MARCH 1996 IWD Calendar...pg 12 CMPA $2.25 Inside KINESIS #301-1720 Grant Street Vancouver, BC V5L 2Y6 Tel: (604)255-5499 Fax: (604)255-5511 Kinesis welcomes volunteers to work ill aspects of the paper. Our next Story Meetings are Monday March 4 and April 1, at 7 pm at Kinesis. All women welcome even if you don't have experience. Kinesis is published ten times a year by the Vancouver Status of Women.Its objectives are to be a non-sectarian feminist voice for women and to work actively for social change, specifically combatting sexism, racism,classism, homophobia, ableism, and imperialism. Views expressed in Kinesis are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect VSW policy. All unsigned material is the responsibility of the Kinesis Editorial Board. EDITORIAL BOARD Fatima Jaffer, Lissa Geller, wendy lee kenward, Agnes Huang, Robyn Hall, Alex Hennig PRODUCTION THIS ISSUE Dorcas, Alex Hennig, Susan Chang, Amy Johnson, Centime Zeleke, Susanda Yee, Annthea Whittaker, Fatima Jaffer, wendy lee kenward, Agnes Huang, Laiwan Advertising: Sur Mehat Circulation: Cat L'Hirondelle, Andrea Imada, Linda Gorrie, Chrystal Fowler Distribution: Fatima Jaffer Production Co-ordinator: Laiwan Typesetter: Sur Mehat FRONT COVER Corporate hogs at BillionS for Banker$ Rally. Photo by Andrea Imada PRESS DATE February 28, 1996 SUBSCRIPTIONS Individual: $20 per year (+$1.40 GST) or what you can afford Institutions/Groups: $45 per year (+$3.15 GST) VSW Membership (includes 1 year Kinesis subscription): $30 per year (+$1.40 GST) 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, telephone number and SASE. Kinesis does not accept poetry or fiction. Editorial guidelines are available upon request. DEADLINES All submissions must be Teethe month preceding publi Note: Jul/Aug and Dec/Jan are double issues. Features and reviews: 10th News: 15th Letters and Bulletin Board: 18th Display advertising (camera ready): 18th (design required): 16th Kinesis is produced on a Warner Doppler PC using WordPerfect 5.1, PageMaker 4.0 and an NEC laser printer. Camera work by OK Graphics. Printing by Horizon Publications. Kinesis is indexed in the Canadian Women's Periodicals Index, the Alternative Press Index, and is a member of the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association. ISSN 0317-9095 Publications mail registration #6426 News Rallying against banks and corporations 3 by Andrea Imada Residential requirement for refugees in BC 4 by Wei Yuen Fong March for women in the Downtown Eastside 4 by Fatima Jaffer BC's Bubble zone law struck down 5 by Marni Norwich International trafficking of women 8 by Siriporn Skrobanek Crisis at the Vancouver Lesbian Connection 11 by Kris Karlsson and Agnes Huang Centrespread International Women's Day Calendar 1996 12 compiled by Fatima Jaffer lentary An alternative budget. Diana Gibson Arts Passionate about women's issues? Want to see those issues in these pages? Come to the next Story Meeting on Monday March 4 and Monday April 1 at 7 pm at #301-1720 Grant Street, Vancouver. Telephone: (604) 255-5499 Taxing corporations 3 the problem is that no country is using the trafficking law in order to protect or offer assistance Ito women Trafficking in women. Theatre review: Karla and Grif 17 by Cy-Thea Sand Review: A few from Women in View 18 by Janet Askin Regulars As Kinesis Goes to Press 2 Inside Kinesis 2 Movement Matters 6,16 by Joanne Namsoo What's News 7 by wendy lee kenward Letters 20 Bulletin Board 21 by Amy Johnson Karla and Grif, MARCH 1996 Change. We're coming up to springtime. A time for change. And right now there's lots of change in the air...or is there? The federal government in their recent throne speech made it clear—things are not going to change... (unless you consider the further devastation of Canada's social safety net, change) For most women, whatever change there is, it's definitely not going to be for the better. 'Tis the season—Finance Minister Paul Martin is busy preparing a special "Happy International Women's Day" present for women in Canada (read in the serious sarcasm here). Two days before IWD, Martin plans to release this year's federal budget, and what can we expect...more of the same-old, same- old—or should we say, it'll be business (big big business) as usual. Martin's motto to "ordinary Canadians" (that's where we women fall in) is: "Be prepared to make do with less." Question is: how much less can we do with—haven't we already had to do with less and less and less under the federal government's "pander to the corporations and the Right-wing" agenda, while big corporations and banks and rich people have been getting to do with more and more and more? We're just one month away from the Liberal's dreaded CHST—the Canadian Health and Social Transfer—which will solidify the erosion of our social programs: medicare, welfare, pensions, UI, education, childcare... As the budget and CHST get closer to descending on us...women, workers, activists, students-"ordinary Canadi ans"—have stepped up protest actions— rallies, marches, educational sessions—■ taking them to the streets in cities and towns across the country trying to get the message through to (not only the federal government but) all governments, that enough is enough. It's time corporations and banks and who benefit most from the slashing and burning of social programs start paying their fair share. The federal government likes to pretend they're doing it all for the sake of cutting the deficit, and try to balance social program cuts with talk of "job creation." Well, so far, that's all it is, just talk. Through all the cuts—cuts which are resulting in serious "job destruction"—the federal government has yet to come up with any "real job" creation strategy. The Chretian government is turning it over to the corporate sector, saying that now that he's reduced the deficit, it's up to corporations to create the jobs. But hey, they're too busy working on their own "profit creation" projects. Ah, some thing change...some things... In BC, there have been some changes...As Kinesis was going to press, there was question about the fate of the only free standing women's equality ministry in Canada. Rumours were swirling that new premier Glen Clark, who was preparing to announce his pared down cabinet, might dissolve the ministry altogether, or create a new ministry called Ministry of Women and Family. Women's centres and organizations weren't prepared to take any chances: Many around the province spent the week before the announcement busily faxing letters to Glen Clark with the underlying message: don't touch the Ministry of Women's Equality. As Kinesis was just about to go to press, we heard that the Ministry of Women's Equality was left intact, but with a new minister: Sue Hammell. We'll bring you more about the goings-on in BC provincial politics next issue. Hey here's some good news hot of the press...We got a scoop that two Chinese Canadian writers—Larissa Lai and Yan Li—have been nominated for the Chapters/Books in Canada first novel award. Larissa is being nominated for When Fox is a Thousand (Press Gang Publishers) and Yan for Daughters of the Red Land (Sister Vision Press) [see review Kinesis February 1996]. The winner is... well, unfortunately we don't have the scoop on that one~ we'll have to wait until the end of April Thanks Our appreciation to the following supporters who became members, renewed their memberships or donated to Vancouver Status of Women in January and February: Maryann Abbs * Lucy Alderson * Margaret Bugg * Shauna Butterwick * Karen Clark * Joy Cohen * Fatima Correia * Marlene Coulthard * Gail Cryer * Joanne Drake * A. Jean Elder * Valerie Embree * Lynda Erickson * Stacy Fitzgerald * Sydney Foran * Cindy Geroux * Sharon Goldberg * Jo Hinchliffe * Deborah Lerose * Jacqueline Levitin * Barbara Jo May * Carol McEown * Sheila McFadzean * Sandra Moe * Rosemary Rupps * Margaret Sutherland And a special thank you to our donors who give a gift every month. Monthly donations assist VSW in establishing a reliable funding base to carry our programs, services and Kinesis through the year. Thank you to: Barbara Curren * Elaine Everett * Mary Frey * Teresa Gibson * Jody Gordon * Erin Graham * Barbara Karmazyn * Barbara Lebrasseur * Karin Litzcke * Jane McCartney * Bea McKenzie * Gail Mountain * Eha Onno * Neil Power * Gale Stewart * Elizabeth Whynot * (we're sure it'll be, as Kinesis is going to press). Congratulations to both Larissa and Yan. Don't forget that Friday, March 8th is International Women's Day. And to celebrate IWD, Vancouver Status of Women is holding an evening on the NGO Women's Forum and the 4th World Conference on Women: Beijing and Beyond. [For details see ad on page 14]. Kinesis Editorial Board member Fatima Jaffer and others will be on hand to report on their experiences at the Forum and what, if anything, the happenings in China mean for activists here in Canada. Also slated for the evening is a premiere screening of Aboriginal filmmaker Marjorie Beaucage's video highlighting the activities at the Huairou NGO Forum. Well that's all this month—Kinesis really needs to go to press. Happy IWD! This month inside Kinesis, we're starting to get things back to "normal" after the two burglaries of our office last December. It took almost two months, but we're finally getting all our computer equipment woes sorted out. It was close...we almost didn't get any computers in time for production this month. We owe a great deal of thanks to Andrea Imada for working late nights, negotiating with all the right (insurance) people, researching the numerous computer options (can't we just choose by colour?), and finding us some exciting new pieces of technology. A ton of thanks also to Steve Chow for coming in and setting up the necessary programs to make sure all the things that are supposed to work actually do work. And to Laiwan...thanks for loading 300,000 fonts into the computer! How many do we really need?! (Okay, okay... there are only 300 fonts.) Again, many many thanks to all those who made donations to help us cover the costs associated with the break-ins, to the nice folks who lent us computers and other equipment, and to everyone who just kept encouraging us through it all. We appreciate your support. Speaking of Andrea Imada... we have to say a sad goodbye to her. Andrea is leaving her position at the Vancouver Status of Women at the end of February. Andrea worked on adminstration and fundraising for the organization, which included working on all the fun admin stuff for Kinesis. Andrea, who used to live in Toronto, has no plans on moving back there... No, she's sticking around Vancouver and is going off—across town—to work on market development with three small local publishing houses. Andrea promises that she won't abandon us entirely...she says she'll be coming back to haunt...er, help us out... but only with the glamorous jobs. (Glamorous? Writing night-before-press-day 1200 word news stories is very very glamorous.) Thanks Andrea for all your hard work, and best wishes to in your new job. We'll miss you...lots! P.S. Don't forget to take your business cards with you. In January, members of the Kinesis Editorial Board and several key volunteers met for two days to discuss restructuring issues at Kinesis. We spent the first day talking about our visions for a feminist newspaper (Someone mentioned something about needing a hot tub...), how Kinesis fits into those visions, and how we can achieve those visions. We also discussed some of the realities— funding cutbacks, reliance on volunteers, right-wing backlash, and so on—that we, and other feminist publications, have to deal with. We started the weekend with a goal of coming up with some very concrete and practical strategies and solutions. We did figure some things out that could work, but we also realized that it will take a lot of time and a lot more work to get the structures to a place where we'd . ideally want them to be. Thanks to everyone who participated in the restructuring meeting. We'll keep you, our readers, posted on any developments we make in our efforts to make the Kinesis' content, structures and processes the best they can be. This month we'd like to welcome a number of new writers: Amy Johnson, Diana Gibson, Siriporn Skrobanek, Kris Karlsson and Marni Norwich. A special mention to Amy who came out here from Toronto for a week's holiday. She decided to drop in and check Kinesis out, and...three days later;.. Bulletin Board and lots of copy editing was done. Thanks for all your help, Amy, and come visit again soon. If you're interested in finding out about or contributing to what's happening in the pages of Kinesis, come to our story meetings: Monday March 4 and Monday April 1, at 7pm at our office, #301 -1720 Grant St. Or, if you can't make it, give Agnes a call at (604) 255-5499. This month, we'd like to welcome new production volunteers Susan Chang, Marni Norwich and Amy Johnson. Production for our next issue—April 1996—is from March 20 to 26. If you're interested in getting involved, give Laiwan a call at 255-5499. Well, that'sallfor Inside Kinesis. Have a great IWD. MARCH 1996 News Actions against banks and corporations: Calling corporations to account by Andrea Imada $37 billion in deferred corporate taxes; $167 billion in untaxed corporate profits between 1980 and 1992; $5.3 billion in profits raked in by the Big Five Banks in 1995. These figures are providing the cornerstones for a new public message from labour, student, women's and anti-poverty groups who are upping the ante on challenging the preferential ways in which governments treat corporations when it comes to income taxes. At the heart of this fightback is the federal government's corporate tax policy—a policy which has enabled corporations to defer $37 billion in taxes (deferred taxes are taxes corporations do not have to pay because of tax breaks they receive for depreciation allowances), and to use a variety of tax credits and deductions to reduce their income tax rates from levels of over 40 percent down to zero, or in some cases to reap tax credits. The end result is that while unprecedented cuts to social programs—the loss of national welfare standards, regressive changes to unemployment insurance, cuts to social assistance levels, and the erosion of health care services, to name a few—are spelling dramatic change to the lives of many individuals, a lot of companies are enjoying record-high profits, in no small part due to federal tax policy. The polar situation has led groups working for social justice to take this corporate comparison to the street. A number of public protests through the first two months of this year, along with the release of the Alternative Budget [see analysis page 15], is lending fuel to a campaign to uncover the low tally on corporate taxes and place it side by side with the reality of many Canadians who are feeling the brunt of social cutbacks. "Evening news programs carry pleas from shelters for donations of warm clothes and blankets. In the 10 shelters (in Vancouver), there are approximately 486 beds—and they still turn away more homeless every night," says Robby Yateman of End Legislated Poverty, addressing the "Billion$ for Banker$" rally outside the Royal Bank headquarters in Vancouver, BC in late February. "Meanwhile the top 5 banks accumulated over $728 billion in assets, an average of 11 percent increase over last year," adds Yateman. "It's tough that all levels of our government donot put equal value to capital and labour," says Cenen Bagon of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. "It is with this injustice where people who are already in the losing end, lose further—those who are unemployed, those who are on welfare, those who are in precarious jobs, those who feel powerless." The first 1996 event to mark the renewed corporate consciousness was "Corporate Tax Freedom Day," a mock celebration of companies living high, high up on the "hog" ladder of success. Corporate Tax Freedom Day, organized by labour and social justice groups in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The day was started in 1993 to draw public attention to the enormous loss of government revenues to corporations at the expense of individual taxpayers. Corporate taxes in 1994 accounted for only eight percent of the federal revenue coffers, says the BC Federation of Labour (BC Fed), which organized the event in Vancouver. The day—January 25—was chosen to mark the point on the calendar when eight percent of the year had gone by, representing when the percentage of the total federal revenues derived from corporate income taxes had also gone by. By contrast, in 1961, corporations paid a 21 percent share of federal revenues. By further contrast, individual taxes today account for 46 percent of federal coffers says BC Fed. Corporate Tax Freedom Day featured a veritable "Race to the Trough"— a hog race pitting wind-up toy pigs, each wearing the flag of a company that has established itself as a grunting tax hog. Entries included Chrysler Canada, with 5-1 odds, whose portfolio includes $283.2 million in profits in 1994, yet boasted an income tax rate of 3.1 percent. As well, the Ontario government found fit to forgive some $37 million in loans to Chrysler. CP Rail earned its spot at the starting gate by featuring 6,000 layoffs since 1992, along with a 4.2 percent income tax rate on $720 million in profits in 1994, and an accumulation of $1.8 billion in deferred taxes. In the end, in the hog race in Vancouver, Nova Corporation emerged as the winner. Its profile includes a 6.6 percent tax rate and $738 million in profits, along with $168 million in deferred taxes. Student groups have also taken up the corporate campaign. On the February 7th, the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) coordinated a national day of action which focused attention on the links between the actions of banks and corporations, and government cuts to post-secondary education, health care and social services. Rallies were held on campuses and in cities across the country, bringing together students, unions, women's and community organizations. At its Billion$ for Banker$ rally held in mid-February in Vancouver, the Canadian Autoworkers' Union dumped 1000 $1 million burlap bags on the doorstep of the Royal Bank of Canada to bring Cenen Bagon of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women speaks at the Billion$ for Banker$ Rally in Vancouver. Photos by Andrea Imada. a visual element to the $1.2 billion in profit that the bank rolled in last year. The sacks of money were carefully guarded by a troop of joyful masked pigs. At the rally, NAC's Bagon spoke of the impact of current government corporate tax policies and social cutbacks on women: "These cuts are happening in the midst of increasing poverty of women and children, in the midst of endemic violence against women, in the midst of further eroding the rights of First Nations women, women with disabilities and lesbians, and in the midst of increased racism and sexism and increased discrimination against immigrant and refugee women," she said. "They will bear the brunt of the cutbacks. Because they don't have capital. They only have their labour to be proud of — paid and unpaid labour." A major plank in addressing the tax inequities is to establish a minimum corporate income tax—20 percent, says BC Fed's Mary Rowles. Such a tax rate would guarantee federal revenues from corporations, regardless of accounting wiz ardry. Rowles cites research and development tax credits and capital cost allowances as examples of how liberal interpretations of federal tax policies has allowed companies to write off expenditures (such as computer software programming or machinery purchases) that in most cases should be counted a part of everyday business operations, rather than be grounds for a tax break. Rowles also notes that small operators do not enjoy nearly the same level of benefit that larger corporations do. The Alternative Budget, written by the Centre for Policy Alternatives, has also advocated this avenue for tax reform, as well as other measures to close the tax gap. Groups are calling on federal Finance Minister Paul Martin to implement these policies in his soon to be released—early March—budget and to apply these increased revenues to deficit reduction rather than continuing to gouge social programs. Andrea Imada has just completed her tax return and discovered that she owes $400+ in taxes. She can be found at various financial institutions in a futile search for tax breaks and shelters. A gang of corporate pigs grab their millions and guard the profits of the banking establishment in Canada. News February 14th march: Their spirits live within us by Fatima Jaffer An unprecedented number of women, men and children marched for about four hours through the streets and alleys of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside in the annual Valentine's Day march in memory of women who have died violent deaths in the neighbourhood—women who were murdered, died from drug overdoses or apparently committed suicide. Over 250 people gathered at Carnegie Centre on the morning of February 14th to mourn the deaths and celebrate the lives of their sisters, daughters, friends and loved ones. Most of the women commemorated were First Nations. New additions to the list of women commemorated this year were South Asian women murdered by their spouses, brothers or fathers. The annual march is held every year on Valentine's Day to keep the spirits of these women and those they left behind strong and vibrant. The Downtown Eastside in Vancouver is the lowest income neighbourhood in Canada. The march began with a smudge and prayer ceremonies. At noon, marchers proceeded through the Downtown Eastside, walking to the many hotel doorways and alleys where women have died. At each site, Elders performed death prayers, sang sacred songs, and laid red roses in memory of the women. As they marched, family members and friends carried placards bearing the names of the 118 women who have died in the neighbourhood since 1992, including names of seven women found murdered over the last two months. Participants stopped briefly outside the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) headquarters, where friends and relatives wrote out the names of the 118 women in chalk on the sidewalk. The march's organizers pointed out that "Most of the 118 violent deaths of street- involved women have not been solved. This is an indication of how the law perceives working women more as statistics than as victims. Are the killers still out there because of the double standard of the law and who these women were?" VPD spokeswoman Constable Anne Drennan responded to the charge that the VPD is doing nothing to solve the murders of the women by saying the police are doing their best and treat all people the same. The march ended in Oppenheimer Park, where women formed a circle as an elder said a prayer for the women who had died. All participants were then invited to a free lunch at Four Sisters Housing Co-op. Refugee claimants in BC: Residency requirement creates hardships by Wei Yuen Fong Last month in Vancouver, refugees and their supporters set up a "tent city" in a local park to send a strong message to the BC provincial government about its new welfare policies. The Coalition for Refugee Access to Income Security, which organized the action, says the government's three month residency requirement for social assistance is having a devastating impact on refugees and is calling on the government to rescind the requirement. The residency criteria requires welfare applicants to have lived in BC for a minimum of 90 days before they can even be considered eligible for social assistance. The requirement applies to anyone coming to BC. The Coalition was formed in November 1995 after the NDP government announced its changes to province's welfare policies. The Coalition is made up of 26 organizations in Vancouver and the lower mainland of BC. Most of the members are non-profit service agencies, including the BC Inland Refugee Society (IRS), the African Canadian Association, MOSAIC (an immigrant services society), the Vancouver Refugee Council, the Latin American Community Council, and the Iranian Refugee and Immigrant Society. The Coalition says they set up the tent city to call the attention of the public to the residency requirement and its effect on refugee claimants. A number of activities were held during the five days, including a candlelight vigil, music, and speeches. Information about the situation for refugees in BC was available and a petition to rescind the residency requirement was being circulated. Catalina Hernandez, a staff person at the Inland Refugee Society, says the legislation denies access to income security for refugee claimants. She adds that 95 percent of the refugees who will be affected are new refugee claimants— people who have come to Canada from other countries, and not from those who come to BC via other provinces. Hernandez says coming in as a refugee is not easy and that the government's new policy will worsen the situation for new refugee claimants. Very often, they have little support around them—family or friends—and little income, she says. The number or new refugee claimants that come to BC is about 120 per month. Hernandez says (IRS) usually provides services for approximately 50 refugee claimants a month. Since the residency requirement came into effect, the agency has been seeing an increase in the number refugees coming in for help. Prior to new welfare legislation being put in place last December, new refugee claimants were eligible to apply for hardship benefits to help them get settled in their new environment. There was no waiting period before applying. Hardship benefits were decided on a case by case basis and at the discretion of the social services worker. Essentially, the benefits were allotted as a shelter and food allowance. Now, says Hernandez, new refugee claimants don't even have that little bit of security. The residency requirement is also putting a lot of strain on service organizations that support refugees. Hernandez says a lot of people come to IRS to ask for help finding housing, food, clothing- services and goods which the Society is not always able to offer. Hernandez adds that even Ministry of Social Services staff is referring refugees claimants to IRS and other organizations after denying them income assistance. At the same time, the federal and provincial governments are cutting back on funding to social service agencies, which further heightens the strains on organizations, their staff and volunteers, and on the people they are intended to support. Alison Sawyer, president of the IRS, says the Coalition and the NDP government are currently is negotiating an agreement that would temporarily alleviate some of the hardships for refugee claimants. Sawyer says the government has agreed in principle to give IRS about $1200 a month for the next three months to assist them in providing direct services to refugees. Sawyer says the full details of the agreement have not been finalized. Still it is only a short-term stop-gap measure, and will do little to help most refugee claimants. The Coalition says it will continue pressing the the government to rescind the residency requirement. For more information about the Coalition 's work or to make donations of money or goods to the BC Inland Refugee Society, contact IRS at 1720 Grant St, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2Y6; telephone: (604) 251-3360. MARCH 1996 News Access to abortion in BC: The bubble bursts by Marni Norwich The fine line between "peaceful protest" and threat of violence is at the heart of a current court battle over British Columbia's "bubble zone" law. In late January a BC Supreme Court judge dismissed charges against the first person ever charged under the Access to Abortion Services Act. In acquitting anti-choice protester Maurice Lewis of two counts of violating the Act, Judge E.J. Cronin ruled that sections of the Act were unconstitutional. The Act is intended to protect the rights of women seeking abortions as well as abortion service providers from harassment and intimidation by anti- choice protesters. The Act set up access zones (bubble zones) within which anti- abortion activities could not take place. The zones were established around abortion clinics, homes of service providers, and offices of doctors who perform abortions. The Act also proscribes penalties, for violating an access zone, of up to $5,000 and/ or a jail sentence of up to six months for a first offense [see Kinesis July/August 1995]. The bubble zones were set up last September, nearly a year after the November 1994 shooting of Vancouver physician Garson Romalis in his home—a shooting believed to be related to Romalis' performing of abortions. Vancouver abortion clinics have been the focus of increased anti-choice protest over the last few years, from pickets to blockades to a February 1990 break-in at Everywoman's Health Centre. And anti-choice protests south of the border have escalated to violence on several occasions in the form of shootings and bombings. In his ruling, Judge Cronin struck down two provisions of the Act, saying they violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by going too far in limiting "peaceful protest" near abortion clinics. The provisions prohibited "sidewalk interference" and protest within an access zone. Sidewalk interference is defined as advising or persuading a woman to refrain from making use of abortion services, or informing a woman concerning issues related to abortion services. Judge Cronin also ruled that although the sections only limited people from protesting within access zones (that is, they were free to protest elsewhere), they were still in violation of the constitutionally protected freedom of expression. The Charter permits imposition of limits on freedoms only when those limits can be justified by a pressing social interests. Cronin did not rule unconstitutional other sections of the Act, which include restrictions on besetting, physically interfering, graphically record ing, harassing or intimidating a patient or service provider within an access zone. Critics of the decision challenge Cronin's basis for making a distinction between peaceful and violent protest. BC Civil Liberties President Kay Stockholder says Cronin's ruling doesn't take into account the ability for public protests to escalate to violence. "In our view, the judge made it seem much easier than it is to discriminate on the spot between what is and what isn't peaceful," she says. A physician who works with the Everywoman's Health Clinic, Dr. Ellen Wiebe, argues that while anti-choice protesters may appear peaceful, the fact is that both her Canadian and American colleagues have been shot, and she's heard protesters interviewed on TV say she ought to be dead. Joy Thompson, spokesperson for the BC Coalition of Abortion Clinics, says that several American physicians have been shot and killed or wounded over the last few years by assailants who emerged from within a crowd of protesters. "The ability to draw a firearm and aim and shoot...is less likely to happen if one is not part of a crowd of protesters," she says. "[Cronin] failed to understand that a zone where protesters aren't permitted provides a sense of security and a tripwire where people inside the zone are monitored carefully." While the judge's ruling against the constitutionality of the two sections rested partly on his assertion that injunctions sought by the clinics to keep protests in check have been adequate for the most part, pro-choice activists contend that getting injunctions enforced by police has been problematic. Part of the problem is that with injunctions, "police can only immediately intervene when it gets to an extreme like a blockade," says Everywoman representative Kim Zander. In any other case, the clinic must use its own resources to take legal action, she says. Injunctions haven't been requested since Judge Cronin's ruling, and Zander says that while police are expected to continue enforcing injunctions, she questions the extent to which they'll follow through on enforcing sections of the Act prohibiting harassment and intimidation. Wiebe says that while she was initially optimistic about the effects of the legislation, she found that anti-choice protest action outside Everywoman's increased in severity in the days following the Act's passage. "I'd never seen the staff as upset," she says. "The police j us t sort of sat there and watched the protesters." She says that the protesters remained outside the bubble zone shouting and holding bibles and rosaries instead of placards. Since the arrest of Lewis in September, there's been an increase in the number of protesters outside Everywoman's and a heightened tendency among protesters to push clinic boundaries. "As a result we see women coming into the clinic that are far more upset than they've been in a long time," says Zander. Women's Equality Minister Penny Priddy told the Vancouver Sun that Judge Cronin's decision had set the women's movement back years. She said women were calling in to ask if they should go to appointments and that there was a fear among healthcare providers. Joy Thompson says she knows of two physicians in the lower mainland who have stopped performing abortions out of fear. The BC Attorney General's office says it will appeal the ruling. The BC Court of Appeal will hear the case May 13-14. The BC Coalition of Abortion Clinics has approached some feminist organizations, like West Coast LEAF (Women's Legal Education and Action Fund), to apply for intervenor status at the appeal. A spokeswoman for LEAF says the organization is looking into the issue. Joy Thompson says that women who've experience harassment first hand and who would be willing to testify before the Court of Appeal could make a big difference to the outcome of the trial. There's been a reluctance to make this request of women because of the issue of confidentiality, she says. Meanwhile, Kim Zander says women can be active in working toward the repeal of the decision by writing to their political representatives regarding women's right to abortion free from harassment. Marni Norwich is a Vancouver-based magazine writer. How do you get dean schools? Vote for it. THE PEOPLE we elect make decisions that directly affect the quality of our daily lives - decisions on janitorial services and teaching assistants, parks and safety inspections, clean water, traffic lights, garbage pick-up, health care and on hundreds of other important public services. The people we elect also decide who provides those services - public employees or profit-making, Before you vote in any election, please take time to find out where all the candidates stand. Then use your vote to support good-value public services provided by the publics employees. CaPE©B.C. CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES BRITISH COLUMBIA DIVISION Fax:(604)291-9043 Bernice Kirk, President Colleen Jordan, Secretary-Treasurer MARCH 1996 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 and may be edited for length. Deadline is the 18th of the month preceding publication. by Joanne Namsoo Worldwide campaign on trade Women Working Worldwide (WWW) is promoting the exchange of information and opinions on the issues of world trade, particularly concerning the establishment of a social clause in trade agreements. The organization says a social clause would guarantee basic rights for workers and would allow economic sanctions to be taken against exporters who fail to observe these standards. The WWW is a UK-based women's group concerned with the effects of a changing world economy on the lives of women as workers, its work has focused on examining the relocation of labour intensive industrial processes to sites in the south and its consequences for women workers. WWW has prepared a briefing paper, "World Trade is a Women's Issue" which gives the background to the issues DR. PAULETTE ROSCOE NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN HOMEOPATHY COUNSELLING DETOXIFICATION HYCROFT MEDICAL CENTER 108-3195 GRANVILLE ST. VANCOUVER, B.C. V6H 3K2 731-4183 and to the particular implications for women workers. The organization is also compiling perspectives from different countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa. In April 1996, a conference on women and world trade will be held in Manchester, England, and will be attended by representatives of women workers in Asia, Latin America and Africa. The goal of the conference is to exchange viewpoints and try to develop a common perspective for lobbying purposes. WWW, working together with the Clean Clothes Campaign in the Netherlands, is also coordinating "The Labour Behind The Label" campaign in the UK. The campaign aims to promote consumer awareness about the labour conditions