them pronouns) and my special interests are podcasts, space and engineering! Brannen is a 27-year-old autistic, asexual, gender neutral, non-binary identical twin. I’m Ash. I’m a 27 year old film student focusing on post-production and sound design. My dog Kameron is my life. I also enjoy dressing my plastic skeleton, Bonejangles, up for every holiday. I am what an Autistic person looks like. I’m Lin and I’m Autistic. I love writing letters, thinking and talking about stimming, doing actually anything related to Bob Dylan, my special interest, or making literally anything related to him at some point, music in general, analyzing, painting, and maths (it’s maybe one of these few things that sound stereotypically autistic about me). Thank you to everyone who submitted photos!

Thanks to the folks over at My Genderation for letting us use their video! What’s the problem? People who have a non-binary identity don’t identify as solely either men or women, they strongly identify as either having a gender which is in-between or beyond those two categories or as having no gender. (Having a non-binary gender identity is different from being born with an intersex body.) Unlike other trans people, non-binary people currently have no legal recognition of their gender at all. Every time they use health services, apply for a job, go to college, or interact with the state in any way, non-binary people are told that their existence is not valid; they must fit in to one of two categories, both of which undermine how they actually live and identify. Scotland is falling behind the growing number of countries who recognise that some people do not identify as men or women and provide them with a gender-neutral option for legal documents, such as birth certificates and passports, to respect their non-binary gender. Currently places such as Oregon, Nevada and California in the USA, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia in Canada, New South Wales in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Malta, all allow gender-neutral birth certificates, passports, or other official documentation. You can find a full list of countries with gender recognition laws that reflect some or all of the equal recognition campaign calls on our FAQs page. What are we asking for? New gender recognition legislation should acknowledge the fact that some people do not identify as men or women and allow people to choose to amend their birth certificates to reflect this. It must not be something that anyone is forced into doing but should be available as a legal option. “For me Equal Recognition would mean being able to proudly say that my gender identity is legal and valid, without having to face abuse or ridicule.” What’s international best practice? Malta, several states in the USA, several provinces in Canada and Uruguay allow non-binary people to have their gender fully legally recognised through self-declaration. You can find a full list of countries with gender recognition laws that reflect some or all of the equal recognition campaign calls on our FAQs page. Denmark, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India and Nepal all allow non-binary people to be recognised on various legal identity documents, such as passports and national identity cards. Here are our answers to several myths we’ve come across about non-binary gender recognition. You can also download all these answers as a Non-Binary Myth-Busting PDF. If you have a question or concern that’s not answered below, please contact us for more information. Somewhere between 0.005% (the 296 people that responded to our non-binary survey in 2015) and 0.3% (15000 people as estimated from USA data) of Scotland's 5 million people identify their gender as non-binary rather than simply as a man or a woman. Given that our online survey ran for just 9 weeks in 2015, it is extremely unlikely that the 296 people who responded represent even 10% of the target non-binary population. Therefore, it is most likely that several thousand people in Scotland identify as non-binary. The idea that there are two genders, ‘man’ and ‘woman’, and that all people are one or the other of these two genders, is one of the most common and present norms in Scottish society. However, it is just a norm – much like the idea that women should get married, stay at home and look after children was for many years. There have always been people who don’t fit into either of these two boxes. Throughout history, there have been various cultures around the world that have recognised more than two genders. The way each individual person experiences and defines their gender identity can be unique to them. If you have never thought about your identity as a man or a woman, this might be because it happens to fit into society’s expectations of you. Perhaps you were assigned male at birth, grew up thinking of yourself simply as a boy, then as a man when you got older, and have expressed your gender, through the way you dress, talk and behave, in ways that are considered typically masculine. Other people might have different experiences at any of these points. For some of these people, the words ‘man’ and ‘woman’ simply don’t make sense for describing their sense of identity, not for how they see themselves in the world, and not for how they would describe their experiences to others. Although most people do identify as men or women, some – non-binary people – don’t. Their gender identities are just as valid as the gender identities of men and women. If these ideas and the language around them are new to you, listening to non-binary people talk about their experiences and identities will probably help you to understand more – you can read some of our non-binary work at: www.scottishtrans.org/non-binary. Intersex is an umbrella term used specifically for people who are born with variations of sex characteristics, which do not always fit society’s perception of male or female bodies. Intersex is not the same as gender identity or sexual orientation. We know from discussion with intersex organisations that most intersex people identify simply as men or as women. Only a small number of intersex people have non-binary gender identities. Being non-binary is not about your physical body – it is about having a gender identity that is not described simply by using the words ‘man’ or ‘woman’, rather than having sex characteristics that do not fit society’s perception of male or female bodies. A person can be non-binary no matter what physical body they have. The majority of trans people strongly and consistently identify as men or as women. Most would be very unhappy if they were forced to have non-binary gender markers on their identity documents. They seek inclusion within the single sex spaces that match their gender identity, rather than needing gender neutral spaces. So, very broadly, you have: - men, including trans men, - women, including trans women, - and non-binary people. Non-binary people refers to anyone who identifies as either having a gender which is in-between or beyond the two categories ‘man’ and ‘woman’, as fluctuating between 'man' and 'woman', or as having no gender, either permanently or some of the time. The desired change to the law would still allow trans men and women to be able to be legally recognised as who they are; men and women. What it would also do, however, is create the option for non-binary people to access legal recognition as non-binary. At the moment, this right to recognition is one that all men and women have, but is denied to non-binary people. How you define your gender identity is not tied to how much you conform or don’t conform to gender stereotypes – this is why there are plenty of women who have lots of masculine traits, and plenty of men who have lots of feminine traits. In fact, there are likely very many more of these people than non-binary people! Which traits are considered masculine or feminine also often differ across cultures and time, and yet in all places across all periods of history, there have been people who identify as men, people who identify as women and people who identify as non-binary (although the language they use to describe this is often culturally specific and may not easily translate into English language and ‘western’ ideas and understanding of gender). Two people may be very similar in their gender expression, and yet one of them may feel their gender is best described as non-binary, whereas the other is very comfortable in their manhood/womanhood. Gender identity is something that we often can’t see or assume just by looking at people, and it is much more than the sum of gender stereotypes or ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ traits. Fighting for greater recognition of all trans, including non-binary people, is not about reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes but in fact about challenging them, and that includes the stereotype that the body you were born with should define the way you experience and express your gender. International human rights treaties affirm that all human beings have the right to respect of their private and family life and to hold and express their own beliefs. This includes how they define their gender identity. Therefore, non-binary people have the right to have their gender identities respected and legally recognised. It is unfair to expect anybody to be recorded or identified as a gender that does not fit the reality of how they live their life – that is why a legal gender recognition process was introduced for trans men and women. Non-binary people have a diverse range of gender identities – many of which do not position themselves in relation to the identities of men and women. For many non-binary people, the idea of picking which gender of ‘man’ or ‘woman’ is closer to theirs would not make sense. Some of them might be! But really – most non-binary people would love their gender identity to be considered unremarkable so they would no longer have to keep explaining and justifying their identity to other people. Some non-binary people keep their gender identity completely secret from their friends, families and colleagues because they fear being seen as unusual. People who don’t identify as men or women have existed across history and