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Kinesis
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■June 198£ news about women that's not in the dailies Kinesis June 1985 1 Workers fight to save Transition House Vancouver Transition House is up for grabs again, and women's groups throughout the city are outraged. They will be trying a new strategy to fight the facility's imminent closure. Transition House was directly funded by the Ministry of Human Resources until April 1984 when it came up for privatization along with 21 other social services. Privatization involves the government contracting out a service to a sponsor group, which then takes on the administration of the service. The YWCA picked up Transition House's contract, but decided to to pull out early last month saying it was a drain on staff and volunteers. Human Resources Minister Grace McCarthy announced on May 17 that Transition House would close on June 30, when the Y sponsorship terminates. She has since indicated that it is unclear whether the house will actually be closed down, but workers are concerned that no guarantee for continued funding has been given. They have already been given their layoff As a new tactic against further privatization, workers and concerned supporters met on May 20 to form a registered society with the intention of submitting an application to MHR to take over sponsorship of the service. The move would put control of Transition House operation into feminist hands, rather than leav ing it up to whichever private concern decides they'd like to take it over under the auspices of MHR. Response to plans for the society have been encouraging, with Board of Directors well underway at press time. They anticipate an application to the Ministry will be made by June 10th. However, there is no way of . knowing if this new society ill get the contract. Brook Hill, a worker at Transition House, says she is worrried that the government may choose another society as a sponsor, or may close Transition House and start another facility la- r, with different workers and less money. Hill lays the blame for the present crisis firmly at the feet of the provincial government for their privatization scheme. "The fact that the Y is pulling out isn't their fault," she said. "It takes a lot of energy and money, and it should be the government's responsibility." Statements from the Ministry say there may be no immediate need for the continuation of Transition House, given that there is a 15% vacancy rate in emergency shelters in the Lower Mainland. This statistic is misleading, based on the aggregate vacancy rate for shelters as far away as Langley. Of the 96 beds referred to in these statements, only 59 are in transition houses specifically designed to meet the needs of battered women and their children. Transition House's own statistics reflect a different reality. In 1984 the house accomodated 187 women and 141 children. In the same year, the house was forced to turn away 637 women and 700 children, a total of 1337 people, for lack of space. They note that far from closing the house, a more appropriate response would be an expansion of its services. There are 32 transition houses in BC, but Vancouver's is the only one with a direct phone line to a worker 24 hours a day. Transition House also does extensive followup, while other houses don't have the resources to do so, largely because they have been even more underfunded than Vancouver. Hill also says the workload at Transition House has increased since MHR cut child abuse teams a year and a half ago, leaving workers no place to refer abused children. "Our service has become more drained, because there is no place else they can turn," Transition House is fourteen years old and currently employs eleven full-time and six part-time workers Eatons boycott finally ends The Eatons boycott is finally over. In May, workers at six Ontario stores on strike since November 30 signed a first contract. They are certified in the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. News about details of the contract, and how the rank and file members of the union feel about it, has been difficult to come by, though it is certain that all the workers' demands were not met. One of the key compromises means that not everyone presently employed at 'Äûstore will have to join the union. The union may have decided to take the contract because of 171 walkers raised $17,000 in the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter's May 26 Walkathon around Stanley Park Seawall. After the walk 200 people gathered for a picnic, with information tables and Women's fight back display. Through fear into power The Moral Majority...Barbara AmieJL.. .Neo-Fascism.. .Jim Keegstra...the Klu Klux Klan.. .Ronald Reagan...R.E.A.L. Women ...the Rise of the Right...Renaissance Canada... All these words strike a note of fear in the hearts of minds of progressive people. The influence of the extreme right wing on the current political climate is steadily producing an anti-woman, anti-human rights backlash that will not be ignored and can no longer be denied. .It's time for feminists to examine the new right phenomenon, its program, its effects and possible fight back strategies. Is it a mass movement ? What are its points of vulnerability ? How can feminists effectively counteract its propaganda ? V.S.W. is sponsoring a two-day forum for feminists to pull together the information we have and analyse where our move ment is going on this issue. Through Fear into Power: Feminists Examine the Right will feature speakers, theatre, audio visuals, an open mike, and discussion groups. Join us at the Britannia Cafeteria, June 8th and 9th. For details see page 29. an Ontario labour law that does not guarantee job security for strikers after six months on the picket line. The strike got support from the women's movement across Canada, with International Women's Day marches in Vancouver and Toronto making local Eaton's stores the site of vocal prote.st. 10,000 Toronto women marched right into the store. The contract will set precedent for retail workers throughout the country. The last drive to reorganize retail workers was in the '50's. Watch next month's Kinesis for an interview with some of the strikers on how they feel about the settlement." 2 Kinesis June 1985 MOVEMENT MATTERS MJiDE Movement matters 3 Across BC 4 Across Canada 5 International 8 Zimbabwe 9 Sri Lanka 10 Porn and militarism 12 Expose on Pattison 14 Smoking 17 Street women 18 Arts Film festival 20 New Our Bodies Ourselves 22 Rubymusic 23 Sara Jeanette Duncan 24 Behind the Veil: Nuns 25 Small Press Poetry 26 International Woman Studies 27 Letters 28 Bulletin Board 29 KMEJiJ PRODUCTION THIS ISSUE: Kim Irving, Meredith Bolton, Leather Harris, Libby Barlow, Heidi Hueniken, Maura Volante, Emma Kivisild, Molly, Patty Daughterofgib, Angela Wanczura, Baylah Greenspoon, Rosemarie Rupps, Ruth Harding, Isis. Kinesis welcomes volunteers to work on all aspects of the paper. Call us at 873-5925. Our next story meetings are June 5th and August 7th at the VSW offices. All women welcome! (even if you don't have any experience). COVER DESIGN by Isis from a photo by Sharon Knapp. EDITORIAL GROUP: Libby Barlow, Jan DeGrass, Kim Irving, Emma Kivisild (editor), Barbara Kuhne, Sharon Knapp, Janie Newton-Moss, Cy-Thea Sand, Connie Smith, Isis (production co-ordinator), Michele Wollstonecroft, Leather Harris. EDITORIAL BOARD: Carol Bierenga, Jan DeGrass, Patty Gibson, Punam Khosla, Emma Kivisild, Michele Wollstonecroft. CIRCULATION/DISTRIBUTION: Judy Rose, Joey Schibild, Vicky Donaldson, Margaret McHugh, Cy- Thea Sand, Cat L'Hirondell, Kim Irving, Angela Wanzcura, Spike Harris, ADVERTISING: Jill Pollack, Emma Kivisild, Heather Harris, Vicky Donaldson. KINESIS is published ten times a year by Vancouver Status of Women. Its objectives are to enhance understanding about the changing position of women in society and work actively towards achieving social 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 group. CORRESPONDENCE: Kinesis, Vancouver Status of Women, 400 A West 5th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V5Y1J8. MEMBERSHIP in Vancouver Status of Women is $23/year (or what you can afford). This includes a subscription to Kinesis. Individual subscriptions to Kinesis are $15/year. SUBMISSIONS are welcome. We reserve the right to edit, and submission does not guarantee publication. ie Canadian Periodical How do we deal with rapists? by Kim Irving Hey little girl is your daddy home?/ Did he go away and leave you all alone?/ I've got a bad desire/ I'm on fire/ Tell me now girl is he good to you/ Can he do all the things that I do? ■ I'd like to believe the lyrics of this popular pop song are not meant to promote child rape/incest, yet the implications are clearly there. The message is if one "daddy" doesn't satisfy you, another is not far away. Unfortunately, this is often the reality for many childten. So what is done with these daddy-rapists? Though this question hasn't often been addressed by feminists, it does concern us, as most programs for convicted rapists are mysogynist to some degree. Choices are few. Once castration was considered, but aside from the obvious humane consideration involved in opposing mutilation, it is also true that rapists could still beat and economically starve us. Ta- tooing rapists is a novel idea but provides little security. They can be imprisoned (where rapists are hated and often raped themselves) but they are soon out - even angrier. A final attempt seems to be treatment programs (though the idea is not new.) Treatment programs vary from city to city, and most are based on excusing the rapist as deviant. Programs will go a certain distance, but not as far as to strip the rapist's control over sexuality - especially that of children. (Some programs, even in B.C., use child pornography for treatment.) It is hard to believe the success of any program when our present social conditions encourage men to rape children. So it was with skepticism and mild surprise that I .••"5»»" recently watched the television show Frontline, which featured 'Men who molest', a story on the Seattle Northwest (NW) Treatment Associates program. Northwest runs a day program for convicted rapists. They live in their community while attending the program. Northwest receives over 225 men per week and many stay for long term therapy (2-3 years). The show examined four offenders who were described as typical. The program consists of lie detector tests, individual therapy, and group therapy. Also shown were two confrontations between the rapist and their daughter. The group therapy is based on the A.A. model. The rapist has to identify himself to the group as a rapist and describe the assaults he committed. This approach is to ensure that the rapist recognizes and takes responsibility for his' assault. This often means stiff confrontation from other rapists in the group. As one therapist explained, "The cloak of the offender is the secrecy. The greatest expert in sexual deviation is the offender." Another part of the therapy is the reenact- ment of the assault, only this time on a rubber doll. The assault is filmed and the rapist must then watch the re-run. This often breaks down the rapist's rationalization of his assault. N.W. therapists admitted that they were not the experts and that programs such as this are in their infancy. The success of such programs cannot be determined as no follow- up studies have been done. The program hopes to demystify the offender. As one therapist commented, "There is no such thing as a person who could not be a child molester." Another therapist commented, "We (society) make excuses for the offender - that they were victims, they lost their jobs or are having problems with adult relationships - rather than focusing on the primary components - that this crime is pleasurable for them - therefore it's repeated until it becomes habit and then the need increases." Though the Northwest program is encouraging in One sense, it does fall short of any feminist analysis of rape. -The rapists in the program are taught to see themselves as "sexual addicts" rather than made to recognize the power and control they have over children. It is also questionable whether rapists should be in the community while in treatment. Northwest is not the answer but at least it's a start. It is another way that society deals with rape - by treating the crime after the fact, rather than before. A real treatment program for rapists should start in kindergarten, teaching boys to be responsible for their sexuality. KINESIS IS AVAILABLE AT: VANCOUVER AND AREA: Agora Food Co-op Beckwomans East End Food Co-op English Bay Books La Quena Coffee House