under which garments are being manufactured. The campaign also aims to put pressure on retailers to take responsibility for the way the garments they sell are produced. WWW is interested in promoting direct trading networks as ways to develop alternative trading opportunities for women workers. WWW wants to be able to work closely with groups organizing garment workers in Asia in order to check on the appropriateness of the "Labour Behind the Label" campaigning strategies. For groups or individuals who want to receive more information about the work of WWW, please contact: Angela Hale, Women Working Worldwide, Centre for Employment Research, Room 3, St. Augustine's Building, Lower Chatham St, Manchester, England, M156BY. Tel: 0161 2471760;fax: 0161-247-6333; e-mail: (Geonet) MCRl:women-ww; internet site: women- ww@mcrl .poptel.org.uk. Evaluating programs for wife abusers Up-to-date and comprehensive assessments of intervention resources for wife abusers are hard to come by. In 1991, a conference in Ottawa brought together some of the most renowned US and Canadian analysts and providers of such programs. Montreal Men Against Sexism (MMAS) has, since then, assembled a 200-page paper—"Limits and Risks of Programs for Wife Batterers"—that offers not only significant quotes from this conference's proceedings, but also appendices, little-known research data, conclusions of literature surveys, theoretical discussions and personal essays spanning all aspects of programs for wife abusers and of their integration into a coordinated community response. Offering no set conclusions, this paper is designed to provide professionals, community decision-makers and individuals with the necessary information about such intervention programs. "Limits and Risks" includes a very extensive bibliography of little-known US and Canadian resources on various related issues—for example, intimate violence against women with disabilities, young women, elderly women, lesbians, immigrant women and First Nations women. The bibliography also lists, among other resource material, feminist research and advocacy on these issues. "Limits and Risks" is available for $20 from Montreal Men Against Sexism, 913 de Bienville, Montreal, Quebec, H2J1V2. Please make cheques payable to Martin Dufresne. For more information phone or fax: (514) 563-4428. The document is also available in French: "Limites et Risques de I'approche psychologisante aupres des batteurs de femmes." VANCOUVER WOMEN'S BOOKSTORE 31SCAMBIEST. VANCOUVER, B.C. HOURS: V6B 2N4 MONDAY - SATURDAY TEL: (604) 684.0523 10 AM - 6 PM WOMEN IN PRINT BOOKS & OTHER MEDIA Discountsfor book clubs 3566 West 4th Avenue 4 Vancouver BC Special orders Voice 604 732-4128 welcome Fax 604 732-1129 10-6 Daily ♦ 12-5 Sunday Breast implant counselling services The Women's Health Clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba has expanded their services for women who are considering or who already have breast implants. The Clinic now has a breast implant educator and nurse who can counsel women in person or by phone. This service is intended to complement the ongoing medical care in the community, and works with an informal network of primary care providers and specialists. This appointment service adds to the already existing services of the Breast Implant Program, services which include: a detailed information package, a Breast Implant Information Centre, phone information and support, monthly group meetings with guest speakers, referrals to specialists as required and advocacy within the medical system. The Clinic is seeking the names of physicians who are interested in providing ongoing primary care to women who do not have a current doctor. It is also currently working with the Federal Government to develop a specific written resource for primary care physicians. For appointments, information, or if you are interested in participating in the program, contact the Women's Health Clinic, 3rd Floor-419 Graham Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3C 0M3; tel: (204) 947- 1517; fax: (204) 943-3844. Janet Riehm. b.b.a, CERiified GeneraI Accountant Business ConsuInnc, CoiwpltiE Accounhnc, StwvicES PhoNE (604) 876-7550 Bottom Line Accounting h% for... OUR COMMUNITIES! OUR PUBLIC SERVICES! A message from the Public Service Alliance of Canada • (604) 430-5631 What's News by wendy kenward Still no national childcare program A national childcare program— promised by the Liberals as part of their election campaign (2 years ago)—is no closer to becoming a reality. The federal government recently indicated that a national childcare program would be dependent on a cost-sharing agreement with provincial governments. This, in a time when the Liberal government is severely and continuously cutting transfer payments to provinces for social programs. In November, then Minister of Human Resources and Development (HRD) Lloyd Axworthy promised a new national childcare program, which would include a guarantee of funding for the expansion of childcare programs nationally. The program would have involved approximately $630 million for childcare to be shared with the provinces over a period of three to five years. Axworthy also promised $72 million to increase childcare spaces in First Nations communities and $18 million for research and development. In February, new HRD minister Doug Young announced the federal government's intention to cancel the program. The Liberal government cited the reason for scrapping the proposal as being provincial disinterest in the plan. While some provinces indicated they had questions about parts of the childcare program, most appeared supportive of such a program. After a wrench in a national daycare strategy, Young said the program needs to be 'retooled.' The revision process is supposed to involve consultation with the provinces. Early childhood educators, families and childcare advocates have been lobbying for the establishment of a national childcare program for a long time, and the announcement of another stall is frustrating. They say that this is just another example of the government's lack of support for childcare. Increased funding for childcare and other social programs is being put on the backburner by the federal and provincial governments as they continue their cuts to spending and their dismantling of the social safety net. Another example of the lack of support for childcare comes from Ontario where the conservative government— which has been severely cutting back everywhere on social programs and services—says it is considering cutting daycare subsidies in favour of a voucher system. Ultimately, the proposed vouchers will not cover the costs of childcare for a lot of families, and would make childcare even more inaccessible. Last November, to protest the Ontario government's proposals, educators—supported by many parents and children—organized a one day strike to send a message to the politicians that childcare is valued and needed. Feds renege on lesbian rights The federal government will likely renege on their longstanding promise to ensure the rights of lesbians and gays are protected in the Constitution and Human Rights Acts. Justice Minister Allan Rock hinted in mid-February that although the Liberal government would always be committed to gay and lesbian rights, it wasn't an issue that would be discussed in the near future. As part of their election campaign, the Liberal party made a commitment to actively pursue changes to the Canadian Human Rights Act that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It has been two years since the Liberal government came into office, and two years since the promises were made. During these two years, the Liberal government has not acted on their promises, and now it seems that it never will. Some members of the Liberal caucus—including newly appointed Secretary of State, Status of Women and Multiculturalism, Hedy Fry—have spoken out publicly in support of changes to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Human Rights Act. The reasons for breaking the promise are speculative, but there seems to be a split in the Liberal caucus over lesbian and gay rights. A number of key Liberal caucus members have come out strongly against protecting the rights of lesbians and gays. Given the lack of internal support for these amendments, it appears that the government isn't willing to risk the potential political fallout. Over the last two years, a number of courts—including the Supreme Court of Canada—have ruled that the equality rights of lesbians and gays should be read into the Charter and human rights legislation. Lesbian activists say changing the Charter and the Canadian Human Rights Act would now be more of a gesture on the part of the federal government of their support for the rights of lesbians and gay men in Canada. If legislative changes were made to the Charter, then judges at the provincial and federal levels would not be left to decide for themselves on an individual basis what constitutes discrimination and how it relates to the existing Charter. A recent Appeals Court in Alberta is an example of the difficulties faced when the Charter and provincial legislation are open for interpretation on an individual case basis. In the case involving a man who was fired from his job for being gay, a lower court judge, Anne Russell, ruled that the Indvidual Rights Protection Act conflicted with the equality provisions of the Charter. She ordered that the Act be interpreted as though it contained protection on the basis of "sexual orientation," and that the Alberta government amend the Act to prohibit discrimination. Her decision was overturned by an Appeals Court judge. An activist for gay and lesbian rights commented that this decsion just highlights "the need for legislators to provide the courts with clearer guidelines." Social housing in the Downtown Eastside A landmark building in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside will be revitalized into a housing project, according to an announcement made by outgoing BC premier Mike Harcourt in February. The heritage Woodwards building, which has been sitting empty for over two years, is slated to become a mixed residential project, with over half of the living space being reserved for social housing. Since the Woodwards site was vacated in 1993, activists in the Downtown Eastside have been lobbying the City of Vancouver and the provincial government to ensure that the interests and needs of the community are taken into account and not just those of profit- oriented developers. Community groups and individuals wanted the decision around Woodwards to be a community based project. Social housing and anti-poverty activists in the area and the developers of the site clashed over the fate of the Woodwards building. The owners wanted to build condominiums, which would further "gentrify" the Downtown Eastside—a growing trend in the area— and further push people living in the community, who can not afford to buy condos, out of the area. Initially, it appeared that the Woodward's building would be developed exclusively for 350 condominiums. The deal recently announced is intended to involve a "partnership" between the community, the provincial government and the developer. Women living in the Downtown Eastside, which has the highest proportion of people living in poverty in Canada, say that the lack of affordable, safe and clean housing in the area is a serious issue for them. There are limited options in the area—most of the available housing consists of single rooming housekeeping suites and hotel apartments [see Kinesis November 1995]. The provincial government has agreed to fund the creation of 210 single and family social housing units in the new residential complex, which will sit alongside 160 condos. The 94 year old former department store site will be converted into multiple dwellings and will include a courtyard, two levels of shops and stores. And yes, the great red " W" on top of the building will remain intact. For more information about the project, contact the Community Action Group at (604) 689-0397, or drop by its office on the second floor of the Carnegie Community Centre, 401 Main St, Vancouver, BC. 1-800-680-9739 THE KEEPER (MENSTRUAL CUP) faction rate da liv Eco Logique Inc. ic(:cUJ59(g)|rceiiel.carlet0ll. n Mall Order Price) Hate crimes in Canada go unreported A recent study commissioned by the federal Justice department has found that a large percentage of hate crimes committed in Canada go unreported. The study, conducted by Julian Roberts, a criminologist at the University of Ottawa, is the first comprehensive look at the range of hate crimes in Canada. Roberts' study, "Disproportionate Harm: Hate Crime in Canada," found that significantly more people are assaulted, threatened, or their property or communities vandalized by someone who is motivated by hatred of the person's race, religion, sexual orientation or ethnic background than is reported to the police. In 1993-94—the year of focus for the study—only 1,000 hate crimes were reported to police. That figure is extremely low considering that the study puts the actual tally of hate crimes committed, in major cities alone, at approximately 60,000. In this growing climate of backlash and scapegoating of women, people of colour, lesbians and gays, and immigrants and refugees, the incidence of hate crimes is of particular significance because they target a person's identity, increase fear within communities, and heighten tensions and violence between groups. The study shows of the total number of hate crimes reported to police, 61 percent are motivated by racism. The study further indicates that 23 percent of hate crimes target people on the basis of their religion, 11 percent are against lesbians and gays. The study says that fear of retribution from attackers and lack of institutional support from the legal systems to prosecute hate crimes are the major factors in the disproportionately low number of reported cases of hate crimes. The study calls for stronger legislation and legal definitions of specific hate crimes, such as vandalizing a place of worship or homes. It also strongly recommends more extensive research on hate crimes as a basis for finding solutions. CARDLYN SCHETTLER FINANCIAL SERVICES Bookkeeping, Consulting and Incorr Tax Preparation for Individuals and Small Business MARCH 1996 Feature Feature International trafficking in women: Research and action for the rights of women by Siriporn Skrobanek Siriporn Skrobanek is the coordinator of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) in Thailand and has been involved in the Research Action Project on Trafficking in Women (RATW), a project aimed at forumlating effective stategies to protect the rights of migrant women and to help trafficked women. She co-facilitated a ivorkshop on trafficking in women at the NGO Women's Forum last September in Huairou, China and presented the findings of the RATW. In January, Skrobanek was in Canada to participate in Praxis Nexus, a conference on feminism, academia and community activism held at the University of Victoria. Below are excerpts from the speech she gave at the conference on the RATW and the work of the GAATW. It was as a student at ISS The Hague [in the Netherlands] where I started my journey into this issue of trafficking because this happened to me—when I travelled in some countries in Europe, men would approached me and asked how much?' So as part of my study in Europe I wrote a research paper on transnational sexploitation of Thai women. When I went back to Thailand, I wanted to translate my findings into actions, so I started the Women's Information Centre in 1984 in Bangkok. It's now been over a decade, but this problem [of trafficking] has not been solved, and I think it's [even] growing in magnitude. Even with more research, more publicity, more video tape, more films, more articles, it cannot stop the sexual exploitation of our women. And the more publicity there was about the situation of women or children in Thailand [working in prostitution], the more men came to our country. In 1992, we started a research project—the Research Action project on Trafficking in Women (RATW). We did this research with two basic concepts in mind. The first concept is that trafficking is part of international migration. When some developing countries adopt this policy of labour export, it's mostly men who travel. Many women would like to work overseas, but because they are women, they have very limited job opportunities in the international labour market. Working in the sex industry is one of the limited opportunities open to women. The other basic concept is that trafficking in women is a violation of human rights, so we tackle this issue from a human rights perspective. Parti: Research We did research in four rural areas—two in the north Chieng Mai and Chiang Rai and two in the northeast, Nong Khai and Udon Thani — and in two urban areas, Bangkok and Pattaya, because Pattaya is the sex town. From our research, we found that there is very good cooperation or collaboration between recruiting agencies and [authorities]. Look at the pattern of the recruiting system in our country, and you will see that a recruiter will go directly into a village to recruit women, and then send them to the provincial office and then to Bangkok. Then the agent in Bangkok will send these women to some other country. For instance, in the case of Thai women going to Japan, sometimes women just go directly to Japan, but cruiters go to the villages then recruit the women to go directly overseas. Of course, they do not tell these women what kind of work they're going to do—they will tell them they're going to work in a factory or as a domestic helper. So our concern is that it is younger and younger women who are becoming the victims of this pattern of trafficking. At the same time, Thailand has also become a destination country of women from other parts of the world—Latin America, China, the former USSR, Nepal, and Eastern European countries. So you can see that there is no singular pattern where one country We would like to have a broader and more precise definition of the term "trafficking persons" because ... sex trafficking is only one aspect of international trafficking. There are also other aspects, like trafficking for marriage—false marriage—and trafficking for forced labour. sometimes they cannot go directly there because of the immigration restrictions, so