^ Sept. 1991 Are breast implants medical abuse? (pg. 12) CMPA $2.25 ilCf \\ News About Women That's Not In The Dailies Will the "rape shield" be missed? ♦ Sue McGowan ♦ Healing the Earth ♦ Hair ♦ ♦ plus lots of art and politics and lots of letters ♦ ill aspects o1 paper. Call us at 255-5499. Our next Writer's Meeting is Wed. Sept. 5 at 7 pm at Kinesis, #301-1720 Grant St. All women welcome ever don't have experience PRODUCTION THIS ISSUE: Debbie Bryant, Janisse Browning, Nancy Pollak, Sandra Gillespie, Deborah Mclnnis, Jillian Hull, Faith Jones, Sim- man Black, Julie Macdonnell, Donna Butorac, Nina Wolan- ski, Carrie Smith, Charlene Linnell, Marsha Arbour, Jan- ette Hellmuth. FRONT COVER: Graphic by Debra Rooney, for the play Collateral Damage: The Tragedy of Medea, (see Bulletin Board for details). EDITORIAL BOARD: Nancy Pollak, Heidi Walsh, Agnes ;iRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION: Jennifer Johnstone, ADVERTISING: Birgit Schinke Kinesis Is published 10 times a year by the Vancouver Status of Women. Its objectives are to be a non-sectarian feminist voice for women and to work; actively for social change,-; specificaliy:,; combatting sexism, racism; homophobia and_.{mperiaiism. Views expressed in Kinesis are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect VSW policy. All unsigned material is the responsibility of the Kinesis Editorial Board. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions to Kinesis are $20 per year (+ $1.40 G.S.T.) or what you can afford. Membership in the Vancouver Status of Women is $30 or what you can afford, includes subscription to Kinesis. SUBMISSIONS: Women and girls are welcome to make submissions. We reserve the right to edit and submission does not guarantee publication. If possible, submissions should be typed double spaced and must be signed and include an address and phone number. Please note: Kinesis does not accept poetry or fiction contributions. For material to be returned, a SASE must be included. Editorial guidelines are available on request. ADVERTISING: For information about display advertising rates, please contact Kinesis. For information about classifieds, please see the classified page in this issue. DEADLINE: For features and reviews: the 10th of the month preceding publication; news copy: 15th; letters and Bulletin Board listings: 18th. Display advertising—camera ready: 18th; design required: 16th. 00^ A dirty story: the pulp and paper industry in BC and how consumer demand can change it 8 Vancouver artist Susan Edelstein questions our patriarchal vision of women's bodies 15 INSIDE Rape Shield gone: big loss to little protection... ....5 Rtqmi by Nancy Pollak Pandora boxed by man's complaint ....5 by Agnes Huang Medicare is sickening ....4 by Noreen Shanahan Movement Matters.... New panel to study old violence ...,5 by Lee Lakeman Women and disability in El Salvador by Eileen Glron ....7 Inside Kinesis Pulp fiction: in which bright white is filthy dirty.. ....8 by Lynne Jamieson Healing the Earth: women and the environment.. ....9 What's News? by Gulzar Samji by Donna Butorac Hair: gone today, hair tomorrow ...11 by Jillian Hull Inner assault: breast implants as medical abuse. ...12 Letters by Heidi Walsh Sometimes it gets to be too much ...14 . by Lizanne Foster Bulletin Board compiled by Donna Dyk On Display, photographic art by Susan Edelstein.. .15 by Pat Feindel Sima Elizabeth Shef rin's We Call it Home .16 by Laurel Weldon Chrystos's Dream On: poetry in review .16 by Raj Pannu Sue McGowan's music: more than melody ..17 by Juline Macdonnell CORRESPONDENCE: Kinesis, Vancouver Status of Women, 301-1720 Grant St., Vancouver, BC V5L 2Y6 Kinesis is indexed in the Canadian Women's Periodicals Index, and the Alternative Press Index. Kinesis is a member of the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association. ISSN 0317-9095 Publications Mail Reg. #6426 J KINESIS Movement Matters Xx^^xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx^^ Movement Matters listings information Movement Matters is designed to be a network of news, updates and information of special interest to the women's movement. Submissions to Movement Matters should be no more than 500 words, typed, double- spaced on eight and a half by eleven paper. Submissions may be edited for length. Deadline is the 18th of the month preceding publication. Int'l women's mags sought The Women's Plenum at Tubingen University in Germany is organizing a touring exhibition of international femimst women's/lesbian periodicals. The organizers are looking for newsletters and magazines from as many ethnic groups, countries and regions, languages and professions as possible. The collection will first be shown in February 1992 in Tubingen, and will then be turned over to other women wishing to have the exhibit in their own centre. A catalogue of the periodicals in the exhibit will be produced, including title pages and bibliographic information. Current issues of your publication should be sent to the organizers no later than December 1, 1991. To send copies and for more information, write to: International Feminist Magazine Exhibition, c/o Frauen- plenum Neuphilologie, Wilhemstr. 50, W— 7400 Tubingen, Germany. FAX: No. Germany (0) 7071/27063 Index of Can. lesbian mags A message from Manitoba: "We are in the process of indexing what will be the first Canadian Lesbian Periodicals Index. We believe that the publication of this index will ensure the preservation of a large part of our Canadian lesbian herstory. Twenty publications will be indexed. Because half of these periodicals are no longer being published, it is difficult Kinesis Women of Colour Caucus Meets last Thursday of every month. Next Meeting: Thursday, Sept. 26 7 p.m. 301-1720 Grant St. Contact Agnes at 736-7895 for more information. for us to get a hold of them. We would therefore like to ask the lesbian community across Canada to help us in locating the following periodicals: A Web of Crones, (Vancouver, 1986); Diversity, (Vancouver, 1988); Lesbians/lesbiennes, (Toronto, 1979-81); Flagrant, (Vancouver, 1981-84); The Sisters' Lightship, (Halifax, 1978); Three of Cups Newsletter, (Toronto, 1976-78); Waves, (Victoria, 1978-79); Womonspace, (Edmonton, 1984). If anyone has any of the above-mentioned periodicals, we would appreciate it greatly if you could get in touch with us as soon as possible. We will accept collect calls at: (204) 475-5489. Arrangements can be made with you, as to the cost of shipping the material to us, and back to you. Thank you for your support." Time off for women In 1985, the International Wages for Housework Campaign won the UN decision that governments should include women's unwaged work in the home, on the farm and in their communities in the country's Gross National Product. To pressure governments to implement this decision, Wages for Housework coordinates a "Time Off for Women" annually in the week of October 24th. The theme of "Time Off '91" is Counting the Cost to Women of Military Budgets. In the aftermath of the Gulf war, women are expected to pick up the pieces of war- torn lives and a shattered environment with still more of our unwaged work. Enormous wealth and technology have been poured into the Gulf war; counting women's contribution to the economy is a step towards claiming this wealth back from war and weapons. In this country, the International Wages for Housework Campaign is based in Montreal, where a number of public events are planned for the week of October 24th. For more information about the events, for publicity materials and/or the "Women Count- Count Women's Work" petition (available in 25 languages) contact the campaign at BP 5566, Succ. C, Montreal, PQ H2X 3M6. Tel: (514) 257-9393. Can. Women's history month A committee has formed to promote the idea of a month each year being proclaimed Canadian Women's History Month. The reason for such a month would be to celebrate the achievements of Canadian women, to foster appreciation for the contributions of Canadian women locally, nationally and internationally; and to" heighten the understanding of the diversity of women's lives in this society. The committee, which counts Kay Armstrong as an honorary patron, is suggesting that October be chosen since that is the month the Persons Case is celebrated. The Canadian Women's History Month Committee (CWHM) is asking supportive individuals and groups to send a letter to Mary Collins, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women calling for one month a year to be declared our history month. Write to Mary Collins at: 151 Sparks St., Ottawa, ONT KlA 1C3. The CWHM would also like to receive a copy of your letters, as well as any comments or suggestions you may have con- cerning this idea. CWHM: 893 Leslie Drive, Victoria, BC V8X 2Y3. Guide to women's movement collections The Canadian Women's Movement Archives/Archives canadiennes du mouvement des femmes is compiling a guide to the records of the contemporary Canadian women's movement. This bilingual guide, to be published in 1992, will help scholars and activists locate records (i.e., minutes, reports, correspondence, photographs, posters, etc.) of the many women's groups which have existed in Canada since 1960. This summer we sent questionnaires to about 2,500 organizations whose records we hope to list in the guide. We included women's organizations, groups which focus on a women's issue, and feminist committees within larger organizations such as unions and ethno cultural organizations. We would be glad to hear from any organization we may have missed. We are also eager to hear from any individual who has the records of a women's group. (Often when a group disbands, a member will preserve its records.) We would also welcome questions or suggestions related to the project. Please write to: Susan Shea, Canadian Women's Movement Archives/Archives canadiennes du mouvement des femmes, PO Box 128, Stn P, Toronto, Ont., M5S 2S7. Tel: (416) 597-8865. Feminist Inst, on Law and Society Simon Fraser University recently announced the creation of the Feminist Institute on Law and Society "to facilitate he development of feminist analyses." The Institute is designed to provide an environment for creative interaction among scholars and community representatives who are involved in such work locally, nationally and internationally, and to bridge gaps between legal and social science research. The Institute may be contacted at: SFU, Burnaby, BC V51 1S6, Telephone: (604) 291-4035 (4036) or FAX: (604) 291-4140. Correction In "But will the government respond?" (July/August 1991), we incorrectly identified the location of the Aboriginal justice conference in September. The correct location is Whitehorse, Yukon. Kinesis would like to thank Vancouver Cooperative Radio (CFRO 102.7 FM) for providing the audio tape of the "Sexplorations" panel (June, 1991). I Inside Kinesis The summer has produced a lot of comings and goings. Joining Kinesis for the first time as contributors this issue are: Lynn Jamieson, Gulzar Samji, Eileen Giron, Diane Driedger, April D'Aubin and Jillian HuU. Leaving us this month are Rachel Fox, our in-town distributor par excellence. We owe lots of thanks to Rachel for schlepping the paper to stores and elsewhere with nary a traffic ticket. Sliding into Rachel's driver's seat is Lyn MacDonald—welcome. Goodbye and thanks also to Lynn Roberts, who did a short stint as Bulletin Board coordinator; to Joni Miller, who has announced her retirement as a Kine- : ::..'.'; • : .;■■ . : :": :. sis writer after years of contributing; and to Rhoda Rosenfeld, who was a trusty proofer of our puddings for many months. (We now need a Bulletin Board coordinator—see page 21 for details. Fascinating job. Be the first to know everything.) We also say goodbye to Terrie Hamazaki who is leaving the Kinesis Editorial Board. Terrie first connected with Kinesis in 1988 and began writing on a truly diverse range of subjects. She was a co-founder of the Women of Colour Caucus at Kinesis and a strong advocate of anti-racism at the paper. Thank you for everything, Terrie, and best wishes. Our thanks to Vancouver Status of Women members who support us year 'round with memberships and- donations. Our appreciation to the following supporters who became members, renewed their memberships or donated in July: Lucy Alderson • Bayswater Atldetic Health • Cynthia Baxter • Jean Bennett • Mauela Bizzotto • Alison Bowe • Robin Brown • Paula Burgerjon • Susan Clifton • Johanna Den Hertog • Judith Doll • Frances Duncan • Catherine Esson • Carol Fairbank • Gloria Filax • Stan Gabriel • Penny Goldsmith • Miriam Gropper • Percilla Groves • Karen Hansen • Suzanne James • Norma Jensen • Sharon Kahn • Rozmin Kamani • B. Karmazyn • Alle- son Kase • Nancy Knickerbocker • Inger Kronseth • Barbara Kuhne ♦ Jean Lamb • Legal Services Society • Betty MacPhee • Louise McLean • Margaret Mitchell • Mary Moore • Susan O'Donnell • PSAC Local 20029, Union of Taxation Employees • Angela Page • Janet Patterson • Helena Petkau • Carla Poppen • Margaret Rankin • Elinor Ratcliffe • Gayla Reid • Ronni Richards • Janet Riehm • Maureen Roberts • Pamela Sleeth • Margaret Slight • Verna Splane • Tandi Stone • Veronica Strong-Boag • Penny Thompson • Susan Thompson • Mary Vickers • Gayle Way • Rike Wedding • Katherine Young KINESIS yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyy ///////////////////////////////^^^^ NEWS "Rape Shield" law struck down: Big loss of little protection by Nancy Pollak When the Supreme Court of Canada struck down a "rape shield" provision in the Criminal Code on August 22nd, Canadian women lost a hard-won but largely symbolic tool in the battle against rape. While the effectiveness of the rape shield law is open to question, the highest court's dismissal of one of the country's few feminist-inspired laws is an undeniable blow to women's rights. The court threw out Section 276, which protected rape victims from being cross- examined about their sexual history during a trial. In their 7-2 decision, the judges ruled that Section 276 went too far by disallowing potentially relevant evidence and thereby jeopardizing the accused's right to a fair trial. The constitutionality of the rape shield had been challenged by two accused rapists, who argued their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms were violated (see Kinesis May 1991). The majority decision, written by Madam Justice Beverly McLachlin, also advises parliament to devise new guidelines to permit an accused rapist's lawyer to introduce evidence about the women's sexual past, at the discretion of the trial judge. While the judges acknowledged that defense lawyers should not be permitted to indiscriminately question a woman about her sexual past, their offer of "judicial discretion" seems feeble, at best. Two dissenting judges, Madame Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dube and Justice The purpose of the rape shield provisions, introduced with major changes to the Criminal Code in 1983, was to encourage women to report rape by reducing their well-founded fear of being "raped" again in the court room by lawyers prying into their personal lives. Feminists had argued force- ...even with the rape shield law, rape continued to be the most common, least reported and least punished violent crime in the country. Charles Gonthier, objected whole-heartedly to the majority decision. In her dissent, L'Heureux-Dube painted a scathing portrait of rape justice in Canada, acknowledging the sexism and stereotypes at the root of women's experience, and the absolute in- appropriateness of "discretionary decisionmaking" by judges in rape cases. The courts upheld the constitutionality of a sister provision, Section 277, which prohibits cross-examination about a woman's sexual history with the aim of discrediting her credibility. fully for such protection; the 1983 laws on sexual assault bore the imprint of over a decade of women's lobbying. In August, women reacted to the Supreme Court ruling with disbelief and fury—and a measure of seasoned realism. Among other things, femimst groups observed that: • even with the rape shield law in place, rape continued to be the most common, least reported and least punished violent crime in the country; • men who rape already understand they can beat the system; this ruling will encourage them, just as women (who already understand the system beats them) will be discouraged; • evidence about a woman's sexual past will most certainly be used to discredit her in the eyes of a jury. On a profound level, women understand that the fundamental myth about rape (that "she asked for it" or "deserved it") still flourishes among men; • asking judges to 'exercise discretion' as to whether a women's sexual past is relevant flies in the face of considerable—and mounting—evidence of the judiciary's gross insensitivity to women's issues in general, and sexual assault in particular. In the past 18 months, at least three male judges have been caught in the public spotlight making sexist rulings in sexual assault cases; (Indeed, pointing a finger at sexism in the legal system (also known as "gender bias") has almost become flavour of the year, with a study underway in BC, and a major report issued earlier this year by the Manitoba Association of Women and the Law.) • ironically, the ruling comes less than a week after the federal government appointed a $10 million panel to examine vi- See RAPE SHIELD page 4 In Nova Scotia: Pandora boxed by complaint by Agnes Huang Halifax's feminist newspaper, Pandora, has been hounded by a complaint of sexual discrimination by a man for over a year. The complaint, which challenges Pandora's editorial policy of publishing women only, threatens to cost the volunteer-run paper up to $10,000 in legal fees. It also raises serious concerns about the role of human right's bodies and whether or not they protect disadvantaged groups— like women. Later this fall, Pandora's case will be heard and ruled on by a board of inquiry of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission (NSHRC). The events surrounding the case started in June 1990 when a man lodged a formal complaint with the NSHRC. He was angry that the collective would not publish a letter he intended to write in response to a Pandora article on "fathers' rights" in custody battles. (Neither Pandora nor the NSHRC would identify the man to Kinesis, since the case is under inquiry. The man is known to be a fathers' rights proponent.) His complaint to the NSHRC followed an hour-long conversation with a Pandora editorial board member, during which he was informed the paper was produced by, for and about women and it was unlikely his letter would be printed. He also contacted Pandora's advertisers—the paper's only source of revenue outside subscriptions—-pressuring them to suspend their contracts with Pandora. This move backfired when Pandora's advertisers continued their support. It wasn't until several months after filing a formal complaint with the NSHRC that the man actually sent Pandora the letter he wanted published. As it does with all complaints, the NSHRC started an investigation. Pandora was asked to discuss the matter at the NSHRC's office, where they explained their two-fold position: that Pandora "informs and provides a voice for women by supporting a woman-only policy" and that the paper assists "women in obtaining skills in writing and producing a newspaper." Pandora beheved the complaint would be dropped by the NSHRC because it lacked sufficient content. To their shock, the NSHRC instead called for conciliation meetings between Pandora and the man. These meetings were unsuccessful and by April 1991 the case was back in NSHRC hands. In August, the minister responsible for the Human Rights Commission, Attorney General Joe Mackisson, approved the NSHRC's recommendation to send the complaint to a full board of inquiry. The behaviour of the NSHRC in this case is cause for great concern. In recent years, a mere 4—5 percent of complaints in Nova Scotia are referred to the inquiry stage (compared to 10 percent in BC, for example). The rest are either dismissed early on in the investigation process or resolved through conciliation. NSHRC spokespersons would not explain, either in general or specific terms, why the complaint against Pandora was sent to a board of inquiry, saying the information was confidential. Pandora discussed another option recommended by the NSHRC—to apply for an exemption as an equality-promoting group (i.e. to be able to "legitimately" discriminate in favour of women for the purpose of promoting women's equality). The collective concluded such an approach was politically undesirable. As editorial board member Amani Wassef wrote in a recent issue: "If Pandora sought an exemption, it would leave every other women's organization in a position of vulnerability ... it would set a precedent requiring a similar exemption every time a woman-only event, publication, meeting ... anything, was scheduled." As well, the collective says Pandora is already promoting sex equality and doesn't need permission from the NSHRC to continue their work. The exemption clause for equality-promoting groups is stated in Nova Scotia's Human Rights Act. Brigil Pachai, executive director of the NSHRC says that: "It is