throughout cultures – it only seems new in Scotland because their existence was largely ignored here until really rather recently. There have always been non-binary people living in Scotland. Access to the internet has just enabled non-binary people to find each other more easily, create the umbrella term 'non-binary' to describe themselves, and gain confidence to be more visible. A complete absence of recognition for non-binary people often makes things like accessing services, being out to colleagues at work or something as simple as filling in a form much more complicated than it is for men and women. Non-binary people are justifiably unhappy with the current situation, and have every right to complain about it! That is why it is so important that the Scottish government ensures improved gender recognition legislation includes all transgender, including non-binary people. Non-binary is an umbrella term for a huge range of identities. What they all have in common, is that the people who use them are people who do not feel like either of the words 'man' or 'woman' entirely describe their sense of their gender identity. After non-binary, some of the most commonly used terms in Scotland are genderqueer, agender and genderfluid. What we are campaigning for is the introduction of one additional legal gender/sex category, which would be called non-binary. This will include everyone who doesn't feel like the words 'woman' or 'man' adequately describe their gender identity, even if the actual term they do use to describe themselves isn't non-binary. Just as not every man is the same but they are all one single legal gender/sex, and not every woman is the same but they are all one single legal gender/sex, the same will apply for non-binary people. However, we do recognise that lots of people who may be included under the umbrella of 'non-binary' may not like or use that term for themselves. That is why we propose that people are able to include additional information describing the word(s) they use to describe their gender identity on their statutory declaration for having their gender legally recognised, and this can be printed in one of the additional information boxes of their reissued birth certificate. We want to ensure that each individual can have their gender identity respectfully recognised while still enabling legislation to be written smoothly. We engage with a range of stakeholders, including National Records Scotland, the Scottish Government and a variety of public bodies to improve the way they collect and report on data. We work in partnership with Scotland's key national feminist organisations to ensure that our suggestions for inclusive gender questions are compatible with their positions on effective collection of gender disaggregated data. Throughout this work, we always stress that to be inclusive when collecting data on gender, what is required is to add an additional answer option for non-binary people (alongside the existing two options for men and women). Ideally, when a non-binary person selects this other gender option, there should be a space to allow them to write in their preferred more specific term (for example, agender or gender-fluid). For decades already, trans men have been selecting the same gender option as other men and trans women the same option as other women and including an option for non-binary people will not affect that. We do not want organisations stop collecting, or reporting on, the gender-specific data they need in order to plan services and to monitor equality progress. Collecting and disaggregating gender-specific data is an essential tool for ensuring we understand differences between people of all genders. Going forward, it will be an essential way of learning more about non-binary people, who have so frequently been entirely excluded from data collection and reporting. We strongly support better collection and disaggregation of gender-specific data. The percentage of the population who are non-binary is somewhere between 0.005% and 0.3% so this is not large enough to cause statistically significant impact on comparisons of gender disaggregated data for men and women. You can read more information about our recommendations for phrasing gender questions on diversity monitoring forms at: https://www.scottishtrans.org/getting_equalities_monitoring_right/ Legal gender recognition of non-binary people will not give them the legal right to demand access to women only services. They would not be women legally and therefore women's services would be lawfully able to easily blanket refuse access to all legally non-binary people. Since people who had received gender recognition as non-binary would also not be men legally, a service could, if it wished, lawfully include non-binary people while still lawfully excluding men. Some women's services in Scotland do choose to include non-binary people, and some do not. Often, we have found that asking women's services the question "Is your service just for women, or is it not for men?" helps them to think about whether or not they feel including non-binary people could be right for their organisation, or whether they still feel remaining woman-only is appropriate. We don't think there is a one-size fits all answer to this question, and it depends from service to service. We fundamentally disagree that the existence of legal complexities is a strong enough case for denying a group of people access to the same rights as everyone else. It is true that the assumption that everyone is either a man or a woman underpins some laws in Scotland, and that recognising non-binary people may therefore have a knock on impact on these laws. We see these as falling into three broad categories: - The law intends to treat people of different genders the same, but has specified 'men' and 'women' in the language used. Catch-all legislation could be used to make it clear that where this is the case, the law should be read as including non-binary people as well. - The law intends to treat people of different genders differently, in order to correct sexism. In this instance, catch-all legislation could be used to make it clear that non-binary people would be treated the same as the gender that was not given favourable treatment by the legislation. It is possible in the future, as there is more evidence gathered about non-binary people, that specific favourable treatment towards non-binary people may enter law. - The law intends to treat people of different genders differently, because of characteristics it considers specific to those different genders. At the moment, there is some legislation that treats men and women differently, for example, on the assumption of their ability to contribute to biological reproduction. For example parts of family and fertility law may assume that anyone who gives birth to a child is a woman, and anyone who provides sperm to fertilise an egg is a man. This already doesn’t work. Trans men can give birth to babies and trans women can provide the sperm which fertilises and egg. This includes trans men and trans women who are legally recognised in their gender via the existing process. Over time, legislation in this category would need to be reviewed, to add in elements that reflect the reality of trans people’s reproductive, family and private lives. However these particular types of legislation do not just fail to work for non-binary people, but for all transgender people. Despite this, the Gender Recognition Act passed more than a decade ago. It is of course possible that non-binary people could face discrimination as a result of someone seeing that their documents had their non-binary gender identity correctly recorded on them. However, it is still important that non-binary people have the option of doing this if they would like to. Nobody would be forced to be legally recognised or recorded as non-binary. Each person must have the right to decide for themselves whether they consider this increased visibility to be personally worthwhile. It is true that unlike for some trans men and women, recognition for non-binary people does not offer the same element of privacy of your trans identity – you would necessarily be out as a transgender person when showing documents with a non-binary identity. However, it could provide privacy around your gender history (e.g. the gender you were assigned at birth) and for some people, this would still be a really important part of being able to exercise their human right to a private life. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is responsible for working with countries and industry groups to reach consensus on international civil aviation standards and practices. The standards for passports that it has developed permit passports to have an M, F or X marker in the gender field. The ICAO regards the X as meaning the passport holder's gender is 'unspecified'. Therefore, the UK could start issuing gender-X passports to non-binary people tomorrow with a simple administrative change. Some countries already issue gender-X passports such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada Malta and Denmark, so it is certainly not the case that you would be unable to travel abroad entirely. However, it is true that, despite the ICAO standards, not all countries currently accept gender-X passports for entry through their border controls. Furthermore, some countries have transphobic laws or social attitudes which could make them particularly unsafe to travel to using a non-binary passport. We think non-binary people should still have the option of having an X on their passport if they would like to, even if such a passport may not be able to be used to travel abroad to some countries. Nobody would be forced to have a gender X passport. There is also precedent for the UK allowing people to swap rapidly back and forth between two valid UK passports where this is needed for their particular circumstances. For example, where a country does not allow entry to people who have used a particular passport to previously enter a county it opposes. Therefore, we would like the UK to allow non-binary people with gender-X passports to apply for special access to an additional M or F passport if they need to enter a country that refuses to accept gender-X passports.