the traffickers will send them first to Malaysia or Singapore or the Philippines, and then try to arrange for their documents to send them to Japan. We also found a pattern of trafficking—a pattern we call the two- step pattern. At first, women will migrate from their own village to work in big cities like Bangkok or some other big city and either work in factories or sex industries. There, they get contacts, like with those who work in prostitution and with tourists who come to Thailand. Sometimes these tourists will invite them to go to Europe or to some other country. Then they move overseas and work in prostitution, or marry foreigners and they're sometimes forced into prostitution. Sex tourists play quite an impor- tantrolein whathappens. In the 1980s, many countries in Europe like Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands were the main receiving destination of these women. But in the late 80s, early 90s, the pattern changed from Europe to Japan, and Taiwan because now there are factories in those countries as well. In the 1990s, the main country of destination is to Japan and now also North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Since the late 1980s, the two-step pattern has changed to a one-step pattern—from village to overseas. Re- remains the sending or receiving country; now the pattern of trafficking is mixed up. A single country could be sending their own women, receiving women from other countries, and sending women to to other countries also. We found many and various forms of human rights violations of women who are victims of trafficking: first of all, they are deprived of the right to self determination. Many Thai women who go to work in Japan or in Germany, even today, know they will be involved in prostitution, but they don't know that they will be indebted. For instance, a woman going to Japan has to pay for the agent fee, US$1000, to arrange their trip to Japan. As soon as they arrive in Japan, the trafficker will sell the women to the local bar owners or brothel owners, and then the one who bought the women would tell them they have to pay about US$40,000. They are bonded sex workers. They will spend one or two years working to pay off the debt. These women are also targets of racial prejudice and discrimination. For instance, in Japan—and I use Japan as an example because in our research there are many cases of women going to Japan—there is a community initiative to "solve" this problem of migrant prostitutes. [The initiative involves] putting up various posters in the red light district in Tokyo which say that "whenever you meet migrant prostitute—women from Latin America and Asia—call the police because they are spreading AIDS, spreading crime." Some migrant women are forced into the situation which we call the "stateless person," because many of them travel with false documents and when they are arrested, the authorities cannot identify where they come from so they send them to detention centres. For instance, there are about 100 cases of stateless persons in detention centres in Taiwan. Many of them are from [ethnic] minorities in Thailand. We asked the Thai ministry of foreign affairs to try to help these women and bring them back, but they say these women are minorities and they do not have Thai nationality. So once they left the country, it was not anymore the responsibility of Thai government to take care of them. In almost every country there are laws on trafficking—a prostitution law—but the problem is that no country is using the trafficking law in order to protect or offer assistance to women who are victims of trafficking. But what they are using are immigration laws because these women enter receiving countries illegally or work there illegally. Our research has also shown that when women try to pursue a court case against traffickers, it's very difficult. Many women do not want anyone to know what they've been involved in in receiving countries, and because prostitution is illegal still in Thailand they do not want to have this social stigma. It's really courageous of the woman if she does pursue a court case. But we found that the system does not facilitate an open space for women to seek out [justice]. For instance, we have a case of a Thai woman recruited to work in Germany, and she was bought—she worked in prostitution. When she came back to Thailand, she contacted our group about pursuing a court case. We brought her to the police and told them that everything was confidential—nobody could read her testimony whatsoever. One month later, we found in a local newspaper a big headline and [a story with] every detail of how she was recruited, her identity, and the conditions of her work. It was so terrible. The woman wanted a new life so she enrolled in adult education. But after this newspaper was released, her class started asking her what she did in Germany. In almost every country there are laws on trafficking—a prostitution law—but the problem is that no country is using the trafficking law in order to protect or offer assistance to women who are victims of trafficking. Part 2: Action In the second part of the RATW, what we did was to share these findings with the local women—the women in the research areas—and then tried to think together to decide what kind of actions should be taken. We're trying to to build up a network of women in the north and the northeast, because that's where we did much of our research. We're bringing women who are victims of international trafficking together to talk about their experiences. We ask them whether they would like to share their experiences with other women. If they agree, we organize a small meeting for three or four women to talk and write about their own experience, and then we publish their writings in a book. [The books are in Thai but are translated into English.] In October 1994, as a part of our research, we organized the International Workshop on International Migration and Trafficking in Women in Bangkok. Women from about 20 countries attended. We presented a workshop report and we also brought women who were victims of trafficking—local women—to attend this workshop. We provided translation and they said they were very interested in this workshop even though they said it was harder listening to all these women's stories than working in the fields. The women still thought it was necessary that they participated in this kind of international event. At the workshop, the participants agreed to build an alliance to work together—the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW). We now have about 40 member organizations, but I think we do not yet have any members fromCanada, so if anyone would like to be part of GAATW please be. We would like to exchange information from various parts of the world and make alliances with international organizations. In the past, we worked at the national level or at the local level, but now we see the need to have an alliance at an international level, in particular with human rights organizations. We would like to develop content for a new international convention on the trafficking in women to replace the 1949 Convention [for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others]. And right now, GAATW is helping the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women to write a report—an international report on trafficking in women. When we ask for the new convention, we would like have the principles, of human rights and the rights of all persons to self determination, included. We would also like to have a broader and more precise definition of the term "trafficking persons" because from our research and also from information from organizations In the past, we worked at the national level or at the local level, but now we see the need to have an alliance at an international level, in particular with human rights organizations. working on these issues, we found out that sex trafficking is only one aspect of international trafficking. There are also other aspects, like trafficking for marriage—false marriage—and trafficking for forced labour. We would also like to separate this issue of trafficking from prostitution and from child prostitution, because we see that we need different strategies to address these issues. We think this convention should also address issues of policy and pow- erlessness of women, and that [national governments and the international community] should provide support systems and strategies to combat trafficking. The 1949 Convention is not appropriate anymore because now the problem of trafficking is very complex. It addressed only one aspect of trafficking—that is, forced prostitution. In Beijing [at the NGO Women's Forum in September], we organized a workshop and distributed our recommendations. We also did some lobbying work around the Platform for Action [the blueprint for discussion at the Fourth World Conference on Women] on the parts addressing trafficking. There are two positions on this issue. One is the GAATW position which separates the issue of trafficking and prostitution because we think that now there are many women in first and third world countries who "decide" to work in prostitution and who think that working as a prostitute should be their choice. At the same time, they are victims of trafficking. The other position is proposing a new convention that would eliminate all forms of sexual exploitation, and by their definition sexual exploitation includes everything from female infanticide to prostitution. We think it is too ambitious to mix everything. Something like female infanticide we think is a violation of women's human rights and not just a sexual exploitation issue. We did quite a hard job in Beijing lobbying around the Platform, and we were happy that their position was not included in the Platform. What we are trying to do right now—because we think that a new convention is a long way away—is to have something very practical. Our concern is protecting the rights of women who are victims of international trafficking, so right now we are launching a Minimum Standards for the Treatment of Trafficked Persons [see sidebar]. We have laws against trafficking but there are no clear guidelines for treating victims of trafficking, so we drew up this draft of minimum standards and are in the process of collecting suggestions about it. We think it is very important to have this kind of international instrument to we can do something with the governments in both sending and receiving countries that brings them to be accountable to these kinds of human rights violations of women. For more information about the Minimum Standards draft or about the Research Action Project on Trafficking in Women, contact the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, c/o Foundation for Women, PO Box47, Bangkoknoi, Bangkok, 10700 Thailand. Telephone: (662) 433-5149. Fax: (662) 434-6774. Minimum Standards for the Treatment of Trafficked Persons The Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW) is in the process of working on a draft of the minimum standards with the aim to protect the human rights of those individuals who have been trafficked and in par- ticulatone'sright to control one's mind, body and life. Below, is an excerpt from the preface and a list of some of the proposed guarantees being put forward. Trafficking is defined as the transporting of a person from one place to another through means of deception, kidnapping, actual, threatened or implied violence, and/or the abuse of an individuals actual or perceived position of authority; that is, immigration officer, police officer, et cetera. An individual may be trafficked for the purposes of domestic employment, work in the commercial sex industry, manual labour, arranged marriage, et cetera. All governments must recognize and address their obligations in regard to all forms of trafficking, including such new forms as servile marriage, sex tourism, and forced labour (especially domestic labour). Recognizing that traffickers exploit poverty, gender violence, armed conflicts, and other conditions which subordinate people and that some people seek to escape these conditions, individuals' rights must be protected against deception as well as physical, psychological and economic coercion and violence. Governments must investigate, prosecute and punish persons who profit from trafficking, whetherstafe or non-state actors. Governments must also commit to reforming policies which marginalize trafficked people. Steps to address marginalization and resulting abuses must ensure equal protection of the law to guarantee the rights and fundamental freedoms of individuals, including the freedom of movement and residence in each state, the freedom to choose one's place of residence, the right to safely return to one's own country, and the right to seek asylum or otherwise legalize one's status. The Minimum Standards sets out a series of rights to be guaranteed for all trafficked women, including: •Freedom from persecution or harassment by those in positions of authority; •Adequate, confidential and affordable medical care; •Freedom from HIV testing without the trafficked person's consent and knowledge; •Access to a competent, qualified translator during all proceedings, and of all documents and records pursuant to having been trafficked; •That the history of trafficking shall not be a matter of public or private record and shall not be used against the trafficked person or her family and friends, particularly in regards to their right to freedom of travel, marriage, search for gainful employment. The Minimum Standards also lays out the responsibilities, specific to receiving, sending and transit countries. CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY UFCWLOCAL1518 WOMEN'S COMMITTEE Marg Brown-Co Chair Betty Stevens - Co Chair Nan Fredericks Nora Louie Leslie Shefley Sandy McLeod MarleneSimister Dawn Green Karen Palmer Trudy Hulley Sharon Parberry United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1518 For organizing information, call 434-9000 Feature Vancouver Lesbian Connection: To be or what not to be... by Kris Karlsson and Agnes Huang A long brewing crisis at the Vancouver Lesbian Connection (VLC) is coming to a head. Bet Cecill, one of the few remaining members, says the VLC may close its drop- in centre in April unless an appropriate new group of lesbians can be found to take over the Society. Since the announcement, groups of lesbians have been strategizing to prevent the VLC from closing its doors. The VLC, a registered non-profit society, operates a social and political centre for lesbians in Vancouver—a women-only space which houses a resource library, a peer support phone line, and the VLC offices. It was founded in 1984 by a group of five local women as a radical lesbian feminist organization. The work of the VLC includes providing services for lesbians, facilitating support groups, and political activism work around lesbian rights. The current phase of the crisis at the VLC stems from a decline in the number of women on the Society's Collective, the body which makes the operating decisions for the Society. The size of the Collective has been dwindling and, as of this year, was down to one active member—the centre's paid coordinator Terrie Hamazaki, who left at the end of February. (Two other remaining members—Cecill and Monica Chappel—are on long-term leave from the Collective.) Last September, several former Collective members were asked to form an 'active' Board of Directors to assist the shrunken Collective with duties it could no longer handle. The Board was also asked to take on the work of restructuring the VLC. The VLC's difficulties can be traced to the fall of 1994, when issues of accountability and accessibility were raised by an outside group of lesbians that included a few VLC volunteers and one employee. While the VLC was involved in a serious internal / policy problem (the details of which cannot be made public for reasons of confidentiality), the outside group approached the VLC with concerns about the safety of ritual abuse survivors, racism, and the structure and membership conditions of the organization. The outside group asked the VLC for loosened membership requirements (so that non-volunteers could have some say in VLC decisions), and a community meeting to bring to the fore their concerns and possible solutions. In October 1994, the VLC held a public meeting. Following the meeting, two working groups (which would allow non-VLC volunteers or members to participate): were set up at the VLC "Structure and Membership" and "Race and Accessibility." The working groups met for the following year and then dissolved due to loss . of momentum when attempts were made to combine the two groups so that all four issues could be discussed in relation to each other. Before it dissolved, however, the Structure and Membership WorkingGroup produced a number of recommendations, including provisions for a general membership. Its powers are restricted to ratifying Board and Coordinating Collective appointments, and programming. These recommendations have not yet been adopted by the Board. Cecill says that the recommendations are still "too vague" to implement, pointing out that there remains significant problems around what issues the general membership should have a say over. Cecill says the present Board lacks the energy and time (three of the five Board members are leaving Vancouver this spring) to perform all the steps necessary to restructure the organization. According to Cecill, personal attacks that were made on VLC Colleci ve members at the October 1994 community meeting challenged the dedication of several collective members, who eventually left the organization. Not enough new members came forth to replace them, resulting in the crisis the VLC now faces. In January 1996, the VLC Board put out a call for proposals from groups of lesbians interested in taking over the VLC. They chose this option after considering three others: closing down the centre; limping along as a Board and continuing to search for new members; or becoming Collective members themselves and taking responsibility for the operations of the centre. The proposal package includes five pages of guidelines on the beliefs and goals that a group must or should hold to be considered suitable. Much of the guidelines is taken from the VLC's "Basis of Unity," the organization's detailed statement of principles, policies, structures