LitlleSislers Mall Book Bazaar Manhattan Books McLeodsBooks NorthShore Women's Centre Octopus East and West Peregrine Books Press Gang Reach Clinic Simon Fraser Studen Society Bookstore Simon Fraser University Bookstore Spartacus Books UBC Bookstore Vancouver Women's Bookstore VanguardBooks Women's Health Collective Women's Resource Centre IN B.C.: Chetwynd Women's Resource Centi Everywoman's Books, Victoria Haney Books, Maple Ridge NDP Bookstore, Gibson's Landing Nelson Women'sCentre Pt. Coquitlam Women'sCentre Quesnel Women's Resource Centre South Surrey/White Rock Women'i Terrace Women's Resource Centre Unemployed Action Centre, IN CANADA: Halifax Atlantic News Red Herring Co-op Books Montreal A ndrogyny Bookstore Sherbrooke BiblairieQGCLtee. Winnipeg e Dominion NewsandGifts Liberation Books Thunder Bay Northern Women's Bookstore Thunder Bay Co-op Books Ottawa Place Globe Mags and Cigars Mags and Fags Octopus Books Ottawa Women's Bookstore Edmonton Aspen Books Common Woman Hooks Book World DECBookstore Lichtman'sNewsA Books Longhouse Book Shop Pages SCMBookroom The Book Cellar Toronto Women's Bookstore World's Biggest Bookstore York University Bookstore INU.S.A.: Chosen Books, Detroit, Mich. ■I.C.I. -A Woman'sPlace. Oakland, Ca. It's About Time, Seattle, Wash. Old Wives Tales, San Francisco, Ca. Room of One's Own, Madison, Wise. NEW ZEALAND Broadsheet, A ukland Women's Bookshop, Christchurch MOVEMENT MATTERS Working toward positive action by Wendy Frost On May 3-5, 175 women from across B.C. came together at" Douglas College in New Westminster to share information and plan strategies on women's access to college education, at a conference entitled Where Is Our Future? Women And College Education In B.C., sponsored by the Status of Women Committee of the College- Institute Educators' Association of B.C. The conference organizers aimed to go beyond consciousness raising to concrete action, and to create links between women in the colleges and women in the communities. The conference opened the evening of Friday, May 3, with an address by Jane Evans, Vice- President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, on Women's Studies as a political tool, followed by entertainment featuring local poets Sandy Shreve and Leona Gom, Aya, a local women's a cappella group, and Glee- Club, a women's duo from Vic-' toria. Saturday's opening speakers, Mary-Lynn Stewart McDougall from SFU Women's Studies, and ' Jack Finnbogason, President of C-IEA, stressed the impact of restraint on the college- institute system, particularly focussing on funding and governance of the colleges. With this as background, Saturday's workshops covered a braod range of issues affecting women in the college sys tem: specific problems and concerns of native women, immigrant women, disabled students, mature women and learning mothers, unionized women in the colleges, and educationally disadvantaged women; cuts to programs and services affecting women's studies programs, women in the arts, "bridging" programs, and Employment Orientation for Women programs. The focus of Sunday's session was strategy and action. Dr. Pauline Jewett, M.P. former federal NDP education critic, spoke on the role of the federal government in post- secondary education, and the responsibility of the provincial government to pass-on the federal transfer payments earmarked for education. Her Canada's first women of colour press Sister Vision, the first press for Black women and women of colour to be established in Canada, seeks manuscripts, ideas, and donations. Sister Vision was founded in the summer of '84 by Black women and women of colour "because we feel strongly that more of our works must be published and read." The press will encourage works by women of all cultures, sexual preferences and classes, and will focus on four areas: women's oral history, creative writing, books for children and young people, and theory and research. ThS press will provide a forum for theoretical works which speak to and analyse the political and social lives of Black and Third World women from a feminist perspective. "We made a conscious political decision to distinguish between Black women and women of colour," say the women of Sister Vision. "This is an important distinction because Black women have had a particular historical experience in the world: the experience of slavery and its aftermath. Israeli defender of Palestinians to visit BC Felicia Langer is a Holocaust survivor and an Israeli Jew who has long been active in the defense of Palestinian people's national and human rights. She is the vice-president of the Israeli League for Human and Civil Rights. As an attorney, Langer began her career defending Sephard- ic Jewish workers arrested for demonstrating. Her main- work since 1967 has been with Palestinian political prisoners who live in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Felicia Langer will speak in Vancouver on June 13, at 7:30 p.m. at Britannia Community Centre (above the library). This is her first Canadian engagement on a North America-wide Speaking tour. The tour is jointly sponsored by the Toronto Middle East Group (largely professors) and the Palestine Human Rights Committee (a broadly based church and community organization).. This is a rare opportunity for people in Vancouver to hear an Israeli Jew with her perspective speak about her first hand experiences. For more information Chava Mintz 251-5419. "While needing to focus on the consequences of that history we will not be limited by it, and will continue to recognize our commonalities and share the writing of our Native Sisters, our Asian Sisters and others who define themselves as women of colour. "We want to reforge the links between women of colour in Canada and in the Caribbean and Third World women the world "Our vision is that of a Global feminism,- an interconnecting and weaving of our histories." Women interested in supporting Sister Vision or who would like to be on the mailing list can write Sister Vision, Black Women and Women of Colour Press, P,0, Box 217, Station E, Toronto, Ontario, M6H 4E2, or call (416) 532-9868. • speech was followed by regional strategy sessions, designed to develop concrete strategies for future action on the community level. Women attending came from all regions of the province, representing both colleges and communities: college instructors, students, and support staff, and women from women's resource centres, immigrant women's services, native women's groups, and other women's and educational community groups. The community strategy sessions bought these women together in regional caucuses and gave them the opportunity to pool the information from Saturday's workshops and from teh speakers, together with their own local needs and resources, to develop local and regional networks. The results of these sessions were extremely positive. Women are already meeting in newly- created networks in various regions of the province. Long- range proposals include making the conference an annual event, creating an Equality Information Officer position within C-IEA, lobbying to create Women's Advisory Committees at all the colleges and to restore the Women's Access Co-ordinators at all the colleges. The Status of Women Committee of C-IEA will be issuing a follow-up report on the conference, including networking lists, summaries of the workshop material and summaries of the strategy sessions. If you wish to receive a copy, call 872-8478, or contact the committee at the following address: College-Institute Educators' Association of B.C., Status of Women Committee, #101-545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1K9. Collective solutions to unemployment A workshop for women to explore the possibilities of a collective solution to unemployment will be part of the conference Making Sense of Change: Transition Between Economies presented by SPARC B.C. in June. Workshop leaders will look at the possibilities of cooperative businesses where women are worker-owners, or partners, or collective members, focussing on the issues for women involved in co-opera tive businesses, potential problems, and components for success. Susan Wismer, co-author of the book Community Profit will be one of the main resource people, with the local perspective provided by Carol Neilsen and Melanie Conn. For more information on this workshop or the conference, call Carol 251-6046 or Melanie 430- 0450 (days); 736-0935 (eves.). West Coast Women and Words launches summerschool/retreat for women West Coast Women and Words Society of British Golumbia will launch West Word this August. The summerschool/retreat is a vision that emerged from the successful Women and Words Conference of 1983 in Vancouver. We now have the opportunity to establish a much needed creative environment for intensive apprenticeship/dialogue for women wordwrights in Canada. We will offer two week courses featuring: •Poetry with instructor Daphne Marlatt and guest speaker Dorothy Livesay •Fiction with instructor Gail Scott and guest speaker Jane Rule •Playwriting with instructor Margaret Hollingsworth and guest Patricia Ludwick Each West Word group will have no more than ten students to allow intensity and flexibility. There will be a limited number of spaces available to women who desire a retreat only. All participants will receive a room of one's own. All classes and housing will be at the Vancouver School of Theology, located on the outskirts of the University of BC campus, overlooking Howe Sound: near beaches and hiking trails. Applicants must submit entrance criteria by June 17, 1985. $350 for two weeks includes tuition and room. Retreat (with access to instructors) is $250 for two weeks. For more information contact the Vancouver office, 872- 8014. ACROSS B.C. Hepp vs. Catholics A Prince George woman has form- all commenced legal action against the Amata Transition House in Quesnel because of recent constitutional changes that ban women considering abortions from shelter at" the facility. Gina Hepp of Quesnel, past vice-president of the Transition House Society, is protesting amendments made to the Amata Constitution by a newly elected Board of Directors dominated by representatives ■ of the Catholic Women's League ('Woman Fights Anti-Choice Clause' Kinesis Feb. '85). The constitution was changed in May of 1982 to include a clause that reads in part, "to provide shelter to pregnant teenagers 14 years and up who wish to carry their babies to term. And to accept and place certain children, in exceptional cases, as requested by Human Resources, except in such cases where a pregnant teenager is to have an abortion" (emphasis ours). In October of 1983 a paragraph was added to the constitution that further entrenches the board's anti-choice position in the mandate of the shelter. It reads, "that Amata Transi tion House Society in the protecting of the lives and offering shelter to battered women and their children and to young females cannot accept those women "and teenagers considering abortion. This provision is unalterable." (emphasis ours). Hepp says that she has commenced legal action for these two reasons. First, she says she has good reason to believe that the Board of Directors of the Society changed the constitution illegally; in that no notice of the resolutions to change the constitution was given to or ratified by the general membership. Second, she believes that the changes, insofar as they deal with the issue of abortion, should be beyond the scope and power of the Society's founding constitution, and that they are contrary to public policy. "The reason I have made the decision to carry this legal aci'ton through is that I believe that the founding constitution did not discriminate against women in any way and should remain so," says Hepp. "Transition Houses are not the place for the pros and cons of abortion to be fought." Readers concerned about Hepp's fight can send donations to . The Transition House Defense Fund, Account #7600313, Bank of Commerce, 318 Reid St., Quesnel, B.C. V2J 2M4. Any excess funds from donations will be sent ot the B.C. Society of Transtion Houses. Women's Centres meet by Maura Volante The Secretary of State recently held a conference, May 3-5 at the Richmond Inn, for all women's groups throughout B.C. and the Yukon, that are funded by their women's program. Approximately 80 women attended the event, their expenses covered by the Secretariat. -Gail Meredith of V.S.W. was impressed by the wide variety of women represented at the gathering, finding it interesting to note the differences between the work of the city groups and the centres in rural areas. Specialization is the key word for urban feminist activists, whereas the work is more general in smaller centres, with