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Kinesis
Vol. VII, no. 1
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<r SOCIAL COLLECTIONS Vancouver Status of Women 2029 W 4th Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V6J1N3 CONTENTS JUDGE BEWLEY thinks women "don't get much brains before they're 30". BCFW responds with a petition demanding his dismissal 1 BIMINI STRIKE continues . . . : 1 INQUIRY INTO CONDITIONS AT OAKALLA'S WOMEN'S UNIT must be made public 1 HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES 2 UPDATES on GATE, Transition House, Socred Women 3 WAR ACTIONS - nationally 4 WAR ACTIONS - provincially 5 BILL 69 AGAIN - it's NOT working towards full community property 6 INTERNATIONAL NEWS 7, 8 CENTRE FEATURE ON NORTHERN WOMEN'S TASK FORCE BOOKS 13 EVALUATIONS OF WAR ACTION 14, 15, 16 EVENTS 18 ANNOUNCEMENTS, ADS, LETTERS 19 Have a happy Christmas! KING5I5 D€C€MD€R 77 Vol 7 no1 i Vancouver Status of Women V Joyce Weiland's 3 dimensional quilt, "Barren Ground Caribou". Destined tor the Kendall Street stop of the Spadina subway. Kinesis means change so. pagel Feminists Petition For Dismissal CONTEMPT IN THE COURTS by Gayla Reid Provincial Court Judge Les Bewley is at it again. "Women don't get much brains before they're 30", he said in a September 2 ruling. This time, he may not get away with it. In the ruling, Bewley described two female witnesses as "a bunch of clucking females", "silly, stupid girls", "nubile females" who were "no angels either". The case concerns a man who kicked down the door to his ex- girlfriend's home and dragged her at knifepoint into her bedroom. "No big deal," says the judge. "It isn't as if ... he threatened a policeman or something. He's demonstrating his manhood to a little girl." It now looks as if the Judicial Council, governing body for the provincial court judges in B.C., may launch a judicial inquiry The council has the power to recommend that Bewley be removed from the bench. Chief Justice Lawrence Brahan confirmed his intentions of going ahead with the inquiry in a letter written November 4 to the B.C. Federation of Women (BCFW), which demands Bewley's dismissal. "Under the Provincial Court Act," Brahan wrote, "I shall commence an investigation." Bryan Williams, President of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association is reportedly "delighted" with Brahan's decision. If Brahan backs down now, he's going to have to do some fast talking. Spokesperson for the BCFW, Lorri Rudland, explained that group's decision to call for Judge Bewley's dismissal. "His highly publicized remarks express a bias against women which calls into question his ability to adjudicate in an impartial and objective manner. Assaults against women are justified as demoristrations of manhood and women as a group are found to be deficient in intelligence." Bewley's supporters find him a barrel of laughs. He's a town character, our very own Judge Begbie (the 'hanging' judge), runs the editorial defense in the Sun. What manner of man is Les Bewley? First, Bewley indicates no understanding of the class nature of law. This, despite his own working class background: his mother scrubbed floors, his father was a blacksmith, he dropped out of school and worked on an . assembly line before taking night school courses. In Bewley's analysis, the poor break the law more often than the rich because "there are more genetically disabled and more economically disadvantaged and more stupid people among the poor." He has assimilated the ruling class version of his own background. Once Bewley told a pregnant welfare recipient, charged with assaulting her caseworker because of frustration over welfare red-tape, that she should look in the garbage can if she wanted something to eat. Referring to the fact that the woman lived common-law, Bewley said, "Nobody asked her to go to bed with a man. It may be good enough for the barnyard, although animals have more dignity." to page 2 PETITION FOR BEWLEY'S DISMISSAL B i ^ I M I N ■Br I pEspm \__ Uf ^___\'s-- ~ ___ BRr j "* Kffcl W^Mi __&*_____ 1W3? |] mm t J«< ■lUr m s T R I K E BIMINI STRIKE BIMINI STRIKE Margot Holmes, striking Bimini worker, speaks at the rally. BIMINI STRIKE BIMINI STRIKE On Saturday, November 19, the strikers and their union SORWUC held a rally to spread the word about the strike. Union members and supporters marched from 6th & Burrard to the Indian Centre on Vine Street. The rally was full of good energy and picketers were signed up for the weeks ahead. Margot Holmes, SORWUC member and striking Bimini worker, stressed that the strike is a union issue, a waitress issue, a human rights issue and a customer issue. "There will always be waitresses," she pointed out. "It does not follow from this that waitresses will always work under poor conditions: without respect and at manage ment's mercy. Conditions will change because waitresses are struggling for those changes. A union contract and a union shop will allow waitresses to stand up together to gain job stability and respect." She also pointed out that customers cannot be neutral. 85% - 95% of customers are respecting the picket line. Pat Barter of SORWUC and Melody Rudd of AUCE also spoke in support of the strike. Sue Moore of Vancouver Status of Women explained that we see the strike as a vital issue. "Women spend an average of 34 years in the labour force," she explained. "The only way we are going to make those 34 years tolerable is by unionizing with a democratic union like SORWUC." to page 3 -OAKALLA INQUIRY MUST BE PUBLIC - B.C. Attorney General Garde Gardom announced November 16 that a joint RCMP- Corrections Department inquiry had been launched into allegations of abuse of female prisoners by male guards at Oakalla. The substance, not the details, of the report will be made public, Gardom said. "This investigation must be completely public," commented Claire Culhane of the Prisoners' Rights Groups. "At present the inquiry is composed of an RCMP officer and two representatives ' from the Attorney General's department. They are investigating themselves. There are no women involved in the inquiry, and not a single representative of a citizens' or community group." Culhane also pointed out that prison conditions hit the headlines for a few days. When the issue has fallen from the news, those conditions continue. It is known that there are women in Oakalla who are in need of urgent medical attention and who are not receiving it. It is also known that women prisoners spend more than the legal 15 days in solitary. "The problems of sexual offenses against female prisoners are nothing new," said Lorri Rudland, spokesperson for the B.C. Federation of Women. The Federation has called upon Gardom to make the inquiry into conditions at Oakalla women's prison public. B.C. Federation of Women demands that male guards be removed from the day-today living areas of the institutions where contact with women prisoners would be an infringement of the prisoners' basic rights to privacy. They have also demanded that women prisoners always be accompanied by a female guard when it is necessary for them to be moved outside the prison system. HUMAN RIGHTS page,! WARNING TO GAY PEOPLE ON BILL C-24 The new federal bill amending the Immigration Act, Bill C-24, contains a clause which ends discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against persons visiting or immigrating to Canada. This is a positive step. But it would be a mistake to support the bill because of this clause. With the passage of the bill, there is greater scope than ever before for racial discrimination and political harassment. All non-citizens, for example, who support the overthrow of dictatorships such as the Chilean Junta or the Smith regime in Rhodesia are subject to immediate action by the Special Advisory Board. This Board will have vast, arbitrary powers and it will not be subject to appeal or review. See Sections 6(1), 8(1), 9(4), 11(2), 12(3), 14(1,2,3), 19(1,3), 10(1) and 27(3) for specifics of this Act. While gay people may now be granted entry into Canada regardless of sexual orientation, it is still possible to be denied entry on the grounds of race or political orientation. DO NOT SUPPORT BILL C-24! MALE WORK DOMAIN CHALLENGED Billie Lee Linton worked as a packer at Nabob Foods in Vancouver from April 1973 to March 1976. All packers at Nabob Foods are women. In March 1976, Ms. Linton bid for a job as an order-selector in the warehouse and was awarded the position on the basis of seniority. Ms. Linton is the second woman in the plant to work as an order-selector in the warehouse. All other order-selectors are Ms. Linton worked 19 days as an order- selector and was demoted. Ms. Linton alleged in making her complaint to the Human Rights Branch that her demotion was the result of sex discrimination. Nabob Foods denies that Ms. Linton was discriminated against and maintains Ms. Linton was demoted for poor performance. Ms. Linton's transfer from packer to order- selector was a move from a traditionally female work area to a traditional male work At the Board of Inquiry, held in June and July 1977, evidence showed that the employer (Nabob Foods), the union (Canadian Allied Manufacturers Wholesale and Retail Union), and the Workers' Compensation Board had entered into an agreement which indicated that certain duties in the warehouse were considered too physically strenuous for women to perform. One of these designated duties was one of the job functions of order-selector, the position in which Ms. Linton was working at the time. The questions raised by this complaint are: 1. Can an employer, with the agreement of a union and the Workers' Compensation Board, treat all women as a group without individual assessment of their physical abilities? 2. Did Ms. Linton receive training and evaluation in a traditionally male job that was untainted by discriminatory attitudes? The Human Rights Branch is expecting a decision on this case any day now. Watch for an update in next month's Kinesis. HUMAN RIGHTS DAY WHAT DO WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE? The Human Rights Act The Human Rights Act (Canada) received Royal Assent on July 14, 1977 and plans to be in some kind of action by January 1, 1978. Gordon Fairweather was appointed Chief Commissioner and Rita Cadieux as Deputy Chief Commissioner. Inger Hansen, a lawyer (and previously ombudsperson for inmates of federal penitentiaries) is the privacy commissioner. In an interview, Mr. Fairweather stated that the guidelines for "equal pay for work of equal value had been established", but could not yet be released as the other members of the Commission (four part-time commissioners) had yet to be appointed. EEOC At City Hall The Equal Employment Opportunities Program was finally approved at City Hall. A smaller version of what was planned, but a start. Extensive advertising by the City in major conservative newspapers across the country resulted in a flood of applicants ... the short list is down to three women and five men. december 10 human rights day big deal! * sbtnvo Sophie Rivera, LNS Theoretically, things should be getting better ... the reality is that the wage gap continues to increase and higher percentages of women are found in jobs traditionally held by women and traditionally lower paying. This year saw the Human Rights Commission of B.C. go out on a long limb to support GATE's appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. They are doing this in order to try to save the concept of "reaonsable cause", which was effectivelv curtailed by a B.C. Supreme Court decision. "Reasonable cause" is the one concept which made B.C. human rights' legislation distinctly better than that in other provinces. VSW members have been invited to participate in a meeting to review our organization's achievements this past year and to draw attention to what we consider to be the abuse or denial of human rights here in British Columbia, in Canada, or anywhere in the world. The meeting will convene at 7:30 pm at Langara College Auditorium on Friday, December 9. Any member wishing to participate in that meeting should contact us at 736-3746, or the Human Rights Council at 731-4647. This could be us, if we more on BEWLEY . . Indeed, Bewley has all the hallmarks of an old-time patriarch. Justice is his, and his alone, to dispense, and he resents the police when they usurp his authority. His merciful sentencing, likewise, is the strong father's prerogative. Les Bewley has been getting away with sexism for a long time. As a judge with the provincial court, he rules on a host of criminal cases without a jury. He is, moreover, protected from critics by judicial power to charge them with contempt. Response to his latest outburst has been significant. The conservative columnists of both Vancouver dailies defend him with their usual dismal rhetoric. But the Sun, in particular, has been deluged with letters to the editor demanding Bewley's dismissal. PETITION The B.C. Federation of Women has drawn up a petition which it is circulating throughout the province. It reads: We, the undersigned, request that Judge Bewley be relieved of his office of Provincial Court Judge. Judge Bewley's highly publicized derogatory remarks against women reflect a bias which renders him incapable of adjudicating in the impartial and objective manner that ALL residents of this province have a right to respect. If you agree with the petition's demands, drop by VSW and sign it. We will send you a copy of the petition if you call us (736-3746), or write VSW, 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver. page 3 SORWUC STRIKE CRISIS AT TRANSITION HOUSE When is a union not a union? When it's got lots of women in it, and when it's organizing in territory you regard as your own. Thus runs the thinking of local 40 of the Hotel, Restaurant and Bartenders' Union. The employees at Bimini's neighbourhood pub on West 4th Avenue have certification with SORWUC (Service, Office and Retail Workers Union of Canada). SORWUC is a small independent union dedicated to organizing the unorganized, predominantly women. The workers at Bimini's have been on strike since October 20, 1977. The employer has so far been unwilling to agree to even a basic union contract. The Hotel, Restaurant and Bartenders' Union don't think SORWUC is a real union, and therefore do not respect the picket line. They have gone behind the picket line at the pub to sign up the scabs. John Phillips, the local's Vice-President, says he regards SORWUC not as a trade union but as a women's liberation organization. He visited the SORWUC office and threatened that if SORWUC did not get out of "his" jurisdiction, his union would destroy SORWUC. On November 25, SORWUC put up an information picket in front of local 40's office. "If local 40 is so concerned with the rights and problems of working women and men within the jurisdiction it so jealously claims as its 'private' territory, why don't they get on with organizing them?" commented SORWUC. "There are thousands of unorganized hotel and restaurant employees in B.C. alone, so why are they spending the dues of their members to destroy a union they say does not exist?" Union response to the action of the bartenders' union has been strong. Jack Munro, regional president of the International Woodworkers of B.C., told Jan O'Brien of The Province: "The lowest form of humanity that exists is a scab, and how any so- called respectable trade union can go and even talk to them, never mind sign them up, is a complete and total disgrace." SORWUC has called upon the bartenders' union to withdraw its application to represent employees at Bimini's immediately. UPDATE After meeting with the B.C. Federation of Labour, the Bartenders Union backed down. They have now withdrawn their application for certification. Negotiations between Bimini workers and management continue. The pleasure of your company on the picket line is still requested! Auniancard i$ the be£t prdcCtiori against •rctertion. ptfotUMLIBERATION NEWSSERVICE. The Issues The workers at Bimini's went out on strike because the employer was unwilling to agree to even a basic union contract. Here's his position: — vacations: only what the law allows — seniority: combined with 'merit' — sick leave: none! — scheduling: entirely up to management — union security: No! non-negotiable — promotions and training: the employer will choose on merit — wages: last offer for waitresses: $3.00 Trainee, $3.25 Probation, $3.50 Permanent Here's some of the contract proposals that are important to the Bimini workers: 1. Union shop, ie. after being hired at Bimini's, a new employee joins the union. (The tactic of the employer has been to keep the staff divided with promises for some and discrimination against others. If we are to work as a team again, the union cannot be used to separate us.) 2. One (1) day paid sick leave per month, ie. 12 per year. 3. Three (3) weeks vacation after 12 months service. 