and procedures. Among its principles are the following commitments: to putinto practice the VLC's political beliefs; to address racist, sexist, heterosexist, classist, sizeist, ageist issues and behaviours; to build alliances with other organizations; and to support the right of women to choose what to do with their own bodies. In addition to excerpts from the Basis of Unity, the VLC guidelines for proposals includes the requirement to "include community involvement; i.e. input from a larger circle of women than just the organizing circle/'TheVLC'spresentstructurehasno guaranteed mechanism for broader community input. Cecill says the Board sees the proposal process as an opportunity for women in the community to step forward and revitalize the organization. She thinks the original political vision of the organization is worth preserving, and that their proposal process ensures that can happen. The Board set February 28 as the deadline for submitting proposals and will make a final decision on which, if any, proposals to accept by April 10. Meanwhile some local lesbians say they disagree with the VLC Board's decision to solicit proposals from groups of lesbians. They say the VLC, should be the property of the wider lesbian communities and cannot just be 'given' to a group of women. They say a public meeting should have be called prior to the Board making its decision. One such critic, lesbian activist Nadine Chambers, points out that it is inappropriate for a small group of lesbians to decide the fate of the VLC. Chambers was involved with the outside group that asked for the public meeting with the VLC in 1994. She says she supports an open process where the people in power "have their community with them," when they make decisions. Chambers wrote an article in the February issue of Angles, a Vancouver gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered newspaper, in which she raises questions about the VLC's "public proposal package" and the process the Board has taken to decide the VLC's fate. In it, she also raises concern that the VLC Board's criteria for groups submitting proposals includes that they consist of "lesbians who were born and raised as women"—an apparent attempt to block transsexuals from participating in the VLC's decision making processes. Critics of the VLC proposal package cite this new stance on transsexuals (the Basis of Unity does not mention transsexuals) as an example of the arbitrary decisionmaking process of the VLC Board and Collective. The Board made the decision to prevent transexuals from being involved in takeover proposals without consultation with the broader community. In a letter published in Xtra West, a Vancouver gay and lesbian newspaper, VLC project worker Tina Hurd claims the Board has made all its decisions around the proposal without consultation with the VLC Collective, employees or volunteers. Although transsexual involvement in feminist organizations hasn't been widely discussed, recent events in Vancouver have shown there is a growing acceptance of transsexuals within gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities. The VLC currently has two transsexual lesbian volunteers who have assisted with the work of the centre, says former coordinator Terrie Hamazaki. Hamazaki, who objects to the Board's decision to exclude transsexuals, says she supports including them in the VLC's decision-making processes, and has always had the attitude towards transsexuals that "the door is open." Although Chambers is critical of the the VLC Board's position on transsexuals, she wants to make sure that "transphobia" is not seen as the central issue in the problems at the VLC. Chambers says she feels the problems are related to broader questions of accessibility and accountability. For example, she says, the VLC's membership structure raises concerns about accountability. Currently, the Society has no provision for general membership. Membership in the VLC is limited to lesbians who are members of the Collective. Becoming a member of the Collective requires: meeting volunteer and committee requirements; understanding and agreeing with the organization's Basis of Unity; and being approved unanimously by the VLC Collective. Membership in the VLC Collective over the last few years has averaged six women. Critics say such a restrictive structure works contrary to the principle that the VLC should serve the community rather than lead it. Although she supports an expanded membership, board member Cecill says she has longstanding concerns that the principles of the organization could be threatened by opening up membership. Chambers, however, argues that a politically open structure does not automatically mean that the principles of the organization will be compromised. She also suggests that the VLC is "operating in its own world," and questions the degree to which the VLC is actually upholding its own principles—particularly its principles around diversity. Bet Cecill says the VLC membership structure is the way it is because it is necessary to ensure that decisions are made by the women who do the work at the organization. She points to the VLC's unwritten policy of encouraging women to "do for themselves" via an infrastructure provided by the VLC, which has ensured some measure of community involvement when women choose to take advantage of the VLC's facilities. Hamazaki believes the VLC should have called a community meeting and made an attempt to revitalize the Collective, rather than putting out the call for takeover proposals. [Hamazaki was not present at the meeting in which the Board made the decision to put out a call for proposals because she had decided to end her active participation with the Board in order to work on revitalizing the Collective. ] Hamazaki says that since the Board put out the call for proposals, she has been fielding a lot of questions from local women who come in or call the centre asking about what is going on. As Kinesis goes to press, it is rumoured a few groups of women are working on proposals to take over the VLC. Others are organizing to submit a petition to the VLC requesting that membership conditions in the organization be loosened. Agnes Huang is a Chinese feminist activist who lives, writes and edits in Vancouver. Kris Karlsson was involved with the outside group in 1994, and has continues to be involved in working towards a more open membership structure at the VLC. International Women's Day arose out of the protest and political activism of working women at the beginning of the 20th Century. Among the many struggles which took place was the 1908 strike of garment workers, 80 percent of whom were women, in New York City. The strike began at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company, and grew to become a general strike of 30,000 garment workers. In 1910, the idea of a "Women's Day" was taken up by socialists and feminists. At the 2nd International Conference of Socialist Women attended by women from 17 countries, a proposal for an international "Women's Day" was put forward: Clara Zetkin presented a motion that women throughout the world should focus on a particular day each year to press for demands and to commemorate women and their struggles. Women passed the motion unanimously, and "International Women's Day" came into being. The first International Women's Day was held on March 19,1911 in a number of European countries. The date later moved to March 8. The day became more widely celebrated with waves of the feminist movement and following the United Nation's International Year of the Woman in 1979, which began the UN Decade of Women (1976-1985). (Based on material gleaned from past issues of Kinesis and the memories of various women.) B.C. 100 MILE HOUSE March 8:100 Mile House & District Women's Centre Society plans an open house with guest speakers and presenters. For details, call Pam Simpson at 395-4093. CASTLEGAR March 9: For the first time, the West Kootenay National Exhibition Centre & Kinnaird Hall in Castlegar present a variety of IWD events. At 10-12 a.m., there will be a workshop, "Women Nurturing: Creating personal space through experiential art" for $15, followed by a bag lunch. From 1-4:30 p.m., there will be workshops on "Women Sharing: Communication in Art", "Poetry of the Soul," and "Refugee Stories." The evening celebration from 6-10 p.m., entitled "Women in Delight," will include an international gourmet buffet dinner, entertainment and speaker Linda Wilkinson on the Beijing UN International Conference on Women. Cost is $15. For more information, call the NEC at 365-3337. CHETWYND The Chetwynd Women's Resource Society will participate in the annual Coffee House & Art Show at the Recreation Centre's Cottonwood Hall. They will set up an information table on services and women's health information. They will also host a video presentation profiling women. Call 788-3793 for details. COMOX VALLEY March 16: The Comox Valley Women's Resource Centre presents a day-long celebration with various events on the theme of "self-care". Call 338-1133 for more information. CRANBROOK March 9: The Cranbrook Women's Resource Centre plans to screen the National Film Board- Studio D's video production of Five Feminist Minutes. The screening is followed by another "Five Feminist Minutes"-live performance pieces and skits by women. For location and other information, call Sandra at 426-2912. DUNCAN/ COWICHAN VALLEY March ft. Na-Du-Vic Vancouver Island Immigrant Women's Society is hosting a luncheon at St. John's Hall. Guest speakers will speak on the theme "Women and Safety." Call 748- 3112 for more information. March 5,6 and 7: The Cowichan Campus of Malaspina University College at 222 Cowichan Way is the site of free consecutive film screenings of the women and spirituality trilogy: Goddess Remembered (March 5), Burning Times (March 6), and Full Circle (March 7). There is no need to register. For more information, call 748-2591. FORT NELSON March ft The Fort Nelson Women's Resource Centre will have a family day of celebration with lots of activities for kids. From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Women's Coffee House, Northern Lights College. Call Emily at,774-3069 for details. KELOWNA March 8: The Kelowna Women's Resource Centre has reserved Capri Mall from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Displays will be set up throughout the mall, with a particular emphasis on the history of women in Kelowna, as well as all-day poetry readings, singing, dancing and speeches. For details, call Debbie Kereluk at 762-2355. KITIMAT March ft Tamitik Status of Women will be celebrating their 20th Anniversary on International Women's Day. For more information, call 632-2020. LANGLEY March 10: Langley Family Services will host its 5th annual International Women's Day luncheon at the Sheraton Inn Guildford from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The guest speaker is Constable Anne Drennan, Media Liaision Officer for the Vancouver City Police. The "Joan Murrell Memorial Award will also be made to the a "woman who has made a difference" in her community. Cost is $25. Call 534-7921 for more information and to register. NANAIMO March 4-8: The Nanaimo Women's Resource Centre wil be hosting a variety of events ranging from a march around Swy-a-Lana Lagoon followed by a pot-luck lunch at the Maffeo Auditorium, to videos, discussion groups, performances, guest speakers and an annual IWD evening event. Call Donna Reed at the NWRS at 753-0633 for more information. NELSON March 8: Nelson District Women's Centre presents "Five Feminist Minutes," live performances, skits and creative moments by women only. From 7-10 pm. Men and children are welcome in the audience. At Elks Halls, 812 Stanley Street, which is wheelchair accessible. Call 352-9916 for more details. NEW WESTMINSTER March ft Douglas College Women's Centre is sponsoring an IWD celebration at the Venus Restaurant on Sixth Street, New West. There will be food, an open mike and guest speakers. Call 527-5148 for more information about tickets and times. March ft. The Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women is hosting a pot- luck supper and discussion titled "Academic Freedom and Responsibility," with guest speaker Gillian Creese, coordinator of the Women's Studies Program at UBC, at 6:30 pm at 307 Queen's Avenue (between 3rd & 4th Street) New Westminster. PENTICTON March 2: The Penticton and Area Women's Centre presents the 4th Annual International Women's Day Festival at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre at 273 Power Street, Penticton. Festivities will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include workshops, performances, massage, reflexology, crafts and a fashionshow. Childcare is free. General admission is $3 with a food bank donation of $2. Kids under 13 are free. Workshops cost $5 each. For more information, call 493-6822. PORTCOQUITLAM March 8: Port Coquitlam Area Women's Centre will host their annual IWD open house at the centre at 2420 Mary Hill Road. Call 941-6311 for details. QUESNEL March 8: Quesnel Women's Resource Centre plans to hold a potluck dinner with guest speaker(s) from Guatemala. For details, call Vinder at 992-8472. RIDGE MEADOWS March 5 The Ridge Meadows Women's Centre Society is holding a woman's potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate and share women's stories. Call 460-0064 for details. SECHELT March 8: The Sunshine Coast Women's Resources Society is hosting an IWD celebration for the whole community at Davis Bay Community Hall at 6 p.m. with lots of food and family entertainment. Call 885-4088 for more information. SALMON ARM March 7: The Shuswap Family Resource & Referral Centre is having a film night at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm with The Company of Strangers and Bob's Birthday. Call 832-2170 for details. TERRACE March 8: The Terrace Women's Resource Centre will hold a potluck dinner and celebration. Call 638-0228 for details. UCLUELET March 8: The Westcoast Women's Resource Centre presents an evening of dance, song, music, poetry, drumming, and a pot-luck dinner with guest speaker. Call 726-2343 for details. VANCOUVER March 4-8: Simon Fraser University Women's Centre is currently organizing various IWD events. For information, call 291-3670. March 7: Capilano Campus Women's Centre is having an open house and offering snacks in Room LB 137, Capilano College, 2055 Purcell Way, from noon to 2:30 p.m. For more information, call 986-1911 and ask for the women's centre. March 7: The Women's Studies department at Capilano College is sponsoring a series of IWD events from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The College will be open to the community all day, with 20-25 instructors presenting lectures in classrooms open to the public on issues relevant to women. There will be art exhibits and a display of Women's Studies books in the Library. Dirty Laundry, a theatre production, will be from 12:45-1:30 p.m. at the Cedar Build ing, Room C148. Andrea Lebowitz, associate dean of Arts at Simon Fraser University, will lecture in the evening at the Cedar Bldg, room 148. All events are wheelchair accessible and are free, except for parking. For more information, call the college at 986-1911: Margaret Denike or Rosalee Hawrylko at Local 2463. March 8: Vancouver Status of Women is holding a public forum on the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women and the non-governmental (NGO) Women's Forum in China. See ad on page 14 for details. March ft The Vancouver IWD '96 Committee's annual IWD women's march and rally will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Hamilton/ Robson comer of the new Vancouver Public Library. The theme this year is: "Women struggle for equality: Poverty & Conservatism". Women will march to the First United Church at 320 East Hastings. There will be information tables, speeches and entertainment. For information on childcare, call Julie at 733-3753. For information on the march and rally, call Taylor at 873- 8719. To book a table or wheelchair attendants, call Claire at 708-0447. March ft The Philippine Women's Centre, Nuestra Voz, South Asian Women's Centre, and women from the African Community are sponsoring a panel discussion "Our Common Struggles" at an IWD event titled "Building Solidarity Among Third World Women: Onward with the struggle," from 4-10 p.m. at Lakeview United Church, 2776 Semlin Avenue (at 12th Ave, eastof Victoria). The guestpanelist is Amparo Lotan of UNITRAGUA, the National Union of Guatemalian workers. All women are welcome. Childcare is available. Call Hulda at 877-8601 or Mable at 322-9852 for more info. March 9 and 16: North Shore Women's Centre is tentatively having an open house at the centre on March 9. On March 16, with the North Shore Voice of Women, the Centre presents a screening and discussion of the video, Who's Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics, with guests Barbara Little and Maria Abbott at Capilano District Library. For details, call NSWC 984-6009 or VOW at 988-7564. Calendar 1996 March 15: The Vancouver Society of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women will hold its 4th annual fundraising dinner to celebrate "Women Making a Difference" in recognition of IWD and International Day for the Elimination of Discrimination at 6:30-11 pm at Collingwood Neighbourhood House, 5288 Joyce Street. Cost is $30 per person (vegetarian dinner available). Call 731-9108 for tickets. March 16: The Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers' Rights is having a fundraising IWD dance at Eagle's Hall, 748 Kingsway (east of Fraser Street). Cost is $10. There will be prizes and a no-host bar. Call Julie or Lorina at 874-0649 for more information. VICTORIA March 8: The Victoria Status of Women Action Group and Everywoman's Bookstore is inviting women to celebrate IWD at an evening of poetry with Chrystos at 8 p.m. at the Kaleidoscope Theatre. The performance will be followed by a gala reception. Cost is $6 un/ underwaged;$12waged.Call 383-7322 formore information. March 8 and ft The Greater Victoria Public Library and Victoria Voice of Women present a program of NFB productions. On March 8, screenings are The Glass Ceiling by Sophie Bissonette and "Gathering Strength", a video compilation of two films, Her Chosen Field by Barbara Evans and A Time to Reap by Damar Toufel. On March 9, the film is Terre Nash's Who's Counting: Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics. All at the Central Library Multi-purpose Room, 735 Broughton Street. For times, call SWAG at 383-7322. ONTARIO Toronto March ft "We Won't be Stopped! Women on the March for Survival and Dignity: Defend ourselves against the Provincial Cuts" is the theme for Toronto's annual IWD march and rally. Rally is at noon at Convocation Hall, King's College Circle, U of T; march is at noon. For information, call Women Working with Immigrant Women at (416) 760-7855. USA Seattle March 1ft "The Worldwide Web of Working Women: A powerful force of change" is the theme of Radical Women's IWD event at 2 pm. An international buffet will be served from 5 pm for US$8:50 donation. Door donation is $2. Sliding scale and work exchanges possible. Wheelchair accessible. Held at New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave, Seattle. For rides within the city or childcare call (216) 722-6057 or (216) 722-2453. This year's calendar was compiled by Fatima Jaffer, with help from Darlene Snider of the BC Ministry of Women's Equality. 