necessary for equality- promoting groups to seek exemption to protect themselves." The target of the man's complaint is Pandora's editorial policy stated in the masthead of the paper. Their policy, Hke that of other feminist newspaper in Canada, is woman-positive. Pandora "actively seek(s) participation on any level from women who do not have access to mainstream media." Pandora refuses to be compromised. Says Wassef "To give up our woman-only pohcy, even if it was only to allow 'one small letter' from a man, would be counter to the purposes of our existence." While other feminist newspapers in Canada have varying pohcies on publishing men, there is widespread support for Pandora 's right to dictate its own editorial policy. "We publish women's stories written by women to validate women's experiences," says Annette Ruitenbeek of Perspectives] in Calgary. "Women's publications have been set up because the media is dominated by men's viewpoints and we need women's viewpoints." Says Caffyn Kelley, publisher of Women Artists' Monographs: "Men take up 75—I " percent of the talking time in the world. It's really important to have women-only spaces where we can make up and sustain our own cultures and languages." The Womanist publisher Joan Riggs warns: "[if Pandora loses], the implications for women's papers are great. Our papers will be in jeopardy ... [Will] human rights commissions have editorial control over feminist newspapers?" Whatever the outcome of the board of inquiry, this will have been a costly episode for Pandora. H their editorial pohcy is ruled to be discriminatory, Pandora can be made to abide by terms set by the board, which may include changing the pohcy. Even if the inquiry goes in Pandora's favour, the paper will not receive any compensation from the NSHRC or the man filing the complaint. (The man, meanwhile, faces no costs. The NSHRC's resources and legal counsel are used to investigate his complaint.) Many women are comparing this case to the WenDo incident in Ontario. There, the Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled against the man who had complained against WenDo because he was not allowed to join their women's self-defense classes. The complaint was judged to be vexatious. Pandora hopes the NSHRC will take a similar stand. To raise the $ 10,000 in legal fees needed to fight their case (their lawyer is Ann Derrick), Pandora has established a fundraising committee. They urgently need financial support. Pleasel send donations to: Pandora, PO Box\ 1209, North, Halifax NS, B3K 5H4. I KINESIS Sept. 91 ss*ss**^***^sss*s^^ NEWS Medicare under attack: Our sickening health care by Noreen Shanahan The cry has been sounded: now is the time for all good women (and men) to come to the aid of medicare—before the final slice by the federal Conservatives leaves the program nothing more than a relic of Canadian health care history. Such was the message given by a panel of activists and pohticians at a recent Vancouver forum sponsored by the BC Health Care Advocates. (The BC Health Care Advocates, a coahtion of labour and community groups, formed in 1990 during the Royal Commission on Health Care and continues today to publicize threats to medicare.) "Medicare is dying a slow death," said National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) president Judy Rebick, a participant at the forum. "Life is seeping out of [the program] and no one is noticing. We cannot let it go." From medicare's inception in the 1960's until 1977, the federal government and provinces shared health care costs on a fifty- fifty basis. The Established Financing Act was then established which fixed health care transfer payments to the Gross National Product. However, by 1986, the federal govern ment had lowered it's share to two percent below the county's economic growth. Furthermore, funds are now frozen until 1995. "With these cuts the government is sabotaging the system they once referred to as a 'sacred trust'," said Kathleen Connor of the Ottawa-based Canadian Health Coalition. "They have proven that they cannot be trusted to protect the health of average Canadians." Ottawa now funds only thirty percent of the original fifty-fifty split, and by 1994/5 they will have withheld a staggering $32 billion from provincial health care budgets. As federal money is removed from the health care system, services will deteriorate. Wealthy Canadians will turn more and more to private health care as the publicly- funded system falters—a circle that will quickly become vicious. "The result will be a Canada with ten very different and separate health systems, where health is purchased by those who can afford it," says the Coalition. "Canada could become a country where you cannot afford to get sick, where they check your purse before they check your pulse." Health care activists say plans are to wipe out universality and devolve responsibility for all health and social services onto the provinces. Further, federal protections presently imbedded under the Canada Health Act (such as no user fees or extra-billing), will be lost as the system becomes privatized. Indeed, the drive to privatize government services—whether it be airports, hospitals or schools—is a core goal of free enterprise parties hke the Tories. "The Tories beheve we should only have services if we can afford them," said Rebick. "We have to counter this argument and say we reject the idea that economic competitiveness is the way to go. We say that caring for people is." The majority of consumers as well as workers in the health care system are women, said Rebick. She then expressed frustration at the situation where instead of putting energy into reforming a health care system that never really met our needs, activists are forced to struggle to hold onto the existing system. She sees there being two parts to the current fight: supporting medicare and developing alternative strategies for health care. "We want reforms, not cutbacks. We want increased interest in women's health, preventative strategies, less invasive procedures, community-controlled health care." Canadians hke medicare. Recent research has shown that eighty- five percent of the population want it to continue as a part of the fabric of Canadian hfe. Medicare is also a constitutional issue— and, in British Columbia, an election issue. Recent Social Credit proposals suggest a killing approach to medicare. According a 1990 paper by then Finance Minister Mel Couveher (endorsed recently by Socred < stitutional advisor Mel Smith): "The federal government has, through the imposition of national program standards, continued to interfere with provincial efforts to control program costs." This statement, says Carmela Allevato of the Hospital Employees Union, by implication criticizes the Canada Health Act for blocking the BC government from imposing user fees, which she says represents the leading edge of the Socred attack on medicare. "Premier Johnston has advocated user fees for medical services on at least two occasions ...," Allevato says. "Furthermore, user fees don't lower health costs. Only low- income people were discouraged from using medical services and wealthier people actually increased their use of the health care system." , Community and labour groups are joining with the BC Health Care Advocates in an ongoing campaign to dog the heels of candidates in the upcoming election. RAPE SHIELD from page 3 olence against Canadian women (see page • if laws such as the rape shield can be ruled "unconstitutional," women should be using upcoming constitutional negotiations to fight for some real Charter protection. In the week after the ruhng, rape crisis workers fielded calls from hundreds of worried and angry women. Johanna Pilot, spokeswoman for Vancouver's WAVAW/Rape Crisis Centre, predicts that an outcome of the riiling will be even fewer rapes reported. The reporting couldn't get much lower. While recent figures on Canadian Justice note a marked increase in rape reporting since 1975, the accepted statistic is 10 percent. Of those 10 percent, a very small percentage (less than a quarter) will go to trial. Only 10 percent of those trials will result in convictions. Pilot says that, even with the rape shield, women were justifiably wary about their treatment in the court system. 'The rape shield provision wasn't much protection," says Pilot. "There's an assumption that we're in a post-feminist era, that everything has changed. That's wrong. "A woman's sexual past is still brought up in court. The defense lawyer brings it up: questions get asked about whether she has a boyfriend, whether she has kids, or about her conversations with the rapist about other men." Such questions, says Pilot are asked to reveal sexual information in order to influence a jury. Lawyer Megan Elhs agrees. "Defense lawyers have ways of asking questions and making statements [about the woman] that aren't in a head-on colhsion with the rape shield provisions. And the Crown prosecutor wouldn't necessarily object to that hne of vene because that could suggest the woman had something to hide. A protection [such as the rape shield] is only good if the Crown is prepared to assert it." The fact that Crown prosecutors haven't necessarily protected women from inappropriate questioning underscores the fact that, in a rape trial, the woman is merely a witness: the prosecutor is not "her" lawyer, but the state's. If parliament does enact a watered-down law to replace Section 276 (as the court advises), women may be the last to know it's for their benefit. The ruhng also sheds a disappointing hght on the role of the Charter. "The Charter has predominantly been used by interest groups who are not disadvantaged," says Anita Braha, of the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL). Braha points to a study that shows that between 1985- 1988, of the 600 challenges under the Charter's equahty section, only 9 were brought by equality-seeking groups. The rape shield law was challenged under Charter sections relating to "security of person," but, as Braha says: "We are seeing here the same pattern of serving the advantaged." While Braha acknowledges a need for long-term strategies such as educating the pohce and judges, she expressed immense frustration at the court's ruhng. "It's hard to be patient. When the highest level of the judiciary come out with such a ruhng, it's demoralizing." One possible strategy, she says, would be to call for an immediate amendment to the Criminal Code to reinstate the rape shield protection—even if such a law may be challenged again. And, says Braha, women should be taking their anger to the streets. Taking it to the constitutional table is another possibihty. The Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), which had argued for the preservation of the rape shield law, is now considering a range of strategies, including whether or not to seek stronger equahty rights under the Charter, or to demand that the government use the Charter's override provision to reinstate the rape shield despite its unconstitutionality. As weU, LEAF and other groups will probably pressure the newly appointed Panel on Violence to demand new protections. In the meantime, rape crisis workers hke Johanna Pilot will be monitoring courtrooms to see how the loss of the rape shield affects women's treatment. "At this time, we neither encourage nor discourage women from using the court system," says Pilot. "We provide them with information on court procedures and on what they can expect to happen, so they can make an informed choice. "And women often ask, 'how awful will it be?' " For some women, the courtroom will be hke another rape. "I have seen women severely badgered [on the stand] and the Crown wouldn't^ inter- 0aeM. +o School...] KINESIS News /yyy/y/yyy/yyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy How should radicals respond? New panel to study old violence by Lee Lakeman What's a radical to do? For the next 15 months, grassroots activists will contend with the new Canadian Panel to Address Violence Against Women appointed in mid-August by the federal Conservatives. Ten individuals, headed by Pat Marshall (Ontario) and Marthe Asselin Vaillancourt (Quebec) have been equipped with $10 million and an assignment from the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Mary Collins, to "facilitate a national dialogue for action on violence against women," and working "at arm's length from the government" to prepare a "federal work plan" for consideration by the Conservatives just before the next election. Already this year, the Tories have had two opportunities to hear directly from activists on violence issues. In June 1991, national women's groups caucused at Kim Campbell's National Symposium on Women, Law and the Administration of Justice at Vancouver's Pan Pacific Hotel (see Kinesis, July/August 1991). Feminist unity has never been higher between groups and our demands re: violence against women were specific and fairly comprehensive. Many of the same women's groups had delivered briefs in February to the parliamentary Standing Committee on the Health and Welfare, the body which eventually issued the controversial The War Against Women report. The committee asked women's groups their opinion about a royal commission on violence against women. When asked, groups were clear that they didn't want redundant research controlled by the government, or a mass media campaign about frightened women. Led by the women's critics of all three major pohtical parties, the standing committee recommended some feminist initiatives in their The War Against Women report. But as state officials will, they contradicted our significant points on the need for the panehsts to be delegates of women's groups, the damage of government-controlled research, and the rejection of government "coordination" of grass-roots feminist services. The Tories also found the contents and title of the report too confrontational. A majority on the committee, they blocked endorsement of the report and refused to approve a royal commission as promised in the Throne Speech last spring. By August 15, the proposals made by feminists had been subdued into the "blue ribbon " Panel we have today. Since it was obvious in February that some version of a royal commission was on the government's agenda, women's groups at the hearing had outlined conditions under which we might find one potentially useful. We should now use these as guidelines for responding to the Panel: • The Panel should not impede or preclude other strategies. We must refuse to be diverted from our basic work of organizing women in our own defense and honing the rage of women. It our work, community-by-community, that forced this huge state apparatus to respond. No Panel is more important than our own grass-roots rescuing, public education and organising. • The Panel should not divert funds from existing programs and services which are already under-funded. Diverting funds is easy for a government that rarely funds activist women's groups. The Panel has a lot of money and we can protest that, in the meantime, some is to study the federal state and its institutionalized sexism and to expose that to us, so that by the next election the government will be forced to introduce some reforms. • The Panel should be composed of repre- We should refuse to waste our time counting things that have already been counted. women's groups will do without. But we must also see that we get some value for that money. • Women's groups, including front hne workers, must be included in the planning and implementation stages. Contact the Panel immediately. It's not a collective and only the two co-chairs are full-time. Call Pat Marshall at METRAC in Toronto (Tel.: (416) 393-3135). The National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) has already insisted on a formal relationship between the Panel and a body of national women's groups. Also insist that the demands advanced by feminists at the previous conferences be acknowledged and used by the Panel members. Ask for their plans and give your opinions. Do it in strength through provincial and national groups. • The Panel should not engage in exten-, sive research to document incidents of violence against us. We should refuse to waste our time counting things that have already been counted or that reveal more about women than about the men who do the attacking. Acknowledge that the statistics commonly used have already been generated by rape crisis centres and transition houses and published by various arms of the government. • Travel funds should be made available to front hne women's groups to coordinate our knowledge and expertise. To this end, support the funding demands of the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres and of the emerging National Association of Transition Houses and of NAC and other national feminist groups. We have been trying to force the federal government to fund the annual crosscountry meetings of these front hne activists so that analysis and pan-Canadian campaigns are more possible without any middle men. Those conferences must not be subsumed by the work of the Panel. • The Panel should be action oriented. We have a right to expect the Panel to disturb the federal bureaucracy immediately. We need immediate draft legislation to replace the rape shield law struck down by the Supreme Court on August 22nd. We must know what the Panel is doing and which part of the state is blocking reforms. These fights must be waged during the coming months. '' • One outcome of the Panel should be a national work plan that recommends permanent ways of eradicating violence against women. For instance, reforms in law, and pohcy regarding health education, criminal justice and social support services. Don't feed the Panel information about ourselves and our organizations. Their job sentatives/delegates of women's groups— but it isn't. Each of the members is on her and his own. (Besides co-chairs Marshall and Vaillancourt, the Panelists are: Judy Hughes (Nova Scotia); Peter Jaffe (London, Ont.); Jeanette Larouche (Montreal, PQ); Diane Lemieux (Sherbrooke, PQ); Donna Lovelace (Newfoundland); Linda Blackwell (Ottawa, Ont.); Eva McKay (Manitoba); and Mobina Jaffer (Vancouver, BC).) However, the government announced them as members of groups and as tokens of certain groups of women. We insist on their accountability and we'll support them only to the extent that they exercise that responsibility. But how the hell can Mobina Jaffer be expected to represent both BC's interests and the interests of immigrant women and participate fully in this half-time position? The government has succeeded in avoiding the pohtical strength of a united national women's movement on this Panel. But 15 months is a long time and we can raise a lot of hell. Lee Lakeman is a member of Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter, and the BC'/Yukon representative of the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres. photo by Sheil Attention, single moms... Housing. Child care. Custody and access. Welfare. Food, clothing and all those other necessities. If you're a single mother in BC's Lower Mainland, you're hkely to need friendly, up-to-date information about many of these matters. The Single Mothers Resource Guide is for you. The Vancouver Status of Women has just published an expanded version of the free Guide which is now available to single moms throughout the lower mainland. The Single Mothers Resource Guide features an expanded section on legal resources and how to deal with various situations: finding a lawyer, violence against women, child apprehension, etc. As well, the Guide will inform you about your rights when dealing with welfare, about daycare subsidies (including a checklist for unlicensed daycare centres), and about sources of free and cheap clothing, food and recreation—to mention a few. The Guide is written with you, the single mom, in mind. To get your free copy, contact your local community centre or family place. The following is a partial hst of organizations with copies: • In Vancouver: Information Daycare (875-6451); Downtown Eastside Residents Association (682-0931); End Legislated Poverty (879-1209); Downtown Eastside Women's Centre (681-8480); Eastside Family Place (255-9841); YWCA (683-2531). • In North Vancouver: North Shore Neighbourhood House (987-8138); North Shore Community Services (985-7138); • In Coquitlam: S.H.A.R.E. (931-1178). • In Burnaby: Burnaby Family Life Institute ( 299- 9736). • In Delta/Surrey/White Rock: White Rock Women's Place (536-9611); Surrey Community Services (584-5811); Surrey YWCA (581-0014); Surrey Family Place (583-3844). • In New Westminster: Lower Mainland Community Housing Registry (525-5376). Note: The BC Council for the Family (660-0675) will may a copy to individuals, on request. KINESIS sa"~ ~ sssssssssas^^ NEWS WHAT1 S NEWS? by Donna Butorac Poverty's ugly long-term effects Poverty and widespread bottle feeding are creating conditions that leave many Canadian children at risk of suffering from developmental problems due to an iron-poor diet in infancy. The poor diet can lead to a condition known as iron-deficiency anemia, which causes permanent slow intellectual and physical development. Children of poor families