806-2-3.250WWP, SMA-Female, 0.500-6.0 GHz MECA Electronics’ latest New Product Offering, non-binary 6-way broadband of Power Divider covering 0.500-6.000 GHz (806-2-3.250WWP) encompassing Public Safety through ISM bands. With typical performance of; VSWR’s of 1.30:1, Isolation 17 dB, Insertion Loss 1.5 dB and exceptional Amplitude & Phase Balance of 1.5 dB & 15 degrees max. This is in addition to the family of 2, 3, 4, 8 & 16 way splitters in various connector styles and IP60 & 67/68 ratings. Made in the USA 36 month warranty. 1. Insertion loss above 7.78 dB theoretical 6-way power divider split. 2. All output/power combiner ports are in-phase (0° difference). 3. 50 ohm nominal impedance standard. 4. Operating temperature from -55°C to +85°C. 5. See application note MAP-801

In this article, we will explore the significance of using the recipient's name in email communications, delving into the psychological weight it carries and how it enhances the sense of personalization. We will offer practical techniques for incorporating names - considering formality, full versus first names, and the use of titles. Additionally, we will discuss the strategic placement of the name, taking account of cultural, gender and age differences. We will also highlight common mistakes to avoid and ensure accuracy when using names. The article will equip you with everything you need to improve your email communications through the effective use of the recipient's name. Understanding the Importance of Using the Recipient's Name in the Email Greeting When it comes to sending an email, whether for business or personal reasons, the use of the recipient's name in the greeting is a significant decided. It is an aspect that needs to be dealt with carefully as it has a far-reaching effect on the reader's views and perceptions. The omission of the recipient's name can often hint at a generic mass email and neither strikes the right note nor creates a successful email marketing campaign. Think of this in the context of getting a letter in the mail. If the envelope is addressed to "Current Resident" or "Occupant," how much time do you take to open it, let alone read it? On the other hand, when a letter comes in the mail with your name on it, you are more likely to take the time to open it and read the contents. A personal connection is created when an individual's name is included in any form of communication. Why Personalization Matters in Email Communication In recent years, personalization has increasingly become a vital element of successful email communications. It aids in generating positive responses, increasing email open rates and click-through rates. A study conducted by Experian found that personalized emails generated six times higher transaction rates and revenue than non-personalized emails. One of the simplest and most effective ways to personalize your email is through its greeting. Utilizing the recipient's name, you lay the foundation for a personal interaction, which subsequently encourages the recipient to engage with your email. Personalization in email communication is typically achieved by segmenting your contact list, enabling you to create a more targeted and relevant message for each segment. However, this strategy's effectiveness starts with the most basic step - addressing the recipient by name. The Psychological Impact of Using the Recipient's Name From a psychological perspective, it has been found that hearing or seeing one's name activates certain regions of the brain, generating more personalized interactions. According to several studies, the brain pays extra attention when hearing its name and becomes more active. The use of a name in an email greeting can trigger this brain response, enhancing the recipient's engagement and attention. It has also been found to influence the receiver's behavior positively. It can boost their self-esteem, create feelings of inclusion, and foster a sense of trust and respect. These factors contribute to the perceived value of the email, thus improving its effectiveness. Evidence-based Benefits of Personalization in Email Greetings There is a wealth of scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of personalized email greetings. Campaign Monitor found that emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened. Furthermore, according to a study by Return Path, personalized email campaigns deliver a 6% higher open rate. These statistics underline the importance of personalization at the beginning of your email. It not only establishes a human connection but also encourages an increased level of interaction by drawing attention to your message. Therefore, mastering the art of personalization in email communications can dramatically boost your marketing strategy's effectiveness, making a considerable difference in your engagement rates, conversions, and, ultimately, your bottom line. Basic Techniques for Using the Recipient's Name in the Email Greeting The introduction of an email is crucial. It sets the tone for the rest of the message, captures the recipient's attention, and directly affects their perception of you. Properly using a recipient's name in the email greeting is a valuable skill that not only shows courtesy but also displays proficiency in professional communication. The following are some basic techniques for correctly incorporating your recipient's name into your email greeting. Formal Vs Informal Online Communication Different scenarios call for varying levels of formality in communication. The choice of language and tone in your greeting should reflect the nature of the relationship with the recipient. For business or professional communications with clients, superiors, or unfamiliar colleagues, it's appreciated to use a formal email greeting. You might start your email with 'Dear Mr. Smith,' or 'Hello Ms. Johnson,'. This maintains professionalism and respects semiotics. On the other hand, for peers, familiar colleagues, or personal acquaintances, informal communication is often more appropriate. Utilizing a casual greeting such as 'Hi Jake,' or 'Hey Annie,' can help create a friendly, warm opening for your email. It breaks barriers and embodies a camaraderie stance which might be useful while dealing with people you know well. However, always ensure the comfort level of the recipient for the best outcomes. Using the Full Name or First Name Only The use of a recipient’s full name in an email greeting is typically reserved for formal communication, while using the first name is common in casual discussions. However, this choice again depends on the sender's relationship with the recipient. In employment correspondence or hierarchal communication, for instance, with bosses or professors, using the recipient’s full name conveys a level of professional respect. For example, 'Dear Ms. Patterson' or 'Mr. Patterson,' is more appropriate and respectful. On the contrary, for your colleagues or friends, using the first name can foster a friendly rapport and maintain a congenial relationship. For instance, saying 'Hi Alex' or 'Hello Alex,' is perfectly fine because it creates an atmosphere of familiarity while maintaining professionalism. Remember, when in doubt, err on the side of formality. It’s better to come off as too formal than not formal enough. Incorporating Titles and Suffixes Addressing your recipients by title is a courteous acknowledgment of their position or accomplishments. This is usually an important tactic in formal communication, particularly when conversing with highly regarded professionals. Remember to use the correct title such as Dr., Prof., Sir, Ms., etc., followed by their surname. For example, 'Dear Dr. Patel,' or 'Professor Schneider,' in the greeting line. This reflects your recognition of their status and accomplishments. This type of formal address is a show of respect and is typically used in professional and academic settings. In conclusion, using the recipient's name effectively in your email greeting line is a skill to learn. It shows courtesy, recognition, and skilled communication. It’s advisable to familiarize yourself with these strategies to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of your online communication. Strategic Placement of the Recipient's Name in the Greeting When composing a professional email, the way how you begin sets the whole tone for the remaining part. One crucial part of this is how you represent the recipient’s name in the greeting. Strategic placement of a recipient's name can make them feel recognized and draws more attention to the content. This helps build a more personal and engaging connection with the recipient. This article will explore three strategies for placing the recipient's name: starting the email with their name, using their name midway through the greeting and ending the greeting with their name. Starting the Email with the Recipient's Name The first and the most common strategy is beginning your email with the recipient's name. Primarily used in professional settings, this directly addresses the recipient, establishing instant rapport with them. This method is focused and formal, allowing the correspondence to remain professional. By placing the recipient's name at the beginning of the email, you immediately grab their attention, ensuring they don't overlook key points discussed in the email. It is a direct way of communication and gives a sense of respect to your recipient. Also, the psychological impact of seeing one's name at the commencement of any discourse can pique their interest and curiosity. It's a subtle assertion that the upcoming information is tailored specifically for them, promoting increased engagement with your email. It is crucial, however, to ensure that the recipient's name is correctly spelled and appropriately used to not inadvertently dilute the professionalism or efficacy of your message. Using the Recipient's Name Midway Through the Greeting Another strategy to include your recipient's name is introducing it midway through the greeting. This strategy reshapes the conventional business email tone to one of friendliness and warmth while sticking to professionalism. Start your email with a universal greeting followed by a comma and then their name. For instance, 'Good Morning, John!' strikes a friendly and approachable tone that can engage the recipient more efficiently. This strategy can be particularly effective when the writer wants to emphasize their relationship with the recipient or make the email message feel more personal. Again, checking for correct spelling and use of the recipient's name remains vital in this method. A casual, personalized approach can help in building a connection with the recipient, encouraging them to continue reading the message. Ending the Greeting with the Recipient's Name The final strategy is to position the recipient's name at the end of the greeting. This creates a balanced approach, combining both formality and personal touch. This method could be ideal for instances where the use of full names isn't required or when you want a friendlier approach in your formal communication. A greeting like 'Hello and happy Friday, David' is friendly yet professional. Placing the recipient's name at the end strengthens the personal connection established by the use of their name. It reassures that though the message is professional, it is also casual and friendly, thus ensuring a comfortable communication environment between both parties. In the end, how you place the recipient's names in greetings depends on the type of relationship you have with the person or the tone of the email. Each placement strategy carries a slightly different nuance, which can impact the overall tone and reception of your email. Hence, an apt placement considering the context and the recipient can go a long way in ensuring a more focused, personalized, and effective communication. Taking Into Account Cultural, Gender and Age Differences Understanding and respecting cultural, gender, and age differences are paramount to effective interpersonal communication, especially in a globalized world where people from various backgrounds interact on a daily basis. This awareness