family and unemployment counselling being part of the role of a women's centre. The schedule was packed with events, starting with a dinner and talk by Pauline Jewett on Friday night and continuing with workshops all day Saturday ('til 9:30 p.m.) and half of Sunday. There were workshops on feminist history and philosophy, funding and budgets, feminist humour', married feminists, homophobia, native women's issues, immigrant women and women's centres, high school women's issues, and more. Though Gail thought that many of the workshops were useful, she found it difficult to do the networking that such a conference would seem to be an opportunity to do. She suggested that this would have been easier if on Friday night women had been asked to introduce themselves and their group to the whole conference. Also, the informal and one-to- I one contacts would have been facilitated by more free time in the schedule. Though in the final plenary there was discussion of ways to network among women's groups, with the B.C. Federation of Women being recognized but acknowledged to have not entirely succeeded in that aim, no definite conclusion was reached on how to accomplish this task. A discussion group will meet and prepare an information packet on the B.C.F.W. but any immediate further action was stymied for lack of funds. Members of various offices of the Secretary of State were on Canadian women to hold sports conference **jji\ Women from across the country are converging on Vancouver in June for the annual conference of the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport (CAAW&S). They are coming from as far away as Cambridge Bay, Northwest Territories and Chebucto, New Brunswick. The conference and annual general meeting starts June 14 and runs to June 16th at the Vancouver School of Theology on the UBC campus. Friday night the keynote speaker is Grace Maclnnes, long-time fighter for women's rights and social activist. Saturday there I will be a series of panels with speakers from the sport, fitness and women's health movements. Topics include: Sport, Sex and Gender, Sport and Gynaecology, Body Image, Why Women Hate Sport and several others. Saturday there will also be a variety of recreational activites with a sesstion of entertainment in the evening. For more information call the CAAW&S office at 662-3448. The cost for the weekend is $30 for the employed and $15 for the unwaged. Childcare subsidies are available. It will also be possible to attend only one workshop, for $5 each. hand throughout the weekend, making themselves available to the delegates. Certainly these kinds of gatherings are necessary and appreciated by women working in a widely scattered population trying to co-ordinate efforts to meet women's needs and goals. Mediation services now offered Free Mediation Services are now | available at the Westcoast Mediation Centre. Sessions are being conducted in the False Creek Community Centre. Here, people can sit down in an informal setting to work out their disagreements within the framework of a mediation session, aided by a neutral, objective third party. The mediator does not try to judge disputes, but instead sets fair ground rules, and assists communication between the parties. The mediator does not offer 'pat' solutions, but rather helps the people in conflict Work together to find a mutually agreeable solution that they can both live with. The Westcoast Mediation Centre provides a service for people when they need assistance in resolving disagreements such as: neighbourhood conflicts, . sample family disagreements (not including separation and divorce issues), landlord-tenant disputes, consumer issues and victim offender cases. For more information about this service, contact the West- | coast Mediation Centre at 22-°,-9771, loc. 243. Wild West i all-women collective, selling bulk organic produce, yogurt, and juices, for the health of you and your family. For a free catalog, call or write: WILD WEST ORGANIC HARVEST CO-OP 2471 SIMPSON RD, RICHMOND BC V6X2R2 D (604)276-2411 INADENNEKAMP Piano Tuning and Repairs 854 East 12th Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V5T2J 3 876-9698 The Alexander Technique Discover your potential for easy, graceful movement. Change habits which cause pain and tension. Move with flexibility and ease in daily activities, work, performing arts, and sports. JULIA BRANDRETH (604) 224-7062 ACROSS CANADA Women condemn media Everyone is male unless identified otherwise. This is an assumption indicated by much of the language used in the media. Women concerned with this and other poor media representation met this spring at the University of Winnipeg. The conference was designed to establish contacts, develop resources and promote positive images of women in the media. It was sponsored by Media Watch Manitoba and the Manitoba Action Committee on the Status of Women. Tanya Lester and Lydia Giles were two of the conference organizers. They came up with the idea for the conference while monitoring radio and television stations in preparation for a workshop on sex role stereotyping last fall. Both women were surprised and disappointed by the lack of female representation. "If the media is supposed to reflect society then it clearly is not doing the kind of job it should be doing by limiting news coverage on half .the people in our society," Lester says. She says that women still are not represented in their full variety of ages, shapes, sizes and colours. "(Today) we want to connect media women with over 30 women who^ are active in many different women's issues," Lester says. "By doing this, it is hoped that these women will be contacted and- interviewed more often by the mainstream media in the future." Sherry Dangerfield conducted a workshop on violence against women. She outlined a series of myths that encourage silence and violence. She says that these myths protect men and isolate women. "The courts and juries believe these myths," she says. "The media is responsible to anticipate and address these myths in their stories." Dangerfield says that violence is directed at less powerful people who cannot retaliate. "You as media have power and responsibility to women to help stop this violence," she says. Charlynn Toews conducted a workshop on images of women in newspapers. "The indirect Federal budget ignores promises "The CACSW recognizes the necessity of reducing the deficit. The difficulty lies in.carrying out this reduction in a way that will not penalize the most vulnerable members of our society. At first glance it seems this pitfall has not been avoided," says Silvia Gold in. response to the Progressive Conservative Party's first federal budget, handed down in May. Gold is president of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women. "Many fundamental questions have been raised," says Gold,"' and the answers are not clear. Some of these questions are: •How can the government justify a partial de-indexation of the two most important social programs - family allowance and old age security - that directly affect mothers and older women whose economic situation is already very precarious ? •With regard to job creation, where are the precise measures that require businesses to'-"use their tax savings to invest in human resources ? What are the measures established to ensure that businesses offer training programmes that meet-the needs of target groups in the work force, including women ? •Can women be assured that the $900 million committed to job training will actually result in programs that fully integrate women and lead to employment ? •Since most- women have not access to employer sponsored pension plans, and therefore will not receive any benefit from the changes contained in the budget, how will the government fulfil its commitment to improve pensions for women, whether employed in the labour market or working in the home ? Finally, why has the government gone through as extended process of consultation (with women's groups among others) if their recommendations have not been taken into consideration?" concludes Gold. " We have the right to ask what happened to all the election promises about day-care, battered women's shelters, job creation, equal pay for work of equal value and better access to credit for female entrepreneurs ? We have every reason to ask the government that question now." role of the media influences behavior," she says. "They decide what is newsworthy." Toews says that a content analysis of Manitoba newspapers showed women often to be either invisible or assumed. Invisible when they were totally left out of an article, and assumed when no specific mention was made of any women. Instead, general words such as "people" or "Canadians" .were used. The goal of the conference was to help women- become more visible, and to do so in a positive manner. Protection for domestics On April 1, 1985, domestic workers in Ontario finally came under the protection of the Workers Compensation Act. Any domestic who works over 24 hours per week now has the right to all,benefits and services offered to workers injured on the job. These include payment for medical expenses and loss of wages, vocational rehabilitation services, disability pension, and death benefits for surviving dependents. Under the Workers Compensation Act employers of domestic workers are required to register with the Workers Compensation Board and pay for the coverage of their workers. They are assessed by the Board under Rate No. 907 and must .pay $2.15 for every $100.00 of wages paid to the .domestic worker. For example, an employer who pays the current Ontario minimum wage of $757.00 would be required to pay $16.00 per If an employer fails to register with the Workers Compensation Board, the domestic worker is still protected by the Act. She or he can report the accident/illness to the Board and it will investigate the claim. An employer who is not registered with the Board is liable for the full cost of the claim as well as any assessments due. The International Coalition to End Domestics' Exploitation (INTERCEDE) began lobbying for the inclusion of domestics under the Workers Compensation• Act at their inception in 1979. In a recent CBC radio interview, INTERCEDE co-ordinator Judith Ramirez said, "We are cautiously optimistic, we will be watching closely how the Board handles claims by domestics and whether it goes after employers who do not register." Farm women to meet "Farm Women: Networking for Action" is the theme of the Second National Farm Womens Conference slated to be held this year in Charlottetown, . Prince Edward Island, November 21st through 24th. Wanda MacMurdo, Planning Committee Chairperson, explains that while farm women have made strides in bettering their lot, much work remains to be done. "It's time for farm women from all parts of Canada to assemble to demonstrate our motivation and find new and creative ways to better our situation within the farming industry. This Conference will bring together women from the grass roots of Canadian farming, and women's agricultural organizations," she explains. Mrs. MacMurdo notes that the progress of farm women within the fabric of Canadian society had been slowed somewhat by the difficult economic times facing the farming industry and that means there is still much work to be done. A planning committee representing farm women from across the country is now putting the finishing touches on the program for this year's Conference. For more details contact the Department of Agriculture in your province or write to: Wanda MacMurdo, P.O. Box 984, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CIA 4A2. Introducing 1986 KINESIS WALL CALENDAR VSW/Kinesis will publish its first wall calendar featuring photographs of local women's groups. Limited supply will be available. Advance orders are now being accepted. Send $8.75 plus $1.00 for shipping in cheque or money order to: Kinesis Wall Calendar, 400A West 5th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 1J8. Include your name, address & phone no. BECKWOMAKT5 3T0RE fRONT ART 5>TU0lA -&[f'T SHOP »*'!• CARDS + CRfVrrs . Helium Sallodms L0TS>A l£WmERy-£ARlN654A*riY fttEE LANCE AW WofcK- ANVrHlNL- MA06 IN CLAY-afett /ouH MoTHgR f S) Press Gang Printers jr-controlled collects 253-1224. LETTERHEAD SALE * free layout, -^ free typesetting, • if-all for regular letterhead price if. yC free background colour designed order before June 30, 1985. 7^- (allow three weeks) Specializing antiaite lines of furniture, each individually designed and handcrafted. 