are considered most at risk. A study conducted in Montre'al last year by Dr. Katherine Gray-Donald of McGiU University, showed that a quarter of children from poor families had iron-deficiency anemia. Of the babies tested, 24 percent were being given cow's milk by the age of four months. Only 14 percent of the babies were breast fed. Cow's milk lacks iron that a baby can absorb and causes intestinal bleeding, which can aggravate anemia. However, to mothers on low income, cow's milk is much more affordable than costly enriched infant formula. The hnk between iron-deficiency anemia and poverty cannot be overlooked, say the researchers. "We really have to gear our research and intervention to the pockets of the popula: tion. If we don't do that we are really closing our eyes to the problem," said Suzanne Hendricks, President of the National Institute of Nutrition. At last count, in 1986, one million Canadian children—one in six—hved below the poverty hne. That number is certain to have grown during the current recession. According to Health and Welfare Canada, poor women are less hkely to breast feed their babies. Some people beheve this is due to the fact that for decades breast feeding was associated with low incomes, and some women are reluctant to breast feed for fear of being stigmatized. Some Canadian doctors suggest that a stop-gap solution to the WOMEN WORKING TOGETHER Library • Lounge Resource Office Outreach Programs AQ 2003, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, V5A1S6 291-3670 rising incidence of iron-deficiency anemia among poor children is to subsidize iron- enriched infant formula, so that it is accessible to mothers on low incomes. A similar program in the US has helped to lower the incidence of iron-deficiency anemia to less than 3 percent, from double digit figures in some areas in the late 1960's. Breast feeding advocates, on the other hand, say that instead of subsidizing infant formula, the government should concentrate on education and the promotion of breastfeeding. Exclusive breast feeding is a baby's best protection against iron deficiency for at least six months, and with the introduction of iron-rich foods at this age, there is virtually no need for formulas. Breast feeding helps protect babies against iron deficiency, ear infection, meningitis, respiratory infections and gut infections, and helps the mother against breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis. Advocates further point out that infant formulas contain high levels of aluminum, lead and manganese. Source: The Globe and Mail. Gun control: now's the time to act The federal government's proposed new gun-control legislation, introduced in May, has been heavily criticized for catering too much to the powerful gun owners lobby. According to the Coalition for Gun Control, while Bill C-17 does improve some existing laws, it nevertheless favours gun owners over public safety. One of the bill's biggest flaws is seen to be its failure to ban all semi-automatic weapons, such as the one used in the Montreal massacre. The bill also does not require people applying for a Firearms Acquisition Certificate (FAC) to undergo training in the use of firearms, nor will they be required to waive confidentiahty of their psychiatric records. While Bill C-17 does require a 28-day period for the processing of FAC applications, as well as allowing for judges to consider 1988 W 4th & Maple Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1M5 733-3511 Current Art Show RIVER RUNS RED paintings by Leni Hoover photos by barbara findlay to Sept. 12 Opening Sept. 13 Claire Kujundzic removing FAC's from people charged with spousal assault or any other violent crime, these improvements are not beheved to go far enough. The Coalition is also demanding that C- 17 be amended so: • That the age for obtaining a Firearm Acquisition Certificate (FAC) be raised from 16 to 18, except for minors' permits in special cases; • That assault weapons and automatics converted to semi-automatics be banned with no exceptions for guns already in circulation; • That in addition to the measures in the proposed legislation, community checks be mandatory prior to issuing a FAC; • That all weapons be registered by type and serial number, and that this information be coordinated nationwide; • That the FAC or equivalent be required to purchase ammunition and that the sale of ammunition be strictly controlled. Every year 1,400 Canadians die of gunshot wounds. Guns are particularly lethal in domestic violence: in 1989 46 percent of women murdered by their husbands were shot. The 1989 Montreal massacre of 14 women at FEcole Polytechnique is seen by the Coalition for Gun Control as evidence that guns are available which serve no legitimate hunting or target shooting purpose. The Coalition was formed to redress what it sees as an imbalance in the power of the gun owners' lobby. Among its supporters are the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) and the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL). The Coalition urges concerned individuals and groups to write their MPs re: L VANCOUVER WOMEN'S BOOKSTORE 315 Cambie Street Vancouver, B.C. V6B 2N4 (604) 684-0523 Hours: Monday - Saturday ^ 11:00-5:30 pm J strengthening C-17, and to support their work through donations and spreading the word. Contact them at: PO Box 395, Stn. D, Toronto, Ont., M6P 3J9. Tel: (416) 604- 0209; or 1120 Jean-Talon Est., 2nd Floor, Montreal, PQ, H2R 1V9. Tel: (514) 284- 6863. Source: Coalition for Gun Control. Postal Strike? Dear Kinesis Subscriber, As Kinesis goes to press, a postal strike is underway in some parts of the country and the dehvery of your subscription is hkely to be delayed. However, because the strike is rotating, it is possible that Kinesis will be in the postal system. We have a clear pohcy of not dealing with scab labour and ask that our subscribers not pick up their Kinesis from any non-union outlets. H the strike delays dehvery of your Kinesis by over 10 days, we will extend your subscription by a month. In the meantime, if Vancouver subscribers just can't wait, Kinesis is available from the following bookstores: May- fair News, Pages & Pages, Peregrine Books, West Coast Books, Agora Food Co-op, Ariel Books, E2B2 Books, Madelaine's Books, Little Sisters, Manhattan Books, the Granville Book Co., the Van. Women's Bookstore, Spartacus Books, The Book Mantel, East End Food Co-op, the Van. Lesbian Connection, Octopus Books, People's Co-op Books, and the Van. Women's Health Collective—and at our office. JANET LICHTY 14 - 3615 W. 19TH AVE. VANCOUVER. B.C. V6S IC5 Fearless Girl Reporter Y Scoops to ^ CONQUER £ That's one way of looking at a t Kinesis writer's job. You could ^ also see it as a chance to learn j£ reporting skills, to review J^ books and movies and art, ^ or to express your politics. J>+ We offer support and advice to J^ women who want to write, A. regardless of experience. & Come to our Writers Meeting (see Bulletin ^^ Board for details) or call 255-5499 £ KINESIS yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy yyyyyyy/yyyyyyyyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyy International Women and disability in El Salvador: An uphill fight for rights and visibility by Eileen Giron as told to Diane Driedger and April D'Aubin In June 1991, Eileen Giron a polio survivor from a self-help group of disabled persons in El Salvador, Aso- ciacion Cooperativa del Grupo Inde- pendiente Pro Rehabilitacidn Integra (ACOGIPRI), visited Winnipeg. Diane Driedger and April D'Aubin who work with the Canadian self-help group, Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (COPOH) talked with her about women with disabilities in El Salvador. I started to work in the disabled persons' self-help movement in El Salvador in 1979. At that time it was unacceptable to talk about disabled women's issues. There are cultural attitudes that see a disabled person as sick. There is also the There are laws saying if you cannot have sexual intercourse you cannot get married attitude that a woman doesn't need to go to school and the disabled woman does not need to attend school as she will be taken care of by the family. Disabled women still have a problem with self-esteem—you can see that in the way they talk and act. They don't develop self- esteem because of society's view that the beautiful woman is a perfect woman. I remember when my family went to the beach for Easter holidays. When I was young, I did not see the difference between my body and others. But when I became a teenager, I did not hke my body. When I noticed that I did not want to go to the beach. I was very ashamed. I stayed with my grandmother instead. It took a long time for me to enjoy myself inside my body. What you feel inside is the impression that you give to people. I used to swim a lot in a pubhc pool and there I would see a lot of non-disabled people who were very fat or sirinny. This also helped me see that ah people were not "perfect." When I was a very young woman, I would burst into tears if anyone mentioned my disabihty. Whenever I talked about relationships with men my voice would tremble. I thought that it was not normal— relationships between disabled women and men. Women are taught to keep their sexual feehngs to themselves. I never heard my sisters talk about their sexual experiences. When a woman is not married, married women do not share experiences with them. Men get together and talk about their sexual experiences. For women it's taboo still. Now, I have hved with a man for six years. At the beginning I felt guilty, because my parents did not approve of my relation- ' ip. He was younger and didn't belong to the same social strata. It's; also not common for people to hve together without being married in El Salvador. But, now I don't feel guilty, I'm just doing what I want to do. Sterilization and Abuse Forced sterilization is a problem. I know an institution housing many people with cerebral palsy and they recommend that the women be sterilized. They are doing this because there is much abuse of these women, not only from strangers, but from their own family members. On the other hand, they recommend sterilization because many people tend to see a disabled woman as more ; to have sex than other women. discrimination. We need to do a lot with deaf women, as well as bhnd women. I think deaf persons are one of the largest disabihty groups in El Salvador. This is because of lack of attention to pregnant mothers. They either get measles or the child contracts meningitis after birth. There is ■■HHH -*>' I heard of one woman with cerebral palsy who was in an institution and was raped by her cousin. When her mother found out she made her abort. Her mother was so angry that she physicaUy abused her. She was blamed for the rape. In most cases the disabled women are blamed for being raped. It is said that they have a desperate need to have sex. Parents are very afraid of having their disabled children raped, and this leads them toward sterilization. Who can say who can have children and who cannot? Organizing for Change In 1979, disabled people started to organize a self-help group. Then after a few years we formed a co-operative (ACOGIPRI), which is where I now work as an administrator. We have established a ceramics factory, making teapots, cups, decorations. In 1987, I started a program for women with disabihties. It brought women together to exchange experiences. With the program they feel free to come and talk about any issue—things they would never discuss with their families or their friends. I always had in mind how I never had anyone to talk to about someone I hked. I was very curious about sexuahty but I never had anyone to ask. I was very satisfied and happy that, with this group of disabled women I can say I am afraid of this and that and different things. We meet once a week. The group ranges from 15 to 30 women. We have transportation problems, so sometimes there are a lot and other times there are just a few. We have a problem attracting deaf women to the group. Interpretation is a problem, as there is no real sign language in El Salvador. I use some gestures and American Sign Language. Deaf women face much also mistreatment. I know many people who have become deaf due to abuse. Usually it is very difficult for deaf women to get employment. Employers won't hire them, because they are afraid of communication problems. Legalized Discrimination There are laws permitting discrimination. Since last year, there has been a study group with my organization and other disabihty groups on discrimination in the law. For instance, laws on the family usually group together deaf and mentally disabled women. One statute denies deaf and mentally handicapped women the right to keep their children. There are laws that say that if you cannot have sexual intercourse you cannot get married. What about two people who are quadriplegic? Just think about that. What about people who cannot physically have in-, tercourse? The law on jury duty was changed a year ago. It used to exclude bhnd and deaf people from serving on juries. Then they ex tended it to people who cannot write because of their disabihty. We were shocked because this was clearly discrimination. So we went to the highest authority to ask them why. The press was there. The authorities said this had been law since 1856. I said, "Have you noticed that a man has walked on the moon? So then another disabled woman who was with me said, "Why don't you discriminate against people who are susceptible to pohtical corruption?" They didn't have an answer for that. There are non-governmental organizations dealing with women's issues. They never mention women with disabihties. It is hke we don't exist. There are a lot of things for women in the rural areas, single mothers, for women in the very poor areas, training programs. Whenever I asked about these things for disabled women they go, "Oh? ..." Literacy Seminar C5 Our women's program sponsored a Uteres acy seminar in February 1991. We re- " ceived funding through the Coalition of <8 Provincial Organizations of the Handi- § capped (COPOH) in Canada who received o a grant from the Canadian International J| Development Agency. These funds helped °" bring together disabled women from seven Central American countries. Two Canadians, Susan Dueck and Gary Schofield, attended the seminar as consultants. The most important thing was that we had women from different countries. Meeting women with disabihties and sharing common concerns was the first step to enhancing their self-esteem. Self-esteem is needed for personal empowerment. In their post-seminar evaluation, they suggested that we should conduct more seminars. A lot of women wanted to come but they couldn't read. We couldn't have illiterate women attend, because the seminar was on functional hteracy. The goal was to enable women to write their stories and have them published in the media. After the seminar, some of the articles that the women wrote were published in their local newspapers. Now, in El Salvador, whenever there is an article written on an issue of disabihty we meet to discuss it and criticize it. We need to see if the article benefits disabled people—usually not. We need to write our own stories to ensure they are told properly. The idea is to train 25 disabled women to be trainers for the small groups of disabled women in Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador. We want them to write articles, organize small newsletters and to do public speaking. This is what our next hteracy project will do. ACOGIPRI is the only organization focusing on disabled women. We have started to be in touch with other groups of women and they are very interested in knowing about us. Initially other groups of women were very surprised to learn that disabled women were getting together and organizing. We have a lot in common and they know that the situation for disabled women is much worse. They support us by buying ceramics from our disabled persons' cooperative and by inviting us to attend women's meetings and events. It is too soon to say that women's groups understand the issues of accessibihty for disabled women, but they have overall been very receptive and understanding of our issues. KINESIS News Pulp fiction: Bright white = filthy dirty by Lynne Jamieson Every day in British Columbia, thousands of trees are felled and thousands of tonnes of persistent organochlorines, including dioxins and furans, find their home in our waterways. The local consumer may feel unable to effect changes given the fact that most of this pollution is the byproduct of an industry that feeds the needs of consumers in the United States, Japan and Europe. However, the tissue products sector is susceptible to local consumer demand and this is where we can make a difference. Soft tissue products—hke toilet paper and paper towels—are the only sector of the pulp and paper industry that are manufactured locally and distributed solely to Canadian consumers. The industry repeatedly tells us that they respond to signals from the market and so the time has come to send them two clear messages: • clearcutting of first growth forest to manufacture disposable tissue products is unacceptable; • we no longer want chlorine bleached tissue products. As women, we have historically been the prime target of 'tissue industry advertising. We have been encouraged to buy a wide range of disposable paper products— including tableware, menstrual products, toilet paper, facial tissues, kitchen towels and diapers. We have been told that these products will make our hves cleaner, healthier and more convenient. In 1990, England's Women's Environment Network (WEN) published a book called A Tissue of Lies in which they asked the question: "did the disposable paper industry grow out of our real needs—or have we grown to need an array of silly and wasteful products, as victims of sustained media manipulation?" It is also time to question the validity of these advertising claims in view of the devastating environmental effects implicit in their use. The language of paper product marketers and advertisers associates "whiteness and brightness" with "cleanliness and purity." This language is not only racist in its equation of white with pure, but it masks a different reality: paper products bleached with chlorine-containing chemicals are contaminated with organochlorines, and effluent from pulp mills is a brown toxic sludge. Other aspects of the reality of bleaching with chlorinated compounds include contaminated fish, widespread fisheries closures, workers subjected to chlorine or chlorine dioxide gassing inside pulp mills, and higher than average rates of cancer in communities near pulp mills. This is not clean, nor is it pure. While the product may appear to be clean, bright and sanitary, the common pulp production process (based on chlorinated compounds) is not. Clearly, these words need to be redefined to incorporate the cleanliness of the entire production process. We need to ask whether these products are "clean" within the context of clean production and clean In addition to an unclean production process women especially have concerns for the inherent health risks of paper products that may be contaminated with residual organochlorines. Bright white sanitary pads or tampons may be relatively easy to use—but what are the health risks? Finally, the environmental discussion of disposable paper products is not complete without mention of broader social and po htical issues for women. The convenience of many disposal products relative to their reusable, more labour-intensive alternatives has meant that women have experienced some freedom from "domestic" responsibilities (notably laundry). A movement back to more ecologically sound products may translate to an increased burden on women in the home unless basic equahty issues- like men doing their share of household tasks—are also addressed. Dirty Process, Dirty Product Historically, production systems have developed with httle consideration for environmental and human consequences. As a result, consumers are presented with httle choice but to purchase products that are hazardous in their production, use or disposal. Alternatively, "clean production" is defined as production systems which avoid or eliminate hazardous waste and hazardous has been keeping a close watch on the European marketplace where dramatic changes in consumer awareness and preferences have occurred in recent years. The screening of a controversial film on German television depicting the devastation of Canadian forests to supply European demand for paper products has caused forest companies' executives to fear a potential boycott of Canadian for- .est products. In fact, forest companies are beginning to lose contracts with European buyers who do not want a product that is the result of bad forest management practices or has been bleached with chlorine-based bleaching agents. In June of this year, Fletcher Challenge Canada lost 7 to 10 thousand tonnes of pulp sales due to concerns about environmental or consumer acceptabihty of bleaching with chlorinated compounds. "Obviously, the market is going to drive Chlorine bleaching: waiting for a body count could result In irreversible damage. products. Goods