becomes even more essential when writing emails, as they constitute a dominant form of communication in the modern professional landscape. A misstep in addressing the recipient can cause misunderstandings, offend or even strain professional relationships. Addressing the Email Recipients in Culturally Sensitive Ways Communication styles and conventions drastically vary across cultures. While it is impossible to familiarize oneself with all the cultural norms prevalent worldwide, making an effort to understand and respect the communication style of cultures one regularly interacts with is crucial. For instance, the use of formal language, titles, or surnames to address superiors may be expected in some cultures, such as Germany and Japan, which value formality and hierarchy. On the other hand, cultures like America and Australia may prefer first-name basis communication, reflecting their more casual and egalitarian approach. When emailing individuals from another cultural background, researching and considering these factors can lead to more productive and respectful discourse. Avoid using colloquial phrases or jargon that may not translate well. Instead, use clear, concise wording to ensure your message is understood. Gender Considerations in Using Names Addressing email recipients with respect to their gender is another important consideration. Be aware of cultural variations in the naming conventions, if a woman's name comes with a title such as 'Ms.', 'Mrs.', or 'Miss' or if a man’s title changes as per marital status like in some cultures. In recent years, it's also become increasingly significant to recognize non-binary or gender diverse individuals using their correct pronouns, and the title 'Mx' may be used. If you are unsure of someone's gender identity, it's best to use their full name or ask them for their preferred title or pronoun. Age Considerations in Addressing Recipients Age can also be a crucial factor in email communication etiquette. Older generations may be more comfortable with formal address, while younger people may find it overly formal or distant. Respect towards elders is a cultural trait prevalent in many societies, including parts of Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Even within a culture, individual preferences may vary greatly. As a result, observing and respecting the preference of each recipient, regardless of age, is advised. Some people may be uncomfortable with being addressed by their first name, especially if they are significantly older than the sender. To navigate this, default to a more formal address if you are unsure, then adapt to the recipient's preference as the conversation progresses. In essence, taking into account cultural, gender, and age differences when writing emails is an essential skill in today's diverse world. Not only does it foster strong and mutually respectful relationships, but it also encourages an inclusive and understanding professional environment. Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using the Recipient's Name Knowing how and when to use a recipient's name in one's communication can significantly impact the effectiveness of the interaction. It is a key factor influencing the appeal and acceptance of a message, connoting respect while building rapport. However, the improper use of a recipient's name can have opposite effects, potentially obstructing communication or fostering an unpleasant reception. Here are some common mistakes, which often affect the communication process. Mispronouncing Names in Email Greetings One of the common mistakes made in using a recipient's name involves mispronunciation or misspelling of the name in the email greetings. In oral communication, fumbling over a person's name can undermine the credibility of the speaker while written errors can degrade the overall professional outlook of the content. These errors send underneath messages of insensitivity, neglect, or incompetence, which can affect the recipient’s perception negatively. For instance, in a business setting, mistaking someone's name can hamper the professional relationship even before it starts. It subtly hints at disregard and can position you as unprofessional. To avoid mispronouncing or misspelling names, be sure to check for the correct spelling before starting your correspondence. If the name is pronounced differently than it is written, make an effort to learn the correct pronunciation and use it consistently. Overuse of the Recipient's Name Another mistake often made by communicators is the frequent and unnecessary repetition of the recipient's name. Although using someone's name can bring about a personal feel to the communication, overdoing it can come across as artificial or manipulative, making the recipient suspicious or uncomfortable. Furthermore, it might distract them from the actual content of the message. It is therefore vital to strike a balance. Make sure you use the recipient's name naturally, as one would do in a familiar conversation. Repeating the name every few lines or in every sentence comes across as insincere. Ideally, the recipient's name should be included in the greeting and perhaps once or twice if the correspondence is lengthy. But this largely depends on the context and the nature of the communication. Inappropriate Use of Nicknames and Familiarity Using nicknames or overly familiar terms for someone you are not close with or in an inappropriate setting is another typical error. Departing from the formal use of names to informal alternatives may not always be welcomed or appreciated, particularly in a professional environment. It can communicate disrespect, over-familiarity, or lack of professionalism if not used correctly. In worst-case scenarios, it could lead to misunderstandings or conflicts. The use of nicknames should be reserved for close relationships or situations where it's explicit that they are welcome. In most professional environments, it’s best to stick to the person's first name or their preferred form of address until you have been given permission to do otherwise. Proper use of a recipient's name can go a long way in enhancing communication efficiency, fostering better relationships, and maintaining respect among the parties involved. Use the name judiciously and respectfully while being mindful of the cultural and personal preferences of the recipient to avoid unpleasant consequences. Ensuring Accuracy When Using the Recipient's Name One of the fundamental aspects of email etiquette is addressing the recipient by their correct name. This not only creates an immediate, positive impression, but it also communicates an air of professionalism and respect. Nonetheless, using names in emails is not as simple as it seems. Mistakes happen, particularly with difficult names or in situations where you have only had written contact with the recipient. Here are ways to ensure accuracy when using a recipient's name. Checking for Correct Spelling Never rely on memory or guesswork when it comes to the spelling of a person's name. Mispronunciation is one thing, but misspelling a recipient's name in an email is paramount to not making any effort to know who they are. It does not matter whether the recipient is a coworker, a potential employer, or a client, their name should always be spelled correctly. The best way to verify spelling is by checking their digital profile or past emails. Most email systems preserve the complete history of your email exchanges, which presents an ideal opportunity to review past communication. If you are contacting them for the first time, please check their name from credible sources like the company's website or LinkedIn. Confirmation of Preferred Names Using someone's name demonstrates that you are recognising them as an individual. But, what if they prefer to be addressed by something else? Some people may prefer to go by their middle name, a shortened version of their name, or even a nickname. This makes it crucial to confirm their preferred names. Being conscientious about what people prefer to be called may seem like a small detail, but it can go a long way in fostering positive relationships. When you are uncertain, it is always appropriate to ask. This displays your respect for their personal identity and promotes open communication. Confirming how someone would like to be addressed reduces the chances of unintended offence or confusion. Beyond the Greeting: Using the Recipient's Name In the Body of the Email The use of a person's name should not be limited to the email opening alone. Sprinkling the individual's name casually throughout the email gives your message a sense of personal connection. It is a simple way to keep the recipient engaged, making the email conversation more meaningful and less mechanised. However, overusing their name in every sentence may seem disingenuous. The key is to strike the right balance. Use their name where it flows naturally in conversation, such as when you are agreeing, giving a suggestion, question, or expressing gratitude towards them. In summary, ensuring accuracy when using a recipient's name in an email is essential. It has a profound impact on how the recipient perceives the communication and, by extension, your professional image. Therefore, always make a point to check for correct spelling, confirm their preferred names, and use their name strategically within the email body. Practising these strategies will help stand out as thorough, respectful, and appreciative of each person's unique identity. Techniques for using the recipient's name in the email greeting-FAQs 1. What key benefit does using a recipient's name in an email greeting offer? Using the recipient's name in an email greeting personalizes the communication and prompts engagement. This practice effectively garners attention and sets a respectful tone for the interaction. 2. How often should one use the recipient's name in an email message? Overuse of the recipient’s name can become awkward or seem insincere. Therefore, use the name only in the greeting and, if necessary, once more in the email's body, showing a focused, respectful attention. 3. Is the use of casual nicknames or short form of a recipient's name advisable in professional emails? In professional communication, always use formal names unless the recipient has explicitly asked for the casual nickname or short form. This observance projects professionalism and respect. 4. How does one ensure correct spelling of the recipient's name while including it in an email greeting? Accuracy in spelling the recipient's name is crucial. Double-check the name against the original source, whether that is an employment record, a business card, or a website before incorporating it into the email. 5. Is mispronunciation of the recipient's name avoidable when using voice-to-text email composition tools? Most voice-to-text tools struggle with unfamiliar names. Thus, users should manually check and correct any errors before sending the email, ensuring correct pronunciation of the recipient’s name. 6. How significant is the order of names when emailing multiple recipients? When addressing multiple recipients, users should consider the hierarchy or alphabetical order. This reinforces the etiquette of giving due respect to seniority and prevents potential feelings of exclusion or bias.

by Taylor Mac May 18 – June 18 at the Phoenix Theatre When Isaac is dishonorably discharged for a drug addiction, he comes home only to find nothing is how he left it. Liberated from the oppression of her marriage, Isaac’s mother leads a crusade against the patriarchy alongside his sister, who is now a trans male anarchist and uses the pronouns ‘ze’ and ‘hir.’ Meanwhile, his abusive father has become ill and downs estrogen pills against his will. An Alice-in-Wonderland look at the traditional family, HIR flips the script on gender power dynamics… but does destroying the past really free you from it? Taylor Mac is an incredible non-binary playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer based in New York City. We are looking for community partners to connect our audience with community resources and spark some great conversation.