6 Kinesis June 1985 PORNOGRAPHY by Megan Ellis Megan Ellis is a member of W.A.V.A.W./Rape Crisis Centre and the Working Group on Sexual Violence. The Working Group submitted a brief on pornography to the Fraser Committee in April 1984. The report of the Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution (known as the Fraser Committee) was released in April, nearly two years after the committee had begun its work. This report is clearly aimed at trying to synthesize opposing points of view, to reconcile fundamental contradictions. It is a masterpiece of- compromise in which feminist views are canvassed but not taken to their logical conclusion. The release was accompanied by a typical media fanfare which was focussed on the Committee's more obviously controversial recommendations regarding prostitution. Coverage included little dlsucssion on the Committee's proposed "widesweeping reforms to deal with pornography". The Committee's recommendations that the federal and p rovinc ia1 gvo ernment s, • should strengthen both their moral and financial commitment to removing the economic and social inequalities between men and women and discrimination on the basis of sexual preference.. . (and) ensure that there are adequate social programs to assist women and young people in need. were ignored altogether. Although few people outside government managed to get access to the report before being asked to comment, the recommendations on pornography seemed to meet with approval from most quarters. Some even suggested that the recommendations on pornography were a victory for feminists. The Advisory Council on the Status of Women praised the Committee's recommendations, suggesting'that the proposed Criminal Code sections paralleled the Council's own position. Reading the full text of the report, however, it is clear the Fraser Committee steered away from adopting a feminist analysis of pornography. The report first sets out what the Commit.- tee sees as the three basic positions on the issue: the conservative (the state has a duty to protect the moral welfare of its citizens), the liberal (the state should not interfere with individual liberty unless that activity in question is proven to cause harm to others) and the feminist (pornography is anti-woman propa- USED & OLD" BOOKS. -8 0UG-WT <£ SOLD ART LITERATURE HISTORY CANADIAN* ■ VANCOUVER ' PHONE 68I-76S4 Fraser Committee masterpiece of compromise The committee recognized there was not a consensus within the women's movement about the degree to which the state should intervene, but said that the majority of the submissions it received from women's organizations argued in favour of extended legal controls on pronography. The Committee's reluctance to choose between these three starting points was a major mistake. Its decision not to try to develop its own working definition of pornography was fatal, instead it tried to provide something for everyone and succeeded in creating a tangled mess of legislative proposals ranging from the permissive to the repressive. (Lack of. clarity is bound to be the result when two years is spent discussing something which you refuse to define). While this refusal was probably due to an effort to avoid taking sides in a long, complicated debate (feminists are still far from resolving the problem of definition), its absence has lead to a lack of coherence hwihc runs throughout the report Not surprisingly, the Committee, having stated that it was not going to develop - a definition, actually does make assumptions about what pornography is. These assumptions are implicit in the body of the 'report and are made explicit in their recommendations for amendments to the Criminal Code. For example, the proposed new Section 159 (1) (c) defines "visual pornographic material) as including: any matter or thing in or on which is depicted vaginal, oral or anal intercourse, sexually violent behaviour, bestiality, incest, necrophelia, masturbation, lewd touching of the breasts ■ or the- genital parts of the body, or the lewd exhibition of the genitals. "Lewd", a quaint Victorian term, is not defined. While it is important to note that this definition only applies to the section pertaining to materials in which actual physical harm was caused to the person or persons (that is, woman or women) depicted, it is nevertheless a definition. Further, it is a definition which makes the serious mistake of combining women- hating materials with sexually explicit materials, ignoring a distinction which feminists tried to impress upon Committee members. Although the Committee praises the work done by feminists on the issue of pornog- Ot Selected Essays llC-fl" on t'le History of •111 Womefis Work oney i mm raphy, it states that it is not prepared to accept that pornography is "a significant causal factor" in the commission of sexual violence. It acknowledges that this conclusion is contrary to arguments made by many people who presented briefs, but states that "the results of the research are contradictory and inconclusive". The Committee was not prepared to accept the information given by the many women who work.with the women and children who are victims of sexual violence. They are waiting for the 'real experts' to provide 'proof . Instead it concludes that there are two "harm flowing from pornography, The first is the offence which it does to numbers of the public who are involuntarily subjected to it. The second is the broader social harm which it causes by undermining the right to equality which is set out in Section IS. of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It suggests the first harm should be dealt with by controlling and regulation, but not prohibition. They argue that the second harm "requires direct proscription of certain.forms of pornography." In defining these two kinds of 'harms' the Fraser Committee has accepted that there are materials which are all right for 'private consumption'. This can be interpreted either as a suggestion that misogyny is O.K. at home .(the liberal view) or that explicit sexuality belongs behind closed doors (the conservative view). Neither interpretation serves women. This distinction between public display and private consumption is contained in their recommendations for a new section to the criminal code. These recommendations include a three-tiered offence to replace the present obscenity provisions. Influenced by the new era of gender- neutrality ushered in by the equality provisions of the-Charter of Rights, the suggested amendments make no mention of the fact that it is women (and primarily female children) who are actually physically, harmed, sexually assaulted, boound, "lewdly" touched, etc. in pornography. The first tier is aimed at prohibiting materials in which the persons (women) depicted are actually physically harmed. While few people would find fault with this aim, it will probably be very difficult to prove that the women were actually harmed, given modern film techniques and also given that 85% of the pornography in Canada is imported form the U.S.A. The second tier would absolutely prohibit materials which depicted sexual assault. It is also aimed at prohibiting depictions of toher "sexually violent behaviour" (including bondage, murder, assault and self-infliction of physical harm) but only where these are depcited "for the apparent purpose of causing sexual gratification to or stimulation of the viewer". The Commitee itself -recognizes that very few convictions would result from a test which requires that an intention to sexually stimulate be proved - the difficulties are obvious. 'The Committee recommends that someone who sells, rents or displays materilas which fall under the second tier, but which are demonstrated to have a "genuine educational or scientific purpose" or are "work of artistic merit" should have a defence. The third tier is limited to the display, in areas to which the public has access, of "visual pornographic materilas". This includes sexually explicit materials (other than those prohibited by the first Fraser Committee continued page 29 Kinesis June 1985 7 PEACE Conference makes important connections by Maura Volante Women's Alternatives for Negotiating Peace - B.C. & Yukon Regional Conference, brought together in Victoria from May 10 to 12 a wide variety of women involved and interested in the issues surrounding the idea of peace. There were older women who have been writing letters to governments for generations, women involved with direct action- such as the Nanoose Bay Peace Camp and the Wollaston Lake Uranium Blockade, and women who see peace work as one of many ways to transform this society from one of violence and alienation to one of co-operation and integration of all living beings. Ursula Franklin, a professor of engineering at the University of Toronto and a long time peace activist, shook up the audience with her reasonable and logical explanations of very radical ideas. "We must remind ourselves that the system does not work. It does not work even for those for whom it is designed to work" Franklin advocated a return to a women's world, one in'which "the interaction of people, the interdependence and the co-operation is understood, practised and developed.1 She said that this women's world is not meant to exclude all men, but that she uses the term generically to include those who "understand the values, have the skills and subscribe to the priorities of that world; and these are predominantly women." Her speech was indicative of the kinds of connections that were made at the conference: between patriarchy and war, between economics and militarism, between exploitation of the Third World and the exploitation of women, and so on. This was encouraging, but there was still a noticeable bias in the organization towards the middle class white women's viewpoints. Mireya Lu- cero, from AMES (the women's association of El Salvador) was not given time at the plenary, but rather participated in a workshop focussing on issues in the Third World. Also, the participants were asked to choose one workshop topic out of nine, and stay with the same group all weekend, the argument "being that this was the best way to get in-depth work done. What it also did was to severely limit the time available for participants to share information about projects that they are involved with. There was one time slot late Saturday afternoon during which one could view a slide show on uranium mining in northern Saskatchewan or on the Nanoose Bay Peace Camp or on AMES or join one of many other special interest group discussions. I think that all of these action-oriented groups deserved more space in the timetable. One of the highlights of the weekend was the presentation on Saturday night of Red Heart Theatre Collective's original work, Power Play. The play deals with issues of sex-role conditioning, violence against women, environmental destruction, militarism, exploitation of the Third World, the nuclear threat and homophobia. nds de] ig, and is at txmes very heavy, but the group consisting of four women and three men skilfully blends humour, original music, energetic movement and, especially towards the end, the elements of human connection and co-operation, leading to a hopeful conclusion. I'm hopeful that the collective will bring the play to Vancouver. Don't miss it if they do! The conference drew to a close on Sunday afternoon, with resolutions brought to the final plenary from each of the workshop groups. These will be passed on to the MNational Conference in Halifax in early June. Though I found the conference sometimes rigid and controlled, I. was also impressed as I always am with the connections we as women make when we gather together. International group to make uranium tour An international delegation will tour | nortnern Saskatchewan this summer in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings. The tour, which goes from July 25 to August 11, is being organized to expose the fact that the uranium industry in Saskatchewan is entirely dependent on the international market, and many countries' reactors are dependent on Saskatchewan uranium. The nuclear industry is an international problem that it will take international co-operation to solve. Participants will begin with a tour of Saskatoon 'hot spots' - company offices and uranium transport routes - and will go on to visit the mines themselves. They will also attend the International Indigenous Youth Conference in Batoche. They will have the opportunity to speak with government and corporate officials, give presentations at public meetings, and be interviewed by the media. Organizers say the tour is an effort to: •support the native people of northern Saskatchewan in their fight for self-determination and against uranium mining, and •strengthen the international native rights/ anti-newkiller (sic) movement by spreading information about the devastation of the people and land that has already taken place in Saskatchewan. All interested people are invited to' participate, and are encouraged to bring audiovisual and written resources along. In Europe the tour is being co-ordinated by The People's Movement Against Nuclear Power (FMK), Box 7067, 402 32 Gothenburg, Sweden. In Canada contact the Collins Bay Action Group, Box 8536, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7K 6K6. Ariel Books 10 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturday OPEN SUNDAYS 1 pm to 5 pm 2766 W. 4th Ave, 733-3511 w One-stop shopping in a friendly, social atmosphere at a food store that you can own. Members can earn discounts on groceries for volunteer work if they wish. - Open: Tues.