produced in clean production systems are compatible with biological processes and ecosystems throughout their entire product hfe cycle: from the extraction of raw materials, through the manufacturing process, to their use and ultimate disposal. The pulp and paper industry is a clearcut example of a production process that does not meet the criteria of clean production. Ecologically unsustainable forestry practices (including clearcut logging, the destruction of old growth forests, and loss of species biodiversity), all for the sake of paper and tissue products that are used once before meeting their fate in a landfill, are not clean. Pulp production processes that continue to rely on chlorine-based bleach- . ing agents, when alternatives exist, are not clean. Finally, the idea of a disposable product, with its associated environmental costs, used in place of a reuseable one, is not clean. The Canadian pulp and paper industry whatever will happen," said Tom WiUiams of Fletcher Challenge's pubhc affairs department. "This is part of the evolutionary process—and its happening ... this time it isn't going to fade away." Yet BC's Social Credit government continues to cater to the interests of forestry and pulp and paper industries. Despite increasing pubhc pressure to enact strong pulp miU regulations, with timelines for the elimination of aU organochlorine discharges, ex-premier Vander Zalm personaUy thwarted his cabinet's proposed regulations by refusing to sign the order in councU. Vander Zalm's actions were a direct response to personal conversations with several industry executives. Since that time, premier Rita Johnston maintains that "cabinet is prepared to approve a [lower level], as suggested by the findings of a scientific research program. The aim of this program is to determine the actual toxicity of the re spective levels so the health effects can be identified". In July, Dave Mercier, BC Minister of the Environment, stated that the government's goal is "to work with industry towards zero discharge of wastes. WhUe this goal is the ideal, it must be approached without imposing costs that jeopardize ... local economies dependent on the pulp and paper industry." On the same day he affirmed the Socred's commitment to a "more research" approach and to regulations that allow the continued discharge of thousands of tonnes of organochlorines every day. In the meantime, federal government testing programs are resulting in expanded shellfishing closures and advisories limiting consumption levels. Existing scientific research suggests that we know enough to predict that there wUl be damaging effects on both aquatic species and human health as organochlorines bioaccumulate. Experience with organochlorine substances which have been banned (such as PCBs, CFCs, DDT) tells us that waiting for a body count could result in irreversible damages. Consumer Power There is no need to go further than your local grocery store to send an undeniably strong message to the industry. Consumers can aU take individual action in this way and become part of a growing force of activists expressing their concern for the environment. This simple fact was proven by the founders of WEN several years ago. In 1988, they launched a campaign to stop the manufacture of paper products from pulp bleached with chlorine. The message hit home within a short period of time and by January 1989 two major companies had announced they would convert to chlorine- free pulp in their products and several other companies soon foUowed suit. Environmental organizations worldwide have long been calling for the elimination of aU chlorine-based bleaching agents in the pulp production process. Catherine Stewart, regional director of Greenpeace Vancouver, suggests that: "everyone can help achieve this goal through consumer choices and action in the marketplace. It is a matter of tailoring personal consumption patterns to fit new patterns of environmental There are some simple questions we can ask ourselves each time we consider a purchase of a product containing wood fibre. • Is this product necessary? H the answer is no—stop here. • Is there a re-usable alternative? The use of sponges, cloth napkins, tablecloths, handkerchiefs, and cloth diapers wUl disconnect you from the destruction of our forests for the sake of a one-time use paper product. • Is the product free of aU chlorine-based bleaching agents? Many products are being marketed as "chlorine-free" even though they are bleached with chlorine dioxide—don't be fooled by this misnomer. If the label does not explicitly answer this question, a letter to the company is your next step. • Is the product made of recycled fibre? If it is, has the fibre been rebleached with a chlorine-containing compound? There is no reason for disposable tissue products to be rebleached. • Would this product fulfil its purpose if it were not bright white? Many tissue and See PULP page 10 KINESIS ////////////////^^^^^ yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy International Women healing the earth: "The world is an island" by Gulzar Samji "I do believe that in coming to the conference that the healing is beginning. That new sun has come; we have seen the first light of that new sun at this conference, I believe." —Alma Brooks, Wabanoag Nation, Canada. Alma Brooks was one of 35 women who came from around the world to share their experiences at the Healing the Earth conference in Vancouver last May. Women traveUed from 20 different countries, representing the continents and major islands, as weU as at least eight Native nations in Canada. An audience of 200 participants joined them, with one major concern in common—the preservation of the environment. The purpose of the conference was to reflect on women's values and perceptions regarding the environment. Healing the Earth, organized by the United Nations Association and the Northern Institute for Conservation Research was held in preparation for Earth Summit, the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED '92) scheduled for 1992 in BrazU. The conference succeeded in dealing with both local and global issues. Women's strategies were developed and appear below in the form of a conference statement. Strong links among concerned individuals were developed to continue the dialogue that was begun here. The tone of the three days of dehberations was set during the opening ceremony conducted by indigenous women from around the world. The talking stick was passed around to aUow these women to speak from the heart. The ceremony was concluded with the Friendship Dance, in which aU participants and guests took part. It was indeed a historic moment, where women from aU corners of the earth were embarking together on a three-day mission to make a difference in nurturing and protecting our environment. Each of us has a role to play, whether we hve in a city or a viUage, in the mountains or the vaUey, in the Arctic or at the Equator, in marshland or in the desert. The problem is that we have elevated ourselves to a management position. We hope that we can succeed in the management of toxic waste, of poUution, of elephants and whales—but Chernobyl wasn't an example of good management, was it? Quality of hfe is often confused with standard of hving. In the past, women lacked access to the resources and technology required to work the land. However, with the ongoing efforts of women in promoting equal access to resources, we can make a significant difference in nurturing and healing the earth. We recognize that instituting change wUl require moving away from a materialistic, consumer-oriented value system and beginning an internal healing process which acknowledges our interdependence with the earth. Empowerment comes through action. As women at the conference stated: "The world is an island with limited resources. We, as women, are implicitly working towards the recovery of the environment, reclaiming cultural heritage, maintaining diversity in the eco-system, developing appropriate technology and embracing the principle of cooperation and respect for hfe." The following is the statement developed by the women at "Healing the Earth—Women's Strategies for the Environment." Gender and Empowerment Women as primary food producers must be present and heard at the UN conference in BrazU in 1992. As women we are usuaUy the first to experience environmental problems; in our reproductive faUures and contaminated breast milk, to name but a few. Women want a cooperative, balanced, interdependent society. We must recognize and eradicate dependencies internal to dominating societies. Empowering comes from within a people and their communities, and cannot be imposed from "outside." We denounce the violation of human rights, and as women take responsibihty and commit ourselves to the support of other women. We endorse the Special Resolution of Women's Commission to the First Continental Indigenous Conference in Quito, Ecuador in July, 1990. We recognize that instituting change wUl require moving away from a materialistic, consumer-oriented value system and beginning an internal healing process which acknowledges our interdependence with the earth. Empowerment comes through action. Social justice and pohtical hberation wUl bring about the resolutions of basic human needs, environmental concerns and equahty for women. Working toward the attainment of self-sufficiency and democracy wUl require recognizing and supporting organizations that truly represent, among others: indigenous, disabled, rural, and urban women. Militarism Mihtarism and disarmament must be on the agenda for UNCED '92 in BrazU. Pubhc subsidization of military manufac- tur ing—its waste disposal, testing, sale, deployment and use—is the single most destructive force to the environment. War is a major factor in the depletion of agricultural land, and is the single largest generator of refugees and human misery. Understanding the implications for global warming, we call upon the community of nations to lend aU necessary assistance to immediately extinguish the oU fires burning in Kuwait. The "war on drugs" is being used as a justification for the infringement on human Public [subsidies for] military manufacturing...is the single most destructive force to the environment. rights and is degrading the environment with pesticides and chemical defohants, destroying aU vegetation and contaminating ground water supphes. We call for the implementation of an International Arms Registry and an International Toxic Waste Registry citing the manufacturer and state of origin of aU arms sales and toxic waste materials. We call for an international conference to devise ways to achieve effective non-violent resolutions to conflicts. And we recognize that institutionalized violence against women, including wife battering, is destructive to the environment, the community and the condition of chUdren. We demand that it be stopped. Decolonization The UNCED '92 conference must recognize the effect that 500 years of colonization has had on indigenous peoples and their environment. Governments must desist in their use of military tactics to suppress any resistance by the original peoples to the in vasion of their traditional homelands, as witnessed in Kanesatake (Oka) and Kahnawake, Canada, against the Mohawk Nation. Governments that perpetuate genocide and who are responsible for the "disappeared," must be held accountable and have sanctions imposed by the international community. Governmental, military, religious and economic systems of colonization must be dismantled. There can be no healing of the earth unless indigenous peoples' right to sovereignty, self-sufficiency, self- determination and self-government are recognized and affirmed throughout the world. Indigenous peoples' spiritual relationship with the land must be respected and they must be involved in decision-making on environmental and resource matters. The. world's indigenous peoples must be integral to the process, and have delegate status at UNCED '92. Indigenous peoples' spiritual relationship with the land must be ^respected... Community Development Internationally, the wealthy consume the overwhelming majority of world agricul- turaUy extracted and harvested resources. Predominantly tied international development assistance does not redress the international cash flow to the wealthier industrialized countries. Women's work and nature are treated as valueless expendable commodities. In the hght of past practices, communities—and particularly women—must be compensated with financial resources so that they can take primary responsibihty for defining what development means within a local context. In order to conserve and protect the environment, communities must be involved in the decisions that affect, among others: local forestry; agriculture; education; community infrastructure; and primary healthcare. We caU upon UNCED '92 to establish a forum to implement a right-to-know pohcy as a means of controlling the transnational shipment of environmentally hazardous materials and technology. Agriculture, Food, Nutrition, Nature and Conservation Hierarchical, patriarchal systems of agri- cul ture—like the "Green Revolution"— that stimulate an export-oriented development of hybrid monoculture cash crops, dependent on corporately-controlled chemical pesticides and fertilizers, must be replaced by a globaUy-sustainable, regionaUy self- sufficient production of nutritionally balanced food crops. Indigenous peoples' scientific knowledge of land or water-based animals, plants and seeds must be given equal status with modern science. Support needs to be given to local community initiatives that are gathering and saving local seeds to maintain genetic diversity. Legislation enabling governments and transnationals to patent the production of seeds and other genetic material must be reversed. The International Community must put an end to global sod erosion. It must severely restrict the diversion of water for industrial purposes. Education Beginning with the chUdren, bringing a women's perspective to a sustainable future requires the restoring, respecting and revering of the interconnectedness of hfe. Women, in particular, need equal opportunity and access to education. Environmental issues need to be learned, both in theory within the educational system, and in practice in the natural world. See EARTH page 10 KINESIS International EARTH from page 9 We need to learn from land-based cultures the world over—by respecting their phUosophy, history, culture, laws and techniques of sharing knowledge. The following are excerpts from presentations by three women who spoke on the first day of the conference. Cree Nation (Quebec) Chief Violet Pancharas of the Cree Nation (Quebec) on the hydro project in James Bay: We are the Cree Nation of Quebec. We hve up in the northern territory in James Bay. We are a people who made an agreement with both governments, Canada and Quebec, when they wanted to buUd their first hydro development in our territory, and we are stiU fighting the governments to respect that agreement. But in aUowing them "We do not think the dam will benefit [the Cree]:' to buUd that project at that time, I guess there's no stopping them. They keep changing them, buUding more to it, and now we are faced again with what we now refer to as "James Bay Two" [Great Whale]. Attempts at environmental assessment have since been made, but the hves of the nine Cree communities and the Inuit people have been drastically changed. We hved off the land. Our people were hunters and trappers. The rivers were our highways, and our source of diet also came from the land. And along with this hydro development, we have to deal with poUution in the form of the mercury in the diet, in the fish and the animals. We had to turn to buying food in the stores and our cultures have been affected, too. We do not think that the dam wUl benefit us. It wUl benefit mostly the New England states at the expense of the environment ... Lesotho (Southern Africa) Tseli Mapetla from Lesotho, South Africa on soil erosion and fertility loss: The country is the most eroded country that I have known. We're talking about the human costs of soil erosion here and I want to say that women do contribute to degradation of the environment in Lesotho. The women have to collect firewood to fulfil their household tasks and because they don't have alternative resources, they go out and cut down trees and in winter they wUl coUect leftover stalks from the fields. What this means is that the stalks are not planted back into the soil, and the soil structure becomes weak. Women in Lesotho have played a great role in the tree planting and soil conservation. Unfortunately, due to poverty, the women wUl go back and cut the- very trees that they have planted due to lack of firewood. I don't think that any woman would stand to wait for a tree to grow over 20 years whUe her chUdren are dying! However, projects supported by Canada are working on providing management skiUs for women, who make up 85 percent of the project, to carry out the activities of viable agro- forestry methods. They are planting indigenous trees, exotic trees and fruit trees together so that whUe they provide nutrition, they are also able to arrest soil erosion. Education is also identified as a main tool to help women work hand-in-hand to restore the environmental degradation in the area. "/ don't think any woman would...wait for a tree to grow...while her children are dying." Marshall Islands (South Pacific) Biram Siege from the Marshall Islands on nuclear testing: The Marshall Islands are about 2,000 miles south of Hawaii, and southward from Johnson Island where the nuclear testing was done and the nerve gas is stored. The population totals about 40,000 people. The Marshall Islanders were displaced from the Bikini Islands because of nuclear testing. You don't have your land and there is a constant yearning to go back to the land which is passed from mother to daughter. The nuclear testing doesn't only affect the relocation of people, but also their culture and diet. The new island did not have lagoons to aUow us to fish and only meagre agriculture to support us. During the "testing," the wind was blowing toward the islands where people hved. They started getting this powder substance on their hands and they started losing hair. Today we find some of the long-term effects of the radioactive faUout: more and more incidents of cancer and genetic disorders, miscarriages, stiU- births and what they call jellyfish babies— they don't look human at all. Mihtarism has also plagued the islands. The US military has taken over the largest island as a base for testing its missUes. The Native population has been removed, relocated to an island much smaller where they are ferried back and forth every day to get jobs on their military base. You have created a crowded, crowded condition—at one time it was called the slum of the Pacific. We have also been a very attractive site to transport aU the garbage from the United States, supposedly to increase our land size Videos and proceedings of the conference (including all the presentations) will be available in the near future. For information, contact United Nations Association in Canada, Vancouver Branch 210-1956 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1Z2. Phone: (604) 7S3-S912. Fax: (604) 736-8963. Gulzar Samji chaired the Healing the Earth conference. She is a vice- president of the Vancouver branch of the United Nations Association, and is an agrologist by profession. CROSSLAND CONSULTING Personal Management Services for Artists Individuals Resumes Arts Organizations Career Counselling Grant and Proposal Writing Bookkeeping Services FIRST CONSULTATION FREE Jackie Crossland By Appointment Only 435-2273 PULP from page 8 paper product manufacturers would have us beheve that whiteness is a functional criteria. Think about it. These questions can help us aU to weed through the sea of "green" advertising to make our own judgments about the products we buy. Lynne Jamieson works for the International Pulp and Paper Project at the Greenpeace office in Vancouver. She focuses on lobbying government and industry, as well as working with grassroots and consumer groups to be active in the market place to help achieve the campaign goal: "Chlorine Free by '93". To find out more information about how you could take action please write to the Greenpeace office at 1726 Com- il Drive, Van,BC, V5N 4A3. Open daily 11am-7pm Coffee Bar 1020 Commercial Drive Vancouver BC V5L 3W9 (604) 253-1099 Bonnie Murray Cynthia Brooke CCEC Credit Union Serving cooperatives, community businesses, & the non-profit sector. ► Lower interest rates on loans to societies and cooperatives. ► Operating loans. ► Mortgages. ► Term deposits. ► Chequing accounts and other banking services. WUNJt V*. «rl 4 2250 Commercial Dr. Vancouver, B.C. V5N 5P9 254-4100 Do typos turn you into a raging monster? There is a vocation for you - proofreading Kinesis. Please call 'CmCLNG BATO ORGANIC FOOBSl Make Donations of Food, Clothing, Tools, Camping Gear, Office Supplies & Rummap** Saleable Things Organic CappucciW OPEN~\ & f 'Past MidnightX Juice /Al^[jftan Fri & Sat ) "Rar Comedown ' ALL ^&Hangoi For tho Lil'Wat People at/ORGANIC RESTA^~ Circling