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Gender-Affirming Care is a Basic Human Right. Why this Bill Strips Bodily Autonomy Updated: May 24, 2022 Trans People Are Who They Say They Are by Stefan Simanovich, LCSW Alabama's most recent legislature is highlighted and bolded: Relating to public health; to prohibit the performance of a medical procedure or the prescription of medication, upon or to a minor child, that is intended to alter the minor child's gender or delay puberty; The intention of medical interventions are to facilitate health and wellbeing as preventative care, not to change someone’s gender or to delay puberty. You cannot alter or change someone’s core gender. Gender is simply knowing who you are, present at birth, it is embodied over the lifetime through being “attuned to", or seen, secure, safe, soothed in an authentic way of being as related to one’s body and sense of self. Trans people are not a threat, people feel threatened by trans people. To criminalize someone is to deem them punishable by the law, with the idea that someone causes harm to others or is a threat to society. Despite how corrupt the legal system is in dehumanizing people, providing medical interventions that enhance health and wellbeing should not be “punishable” and does not cause harm to others. All People are worthy of basic human rights and access to high-quality healthcare that increases life expectancy based on each individual’s needs. Under our constitutional rights, healthcare that is trauma informed, holistic, and dignifying does not warrant being criminalized. Policies like these should be criminalized. (1) The sex of a person is the biological state of being female or male, based on sex organs, chromosomes, and, endogenous hormone profiles, and is genetically encoded into a, person at the moment of conception, and it cannot be changed. The “sex” one is assigned at birth does not indicate the same genetic make up, gender, and sense of self as other people who also assigned that same sex, or “born” with specific sex characteristics and anatomy. We know that there is so much variation of genetic expressions and ways of being among people that are assigned the same sex at birth. Biological sex does not equal someone’s gender identity, gender expression, or gender presentation. Men, women, trans people, genderfluid people, non-binary people, all have variations of experiences related to their bodies. No one has the same experience and relates to their body the same way. That’s a human experience. (2) Some individuals, including minors, may experience discordance between their sex and their internal sense of identity, and individuals who experience severe psychological distress as a result of this discordance may be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Discordance means “lack of agreement”, so I’ll use that meaning since an alternate meaning was not specified. How does someone’s “sex” disagree with someone’s internal sense of self? "Dysphoria" is used in healthcare to enforce the idea of a “psychological illness”, a “lack of agreement between sex and their internal sense of identity”. We know through neurobiology and the impact of our experiences on the brain, that one’s sense of self is shaped by how we are perceived, treated, and how our experiences shape us. “Identity” is not just “of the mind”. One’s core gender identity is embodied, meaning of the body and mind by feeling attuned to by others and seeing ourselves in the world. At Transforward, based on lived, trans experiences that center health, this is an integrative, human, neurobiological perspective that is evidence based. “Gender dysphoria” as a concept and diagnosis has fueled these explicit transphobic policies. The ideology of “Gender dysphoria” is inherently transphobic because it enforces a “mind and body” disconnect, insisting only two genders associated with two body types (“male and female”) exist, using language that aims to “rid” biological sex characteristics, assuming biological sex is connected to one’s gender, and enforces “distress” as coming from within; a pathological source of distress. The distress of trans people stems from lack of bodily autonomy. Furthermore distress is linked to the lack of access to sound healthcare that humanizes the trans experience as a legitimate human existence worthy of basic human rights. Also, the diagnosis and definition completely eradicates androgynous and non-binary identities and actually blocks people from receiving healthcare they need by insisting on rigid requirements for procedures. The DSM uses “gender as social elements and norms” saying it’s just outside and social, then at the same time says it is biological by enforcing medical interventions. It does not make sense and perpetuates confusion. Another paradoxical impact of the diagnosis itself. (3) The cause of the individual's impression of discordance between sex and identity is unknown, and the diagnosis is based exclusively on the individual's self-report of feelings and beliefs. There is not a “discordance between sex and identity”. This is a false interpretation of the trans experience and transgender health. The diagnosis they are referring to is “Gender dysphoria.” This is a diagnosis that has been used to make sense of the distress for trans people and to expand access to gender-affirming medical healthcare by ensuring insurance coverage. Unfortunately, this diagnosis has perpetuated harm by assuming that one’s gender identity is intrinsically attached to one’s biological sex, that there are two sexes associated with two genders, and that one must experience “distress” because of one’s anatomy and sex characteristics to be worthy of healthcare interventions that facilitate healthy gender development. This rhetoric has enforced erroneous beliefs of gender, mental health, and the human experience that are not embedded in accurate science on gender that include all experiences of gender identities and expressions. The existence of “Gender dysphoria” as a diagnosis has actually caused more barriers for trans people in accessing healthcare and well-being. The diagnosis as it exists is not exclusively based on an individual’s self-reporting. If it were, gender-affirming interventions would actually be more accessible. This is the yet another paradox to the diagnosis of “Gender dysphoria”. As a healthcare provider, I know that in my practice and by state law and Social Work ethics, one must perform evaluations, intakes, questionnaires, among other requirements to meet regulations of a proper Psychiatric Evaluation. No diagnosis is just given by self-reporting. There is an in depth process involving several hours of getting to know a client through bio-psycho-social assessment and clinical interview. Any healthcare provider should be offended by this assumption asserted by a state law. (4) This internal sense of discordance is not permanent or fixed, but to the contrary, numerous studies have shown that a substantial majority of children who experience discordance between their sex and identity will outgrow the discordance once they go through puberty and will eventually have an identity that aligns with their sex. There is not an “internal sense of lack of agreement between one’s sex and identity.” This statement does not make sense from a neurobiological standpoint; the way gender and sexuality operate as related to the body and human development. The self is constantly evolving over the lifetime. Gender is a core part of self that is present from birth. You just know who you are. Gender is of the heart-brain, heart-gut, these are interconnected parts of the mind-body, not separate or correlated. The body is not wrong, the body knows what it needs. Youth is about growth, learning, and development. Gender is not just an “identity” of the “psyche.” Gender is felt from birth, and is embodied through conscious awareness. Biological sex is not black and white and so rigid to "male" and "female". I believe trans people are born trans just as each individual is born with an interconnected web of genes, body types, anatomy, organs, spirit, mind, soul, and all elements of what it means to be human. I think we must stop compartmentalizing the complexity of the human body in healthcare. (5) As a result, taking a wait-and-see approach to children who reveal signs of gender nonconformity results in a large majority of those children resolving to an identity congruent with their sex by late adolescence. These approaches are not “wait and see”, they are interventions of preventative healthcare. In order to prevent distress for a young person exploring and understanding a core identity in a world that rigidly only acknowledges two genders with two body types, associated with strict gender norms and expectations, these interventions are lifesaving and sometimes necessary. (6) Some in the medical community are aggressively pushing for interventions on minors that medically alter the child's hormonal balance and remove healthy external and internal sex organs when the child expresses a desire to appear as a sex different from his or her own. The medical community is actually not pushing for trauma-informed, trans-affirming healthcare, and as emphasized in this article. I argue the healthcare community unfortunately has perpetuated harm. Trans people have not found healing and embodied in healthcare facilities. This has come through acceptance, community, and a sense of ownership of one's body and life. Interventions that are trauma-informed, trans affirming, and trans embracing actually saves lives. These intervention are holistic, integrative, and provide space to consider all the elements of one’s life, body, and gender identity. (7) This course of treatment for minors commonly begins with encouraging and assisting the child to socially transition to dressing and presenting as the opposite sex. In the case of prepubertal children, as puberty begins, doctors then administer long-acting GnRH agonists (puberty blockers) that suppress the pubertal development of the child. This use of puberty blockers for gender nonconforming children is experimental and not FDA-approved. No one can present as the “opposite sex” because gender expression and presentation is not the same as one’s reproductive organs, sex characteristics, and chromosomes. It is unethical for any healthcare provider to “encourage or assist'' an individual with any medical intervention if client-centered and follows ethicals guidelines. We all know there are many things that the FDA approves that are unhealthy and not evidence based. Many puberty blockers are indeed FDA approved. In fact, the puberty blocker Lupron has been used safely since 1993 to combat precocious puberty in children. Many trans people use blockers, both youth and adults. At Transforward, not a single client has experienced long term, unhealthy effects of blockers. In fact, many young people actually do not use blockers, and instead wait until appropriate age to begin hormone replacement therapy if that is true for them. When young people are given a safe space to explore decisions for their life and their body, young people make the decision that is best for them. I have had young people who actually start hormones and make the decision to stop because it is just “not their truth” or because they feel complete, whole, and embodied. Young people are chronically devalued in our society and dismissed, when in fact adolescence is one of the most precious times in our human life development where young people should be the most. honored and given space to be what is authentic to them. (8) After puberty blockade, the child is later administered "cross-sex" hormonal treatments that induce the development of secondary sex characteristics of the other sex, such as causing the development of breasts and wider hips in male children taking estrogen and greater muscle mass, bone density, body hair, and a deeper voice in female children taking testosterone. Some children are administered these hormones independent of any prior pubertal blockade. This assumes that: 1) there are only two genders associated with two biological sexes 2) that trans people do not exist because there are only two genders and two perceived body types. “Female children” do not take testosterone and “male children” do not take estrogen. This is conflating gender with biological sex and sex characteristics. This is not the same thing or trans people would not exist. Every individual has their gender-affirming self-image that is authentic to them and their body. This is not always the traditional understanding of what it means and looks like to be a woman or man. Men, women, and people look like many different things and has various body types. Countless evidence, research, life experience, and narratives show us time and time again that the embodiment of gender, which includes sound medical interventions that are gender affirming, facilitates health, well-being, community, and ultimately increases life expectancy. This is evidenced based at Transforward across background, identity, and age. Actually, the embodiment of gender increases health, well being, and an internal sense of harmony, decreasing symptoms (distress). (9) The final phase of treatment is for the individual to undergo cosmetic and other surgical procedures, often to create an appearance similar to that of the opposite sex. These surgical procedures may include a mastectomy to remove a female adolescent's breasts and "bottom surgery" that removes a minor's health reproductive organs and creates an artificial form aiming to approximate the appearance of the genitals of the opposite sex. Actually, most trans people do not undergo surgery, and no trans people undergo “cosmetic” surgery related to gender affirming procedures because all surgery that is pursued is necessary according to each individual’s needs. It is a myth that all or most trans people need and seek surgical interventions. 