4. Leave of absence without pay for personal reasons. If extended leave is required (more than two months), the employee is placed on the recall list if her/his position is not available. 5. Say in scheduling — loss of hours and changes of shifts are sometimes used as a disciplinary measure. 6. We are asking for $6.00 to $7.50 per hour for all job categories other than waitress. This includes categories already being paid these wages and those who do not make tips. For waitresses we are proposing $5.10 to start and $5.60 per hour after four months. GAY The Gay Alliance Towards Equality (GATE) made application to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada on Monday November 21. High court acceptance had been considered likely, due to the fact that the judgement against GATE at the B.C. Court of Appeal had had one judge dissenting from the majority opinion. The case concerns a complaint which GATE had laid under the B.C. Human Rights Code against the Vancouver Sun, which had refused to run an ad advertising Gay Tide, GATE's newspaper. RIGHTS decision due The B.C. Human Rights Commission ordered an inquiry, which declared that the Sun must accept the ad. The Sun appealed that decision to the B.C. Supreme Court, and lost. However, their subsequent appeal, to the B.C. Court of Appeal, ruled in favour of the Sun. At that judgement, Justice A.E. Brance claimed that although the Sun had been biased, the bias was reasonable, because honestly entertained. VSW received the following information from Transition House: Since the passage of Bill 65, abolishing the Vancouver Resources Board, we, the Transition House staff, have been awaiting some official notification from the Ministry of Human Resources, as to our status under the new system. This notice could be directed either to ourselves or to our union, SORWUC. Almost all other VRB employees have been accorded this notice — through the Joint Council of the VRB unions. We are not, however, part of that joint council. We have been doing our utmost to force the issue: through submissions to the Labour Relations Board and discussions with the B.C. Government Employees Union (which will be absorbing the VRB employees). But no one seems willing or able to tell us where we stand. Meanwhile, rumours abound that the government would prefer that Transition House become incorporated as a non-profit society. At Transition House we absolutely oppose such a move. When the VRB came into existence, they also tried to get us to make that move, but we felt it was very important for Transition House to become an integral part of the social services delivery system. When the LRB certified SORWUC as the union to represent us, the VRB finally came round. There is no doubt that Transition House has proven one of the VRB's most valuable resources: a refuge for women in crisis, particularly battered wives. If we cannot continue within the system (as we did while the VRB existed), then it undoubtedly means that we will be at the mercy of obtaining community grants. If we are to be judged by how the other transition houses in B.C. operate, we would have a serious cutback in staff. We would not be able to staff the house around the clock as we do at present. We see this as a grave danger to the security and safety we presently offer our residents. We need to be on the spot for intake. We cannot predict the times when the need for our facility arises. Women come to Transition House at all hours of the day and night. Write to Mr. Vander Zalm, Minister of Human Resources, with copies to Premier Bennett, and Rosemary Brown, opposition critic for Human Resources. Demand clarification of our status and urge for the continuance of Transition House within the ministry. Vander Zalm now talks about a new program of prevention for family violence: workers right in the house of troubled families. We all know that troubled families don't always seek help until the breaking point — and in most cases, would object to having someone work with them in the home as an invasion of their privacy. WRITE TODAY VANDER ZALM PIED A woman from the Anarchist Party of Canada (Groucho Marxist) shovelled Human Resources Minister Vander Zalm a banana cream pie at the annual Socred Convention recently. Right in the face. The party took action on behalf of all those whom Vander Zalm treats rottenly: welfare recipients, single mothers, mental patients, the handicapped, native people and Quebec. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN A NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST Women and men marched, talked and listened in major cities across Canada Saturday, November 5th as part of a national day of protest opposing violence against women. The marches, demonstrations and workshops — held in cities including Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon and Edmonton — protested the growing incidence of rape, both in the streets and in the home, battering, sexual harassment of women on the job, and the media portrayal of women as victims. Among the themes which emerged from the national day of protest were: — Rape is less an attempt to gain sexual gratification than a way of asserting power,.*©f dominating and humiliating the victim. — Rape should be re-defined in the Criminal Code, possibly as assault rather than sexual violation, so convictions could be gained more easily. — Women should learn the physical and psychological skills of self-defense. — Women, rather than politicians, police and social service agencies, are going to ultimately have to erase the existing stereotypes of men and women that are largely responsible for violence against women. TORONTO The State Is The Biggest Rapist Of Them All Women Against Rape and Wages for Housework in Toronto decided to hold an anti- rape event on November 4th, to kick off the activities planned by other groups for the following day, and to take advantage of a weekday crowd by creating a "honk-in" against rape, attended by 200 people. The "honk-in" was preceded by a booming introduction by comedienne Lorna Bosch- man, and a skit involving a narrator, a tap- dancer who played "women" (Suzie Q in particular), and a mustachioed woman who represented various men, ending with a cameo performance as government and business. This street play follows Suzie Q through her careers as single-woman-typist- with-life long-dream-to-dance, full-time- housewife, waitress, and hooker. It shows the vulnerability and powerlessness that her poverty puts her in. Each man she encounters — her husband, boss, customer, pimp and John — becomes a rapist because of her dependence on him for room or rent. In the end, Suzie Q and Women Against Rape triumph when they overpower Mr. Government and Business, who is busy counting his (our) money. They take the money and then they can dance ... really dance! The suggestion of rape in marriage became the theme of the day when Judy Ramirez of the Toronto Wages for Housework Campaign and Women Against Rape alarmed audience and reporters alike with her statement that "Rape, like charity, begins at home." She said that when local Police Chief Adamson advised women against letting strangers into our homes, he hadn't mentioned fathers, brothers, husbands and 'friends' — the familiar rapists, more common than the back-alley attacker. She made it clear that the State is the biggest rapist of them all, because if we women were paid our wages due, "we would be in a much stronger position to resist the rapist in the home and on the streets, who thinks he is entitled to our bodies." Baba Yaga, left (dressed as a man), and Ellen Agger in an anti-rccpe skit, RAPE IN TEE NAME OF LOVE. Toronto Wages for Housework group presented the skit on the corner of Yonge and Wellesley during lunch-hour, November 4th. While men's eyebrows were still raised and women were still nodding, Betty Burcher, a participant in the London Tribunal, took the megaphone to tell of the tremendous excitement women in England had felt in "coming out" against rape in all its forms. Then the signs reading "Honk to Protest Rape" were raised and paraded around the busy Yonge Street intersection, causing slight havoc and a loud finale! Snuff Out Snuff On November 5th, about 200 people attended daytime seminars at a community centre and later marched downtown. The march was capped by about 20 women rushing into and closing a downtown theatre which was showing Snuff, an American film showing rape, torture and mutilation. Snuff films, which have been becoming increasingly widespread, involve filming women, frequently kidnapped Mexican women, being raped, tortured and then killed. About 200 people stood outside the theatre during the spontaneous rush inside. Onlookers jostled with city police as 10 police cars and a paddy wagon stood by. However, the theatre was open for business again the following day. OTTAWA In Ottawa, about 100 women and a handful of men marched through the centre of the capital, carrying placards and chanting "Stop violence against women". A spokesperson said the purpose of the march was to let victims of violence know that others are concerned about the way they are being treated. Volunteers from the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre said physical and verbal abuse of women in the city's downtown area have increased dramatically in recent months. Helen Levine, a representative from a local halfway house for battered women, said it's difficult for women to know when to fight back because "we are taught to be docile, submissive and dependent." She added that although most women never suffer phyical abuse, most women are battered one way or another — financially, occupationally or psychologically. SASKATOON. Saskatoon City Council, at a meeting held October 24, joined with other city councils across Canada in declaring November 5 as an official Day of Action Against Rape. The motion was introduced in response to a letter signed by various community and provincial groups, including Saskatoon Women's Liberation, U.S.S.U. Women's Directorate, Saskatchewan Federation of Labour, and Planned Parenthood of Saskatoon. About 200 people attended a seminar in which speakers termed rape "just the tip of the iceberg of sexism." Saskatoon feminist Wessia Kolasinska said rape is a way to humiliate and control the victim. "Rape should be treated as a political act. It is a part of the patriarchal system, an act by which men ensure that women are kept down and are too ashamed to talk about it." She added, "We are taught that men are our protectors: the man takes you out, pays for your meals, opens the door, protects you from other men. Then he can take you home and rape you. Yes, men are our 'protectors', but who is protecting us from our protectors?" REGINA In Regina, about 50 people gathered at the city's public library to hear about what legal recourse is available for rape victims, preventive measures, reasons why rape occurs and personal accounts of how devastating rape can be for a woman. Speaker Pat Cavanaugh said rape exists because of sex role stereotyping. "Where men are trained to take what they want sexually and women are taught to be coy and not honest about their sexuality, rape results,' she said, calling for elimination of stereotypes, legal changes and destruction of myths about rape. "Women need to support each other and help realize it is not we who are at fault but inhuman sex role stereotyping," she said. EDMONTON In Edmonton, about 75 people attended a panel discussion in which speakers called for change in the restrictive definition of rape now in the Criminal Code. They pointed out that under existing law, a man cannot technically rape his wife, even if they are separated. Some speakers suggested that maximum sentences for rape should be reduced, to facilitate convictions, that a woman's previous sexual background not be admissible as evidence in rape cases and that the legal definition of rape be enlarged to include other sexual violations. Other speakers urged women to learn self-defense but to be wary of using weapons which could be turned against them by the assailant CUP page 5 WOMEN AGAINST RAPE - B.C. ACTIONS How did this national day of protest come about? _ , Gayla Reid Throughout the country on November 5, ad hoc groups calling themselves Women Against Rape voiced their anger against the horrendous oppression of rape. This whole day of national protest developed from the Nanaimo Women Against Rape. With the endorsement of the British Columbia Federation of Women, they called for anti-rape actions on November 5 throughout B.C. Other women's groups in Canada took up that energy. The fact that B.C. women made something that powerful happen is a proud and positive achievement. In Vanocuver, Women Against Rape was an ad hoc group who coordinated their action in solidarity with the BCFW actions, although it was not itself an action of the Federation. Throughout B.C., Women Against Rape groups held guerilla theatre and set up informal booths in shopping malls, spoke against rape on panel and open line shows, held motorcades and community meetings. Nanaimo, Victoria, Kelowna, Cranbrook and Prince George have all reported successful actions. The Vancouver action centerd on a tribunal on the courthouse steps. This tribunal indicted the institutions of this society which foster, condone and benefit from rape: the legal, educational, medical, and religious institutions as well as the economy and the media. Personal testimonies about rape followed the indictments. The orientation of the tribunal's script was towards a critique of the patriarchy. This is how the WAR collective described the patriarchy: In a patriarchy all men oppress women. The patriarchy we live in sanctions Rape as well as benefits from it. Throughout history men have been socialized into the role of potential Rapist and, likewise, women their victims. Society has romanticised the images of sexuality and Rape in all its art forms, including myths, literature, and classical paintings. In the last The Women Against Rape action outside the Vancouver Courthouse, November 5th category women have been portrayed as either Virginal Madonnas or as Seductive Temptress and, even as temptress, her role has been passive. Men have been portrayed as aggressive and dominant, protective of all their property, including women. Masculinity has been constantly associated with power, strength and violence until, in the minds of people, they became one and the same thing. The WAR media policy is the statement from WAR which received the most media coverage. The policy, rather than comments on rape, was featured in the daily papers. "Women Against Rape Bar Male Cameraman From Rally" ran one headline. This is what the policy said: STATEMENT OF MEDIA POLICY The Women Against Rape collective have outlined a policy which deals with the representation by the media on the November 5th day of action. These demands have to be met before any interview or statement will be given. Historically the media has trivialised and misrepresented the women's movement. In order to retain control over the media inter pretation of the WAR action, our policy must be totally adhered to. We demand that: 1. Interviewers will be women we accept as knowledgeable and supportive of our position on rape. 2. In interviews given by the WAR media representatives all technical crews be comprised solely of women. 3. Interviews to any media group will be given only if WAR can have prior knowledge of copy and program intent with editorial control over final copy, programs, inserts, news coverage or any other type of media. 