Dawn. [No meat, dairy or eggs Store Hours Mon-Sat 10-9 Sun 10-7 Spirit additive-free NafcaaTIbbaxo/ ALL 'ORGANIC1 PRODUCE; LU'Wat Support Group Co-ordination Meeting here every Tuesday @ 10 am 1wzwyyy>vyxx/yz/yx^^^ yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy^ ///////////////////^^^^ ARTS Our bodies, on display: Exploring the stolen terrain ON DISPLAY photography by Susan Edelstein Pitt Gallery, July 4-28 Vancouver by Pat Feindel Among feminist artists, the last decade s been significant for its spirited dialogue about representation of the female body. The discussion has led to a reexamination of classical images of women in art and has also prompted debate about whether depicting our bodies is even a desirable way to reclaim and redefine the image in our own terms. In her exhibit "On Display," shown in July at the Pitt Gallery, Vancouver artist Susan Edelstein takes up the challenge. In a series of visual panels that both confront and delight, Edelstein tackles several historical and contemporary problems concerning the portrayal of women's bodies. Though not flawless, the work takes an intelligent and creative approach to representing female nudity, female sexuahty and lesbian sexuahty (in particular), while trying to question the historical conventions that have prescribed how these images are understood. On Display" consists of seven large framed panels, each with three components: in the upper portion, a colour reproduction of a classical painting (photo emulsion printed on fabric and covered by plexiglass); across the middle, a band of text—black letters on black velvet; and at the bottom, a black and white photograph by Edelstein (again, printed on fabric). Four of the paintings are fairly well- known 19th century European nudes: Paul Gauguin's "Tahitian Women with Mango Blossoms", Edouard Manet's "Olympia," Ingres' "Odalisque and Slave," and Gustave Courbet's representation of a lesbian scene in "Sleep." Another more obscure 19th century work by Saint George Hair, called "Victory of Faith," portrays two early Christians in a prison below the Roman Coliseum, awaiting their martyrdom in the hon's den (pictured here). In this image, a nude Black woman hes beside a white female companion (also nude) whose hand is tethered to an iron ring on the stone wall. Two other paintings come from 16th century Japanese Shunja erotic art: one portrays a woman masturbating, the other shows two women kissing. What these images share is their conformity to an erotic tradition of representing the nude female as an object of desire for a male viewer. Bodies twist and contort to provide the spectator with the best possible view of plump, ripe breasts or rounded buttocks (never mind that a number of the positions would be anatomically impossible to achieve) and he passively on display, waiting to be "taken." In the lower portion of each panel, Edel- stein's photographs echo, but also alter the classical images above, shifting relationships within the image, and upsetting the relationship between viewer and image. Her photos are stark—with totally black backgrounds or dark velvet drapery. The only props are occasional pillows under the women's heads. While the models are all in some way exposed—naked, portrayed in sexual or intimate private moments—the images are striking in how unavailable the women appear. Some of them cover their breasts or conceal parts of their bodies; several look out directly at the viewer. Seriously or defiantly, the women "talk back," almost challenging the viewer to justify the act of looking. Others appear completely indifferent or oblivious. The written words between the two panels suggest a critical view of how the paintings have "framed" women: "Their reality was his fantasy;" "Sweet wine, strand of pearls, his fantasy was complete;" "Colonized by his vision, the exotic other was born." Some text evokes the missing perspective of woman as subject (rather than object): "His positioning made her uncomfortable;" "Her pleasure was interrupted by his gaze." Edelstein's stated purpose is to question our personal responses to these images and challenge "how our vision has been socially constructed through patriarchal eyes." She has directly confronted the issue of lesbian sexuahty and tried to reframe it on women's terms. This is an important effort in a time when the choice by many feminist artists to abandon the female body in representation threatens to sacrifice a necessary exploration of lesbian imagery. Her lesbian images struck me as celebratory, relaxed and comfortably sensual, though only one is overtly sexual. Edelstein also raises a number of fundamental questions about creating images of women's bodies and sexuality: How have nudes been represented in traditional erotic art? How has that art woven racial, colonial and class positions into its portrayal of women? For whom were the images produced? How have these historical traditions distorted how we create and understand images of women now? How can feminist artists challenge these conventions and redefine images of women? How can they best address the issue of race and class differences? These questions have no right answers, of course, but Edelstein's work takes the risk of exploring some possibilities. Several of the original paintings Edelstein has chosen exemplify the popular 19th century European practise of representing women as "exotic others," by merging the notion of sexual conquest with colonial domination. For example, in Ingres' "Odalisque and Above, "Victory of Faith", St. George Hair, 19th century. Below, Susan Edelstein's accompanying photograph. Slave," a nude European woman hes voluptuously across a bed, looking towards a female servant (also European) who kneels at her bedside playing the lute, while a Black and turbanned male servant stands guard in the background. The bed is surrounded by signs of wealth and luxury, "exotic" artifacts from the Asian world, and yet is enclosed by a railing that suggests imprisonment. Edelstein's text reads "Positioned amongst his oriental artifacts she waited to be taken." The accompanying photograph shows one white woman lying alone, arts covering her breasts, raised knee concealing her genitals, who looks out at the viewer directly, yet somewhat indifferently. There are no props to indicate her status or position. However, her skin colour, youth and conventional beauty do place her in a relative position of privilege. This points to a limitation in Edelstein's contemporary images: they include only women who are fairly young, healthy and traditionally "attractive." As such, they occupy positions of privilege in the arena of erotic imagery, so we are not challenged to question our habitual definitions of the erotic on that level. In another panel, Manet's "Olympia" shows a European prostitute posing on an ottoman, flower in hair, on display, while a Black female servant attends to her from behind the bed. Edelstein's photograph shows a nude woman of Asian ancestry lying casually in the foreground, while a white woman kneels behind her. Both women stare directly and defiantly out at the viewer. The artist alters racial positions in the composition and challenges both their meanings. Yet she herself does not appear totally satisfied with this simphstic role reversal. The text on this panel reads: "Reversing the roles did not create her identity." By her own admission, it was more by chance that one of Edelstein's models was a woman of Asian ancestry, while the other models she found were all Caucasian. Yet she has tried out a number of ways of upsetting colonial and racist constructions- reversing roles or removing the hierarchies within an image. These work as a critique of the artistic conventions, but as Edelstein herself indicates, they do not "create an identity" for the absent or silenced women. Edelstein's inclusion of the two Japanese Shunja pieces is both interesting and somewhat problematic. Though their sexual ex- plicitness is startling and they may provokt questions about erotic stereotypes of Asian women, they are from a completely different historical and cultural context than the other paintings in the work. The 19th century pieces have been produced by European painters appropriating and distorting aspects of non-European cultures, while the 16th century pieces are images of Japanese women produced by male Japanese artists, within a specific cultural tradition. Though there are clear similarities in how the women are portrayed, Edelstein informed me that many Shunja works include sexual images of men. I wanted to know more—Were these images available only to men? Were they circulated widely or only among the ruhng class? Were they exhibited formally? When were they first seen outside Japan? Did this tradition influence European painting? Perhaps these images were intended to provide a historical contrast with the contemporary images of a white woman and Asian-Canadian woman together. But they also introduce a level of complexity that needs further development. Nevertheless, "On Display" is an interesting, enjoyable and challenging work that deals with a number of complex issues that feminist artistic producers are currently grapphng with. It is well worth seeing and deserves a wider showing. Pat Feindel is a writer, photographer and editor. KINESIS *SSSSSSSS**SSS^xxxx^^^ ARTS Shining in their simplicity, clarity WE CALL IT HOME: works in fabric and paper by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin Vancouver East Cultural Centre GaUery July 30- August 26, 1991 by Laurel Weldon Sometimes in the intensity of our pohtical struggles, we get lost in ideas and forget we are struggling for people. The art of Sima Elizabeth Shefrin clearly illustrates her commitment to reminding us about the people. Whether the piece is a colourful cut paper portrait or a large fabric piece, Shefrin's art focuses on the hves of ordinary people. In capturing a moment, her work illuminates the universal aspect of the particular hfe she is conveying. In her show "We Call it Home," two cut paper pieces which I found particularly captivating were "Portrait of my Grandmother" and "Untitled," which portrays a man holding a boy on his lap. Coloured paper provides the main shape and contrast to the figures, with only a few sketched hnes providing contour and detail. The resulting flatness is reminiscent of Fauvist artists such as Matisse. The show also includes four large fabric pieces of roughly the same size, hung in a row. Three particularly attracted my attention: "The Garment Worker I," "The Garment Worker II," and "Woman Ironing." These pieces all depict people working "th cloth and Shefrin achieves an interest ing three-dimensional effect by having some fabric hang off the piece. (In "Woman Ironing" the ironing hangs off the board.) Shefrin's work was displayed in two recognizable sections. The pieces described above were in the first section, and works with a much more explicit pohtical message filled the second section. These included depictions of Israeh and Arabic women standing side-by-side holding signs reading "Stop the Occupation," and a piece commemorating the airlift of over 14,000 Ethiopian immigrant Jews to Israel. Shefrin [has] skill as a visual storyteller. I must confess that I lack an appreciation of art with such explicit messages. In general, I beheve art is not a particularly effective medium through which to convey an argument—I've never been persuaded to change my mind on any issue by a visual art piece. This is not to say that visual art has no role in illustrating issues. In a sense, when it comes to conveying a particular perspective, visual art faces many of the same constraints as pohtical T-shirts. A T-shirt serves to identify one as a proponent of a Stop the Occupation particular view without necessarily arguing for that perspective. But T-shirts can make people aware of issues that they might otherwise forget. This analogy is certainly not meant to denigrate art which strives to be explicitly pohtical. In Shefrin's case, some of the pieces which are very explicitly pohtical are skillfully crafted and visually captivating. In particular, I thought both "Ethiopia 1958" and "Gas Mask tests in England, Oct. 20, 1937," were fascinating in detail and composition. However, I preferred the portraits I first mentioned. They were more subtle and conveyed something tangible about people that wasn't captured in the more explicit pieces. For example, the silkscreen "Iraqi Woman Buying Vegetables", which simply depicts an Iraqi woman at the market, evoked the chaos and destruction the gulf war brought upon Iraqis. By providing an image which contrasted so strongly with media shots of the war-ravaged streets of Iraq, the piece reminded me how sudden and drastic the devastation of Iraq has been—and how it affected the hves of ordinary people. By contrast, the pieces which depicted women I signs saying "Stop the Occupation" were not as strong in bringing home the effects of the occupation. The artist herself was surprised that I saw such a clear division in the show. Shefrin said her intention in all the pieces was to portray people in both the httle and the big struggles. One thing that is clear in all these pieces is Shefrin's skill as a visual storyteller. The artist describes herself as committed to feminist and multiculturalist values, and to exploring her Jewish heritage—and she is clearly committed to telling visual stories which reflect these values. Some of these pieces shine in their simplicity and clarity. Others, hke the large fabric pieces portraying the fabric workers, convey a quiet sense of accomplishment and value. All these pieces are worth seeing. If you get a chance, make a point to see the work of Sima Elizabeth Shefrin. I think you will find it both refreshing and thought- provoking. Laurel Weldon is a poet. Chrystos: A voice of the colonized exiles DREAM ON by Chrystos Vancouver: Press Gang, 1991 by Raj Pannu Dream On, the second collection of Chrystos' poetry, subverts the conventional white male definition of poetry. To merely define Chrystos as a Native lesbian activist would not do justice to who she is and what she writes about. It would be much hke pinning her words and identity under a microscope and dissecting them. Chrystos' poetry is what poetry should be. It comes from the heart. It is a voice of truth which rages against ears that refuse to hsten and a song which soothes the tears of those who cry alone in a prison of whiteness. This means you'll never get a chance in hell of seeing this book being a required text for university Enghsh hterature course. Chrystos speaks for those of us who are marginalized from the mainstream of Brady Bunch society—not because we're "cool" subversives lounging around sipping cappuccinos and quoting Marx—but because we are victimized by the very methods which have been employed to label, categorize, and silence us as The Other: women of colour, lesbians, the working class. For those of us who are imprisoned here in North America as colonized exiles attempting to survive against an onslaught of racism, homophobia, and classism, Chrystos' poetry gives voice to our rage, our frustration and our resistance to imperialist indoctrination. Prior to "discovering" Chrystos, I held up the dominant Eurocentric form of poetry as a model against which to measure myself. The poetry of Chrystos has given me a voice and has inspired me to go seek my own vision. Dream On, as weU as Chrystos' first collection Not Vanishing, are published by Press Gang Pubhshers, 603 PoweU St., Vancouver B.C., V6A 1H2. Some of Raj Pannu's poetry will be published in the forthcoming issue of the CapUano Review. WINTER COUNT By their own report america lias killed forty million of us in the last century The names of those who murdered us are remembered in towns, islands, bays, rivers, mountains, prairies, forests We have died as children, as old men & women without defens< We have been raped, mutilated, we have been starved experimented on, we have been given gifts that kill we've been imprisoned, we've been fed the poison of alcohol until our children are born deformed We have been killed on purpose, by accident, in drunken rage As I speak with each breath another Indian is dying Someone part of our Holocaust which they have renamed civilizntion Our women are routinely sterilized without their consent during operations for other reasons I have seen the scars We are the butt of jokes, the gimmicks for ad campaigns romanticized into oblivion So carefully obscured that many think we are all dead For every person who came here to find freedom there arc bones rattling in our Mother The ravage of suburbia covers our burial grounds our spiritual places, our homes Now we are rare & occasionally cherished as Eagles though not by farmers who still potshot us for sport Suddenly we have religions they want & they'll pay Down the long tunnel of death my grandmothers cry No Give no solace to our destroyers Into the cold night I send these burning words Never forget america is our hitler .KINESIS Sept. 91 Arts yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, Sue McGowan's music: More than melody and words by Juline Macdonnell The first time I heard Vancouver musician Sue McGowan, I was struck by her strength and by her warmth. Her voice holds a clear and haunting beauty. With ease she moves from Celtic to contemporary folk, singing with amusement and anger, inviting her audience to join her with each musical change and each story. Hearing McGowan often means becoming part of her music. She stands firm and relaxed, telling jokes and stories around her hfe. She sings about the strength of women: women surviving, fighting, repossessing our power. WeU-known within the Vancouver feminist community, McGowan deserves even wider recognition. McGowan is a witch and an active worker in the anti-rape movement. ever get that homesick feehng, that longing, longing ... ? I felt it for years. I longed for fiddles and guitars and the way people talk there." In Edmonton, at the University of Alberta, she knew nobody although some of her brothers hved nearby. McGowan was stiU a practicing Cathohc and she joined the folk choir at St. Joseph's CoUege. "It was really hard for me," says McGowan. "The choir was really good and I was this hick from New Brunswick." She learned a lot about folk and classical music there and started playing guitar. "The music was beautiful but there were problems. Recently I spoke with her about the pohtical and spiritual origins of her music. McGowan grew up in Rolhng Dam, New Brunswick, a rural farm community. She talks about the strength and energy of her mother, her sisters and the women on the local farms, who worked so hard to make ends meet and to take care of each other. "It seemed to me," McGowan says, "that when I was growing up everyone in the rural maritimes was poor." The poverty had a great pohtical impact. "There was a spirit of survival [and] I have gained a lot of my strength from that place." McGowan has always sung. Her family was musical, even though they didn't have a record player. When she was 13 she became formaUy involved in music by joining a Cathohc folk choir. "This really kept me sane from when I was 13 to when I left," says McGowan. In the choir, McGowan found a community of women who were supportive, and a music director who was pohticaUy concerned: she was 'pro-life' and anti-war. "She was, in my view then, quite a pohtical woman who sparked [pohtics] in me— even though in a conservative way," says McGowan. "Also, there's something about folk music that is pohtical even if it's Christian." At that time, McGowan hated Maritime and Celtic music. "It was country, I thought it was stupid," she says. But the Cathohc choir director would often invite McGowan to parties. "I would go to her cottage and there would be a ho-down," says McGowan. "People would come with their fiddles and guitars and it was fun—and there was a lot of drinking which I was into then. It really came from a place of culture, that working class maritime culture that was carried from northern Europe. That's how I started. And I hated it then." McGowan was bound to leave New Brunswick. "I didn't hke being a country hick and when I moved I went to the prairie where there is no ocean," she says. "Do you This was an alternative Cathohc community and there was all this pro-life stuff—though there were also feminist women challenging that. I met a lot of nuns who were doing feminist theology." McGowan became more and more involved with music in the nine years she spent in Alberta. She and another woman organized a coffee house in the basement of the chapel where people could play any kind of music, not just Christian folk. She began meeting more feminist women both through the church and, in the progressive Cathohc tradition, by being active in the Latin American solidarity movement. Soon McGowan connected with the women's movement and began singing at benefits, mainly as a solo performer. "Just before I left Edmonton, I got together aU the women I never played with," says McGowan. "We formed a band and played for three weeks. We were great. Then I left and it was over." McGowan began moving away from the church and discovered Starhawk, a femimst and pohticaUy active witch from