-Thurs. 12-7:30 g^r Friday-Sunday 10:30-7:30 1806 Victoria Drive, Phone 254-5044 ^a B.C.'s only unionized travel agency. 7£/ TRAVEL UNLIMITED ELLEN FRANK Baseline will design your brochure, typeset your newsletter, paste-up your program, reduce or enlarge illustrations, and halftone screen that photo. At decidely reasonable rates. let Baseline be your line to printed communication can 683-5038 8 Kinesis June 1 INTERNATIONAL South Africa Albertina Sisulu arrested in police raids In pre-dawn raids on 19th Feb., the officers of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the homes of many of its leaders were searched by the South African security police. Many UDF leaders were arrested, and sixteen have been charged with, high treason. Albertina Sisulu, the co-president of the UDF, is amongst those detained and charged. As she is the only woman charged, she is being held in solitary confinement until the trial begins.' At sixty-six Albertina was a leading member of the ANC Women's League in the 1950's. Her husband was sentenced to life imprisonment with Nelson Mandela more than 20 years ago. For 17 years she was banned and some of her children have spent long periods in detention in South Africa. Yet her commitment to the apartheid struggle has never wavered. ti- Thousands expected at Nairobi UN forum by Emma Kivisild Thousands of women are expected to go to Nairobi this summer to assess the achievements of the past decade - the UN Decade for Women - and make plans for the future of women's liberation around the world. Attendance estimates for the UN Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Forum July 10th to 19th range from 5,000 to 8,000. Hundreds of workshops will be the focus of the ten day event, and other, simultaneous, activities include an international film forum and field trips to women's projects outside Nairobi. Canadian delegates to the forum number about 100, from a variety of groups. Some of the organizations with representation from B.C. are the Congress of Canadian Women, the YWCA, the National Council .of Jewish Women, B.C. Immigrant Task Force, Canada World Youth, Vancouver Co-operative Radio, and the Vancouver Status of Women/ Kinesis and W.A.V.A.W./Rape Crisis Centre. The governmental conference which overlaps with the NGO gathering will be going ahead." There was some concern earlier this year that it would not proceed as planned when preliminary negotiations on the conference's central document broke down. Louise Holmes of Status of Women Canada told Vancouver women at a pre-Nairobi meeting in late May that a rough draft of a Forward Looking Strategy for women has been prepared by the UN. This paper, about 300 paragraphs long, will be the main agenda item for the governmental representatives, and needed to be two-thirds approved in international preparatory meetings in order to be presented. This seemed impossible after a controversial meeting with the USSR and the USA in Vienna in February, but a special meeting in New York last month saw the requisite number of paragraphs approved by all sides. This Forward Looking Strategy is a parallel document to the Plan of Action approved in Mexico City in 1975 and the Programme of Action approved in Copenhagen in 1980. Neither of these documents had the support of the Canadian or US delegations because of what some people have referred to as 'extrane-' ous political issues.' The Mexico and Copenhagen papers drew parallels between Zionism, racism and imperialism, and recognized the PLO as the official representative of the Palestinian people. Controversy over whether other liberation struggles are or are not inextricably linked to women's liberation will probably play a large role at this year's meetings as well - on both NGO and government levels. The themes of both events are 'Equality, Development and Peace', with sub-themes of 'Employment, Health and Edu- Just before her detention Mrs. Sisulu told the press that her husband had rejected Mr. Botha's offer of release if they were to denounce the ANC's commitment to armed struggle. "Quite simply" she said, "they don't want any condition attached to their release". At the end of last year on behalf of the UDF she issued a forthright condemnation of apartheid: "Events throughout the Transvaal and other parts of the country have reached tragic proportions. More than 1000 oppressed people have been killed by the brutal forces of apartheid. More than 200 people are currently in detention without trial. 6500-workers have been dismissed and the education structure has collapsed with tens of thousands of Black scholars facing a bleak and uncertain future. The full might of the SA Defence Force has been mobilised in order to intimidate and frighten.residents into submission. The root cause of the suffering is the evil system of apartheid, which our people have decided to challenge and destroy." The regime has responded by curtailing her freedom and preventing her participation in the UDF which is striving for the peaceful establishment of democracy in South Africa. The national Executive of the UDF has issued a statement pointing out that there can be no fair and just trial for the detained UDF leaders in South Africa and further that "the present South African government, with its undemo- ■ cratic origins and orientations has no legitimate right to put on trial and pass judgement on our leaders". The trial was condemned by a unanimous resolution of the Security Council in the UN on the 12th of March. The details of charges are not known yet, and the trials started in late May. It should be noted, however, that charges of "high treason" entail capital punishment. • Please send messages of support to the: Sisulu Family, 7372 Orlando West, P.O. Phirinia, Johannesburg, S. Africa. (Sparg Rib) Epidemic strikes women of Bhopal There is strong evidence to suggest that the Bhopal gas leak disaster has caused an epidemic of gynaecological diseases. So far, any effect on women's health has been judged in terms of pregnancies alone. But a recent study in field clinics in the gas affected slums revealed an extremely high proportion of gynaecological diseases. Of the women examined, 94% had leucorrhea (a white vaginal discharge), 79% had Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, and excessive .menstrual bleeding was found in 46% (with possible consequent severe anaemia, reduced working capacity and aggravated respiratory problems). Other effects noted were suppression of lactation (which could lead to malnutrition in the infants of these women), impotence in husbands, still births and abortions. What was found is probably 'only the tip of an iceberg. Medical relief so far has been through polyclinics and hospitals - the crowded facili- dis fn attending, and they have complained that doctors are not paying attention to their symptons and not carrying out gynaecological examinations. Some gynaecologists have dismissed the findings, saying that these diseases, are due to poverty and poor hygiene. It is clear that a research project needs to be set up immediately; but also there is a strong need for more field clinics and training of women paramedics; and for women's organisations to bring pressure to bear on the authorities to implement full scale treatment and investigation of the sidious problems caused by thi: gas Further information from: Dr. Rani Bang, Wardha 2563 P.O. Gopuri, Dist. Wardha, Pin: 442-114, INDIA. (Spare Rib) Broken ribs for Girlcott Robin Morgan received broken ribs from a Wisconsin farmer for speaking up for a Girlcott to encourage U.S. women to buy New Zealand goods. The Girlcott has been active in 50 states and 63 cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston. Organisers of the Girlcott say "a feminist world' is a nuclear free zone" and disapprove of President Reagan's threatened trade reprisals against New Zealand for refusing to let nuclear-armed U.S. warships in New Zealand harbours. The activists have prepared lists of New Zealand products selling in the U.S., broken into seasonal and geographical lists with trade names. Women organising the Girlcott can be reached at Sisterhood is Global Institute, c/-The Women's Action Alliance, 370 Lexington Ave* New York City, 10017. Broadsheet Kinesis June 1985 9 INTERNATIONAL Zimbabwe Women Finding time to act by Dominique Clerk "My husband and I work in the same factory. But when we go home together in the evening, he takes a seat and listens to. the radio and I begin my second job." This testimony of a woman employed in an electrical factory doesn't seem that different from the ones of women working in developed countries. Since Independence in 1980, women have had great expectations that the newly elected government would bring reforms to the women's working conditions. So far, only men have been promoted and women are still prevented from voicing their concerns in the factory. Although Zimbabwe women represent 51% of the population, they contribute only 6.8% of the entire labour force in the non-agricultural sector. The male migrant labour system, which has forced men to move from rural areas to work in factories and mines, can partly explain this small representation of women. The majority of women are left in the impoverished Tribal Trust Lands where they are engaged in subsistence agriculture. Even if Zimbabwe's Independence has led to an increase in the number of women workers in the modern sector of the economy, a growing proportion of the poorest urban households now consist of these newly urbanized women. Zimbabwean women workers are generally classified as unskilled or semi-skilled labour and are employed mainly m the food, clothing, and textile industries. These sectors represent an extension of the domestic role of women in society. Since managers consider that "a woman's touch is swift, and gentle," and that "women have nimble fingers," they are concentrated in positions such as hand-stitching, hand assembling and hand-sorting. No job rotation exists so that the majority of women are locked into tedious jobs, seated in the same position, performing the same task, eight hours a day, five or six days a week. Sitting still on benches without a good support and performing monotonous movements often produces severe backaches. In order to make time, pass faster, and to forget about their pains, these women sometimes sing. Child-bearing and child-rearing functions are burdens carried solely by women. Very little support from men or institutions in society is provided for the care of children and households. Usually factories do not maintain childcare services, healthcare facilities or other facilities which would release them from such a load. As a result of the lack of these services, women need to employ domestic help or to send their children to daycare using their own wages or to leave their younger children with their mothers in the rural areas. Despite the fact that most industrial agreements state that a woman is allowed three months of maternity leave, the govern-^ ment has failed to grant women employed in industry the right to paid maternity leave. Employers are reluctant to train women since they often leave or miss their work to bear children or are frequently away from work taking care of a sick child. According to the Labour Law, breastfeeding should account for two daily half-hour periods. Unfortunately, this law is not always respected by some factories' employers where women only get five minutes to breastfeed per day. nditioi An improvement in the working j pregnant women is also not taken into consideration. On one occasion, the authors of the book Zimbabwean Women in Industry, (Patricia Made and Birgitta Lagerstrom) observed a pregnant woman working all day in a room in a paint factory of where they only managed to stay for a few minutes because of the suffocating vapours. Women are vulnerable to male supervisors since they are in insecure and often casual positions: If sexual favours are not granted, the supervisors threaten women with dismissal. "When a woman refuses the supervisor's advances, she