4 g /T g g + / Photos by FaUnTHT ^"^ 'ñ† *" JiappyJntermWnal Women's D ay Beijing and Beyond In celebration of International Women's Day Sponsored by the Vancouver' Satus of Women A forum on the NGO Women's Forum and the Fourth World Conference on Women in China. Fatima Jaffer and two other delegates will provide reports and answer questions. March 8, 1996 7:00 - 10:00 pm Native Education Centre 285 East 5th Ave Vancouver, BC. Call Terri Netsena (604) 255-5511. Event is Free. Refreshments to be served. Childcare subsidies will be available. EastsjcIe DataCrapIhjcs 1458 COMMERCiAl DRiVE teI: 255-9559 Fax: 255-5075 Happy International ^ Day Union Shop Recycled Paper, Office Supplies, Artists Materials and Craft Supplies Happy IWD!! Frotw Call: 291-3670 Serving Vancouver's women's community for over 20 years \ot*allo/usa'cQ£* IfllfayBMtflljM^fMHiaM CCEC Credit Union Drive, Vancom e 254-4100 Fax Greetings on International Women's Day Bring this coupon in for 11 20% off regular priced books until Mar 25, 1996 1391 Commercial Dr. Van, BC V5L 3X5 253-6442 DOTHISEVERYDAYNOHEROSVWJMENFIGHTBACKEVERYOAYKNOWTHISWOMENDOTHISEVERYDAYFIGHTBACKNOHEROSWOMENDOTHIS 'VSTMft^~-4y^d4 Saturday March 9 8:00 pm W.I.S.E. Hall 1882 Adanac Street Tix: Harry's Off Commercial 1716 Charles St. Little Sister's Bookstore 1221 Thwiowst. or by calling the bandline: 290-0556 $5-15 sliding scale / children under 12 free - COfV^tVIEFtCf^\t. DOWOMENEVERYDAYNOHEROSWOMENDOTHISEVERYOAYFIGHTBACKEVERYDAYNOHEROSWOMENDOTHISEVERYDAYFIGHTBACKNOHER V <& w Popular o, e»>. Happy International Women's Day! Suzanne Westenhoefer Lesbian Comedian ... and a very funny person to boot! Sat March 16,1996 • 8pm (doorsopen 7-.30) Jewish Community Centre • Norman Rothstein Theatre 950 W. 41st Ave. (@Oak Street) Sounds cpuries Tickets 515 - 522 sliding scale JDUCT10NS (pay what you can afford on this scale) non-smoking venues « advance ...& out from down under... Judy Small in conceit Sat March 30,1996 • 8pm (doors open 7:15) W.I.S.E. Club • 1882 Adanac tickets $12-$16 sliding scale (pay what you can afford on this scale) \5pecial guest performer Tracy Riley "...best singer/songwriter to come out of the Canadian North.' tickets recommended • available at Little Sister's, Urban Empire & Women in Print • info 253-7189 KINESIS MARCH 1996 Commentary An alternative federal budget: Choices can be made by Diana Gibson The next federal budget will be coming out in early March. We can expect little good news and more cuts to social programs. In terms of employment, the federal budget will likely lead to further rollbacks for women, as many work in sectors worst hit by those cuts. The wage gap between women and men is widening and the quality of living for many women in Canada is deteriorating. The budget will problably all but signal the final demise of the federal government's promise of a national daycare program; just one more sacrifice to the altar of eliminating the debt. On an international level, Canada has lost ground in the ranking of its standard of living, according to the Human Development Index (HDI) put out by the United Nations Human Development Program. In 1994, the HDI rated Canada as the number one place to live...if you were a man. But when the situation of women was factored in, Canada dropped to ninth, a placing lower than it held three years ago. The federal and provincial governments continue to preach the gospel of debt crisis and sermonize that the only way out is to cut spending on social programs. Is that the only path? On the contrary, budgets are about choices—policy choices—and there are alternatives to the path the federal government is following. One such "choice" is presented in the Alternative (federal) Budget developed by a wide range of social and community groups from across Canada together with academics, and prepared by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and Choices: a coalition for social justice. This budget is full of alternatives: choices that our government could be making, such as: full employment, a more equitable distribution of income, the eradication of poverty, economic equality between men and women, protecting basic labour rights, environmental protection, and the strengthening of social programs and public services. Does it sound impossible? Well, it isn't. The Alternative Budget is based on sound economics, and was researched and written by respected economists. The authors of the Alternative Budget say they recognize the economic realities Canada is facing and acknowledge the federal government's debt/deficit problems. However, they say their budget is intended to tackle the real causes of the debt—high unemployment, excessively high interest rates, and an unfair tax system. The Alternative Budget offers us choices about the ways to raise revenues, fund social programs and balance our budgets. Federal government's choices Over the past 10 years, successive federal governments have chosen to cut corpo- MARCH 1996 rate taxes, maintain high interest rates and cut social program spending. High real interest rates have been a conscious choice by the government and the Bank of Canada to achieve their goal of zero inflation. In a healthy growing economy, moderate levels of inflation are perfectly fine. The side effects of this choice has been high yearly budget deficits, chronically high unemployment, and a generally stagnant economy. In terms of budget deficits, high real interest rates have made it more expensive for the government to borrow money. It is these interest payments on the debt which have caused the budget deficits, not spending on social programs. If you take out these interest payments, our revenues have actually exceeded program spending, and social spending has not increased as a percentage of our overall economy (GDP). On the other hand, interest rates and unemployment have been dramatically increasing in patterns suspiciously similar to the rise in deficits. This is more than coincidence. Additionally, a high interest rate acts as a barrier to borrowing to start new business ventures and for buying cars and houses or expand businesses. This means that it directly causes unemployment to increase and the economy to stagnate. At the same time, the federal government is cutting public sector jobs and cutting billions out of funding to social programs in order to make up for the higher debt service costs and lost tax revenues. The politicians say we all overspent, so we all must tighten our belts-but those who are now being affected most by belt tightening are not the ones who benefitted from the overspending. The wealthiest one percent of Canadians now own or control more income than the bottom 80 percent, and almost five million people are living in poverty. The gap between rich people and poor people is increasing, and corporations have been making record profits years in a row. In this year alone, the big five banks made a combined profit of $5.18 billion. This, while the federal government announces plans to reduce payments to the provinces by $7 billion over the next two years. The rationale for cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy is that presumably they will be investing more money in the economy and jobs will be created. But this has not happened—those same banks have been cutting staff and generally, we continue to have chronically high levels of unemployment. What are the Alternatives? The Alternative Budget takes a three- pronged approach to revenue raising: reduce interest rates, increase employment, and close some of the more outrageous tax loopholes. The bulk of revenues for this budget would be raised from growth in the economy expected to result from the reduction in interest rates and growth in employment. An one percent reduction in interest rates would decrease the deficit outright by cutting the government's debt service costs. It would also allow the economy to grow, employment to increase, and social assistance costs to fall. Under this budget proposal, employment would also be created in a number of ways: firstly, public sector cuts would be stopped and reversed; and secondly, social and physical infrastructure projects would be funded. These would include funding for projects like daycare facilities, research and development and social housing construction. The Alternative Budget proposes a number of ways in which the government could increase revenues: taxing excess profits made by banks, establishing a minimum corporate tax, taxing interest on overseas investments of insurance companies, collecting unpaid taxes (estimated at $6.6 billion), taxing wealth transfers at death, and eliminating deductions for corporate lobbying expenses (estimated at $50 million). These are just some of the alternatives proposed in the budget and are based on the premise that the institutions which benefit from the Canadian economy should contribute to the public services that help to sustain that economy. I might add that those investors and corporations which benefitted from the overspending that has caused the debt should be the ones to tighten their belts. Choices for social spending The Alternative Budget would increase the number of decent secure jobs'available for women through employment creation, accompanied by affirmative action programs. The budget proposes national social investment funds for health care, post- secondary education, income support, child care, retirement income, unemployment insurance, and housing. Federal funding for all of these programs would be reinstated to pre-1994 funding and benefits levels, and in some cases they would even be increased. The Alternative Budget proposes more than doubling the federal financing of child care and ensuring national standards. This budget rejects using the family income test for determining retirement benefits—a test currently being considered by the federal government and which would adversely impact women. The Alternative Budget also would increase the availability of social and co-op housing, and emphasis would be put on accessible community health care and education. Where do we go from here? As an activist, I must end this article with some ideas about where we can go from here. How can we use the Alternative Budget as a tool for discussion strategies to stop the federal and provincial government's decifit-cutting agenda? Ellen Woodsworth of Woman to Woman Global Strategies feels that there is a need to put together more working groups around the Alternative Budget to discuss it, and ensure that the women's agenda is addressed. She feels the budget needed a greater emphasis on women's unpaid work, which is 60 percent of work done by women. For the 1996 census, women are being urged to mark self-employedunder the "Household" catagory. Still women's unwaged work will not be counted under labour force statistics. That means women's unpaid labour will continue to be unrecognized as contributing to the economy. Other shortcomings of the Alternative Budget emerge when it is compared to the Canadian Women's Alternative Budget which was put out in 1993 by the Womens' International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). WILPF put a greater emphasis on social program spending on specific programs for women such as battered women's shelters and transition houses, as well as organizations like the National Action Committee on the Status of Women and the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women. The target spending for specific programs are noticeably absent from the 1995 Alternative Budget though they have been seriously eroded by federal budget cuts. The 1995 Alternative Budget is an accessible and practical tool which can be used to fuel discussions within our own groups in order to strengthen our agendas. The groups that wrote the alternative budget met with Paul Martin, the federal Minister of Finance and presented this budget. We need to ensure that he keeps hearing about it. The budget proposes tangible alternatives which can be easily translated into lobby action and used to pressure federal and provincial politicians for change. When they say there is no money for daycare, we can tell them where to get the money; we can tell them that we want the government to make different choices. For more information or copies of the Alternative Budget, contact the Canadian Center For Policy Alternatives at: 251 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 804, Ottawa, ON, KIP 5J6; telephone: (613) 565-1341; or CHOICES 703-275 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 4M6; telephone: (204) 944-9408; fax: (204) 956-7071. The Alternative Budget is also available on the internet at http:/ linfoweh.magi.coml~ccpalccpa.html. For more information about the Womens' Alternative Budget, contact WILPF- BC at 916 W. Broadway, PO Box 635, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1K7. Diana Gibson is a labour activist based in Vancouver. 15* Movement Matters Victory in the GAP campaign The Maquila Solidarity Network says that the GAP Clothing Company and the National Labour Committee (US) signed an important, breakthrough agreement on December 15, 1995. In it, the GAP agreed to accept independent monitoring of the compliance with the company's code of conduct by factories in Central America contracted to produce garments for GAP. The agreement was reached in part due to pressures from a letter-writing campaign targeting the GAP [see Kinesis December/January 1996]. The monitoring will be of labour conditions and practices in plants in Central America where GAP clothes are made. The GAP has also agreed to reinvest in El Salvador if conditions are met by its contractor—Mandarin International—and the Salvadorean government, which would result in humane, fair and just working conditions. In addition, GAP said it will translate its code of conduct into Spanish, and will have it posted in the plants it hires in Central America. As part of the agreement, Mandarin International said it would meet with locked-out union officials and other workers to negotiate and resolve their differences. This meeting was held, but resulted only with Mandarin agreeing to provide the legal severance pay. The workers were not able to negotiate a return to work or a recognition of their legal union. Although this settlement must be seen as a defeat for the workers at Mandarin, their organizing drive has put the issue of human rights in the maquilas on the political agenda in El Salvador. According to Charles Kernaghan of the National Labour Committee, the GAP is the first major apparel company to agree to third party monitoring of its code of conduct. If you'd like to write to the GAP regarding this agreement, direct your letters to: Jane Wicks, Canadian Vice-President, The GAP, #804-170 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON, M5S 1T9, or fax: (416) 921-2966. For more information about the GAP campaign and other campaigns in support of women workers, contact the Maquila Solidarity Network, 606 Shaw St., Toronto, ON, M6G 3L6. Counting women's work in the census Census Day in Canada is Tuesday, May 14. Since the last census in 1991— when housewives and volunteers were told not to answer questions relating to their "work"—the Work is Work is Work campaign has been pressing hard to have the unwaged work of women recognized and valued in our society. The campaign is sponsored by BC Voice of Women, Mothers are Women and AFEAS, Association Feminine d'Education et d'Action Social. The Canadian Census does not count any unwaged work done by women in their homes or communities, thus creating the economic illusion that those who aren't paid, don't work and have no economic value. Statistics Canada defines "work" only as market place activity; that is, something done for money. For the 1996 Census, the campaign's organizers are urging women to make the census count our unwaged work by filling in section labelled "Household Activities" in a way that includes women's activities in the house and community as productive and valuable. In the Household category, StatsCan asks us to tell how many hours we spend doing activities, not how many hours we work. The word work is carefully avoided in this section. So despite first appearances and despite media coverage, in the 1996 the basic concept related to unwaged work has not changed in the 1996 Census. In contrast to the section on Household Activities, there is a relatively large section called Labour Market Activities. Here the word work is used as a synonym for activities. To help women fill out the Census, the Work is Work is Work campaign has prepared a brochure explaining how to answer the Household Activities questions so that our work is truly represented. To obtain a copy of the brochure, for information, or if you wish to help in any way, contact: Barbara Little, Brenton-Page Rd, RR1, Ladysmith, BC, VOR 2E0; tel: (604) 245-3405; or Maria Abbott, 311 Masters Rd, Victoria, BC, V8S1C9. AFEAS will produce its own brochure in French. JOB POSTING Vancouver Status of Women has an opening for an Administrator/Fundraiser. VSW is a community-based feminist organization which works on community programs and services for women, public education and political organizing, and publishes Kinesis. We have identified as our priority areas: racism, poverty and violence against women. This position is a full-time (40+ hours), core staff position with a salary of $31,400/year plus benefits (Medical/dental coverage; 7 weeks holiday peryear). Public office hours extend over four days a week, however, staff must be available to attend evening and weekend meetings and events. Women of colour and First Nations women are strongly encouraged to apply for this position: please note that affirmative action principles will be in effect for this hiring. If you are interested in finding out more about this position, please write or call Vancouver Status of Women. We'll send you a full job description and application deadline dates. Administrator/Fundraiser Position. Vancouver Status of Women, 301-1720 Grant St. Vancouver, B.C. V5L 2Y6 . Tel/Fax: (604) 255-5511 Employment skills for women A skills training program in Vancouver will remain open after surviving a funding cut from the federal government. The Employment Skills For Women program, which runs a 12-week career explorations and job search skills program for women seeking re-entry into the job market, says it will be able to continue providing training services at least until August, and hopefully even longer. The program was intended to provide skills training for women in recovery from drug or alcohol addictions, eating disorders, corrections backgrounds, psychiatric illness, or physical or sexual abuse. It is the only program of its kind in Vancouver. Even though the program will not be forced to shut down, the funding cut has resulted in a new restriction on who is granted admission into the program. Eligibility requirements of the training program have been changed, and now only those women on social assistance and who are survivors of emotional and /or physical abuse will be accepted into the program. Employment Skills for Women is located at the Pacific Legal Education Association, 1400-207 W. HastingstSt, Vancouver, BC, V6B 1K5. For more information about its program, call: (604) 683-3439 or fax: (604) 688-3435. Corrections: In our February 1996 issue we made a couple errors. In the table of contents, the writer of the book review of review of Daughters of the Red Land by Yan Li should have been listed as Rita Wong. And on page 3—the article on sexual assault and the courts, "Records open to disclosure"—we lost some text: the last line on each of the first two columns. The sentence at the bottom of the first column should read, "The second case, LLA v. Beharriell, concerned an appeal by the complainant and two counselling centres of a court order requiring them to disclose the women's therapeutic records to the accused's lawyers. The counselling centres had refused." The sentence at the bottom of the second column should read,"In their decision, the majority justices made clear they believed disclosure will often be necessary in order to provide the accused with a fair trial." Our apologies to the writer and to our readers for these ommisions. In our December/January 1996 issue, we made a few errors concerning photographs appearing in that issue. On page 6, the photo on last year's December 6th vigil in Vancouver should have been credited as courtesy of WAVAW, Women Against Violence Against Women. And in the story on breast implants, "Scary stories of silicone and saline" (page 8), we inadvertently omitted the names of the women pictured in the accompanying photo. The woman are (from left to right): Jean Wilson, Joy Langan, Linda Wilson and Karen Gates. The photo was taken by Agnes Huang. Aboriginal women's drop-in A new drop-in for First Nations women in Vancouver, coordinated by the Aboriginal Women's Action Network (AWAN), will officially start operating in March. AWAN, a political action group for First Nations Women, has been meeting every two weeks since last November to discuss issues affecting urban First Nations women. Among AWAN's projects is an Aboriginal Women's Drop-In, which will take place every Tuesday at the Vancouver Status of Women. The drop-ins will feature activities such as: healing circles, traditional stories, drumming and dancing, conciousness-raising, anti-racism, Elders' teachings, as well as workshops on issues such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS/FAE), addictions, single- parenting, the BC Treaty process, welfare cuts, family violence and PHV/ AIDS. The Drop-in will be officially launched with a potluck lunch on Tuesday March 5th, 12:00 to 2:30pm at the Vancouver Status of Women, Suite 301- 1720 Grant St. All First Nations women are invited. Childcare subsidies are available. For more information about AWAN and the Aboriginal Women's Drop-in, contact Terri Netsena at the Vancouver Status of Women, #301-1720 Grant St, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2Y6; tel: (604) 255-5511;fax (604) 255-5511. Bed & Breakfast A Beautiful Place Centre yourself in the comfort and tranquility of B.C.'s Super Natural Gulf Islands. Healthy Breakfasts Hot Tub & Sauna 5 acres of forested foot paths with ponds ocean and mountain views A Memorable Escape (604) 537-9344 1207 Beddis Road, Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 2C8 Arts Review of theatre production of Karla & Grif; Incredible adventure of 2 girls who can't love by Cy-Thea Sand KARLA AND GRIF Written by Vivienne Laxdal Directed by Bill Devine A Sea Theatre Production Last summer I was in Northern California with my partner attending her aunt's wedding. The night before the main event my partner's family gathered together at a dinner hosted by the Mormon side of the groom's family. Memories of what happened for us that evening were evoked recently as I watched the skillful production of a rivetting play by Vivienne Laxdal. Ka rla and Grif not only enthralled me, it also filled me up with an urgent desire to get away from the story unfolding in the intimate atmosphere of the Station Street Arts Centre. Based around the [unconventional •omance plot of young women at summer camp, Karla and Grif tells the story jf two teens who spent every summer ogether, but whose very different backgrounds precludes them meeting dur- ng the rest of the year. For nine years Karla and Grif meet at the same camp— in expense Karla's father is willing to vork very hard for, and one which Irif's grandmother would hardly no- ice. At one point upper-class Grif re- ers to working class Karla as her "little secret"—a game which becomes po- ent and dangerous when they make passionate love the night before sum- ner camp ends. American working class writer and i -ditor Janet Zandy defines class as hu- nan relations based on economic dif- erences. This brilliant work reverber- ites with those differences. We never ee Grif's wealthy grandmother who las raised Grif since her parents died. 5ut her wealth and power are reflected n Grif's deference to her and, most : ignificantly, by the fact that we know ■ leep in our bones that Grif would never i -ver dream of introducing her grand- nother to a friend who carries a knife , nd whose father broke her arm during . drunken quarrel. In fact, Grif never nentions her friendship with Karla in ! ter "real life" —a deception painfully xposed in the play's outcome. But we do get to know Danny, Karla's gruff and jaded dad. Played beautifully by Robert Nasmith, Danny s not only ensconced in his armchair vith his remote control and beer bottle tear at hand, he is also enveloped in , nd immobilized by an awful guilt. A tun-lovin' party gal, Karla's mum \ /ould bring men home from the bar .: nd Danny would serve them coffee— .1 gesture of desperation his daughter v./ould later emulate. r \ \\i j§§ *'"':***, \ \^ mk >"'.'■ ',.•-■;'■'■ WKm Kirsten Williamson as Karla and Robert Nasmith as Danny in Karla and Grif, the award-winning play by Vivienne Laxdal that played at the Station Street Arts Centre, Vancouver. Photo by Stephen Mitchell. After his wife deserts them, Danny tells the social workers to get lost, he will take care of his own little girl. Nasmith manages to convey not only Danny's defeat—his body seems permanently moulded into a stooped over position—but also his heroism. After all, he does do his best to love his daughter even though he is oblivious to the effect on her of his incessant, drunken reminiscences about her mother. Kirsten Williamson, who graduated from Studio 58 at Vancouver's Langara College less than two years ago, plays Karla with a vibrant intensity and unshakable focus. She dominates the stage with her nervous energy, a survivor's dynamism charged up with humour and a hint of unacknowledged terror. When she is nine years old, she discovers a pen knife in the basement and pleads with Danny to let her keep it. She carries it with her throughout her adolescence like a shield of defiance and protection tucked away in the pocket of her jeans. Karla uses the knife in the last scene of the play to force the truth out of Grif and the breath out of her captive and totally engaged audience. What can I say about Grif? Here is a character easy to dislike and judge— a central figure handled with a fine professionalism and unflinching credibility by Cindy Block. Grif is a nasty nice girl who seems oblivious to her self-centeredness and demands on Karla. When she seduces Karla after drinking too much, the eroticism between the two young women is both unsettling and satisfying. Finally, finally, after all that flirting and teasing we witness some sexual release. But Grif's behaviour the next morning is unforgivable. She uses her tongue to cut Karla down in a scene almost too intolerable to watch. But when she is left terrified and abused at the end of the play, Grif's humanity is as palpable as the blood on her t-shirt. Vivienne Laxdal is playwright in residence at Montreal's Centaur Theatre, and the writing in Karla and Grif alone justifies this success. Her other work includes Goose Spit, Personal Convictions, and Cyber/Womb, which was published last year in Canadian Theatre Review. In Karla and Grif, she offers her characters both dignity and pathos, and they remind me of the words from the jacket cover of Sri Lankan writer Shyam Selvadurai's book Funny Boy: "time and time again the true longings of the human heart come against the way things are." Homophobia defines the way things are in Karla and Grif "and the way things were at the pre-wed- ding dinner last summer. My partner's aunt gave out name tags to everyone just before we entered the celebration. When I checked mine I saw she had completely and neatly erased my connection to her niece. When we gently protested and tried to explain our distress, my partner's aunt told us to get off our soapboxes. We were expected to keep our relationship invisible. Six months later, I watched Karla hold a weapon against Grif's gross betrayal of their friendship, and the rage she released ameliorated my own. In Karla's final moment of righteous [albeit abusive] indignation—when the creative achievements for Laxdal as a writer and Williamson as an actor are most potent—lesbian passion triumphs. I am able to breath more easily as I return to the warmth of my car on a bitterly cold night thankful for theatre of this calibre and power. Cy-Thea Sand is a Vancouver writer, photographer and teacher. A chapter from her book Magic in a Metaphor was published last summer in the Working Class Studies issue of the Women's Quarterly, edited by Janet Zandy for The Feminist Press in New York. SUBSCRIBE ADUERTISE WRITE PHOTOGRAPH Arts Arts Vancouver's Women in View festival: A variety on View: a Cave, cabarets and comedians by Janet Askin The 1996 Women in View Festival in Vancouver, held from January 25 to 28, featured a range of performers, writers, singers, musicians and dancers. Janet Askin gives Kinesis readers a look at a few of the View performances she took in this year. THE CAVE: THE STORY OF A WOMAN'S JOURNEY Written and performed by Sheryl Simmons Trickster Theatre Company Calgary, Alberta In The Cave, a one-woman performance piece six years in the making, Sheryl Simmons recreates and invites the audience on her long journey to physical /spiritual health after being diagnosed with cervical dysplasi, a precancerous condition. On her one woman journey into the recovery of her soul, Simmons follows the ancient myth of Psyche.Simmons is a modern woman following ancient myths and creating her own mythology towards a pattern on wholeness. Simmons produced an intense, sincere and exciting performance that was powerful and very well crafted, utilizing slides, paint, fire, water, masks, movement, music and shadow play. The set, a cave, was brilliant, enclosed with a black, lightweight tent material, very cocoon like and evocative of a dark, warm, energy filled place. At one end, a half-moon shaped light screen created atmospheres of shadow and light. A bit in front of the screen, towards the other end of the set, live coals and fire made up a hearth. At the far end of the set, a bed with a cubbyhole above held a piece of canvas that could be lowered and raised. Simmons continuously moved from bed to the hearth to behind the screen and everywhere in between. The opening of the play, in which Simmons sang, hummed, and performed a ritual with hot coals and a sage, set the tone of the mythical, healing and spiritual things to come. Using dance and movement, Simmons transformed into a narrative a dream where Marilyn Monroe comes to her as a goddess and says, "I am Goddess. I have breasts, therefore I am." Immediately after the first narrative, with unusually expert skill and timing, Simmons draws our attention to the slide images on the screen. It is somewhat unusual for me to enjoy a mixed media form, but this part of her performance was smooth flowing, with natural and dramatic transitions, and with no slide machine noises. The Cave by Sheryl Simmons was one of the highlights at this year's Women In View Festival. Photo by Chris Christou. At one point in her performance, Simmons dances in her masks and uses alternating lighter fire flames to draw the audience into her story of "a woman who lost and found her way." At another point, naked behind the screen and seeming to squat on light, Simmons further recreates for us the feeling of her teetering on two worlds of destruction—the underworld and her real world. The different masks and personae used by Simmons were as separate from one another as her soul is from her body before her journey towards healing is completed. She explained that she was at a vulnerable time in her life, and therefore was more open to the possibility of a crack in the universe—hence, her new mythology is born. As we witness Simmon's metamorphosis and transformation, the myths of Eros, Psyche and Eve lead us through four initiation tasks Simmons must per form: the sorting of seeds, the gathering of fleece, the descent into the underworld, and the collecting of water—all of which are part of her mythical journey. I love the line, where as Psyche recounts a portion of the Eve myth, she exclaims: "I'm gonna close the book on you Jesus." Like with the Eve myth, The Cave is about Simmons taking ancient myths and re-creating them in her own myths. In one part of Simmons' healing journey, the audience gets a glimpse into the life of a Hollywood diva / twirly red dress-aspiring child, always trying to measure up to the societal beauty myth and the talent exploitation bandwagon. It is empowering to hear another woman's story that says, "I'm not buyingit!," and that encourages women to take their power and shed the garbage, expectations and pressures that are making them sick. EDITH & FRIENDS CABARET Edith Wallace, Hillary Peach, Jennifer Martin and the Ovarian Sisters (Ellie Harvey and Christine Lippa) Edith & Friends, one of Women in View's three cabarets, opened with the extraordinarily talented Vancouver singer /songwriter Edith Wallace belting out an a cappella tune entitled/'Strength of a Woman." As Wallace sang from the refrain— "Have you felt the strength when she's all passion and power and light and the look on her face sings of beauty and grace and you feel your heart melt at the sight," and "She is mother and lover and angel; she's a storm on the sea when she calms, you have felt the strength of a woman as she rocks you in her arms"— I was struck by her passion, beauty and grace. Looking around the hushed and rapt audience, it appeared she had mesmerized many people with the power of her vocals and her lyrics. Wallace's songs do not just try to speak to women because she is a woman; her songs also try to speak to men and to the individual. She sings about the ordinary so that people can see the ordinary in another way, as part of a bigger picture. Another stand out song for me was "Choices," a song about peace in the world—a theme in Wallace's songwriting. She sings, "It's hard for me to see, but there is part of you in me, where there is fire in my anger and my blood runs cold." Before singing the song, Wallace asked people in the audience to look inward and to "see that we all have the power to set that bomb," whether it's through an argument with our partner or our children. Societal change, she said, has to start with being accountable and responsible for our own behaviour. Feelings of aspiration, hope and optimism emanated from Wallace's songs, and she spoke of music as a "healing in your life, and as its own entity, a catalyst for growth." It was a wonderful set by an impassioned, gifted musician. Wallace's melodious musical interlude warmed us up for writer/performer Hillary Peach and her piece, "I want to see you naked"—a piece Peach described (tongue in cheek) as 'uni-media.' It was quite wonderful—a lyrical, poetic, sensory exploration of life, lusts, adventures read with passion, song and a liltingly, hypnotic rhythm. Take this: "Loretta don't tell those boys where we've been the weather over the mountain signifies change you are all as wet as rain." Or how about: "I want to see you naked, not for appetite, but because I am full." Or as Peach delivered in staccato rhythm: "I want to talk about fire. Fire is death, fire is death, fire is hearth, fire is heart, fire is heat, fire is search, fire is virtue, fire is futures of Jennifer Martin. lying beside me, your naked virtue in this earth." Passion and sincerity stood out in the way Peach spoke and delivered her piece. I wanted to hear it all again. The next performer at the cabaret was no stranger to Women in View: comedian Jennifer Martin. Martin tickled the audience's funny bones with all new stand-up material, including some rewritten material from her hit "Mad about Barbie," which she first performed at Women in View in 1994. "Mad about Barbie" follows Martin