San Francisco. Her loss of faith with Catholicism related both to her growing feminist and pohtical consciousness—and to the growing conservativeness at St. Joseph's. Says McGowan, "I wasn't interested in having my spirituaUty separate from everything else in my hfe." While leaving the church was very hard, McGowan says she has returned to her own spiritual roots in Wicce: the rehgion of her ancestors. To McGowan, Wicce means to hve surrounded by the goddess. "When I say goddess, I don't mean hke the Christian god. The goddess is hfe, that spirit, that thing that connects us as human beings, and connects us with the animal kingdom, the plant world, with the earth. Not disrespecting anything that is hfe." After the transition from Christianity to the Wiccan way of hfe, McGowan began showing her music to people. "AU [this] af fected the way I started writing: my pohtics and wanting to connect [this] with spirituality and telling the truth about hfe. I think of myself as a story teUer." Three years ago, McGowan moved to Vancouver. For some time after this she was quite depressed, a depression that had began before coming to Vancouver. She didn't perform or write for some time, and then gradually entered the music scene and the women's movement, playing at the Women's Music Festival, then at a Vancouver Lesbian Connection coffee house. She photo courtesy Sue McGowan Lately, her style of playing and writing music has changed—"I just got bored," says McGowan. She's now working more and more with other musicians, including Carol Weaver on percussion and Jacqui Parker- Snedker on bass. She is also adding jazz chords to her repertoire of Celtic, maritime and blues sounds. And McGowan is finding it now takes much longer to write new songs. "I'm thinking more about what I'm writing," she says. "It's survival. As my view of the world changes, as my feminism develops, and since Sue McGowan also joined WAVAW Rape Crisis Centre. Then her writing began again. "I'm always amazed [at] how things come to me. I feel so much support from the women's community." McGowan's music is often hke a oral history of women. "Not Only the Tale of Montreal" relates the deaths of the 14 women at the Polytechnique to the abuse women must survive daily. McGowan sings the song a cappella to a strong Celtic tune. In "Awakenings," McGowan celebrates the summer solstice. In an hUarious, bluesy song "New Age Blue," McGowan sings of a woman refusing her New Age ex-partner's definitions of where the responsibihties he in relationships. "The New Age movement has no pohtical consciousness or analysis," says McGowan. "There is so much racism inherent in that kind of thinking, hke the 'White Light' (to protect yourself in). The white is the good and dark is the evil. And they talk about choosing your own path, but you cannot talk about creating your own reality when we hve in a world that is misogynist and racist and homophobic. You can't tell a working class lesbian of colour that aU she has to do is get it together." McGowan also talked about the exploitation of other peoples' spirituaUty. As a witch, she often circles with women of other heritages. "H people want to share with me about their culture, then I'm honoured by that," says McGowan, "but it isn't for me to take and then pass on to somebody else— because it's not mine: it's not mine to give, not mine to teach, not mine to seU." I've come out as a lesbian and since the war—aU that has an impact on how I write. I feel my writing is fuUer." "AU songs are storyteUing," says McGowan and her lyrics bear this out. Her stories come from everything around her. "I'm inspired mostly by the women in my hfe, hke my mother and my sister, and the women that I knew growing up, by the women I've worked with...[and] being a lesbian is aU part of this too." With her music, McGowan is "trying to reach anyone who is willing to hsten." When she performs, she wants her audience to participate in her music as much as possible, and she refuses to co-opt it's meaning. "I want to share [my message], I don't want to mask it, I don't want to change it, and I don't want to make it more acceptable to anybody." Sue McGowan's next Vancouver performance is in Random Acts' production CoUateral Damage: The Tragedy of Medea at the Fringe Festival (see Bulletin Board for details). By next year, she hopes to record a cassette tape of her music. Juline Macdonnell is a student at Simon Fraser University. KINESIS Letters ^XXX^N^XXXXXNX^^ Dear Reader, Kinesis loves receiving mail. Please get your letter to us by the 18th of the month. If you can, keep the length to about 500 words (if you go way over, we might edit for space). Hope to hear from you soon. love, Kinesis Thanks for remembering the deadly legacy Kinesis: I am so pleased to see a critique of RU- 486 and contraception in the May issue ("Stops, starts and uncertainties"). As a fertility awareness educator, teaching from a feminist perspective, I'm tired of the mainstream press declaring these new innovations as somehow in women's interest. Don't people remember the legacy of Ulness and death that is created by each of the innovations medical science offers us? From IUD's and DES, to fetal monitoring and hormone replacement "therapy" ... Thanks for presenting the issues in a refreshing and critical manner ... Count me in. Enclosed is my subscription. Sincerely, Lisa Leger Toronto, Ont. Reform Party: humanitarian, not sexist Kinesis: As an historian, I have learned that if any idea is to be formulated into an intel- Ugent argument, it must be supported by the facts. In order for such an argument to evolve, care must be taken to avoid sloppy analysis of the facts. In her May 1991 article "The Reform Party: We're not the hfe of this party," Karen Duthie disregards the facts and in doing so, fails to support her notion that Canada's Reform Party is sexist. From the hterature and medical data written by physicians and psychologists up untfl the mid-twentieth century—particularly in the Victorian era—many historians have found that these doctors, not understanding the biology of the female body, often treated women in their examinations and medical tests as the exception, rather than the norm. In taking the male to be the norm, many women lost their hves because of ignorance about chUdbirth, or were institutionalized when they could have been treated for a simple hormonal imbalance. With regard to their lack of understanding of female biology, the history of the medical profession has been highly censured,, and rightly so. Yet ironically, many decades later, when people now understand such things as the menstrual cycle and regard it to be something natural and healthy, Duthie's article suggests that same misguided perception that somehow women are "non-people." Her main criticism of the RPC is that Reformers are "not so much interested in 'women's issues' as they are in 'people's issues'." Since when are women "non-people?" The word 'people' refers to a collective group of individual human beings. To say that women do not form part of this group—as Duthie implies—is to argue that women are either subhuman or superhuman. Since Karen Duthie faUs to convince us that women are something other than human, I can only conclude that she also faUs to prove that the Reform Party is anti-women in its pohcy of being "for the people." Duthie incorrectly writes that women's rights wUl go unheeded if the Reform Party becomes our federal government. On the contrary, if the Reform Party does form a government, women's issues along with other humanitarian issues, wUl be dealt with since women are people. According to its own statement of principles, the RPC beheves that "every individual, group, province, and region in Canada is entitled to fundamental justice ..." (p. 26). Duthie need not be concerned that social services will be abolished under the Reform Party, for such fear is totally unfounded. The RPC's platform states that the party "beUeves in public services—that governments, civU servants, poUticians, and poUtical parties exist to serve the people, and that they should demonstrate this service commitment at aU times" (p. 27). One way in which responsible governments can demonstrate their commitment to the people is through public services which do not run deficits. Through their Tax Freedom Day this year, the Fraser Institute reported that whUe taxation over the last two decades has risen to a point where it gobbles up 5 percent of Canadians' incomes, the quality of our social services has not increased. The RPC beUeves in public services so long as the governments providing such services can afford them. To date, governments have used deficit financing to pay for these services in order to "bribe" Canadian voters; this includes appealing to groups that lobby for women's rights. While taxpayers feel they are getting a lot of services for not very much, in the long run, the people wfll have to pay for these services at a much higher real cost due to high interest rates. Every Canadian should be concerned with the federal Tory and Liberal governments who have so far accumulated enough debt to make every Canadian $16,000 poorer. The Reform Party of Canada makes this deficit its primary concern, and for doing so, it is wrongfully accused by the other federal parties and interest groups alike of being sexist. It makes httle sense that anyone should fault the Reform party for regarding women and men as equal. The Reform Party's platform considers everyone equal—regardless of ethnicity, class, age, education, and gender—and does not attempt to create differences between men and women which do not exist. When a party recognizes that aU individuals are people, there is no need to make separate laws for men and separate laws for women. Isn't the role of government 'for the people, by the people?' As one who strongly advocates feminism and equahty amongst both men and women, I find it rather offensive that so much misinformation and rhetoric has been used to unjustly discredit the Reform Party. Re formers beheve in reform for all, especially for government; so why should the Reform Party be labeUed sexist? Sincerely, CoUeen Doty, Surrey, B.C. Heterosexual reader appreciates "Sexplorations" Kinesis: Two letters in the July/August issue question the "Sexplorations" article in the preceding issue. They gave me pause for thought. Olive Johnson says the article is "a bit much" and that she doubts you'd "devote that much space to the joys of married sex." The Scarborough Board of Education feels that the article did not promote "positive attitudes towards women." As a heterosexual woman I appreciate "Sexplorations." I thought the comments were courageous and the photographs were beautiful. I felt that the writers were speaking for aU of us, not just for lesbians. Bet Cecil says, "Sex is scary territory and discussions have often been painful and polarized. Our natural sexuahty has been taken away from most of us." Do these comments not apply to most heterosexual women too? I am learning, in the pages of Kinesis, that it is lesbians (perhaps because they have been forced to be courageous about their sexuality) who are the most wUhng to take on this difficult, but important subject! For a number of years I have toyed with the idea of writing a kind of erotica that hberated heterosexual women can relate to. I've had great difficulty with this. Though I enjoy sex, it is, indeed, a "scary subject" and every time I attempt to write erotica that does not demean women I feel paralyzed by the enormity of the cultural taboo I am breaking! It is bad enough when mainstream society says, "Women must not write about their sexuahty." When those who identify as feminist do so too, it is always disappointing and inhibiting. Sincerely, Anne Miles, Gibsons, B.C. Silencing lesbians affects all women's struggles Kinesis: I am writing in response to Ohve Johnson's letter (July/August, 1991). As an open lesbian, I take issue with Ms. Johnson's inquiry as to why it is necessary to write about lesbians. Ms. Johnson claims QRiVEDESiGN DESKTOP PUBLISHING periodicals ** catalogues newsletters ads programs customized graphics i SLIDIWCiSCALE | Deborah Kirkland 253-5109 that since not all lesbians are feminists, Kinesis should not write so much about us. Not aU women are feminists either, yet we struggle on to gain a voice for all women, feminist or not. For years women have struggled against sUence, trying to make our voices heard in society, in the pohtical and legal forums, and in our families. Lesbians are also struggling to gain a voice, often without the support of the "feminist" community. I do not beheve that Ms. Johnson can be "in complete sympathy with the needs and rights of lesbians" and at the same time want to exclude the discussion of those rights, and the celebration of lesbian culture from the paper. While Ms. Johnson requests that Kinesis should inform the entire feminist spectrum, she faUs to seek out and understand the connection between the oppression of lesbians and the oppression of women. Lesbians have been persecuted throughout history due to society's perception of our sexual behaviour as "unnatural." The reasons for our persecution run much deeper than that. Lesbians refuse to conform to social mores which dictate that as women, we must need men, sexuaUy and sociaUy. We pose a threat to the very fabric of society, the socially and legaUy constructed family. All women have struggled against the patriarchal definition of family. Lesbian struggles strike at the very bases of patriarchal famUy and social structures. Silencing lesbians wUl affect aU women's struggle to free ourselves from patriarchally prescribed sexual and social mores. Yes, it is important to say who is an "open lesbian." It is crucial that we celebrate our openness. Ms. Johnson would deny lesbians the right to have a community by denying us the right to say proudly that we are lesbians. Many women in the feminist movement deny lesbians our right to be proud of our heritage, our strength, our voice. Many of you claim that it is all right to be a lesbian, just don't "shove it down my throat." Heterosexuality has been shoved down my throat since the first day I began to think as a woman, as a human being. Not being able to have lesbian role models (or even to hear the word "lesbian" uttered as a positive word, not an insult) denied me the right to as happy and fulfilled a sexual and social growth as heterosexuals, Uke Ms. Johnson. I urge Kinesis to continue to print the word lesbian, to help us celebrate our community, to show respect for our struggle to find a voice. Although we may not aU be feminists, we are aU women ... and all part of the feminist spectrum. Sincerely, AlUson Bond Victoria, B.C. m CARDS* l/^RECOROS .KINESIS LETTERS x2**m*^*#^#^^%^# Differentiating between sex and sexuality Kinesis: Re: the letter from OUve Johnson (July/August 1991). Thank you Ms. Johnson! You expressed so weU what I have been agonizing over, for fear of being accused of being homophobic, ever since I received my June issue of Kinesis. So often I have applauded the weU- written and interesting articles, only to be slapped with what I see as another indication of society's inabUity to differentiate between sex and sexuahty. I feel that it is this attitude that only increases violence towards women and chUdren and is every bit as dangerous whether focused on heterosexuals or homosexuals. I might further add to Ms. Johnson's comments "... but being a lesbian is certainly no guarantee of being a feminist" by stating nor is being a feminist an indicator of being a lesbian. Please take some of Ms. Johnson's suggestions seriously and consider her comments on the focus of your paper. Even though I Uve a considerable distance, not only in miles but culture, from the Greater Vancouver area, so many of your feminist issues know no cultural or geographic boundaries and I would hate to cancel an otherwise interesting and informative paper. Sincerely, Cathryn Craik Fort Smith, NWT. Since when is 10 percent a general slant? Kinesis: I think the headhne you wrote for Carole Perz's letter (July/August 1991) was inaccurate and unfair ("Homophobia in Scarborough, Ont.") Phobias are persistent fears that are unwarranted or irrational. It is not irrational for an employee of the Scarborough Board of Education to distance herself from graphic portrayals of sexual acts, regardless of the gender(s) portrayed. That distance is what our society demands of educators. If she doesn't, she risks losing her job and/or her reputation. The wording of her letter is very clear on this point and commendably non-judgmental: "... explicit photography is inappropriate in our organization ... "I beheve you owe her an apology. Olive Johnson's letter, however, is another matter. Her assessment that the paper's "general slant" and "focus" is "lesbianism" is both unwarranted and irrational. It was tedious, but I went through a bunch of old issues and counted column inches. I came up with approximately 10 percent lesbian content when I discounted covers, tables of contents and classifieds (that figure would be even smaUer if I didn't). Last time I heard, 10 percent also happens to be a conservative estimate of the number of homosexuals in the general population. I, for one, think it's phobic to imagine that 10 percent could define the general slant or focus of anything. In order for a phobia to persist, information which contradicts the phobia must be denied. The resulting voice fiUs up with hes, half-truths and irrelevant information. When people who see themselves as open- minded and rational attempt to convince others of their phobic views, they usuaUy give voice to their half-truths and irrelevan- cies. Lies might be recognized for what they are but their other justifications might escape detection. Undetected, they cloud the issue as Ms. Johnson does when she writes: "... being a lesbian is certainly no guarantee of being a femimst ..." Kinesis is not about feminists; the paper's sub-title is "News About Women That's Not In The Dailies." News about women, however, is of special interest to feminists. For example, women workers don't have to be feminists for feminists to care about their working conditions. It does not seem to me that Ms. Johnson is " ... in complete sympathy with the needs and rights of lesbians ..." when she is opposed to Kinesis publishing the realities of our hving conditions. I beheve her statement of solidarity is an insult to the real allies we have within the heterosexual femimst community. Ms. Johnson would rather Kinesis publish "more discussion of legal issues." I hve in SE Asia but by reading Kinesis I know about the important "Rape Shield Law" challenge before the Supreme Court of Canada (May 1991), the favorable ruhng of UPRISING BREADS BAKERY Makers of Vancouver's Finest Whole Grain Breads Whole Wheat, Whole Wheat Unsalted (Tues. & Thurs. only), Cracked Wheat and Sunflower, Seven Grain, Sourdough Light Rye, Finnish Whole Grain, Sourdough Pumperknickel (yeast free), Whole Wheat Raisin (Wed., Fri., & Sat. only), Folk Bread (Fri. & Sat.) Oat Bran Bread (Sat. only), and Rice Bread (W.W. flour, Dairy & yeast free - Fresh frozen). 1697 Venables Street Vancouver 254-5635 A part of CRS Workers' Co-op *-j^v photo by Ken Anderlini Twice Over? Only in the Theatre Appearing at the Vancouver Fringe Festival is Twice Over, the story of a young woman who discovers her grandmother was a lesbian. (Pictured above are, left to right, Lovie Eli, Rosie Frier-Dryden, Sandra P. Grant and Celine Lockhart.) Written by Black British playwright Jackie Kay, Twice Over explores the pain of living a lie, and offers an honest portrayal of love between two older women. The play runs at the Hot Jazz Club, Sept. 11 & 12 (8 pm); Sept. 13 & 15 (4:30 pm) ( and Sept. 14 (11:15 pm). ' that same Court after it heard opposing arguments from REAL Women and LEAF in the SuUivan/LeMay case (AprU 1991), the 43-43 tie on BiU C-43 in the Senate (March 1991), etc ... Every month the women at Kinesis must read a fantastic amount of legal gobbledygook, and translate it besides, because aU my issues of Kinesis have lots of articles in plain Enghsh on court ruling, pending legislation, government budgets and policy. I resent this and similar remarks of Ms. Johnson's as they contradict the efforts and results of the workers at Kinesis. I'm tempted to continue to go through Ms. Johnson's letter point-by-point and my back issues month-by-month to Ulustrate the fact that Kinesis is already publishing what Ms. Johnson is now advising they publish. This letter, however, probably exceeds the recommended length so I'U go to my remaining points. I've posed them as questions to Ms. Johnson but I beheve the feminist community at large would benefit if we each asked ourselves: 1. Do you read aU of Kinesis or only the lesbian bits? (Note: Substitute for the word 'lesbian' any group that you feel for or against.) 2. Do you take the time to give credit to the women who work hard to keep us better informed than the mainstream media does on women's issues? 3. Do your criticisms accurately reflect that to which you object or do you disguise them to shield yourself from counter- criticism? 4. Do you agree with the decision to publish the text of "Sexplorations" in Kinesis'! 