4. All media coverage must be pre-taped. No live interviews will be given before or on the event. At the Courthouse, WAR marshalls escorted male reporters and photographers from the scene. The Women Against Rape action WOMAN APPOINTED TO STUDY NEEDS FOR RAPE RELIEF What information and feelings do you have on the issue of rape assaults? What could/should happen in your community to provide services to victims of these assaults — who, what, how should these services be met? What steps are being taken or could be taken to provide education on rape assaults in your community? In B.C., we now have an opportunity to lobby around these issues. The B.C. Attorney General's Ministry has created a temporary, five-month position to develop an overview of the operation of rape relief centres in B.C. Nancy Goldsberry has been hired for the job. She has worked for three years at Victoria's Rape Relief. Her mandate includes the following: to assess the needs for rape crisis/education/prevention services in every B.C. community; to compare the cost of non-governmental services to those government services which could be available in the area; to recommend effective services for sexual assault victims, dependent on community resources and population. Give Goldsberry all the assistance you can. Contact her at 525 Fort Street, Victoria. LEAVE IT TO B.E.A.V.E.R. B.E.AV.E.R. (Better End All Vicious Erotic Repression), a group affiliated with the Wages for Housework Committee, is Canada's first organizational voice for prostitutes. At a press conference on November 25, with Margo St James of Coyote and Judy Ramirez of the Wages for Housework Committee, the group members explained that they are organizing for the decriminalization, not legalization, of prostitution. They explain why they think this is necessary: "The women's movement has long recognized the importance of economic independence for women. Right now in Toronto, independent street walkers are an endangered species. Wiping out sexploitive work means wiping out potential jobs for women. Cleaning up Yonge Street means putting women on jail, on welfare, and into competition with other women for regular jobs. It disrupts families. Yes, hookers raise children too. Licensing of body rub parlours amounts to de facto legalization and corporate pimping. The Parlour owner(s) and government "legally" take a large percentage of the women's wages: they protect and profit themselves while leaving the laws against the prostitute intact, so she can still be busted, particularly if she should attempt to work independently on the street. B.E.A.V.E.R., BETTER END ALL VICIOUS EROTIC REPRESSION, is Canada's first organizational voice for prostitutes and other workers of the flesh, i.e. strippers, porno actresses, and topless anything. Prostitutes are coming together to fight against the government's attempts to take away their right to earn money in the streets, and to gain recognition and respect for their growing profession. Just as housewives are coming together to fight for their wages too. We are fighting a common cause!" Baba Yaga, founder of B.E.A.V.E.R. says, "Since I was a teenager, I have been solicited, not only in sleazy streets and in nightclubs, but everywhere, as all women are. Small wonder that some of us take advantage of the situation. I always wanted to know, 'Does money objectify sex?' Yes indeed it does. And if there is anything we need to be more objective about — it's sex. Women have been subjective in their sexual expression to the point of suicide." "CRUNCH NESTLE QUICK" Members of the national Infant Formula Action Coalition (INFACT) are backing a nationwide boycott of Nestle products. Their slogan is "Crunch Nestle Quick". Nestle is the largest seller of commercial baby milks in the Third World and is the focus of the campaign against infant formula abuse. Aggressive and often misleading promotional campaigns encourage women to switch from breast feeding to bottle feeding. These campaigns use media coverage, company- sponsored "health and education programs", false implications of medical endorsement, and widespread dissemination of free samples in hospitals and clinics. A recent survey of the hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone found that 713 of 717 babies admitted for malnutrition were bottlefed. Reasons for this have to do with safe use of the formula. To use the formla safely the parent must have access to clean drinking wager, sterilization equipment, refrigeration, literacy, and enough money to mix the expensive powder in sufficiently nutritional concentrations. But such conditions are rare among the people Nestle aims its ad campaign at in the Third World. Thus the bottle and formula become breeding grounds for bacteria, leading to infant diarrhea, malabsorption, malnutrition and death. Why force bottle feeding on people who have been breast feeding adequately (or at least as well or better than the bottle feeding in terms of nutrition and healthy babies)? The Februrary 1977 issue of the Brazilian publication Modern Supermarket, revealed that processed infant and baby foods have a profit margin of 72 percent — three to four times the profit margins of nearly every other item in the supermarket. The boycott demands an end to all promotion of Nestle's artificial formula — through mass advertising, distribution of free samples, milk-nurses and promotion in the medical profession. It also demands that artificial formula be prevented from getting into the hands of people who lack the means or facilities to use them safely. People who boycott are urged to write letters of protest to Nestle Co. Inc., 100 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, New York 10605. Nestle's items to boycott include: Taster's Choice coffee, Quik, Nescafe, Nestea, Decaf, Crunch, Souptime & Lacto- genj, all Libby's and Stouffer's products, as well as Crosse & Blackwell's, Keiller, Maggi, McVities, Crawford, James Keller & Sons, Deer Park Mountain Spring Water, and Jarlsburg & Swiss Knight cheese. Reprinted from Off Our Backs — Info from LNS A.I.B.: ANTI WORKER; ANTI WOMEN Toronto — "The Anti-Inflation Board is anti-woman and anti-worker, and must be scrapped." Shelley Acheson, Human Rights Representative of the Ontario Federation of Labor, joined other women from the Equal Pay Coalition in lambasting the AIB for "perpetuating sex discrimination" in the workforce. The coalition held a news conference at City Hall October 3. The coalition is a group of representatives from the labor movement, legal groups, and women's organizations whose purpose is to fight to raise wages in the female job ghettos to levels comparable with wages in traditionally male-dominated jobs. The coalition has more than 20 sponsoring organizations. AIB regulations include a clause allowing for pay increases in excess of AIB limits when the increases are intended to remedy cases of sex discrimination. But in fact, charged Acheson, "the exemption is a farce." There is no clear case on record where the AIB has granted a payment to end sex discrimination. After women workers at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Center had struggled for two years to win a catch-up increase, the AIB allowed only half the increase that the workers and the employer had agreed was necessary to end discrimination against women workers. HAN Su-Yin was in town November 20 to speak about revolutionary China. Fantastic presence! Furthermore, the AIB's ruling did not clearly state the grounds for the increased payment, so there is no precedent on record for women workers carrying on similar struggles. The AIB's system of percentage increases helps increase the growing gap between men and women workers, the coalition points out. In addition, the AIB uses a very obsolete and narrow criterion for determining whether a job should receive equal pay. Madeleine Parent of the Confederation of Canadian Unions told of the fight by the Canadian Textile and Chemical Union for a catch-up increase for women workers. The application was turned down by the board. An AIB official told the workers: "If the union could point to two cashiers, one of whom is male and is paid superior wages to a female cashier, the exemption would have been granted." Kate Alderdice from Socialist Voice NEW BRUNSWICK OCCUPATION About 40 Maliseet Indian women are still occupying the Federal Indian Services Building in Tobique Narrows, New Brunswick. The occupation began in late August. The women are protesting a section of the Indian Act which states that if an Indian man decides to separate from his wife, he has merely to order her and her children to "get out of the house". The law also allows a man to retain legal ownership of the house after the wife and children have been forced out. Says one protester: "We have one woman with 10 children who has been living in the Arts and Crafts building since December when her husband threw her out. The government says it can do nothing." The band council and federal government have begun meetings to try and solve the dispute. (Upstream/Hersay) page 7 40% HIGHER DEATH RATE AMONG BIRTH CONTROL PILL USERS New York (LNS) — A recent study of the effects of oral contraceptives on women sponsored by the British Royal College of General Practitioners has concluded that women who take the pill have a 40 per cent higher death rate than women of the same age who never used the pill. This most comprehensive study to date of pill-related deaths that occurred among 46,000 women involved in the study since 1968. Half of the women used in the study had never taken the pill. The study attributes the increased death rate to circulatory diseases, including heart attacks and other heart ailments, high blood pressure, blood clots, strokes and brain hemorrhages. The new findings also suggest that the risk of death associated with the pill may increase with the length of time a woman takes the pill and that this risk may remain elevated for some years after pill use is discontinued. Combined with cigarette smoking, the dangers of pill use were said to escalate further. The study has prompted British medical authorities to recommend that women over 35 stop using the pill. WOMEN STEELWORKERS SUE BETHLEHEM STEEL OVER DISCRIMINATORY MATERNITY LEAVE POLICIES Chicago (LNS) - The United Steelworkers of America (USW) local at Bethlehem Steel's Burns Harbor, Indiana plant filed a massive class action suit in federal court on October 10 against that company's discriminatory maternity leave policies. The suit, which was filed in behalf of the plant's 500 women steelworkers, asks for back pay compensation and in addition punitive damages of $20 million. "Whenever they found out you were pregnant, say around two or three months, you were out the door," said Diane Gumualski, chairperson of the local's Insurance and Worker's Compensation Committee and co-chairperson of the district's Women's Caucus. "Not only that, they'd cut off your Blue Cross benefits too." The Indiana Employment Security Division is also named in the suit because it refused to pay unemployment compensation to the women who were forced to take maternity leaves during the early months of their pregnancies. "Since most women are able to work until at least the seventh month of their pregnancy, it is obvious that any policy that would force them on leave early in their pregnancy would result in several months lost income," said Diane Gumualski. "With the cost of living being what it is, we all know what the loss of income can mean to the typical working class family." Union spokespeople said that Bethlehem Steel's policy not only meant lost income, but forced several women to terminate their pregnancies rather than suffer the financial loss from early maternity leave. KELLY GIRL PROMOTES DOLLS "Kelly Girl" is a doll. One foot tall,, it has this name stitched on its green pinafore. About 35,000 dolls have been distributed by Kelly Girl, an office overload employment agency, as part of their recent promotion in Canada and the U.S. INT€RNATIONAL N€WS Secretaries and women's groups have let Kelly Services, in Southfield, Michigan, know what they think of this as. inine gimmick. One company spokesperson defended the doll, explaining that it was "of the innocent, rag-doll variety, not sophisticated or curvaceous." PRISON PROFITS U.S. — "Financially the Corporation had an excellent year. Sales were at an all-time high of $78.1 million, retained earnings exceeded $6 million, large inventories were reduced and by the end of the year, a favorable cash balance of $10.7 million was available." — 1976 Annual Report of Prison Industries, Inc. While sales rose to $78 million, the Corporation paid only $5.4 million in inmate wages. PRIZES TO THE PETTIEST New York (LNS)-Protesting humiliation and lack of respect on the job, Cleveland Women Working recently ran a contest to pick the "pettiest office procedure". The women office workers' organization awarded first prize to the law firm Kelley, McCann and Livingstone, where a senior partner requires a secretary to keep on hand a fresh supply of carrots. Second prize went to Universal Film Exchanges, whose women secretaries are not trusted around the telephones. To make sure they won't be used for personal calls, desk phones in that office have no dials. Another secretary complained about having to "count and roll the coins from the boss' child's piggy bank." Another woman protested her job assignment of buying presents for her boss' mistress. RAPE WITHIN MARRIAGE BECOMES ILLEGAL IN OREGON In Oregon it will now be against the law for husbands to rape their wives. Senate Bill 503 enables women to bring charges against their spouses for forced sexual intercourse. Women who have been raped by their husbands can now prosecute in criminal court. Oregon is the first U.S. state to make this law. South Australia became the first in the world to pass such a law earlier in the year. In Canada, it is still legal for husbands to rape their wives. (Info from Women's Press) SETBACK FOR SWISS ABORTION RIGHTS STRUGGLE Swiss voters narrowly defeated restrictions on abortion in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy September 25. Right-wing forces, led by the Christian Democrats and the Church, organized a powerful campaign against women's right to abortion. Caritas, a 'charitable' organization backed by the Catholic Church, blanketed Switzerland with a pamphlet opposing the 12-week limit. Priests read diatribes against abortion from the pulpits and the Pope called for a NO vote along with most Protestant church leaders. The women's move- . ment and the left campaigned vigorously for a YES vote in the referendum. FIRST RAPE PROTEST IN SPAIN About 20,000 persons demonstrated September 15 in Sabadell, Catalonia in response to the murder of Antonia Hernandez% a young female worker, after an attempted rape. The demonstration, the first of its kind in Spain, drew members of the community, the trade unions, and all the major political organizations. Most businesses closed their doors in response to the action. Demonstrators gathered in front of the Town Hall, where a delegation was received by the mayor. The delegation pressed for safety measures, in particular for an all-night bus service. Two days later, in Barcelona, the women's movement assembled 1,000 demonstrators in response to the incident. (Socialist Voice) DEMONSTRATION OF OUTRAGE' HITS RAPISTS AT OHIO STATE Columbus, Ohio — Over 400 people joined in a "demonstration of outrage" at the Ohio State University (OSU) campus here Oct. 24 to protest intimidation and violence against women. The rally was called in reaction to the rape and beating of an OSU student by three men, who attacked the woman because they believed her to be a lesbian. The woman, who prefers her name not be given, said that she had been repeatedly harassed thtoughout the fall and as she ate in a student dining room Oct. 6 she was threatened by three men. "We don't want a dyke in our commons," they said. "You better move out. If you don't, we will show you what men are like." Less than one week later, on Oct. 12, the 'woman was attacked as she walked across campus by the same three men. (Info from The Guardian) page* FULL AND IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY Simple logic suggests that a partnership based on equal sharing and responsibility is a far sounder foundation on which to base a marriage than one which keeps one spouse in a dependent and subordinate position. BILL 69 AGAIN - IT'S IMPORTANT! Bill 69 is a dangerous farce. It claims to make marriage partners equal. Then it denies that equality at the essential time it is needed — during the marriage. Feminists have only a little over a month left. If we cannot persuade the provincial government that their suggested amendments to the Family Relations Act are inconsistent with their stated goals, women within marriage will be in an even worse situation than they are today. The first amendments define marital property. They outline the procedures for identifying and dividing that property at the dissolution of the marriage, or at judicial separation. The proposed legislation stipulates that "family assets" (that property which is used within the family) are deemed to be shared equally. But, it specifically exempts business assets in the name of one spouse. FALSE EQUALITY In doing this, the proposed amendments fail to recognize the dollar value of housework. Or child-raising. Or to recognize that educational or career experiences acquired by the working spouse are assets which should be shared upon dissolution of the marriage. By creating a deferred sharing scheme, they have denied the concept of marriage as an equal partnership where both partners have equal power, equal recognition. They have denied this concept in spite of a recent study which showed 96% of people agreed or strongly agreed that all assets acquired during a marriage should be divided equally if the marriage breaks down. The Royal Commission on Family and Children's Law also recommended full community of property as the only system to recognize equality within marriage. Having denied the basic premise of equality and having denied access to the courts for a property settlement until divorce or judicial separation (a process that could take up to five years), Bill 69 does set up some good procedures: 1. Upon application to the B.C. Supreme Court, a spouse can get an order prohibiting sale, etc. of