1) because people experience different relationships with their body, gender expression, and gender identity 2) due to the inaccessibility and barriers to high quality medical healthcare that is trans embracing and affirming, enforced by insurance payers strict regulations for gender affirming procedures that are often denied as “unnecessary” (unworthy, invalid). Many trans people experience healthcare trauma, a lack of bodily autonomy, safety, and trust in healthcare facilities and in interactions with healthcare providers that prevents seeking care. (10) For minors who are placed on puberty blockers that inhibit their bodies from experiencing the natural process of sexual development, the overwhelming majority will continue down a path toward cross-sex hormones and cosmetic Many who continue on hormone replacement therapy do so because trans-affirming healthcare, that includes bodily autonomy, safety, attunement, and space to explore an authentic part of self always increases socio-emotional health. Sometimes, this includes hormones that are necessary in creating harmony between a young person’s internal and external world. (11) This unproven, poorly studied series of interventions results in numerous harmful effects for minors, as well as risks of effects simply unknown due to the new and experimental nature of these interventions. Many studies explore the use of puberty blockers in pre-adolescents, most notably a thirty year Dutch study led by Amsterdam Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria and most recently in 2019 a ten year study by Johanna Olson-Kennedy, Amsterdam Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, MD, Yee-Ming Chan, MD, PhD and Stephen Rosenthal, MD which both conclude that, “transgender individuals who underwent hormonal gender transition at younger ages assimilated more easily into their “new gender” roles because of greater concordance between their physical appearance and gender” (Olson-Kennedy et.al). Additionally, both studies observed that individuals undergoing an unwanted endogenous puberty experience, faired far worse than their counterparts who utilized “blockers”. In fact, distress in academic, emotional functioning and familial relationships were noted by researchers in the case of transgender youth who were unable to prevent an unwanted puberty. Failure to intervene early led to mortality in these groups who were denied trans-affirming care. These deaths were due to substance abuse, suicide and homelessness which were psychosocial effects. This study led Dutch clinicians to seek early interventions and the results were unsurprising. Those receiving early trans affirming care fared far better than their counterparts. Results showed a decrease in emotional and behavioral problems. The research overwhelmingly points to one conclusion; failing to provide trans people life-saving early intervention has catastrophic results. Denying the existence of these studies is blatant transphobia. We know that these trans-affirming interventions save lives, yet live in a country so hellbent on willful ignorance that they will allow trans people to die before they attempt to understand them and offer them adequate care. (12) Among the known harms from puberty blockers is diminished bone density; the full effect of puberty blockers on brain development and cognition are yet unknown, though reason for concern is now present. There is no research on the long-term risks to minors of persistent exposure to puberty blockers. With the administration of cross-sex hormones comes increased risks of cardiovascular disease, thromboembolic stroke, asthma, COPD, and cancer. Again, hormone replacement therapy as a necessary intervention for trans youth and adults according to each individual’s need improves socio-emotional health. Distress for trans youth comes from inherently not belonging in a largely transphobic society, which looks like fear of being judged, feeling like there is something wrong with them, and fear of being misunderstood, misperceived, and unsafe in an authentic way of being in one’s gender. Distress is a trauma response. Pain, discomfort, and suffering come with life. That is a human experience. Distress is avoidable. Gender and the trans experience is not inherently distressing. Like any medical procedure, there are always risks. These are risks that people take to save their life and for their well-being. Assuming that trans people would pursue medical interventions blindly, impulsively, simply by "being out of their minds" further displays the insidious ways transphobia has inserted itself into our political discourse. Many trans youth report wanting certain procedures for “years” of their lives. Why do we think trans youth are so distressed? Because they are denied access to life itself: bodily autonomy, safety, happiness, and sense of belonging. An increase in socio-emotional health is attributed to a decrease in suicidality, self-harming behaviors, depression, social anxiety, dissociation, numbness, isolation, restlessness, irritability; while an increase in emotional expression, peace of mind, physical health, self-worth, confidence, and sense of hope can be observed. (13) Puberty blockers prevent gonadal maturation and thus render patients taking these drugs infertile. Introducing cross-sex hormones to children with immature gonads as a direct result of pubertal blockade is expected to cause irreversible sterility. Sterilization is also permanent for those who undergo surgery to remove reproductive organs, and such persons are likely to suffer through a lifetime of complications from the surgery, infections, and other difficulties requiring yet more medical intervention. A person’s choice of whether or not to have biological children is their individual right to bodily autonomy (this includes minors). Minors can give birth to children legally throughout our country. In fact, legislature in many states makes it illegal for these minors to do otherwise. Many youth and minors are required to have children unwillingly if they do not have access to reproductive rights, like the right to an abortion. Minors and trans youth deserve reproductive rights and the ability to choose if, when, and how one would like to have children. Gender variance, as it relates to medical decisions regarding one’s body and gender identity, is a connected yet separate discussion. (14) Several studies demonstrate that hormonal and surgical interventions often do not resolve the underlying psychological issues affecting the individual. For example, individuals who undergo cross-sex cosmetic surgical procedures have been found to suffer from elevated mortality rates higher than the general population. They experience significantly higher rates of substance abuse, depression, and psychiatric hospitalizations. The distress for trans youth is due to policies like these that elevate a lack of safety, causing an increase in emotional distress due to the terror of never being able to embody (be “of one’s body, creating connection between one’s body, self, and others) an authentic way of being in one’s core gender. This includes a lack of access to gender-affirming medical care that is necessary and healthy for many trans/non-binary youth. (15) Minors, and often their parents, are unable to comprehend and fully appreciate the risk and life implications, including permanent sterility, that result from the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures. This is because there is enormous confusion about gender and the trans experience as the current models throughout society and healthcare talk about gender in a manner that does not make sense on neurobiological and human levels. We now know so much more about how the brain, body, and our external world shape our socio-emotional development, including one’s sense of gender identity. I believe we must stop emphasizing a "brain/body disconnect". There is not a separation or disconnect between biological sex and gender identity experienced by anyone. The body, sexuality, and gender identity or one's sense of self, are interconnected, not correlated; evolving over the lifetime as authentic to each individual. Confusion has been exacerbated by diagnoses like “Gender dysphoria” and the pathologizing of a natural human experience as mentioned before. (16) For these reasons, the decision to pursue a course of hormonal and surgical interventions to address a discordance between the individual's sex and sense of identity should not be presented to or determined for minors who are incapable of comprehending the negative implications and life-course difficulties attending to these interventions. The reality is that this bill is detrimental to not only our country, but every single person because of the traumatizing ripple effects for all of us. Bills such as this prohibit the removal of "healthy tissue" inadvertently prohibit cis women from undergoing preemptive mastectomies in the case of having a strong gene for breast cancer. Additionally, this bill makes it illegal to augment the body through plastic surgery if the body parts involved are healthy. The rigidity of this law will unexpectedly impact those who think it doesn't concern them at all. This is why many are calling for the bill to be followed to the letter so that cis people will recognize how this bill effects them and perhaps infer how deeply this bill will hurt the trans community. So many people know trans people, have trans family members and friends, and are coming out as trans, non-binary, genderfluid. Many more people are related to and know trans people, and many parents are fighting for their kids to live and be in their authentic self of self. I witness it everyday and honor the parents/caregivers who embrace their children no matter what gender identity or expression by giving them bodily autonomy and safety. That is life saving. We are all impacted by rigid standards, beliefs, and assumptions we hold on gender associated to biological sex. Cisgender, straight people are also victims of these inflexible systems of gender and sexuality heavily based on the physical body, held hostage to expectations of what a man or woman should be like, look like, feel like, think like; or how one should express their emotions based on gender, who one should socialize with, what someone "should do" with their career, time, energy, body; what one should wear. Gender and how we are perceived impacts everything we do because it's so engrained in our society. I believe that trans people have a lot to teach us as a society if we would only listen, which includes reaching out and listening to trans youth. Young people would not experience such heightened distress related to being trans if we lived in a world where trans people belonged. This means being integrated into our society through policies, practices, and mindsets that acknowledge the trans experience and gender variance based on body type as a normal human experience that is worthy of bodily autonomy: existing.