5. Do you agree with the decision to publish the accompanying photographs? 6. When you answered ques. 4 and 5, did you also think through an analysis of your response? Did you settle for justifications comprised of half-truths and irrelevancies? 7. Would you answer ques. 4,5, or 6 differently if "Sexplorations" had focussed on heterosexual sex? 8. Last, but not least, how do you differentiate photos of "married sex" from photos of "unmarried sex?" I, myself, do not agree with the decision to publish the photos in Kinesis. Viewing sexuaUy explicit photographs could be con- sidered.a sexual act. As the readers of Kinesis didn't expect to find such photos within its pages, it's incorrect to assume that they had given consent to view them. It could be argued, therefore, that some readers had participated in a sexual act to which they had not consented. I would not make the same argument against pubhcation of the text. Although reading sexuaUy expUcit writing may also be a sexual act, the effort one puts into doing it would seem to indicate consent. Reading is both a conscious and time-consuming act, whereas viewing a graphic image is automatic and instantaneous. I want to make it clear that I am not talking about censorship or pornography. Were the photos to appear in a publication whose readership could anticipate coming across them, I would defend their publication. I hope I would make the same analysis had the focus been heterosexual. With the exception of question 8, I remain sincerely ... Alleson Kase Amphor Sansai, ThaUand Lesbianism a core issue for all feminists Kinesis: I was sorry to see that the lesbian content of the June issue raised some fears for a few heterosexual women. Lesbianism is a really core issue for aU feminists because, hke nothing else, it challenges the dominant role that men stiU play in our society. As a lesbian myself, I welcome the respect and support I have received from heterosexual women around my sexuahty, and I hope I can continue to count on it in the future. Sincerely, Sima Elizabeth Shefrin, Vancouver, B.C. See LETTERS page 20 KINESIS ^^vS^^^^^^^i^^^^ Letters LETTERS fronvpage 19 Shut up and listen for a change Kinesis: This is getting boring. In the July/August issue of Kinesis two of us from BOA [Bevy of Anarcha-feminists] productions wrote a letter about classism. The letter was edited by Kinesis. Kinesis editorial board also wrote their own letter. This letter made BOA look hke we skulk around in dark doorways hurhng "personal attacks," whUe "poor" hapless Kinesis stood firm as saints. Pyuuie! Anybody could smeU a rat there. For the record: Classism is an ongoing attack on, and discrimination against, low income and working class people because of middle/upper class (internalized/intentional) assumptions about "lower" class people. BOA is a loose group of wimmin with httle or no access to resources (ie., money, funding, presses, materials). We make magazines and put on cultural events with each other's help. BOA and the wimmin who help with BOA have been misrepresented in Kinesis since AprU, 1991. We were also treated with disdain and disrespect. We figured that no one would intentionaUy mistreat people hke this. It must be a hidden bigotry. It was. It was classism. In our letter last issue, we named how we were treated, we named it as classism. Kinesis caUed it "personal attacks," and edited anything in the letter that was a description of Kinesis's classism. Triviahzing and twisting our arguments against us to make it look hke we were the offenders (ie., "personal attacks") is the worst kind of sophistry. That kind of sophist-ication takes a real special kind of class-lessness. A triple whammy of blaming the victim, kiUing the messenger, and stabbing us with kid gloves. WeU we can't afford kid gloves, but if we been stabbed by a pair of yours, we'll let you know it. We call a spade a spade and don't wrap it in kid gloves. We are not your grovelling whining begging for your approval/authority hanging on your every word kind of gals. A httle ribaldry wit and out-rage—and oops! our class is showing. But not to "personaUy attack" anybody. In other words, when we say, "we've been insulted and treated with venom and disdain" by Kinesis, we mean it. This ain't no personal attack this is what happened to us! Not the other way around. Nothing personal, it's a class issue! We honestly think we would have been treated differently if we had more prestige and privUege! We have been trying to explain this to Kinesis, and somehow it just doesn't get heard. Kinesis even said 'it' wanted to discuss the issues of classism with us in the future, and then went right ahead, edited our letter and slandered us publicly in the last issue. Does this sound hke good faith to you, dear reader? (This letter too wUl probably be edited.) [Ed. note: Nope.] I know what you are thinking. You're thinking that BOA has a stick up its butt. I mean, some of Kinesis' best friends are poor, right? WeU, even poor people can have internalized classism. I know I do! Having come from the middle class more than half a hfe time ago, I have the double vision of knowing the biases inside and out. So I have to look at what is classist about my thinking/and behaviour and try to change that. Beheve me, the longer I am poor, and work with low income people, the easier it is to see and identify classism. I have to examine both my privUeges and my oppressions. Sort it out. That's what I'm asking of Kinesis. Secondly, we were accused of "personaUy attacking" a reviewer who wrote a clas sist review in Kinesis about a BOA cultural/community event. Not true. BOA debunked the trumped up speculations in the review, and explained "ideas," hke community and culture. Kinesis called these "personal attacks." There was so much buUying about how we should discuss in our issue, we felt impeUed to puU the article. Middle class values cannot define this issue for us. Dig? Because of aU of this, readers were denied the chance to read a great article about BOA. BOA and the readers lose here. Honest, BOA prefers to be proactive not reac- tively having to wipe muck that's been slung from another press. Thirdly, Kinesis claimed that women from BOA wanted to write about "ourselves." Trivialization is classist. ActuaUy, we wanted to write about BOA: an explosive timeless socio-political phenomenon. Fourthly, the entire process of dealing with Kinesis has been brutal and painful. BOA raised the issue of classism because we were affected by it at Kinesis. Classism hurts and it is not smart. We raised the issue in good faith, but every time we try to move forward with Kinesis, we get slam- dunked. I don't get it. Kinesis is no more the cause of classism than BOA are the only wimmin affected by it! KiUing the messenger and blaming the victim has never been an effective means of dealing with the message. So let's get on with it. How can Kinesis deal with and do something to fight classism? For starters, shutup and hsten for a change. Would you doubt a lawyer about the law? Then don't doubt low income wimmin about what classism is. Acknowledge that classism exists and is a problem. Acknowledge that taking direction from low income people is really difficult for middle class people to do. Why? Because middle class people know how to do everything better, right? Middle class guUt and defensiveness is useless. Looking at what privUeges you have and sharing them to make more space for wimmin is revolutionary. Take heed, don't tell people how to define themselves. Invite low income and working class wimmin to write about and discuss classism. Do a series in Kinesis on classism. Get lots of different low income wimmin—wimmin who have been poor aU their hves; half their hves; for centuries; from various cultures and sexual identities and abihties; wimmin who were poor and are no longer, etc. "Inter-class travel" affects how we identify ourselves, too. Class issues are confusing. Only writing, talking, hstening wUl help us all get clear on this stuff. Classism is the most divisive issue among wimmin today. Classism affects how we value each other, ourselves, our bodies, our intelligence, and our aesthetic. As the corporate agenda leaves less to go around, people wiU chng to what privUeges they have. This will divide us further. We have to guard against this. rvswi The Vancouver Status of Women's AGM will feature an opportunity for members to discuss VSWs work In the community. All members are urged to attend. G Mon. Sept. 30 7 p.m. nnual Sitka Coop Common Room 1550 Woodland Vancouver. Tel: 255-5511 One hundred percent of wimmin are in the only class that counts: have nots. Yet classist values are so strong that many wimmin consciously and subconsciously identify with the haves. By denying our internalized classism, we further oppress each other. Without dealing with classism, we cannot seriously deal with any other form of oppression, because they are aU intrinsicaUy related to class. Do we want to unconsciously help buUd an even bigger underclass of wimmin cleaning professional wimmin's toUet bowls? Do we want to have a feminist movement that is only for a few wimmin and not for others? Or do we want low income wimmin to help set the "feminist agenda?" Did we lose the wimmin, hberation, and movement when the wimmin's hberation movement became feminism? Let's put it aU back in there ... As one woman I talked to about this issue said, "It is harder to come out as poor or working class in the feminist movement than it is to come out as lesbian." Don't push us back into the closet. And don't slag BOA. It only exacerbates the problem. Kinesis is an important part of the dialogue for and by wimmin. So is BOA. The only enemy is the patriarchy/corporate agenda and it dearly needs classism to survive, p.j. flaming, supported by Kim Jackson Some people just want to make trouble Kinesis: "Whaddya mean they didn't hke the BOA show? Who is this Kinesis anyway? Here [handing me a pen] write me a letter; write down what I say, cuz I can't read and write." I enjoyed the BOA show. What did they [the reviewer] want? Someone to run around in their underwear? What's wrong with them? I enjoyed it. Frankie enjoyed it. And so did her daughter. I sure laughed a lot opening night. I hked the art on the walls [of the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre]. It was different. And I use the Centre every day. I better hke it—I even clean in here on the weekends when it's closed up. They don't know what they're talkin' about. In my opinion, it was a fine show, some people just want to make trouble. Ruth Johnson Vancouver, B.C. (Written by proxy by p.j. flaming) THE CANADIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN A national, bilingual nongovernmental organization which promotes, disseminates and coordinates research on women. Activities include: an annual conference a quarterly newsletter networking through a computerized Bank of Researchers research papers Recent publications New Reproductive Technologies Midwifery Family Policies Women and the Charter Confronting Pornography Women's Autobiography in Canada The Women's Movement Strategies For Effecting Change in Public Policy To obtain a copy of our publications brochure and information on becoming a member of CRIAW: Contact: CRIAW/ICREF 408-151 Slater St., Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5H3. Tel. 1-613-563-0681 Fax 1-613-563-0682 We offer a discount of 20% when you order 10 or more publications of the same title. Eastside DataCraphics 1460 Commercial Drive tel: 255-9559 fax: 253-3073 "~l 15% OFF office or art supplies with this coupon expiry date: October 30.1991 Call or fax for free next-day delivery! c. , KINESIS //////S////S/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////SS////S////.-////J yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy^ yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy^ BULLETIN BOARD READ THIS All hstings must be received no later than the 18th of the month preceding publication. Listings are limited to 50 words and should include a contact name and telephone number for any clarification that may be required. Listings should be typed or neatly handwritten, double-spaced on 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Listings wiU not be accepted over the telephone. Groups, organizations and individuals eligible for free space in the BuUetin Board must be, or have, non-profit objectives. Other free notices wiU be items of general pubhc interest and wiU appear at the discretion of Kinesis. Classifieds are $8 (plus $0.56 GST) for the first 50 words or portion thereof, $4 (plus $0.28 GST) for each additional 25 words or portion thereoL Deadhne for classifieds is the 18th of the month preceding publication. Kinesis wUl not accept classifieds over the telephone. AU classifieds must be prepaid. For Bulletin Board submissions send copy to Kinesis Attn: Bulletin Board, #301-1720 Grant Street, Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2Y6. For more information call 255- 5499. E V E IM T S WANNA GET INVOLVED? With Kinesis? We want to get involved with you too. Help plan our next issues. Come to the Writers' Meetings on Wed. Sept. 4 (for the Sept. issue) and Tues. Oct. 1 (for the Nov. issue) at 7 pm at our office, #301-1720 Grant St. If you can't make the meeting, call 255-5499. No experience necessary, all women welcome EVENTS* EVENT SIE VENTS BE THE FIRST TO KNOW What's going on in the universe. Kinesis needs a nosey, finicky volunteer to pull together all these Bulletin Board notices. We supply the raw material, you organize and edit it. About 8 hours work, on the 18th and 19th of each month. Call 255- 5499 WOMEN OF COLOUR CAUCUS Women of Colour are organizing at Kinesis and we welcome all volunteers past, present and future to our next meeting Thurs. Sept. 26 at 7:30 pm at #301- 1720 Grant St. For more info, please call Agnes Huang at 736-7895 ELECTION COALITION A provincial election is in the offing. Women's issues are more important to highlight than ever. A coordinated, nonpartisan coalition of women's groups could use the opportunity of the election campaign to promote public awareness. We need participation from as many women's groups as possible to be successful. For info contact Wendy Frost 254-1421/255-0492 or Kim Zander 253-8717/254-9836, Provincial Election Women's Coalition. To date, sponsors include the BC Coalition of Abortion Clinics, Van. Status of Women, Rape Relief, the Van. Lesbian Connection, Van. Women's Health Collective VANCOUVER STATUS OF WOMEN This is a big month for VSW. We're having a smashing 20th birthday party on Sun. Sept. 22 (see back cover) and our AGM on Mon. Sept. 30 (see ad p. 22). WORKPLACE VIOLENCE This one-day workshop offered by Capilano College Labour Studies emphasizes the impact of violence in the workplace on women. To be held Fri. Oct. 4 from 9:30 am-4:30 pm at the Ship and Dock Foremen Local 514, 200-1726 E. Hastings. Cost $58 (includes lunch and course materials). Call 984-4954 to register or for more info DOUGLAS COLLEGE WORKSHOPS Intro, to Building Self-Esteem for Women: Tues., Sept. 17, noon-2 pm; Intro to Confidence Building: Wed. Sept. 25, 10 am-noon. Offered free of charge by the Douglas College Women's Centre, Rm. 2720, 700 Royal Ave., New West. Call 527-5148 for more info and upcoming workshop schedule FRINGE FESTIVAL The 7th Annual Fringe Festival takes place Sept. 5-15. Maximum ticket price per show $8. Added box office features: centralized ticket location, discount day passes and special rush seat sales. The Fringe continues to offer affordable and accessible theatre. Call 873-3646 WALK FOR AIDS A pledge walk to benefit the Vancouver Persons with AIDS Society will take place Sun. Sept. 29. Call 688-9255 to pledge or volunteer UNLEARNING RACISM Unlearning Racism Weekend Workshop for women at Camp Alexandra, White Rock. Sept. 13-15. Facilitated by A.W.- A.R.E. (Alliance of Women Against Racism, etc.) Sliding scale $20-250. To register or for further info call Celeste 251-2635. To register contact Janet 734- 8156, Mari 872-1743 or Val 251-3048. Sponsored by Unlearning Racism Workshop Organizing Committee SELF ESTEEM Intensive weekend for women who want to explore the roots of their own self esteem and discover ways to love themselves more fully. The weekend will include experiential exercises, psy- chodrama, communication skills and space for personal work. Learn about yourself in a supportive group with experienced therapists. For registration and info, tel: Russel (MS) 732-3326 or Delyse 873-4495 SUPPORT FEMINIST RADIO Benefit for Monday Rational and Women Do This Everyday on Thurs. Sept. 19 at La Quena, 8:00 pm. sliding scale $3-5. Live entertainment, good food, refreshments. Support feminist programming on Monday evenings on Co-op Radio 102.7 FM. JOELLE RABU This well-known Vancouver chanteuse launches her latest recording Sept. 12- 14 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, 1895 Venables. Call 254-9578 for performance times, ticket prices and reservations FALL AT THE GRUNT A Fringe Festival Performance Poet series will run at the Grunt Gallery, 209 E. 6th, from Sept. 6-15 at 9 pm. Scheduled artists are: Fri. 6 Sheri-D Wilson; Sat. 7 Madeleine Morris: Sun. 8 Diane Wood; Mon. 9 Jamila Ismail; Tues. 10 Yvonne Parent; Wed. 11 Maxine Gadd; Thurs. 12 Margaret Dragu; Fri. 13 Sandra Lock- wood; Sat. 14 Elizabeth Fischer; Sun. 15 Alice Tepexcuintle. Also watch for Jonestown Carpet by Laura Baird appearing Oct. 1-26. Call 875-9516 for more info CCEC ANNIVERSARY Celebrate 15 years of community success with CCEC Credit Union on Wed. Oct. 2 at 7:30 pm, at Heritage Hall, 3201 Main St. Semi-annual general meeting will be followed by a celebration with beer, wine and music. Member groups and businesses encouraged to set up tables. Call 254-4100 for more info FLOWERING DRAGON During Sept., Hong Kong artist Eva Yen will create this public art project at the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens, Oak and 37th, in honour of the Chinese Lantern Festival. Opening ceremonies at twilight, Sun. Sept. 22. The artist will also give an illustrated talk at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby, Oct. 24 at 7:30 pm CAP COLLEGE LECTURES Free lectures Weds. 7:30-9:30 pm at the Capilano College Students' Lounge— N115, 2055 PurceU Way, North Van. Sept. 11: "The Women's Movement: A 25 Year Retrospective." Sept. 25: "Mary Cassatt: French Impressionism and the Female Eye." To reserve a seat, call 986- 1813 FREE FEMINIST FILMS "Our Stories": free feminist films will run the first four Tuesdays of Oct. at La Quena, 1111 Commercial, starting at 7:30 pm. Oct. 1 line-up is Still Killing Us Softly, Toying With Their Future, and After the Massacre. Free admission, co-sponsored by Vancouver Status of Women and the NFB. Child-care subsidy available. Call VSW at 255-5511 for more info BREAKING THE SURFACE Nov. 13-17 University of Calgary Drama Dept., and Maenad Productions will host "Breaking the Surface," An Interactive Festival/Conference of Women, Theatre and Social Action. Workshops and performances will be organized around four panel sessions: "Strategies of Engagement" (methodologies, audiences, etc.), "Politics of Funding for Feminist Theatre," "Feminist Theatre/Historical Perspectives," and "Pedagogy and Drama/Theatre by Women." Call (403) 220-5421 for more info BACKPACKING TRIP Wilderness of Women: Backpacking trips for women to experience the wilderness in a safe atmosphere and explore our connections with the Earth and each other. We are a non-profit organization run by and for women, WOW provides equipment, transportation, sliding scale, assistance with childcare, food, skill development. Contact WOW, Box 548, Tofino, BC, VOR 2Z0, 725-3230 CHILD CARE GUIDE The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care has just released "The Child Care Management Guide," a comprehensive resource guide on all aspects of a child care centre's operation and management. 399 pp. includes annotated bibliography, index, and sample agreements and forms. French version also available. Cost $40 to OCBCC, 500A Bloor St. West, 2nd Fl Toronto, Ont. M5S 1Y8 PEACE HEARINGS The Citizens' Inquiry into Peace and Security will hold a day of hearings Sept. 21 at Vancouver City Hall. Be a part of it and help define Canada's security and defense policies for the 1990's and beyond. Contact local organizer End the Arms Race at 736-2366 for submission details DANCING ON THE EDGE This 10-day festival of contemporary dance takes place Sept. 4-14 at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova. For performance schedules, reservations and ticket prices, call 689-0926 DOCTORS &. SEXUAL ABUSE The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC has established a confidential toll- free line, 1-800-661-9701, for anonymous and unofficial complaints of sexual misconduct by physicians with their patients. Callers can also obtain support, advice and instruction on the formal complaint process The Law Society of British Columbia GENDER BIAS COMMITTEE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS The Law Society's Gender Bias Committee is holding public hearings on the Issue of gender bias in our justice system. The specific areas the committee wiH focus on Include: Family Law, Criminal, Law. Civil Law (excluding Family), the response or the Justice System to violence against women and gender bias from the perspective of the courtroom. AH interested people are encouraged to make their suggestions known to the Committee. Submissions may be made orally or In writing, but the Committes strenuously recommends a written submission, the deadline for which is December 1,1991. Dates, times and locations of the public meetings, > appointment times are as follows: i welt as deadlines for requesting City Cats Place Appointment Deadline Nelson Sept 13&14. 