to the store, Barbies on Georgia, off the escalator and onto the 'little pink, high heeled footsteps that take us right there, right into Barbie heaven.' Upon arriving in the Barbie boutique, Martin immediately has to out-run two four year old girls in party dresses racing towards the only pink and white Barbie jeep in the store. After Martin beats them to it and manages to squeeze herself into the drive- able jeep ("Now this is not a jeep for Barbie and Midge to drive around in. The is a car for a Barbie connoisseur to possess, a precursor for, say, her very own grown-up jeep."), the young girls push her over to the TV section where they teach Martin how to program a VCR until they are called back to the Barbie boutique via the PA system. I don't normally find Barbie or what she stands for hilarious in any way, but the image of Martin, a tallish woman, frantically racing towards the Barbie Jeep and wrapping her legs around various mechanical parts to drive it away was very entertaining. Wrapping up the crescendo-building night were the Ovarian Sisters' (Ellie Harvie and Christine Lippa) fast paced, witty and improvisational performance. Harvie and Lippa regaled the audience with their version of Theatre Sports games. In a particularly amusing vein—an endowment scene game—Harvie left the hall while Lippa collected information from a woman in the audience about her phobia. When Harvie came back, she had to guess the woman's phobia as Lippa—as a hilarious psychiatrist character—tries to 'endow' Harvie with the characteristics of the woman's phobia through a series of subtle hints. Very funny! In another game—'arms expert'—an audience member provides arms for Harvie as she and Lippa improvize dialogue. It was an extremely funny piece. Once again, I was pleased with their programming of a Women in View Cabaret. All in all, a very enjoyable time. SWOLLEN TONGUES a verse play by Kathleen Oliver read with Karen Hines, Veena Sood, Carmen Aguirre, Suzie Payne and Susinn McFarlen Kathleen Oliver's staged reading of her first play Sivollen Tongues took my breath away. A complex, intriguing and witty work, written almost entirely in eight line stanzas with four stress lines (iambic tetrimetre), it is hard to express the genius of her use of humour and verse. Sxoollen Tongues is a work-in- progress. The performance at Women in View was the first public reading of the script. The cast had only one read through prior to the night of the reading, which is amazing in itself. When you consider that it was easy to get happily lost in the land of this 'neo Restoration Comedy'— as Sivollen Tongues is introduced by Women In View's Kathleen Weiss—you can hardly imagine it being much more brilliant. A comedy of 'manners,' Oliver borrows conventions from the time and place of Restoration Comedy without being too literal about historical accuracy. The play opens with Thomas (Veena Sood) struggling to write testaments of love as his sister Catherine (Karen Hines) delivers scathing asides to the audience, criticizing his lack of prowess. Through a miscarriage of justice during their childhood, Thomas was lauded as a poet by his mother for a poem that Catherine wrote, and was chastised by his mother for trying to tell the truth. After their mother dies, they go to live with their Edith Wallace. irents, Lord and Lady Bountiful (Susinn McFarlen and Suzie Payne). Thomas is encouraged to write, while Catherine is praised for being his secretary. Thomas tries to woo his love, Sonya (Carmen Aguirre), who secretly loves Catherine. While Catherine and Sonya cook up a scheme of revenge against the un-knowing Thomas, Lord Bountiful secretly yearns for Thomas. In an aside, Lord Bountiful laments: "Always the understanding one, that's me. Oh, Thomas dear, if you could only seen how well I understand you to your core! For, as I loved your mother, I adore the echo of her that I find in you. And though loving a man has been taboo among the company I've always kept, I fear that my affection has now crept much closer to the place that we call passion. Oh, I will not express it, no: I'll ration the little slices of my fantasy in which I fancy he is wooing me. Let me just listen now, and while he woos, I'll put myself in lucky Sonya's shoes." As the Catherine and Sonya plot escalates, they eventually make their escape to Lesbania. The clash of lies, secrets, silence and revenge heats up in Lesbania, with Thomas following Catherine and Sonya, and Lord and Lady Bountiful showing up. When a letter from Catherine and Thomas' deceased mother is found, all the mysteries of Swollen Tongues come to light. The difficult form of verse Oliver used to write Swollen Tongues doesn't prove to be a deterrent to being able to follow the action. Swollen Tongues is a twisty, turny, exciting piece of writing. Janet Askin likes to see shows. Christine Lippa and Ellie Harvie of The Ovarian Sisters. MARCH 1996 MARCH 1996 Letters Qu'ran egalitarian to women—Not! Kinesis, I am writing in response to an article published in Kinesis' December-January 1996 issue. This article was a transcription of a talk given by Riffat Hassan in Huairou, China [at a plenary at the NGO Women's Forum] regarding the "Rise of Conservatism." There are a number of misleading facts given by Hassan regarding theQu'ran's view towards women. She believes that the Qu'ran, contrary to the Bible, is egalitarian towards women on the issue of the origin of women, that is, in the Qu'ranic version, woman was not created from man's rib. She also claimed on several other occasions that the Qu'ran is egalitarian towards women without giving any other examples. I have studied the Qu'ran since I was a child. I have a quotation from the Qu'ran Surah An-nisa (the verse on woman). The Surah (verse) is specifically on the rights of women under Islam. In part 34 it says: "Men are in charge of women because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them." This is only one example of the so called "egalitarian" attitude of the Qu'ran towards women. There are many other parts in the Qu'ran that have a similar attitude towards women. None were mentioned by Hassan. Hassan is against secularism. She is very open about it. She believes that there should be a version of the Qu'ran that fits every woman in the so-called Muslim countries. I was born and raised in a so-called Muslim country. As a teenager I decided that no religion is logical and became an atheist. However, when I entered university, I had to fill out a form to declare what religion I belonged to. I was wise and smart enough to write down Muslim. I knew that declaring my true belief, which was atheism, would expose me to severe harassment because I lived in a country that severely limited the rights of individuals to freedom of thought and expression. Hassan claims that 95 percent of the women in so-called Muslim countries are believers, and that you can only talk to them through the verses of the Qu'ran and Islam. We should doubt her statistics. Her statistics are taken by force. To me, she is a liar and her statistics are covered with blood and oppression. I had a younger sister whose blood is on those statistics and the speech of Hassan. I read Kinesis seeing my sister's blood on every page of Hassan's speech. My sister was a human rights activist, an atheist, who was arrested by the Islamic government of Iran in June 1981. She was executed two months later. Her name along with the names of 200 other political prisoners was published in official papers. Her charge was "blasphemy and acting against the government of God." How would any sane human being feel after all the atrocities committed by all the religious and dogmatic governments throughout the world? And then Kinesis gives so much coverage to a woman like Hassan who already has a platform in Huairou to defend "Liberation Within Islam." Hassan is not talking about personal liberation within religion. If she wants to believe in the Qu'ran and the "egalitarian" attitude of the Qu'ran towards women it is her right to do so. Of course, I feel sorry for her. But that is what she wants. Unfortunately, her argument is very dangerous and not at all about the freedom to practice a religion or not. She is trying to say that all the arguments about the importance of separation of state and religion are misunderstandings as far as her religion is concerned. She has the right to teach Islamic theology in USA. But we know that the same right does not exist in Iran and any other country with a religious state. Last year, two prominent Christian priests were murdered in Tehran by the agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran for preaching their religion. After reading Hassan's article, I was moved to write on the important issue of freedom of thought and speech. It is needed here in Canada and it is needed in every other place in the world. Please do not intimidate me with bloody statistics that 60 percent of the society in Canada is Christian so I should live with Christian values. And don't intimidate me with the statistics that say 95 percent of the people in the Middle East are Muslims and hence the Islamic laws are suitable. These laws killed my sister and tens of thousands of other political prisoners. There was a mention on "diversity" following Hassan's speech [during the discussion from the floor]. Some women in Huarou were quite confused on the issue of "diversity". You cannot silence people and kill them and then talk about diversity. Hassan's strategy of "being-in- the-middle-of-the-road" in my opinion supports the status quo which is killing people who have alternative views. There is no room for diversity when you silence and kill people for their ideas. We can only talk about diversity and tolerance when one side is not violently imposing its views on the others, even if those "others" are a small minority. I was appalled at reading Hassan's article. And I felt very upset that it was echoed in a feminist paper like Kinesis. People like Hassan have enough venues in which to preach and justify crimes against humanity. Let Kinesis not be one of them. Mina Mojdeh Vancouver, BC Kinesis Editorial Board responds: We take your comments in good faith and appreciate you pointing out some of the contradictions in Hassan's position. As mentioned in the diary and preface to Hassan's speech, we chose to run Hassan's speech as it was the most controversial one made at the plenaries at the NGO Forum. Happy IWD! from Co-op Radio cfRO 102.7rm Where women have a voice Monday, 8:00 - 9:00pm: WomenVisions For women about women by women. Health, politics, law, spirituality, arts sexuality and alternative ideologies. Tuesday, 7:00 - 8:00pm: OBAA By women of colour for women of colour. Local community groups and events, interviews and music not heard in the mainstream. Thursday, 8:00 - 9:00pm: The Lesbian Show Friday, 8:00-10:00pm: Rubymusic 12 years on the air, Rubymusic features the best in music by women-old, new, lost and found. For a free listener's guide call 684-8494 Monday to Thursday, 10am - 6pm 1 biiniJkiJnig albotui£ "writing lor IrVinesus i © 1 Iniere s a cleaaliine. (§) IDoii it ns IrViinesiSooo © •255-5499 New titles from Womens Press + \r viyBicv MY BICYCLE TRIP Monna L. Dingman On a hundred-mile bike trip, Drew Collins leaves everything that hurts behind in a spray of dirt from a back tire. Amid the quiet laps of waves, a cool ocean mist, and freshly rolled reefers, Drew meets Kate in the orange light of a beach party campfire and unleashes a sweltering romance. But with her bike parked against the side of her best friend Shelly's bungalow, the dust settles on the path she blazed not long before, and toking her brain cells just isn't enough. Drew takes to her bike again, riding for crisp air, for the morning sun, and, when she rides hard and fast and long, for the pain in her legs that hurts more than her heart — until one night, stealing away under a dark sky, she goes too far. $11.95 US/$13.95 CAN Release: Spring 1996 ICED ^ \(*0U \ Judith Alguire vmm.. ■jj^re i Women hockey players go pro in a league of their own! Iced is a fast-paced action romance with all the highs and lows of sports for profit. The story belongs to Alison Gutherie, forty-plus dyke and coach of the Toronto Teddies. She shepherds her teams through the league's first regular season while carrying on a sparky off-ice flirtation with Hamilton Hurricanes gorgeous coach Val Warnica and lusting after speed skater Molly Gavison. But the heart of the book is in the play of the game. A must-read for hockey fans, girl-jocks and anyone with an interest in the power of women's bodies at their best. $12.95 pb IN HER NATURE Karen X. Tulchinsky Desire, love, hot sex, cool sex, relationships, grieving, surviving, thriving as a Jewish dyke — it's all here in this rich and warm debut collection of short stories. From the flirtatious adventures of lonely Bobby Silverstein to the in yer face politics of Kayla Rosenbaum this collection beats with the heat-seeking energy of women who grab life by the gut and live it to the max. $12.95 US/$14.95 CAN Bulletin Board read t h i sU INVOLVEMENT I INVOLVEMENT EVENTS Bulletin Board listings have a maximum of 50 words. Groups, organizations and individuals eligible for free space in the Bulletin Board must be, or have, non-profit objectives. Other free notices will be items of general public interest and will appear at the discretion of Kinesis. Classifieds are $8 (+$0.56 GST) for the first 50 words or portion thereof, $4 (+$0.28 GST) for each additional 25 words or portion thereof and must be prepaid. Deadline for all submissions is the 18th of the month preceding publication. Note: Kinesis is published ten times a year. Jul/Aug and Dec/Jan are double issues. All submissions should include a contact name and telephone number for any clarification that may be required. Listings will not be accepted over the telephone. Kinesis encourages readers to research the goods and services advertised in Bulletin Board. Kinesis cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided or the safety and effectiveness of the services and products listed. Send submissions to Bulletin Board, Kinesis, #301-1720 Grant Street, Vancouver, BC, V5L 2Y6, or fax: (604) 255-5511. For more information call [604) 255-5499. WANNA GET INVOLVED? With Kinesis? We want to get involved with you too. Help plan our next issue. All women interested in what goes into Kinesis—whether it's news, features or arts—are invited to our next Story Meetings: Mon Mar 4 and Mon Apr 1 at 7 pm at our office, 301-1720 Grant St, Vancouver. If you can't make the meeting, but still want to find out about writing for Kinesis, give Agnes a call at (604) 255-5499. No experience is necessary. Childcare subsidies available. CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS Are you interested in finding out how Kinesis is put together? Well...just drop by during our next production dates and help us design and lay out Canada's national feminist newspaper. Production for the April 1996 issue is from Mar 20-26. No experience is nesessary. Training and support will be provided. If this notice intrigues you, call us at 255-5499. Childcare subsidies available. ABORIGINAL WOMEN'S NETWORK The Aboriginal Women's Action Network (AWAN) holds regular monthly meetings at VSW, 301-1720 Grant St, Vancouver. We work towards equality and justice for Aboriginal women. Workshops and projects will be developed for Aboriginal women in the Eastside. All Aboriginal women are invited to participate. The next meeting is Mon Mar 4 at 6pm. Fingerfood potluck style. On Mon Apr 22, a meeting with Sunera Thobani, president of NAC, is scheduled. The topic will be "Involvement of Aboriginal women at the national level." If you have any questions, please call Terri at 255-5511. It's Our 2nd 15% Off Everything In The Store April 9th - Nth 0 wa <% Mil J 2S Games, Puzzles & Classic Kids tuff It's All Fun & Games 1417 Commercial Drive 253-6727 ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING The Vancouver Status of Women's Assert- iveness Training Program will be starting soon. If you would like to volunteer or participate, please call Terri at (604) 255-5511. VSW PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE All women are invited to join Vancouver Status of Women's programming committee and become involved in planning community activities, such as the Women's Film Series and Single Moms Day in the Park. It's fun. It's important. It's cool. Interested? Call Terri at 255-5511. ABORIGINAL WOMEN'S DROP-IN The Aboriginal Women's Action Network (AWAN) will be holding a drop-in for Aboriginal women even/ Tues from 12-2:30 pm at the Vancouver Status of Women, 301-1720 Grant St. Activities such as healing circles, traditional storytelling and workshops will be featured. The grand opening potluck will be held on Tues Mar 5. Come and find out what AWAN is all about. For more info call Terri at 255-5511. FUN WITH FINANCE VSW's Finance and Fundraising Committee needs new members! We meet once a month on a Monday evening to coordinate fundraising events, keep an eye on money matters, and make sure VSW and Kinesis are in the good books. Attend our next meeting—call us at 255-5511. Childcare subsidies available. VSW WANTS YOU! Want to get more involved but not sure where to begin? Join us—become a volunteer at Vancouver Status of Women. VSW volunteers plan events, lead groups, raise funds, answer the phone lines, organize the library, help connect women with the community resources they need, and get involved in other exciting jobs! The next volunteer orientation will be on Wed Mar 20, 7pm at VSW, 301-1720 Grant St. For more info, call 255- 5511. Childcare subsidies available. i Urt ii \ in jfi mnf •* Coming Out ••» Grief and Loss Emma Tigerheart M.S.W. Lfj M ^JnkT * Relationship Issues MJu w * Childhood Trauma COUNSELLING THERAPY ^ffj/HSy? Ii '• Family Issues Sliding Scale Fees CONSULTATION Call Inquiries 327-4437 Welcome Vancouver, bc •r^te! A^ *V!i^ a Positive Women's Network provides support and advocacy for women living with HIV & AIDS • one to one outreach/advocacy • drop in centre • referrals to doctors • support for family and care providers • magazine and monthly newsletter • drop in events • treatment information • home visits • counselling If you are a woman living with HIV, you are not alone. Contact us for more information: 1107 Seymour Street, Vancouver 681-2122, local 200 !Ba*£arajCe!Bi cAffoJUL BooUtt/Ung Swim 3ox SmJtBu*ins*scs &