family assets until a court makes a decision as to who is to get what. 2. The Court will have the authority to declare ownership or rights of possession; to divide all family assets into shares so that everything will not have to be sold in order to divide it up. The Court will have discretion to alter the 50-50 split in family assets and to include property other than family assets in the settlement when circumstances warrant. The guidelines include: length of marriage, the properties brought into the i marriage by either spouse, and the effects of the responsibilities adopted by the spouses on their individual earning capacities. SURVEY SHO WS OVER WHELMING S UPPOR TFOR COMM UNITY PR OPER TY A recent study conducted by Dr. Daniel Koenig, University of Victoria, shows that 96% of the population surveyed supports the concept of full and immediate Community of Property. This discretion has been granted to prevent inequities which could arise because of the definition of family assets. Definitions do vary. In Manitoba, for example, family assets means those assets acquired in anticipation of marriage or during it, for family purposes. The B.C. definition includes all assets used primarily for the family. This, according to the explicators of the legislation, creates inequities. "When there is a vast amount of property accumulated principally through the contributions of one spouse in a marriage that survives for only a short period of time, the Court will adjust the property division accordingly." All they appear to have done is include in the legislation those guidelines or precedents already established by court decisions — and for the most part, these have not been favourable to women. during Marriage: Who gets to take ojf with theGOODIGS? ONUS ON FINANCIALLY DEPENDENT SPOUSE However, once we get to the question of maintenance and support, the tables are turned. Now we are to be treated as equals. The proposed amendment to the maintenance provision puts the onus of self-support upon a financially dependent spouse. It assumes that women's incomes are financially equal to men's! It cannot give sufficient importance to the economic reality that a woman's earning power is generally less than a man's and that a woman who has been out of the job market while raising children will never catch up to her husband. The proposed legislation provides for mar- raige contracts to be enforceable as property sharing and management contracts. The Court will uphold the agreement unless it is proven that the contract was entered into fraudulently, or under duress, or undue influence, or when its terms are grossly unfair. Needless to say, one can contract out of any property rights for either spouse, or contract a variety of community and management of property arrangements. There is no requirement that persons entering marriage be made aware of the possibilities. Bill 69 is especially sneaky in that it looks as if it's modelling itself after the Berger proposals. It isn't. It uses some of the Berger language and that's all. WRITE TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND DEMAND THAT THE FOLLOWING CONCEPTS BE MADE LAW: 1) the concept that marriage is an economic partnership of equals. 2) the concept that the family is the fundamental group unit in the economy. 3) the recognition of unpaid work within the family is as vital to this family unit and to society as paid work outside the family. 4) the right of the partners during the marriage to an equal, ongoing share of both present and future security. 5) the responsibility of marriage partners to support each other with services and/or finances to reflect the concept of marriage as an interdependent partnership of shared responsibility. 6) during the marriage, the right to participate jointly in all economic decisions. 7) the right of the marriage partners, if dissolution should occur, to an equal share of the assets accumulated during the marriage. (Acknowledgements: Federal Advisory Council on the Status of Women; Victoria SWAG Family Law Committee.) page 9 northern women organize Fraser Lake is a single resource community located in central B.C. Women there are unhappy with their living conditions. They may be isolated in their town but they are not alone in their dissatisfaction. More than 100 women discovered, when they met recently at the first provincial conference on women and economic development in resource and one-industry that problems they thought peculiar to their own rural communities were common throughout B.C.'s isolated towns. Last year Diana Ellis, Secretary of State's Pacific regional consultant on women's issues, travelled to Northern B.C. and encouraged three women to form a task force to research and report on their single industry resource communities: Kitimat, Fraser Lake and Mackenzie. The report was presented at the conference by authors Gina Baker, Joan Kotarski and Ellie Burton. Baker reports, "the problems from a woman's viewpoint are many in a single resource town. "During the day she may feel there are few places to go and few things to do to occupy her time or challenge her abilities. Shopping facilities are limited and she may do most of it 100 miles away, or by mail order catalogue. There are no organized centres for her preschool children and she will probably rarely get a break from their constant responsibility. There is little chance of her finding employment as all jobs have long waiting lists. "The winters are long and there are few places of entertainment; for example, there are no movies. If her husband is on shift work she may find she misses most of the dances and social gatherings, her friends may not call for fear of waking her husband, and she may find herself taking her children for drives or walks with no places to go, so her husband can sleep uninterrupted in the afternoon. "She may find it difficult to make friends and she may become withdrawn and depressed. Alcoholism may become a problem, and her family relationships break down." Reports of deprivation and isolation predominated the workshops. Women spoke of lonliness, frustration, depression and alcoholism as the most common ailments among women and men. Extensive studies of rural life in New Zealand and North America, researched by Dr. Stephen Webb, a sociology professor at the University of Victoria and Dr. John Colette of the University of Utah, Salt Lake Joyce Hamilton, Burns Lake, at mike. City, confirmed the women's complaints. They revealed that pastoral tranquility is nothing more than rustic fantasy. The researchers found that the usage of prescribed mood-modifying drugs such as tranquilizers, hypnotics, antacids, antipsychotics and antidepressants was twice as high in rural areas as in high population areas. They concluded that the more rural the area, the more stress-related disorders. The denser the population, the less the stress. Studies also showed that physical health is much poorer in rural areas. Unemployment and poverty are more widespread. The suicide rate is higher. The rural dweller's "relative deprivation may engender feelings of frustration, alienation and isolation," Webb was quoted as saying. B.C.'s rural women do not expect miracles but they are desperate for changes. As one Ocean Falls resident put it, "I've got to get out. If things don't change soon, I've got to leave." Part of the responsibility, they admit is theirs. Women have not marched down the streets of the rural towns demanding an equal voice in the planning and developing of their communities. They have not sat on the advisory planning committees, they rarely run for council, and many have even lost the initiative to leave their sheltered home lives. The reason, they say, is partly due to inadequate facilities such as daycare and transportation services which render them immobile, especially during the severe winter months. Another is the fear of being ostracized. Conference delegates said they are afraid to "make waves" because their neighbours would quickly reject and abandon them. Total isolation would be unbearable, they said. The task force called for provincial and federal governments "to establish indepen- L-R: Dianne Quinn, Kitimat; Jane Brasser, Elaine Yorston, Norma Carey, all of Prince George Discussion of resolutions dent regional task forces of lay women and men to assist in setting out guidelines and criteria for further economic development plans. It stressed the need for permanent funding for women's centres in these small towns. Finding that child care services were meagre at best, the team's report demanded that at least adequate facilities and staff be provided for mothers, that a rural town's social structure be extended to include entertainment for women, most of whom agreed they were not welcome in bars without their husbands. Housing in some regions lacked play areas for children who were forced to play in apartment halls when the weather was bad. Many families live in company trailer courts which "have very small lots; bad road conditions inside the courts, and poor play areas for children, making the trailer dwellers feel like second-class citizens. "Many non-basement houses have been built and in winter, as snow from the street is blown in and piled higher than the roof, the atmosphere becomes claustrophobic. Many women in these situations become depression cases," reports Burton from Kitimat. Jobs for women are scarce. Burton says that women was hired mainly in part time jobs, "the company doesn't have to, and doesn't, provide any of the benefits that it does for its full-time workers. Part-time workers don't have any medical plan, or sick leave, or life insurance, no long-term sick plan, no paid holidays and no accumulated time off. 'ñ†"Although Alcan is to be credited for beginning to hire women into its hourly paid work force in 1974, the participation of women is still at a token level. At present, 61 of our 2,000 hourly paid workers are women." The B.C. branch of the Community Planning Association of Canada has looked into economic development and planning of rural communities. Dr. Raymond Rodgers, in a brief submitted to the provincial government earlier this year, indicated that with government and corporate back up, more emphasis on people productivity and less on profit, communities could do more to provide jobs for its residents. He also suggested that unemployed planning graduates (of which there are many, he says) should be prompted to share their expertise and experience with rural residents who "cannot afford professional help and find the planning services of the provincial government unable to respond because of time, distance, staffing and funds." The women's task force has been extended to include representatives from all over B.C. (Joey Thompson wrote this article for The Province [19/11/17]. Joey is an Executive Member of VSW.) KINESIS page 10 KINESIS page 11 NORTHGRN WOMGNS TASK FORCG WOMGN AND GCONOMIC DGVGLOPMGNT Diana Gllis / have been asked to try and put down on paper some of the history of the development of the Northern Women's Task Force on Single Industry Towns — and of the development of the women and economic development issue as it was discussed at the recent conference in Prince George. Please remember as you read this that I am not pretending to speak as a northern woman — but rather as a person who was fortunate enough to work with northern women for the past 18 months, and fortunate enough to be allowed to play a particular role in the process of organizing around this issue. CONNECTING ISSUES AND PEOPLE From all the things I have learned about organizing in the past several years, most of it from other women, the most important concept that emerges for me is the concept of connections. There are always issues to work on, there are always people to work with, there is always energy floating around somewhere. The key is to CONNECT the right issue with the right people — and the energy resulting from that right connection always takes care of the action. And what makes this issue right? What makes this connection happen? The issue must be relevant to the persons involved — emotionally, rationally and politically. The first perceptions that I had of the innate common sense and relevance of women's participation in the economic development process was when I read a speech made by Eileen Caner, Director of the Women's Economic Rights Branch of the Ministry of Economic Development. She was speaking to a conference of women in Terrace, and in outlining the reasons why women had not been included in the economic decisionmaking structure, and what difference it would make if they were involved, she said: ...if [economic development] terms of reference are drawn up with the basic assumption that women exist as dependents of men and not as persons responsible for their own economic future then the studies, planning agreements or development schemes will be such that they deliver programs that validate and reinforce the original dependency assumption. Economic expansion rarely results in economic development for marginal groups unless a conscious decision to change the position of these groups is built right into the terms of reference. Those words are important — and they stuck. THE PROBLEMS ARE THE SAME The other words and scenes that stuck were the ones spoken by women who lived in some of the single industry and resource communities I visited in northern B.C. from May 1976 to March 1977. In Mackenzie, Joan Kotarski and Kelly Smith talked about the effect that their town — a relatively youthful single industry forestry town — had on the women and children who came there with their husbands. They talked about the phenomenal level of debt that the young couples quickly accumulated, the inadequate services available for women, children and teens, the reluctance of women to get out of their houses even for a weekly macrame class, and the lack of employment opportunities for women. In the mining community of Fraser Lake I stayed with Emily Pacholuk and learned first hand about the reality of .shiftwork — three- members of her family worked at the mine at that time and each was on a different shift and someone was always sleeping, someone was always need ing a meal. In Kitimat I listened to the women's group describe the tensions that existed in all of their lives during the 1976 Alcan strike — and how that tension still touched them. All of these people told stories that are too long to recount here. You can read about them firsthand in the Report of the Northern Women's Task Force on Single Industry Towns (available from Women's Research Centre, 517 East Broadway, Vancouver, B.C.). The point that became so clear to me was that their stories were basically the same. The industries may have been different, the towns were hundreds of miles apart, but the women were all undergoing the same experiences. I can recall so clearly sitting on a Greyhound bus going to Burns Lake in the summer of 1976 and wondering how we could begin a connecting process that would link up women in these resource communities and provide a space for them to speak to one another. At that time I didn't have much idea of what could come after that, but it seemed obvious that if at least there was a communication connection, then there was the possibility of women realizing that if all of them were having the same experiences, there must be some way of working out a collective strategy, and a collective political understanding of how and why the system operates in this fashion. THE TASK FORCE One response was to try to create a structure that would begin this connection and provide the meeting, learning and communication space for single industry town women. So, after discussions with individual women and groups in the towns of Kitimat, Fraser Lake and Mackenzie (chosen because of the active women's groups in each, as well as their industrial base and geographic location) we formed the Northern Women's Task. Force on Single Industry and Resource Communities. We utilized the small amount of contract monies available through my job as women's consultant to hire three organizers who would complete the following tasks: 1. Assist and involve women living in each community to define the needs of the community as they related to women. 2. Develop techniques that would more effectively identify the problems relevant to women in single industry towns. 