1991 Savoy Inn Sept 11.1991 Terrace Oct. 4 & 5, 1991 Inn of the West OcL 2,1991 Prince George Oct. 18419,1991 Yellowhead Inn Oct 16.1991" Kelowna Nov. 1 & 2, 1991 Capri Hotel Oct 30,1991 Courtenay Nov. 15 & 16,1991 Westarfey Nov. 13,1991 Victoria Nov. 29 & 30,1991 Harbour Towers Nov. 27,1991 Abbottsford Jan. 10 &11,1991 McCallum Activity Centre Jan. 8,1992 Vancouver Jan. 17 & 18.1992 Jan. 13-16,1992 (evening Law Society Building sessions) Jan. 12,1992 To obtain an appearance time please contact Gender Bias Committee c/o Catherine J. Bruce, Director 300 • 1276 W. 6th Avenue Vancouver, B.C V6H1A6 Phone: 732-4284 (Call Collect) KINESIS Bulletin Board EVENT SIE VENT SIG ROUP SIG ROUPS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH The Canadian Labour Congress, the Action Canada Network, and provincial federations of labour are planning a national day of mass action Oct. 26 to protest Free Trade, service cutbacks, plant closures, tax hikes, and the GST. To get involved, call 254-0703 CRIAW CONFERENCE This year's CRIAW Conference "Global Vision—Local Action" on feminist research activities will take place Nov. 8- 10 at the Westin Hotel in Edmonton. Register by Oct. 8 to: Women's Research Centre, 11043-90 Ave., Edmonton, Alta., T6G 1A6. Call coordinator Mar- celline Forestier at (403) 492-8950 for details ABORTION CONF. POSTPONED The provincial conference on access to abortion scheduled for Oct. 4-6 has been postponed by the organizers, the BC Coalition for Abortion Clinics. The BCCAC will hold the conference in the spring of 1992 instead. For more info, contact: BC Coalition for Abortion Clinics, Box 66171, Stn. F, Vancouver, BC, V5N 5L4 or call 669-6209 PERSONS DAY BREAKFAST The West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund invites you to a breakfast commemorating the 62nd anniversary of women legally becoming "persons." Oct. 18 at the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre, tix $40. Accessible event, with signed interpretation. Childcare available by pre-reg before Oct. 3. Call LEAF at 684-8774 for more info The last regular issue of Diversity: The Lesbian Rag will be published Sept. 1991. The special Lesbian of Colour issue will be published in Nov. 1991. After that the Rag will cease publication. Please come to a wake for Diversity and help celebrate its achievements and mourn its loss. Wear suitable funeral attire. No flowers, please. Donations may be given instead to your favourite lesbian cause. Come Kiss the Rag GOODBYE! Sunday, Sept. Kill, 1991 at Graceland, 1250 Richards Street 8pm - midnight • Women only Dancing • Door Prizes Free back issues $3 to $8 • Tickets at the door (Proceeds to support the special Lesbian of Colour issue.) TAKE BACK THE NIGHT On Thurs. Sept. 19, 7:30 pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery (Georgia St. side). Call Rape Relief at 872-8212 for info, about childcare, etc. GROUPS FAT HAPPY WOMEN! Do you want to end the painful diet cycle and learn to love your body? Are you tired of thinking you're not "thin enough" to be happy? Share your stories of being large in a society which doesn't give women enough space, learn assertiveness techniques. Group starts Wed. Sept 17. Facilitated by Reisa Stone, a therapist who has recovered from anorexia/bulimia. 30 years experience as a fat woman. Please call Reisa at 254-4816 OUTDOORS CLUB FOR WOMEN The Vancouver OCFW meets the 1st Wed. every month at the Sitka Coop Common Room, 1550 Woodland. Women wanting to learn more about the club are welcome to attend. Offers a supportive, non-competitive atmosphere and a range of outdoor activities INT'L LESBIAN WEEK Calling all lesbians to the 1st planning meeting for ILW '92. To be held at the Gay & Lesbian Community Centre, 1170 Bute, Sun. Sept. 15 at 6 pm. More fun than you ever thought work could be. Call Mary at 254-2553 for more info COME OUT AND SING With the Vancouver Lesbian and Gay Choir. Rehearsals are Tuesdays 7:30 to 9:45. New members are invited to join open rehearsals Sept. 3 through Sept. 24. For more info call Liz at 732-1402 or Harry at 689-0921 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED The South Surrey/White Rock Women's Place needs caring, committed women to staff the centre at #1-1349 Johnston Rd., White Rock. Volunteers provide in- person and phone support to women, info on women's issues, resources and referrals. Eight-week training program begins Mon. Sept. 23, 10 am-12:30 pm. For further info and interview, call Nancy El- lard at 536-9611 KARATE FOR WOMEN Beginners group starts Sept. 10. All women welcome to join for self-defense, fitness, and confidence. Offered Tues. and Thurs. at 7 pm, Carnarvon Community School (16th and Balaclava). For details call Joni 734-9816, Sarah 734-7075, or Monica 872-8982 Job Opening Community Organizer The Vancouver Status of Women has a position for a community organizer to plan and coordinate a gathering of immigrant women of colour and women of colour around the issue of violence: personal, institutional and workplace violence. The gathering will take place in the spring of 1992. This full-time position is open to women of colour and runs for 8 months. Pay: $1,984/month plus benefits Closing date to apply: Sept. 19,1991 Start date: Oct. 1,1991 (For more Information or for a job description, come by the office or call 255-5511, after Sept. 3.) CUSTODY AND ACCESS Custody and access orders made by our courts allow violent men to continue abusing women and children. For a copy of our newsletter write: YWCA Custody and Access Support Group, Munroe House, P.O. Box 33904, Stn. D, Van., V6J 4L7. Let's network. Donations for our work appreciated. (604) 734-5722 COMMUNITY GROUPS "Facilitating Self-Evaluation For Community Groups." A one-day workshop for women from community-based non-profit organizations and women's groups. Thur. Sept. 26, Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St., Van., 9:30 to 4 pm. Pre-registration required. Limited to 20 women. Fee $125. Contact Women's Research Centre 734- 0485 for more info WAVAW CALLING WAVAW/Rape Crisis Centre is updating its society membership list. All society members are asked to call the office with your current address. WAVAW is also looking for women volunteers to do rape crisis work. Training begins Sept. 25 and runs 11 weeks (Wed. 7-10 pm, Sun. 11- 5 pm). Childcare costs provided. WAVAW strives to be anti-racist, anti-classist and anti-homophobic. Call the office at 875- 1328 for more info SURVIVORS OF INCEST You're invited to an introductory evening of facilitated sharing and healing with women like yourself who: are remembering childhood sexual assault; are ready to tell their stories or just want to listen; need reassurance that they're not alone; and are willing to explore healing strategies. Supportive friends are welcome. Fri. Sept. 6, 7 pm at VLC, 876 Commercial Drive. $3-9. Ongoing group starting Tues. Sept. 17 at an East End location. Please call Reisa Stone, 254-4816 BODY ALIVE! A great four week class, exploring movement and body awareness. Sat. afternoons at Trout Lake, Sept. 28-Oct. 26. $30. This class is wonderful! Too exciting to really talk about in this ad. Call me for more info. Astarte 251-5409 RAPE RELIEF Van. Rape Relief and Women's Shelter has volunteer training sessions starting every month. Any women interested in volunteering on the crisis line, in the tran- • sition house, in fundraising events, etc., are invited to call us. We also have volunteer positions for receptionists any weekday 9 am to 5 pm. We offer the opportunity to learn Word Perfect. For further info, please phone us Mon. to Fri. 9 am to 9 pm at 872-8212 LEND US A MOUTH Redeye is an alternative media project broadcast every Sat. morning from nine until noon on Vancouver Cooperative Radio, 102.7 FM. We present progressive views on culture, politics and social issues. Lend us an ear next Sat., and consider joining our collective. No radio experience is necessary. Call Jane at 255-8173 VLC WANTS YOU You're not only wanted, you're needed at the Vancouver Lesbian Centre. Help keep the centre open, put on events or workshops, update resources, organize the library or clean up the filing system. Call Ginger 11 am-4 pm, Wed. and Fri., at 254-8458 for details. Groups meetings at the VLC now include: a support group for lesbians who have been involved in psychiatry; a group for lesbians who want casual social contact and discussion; and Coming Out groups for women exploring their sexuality and trying to accept themselves as lesbians. Call 254-8458 to sign up for these or to find our about other lesbian groups and events GROUP FACILITATOR Battered Women Support Services will be offering Group Facilitator/ Peer Counsellor training in the fall of this year. If you are interested in working with battered women (both heterosexual women and lesbians use our service), and would like to be considered for our training program, call 687-1868 for an application form. Deadline for applications is Fri. Sept. 6 DAUGHTERS WORKSHOP Sandra Butler, author of Conspiracy of Silence, will be giving a 2-day workshop Oct. 4-5 entitled: "Our Search for the Mother—Our Journey Home." The focus will be experiential & will connect our own herstories in a clinical context that reflects our lives as daughters in a larger cultural analysis of women's lives. Included are: writing, storytelling & tracing our search for the mother of our past and the mother within. 12 women only. Cost is $260. For further info, call 327- 4427 CLEARING CIRCLE As we enter our mid-thirties and forties, career decision-making demands more energy. Meanwhile, we deserve intimate relationships which support our self-actualization. Join a small group of women exploring these issues. Each participant takes her turn benefitting from the insights of others. Starts mid- September, $25. Sharon 434-5514 ■»*.■»*.»»* <**.*»■>».^.».■»^»»-»*-*^-■*>-*»■■»*•» J*^> *,* *< ASSERTIVENESS COURSE Vancouver Status of Women offers FREE assertiveness classes in Vancouver's East End. Classes are one night a week and run for 6 weeks. The next session begins in October. Financial assistance is available for child care/transportation If you are interested in this course, please contact: TRISHA at VSW 255-5511 A1NES1S /yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy^ yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy ISSIONSISUBMISSIONS NEW SURVIVORS JOURNAL For women healing from childhood sexual abuse. A place for women to share our stories, poems, thoughts, drawings, theories and resources. Write for more info or send copies of work to: 925 Victoria Dr., Vancouver, BC V5L 4G1. Deadline for second issue Dec. 1 AQUELARRE MAGAZINE Bi-lingual (Spanish/English) published by non-profit Latin American Women's Cultural Collective is seeking submissions for its special issue on 500 Years Of Resistance. Articles, essays, drawings, photographs, humour ... by Native women of the Americas. Deadline Nov. 1, 1991. Aquelarre, P.O. Box 65535, Stn. F, Van,. BC, V5N 5K6 CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS "Sorrow and Strength: The Process" is a conference for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and professional helpers to be held Apr. 16-18, 1992 in Winnipeg. Submissions invited from groups or individuals on any topic relevant to the theme, in any format (papers, panels, workshops, media). Please send 3 copies of a one-page summary of your proposal and 2 SASE's by Sept. 30 to: The Process, 1992 Coordinating Committee, 160 Garfield St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3G 2L8 (204) 786-1971 VIRGINITY We are three women writers compiling a publication of women's stories on losing their virginity. Send us your story, either written or on cassette tape, on what losing your virginity meant to you at the time, and/or means to you now. Anonymity is assured. Send your response to the following address: Suite 101-1184 Denman St., #351 Vancouver, BC, V6G 2M9 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS At the Crossroads is a brand new visual, performing and literary arts journal for Canadian women artists of African descent. Send photographs (black & white) of visual art—line drawings, graphics, mixed media, painting, quilts, textile art, etc., or photocopies of poetry, journal entries, screenplays, reviews, essays, etc. Do not send originals, and do send a SASE. Submissions should include a bio, brief statement about your work, and any other relevant info. Deadline for the first issue is Nov. 30, 1991. All photos will be returned. At the Crossroads is especially interested in submissions from women in the Maritimes region and writers who have not yet been published. Send to: At the Crossroads, c/o Karen Augustine, P.O. Box 317, Stn. P, Toronto, Ont., M5S 2S8 QUEER PRESS Gays and Lesbians of the First Nations: Do you write? Do you want to? Anthology edited by First Nations lesbians and gays looking for work of any style or topic to a max. of 4,000 words. Those who haven't yet published or who don't consider themselves "writers" especially encouraged. Submission deadline: Dec. 1. Cartoonists: Draw, cartoon, or doodle your way into a gay and lesbian anthology. Variety of styles, topics, and lengths encouraged. Submission deadline: Nov. 1. Send copies (not originals), a brief bio, and a SASE to: Queer Press, Box 485, Stn. P, Toronto, Ont. M5S 2T1 LASS FED DID YOU LOSE IT? Fairly special cotton garment found at Salt Spring Island's First Annual Women's Dance and Social. Owner may claim by identifying. Phone 537-9874 SAILING FOR WOMEN HERIZEN New Age Sailing offers immersion sailing and self- awareness courses for women in warm and wonderful Baja, Mexico, Nov.-Jan. Book now, space limited. Call Trish at (604) 662-8016 READ LESBIANEWS: Monthly events, information, ideas from Victoria's lesbian feminist community. Sample issue/back issues $2 each. Yearly subscription [mailed in plain lavender wrapper] $18. Cheques to Debby Gregory, LesbiaNews, P.O. Box 5339, Station B, Victoria, BC, V8R 6S4 FEMINIST COUNSELLOR Delyse Ledgard—I work with women and lesbians. I offer individual and couples counselling. My interests and experience are in substance abuse, child sexual abuse and childhood trauma, relationship issues, violence against women and poor self esteem. I use an experiential approach from a Gestalt framework with use of visualizations/imagery and dream work. Sliding scale. For more info, tel: 873- 4495. FREE THE SINGER WITHIN Emotional and creative release through breath and song with Penny Sidor. Singers of all levels can increase range, tone and power while developing the confidence to speak up and sing out! Expert vocal coaching and personal counselling in a supportive, accepting environment. A holistic and effective method for empowerment, joyful creative expression and a great voice! On the Drive. $30/se 251-4715 CANCER IN TWO VOICES by Sandra Butler & Barbara Rosenblum TALK & BOOK LAUNCHING by Sandra Butler Saturday, October 5th 7:30-9:30 p.m. Justice Institute, 4180 W. 4th Ave. SANDRA BUTLER is a writer, counsellor, trainer & organizer in the field of child sexual assault and violence against women. Her pioneering work Conspiracy of Silence: The Trauma of Incest stands as a classic reference and guide to understanding the crime and to counselling survivors. BARBARA ROSENBLUM was a creative sociologist, taught at Stanford University and Vermont College and was widely published during her life. After a passionate career as a writer and teacher, Barbara died of breast cancer at age 44. Sponsored by the Vancouver Women's Health Collective (for more information, phone 255-8284) Tickets $10-$12 Refreshments Provided "Hero caught in royal love nest. Wife goes nuts and kills kids. Shocked palace staff refuse to comment on disappearance of princess." So reads the promo for Collateral Damage: The Tragedy of Medea, playwright Jackie Crossland's offering to the Fringe Festival. Check it out for yourself at the Main Dance Place, 2214 Main St.: Sept. 7 & 8 (2:15 pm); Sept. 10—12 (10 pm). Tix for this and other Fringe shows may be picked up at 240 E. 10th (the day of the performance, 10 am-10 pm) or at the venue, 45 minutes before show time. «r_wuin»] r«ir_VMi=iin» TRAINED MEDIATOR Trained mediator (Justice Institute) available to work with individuals, couples, groups to resolve conflicts and disputes which get in the way of your working/social/love relationships (This is not therapy). Sliding scale fees. Pat Hogan 253- 7189 OFFICE FOR RENT Women's non-profit has office space for rent. Desk, chair, filing cabinet and some extras available. $350. Call Learning Resources at 251-7476 NON-PROFIT ANTHOLOGY Read about feminism, arranged marriages, pseudoscience, lesbianism, heterosexism, beguines, sexual harassment and discrimination, having babies, widowhood and much more written by ordinary females in Women's Experience, Women's Education. $4 plus $1 postage from Otter Press, Box 747, Waterloo, On, N2J 4C2 COUNSELLING Carolyn Bell is now accepting new clients. Sliding Scale. Vancouver or Galiano. Specializing in addictions. Confidentiality assured. 254-9150 or 1-539-5261. Also have spaces for music students (piano, voice, songwriting). All ages welcome. SHARED ACCOMMODATION Room for rent in shared house in sunny Kitsilano. Non-smoker, semi-vegetarian, lesbian without a pet preferred (unless it is the kind of pet that would not upset an elderly cat). Rent is $320/mo., plus hydro and cable. Phone 737-0910 CO-OP HOUSE OPENING A quiet, mature, health-conscious woman is needed to share our friendly, woman- only home. F/P, hardwood floors, D/W, washer. Southeast Vancouver (Joyce area) near transport, parks, Commercial Drive shopping. Available mid-September/October 1991. N/S, comfortable in- house meetings, sense of humour an asset. Phone Faye/Sherri 434-5514 ACCOMMODATION WANTED Prof, woman, 40, positive, health-positive "day-person," seeks to share with one other woman. I need a quiet, bright, spacious companionable home with hardwood floors & washer on the East side. Call Suzanne 434-5514 TRY CO-OP LIVING City View Co-op, a 31 unit building near Victoria & Hastings, keeps an open waiting list for applications for membership. Rent for 1,2, or 3 BR apts, is $504, 636, or 738, plus a (refundable) share purchase. To apply, send a S.A.S.E. to: Membership Ctte. #108, 1885 E. Pender, Vane. V5L 1W6 SHIATSU TREATMENTS It's a sigh of relief. It's a weight off your chest. It's a breath of fresh air, the cool forest floor beneath your feet. A relief to your shoulders, an ease for your mind. It's Shiatsu & it works. Call Astarte 251-5409 or 669-4031 WEST-SIDE—POINT GREY 2 Br., furnished basement suite for quiet lesbian/feminist woman. N/S, N/P. Close to bus, shopping, UBC. Shared laundry facilities. $600 plus half utilities. Double occupancy $750. References required Available Sept. '91. FABRIC BANNERS Strong colourful long-lasting banners for indoors and out. Made to order by well- known Vancouver artist Sima Elizabeth Shefrin. From the maker of the beautiful banners for Kinesis, Angles, Ariel Books, AIDS Vancouver, Tools for Peace & many other organizations directly to you. Reasonable prices. 734-9395 RENOVATIONS Meticulous contract work. Indoor/outdoor construction, renovations, landscaping, etc. Done by women in your community. No job too big or too small. Free estimates. Call 253-8450 BOOKSTORE WORK Ariel Books needs part-time staff for regular or on-call work. Book trade or retail sales experience, knowledge of feminist books & issues, vehicle are assets. Reply in writing to Margo Dunn, Ariel Books, 1988 W. 4th Ave., Vancouver, V6J 1M5 PSYCHIC READINGS Feminist moon runes read by Pat in the gentle atmosphere of Ariel Books. Sliding scale $30-45/hr, $15-25/half hr. Call 733-3511 to book appointments or drop in Thursdays between 12 and 4 pm. Other readers available Tuesdays and Wednesdays. KINESIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ LIB1Z86RL ^«^^« l1SRaRY procESSINS CTR - SERIALS Vancouver Status o ^ "*' TMLL- iJ-*-t:- thAnniversary Ci,vM.uuVll Theatre • Dance • Music • Clowning • Storytelling Sunday, September 22,1991 Vancouver East Cultural Centre Complementary Hors D'Oeuvres - 7 p.m. SHOWTIME - 8 p.m. Tickets from $2 to $2 million Fifi & Fidelle, AYA, Amy Bozart, Nan Gregory, Pushpgeet No/Yes Theatre, Theatre Sports... and more! EVERYONE WELCOME! Tix From: V.S.W, Cultural Centre, Octopus Books, Women's Bookstore, Ariel Books, Bookmantle Published 10 times a year by the Vancouver Status ot Women Suite 301 1720 Grant St. Vancouver, B.C., Canada V5L 2Y6 riVSW Membership (includes Kinesis subscription): $30 plus $1.40 GST KINESIS Subscription: Bl year: $20 plus $1.40 GST [Jfl years: $36 plus $2.52 GST □institutions/Groups: $45 plus $3.15 GST Cheque enclosed C]Bill me fj]New. TJ]Renewal C]Gift □Donation