stands little chance in the factory. The supervisor will either give a bad report to management about you of will ill-treat you in the workplace", said one .woman. When seeking casual employment, women are often bluntly told by male supervisors that jobs are only available to those willing to provide favours. Relying on more women supervisors and talking about this Lunchroom at the bag depot, Grain Marketing Board, outside of Harare. problem among women might provide a way of dealing with sexual harassment. However,, the first steps to overcoming this problem would be for women to learn about their rights and not be afraid of insisting that they should be respected. Women are generally found at the bottom of the industrial scale and usually earn far less than the minimum Wage of $115 a month. They manage to make ends meet through participating in the informal sector. By selling items which they have knitted, and by growing and selling vegetables, they have an additional though uncertain source of income. In order to alleviate women's permanent state of poverty, management must increase their salaries. Given women's vulnerability in industry, demand for higher wages is likely to backfire. According to a woman who works in the food industry: "If we ask for more money, management will retrench, close down or cut the number of workdays." The majority of Zimbabwe women working in the industry only have a primary school education, which has locked them into unskilled positions. While men usually receive vocational training that can promote them to higher grades or skilled positions, employers continue to believe that women are incapable of being trained to look after new and complex machinery. In order to allow women to become more than a cheap and unskilled reserve class of workers, trade unions and industry,, in conjunction with the Zimbabwe government, must provide incentives, opportunities and support to facilitate women's access to training opportunities. It is true that the actual financial state of several industries means they cannot afford an increase in women's wages, the provision of paid maternity leave or the introduction of adult literacy classes in the workplace. Many people feel, however, that the Zimbabwe government should readjust its policies in order to favour a domestically-oriented manufacturing industrial base. They say that the present export-oriented strategy seems to increase import dependence to the detriment of developing and upgrading domestic industrialization. Although a domestic policy can be costly in the short run, it represents a viable way to improve the standard of living of its workers. When a woman refuses the supervisor's advances, she stands little chance in the factory The emergence of trade unions is another way for women workers to improve their working conditions on issues such as wages, promotion, paid maternity leave and sexual harassment. However, most of the already existing trade unions are not fully utilized by Zimbabwean women. Although women generally belong to such organizations, their formal participation is low. The major reason for their lack of attendance at union meetings lies in performing time-consuming home chores after their daily work in the factory. The workday for most of these women often begins before dawn (six a.m.) and ends after midnight. In addition, women's availability for meetings after work is further limited if they have to walk, cycle or catch unreliable public transport to and from meetings generally located several kilometers away. Even if union meetings are held on Saturday mornings, women find it difficult to attend them because of other tasks which they have relegated to accomplish during weekends such as hand washing clothes (washing machines are not available within the range of the working class income), cleaning and shopping. Women's attitudes towards meetings also impede attendance. Said one woman: "We don't understand what's going on at the meetings." Single women often prefer spending their time in various other forms of entertainment. And when women do attend meetings, they are reluctant to speak out and also shy to express their concerns. Women's own lack of confidence has delayed progress towards change. As a result of ignorance of laws of a union's legal power, they fail to get involved in union work. Zimbabwe continued page 29 10 Kinesis June 1 INTERNATIONAL Free trade zones Women's labour camp in Sri Lanka by Susan Cawsey Export processing zones (EPZs), or 'free trade zones' as they are also known, have become an increasingly salient feature in third world development strategies. An EPZ is an area where international corporations, under foreign or local management, can set up factories. They are offered tax exemptions and exemptions from import and export controls for up to five years, favourable investment and trade case of Leila is typical. Leila is 23 years old and.comes from Matara, a town on the sourthern coast of Sri Lanka about 100 miles from the KEPZ. She comes from a family of eight and tries to send money home each month. Leila was recruited to work in the factory through a friend of the family and thus feels an additional responsibility to keep her job. Although she has completed secondary school (about 70% of the women workers^ "Who, therefore, could be better qualified by nature and inheritance to contribute to the efficiency of a bench-assembly production line than the oriental girl?" conditions, and above all a cheap source of labour., mainly women. The labour code of the country is not applicable within the EPZ. As well, the host country provides free electricity and water rights. Separated from the surrounding environment by fences and guards, the EPZ in Sri Lanka resembles a Prisoner of War camp. Sri Lanka entered the network of third world EPZs in 1978 by establishing the Kanatakuyae Investment Production Zone (KEPZ). The EPZ is under-the direction of the Greater Colombo Economic Commission. Sixty percent of the factories in the EPZ are garment factories where garments are manufactured for export only. Sri Lanka's garment industry was set up on the advice of the World Bank with a 20 million dollar World Bank Loan. It survives by subcontracting to major first world firms and while it and other EPZ industries provide some jobs, the economic advantages are limited. The net domestic value added in most EPZ industries is estimated not to exceed 20%; that is,. Sri Lanka- receives no more than 20% of the profits. The benefits to Sri Lanka are further diminished by the cost of such infrastructures as electricity, water,, fences, and Women make up 86.3% of the labour in the Sri Lanka. EPZ. They are chosen because of their economic weakness and social subordination. They are generally very voun^as \ - between the ages of 18 and 26. For most, the factory work in the EPZ is their first job. Eighty-eight percent are unmarried; management recruits single women and discourages workers from marrying. On the, average they come from large fami]ies , in rural areas and send money home to contribute to the family incomes. > , ''ill The work in the EPZs perpetuates a situation in which women are looked upon as low-status commodities. A Malaysian free trade zone brochure blurb advertises its female labour in the following manner: The manual dexterity of the oriental female is famous the world over. Her hands are small and she works fast with 'extreme care...Who, therefore, could be better qualified by nature and inheritance, to contribute to the efficiency 'ñ†of a bench-assembly production line than the oriental girl? Having thus advertised the docile female, the host government is obliged to create and sustain socio-political structures and conditions that ensure she remain as docile as in the brochure. Women in the KEPZ suffer many difficulties in their housing and work situations. The in the EPZ have obtained this level of education) she was unable to find a job in her home town area and was, therefore, forced to seek employment further afield. To work in a factory and to be boarded away from home is looked on with disparagement by many people in Leila's village. Part of this hostility, Leila says, is the result of the belief that any young woman living on her own is leading a permissive sex life. Leila says this image is unfounded and once she started sending money home her parents objected much less to her living away from the family and working in a factory. Leila has been working for the past three, years. She told me that she misses her family a lot but is only able to go home three or four times a year because of the cost and also the lack of time off. She does not like to come and work here but must becauge^lJ^^ji^&onomic situation. I interviewed Leila. Id 'tier boarding house room, which she shares with three other ' women factory workers. Leila's boarding situation is somewhat better than average, as there are only three women sharing a 5x8 foot room as opposed to the usual 6-8 per room. The room was very sparsely furnished. In fact, the only pieces of furniture were the straw sleeping mats that lay rolled up on the grey cement floor. In one corner of the room they kept their suit cases (with all their possessions), a few pots and pans, and some firewood for cooking. Leila had invited me to visit her in her room but said she could not offer me anything because they were only poor workers. The women were, however, quick to go to the neighbour and borrow a chair for me, although I preferred to sit on the floor with everyone else. This was typical of the wonderful hospitality I received. In Sri Lanka, as opposed to other countries with EPZs, the factories do not provide dormitories. The village where Leila lives, Ekala, is just outside the factory zone that surrounds the EPZ. The village caters tjb the women whose permament residences are beyond daily commutable distances (this includes over 40% of the women workers) . The majority of the boarding house owners attempt to provide board and lodging far beyond the capacity and facility of their houses. The workers, therefore, are subject to very poor living conditions and the owners.are gaining great profits. Leila explained to me that she spent over sixty percent of her meagre salary on room and board. Leila and her roommates cook their own meals, as do 58% of the women in boarding homes. The kitchen, a dark, unlit, room, consists of a grinding stone and two stone stoves - no table or chairs. In the early morning Leila cooks her meal of rice and curry. Because of the lack of space, it is necessary to cook in shifts. Leila, for example, has to rise at 5a.m. to cook her meal. She rarely shares cooking with the others because they work different shifts and their shifts are changed quite regularly. Leila has a small breakfast, packs part of the meal for her lunch break at work and stores the remainder for when she returns from work in the afternoon .or late evening, depending upon which shift she is working. She told me that many of her sister jkworkers suffer from frequent stomach t'-ailmen-ts because they try to keep their 7~fcod for up to twenty-four hours without the lu :urv of a refrigerator. Some boarding homes I visited had no electricity; they were dimly lit with oil lamps and candies. This is somewhat ironic since the gaj tories right next door seem |i|itJflfeve no lack of electrical power! Leila, 'j.jyfKteyer, feels she is fortunate because she lives in a house with electricity. Leila's factory, the Polytex Garment Factory, is just outside the EPZ and,, therefore, has marginally better conditions than those factories within the zone. Leila works six days a week, eight hours per day, but if the factory has a large order to fill, she and the others must work double shifts with no break, for which they are paid time and half. The women in the Polytex Garment Factory work a shift of either 6 am to 2 pm or 2 to 10 pm. During her shift each worker has a pro- . duction quota to meet. If the quota is not met they must stay for unpaid overtime to finish it or do it the next day, plus that day's quota. The workers are given a half hour lunch break, a fifteen minute tea break and a five minute toilet break. At other times permission must be granted to INTERNATIONAL Kinesis June 1985 11 go to the. toilet. Leila said that they are given free tea but no sugar and "...of course everyone in Sri Lanka drinks tea with sugar." The average wage in the factory is 22 rupees per day (the equivalent of one Canadian dollar). EPZ workers in Sri Lanka are paid the least of any EPZ workers in the world. The women are given 14 days paid leave per year but they are not allowed to take more than 3-4 days at once, making trips home difficult. As well, there is a seven day