3. Prepare a report that would outline the needs and outline the research techniques developed. Each of the women were to receive $1,000 for their work and this would include travel monies to attend the two teaching/information sharing workshops that were to play such an important role in tying together the women and the issue of economic development. As well, we contracted the Women's Research Centre in Vancouver to come north and lead both workshops. This was another important connection that was made as we wanted to learn to research the communities from a woman's perspective. We didn't want yet another collection of statistics and numbers; it was important for women to accept and validate their own experiences in these communities, and to present those experiences to the decision makers and insist that these life experiences be seen as evidence that the continuing omission of women from the economic development decision making process would be to continue a cycle of depression, isolation and illness, both for women and for families. THE PROCESS With the creation of this Task Force a long five-month process began. We dug up and shared pounds of resource material that had already been written on single industry towns. Long letters were sent to one another telling of work and research plans. Telephone lines were busy with questions and clarifications. The women flew, drove and took the train to the two workshops. The first one was held in Prince George in January, the second in Kitimat in March. The women's centre in each town hosted the meetings, offering potluck dinners, billeting and meeting spaces. Helga Jacobson and Gene Errington of the Research Centre spent long hours with the task force members on their research — supporting them, offering suggestions, clarifying over and over again that the most important thing the women could do would be to document, in their own words, what it was like to live in these towns — that no one had asked for or heard this material before and that the stories had to be told. By the end of our second workshop in March the task force members were ready to begin writing their final report, and were also wanting to begin planning some kind of action that would take these reports beyond their own towns. Everyone was feeling so good about their work, and about other women's response to their work that we decided to start thinking about a way to reach out to women in single industry towns all over B.C. CONFERENCE PLANNED Eventually we decided to use a conference on women and economic development as the vehicle for action and in the summer of 1977 a steering committee for such a conference was formed. The committee consisted of women from the task force, as well as women from Prince George, Dawson Creek and Quesnel. The steering committee again took to the air and to the roads and met twice this summer and fall, and in two full meeting days, planned the agenda, the structure, the speakers, accommodation, funding, child care, food — all those things that needed to be looked after. Our budget was $12,000 and in a mood of assurance we booked the Inn of the North for November 11-13, and designed and mailed out flyers to women in over 40 single industry and resource towns in B.C. and the Yukon. RESPONSE TREMENDOUS The response was tremendous — we could have had 300 women at the conference if we had had enough money. Once again it proved to us that this issue was real to women. It spoke to their needs and offered a way for them to begin to see themselves operating in a new way within their towns. We applied for monies from both the Secretary of State and the provincial Ministry of Economic Development. The federal monies came through, but the province due to "economic restraints" chose not to involve themselves in this conference. We scrambled around for the rest of our money and finally received enough extra money from the women's program office of Secretary of State in Ottawa. The women there understood the importance of this issue from the very beginning, and were excited about its development as a national women's issue that would have relevance to women in similar communities across the country. Jan Broadley, Ottawa Kate Braid, Pender Island; Nancy McCreary, Queen Charlotte City; Lisa Tough, Elkford Panel discussion on life in single industry resource communities, L-R Terri Bredick, Ocean Falls; Gina Baker, Fraser Lake; Joan Kotarski (at mike), Mackenzie; Elli Burton, Kitimat; Emily Pacholuk, Fraser Lake RESOURCE TOWN HORROR STORIES And so it all happened. In 18 months we all made enough connections to bring together 103 women from B.C. and the Yukon (representatives came from Alberta and Ontario as well) and together we went through the tremendous consciousness-raising experience of participating in a 2V£-day conference that spoke to the needs of women in single industry and resource communities. At the conference we shared even more resource town horror stories, listened to women talk of their experiences in the non-traditional work force, sat through workshops on child care, lobbying, town planning, employment, community research and the political/economic analysis of single industry towns. W£ passed resolutions in all these areas and as well, struck a working committee to begin expanding the task force to include women from all over B.C. and the Yukon. The issue is real — it makes great political sense as well as emotional and rational sense. The experiences of the women living in these towns are real. The connection worked, a process has begun and the work will continue. Whoever said the women's movement was dead was out to lunch! TASK FORCG RGPORT NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA WOMEN'S TASK FORCE REPORT ON SINGLE INDUSTRY RESOURCE COMMUNITIES The following excerpts are taken from the above report. Reports were prepared on three single industry resource communities: Kitimat, Fraser Lake, and Mackenzie. INTRODUCTION The attached reports of the Northern British Columbia Women's Task Force on Single Industry Resource Communities are written by women who speak to their own concerns and needs as inhabitants of single industry towns. We have read the documentation of the problems of single industry towns, but, more important, we have experienced them. We are convinced that if there is to be any positive change for women in presently existing single industry communities, and if there is to be any positive developments for women in future communities we must voice our own perceptions of what life is like for us and demand full participation in the planning, governing and evaluating processes. Excerpts from the Kitimat Report, prepared by the Tamitik Status of Women: The Kitimat Townsite Report (1951-1952) is a 270 page study which was meant to be the guide to development of the town of Kitimat, British Columbia. The following quote is the opening paragraph in the planning objectives written by Clarence Stein: of Kitimat is the industrial plant. That success will degree that workers are conlike living in Kitimat. Unless attract and hold industrial will be continuing turnover "The purpose success of the depend on the tent, that they the town can workers, there and difficulty, interfering with dependable output." This paragraph is important in that it holds information which explains, in part, who life for many women in Kitimat is the way it is today. The first sentence outlines the value hierarchy that the town was built on. The top priority of the town is the success of Alcan. The contentment of the workers is important, but only in so far as it affects the success of the plant. Women, who even today don't significantly count as "workers", are not mentioned at all. In 1973, the turnover rate at Alcan skyrocketed to 62 per cent. Although it is difficult to see that this has had much of a negative effect on the "dependable output", as Alcan's profits after taxes in 1976 were fifty-one million dollars, and for the first quarter of 1977 were thirty-five point five million dollars, an Employee Turnover Report was done to look into the matter. continued on p.12 page 12 KITIMAT: ALCAN PROFITS vs. HUMAN NEEDS continued from page 11 The report found that there was an increase in young, short-service single men as a proportion of the work force, and that there was a substantial increase in turnover of these men. It also found that the two main needs of these men not being met by the community were entertainment and transportation. As a result of these findings, Alcan stated that they were "... examining closely the 'entertainment' problem with a view to encouraging the development of more recreation and social opportunities for young, single workers. We are also continuing to actively support the municipality in its efforts to institute a public transportation system." Since the completion of the report in 1974 a public transportation system has been instituted in Kitimat, and a number of pool halls and pubs have opened. Unfortunately, in a town dominated by one industry as Kitimat is, where women do not directly affect the "dependable output" of the industry, their needs have not been so closely attended to. The report covers all aspects of daily life for Kitimat women under the headings: housing, shopping, transportation, social situation, health care, problems women face upon arrival, employment, women at Alcan (an aluminum smelter plant, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of Canada), day care, and women on welfare. Excerpts from the HEALTH CARE section: Many complaints by women in the north can be attributed to the attitude they face when trying to function in a very male-oriented part of the country. Women arriving in Kitimat face a very stressful period in trying to adapt to this environment. Many feel they never quite make the transition. When such basic needs as employment, shelter, social and medical needs are not met, women lose their sense of self-worth and feel oppressed. WINTER DEPRESSION Over the long winter months severe depression often manifests itself. Doctors admit to a very hig incidence of depression among young married women but beyond prescribing mood-elevating drugs and tranquilizers, they feel there is little more than can do. Women themselves complain the doctors have little time to spend with them. Many women will come to the doctor showing all the signs of depression but complaining of some medical ailment. Doctors try to treat the complaints, often failing to deal with the psychological and social problems because of a lack of support systems. A number of women each year are brought into hospital after having taken an overdose of their prescription drugs in a desperate attempt to have someone recognize their problems and help them deal with their situations. A young woman recently discharged from hospital after an overdose relates, "I did not want to die! I wanted to live but I needed help desperately. My mental health was deeply affecting my family. The drugs the doctor gave me enabled me to function, but I came to depend on them. Nothing changed. My anxieties remained. After months of existing in this drugged stupor I chose the only alternative I could see." Another woman states she was so anxious she couldn't leave her house for days on end. "I would phone the doctor's office explaining I needed to see someone but could not come to the office. The nurse would then suggest I come down when I felt better. When I finally managed, the doctor gave me a prescription for tranquilizers. Once home' with them, I took all the tablets. I really felt that's what everyone wanted me to do." A young mother with small children has been admitted to hospital a number of times in a severely depressed state. "It's always the same experience. I'm fed a great number of pills and feel 'heady' the length of my hospitalization. I'm discharged when I tell them I'm feeling better and want to return to my family, who also have to be admitted to the children's ward during my stay in hospital, for lack of alternative homecare." While we are aware of the problems that exist in finding qualified specialists to practise in isolated northern towns, we feel strongly that a greater emphasis on preventive medicine and mental health should be stressed in these areas. Charlotte Croquet, ex-mill worker and ex-shop steward, Prince George In the original Kitimat Townsite Report, neighbourhood health centres were planned for. These were to be located in each of the neighbourhood centres, ensuring easy accessibility for the local residents. Programs on general health education and mental and physical well-being were to be implemented in these centres by trained staff. Excerpts from PROBLEMS WOMEN FACE UPON ARRIVAL: Most often, a woman comes to Kitimat because her husband has found, or hopes to find, work. Being in a new and very remote area, she is most often hudreds or thousands of miles apart from family and friends. It is not easy to meet people and establish new friendships and once friendships are made, they are frequently not long-lasting due to the high turnover rate of the population. This lack of a support system contributes to the development of a number of problems. Childrearing becomes more difficult and an additional burden is placed on the husband-wife relationship as they must now look to each other to fulfill the needs that were once met by family and friends. CONCLUSION According to Dr. J. Lajzerowicz, of the Federal Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, "... one-industry or resource- based towns are a significant component of Canada's urban structure accounting for in excess of 2 million inhabitants in all locations in 1972." And in a discussion of planned single-enterprise communities in a recent paper entitled, Planning New Communities in Canada by Norman E.P. Pressmen, Kitimat is singled out as, "... one of the country's more successful ventures ... It is considered as one of the most significant of North American contemporary contributions to planning principles and practice ..." If single-industry communities form such a significant percentage of the entire Canadian population, and if, out of over 800 communities Kitimat is singled out as an example of "one of the country's more successful ventures," then the time to re-examine this kind of rhetoric, and the thinking it reveals, is long overdue. The situation we find is that over 800 communities throughout Canada were created by privately owned companies, for the express purpose of exploiting, for private purposes, the resources found in these areas. This has been the main raison d'etre for these towns. Also, these one-industry or resource-based operations (eg. mining, pulp and paper, aluminum) offer employment in areas that have been traditionally, and- ' continue to be, occupied by men. As a result of these factors, we find these communities are operating without any substantial consideration for the welfare of the women who live there. JOBS, SERVICES, SCARCG The life experience of the women of Kitimat one of the "more successful" of these company towns, has been described here. It has been seen that these women are most often wives who are kept indoors (with their children, if preschool age) due to the inclement weather, and the lack of support services for a major portion of the year; and it is known that there is a high incidence of mental illness for unemployed wives. Yet employment opportunities are scarce and even when a job is found it rarely offers enough money to live on. The lack of usable day care again handicaps women in their efforts to become employed. When family breakups occur, women are more often than men the heads of single-parent families; and more women end up on welfare than men. These profound problems continue to exist, while Alcan lends it energies to encouraging the opening of pool halls and pubs in an effort to lower their turnover rate. When a group of women requested $100 per month from Alcan to help them open a child- minding centre (they had, on their own initiative, already received a small grant from the government to help finance this centre), Alcan replied that they felt they should not be involved with this sort of service, and that it should be "self-contained". Clearly, when a town can be called "successful" in the name of monetary profit, and private profit at that, the priorities are wrong. BOOKS page 13 DIVORCE CHILDREN WELFARE: An Up-To-Date Handbook on Canadian Family Law, by Penelope John. Published by Anansi Press. Reviewed by Alison Campbell I find the sub-title of this book misleading. The book was written in, and is probably accurate for, Ontario, but it is confusing and in some places definitely not applicable to British Columbia. Family Law is largely a provincial rather than a federal jurisdiction — therefore, to be accurately informed you would need books written for each province. If you are unaware of how poorly the justice system handles family problems presently, read this book and campaign for change. If you think you can settle problems out of court, DO! If you are thinking of leaving a bad situation, this book could scare you into staying. When will someone be able to write a positive book to help families in trouble? Not until the legal system is no longer upholding traditional stereotyped roles and all persons have equal rights that can be enforced. SELF-ASSERTION FOR WOMEN: A GUIDE TO BECOMING ANDROGYNOUS, by Pamela Butler. Published by Canfield Press, San Francisco, 1977. $8.95. Reviewed by Jane Evans A clinical psychologist, Dr. Butler has conducted workshops in assertiveness training for women. Her book