I have a… very strange and contradictory relationship to my personal privacy. On the one hand, I have been blogging pretty regularly, for almost four years now(!), about all kinds of extremely ‘private’ thoughts and feelings, around my gender, sexuality, and all kinds of other things. I have also been systematically pulling my blogging persona and my general IRL persona closer together as the years have passed. When I started Valprehension, ‘Kasey’ was a pseudonym, but now it’s my legal name. I post links to my professional writing here sometimes, so y’all pretty much know where I work now. I haven’t explicitly linked anything in my professional persona back to here, but anyone who cared enough to do some digging would find this blog pretty easily. On the other hand, I have always been weird about discussing my personal life with anyone but my closest friends. I’m queer, and non-monogamous; I am non-binary and have a non-binary partner; I am on the asexual spectrum. I don’t hide any of these things, but I also often just avoid topics directly or indirectly related to them because I just don’t feel like getting into these things. Back at my old retail job, even after I’d been there for over a year – and at the time I wore a wedding ring every day, for the record – people were still regularly surprised when they realized I was married. I just never really mentioned my spouse, because… um, it didn’t come up? I think that in general, I want people to know these things about me, but I don’t want to deal with their immediate reactions to them. This is why I find it easier to be open in online contexts than in-person ones, regardless of whether the people I am interacting with know me in real life. …Or, maybe not ‘regardless’. I am always a little bit reluctant to connect with work colleagues on facebook, for instance, though I’d be hard-pressed to really articulate why. I think I just fear the moment-of-truth transition where people go from not knowing to knowing this sort of potentially relationship-complicating stuff about me, even though I’m happier once it’s over with, generally. My ace-spectrum status in particular is one that most people are unlikely to ever know about me. Basically unless you read this blog, it’s not likely something that’s going to come up. In part this is because my relationship status pretty heavily obscures and misdirects people from even the possibility that I am ace (largely because of misconceptions about asexuality), and makes it even more unlikely that it will come up. I can see it coming up if someone were curious about my dating habits as a non-monogamous human (since, as I’ve written about here, here, and here, my demisexuality is highly relevant in that context), but at the same time I prefer to do my coming-out about things implicitly, rather than by explicitly stating my identities: my queerness can be outed by the pronouns (and other gender-marked words) I use for partners (at least, when I’m dating people whose pronouns aren’t the ones that make people assume I’m straight); people may realize I’m non-monogamous if, for instance, they notice that I sometimes refer to a spouse, and sometimes to a boyfriend, or if they realize over time that the things I say about “my partner” at various times can’t possibly always be referring to the same person, etc. I don’t think there’s any instances where me just talking about my day-to-day life would tip my hand about being demisexual, though, so ultimately this aspect of my identity is more private than many others, even though that’s not by design. I’m not really sure what my conclusion here is, to be honest. But I do wonder whether some of this will resonate with other people, and I look forward to seeing the other submissions to this month’s carnival!

Last Updated on The Awards Ceremony took place in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on Friday 14th September. Very early that morning Stephanie Gilbert and Gail Lawrence left Cornwall for the very long drive ‘up country’ to represent Safe Haven – Cornwall at the Awards Ceremony, both feeling extremely honoured and privileged to be attending this event. What an awesome venue. The nave of the cathedral was filled with nearly 50 tables, each seating 10, and lit primarily by the candelabras from each table. Hogwarts re-incarnated. They believed they were the only trans women there and felt extremely proud of representing a whole community, not just Safe Haven – Cornwall. It was awesome, and extremely humbling, meeting so many people who had achieved so much over so many years in many areas of ‘diversity’. e.g. mental health, race, gender etc. Every nominee there was up against seven others for each award. It appeared that everyone had taken the view that as chances of winning were limited and therefore determined to enjoy the night to the fullest. This was certainly very apparent at the night club visited by many after the event, but that, as they say, is a whole different story. Our Congratulations to the winners of our Category, SAIL NI, who have been supporting family members of transgender, non-binary and questioning people across Northern Ireland since 2008. Hopefully, Safe Haven – Cornwall will be back as nominated Finalists again next year.

Agnès Varda Forever, A Collaboration with Jennifer “JJ” Jones and Laura Glazer (2021) Agnes Varda Forever is an art project by Laura Glazer and Jennifer “JJ” Jones created to increase awareness and appreciation of Agnes Varda. The project originated in Portland, Oregon and is ongoing throughout the world today. BUY NOW - $10 each Laura Glazer reached out to me in the summer of 2021 with a dream of a stamp for the Agnes Varda Festival that she and her collaborator, JJ were putting together in late August. At the time, I knew of Agnes Varda through Laura’s passionate description but it wasn't until I sat down to draw these stamps did I watch her movies for the first time. All proceeds from the sale of these stamps will be donated to POWGirls. POWGirls offers workshops in video production, cinematography, audio recording, set lighting, digital editing, and media literacy for girls and non-binary youth ages 15-19. Our instructors are working media producers who inspire participants to be creative, tech-savvy leaders who will help realize gender equity in the film industry. www.powgirls.com

A female whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward folks of exactly the same gender. The sex assigned to a kid at birth, most often in line with the child’s external anatomy. It can take some time to adjust to seeing someone you know well transitioning. Having someone in your area transition will be an adjustment and may be challenging, specifically for partners, parents, and children. Keep carefully the lines of communication open with the transgender person that you experienced. No glossary could encompass the range of identities and terms which are used within LGBTQIA+ communities. Often called “ace” for short, asexual refers to a complete or partial insufficient sexual attraction or insufficient interest in sexual activity with others. One’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a mixture of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. Due to the expansive nature of gender identities beyond the binary, anyone of any sexuality can be drawn to a nonbinary person. A heterosexual woman could be drawn to a nonbinary person while affirming both her sexuality and her partner’s gender. A term often used by the medical community to describe individuals who dress, behave, or go to town in a manner that does not conform to dominant gender norms. People beyond your medical community tend to avoid this term because it suggests that these identities are abnormal, preferring terms such as for example gender expansive. Used to describe someone who experiences sexual attraction only after forming an emotional connection. Animosity, hatred, or dislike of bisexual people which might manifest by means of prejudice or bias. Always listen for and respect a person’s self identified terminology. Individuals who challenge binary social constructions of gender often self-identify as genderqueer. A person emotionally, romantically or sexually drawn to more than one sex, gender or gender identity though definitely not simultaneously, just as or to exactly the same degree. As part of their gender affirmation, some nonbinary people may pursue body modification through surgical procedures, hormone therapy, or both. Genderqueer – A person who identifies as neither, both, or perhaps a combination of male and female genders. Usually in mention of the socially constructed gender binary of man/woman and sex binary of male/female. An identity label sometimes claimed by man-identified people who form their primary romantic and sexual relationships with other man-identified people. An identity label sometimes claimed by those people who are sexually attracted to two sexes or genders, not necessarily equally or simultaneously. A term that describes people born with differences in their sex traits and/or reproductive anatomy (e.g., genitalia, hormones, internal anatomy, chromosomes) resulting in bodies that do unfit what society typically defines as “male” or “female”. Something in which gender is constructed into two strict categories of male or female. Gender identity is expected A person with a number of transgender or nonbinary parent or caregiver. Neopronouns are pronouns created to be specifically gender neutral, including xe/xem, ze/zir, and fae/faer. Pronouns are sometimes called Personal Gender Pronouns, or PGPs. For those who use pronouns–and not absolutely all people do–they aren’t preferred, they’re essential. Examples of monosexual groups include gay men, lesbians, and straight people. A scale developed in the 1940s by Alfred Kinsey which places an individual’s sexual orientation on a spectrum from 0 to 6 . The scale included the measurement “X” which indicated an absence of sexual behavior. There is no one way to transition–the word means something to every individual. The validity of an individual’s gender identity does not depend on any social, legal, and/or medical transition; the self-identification itself is what validates the gender identity. Many individuals choose never to or cannot transition for a wide range of reasons both within and beyond their control. An identity label used to spell it out an individual whose gender identity does not align with the socially expected one according to their sex assigned at birth. Often used as an umbrella term to include people who transgress gender norms, including cross dressers, genderqueer people, trans women, trans men, bigender or polygender people, etc. Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that aren’t solely male or female—identities which are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities are categorized as the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically identify with a gender that’s not the same as their assigned sex, though some non-binary people do not consider themselves transgender. - Pre-Op means that one has not had gender-affirming surgery and may or may not plan to. - One promising project may be the PRIDE Study, the initial national, long-term health study of sexual and gender minorities in america (pridestudy.org). - It is not helpful to force the child to do something in a more gender-conforming way. Genderqueer people typically reject notions of static categories of gender and embrace a fluidity of gender identity and frequently, though not necessarily, sexual orientation. Sex isn’t binary, and there exist many possibilities beyond XX and XY chromosomes. An individual, often—but not always—a lesbian or queer-identified woman, that identifies strongly with “masculinity.” Has been used historically in a derogatory manner. The cultural, institutional and individual beliefs and practices that assume heterosexuality is the only natural, normal and acceptable sexual orientation. Belief that LGBQ identities are inferior compared to, or less authentic than, heterosexual identities. Being perceived by others as the gender you are looking to present as. Usually used to describe if a trans person has the capacity to live convincingly and publicly as the gender they identify as. - Wells Fargo Ceo Login - Market Research Facilities Near Me - Jeff Gural Net Worth - Stock market index: Tracker of change in the overall value of a stock market. They can be invested in via index funds. - Mutual Funds With Low Initial Investment - Cfd Flex Vs Cfd Solver - Robinhood Snacks: Short daily email newsletter published by investment company Robinhood. It rounds up financial news. - CNBC Pre Market Futures - Future Stock Price Calculator - Warren Buffett Wife Portfolio

We all know that Harry Styles is undoubtedly the best-dressed musician. He knows how to play with colours flawlessly. He is someone who enjoys fashion and does not shy away from experimenting with new styles. This Halloween was no different too for Harry Styles. Basking in the Halloween glory, Harry Styles stole the show as he dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Known for hits such as Falling and Sign of the Times, the former One Direction artist performed at New York City’s Madison Square Garden at a Halloween-themed Love on Tour concert on Saturday, October 30. He rocked his show while dressing up as Dorothy Gale from The Wizard of Oz. Love him or hate him, we assure you that he definitely knows how to make an impact. With 40.2 million followers on Instagram, the former One Directioner shared a post with the caption “HARRYWEEN. New York City, I”. Dressing up to mark on Halloween is a tough competition. But, Harry Styles aced Halloween 2021’s look with his Dorothy costume. Harry Styles wore a pretty blue gingham dress with red dots, paired with an adorable matching bow in his hair with blue socks and the character’s signature sparkling ruby slippers. He also carried a little plush black dog to portray Toto. As per reports, in his concert, he surprised his fans with a rendition of Judy Garland’s “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. Skipping onstage, Harry Styles said, “I look cute!” This is not the first time he crushed it at the Halloween game, he also aced his Elton John look in 2018. Earlier, striking a pose in a ball gown and jacket, Harry Styles made history as the first man to grace the cover of Vogue magazine If anyone is a representation of ‘Gender fluidity and non-binary dressing, Harry Styles has become the poster boy for it. He has clearly lived up to his surname for years. - What happens after net zero? The impacts will play out for decades - Manipur: Vatican ambassador to India visits relief camp in Imphal - Tripura BJP appoints “feedback gatherers” for 20 tribal seats - Manipur: Police rescue abducted student; 8 held - Nagaland: Ahead of Hornbill finale, festival goers face traffic woes - LPG transporters suspend indefinite strike, cooking gas supply to continue

By Molly Workman Athletics are a big deal for many colleges, whether they are varsity teams, club teams or intramurals. However, students wanting to participate in intramural sports at Western are forced to make a decision about their identity before they can start: male or female. So, what does this mean for students who identify as non-binary? The rules for each intramural sport are clearly laid out on the Wade King Student Recreation Center website. In each set, parameters for male and female representation on the field or court are listed. This is to ensure equal and fair playing time for the co-ed leagues, according to Title IX’s guidelines. The Title IX office on campus, located in Old Main 345, is dedicated to overseeing and responding to discrimination against sex on campus in campus culture and programming. Caitlin Sommers is the sports club coordinator for Western and has been spearheading the effort to change this in the recent weeks of receiving feedback on the registration software that Western uses. “The biggest challenge we are facing is the software program itself,” Sommers said in an email. “We are working with the company to make sure options are made available.” Jason Barrett, an employee at the Student Technology Center, said he recognized the difficulty behind providing that option in the software from an administrative standpoint. He said one of the roadblocks would be the website itself. Given that the website used for intramural registration is used by many schools, it would be hard to make one specifically for Western. “Western wouldn’t have the ability to make the decision for every college unilaterally,” Barrett said. “They would have to come to an agreement across all the different campuses.” Gender disparities appear to reach further than just registration. In co-ed intramural basketball, female athletes are awarded an extra point for baskets scored, converting two-point shots to three-point shots and three-point shots to four-point shots. Dylan Hayes is the Sam Carver Gymnasium supervisor during the intramural games. He said he wasn’t quite sure why this was an official regulation. “It’s just in the rules,” he said. Sarah Quiring, a participant in intramurals, said she’s frustrated by exceptions like these in the rule book. “I don’t know why that would be a factor,” she said. “I am a firm believer in earning your stripes and being given a free point, I’m not the best basketball player, but honestly I feel like it’s a little bit demoralizing.” However, it seems gender inclusivity seems to be an increasing priority of Western’s. The Equal Opportunity Office works to combat discrimination both in the workplace and in general campus culture. L.K. Langley is the programs manager at the EOO and has been working in conjunction with Sommers to provide a neutral option. “[Caitlin Sommers] raised the concern to me for input very soon after first receiving feedback from a student about it,” Langley said. “It was clear to me from the beginning of our communication that Caitlin and intramurals take the issue seriously.” Langley said they are strongly in favor of requiring extra trainings for referees and intramural sports officials following the implementation of a non-binary option. “Caitlin has asked me if I would provide some training for refs and others who are really out there on the field or in the game with our students and also for staff within our rec center,” they said. Langley said they are happy to provide training for referees per a request from the athletic department. “That would be training not just about our systems and how to improve our systems, but also just about how to create intramural environments that are really welcoming to and inclusive of trans and non-binary students,” Langley said. Rec center works to resolve this issue, but there are many things to take into consideration. Among other changes, rules about equal gender representation on the court or field would have to be modified to include gender non-conforming individuals. Langley mentioned that Western has the ability to communicate with the registration website, imleagues.com, and express the opinion that if Western has a demand for a gender neutral option that it’s likely other schools do as well. In the meantime, Sommers offered the option for students to forego the binary gender identification choice. She said students who wish to skip the gender identification question may contact the intramurals staff at firstname.lastname@example.org. The Western Team for Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students, as well as the Title IX office, were contacted for this story and did not reply before publication.