sick leave. This, however, applies only to permanent workers and many women are employed on a temporary basis for long periods of"time and, therefore, do not receive these benefits. The strike was also-difficult because Sri Lanka is currently under emergency law. due to the Sinhalese/Tamil ethnic conflict. Public meetings of more than five people are illegal; thus union meetings are very difficult to organize. Since Leila began organizing women workers she has been under pressure in her factory. She told me some of her difficulties: We were working our regular shift when it was announced over the loudspeaker that two women, who were not union members, had been chosen to be line supervisors because of their hard work and dedication to the company. Announcing a promotion over the loudspeaker is highly unusual. As the two women walked Many suffer from pulmonary TE and other respiratory ailments. Fifty-five percent of the women report that their health has deteriorated since starting work in the factories. Many suffer from laryngitis, pulmonary TB and other respiratory ailments which result from being exposed to tiny textile particles and dust while cutting cloth with a fast guillotine-like machine. They also suffer from chronic ailments such as eye strain and pains in the joints, knees, shoulder and spine. When I visited the floor of a garment factory I understood how eye strain could result from the bright, flickering, fluorescent lighting. Ventilation was also poor and the noise level from the machines was very high, and none of the workers wore ear protection. Since there is only one nurse for 2,400 workers, proper medical treatment is impossible. As you can see from the case of Leila the conditions are far from ideal. Leila also took me aside to tell me that sexual harassment is a problem in some of the factories. Foremen sometimes attempt to extort sexual favours, using such threats as shift changes, demotion, and loss of job. The factories do not supply bus services or adequate lighting outside the factory gates, and women who work the afternoon shift, which ends at 10 pm., have to wait a long time for public buses, often at dimly lit or unlit stops. In the face of management opposition women are working to organize the factory workers. It is a difficult task because unions are forbidden within the EPZ. However, in the factories surrounding the EPZ some progress has been made. From- February to June of 1984, Leila participated, along with 1,200 other workers, in a strike at the Polytex Garment Factory. The workers demanded the granting of three days casual leave with pay in addition to the normal 14 days, an improvement in medical facilities, and the reinstatement of six workers who were unjustly fired. The strike was successful, although success was achieved only through a hard fought battle which resulted in the arrest of several women. :*p^,'&Civ. toward the office they were saying to everyone - 'see what happens if you do not belong to that horrible union. ' A spontaneous jeer broke out amongst the women workers. Myself and two other active union members were immediately taken aside and told we were to. be suspended from work without pay for two days for insubordinate behaviour and that we would have to appear before the management council without legal representation. I was amazed how only the three of us were picked out. We found out later that there was a Chinese man from Hong Kong who had been hired by the factory as an expert in union busting. Recently I received a letter from Sri Lanka informing me that two of these women had been fired because they had allegedly hooted at members of the manage- The few union branches that have been established in the factories remain only with great difficulty. Most workers in the EPZ are too frightened to ever discuss the question of unions, let alone form a trade union themselves. This fear is quite realistic, as they have been told in no uncertain terms that they will be sacked if they join a trade union. In a country with an extremely high level of unemployment, dismissal would mean economic disaster. This fear hinders organizations that seek to organize in the EPZ, at least initially. Such fears are alleviated somewhat by contact with trade union activities and news of struggles such as the successful Polytex strike. When I visited the boarding homes with Leila, I found a surprising number of young women who had bought the trade union paper from her, indicating that the union is becoming.quite popular. Union activities, however, have not been the only form of protest. Spontaneous and unorganized work stoppages are becoming more common. They are often sparked and centred around an immediate provocative incident or issue, an indication that workers are beginning to question the oppressive work system. A Women's Centre, located at Ja-Ela, near the EPZ, is working to organize training workshops, and also works, as a base for organization. The Women's Centre tries to reach women both inside and outside the EPZ, workers and non-workers alike. But getting the women involved is difficult because they have only one day off per week and they need the rest. Transportation is another problem. The poor bus service often makes meetings impossible to get to. Although the young women who work in the EPZ are subject to a new and perhaps more acute oppression than women in the domestic and agrarian systems of production, they have nevertheless advanced into"the workforce. The role of young women as wage earners is significant if it increases their awareness of oppression. Some of the union activities I saw in Sri Lanka illustrated the advance women workers have made through union organization. The Industrial Transport, and General Workers Union, which organizes factory workers, and whose membership is 60% women, has three women on its six member executive committee. The Vice President is also a woman. On the other hand I visited unions which had a high proportion of female membership but no women in the executive at all. Unions must realize that women must be represented in the executive. In viewing the case of Sri Lanka one can draw the conclusion that the advent of production lines in the EPZs has not greatly improved the condition of women workers. The problems they face, however, are not caused solely by the companies in the EPZ. Societal tradition and existing biased legislation strongly prohibit the liberation of women. The situation in the EPZ reflects the existing inequality and exploitation of women and workers as a whole. New technology can, nonetheless, be used as a tool for the liberation of humanity. Certain steps must be taken in that direction: women workers must be provided with the right to information; appropriate research and documentation must be carried out; and women and men, must be liberated from set female/male roles. The women of Sri Lanka are beginning to make steps in these directions. The struggle that lies ahead for women such as Leila is all important for third world feminism. We in the west must make links with these women to promote action for change. Credit to the Voice of Women Survey: Women Workers in The Free Trade Zone of Sri Lanka, July 1983. Susan Cawsey is a member of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation Interagency Committee on Women and Development (2524 Cypress St., Vancouver, Ph. 732-1496), and was recently on a Women's International Cross. Cultural Exchange Programme sponsored by ISIS - Geneva. She spent three months in Sri Lanka working with various women 's groups involved with the Sri Lankan Womens Action Committee. Foreign rates: individuals $10 . institutions $20 send cheques and money orders to: Kantha Handa 16/1 Don Carolis Road Colombo 5, Sri Lanka sa^au ©a) KANTHA HANDA (YOKE OF WOMEN) #1 Jayakontha Lane off Kirula Road Colombo 5, Sri Lanka 12 Kinesis June 1985 Militarism and porn: the -$<ze&u&©&3 justified by the creation of an "other" - the enemy - the less than human who is made out to be deserving of it. Women in pornography are just, a piece of mean, ass, cunt. The enemy in militarism is a gook, kraut, commie, subversive, etc. There is much that pornography and militarism have in common. They both: •are male institutions •desensitize people to violence in order to make violence more palatable •require the domination of women •use workers who are easily exploited •equate male virility/sexuality with aggression and domination •condone, glorify and legitimize violence. by Beryl Clayton ■ The following article is taken from the script of a workshop on pornography and militarism. By pornography, I mean: written or pictorial material which: •depicts sex in a violent, humiliating 01 degrading context in such a way as to condone degradation, •degrades women and children for the purpose of entertainment or to sell products. By militarism, I mean: •organised use, or threatened use, of force by a group of people to maintain control or domination, usually enforced by an institutionalised build up of weapons, •the glorification of military ideals and the predominance of the military in the administration and policy of the state. Pornography is a symptom of a much larger . problem and would not exist without certain conditions in our society. It is not a new issue for women to be concerned with, but the scale has increased dramatically in the last few years, probably in part as a threatened response to feminism and women asserting their own sense of self. It is also much more frightening because of its increased availability, accelerated by technology and a consumer society which ahs made pornography a multi-billion dollar industry that is widely available, especially with the introduciton of videos. It has also become increasingly violent - even "mainstream" movies: in 1982, 1 in 20 commercially released films depicted violent acts against women; in 1983 it was 1 in 8. Increased military spending and t*he threat of nuclear war has also made militarism an even more urgent issue for women to challenge. The threat is bigger than ever, but it is also not new. It is based on and maintained by attitudes which have been around for a long time. The overall framework under which I am looking at pornography and militarism is one of domination: the idea that unequal power relationships are inevitable and that it is acceptable for one group of people to dominate another. In order for our system to .work, very few people can actually hold positions of real power. Therefore, many pieople, particularly men as the burden of this type of power has traditionally been theirs, feel unsuccessful and powerless'. There are many outlets for this frustration. One outlet is to target some group of people over which to feel powerful. Both pornography and the military provide such an outlet. An integral part of this framework is the use of force - whether actual or threatened, whether in pornographic images of women being tortured, or in the "deterrent" of nuclear weapons. This use of force is Women's.domination is intricately linked to both these institutions. In pornography this is obvious. Pornographers package women for male consumption. Throughout pornography we find images of women being raped, then loving their rapist, of women tied and gagged and appearing altogether As women who do not wish the lie of male power and superiority to be spread farther, we must fight the concept of a military state in all its forms. submissive to their "master". Clearly this reinforces men's desire to dominate women. But the military also thrives on female domination. One need only look at the rate of rape by men against "enemy" women in all recorded warfare to realize that militarism is directly related to violence against and domination of women. Reports from Vietnam showed entire villages where every single woman was brutally raped and often tortured by American soldiers. Military leadership has done little to stop this behaviour. In a discussion with an ex-Marine on his experience at boot- camp, he said that the men would exercise to chants such as, "If I die on the Russion front, bury me with a Russian cunt". He claimed that periodically leaflets would be distributed to the soldiers asking them not to rape. It is easy to see why they were disregarded, since after they were received the men would go on jogging to chants such as the one above. On the boat to Vietnam, GIs were told: "There's lots of loose ass over there men, and they just love GI dick. And best of all, they're Gooks, so if you get tired of them, you can cram a grenade up their cunt and waste them." This is borne out in the story told by one soldier after raiding a village in Vietnam.2 But I was still pissed off at these people, they were almost fighting us and