suggests that an androgynous woman is a woman of power — while not aggressive, she has, nevertheless, the power to control her environment. She has only to state her aims logically and" reasonably for all to go as she wishes. This is not, however androgyny as suggested by Phyllis Chesler in Women and Madness. Rather, this is a social melding of attitudes — andro-man-social assertiveness, gyno- woman-social submissiveness — which have, until now, been attributed to each sex. Dr. Butler also minimizes the antogonism and tenacity of those who have a vested interest in the submissiveness of women. All the same, this is a useful book in that it lays out clearly the choices in an interaction; one can see oneself in her examples of positive and negative interaction. Butler writes in an extremely un-angry, supportive way and her style is clear and pleasant to read. WOMEN AT HOME, by Arlene Rossen Cardozo. Published by Doubleday, New- York, 1976. $7.95. Reviewed by Adrienne Montani I cannot begin to express the rage I felt in reading this book. Ms. Cardozo uses dishonest ploy and elitest rationalization to re-state the age-old cliche of women's historical oppression in the family — "a woman's place is in the home". While veiling her intent in talk of "individual freedom" and "personal fulfillment and development", she slanders working mothers for pursuing the "success ethic" or as suffering from "superwoman syndrome" and urges total sacrifice to the "security" of children and family. In the author's view, any mother who asserts her own desires or talents outside the home is guilty of neglect and selfishness; if she asks or demands help from her husband in house hold management, she is being unfair. Any hint of competitiveness or career orientation is condemned and held up to scorn. Rather, women with children should "develop their creative potential" in artistic hobbies and crafts, as long as these interests never interfere with family demands. Her naivete is most apparent when she professes that what she describes is a single alternative lifestyle, while loading other alternatives with heavy guilt trips and false representation of their actual practice. Even within the very narrow parameters she sets for "acceptable" activity, the women in her "success" stories repeatedly talk of willingly, happily, postponing their education and interests until after their children are raised, in order to have the "freedom" td serve their families. Thus, what Cardozo has done is reinforce the limited role that women with families have traditionally played, using deceptive terms like "freedom" and "liberation" to put the onus of failure on women if they don't enjoy it! I do not dispute the author's starting point that establishing and maintaining a close relationship with children is important. I do resent her assertion that only the mother who stays at home can fully achieve this closeness, and that homemaking is strictly a woman's duty. DIANA PRESS VANDALIZED Diana Press has sent the following letter to women's publications and presses in an appeal for help following a recent attack on their workplace: You have probably heard about the act of vandalism against Diana Press Tuesday morning October 25. We have been placed in precarious financial condition and we're fighting to stay alive. Five thousand copies of Rita Mae Brown's A Plain Brown Wrapper were destroyed creating severe immediate cash flow problems. Paint, ink, chemicals and Comet cleanser were poured into our machines, including presses and typesetting composers, making it impossible for us to do commercial work to get some money. The typesetting and paste-up of at least three of our fall books were destroyed holding up the printing of our fall line. Other than donations, the only way we have to raise money is to quickly sell our remaining inventory. We are preparing a brochure now advertising the books which were not damaged. If you can send the Diana Press women some Christmas cheer, please do so! Their address is Diana Press Publications Inc., 4400 Market Street, Oakland, CA 94608. THE WHEEL OF THINGS, A BIOGRAPHY OF L.M. MONTGOMERY, by Mollie Gillen. Published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd., Don Mills, Ontario, 1975. Reviewed by Chris Preiswerck I approach each new biography I read with a special thrill because I feel that individual lives are the most enjoyable and thorough way to understand history. What else is herstory, after all, but the sum of the lives and actions of all, interacting to create social political and economic forces which in turn profoundly influence the thoughts and actions of each. A good biography, therefore, has to describe an individual life as a segment of history, both acting upon others and reacting to the actions of others, to create social forces typical of that era. I began the biography of L.M. Montgomery with interest because her books had occupied a special place in my childhood. As a confirmed 'tomboy', her books were some of the few 'girl's stories' I not only read but enjoyed and could emphathize with. It was disappointing, therefore, to be unable to empathize with Lucy Maud Montgomery as she is depicted in this biography. Basically, the story is interesting and well- written. I enjoyed hearing more about this cherished childhood author and her life, but the book seemed to skim the surface. I was never brought face to face with the woman herself. There is too much narrative and not enough analysis. What analysis there is seems shallow. For example, Lucy Maud expresses sorrow that she had never been able to write a "great book", and the author seems to agree with this estimate of her writing. I would question this. Of course Lucy Maud was not satisfied with her efforts. Few artists manage to create something that satisfies them, but the biographer should be able to judge better. Surely the creation of a character like Anne of Green Gables, who has near- universal appeal to children and adults in many cultures, and is also standing the test of time, shows a type of greatness. Feminist analysis is especially lacking in the book. There are a few tantalizing glimpses of Lucy Maud's reactions to issues like women's suffrage, and mentions her meetings with women like Nellie McClung and Emmeline Pankhurst, but there are no details that allow us to understand her better and understand how these issues affected women in her day. Lucy Maud was a woman who was involved in the literary and business worlds, who successfully conducted a nine-year lawsuit against her first publisher when she felt they were cheating her. Yet we learn little of whether she considered feminist questions important, and what conclusions she reached. Before reading this book, I was not aware of the wide intellectual interests pursued by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Quotes from letters reveal some of her intricate personality and leave me longing to know more. She was a fantastic woman with great depth. In 1927 she was reading about atomic theory. She was a minister's wife who believed that "the day of the church is done" yet could devote much of her time to church activities. Was this perhaps why she could not delve deeper into feminism, for fear of upsetting the delicate balance of all the unwieldy and contradictory areas of her life? This biography is interesting but not memorable. Its subject deserves more, as she was both interesting and memorable. WAR Demo Reactions - page 14 ACTION EXCELLENT The Women Against Rape Action in Vancouver on November 5, 1977 was discussed and evaluate by our group during our regular meeting. The general feeling was that the action was excellent both in content and in dramatic presentation. We appreciate the • amount of work which went into the planning of such a well-organized demonstration. It seemed to us that the majority of those people watching the presentation were in some way connected with the Women's Movement already and therefore were conscious of the issues. The fact that throughout the action it was pouring with rain probably didn't encourage casual passers-by to stop and give their full attention to what was happening. It was also pointed out that Saturday might not have been the ideal choice as the day for action, since there is a time lag between the action and the day it reaches the press on Monday. As far as the "women only" media policy, our group was divided. Some of us supported the request that only women be allowed to give media coverage; others of us felt that since women are still not as common on camera crews, etc. as men, that the policy restricted the amount of coverage given the event. It also gave the male media a chance to focus on the restrictive policy rather than on the action itself, as shown by the picture and article in the "Sun" November 7. Since most people use TV and the press to follow current events, it seems that the opportunity for the general public to learn about the work of WAR was limited by the "women only" media policy. The above criticism apart, the Collective continues to support WAR in their efforts to bring the crime of rape before the public for what it truly is — not a sexual act, but an act of violence and domination against women. Vancouver Women's Health Collective POLITICALLY NAIVE My first reaction was that the WAR media policy was bound to fail and distract. I attended the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women last year in Brussels. The male press was banned for the same reasons. And the same thing happened. The male press came anyway, made nuisances of themselves, distracted the whole conference, and took up precious time while we debated what to do with them. Much of our aggression after hearing women's horrible stories of torture, clitorec- tomies, forced sterilization, rape, beatings — the gamut — focused on 'getting rid of the male press'. The result was a loss of precious time and the media coverage of the event focusing more on the 'hostility of the women against them' than the subjects discussed. Either way we lost! I was unable to attend the WAR tribunal on November 5 but from the media coverage and reports from friends, it looks like much the same thing happened. What I resent most is that we give them even more power by focusing on and fighting with them. In public places there is no way of limiting access. It just makes the group look naive and laughable. It seems to me that the only strategy is to ignore male crews and refuse interviews with male journalists. The only- way of keeping 'them' out is to meet in private — which defeats the purpose of the exercise if we are trying to educate the public. If left to their own devices and ignored by us the male press usually screws itself with its impotent hostility. I have worked in the "straight", ie. male, press for years and have not yet found a simple solution to dealing with them. It will take a revolution or a gun to each male head — not impotent threats, and petty skirmishes. If it is really WAR time then let's develop some real guerilla tactics and put away the pea shooters. We might start by inviting women journalists from the various media factories to some kind of meeting to work together on how they can help us and how we can help then* I know that some of those women are pretty isolated and confused. If known to be feminists they often lose their jobs — still — so let's all try to figure out what can really be done to help them and us ... so that finally there won't be any more of 'them' left, just US. Sylvia Spring \ PRETTY FACE ISNT 5AFE IN THIS CITY I PROTECT YOURSELF WITH Stl-F DEFENSE ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK One step forward ... I found many of the personal testimonies, when women spoke about being raped, powerful and moving. There's definitely been an advance when more and more women have the courage to speak out about rape: as we realize that women are raped, not because they "did something wrong" or "something was the matter with them", but it happens simply because we are women. Even a few years ago most women were too humiliated and ashamed to tell even their closest friends or family that they had been raped. Two steps back ... If my understanding is correct that the media policy was originally for only the feminist and 'alternate' press to cover the WAR event, and then for only women to cover it for the regular press, my view is that that policy was damaging, divisive — and in no way useful. Who, after all, are we trying to reach when we talk about rape? The comparatively small number of women who read the feminist and alternate press? Are these women our only concern? There are thousands of women who have never heard of these media, and who probably couldn't care less even if they had. Yet these women are potential rape victims, and have a right to be armed with as much knowledge about it as anyone else. To ignore these women is to be elitest. On the point of only all-female coverage for the regular press. This follows the "all men are bad; all women are good" syndrome. It is a way of seeing society that is neither honest nor truthful. Basically, our society is divided into two groups: a small group who has the power — and usually the goodies — and a much larger group who don't have the goodies, and as yet don't realize they have the power. Men and women make up both groups, and the first question of all to be asked is "which group do you speak for?" Sexism is to be fought against every inch of the way, within that context. The result of the media policy was to have stories in the regular press which mentioned only that male reporters and photographers weren't allowed to cover the event. Nothing about rape at all. Again: who are we talking to? If it's just to ourselves — sorry, it ain't good enough. Daphne Morrison WE NEED TO EDUCATE, NOT IGNORE Sisters: You cannot avoid the press. They linger about in obscure places clutching broken pencils and dog-eared bits of paper. If you remain silent they say so. If you tell them where to go they print it. If you ignore them, hassle them, or discriminate against them, their swollen egos are offended and next day you're smeared across the grey page. I am one of THEM. But I am also a feminist. And I stand by my belief that there IS a way to use the media as they have so frequently misused the women's movement. Only you don't have to adopt their often shoddy tactics. There is no value in the women's movement remaining catatonic. The force is strong enough, has matured far enough, that the more simple minds shielded by a curtain of printed words cannot destroy the years of hard work and gains. The movement is not only alive, it's damn healthy, as is evidenced by the increasing number of well-attended conferences, meetings and gatherings of women who don't just talk but act upon issues previously neglected. Meet the media half way. Shed the paranoia the hysteria and panic. The women's movement needs to educate people, not ignore them. When workers strike or unemployment rises the experts are consulted and quoted. Where are women hiding? You are the experts on many of the social issues hitting the front page. What more natural process than to have an effective, reliable and articulate branch of the movement publicly answer to issues concerning women? Nobody likes the media. Everybody yells 'misquote', 'bias', and 'slanted'. The women's movement will be no different. Prepare yourselves for battle. Prepare to argue against the unappreciated tongue-in- cheek humour. The press is like a mouth wash ... people hate it, once a day. Surely women are capable of handling the writers who wield a rusty knife, the columnists who get their jollies from berating others lest they themselves should be impugned, and the other less-than-astute pen-carriers of our society. It's time women stopped being shortchanged by demanding their two cents worth. The media must be taught that the movement IS alive, IS healthy and DOES have valid opinions, expert opinions, on a variety of vital issues. Publicity — pro or con — it's all part of the process. Media — it's a necessary evil if feminists want to get their message across. So confront the media, smile at the next person you see toting a pen that ran dry and a notebook full of indecipherable scribbles. Give the press a chance. They could turn out to be half human. Joey Thompson page 15 MEDIA POLICY SEXIST The WAR media policy was an insult to every male reporter and technician in Vancouver who supports the women's movement. A WAR spokeswoman said the group wanted to exclude male members of the press because of past treatment of the women's movement by the media. It is true that the media has often ridiculed, either subtly or blatantly, the movement. But to place the blame on male reporters, rather than on editors and advertising business pressure is unfair and sexist. The group is assuming that a woman has a better chance of-getting a fair story published or broadcast. The group is assuming that a woman photographer is going to take a more sympathetic picture. Hogwash. Sexism is sexism no matter who's practising it. And women more than men should recognize sexism because they have been on the receiving end for too long. To turn around and do it back doesn't solve anything and only succeeds- in causing bitterness. Kathy Ford WOMAN AGAINST RAPE EVALUATION Following is a summary of reactions to the November 5th Women Against Rape (WAR) action, aired at the B.C. Federation of Women regional meeting, Wednesday, November 16. Sarah Davidson, who chaired the meeting, suggested at the beginning that the evaluation take the form of a round, and that women speak, uninterrupted, to the following: 1) what was productive about the action, 2) what was unproductive about the action, and 3) the lessons learned from the action and which can be used in organizing subsequent actions. The evaluation session also offered an opportunity for women to air and hear some previously unexpressed thoughts and feelings about the process organizing the action took. Of the 50 women present at the meeting, 46 spoke in the round. This summary comes from notes taken at the meeting by Frances Wasserlien and Diana Smith. THE DAY ITSELF — it was well organized and the publicity and leafletting was good. — appreciated the amount of work done towards the production. — liked input of Chilean women, postal worker, bus driver. — solidarity and self-discipline shown by some women involved who disagreed with, for example the media policy, but carried it out anyway. — production was tight but also allowed flexibility, and closed well. — most interesting demonstration since being in Vancouver. — seems to have developed a coherent and strong position on rape and violence against women. — no action was suggested to women who were there, no direction given. — I never want to go to the Courthouse again unless to blow it up. — same people at demonstrations. WHY do we keep having them? — the demonstration failed, seemed to exclude men and certain sectors of the women's movement. — marshals seemed militaristic, all in dark clothes, like storm-troopers. — WAR created a front; women came to put themselves on the line, but it was a shaky line. — who are we trying to reach? ,who is the action aimed at? The Tribunal as a whole was described as visually exciting, theatrically good, tremendously exciting, stunning, colourful, powerful. Many described the personal testimony as moving, powerful, clear and simple. PROCESS OF THE WAR COLLECTIVE — no form for accountability in process. — no clear structure for decision-making agreed upon at beginning. — first meeting was supposed to be a coalition but ended up being limited. — the quiet middle failed. — 'put downs' and snickering were the shits. — dropped out of the collective because ... [I] ...felt the need to be armed with politics [I] didn't have. — script writers were defensive and not open to change (with the recognition that time was a problem). — small group blamed for personal stuff that went down but everyone is responsible. . — didn't get involved because of conflict, didn't have emotional energy for the strain. — collective didn't allow for criticism, observers. — unwilling to get into the intensity of internal politics. — recognition of a group with different ideologies; need to take votes and to follow order. — consensus doesn't work in this situation; need another method, need to agree at beginning and to stick to it. — need to examine process that reduced an initial group of 60-70 to a core group of 7. — group needed structure. — felt like I entered an army camp with no way for me to have input. — felt bad about people walking out of meetings. — people came saying they are innocent which makes others take on the role of guilty, but there are two sides. — a lot of women let a lot of things go by for a long time, not a responsible way to work. — women who worked on action should hear criticism (from those on receiving end). — some women became so personally invested and worked so hard ' they can't take criticism, but they have a responsibility to take political criticism. — need to keep personal separate from political, especially in criticism. — not a collective, group process. — two sides in the dynamic, one side takes effective power, other side doesn't take responsibility, people don't recognize own part in process. — it was hard to be accountable, no place for speaking out. The general feeling seemed to be that we didn't work well together and.we need to learn ways to do this. ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENT OF LITERATURE AND PRESENTATION — we were talking to ourselves. — too much stress on analysis, drains energy from action. — non-exclusive issue organizing could insure that no ideological fights happen. — literature alienated men who are opposed to rape. — if trying to reach cross-section, we need to be less threatening. — some women objected to the idea of all men being potential rapists. — assumption that men are the enemy not true. i with analysis. - analysis not clearly put forward. — class analysis lacking. — need to decide who the enemy is, who we are fighting. — testimony against institutions didn't seem to connect to personal testimony in a concrete way. — abstract condemnation of institutions doesn't give a concrete way to change things. — couldn't understand a lot of it. EVEN if we're talking to ourselves we should be clearer. — too complicated, not for people on the street. MEDIA POLICY — it was an experiment, and what we should say is that we tried it and it didn't work. — the policy created a self-fulfilling policy; we got negative coverage. — the media took the focus rather than the issue of rape. more on p.16... page .16 EVALUATIONS OF WAR ACTION more WAR reactions B.C.F.W. cont. from p. lb — the media policy had been passed at a collective meeting. — we had more control over media than ever before. — it was the best coverage we ever had. — it was bad publicity for the women's movement. — damaging to WAR and women in general. — offensive, disastrous. — if [I] had relied on the media to find out what was happening, [I] wouldn't have known anything about it. — no coverage better than bad coverage; we didn't want traditional coverage. — the experience or issue was not communicated. — if we are going to by-pass traditional mass media we need to replace it with our own form of direct communication like door-to- door, or public speaking. — press alienated by policy. I felt I was the enemy, (a woman working in the media) — wrong-headed at this time. — posters needed more content. — the media policy protected women. — if it was to protect women we shouldn't do it on courthouse steps. — liked not having cameras and backs of cameramen in the middle of the action. — if the media want a story they will get it but it may not be the story we want. — agreed with media policy. — analysis of media correct but need a different way to deal with them. — need for discussion (day workshop) on media policy. A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT TIME — need to have a clear decision making process, including votes, and stick to it. — differences in policy doesn't have to mean we can't do unified work. — it's okay to disagree. — organize around demands; the point of organizing is to make people believe they can make change. — first decide who the action is aimed at; that will decide how it should be done. Several women were positive about having an opportunity to evaluate the action, and about the form it took. DEPRIVED OF CONTACT Just a word of thanks to the women who decided that the WAR Tribunal in Vancouver, November 5, 1977 could only be covered by women in the media. It may have effectively shown that there are no women who hold such jobs, it also effectively deprived me of any contact I would have had with any of the action that day as the channel I watched had no coverage and worse, it effectively deprived thousands of viewers of any knowledge that anything was going on at all. Since when have we started to cut off our noses to spite our faces? Johanna te Boekhorst WAR reactions WAR had chosen to do a tribunal, but what the tribunal was about was no easy thing to figure out. There were large panels set up as background to speakers in some kind of robes. On the panels I noticed after a while were captions: MARRIAGE, CHURCH, JUSTICE, but the largest and most visible part of them were covered with symbols I could not understand. They were cryptic and served to emphasize what soon became the nature of the whole presentation itself for me.- its remoteness, its distance to the whole experience of rape. The speeches were tedious, longwinded and academic. They did not carry any vitality. They did not reach. In bits and pieces they seemed to aim at making connections between institutions and rape. They made no mention of people — men or women. They did not bring alive the experience of rape. I felt talked at rather than spoken to. I felt like at church. Or, I felt like I usually do at one of the male left, usual political rallies. I got next to nothing of what had attracted me to the Women's Liberation Movement in the first place: the surges of excitement and strength from making the personal the political. Here, the message seemed to be the impersonal is the political. More than rape, the word WAR became and still remains the rallying word for that action. Without any strong and meaningful sharing of statements about the experience and meaning of rape — the personal testimonies of women who had been raped were simply lost after close to an hour of the non-descript, boring speeches, — the call to war/WAR came across as a fist in the face of not just the institutions that were supposedly the target, but also against us who didn't immediately make the connection. That kind of disconnected militancy is intimidating. Those of us who have been raped and are familiar with the statistics that tell us how few rapes are reported know it is hard for women to speak to what it is like to be raped, never mind wanting to do something about it. Taking a militant attitude is by no means enough. Within such a barrage of calls to WAR (from posters, buttons, T-shirts, placards, armbands, speeches) the word rape was lost, and with it the issue of rape itself which is what the rally was to be about in the first place. Rosemarie Larsen support Kinesis advertisers ♦W^'J'W'W'Two new releases from the Woi X At the demonstration, I experienced an audience of about two-hundred regulars, revealing that the organizing had not reached the many women in this town who are vitally concerned with rape; an unenforceable media policy that set the tribunal up for media coverage of that policy and not the issue of rape; the tribunal itself which did not make me think or feel anything about rape; the cold, blank looks from women who were part of an effort to trash and exclude myself and others in my study and consciou- snessraising group from the organizing; information from a few women about the trashings and the lack of democratic decision-making that continued after our group had left. I see these failures as a direct result of the exclusion, trashing and punishing of women (ourselves and possibly others) who advocated a broad based coalition structure allowing for democratic decisionmaking. Instead we got a co-ordinating committee in Nanaimo making the major decisions, while a few women in Vancouver scrambled, slammed and trashed their way to action to meet the WAR deadline. In the end, this kind of "organizing" ended up to be planning something to do for friends and coworkers, rather than mobilizing women concerned with and affected by rape. Another issue has come up since the demonstration. An evaluation of the action was called by the BCFW for Wednesday, Nov. 16. Our group was never told about this meeting by any of the women who knew of our participation from the beginning. To me this means that the call for an evaluation was not a sincere one as it favoured some participants and excluded others, demonstrating an unwillingness on the part of those involved to learn from their mistakes. Two women from our group have written a leaflet outlining criticisms of the political behaviour that led to the failure of the demonstration. Copies of this leaflet can be obtained by calling us at 253-2550 or 253-4995, or by writing to 2621 Charles Street, Vancouver, B.C. Cady Williams n's Press- n Every woman's Almanac 1978 The Everyday Collective (lombines a day calendar, address book and information guide—all together in one easy-to-carry pocketbook. Better than ever and still only $3.95! RAPE: The Price of Coercive Sexuality ♦ _. -^rp, RAPE: The Price ot Coercive St % I RArrj- I Lorenne M.G. Clark & Debra Lewis •:• I The price of * j' coercive sexuality j lh]sl)()ok( (paper) $12.95 (cloth) 224 pages * * * ste. 3B-2S0IUm, page 17 what is a radical ? B.C. SOCIAL CREDIT WOMEN'S AUXILIARY CONVENTION I received the following collection of quotations. They were sent through the mail to my home. Kinesis, Rape Relief, and several other individuals received them, too. All were anonymous. I feel that any person wishing to express their opinions to me in a personalized manner has an obligation to identify themselves to me and to explain why I was chosen, and how my home address was obtained. This tactic is disruptive and irresponsible. It creates paranoia and anger among people who, if approached openly, could be involved in productive discussion. I therefore request the person(s) responsible to identify themselves and explain their intentions. I also request those responsible to make themselves available for discussion (perhaps through Kinesis or at the next forum) both of the issues raised by their paper and the techniques used to distribute it. In struggle, Holly Devor WHAT HAPPENED: SOURCE NOTES ON THE INFILTRATION AND CO-OPTATION OF THE MOVEMENT Today, the women's liberation movement is in the hands of a group of liberal opportunists, and therefore in the hands of the left/liberal male establishment. These women are scrambling frantically after the few crumbs that men have thrown out when we radicals began to expose the truth and demand some changes. These are the women who have access to the press and the money. They are supposedly the 'leaders' of the women's movement, but they are leading us down the road to a few respectable reforms and nothing else. How did these women get their power? The answer is two-pronged. First, they don't ask for much and they do not really demand what they ask for. THEY REFUSE TO NAME MEN AS THE ENEMY (OPPRESSOR) and talk endlessly about that vague monster "society" as being responsible for it all. They claim that women are brainwashed and damaged and consent to their own oppression, and that men, poor things, treat women badly because they have been socialized into a 'role.' The other main reason why these opportunists were able to take over the women's movement was that they were able to divide and silence and/or drive out the pro-women radical feminists. Their biggest tactic was to always make every discussion, every disagreement, every everything into one of STRUCTURE as opposed to CONTENT. Structure replaced male supremacy as the problem, with new structures posed as' the solution. Thus, they never attacked the problem directly. Those who challenged these assumptions were subject to character assassination or attacks on their "bad personalities". Building the proper "non- structure" structure in the movement became the test of whether it was radical. Thus structure became an excellent tool for keeping certain people and ideas under control, for keeping theni from going too far too fast. (Carol Hanisch, The Liberal Takeover of Women's Liberation) One of the basic liberal arguments we have encountered and no doubt will again is the insistence on "UNITY". Any time this is brought up, we should always ask, "UNITY WITH WHOM? WHY? FOR OR AGAINST WHAT?" Unity against an external enemy is ultimately necessary, but all too often "unity" is used as a cover to avoid dealing with internal and external enemies. When this happens, it is the liberals who are calling for unity with themselves, against the troublemakers (radicals). The liberals are happy to have a "unity" that is developed at the expense of radicalism because it protects their hegemony. In "unity" they seek to isolate and drive out the dissidents, AS THEY HAVE BEFORE. (Brooke, Quicksand Politics: Some Liberal Arguments in the Women's Movement) Many organizers labour under the illusion that they can "use an existing, already "hot" issue to build up their own cause. I think that this is a delusion, that in fact it does not save time or effort, but can really set a movement back or even destroy it. To reach the people "where they are at" when they are in the wrong place, is a false approach. Rather, We should be concerned with educating them at all times to the real issues involved. If there ARE real issues, people will catch on soon enough. (Shulamith Firestone) // we don't blame the capitalist system for everything, they think we hate men. They can't seem to get it through their heads that we can blame men and capitalism at the same time. They are so concerned that we think men are THE enemy that they can't hear anything else we say. It amazes us that people who are so much the targets of redbaiting can so easily turn around and "man- hater" bait us. MAYBE THAT EXPLAINS, AT LEAST, WHY THEY DO MOST OF IT BEHIND OUR BACKS. (Carol Hanisch, Hard Knocks: Working for Women's Liberation in a Mixed Movement Group) A NOTE ON DISRUPTION AND CRITICISM AFTER THE FACT: Here was a conglomerate of women with totally disparate attitudes, and, for once, they were acting in concert. It would have been impossible to get both groups to act collectively at a demonstration (militant), or at decorating the centre (non-political), or drafting by-laws (administrative); for disruption, however, they were willing to join ranks. The members were not willing to do the work, whether of a social or political nature. Therefore, they had no understanding of the issues involved, no knowledge that they were being exploited by the disrupters. (Ruth Simpson, From the Closets to the Courts) A NOTE ON MEDIA: There was a great deal of interest in the press. We figured out particularly how the press would react to an action, how they would interpret the thing, and our strategy was planned with that in mind. There is a mistake in that, because the position of the bourgeoisie toward revolutionary action is clear in the final analysis. One should not measure one's actions against it. There is far too much attention paid to the media, which lies in capitalist hands. (Bommi Bauman, Wie Alles Anfing) WE MUST AT THIS POINT UNDERSTAND THAT ONE NEED NOT BE AN AGENT IN ORDER TO DO THAT WORK OF AN AGENT. AND IF THE END RESULT IS THE SAME, THEN THE OPPORTUNIST AND THE AGENT MUST BE TREATED THE SAME. (Third World Women's Alliance) Last year there were indications that the Socred Women's Auxiliary might begin to concern itself with women's issues instead of simply meeting once a year to hash over past times and pass a few resolutions that would be totally ignored by the party. Pat Jordan had given an impassioned speech that the Socred women should become involved in women's questions and not leave the running to the N.D.P. But her message seems to have fallen on deaf ears. This year none of the resolutions considered had anything to do with what might marginally be considered as feminism. There was a resolution on the employment of children and one on pornography: not because the latter is degrading to women but because it "is damaging to public morals, particularly those of children." They only voted to boycott stores which sell pornography and that could be anywhere except a Bennett hardware store. There was a resolution to change the name of the Women's Auxiliary to "Social Credit Women's Association of British Columbia" which went down to resounding defeat. Proponents of the change of name said that "Women's Auxiliary" is a name which denotes "less than the full partnership for the women who work for Social Credit" and that a change of name "would reflect more properly the vitality, progressiveness and effectiveness of the special area of work in which the women are engaged." Most of the women present were pioneers of Social Credit, W.A.C. Bennett's "shock troops", and were proud of the title and what it signified. So the auxiliary stays and the women are content to raise funds and staff committee rooms. And the Social Credit party, as a consequence, continues to ignore women's concerns. Mark Bud KHM«yi'I»l'V«T/lM«B \ i\e$0i d^n IT £UDDENI_V OCCURS TO A*£ I'VE BEEN TREATING PERFECTLY MORMAL PEOPLE FOR PARANOIA. the WAR letters Editor's note: These comments came to Kinesis in response to a letter circulated as widely as possible throughout the women's community. The letter requested short evaluations of the WAR action with the promise that all responses of 200-300 words would be printed verbatim. I did this because everywhere I' went, it seemed women were talking about the WAR action. I have printed everything I received, and none of the personal responses have been edited. page 18 EVENTS VANCOUVER STATUS OF WOMEN 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver CHRISTMAS PARTY - This year the VSW Christmas Party will be held at Kits House (2305 W. 7th at Vine), Friday December 9 at 7:30pm. There will be an Open House at the office the same day from 2:30-7:30 pm. Women and men welcome. Entertainment and Refreshments! QUARTERLY MEETING - Our quarterly meeting will be held at Kits House, 2305 West 7th (at Vine) on Wednesday, January 18 at 7:30pm. DONATIONS NOW TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! Vancouver Status of Women has finally obtained 'Charitable Organization' tax status. This means your donations are deductible from your income when computing income tax. We will be using all donations received to continue the service and education aspects of our work. We offer programs to schools and other organizations on how sexism pervades all aspects of life. We organize consciousness-raising groups, assertiveness- training groups, and self-help advocacy groups to assist women in self-growth and in learning to take control of their own lives. These are the only free feminist services of this kind offered in Vancouver. But, we need money to support this. There is the rent — salaries — stationery — child care — postage — telephone — etc. This is your organization, and we cannot operate without your support! Our registration number is 0494658-59-27. ADD VSW TO YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS LIST WOMEN'S SELF-ADVOCACY - Learn the skills you need to take care of your legal procedures. At VSW, we now hold regular workshops where women can work together on their own separations, divorces and family court matters. Times are Sundays, 1:00-3:00; Mondays & Tuesdays, 7:30-9:30. Call Mercia or Carol at 736-3746 for more details. ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING and CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING - VSW runs regular sessions in both. Call Susan at 736-3746 to sign up for January programs. KINESIS — If you want to find out how a newspaper gets put together and distributed, volunteer your labour to Kinesis. Call Gayla at 736-3746 afternoons. REFERENCE LIBRARY - VSW has an extensive reference library on feminist topics. If you are a student, and are working on research in areas related to the women's movement, drop by the office 9 to 5 weekdays (except Tuesday afternoon). COMMUNITY ACTION - VSW is now organizing community feminist groups in Marpole and South Vancouver. If you live in either area and want to become involved, call 736-3746. WOMEN OF JAPAN December 4th Lee Grills, President of VSW, addressed a group of women representing 30 different women's organizations from all parts of Japan. Together, they form the International Women's Education Association of Japan. FULL CIRCLE COFFEEHOUSE 152 East 8th Avenue, Vancouver (874-7119) *, DECEMBER CALENDAR ■$£ Open at 8:30-Performance at 9:30 Admission $2.00 WEDNESDAYS - December 7: FERRON - local singer and songwriter. December 14: PENNY ENGLAND - feminist mimer from Seattle. December 21: TBA — see December poster or check with coffeehouse members. December 28: Closed. FRIDAYS (Women Only) - December 2 & Saturday, December 3: MAGGIE SAVAGE and JUDE FOQUELQUIST — an uncompromising lyricist, and an outrageous guitar player from Bellevue, Washington. December 9: FERRON — local singer and songwriter. December 16: BARBARA STEVENSON - belly-dancing from a woman's perspective. December 23: CHRISTMAS PARTY - come and join us for our monthly party. $1.00. Women only. December 30: Closed. The Coffeehouse Collective is taking a short two-week rest. We would like to thank all those who have supported the Coffeehouse in their own way in the past year. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and we'll see you in the New Year (January 6, to be exact). SUNDAY NIGHTS - Drop-in For Women Only (Free). JAM SESSION - Thursday, December 15. Women: bring your musical instruments (spoons & rice jars included). (Free) WAR, the Women Against Rape Collective, has a few posters, arm-bands and copies of The Statement of Demands that have been left over from the successful Tribunal action that took place on the courthouse steps November 5, 1977. The WAR Collective would like any woman who is interested in having any of the above as momentos of this action to contact Women In Focus, at 6-45 Kingsway (872-2250), where they are available. NDP WOMEN'S CONFERENCE January 14-15, 1978 This is a delegate conference, but NDP women are welcome as observers. For details about time and place, please contact: Rosemary Grey, c/o Provincial Office, 64 8th Street, New Westminster. BCFW LOWER MAINLAND REGIONAL MEETING At the BCFW Lower Mainland Regional Meeting, popularly referred to as the WAR meeting, we did do more than evaluate the Women Against Rape action. Hopefully subsequent meetings will interest at least an equally large number of women to attend and be involved in deciding and organizing strategies (and anything else relevant to feminists) in the next year. MARCH 8 ABORTION ISSUE So far we have decided to organize action around two events — International Day of Protest on March 8th, and the Vancouver General Hospital General Meeting in the spring. The first planning meeting on November 23 was cancelled due to bad weather. It has been re-scheduled for Wednesday, December 7 at Britannia Community Centre, 7:30pm in Library 4. Jackie Simpson, from Vancouver Women's Health Collective and chairperson of the Health Sub-Committee, agreed to gather more information about the VGH meeting at which members are elected to serve on the Board that makes abortion policy. The whole issue of abortion and how to counter Pro-life action was discussed. It was suggested that a day-long workshop be organized to deal with this issue. There were several workshop proposals which stimulated interest, and several women agreed to work together to organize them. The workshops include: a political forum where women with feminist leanings present various political ideologies; women in the labour movement; how to function as a group; and possibly one on lesbianism. Anyone interested in plugging into the action and workshop proposals can contact either of the regional representatives for the Lower Mainland — Sarah Davidson at 253-2537(w) or 255-0436(h), or Diana Smith at 251-3775. FEMINIST KARATE ASSOCIATION Due to renewed interest and/or general dismay at the condition of our bodies, ie. the need to develop more skills and strength in self-defense and fighting, the Feminist Karate Association is being resurrected. We plan to incorporate karate and self- defense techniques (this can be broadened depending on interest). Any woman interested in working out regularly or periodically with other women should contact either Patty Clark (929-7855) or Diana Smith (251-3775) for more information. Previous experience is not necessary. VANCOUVER RAPE RELIEF organizes rape rap sessions. Meet with other women who have been raped. For more information call Rape Relief at their business number - 872-8212. DO YOUR OWN DIVORCE In January, VSW will be setting up workshops devoted to learning divorce procedures. You don't need a lawyer to take your divorce through the courts if you learn to represent yourself. And all it takes to represent yourself is a familiarity with the procedures. You don't need years of law school! Phone Carol at 736 3746 to plan the January times. page 19 LETTERS * ADS #■ KINESIS ISSN 0317-9095 OUR READERS WRITE Your last issue of Kinesis looked smashing. Very uptown. Does this mean you're about to go out of business? Your efforts are much appreciated. I am comforted by your existence, your political efforts, especially in fighting the dreary, day-to-day, niggly-piggly aspects of discrimination. Your existence gives me hope that our struggle for equal rights and opportunities will eventually, if slowly, have effect. The knowledge of other people's struggles, conveyed through Kinesis, in addition to the demonstrations and rallies and contacts with Ministers, helps bring my own personal struggles beyond the confines of my smaller world in the larger one. __ __\ o o s S S fc to « « CO CQ £ ,x J Kinesis is published monthly by the Vancouver Status of Women. Its objectives are to enhance understanding about the changing position of women in society and to work actively towards achieving change. 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 and production crew. SUBMISSIONS: VSW welcomes submissions from the feminist community and in particular, from VSW members. We do reserve the right to edit, and submission does not guarantee publication. Include a SASE if you want your work returned. CORRESPONDENCE - Kinesis, Vancouver Status of Women, 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1N3. You can help our subscription base by delivering free copies in your community. Call VSW and we'll send you some: 736-3746. Hang in! Keep pushing on big issues as well as specific aberrations in our society. Thank you for the reminder about my subscription running out. I was aware of it, but didn't have the funds. But, on thinking it over, I don't want to miss out on all the information Kinesis brings me each month. So I enclose $2.00 — please renew my sub. If I can, I will send more later, as I realize that papers don't print themselves. CLASSIFIED ADS CHARGE: 50 cents per line (at 35 characters/line). Payment in full must accompany classified ad copy. DEADLINE: The 20th of the month preceding publication, Changes in copy or cancellations will NOT be accepted after the 23rd of the month. FOR INFORMATION AND RATES ON DISPLAY ADS CONTACT GAYLA REID AT VSW - 736-3746 Please send me some extra copies, so I can put them in my library, UIC office, doctor's office, etc. The Northwestern Ontario Women's Centre writes: We love to receive Kinesis and many people drop into our centre to read the various publications we receive, Kinesis being a favourite for many. We encourage people to get their own subscriptions. However, many of the women are in the usual low-paying jobs for women and therefore cannot afford it. LETTER PROTESTS At VSW, we often receive copies of sexist ads from members, with a suggestion that we take some action. The best thing to do is take that action yourself! If you have questions about how to combat sexist advertising, we can send you (for 50 cents) a booklet: Sexist Ad Kit — How To Protest Sexism In Advertising. It's very clear and gives you step-by-step suggestions. Remember — a letter to them is much more useful than a letter to us! McGEER DEFENDS SEXIST TEXTS "With regard to the essay 'Nuclear Bomb Shelter' in the Grade VIII English book, Incentives, my Curriculum Development Branch informs me that they have recognized the potential difficulties that could arise with this essay. It was also recognized that the blatant sex stereotyping in this essay could be used as a vehicle for helping students in recognizing stereotyping in materials that they read." Come on, McGeer. That's not good enough! CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE - Armstrong flute, silver-plated open-hole style, excellent condition. $220. Smith-Corona electric portable typewriter in very good condition, just cleaned and oiled. $170. Call 731-5101 evenings. NEEDED — Women willing to donate their labour to VSW for the following tasks: To review VSW 'Woman Alive'video tapes (about 40 half-hour tapes), and compile a brief descriptive video list for distribution. To review informational materials at a career resources centre aimed at high-school students, in order to alert staff of sexist materials. Contact Nadine at VSW (736-3746). T—SHIRTS, BUTTONS, BUMPER STICKERS Women's T-Shirts $6.00 each ■kcome into the office and pick one out! Buttons $1.00 each Bumper Stickers $1.00 each Children's T-ShirtS $5.00 each (by order only) 2. SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL SUBSCRIBE TO KINESIS! Published by Vancouver Status of Women 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. Subscriber Only Member/Subscriber AMOUNT ENCLOSED: Subs are $8/year Individual (or what you can afford), $15/year Institutions. VSW membership is by donation. Please remember that VSW operates on inadequate funding — we need member support!
Preceding title: Vancouver Status of Women. Newsletter. Date of publication: 1974-2001. Frequency: Monthly.
Periodicals
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HQ1101.V24 N49
English
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Vancouver : Vancouver Status of Women
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Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. HQ1101.V24 N49
Women--Social and moral questions
Feminism--Periodicals
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