I heard the sergeants yelling, "Vietcong bastards! You little mother- fucking commie gooks!" - I pictured them as the enemy. Finally, things started calming down after about two hours of this bullshit, laying people on the ground, standing on their backs, slapping them around. Things calmed down, and me and one of. the buck sergeants and two other guys took these four chicks in the elephant grass outside the perimeter, and we were all fooling around. We balled these chicks. They were forcibly willing - they'd rather do that than get shot. Then one of the girls . yelled some derogatory thing at the guy who 'd blled her, in Vietnamese, but he knew what it meant. Re just reached down for his weapon and blew her away. Well, right away, the other three guys who were there, including myslef, picked up our weapons and blwe away the other three chicks. Just like that. It was just a spontaneous, instantaneous type thing. The first word that entered my mind was murder. I thought I was going to get in trouble for it, but I didn't. Why is it necessary for the military to degrade women to achieve their goals? One answer might be that the military requires men to demonstrate their most conventionally "male" characteristics, those of the macho, tough, dominant personality. The domination of women is inseparable from this particular personality. The side of men that leads them to dominate the enemy. The way that male virility is equated with domination in militarism is also reflected in the language of the militarists. After Johnson ordered North Vietnam boat bases and oil depots bombed, he bragged to a reporter: "I not only screwed Ho Chi Min, I cut his pecker off". In 1977 Kissenger told Congress the U.S. Kinesis June 1985 13 art of otherness would be emasculating itself by not providing military funds to Angola. The myth is that the army will make a man out of you. The reality is the relinquishing of moral responsibility and personal autonomy by learning subservience to higher levels of male authority and learning to kill on command. The process of becoming real men includes being programmed with misogynist, racist, homophobic attitudes and includes having easy access to pornography and prostitutes. This programming breaks down the remaining traces of natural empathy with others and refines the ability to objectify the enemy. An inevitable outcome of this mentality is the large scale casual destruction of life in war, and the rape of women and girls* WlSm In order for the young man to be a good soldier, he must "kill the woman in him". He can't feel compassion for the people he must kill. He must learn to despise "womanly" qualities. What better thing for the military than-to train him to have contempt for women? To the military mind women are divided into^two distinct categories: those at home who need to be defended, and those who are the spoils of war. Women in an enemy country are property of the enemy. How better to show your power over the enemy than to brutally rape and torture their women? Another side of this thinking is reflected in what Doug Collins said about Media Watch women. He said that he hoped they'd be on the front lines to be raped by the Russians. When we speak out against violence against women we are no longer worthy of protection, it would seem. I also see (this as an example of how the women's movement can fail to make the connections between violence against women and militarism. I think it no accident that Collins used this image to show his contempt for feminists. It was a direct militaristic threat. As he saw it, what those women deserved was to be dominated, abused, because he saw them as the enemy, no longer human. The enemy becomes gooks, slants or whatever racial term applies. Like women in pornography, they're also not human. There are ways in which pornography and militarism directly use each other to reinforce this equation of male virility with aggression and to further men's de- sensitization to violence. Pornography is distributed to soldiers before and after battle. Mother Jones carried a picture of a U.S. soldier in Grenada in combat clothes, grinning and holding up a centrefold. Pornographic videos were shown to British soldiers on the way to the Faulk- lands. I am sure this is common, there are not isolated events. The Nazis plastered violent pornographic posters on the streets in places they controlled - to desensitize people to degradation. Visualize two pictures. In the first, a cartoon, a man and a woman stand on a sidewalk. He is thin and wears a yarmulke. She is fat and carries a picketbook wit a large lock on it. Behind the couple, in the background, is a Jewish ghetto. Running on the sidewalk, toward the foreground of the picture, is an angular little girl. Like the man and woman, she has a grotesquely exaggerated nose. She is chasing a dollar bill attached to a string pulled by a man crouched behind a building. The man wears a swastika on his right arm and raises a baseball bat over his head with the left one. In the second picture, a naked woman leans back against a draped counter. Her pelvis is thrust forward and her arms are behind her back as though her wrists were tied. Her legs are slightly spread. Her posture suggest helplessness, submission and sexual desire. She looks at the viewer seductively. Her face is devoid of emotion or intelligence. Circling her leg, penetrating her things, and coiling behind her is a gleaming, monstrous python. The first picture is a cartoon from Hustler. The second is a typical painting by Franz von Stuck, Adolf Hitler's favorite artist. It is not mere coinci- L. wealth, race, sex, culture, sexual preference, age, etc. The practice of creating 'others' extends even to nature itself. If we think about how those -in power relate to nature and the earth, we can see that it is based on objectifying, controlling, possessing and exploiting - giving rise to the expression 'rape of the earth.' To sum up, we can see that pornography and militarism both have as one essential ingredient the domination of women. We see that pornography is warfare between men and women. Both institutions have a strong male leadership that exploits its employees to gain more money and power for itself. Both desensitize men to violence. And both rely, and perpetuate, an equation of male virility with aggression and domination. As women who do not wish the lied of male power and superiority to be spread farther, we must fight the concept of a military state in all its forms. As feminists we must fight not only the anti-woman violence in pornography and media, but other forms of male violence that directly impact on our lives and the,lives of all people, and which threaten to destroy the earth itself. 2 From The New Exiles, by Roger Neville Williams", Liverwright Publishers, New York, 1977, pp 271-272. 3 Dorchen Leidholt, 'Where Pornography meets Fascism' from WIN, March 15, 1983. dence. Indeed, the collective mind of the pornographers and that of the Nazis reveal such pronounced ideological similarities and operate in such strikingly similar ways that one must conclude ultimately that they are the same.'S - Dorchen Leidholt Pornography also often uses direct military images - bullets, guns, uniforms. A section of a film shown in Not A Love Story shows a woman being forced to perform fellatio on a gun. And images which glorify male superiority and domination of women abound in pornography. It is not just women, however, who are victims of objectification, domination and actual violence. The 'masculine' mentality, which could be described as 'might is right', inevitably creates groups of 'others', based on their differences in relation to those in control. Black women are portrayed as castrators or whores, and Asian women as passive, seductive, alluring, but often waiting for their opportunity to kill or trap the man. What is particularly appalling in porn are the images of Asian women in a jungle-setting tied to stakes. This is all painfully reminiscent of actual rape scenes in Vietnam. In. warfare, the enemy must also be dehumanized. The enemy becomes gooks, slants or whatever racial term applies'. Like women in pornography, they are also f not human. * Thus we see worldwide structures of g domination and oppression, in which power .| and privilege are determined by one's ' * r vims . OFF women's 14 Kinesis June 1985 PORNOGRAPHY "Who is this man? vviiu is una man; And why is he trying to rape us?" by Lee Lakeman and Joni Miller magazine companies. He owns soft drink of dollars out of social October 7, 1984. In a pelting rain, fifteen women from Rape Relief stood outside of Glad Tidings Temple, a fundamentalist Christian Church in Vancouver. We were in time for the Sunday service. Two of us held a banner directed at the passing traffic that read "TELL PATTISON: NO PORN.' The rest of us passed out a leaflet, rapidly turning soggy in the downpour, ■« entitled, "Tell Pattison to Cancel His Order for Porn." Our aim was to enlist parishioners in . a battle to convince Jim Pattison, a local millionaire entrepeneur and long-time member of the church, to stop making profits from the exploitation of women. All of the people we talked to knew Pattison - some said they'd already tried to discuss this issue with him. One elderly man told us, "Give it up - Jimmy never listens to anybody." The church officials were fairly polite, did not obstruct us, and took.the leaflet when it was offered. magazine companies. He owns soft drink companies including Orange Crush, and electronic data processing firm. He is responsible for using his < power to spread dangerous lies about women. We believe lie is responsible for violence against women already done, and for steering our province on a steady course towards more sexist violence. He cannot do this alone, but he is part of the tangle ^of powers, and from examining him and his ^N% ueSr Wl'fi HAD EN9UIH Our action,- simple and naive, was part of a year's work to expose the threads of Pattison's control. Since he owns some 40 companies, and many monopolies, it is likely that you have contributed to his empire. It is certain that you have been affected by him. In the middle of this current depression, Pattison is one capitalist who is making more money than ever. One of the reasons is that most of his holdings are in consumer goods: food, transportation, sources of information. He controls four car dealerships, Canada's largest manufacturer of recreational vehicles, Air B.C. and some real estate. But he makes much more money from his supermarkets (Overwaitea Foods) and his ownings, lean we believe it is possible to great deal about what we must overturn to end violei j against women EXPO NEIGHBOUR'S This is the first in a two part article on porn entrepreneur and Vancouver "citizen of the year" Jim Pattison. In September of '84, an anonymous poster appeared on the streets of Vancouver stating: "WHO IS THIS MAN. . . AND WHY IS HE TRYING TO RAPE US?" On the poster was a picture of Pattison, and some details of his pornography business. In the last year, many Lower Mainland feminists have become concerned with the question of "Who is this Man?". We are attempting to begin to answer this question from our point of view as workers at Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter. Pattison first came to our attention in 5 April of 1984 when women from the North Shore Women's Centre used the Federal Government's Fraser Commission on Pornography and Prostitution to reveal Pattison as a major distributor .of pornography. His company handles more than 18,000 publica- 1555 -tions, supplying 1,200 retail outlets as well as educational outlets and school boards. A Globe and Mail article dated February 8, 1984 quotes Canadian and U.S. governments as saying that Canadians spend an estimated $500 million annually on pornography. About $63 million comes from the sale of "illegal" hard-core pornography. This leaves $437 million in legal sales, by far the greater profit. The pornography marketed in Canada is produced in the U.S. Through his magazine distribution companies - Mountain City News in Ontario, Provincial News Co. in Alberta,, the Yukon and N.W.T., and Mainland Magazines in B.C. - Pattison has access to, and, in some places, a monopoly over a fifth of the Canadian print pornography market. Besides Playboy, Penthouse etc., Pattison sells at least 250 'adult' magazines full of pictures of women being raped, sometimes incestuously. Over the last few years we've seen sweeping re-arrangements in the finances of B.C. The government has drained millions of dollars out of social services and fed that money back to big business. Mega projects such as the ALRT, B.C. Place and Expo 86 are used by business and government to help effect this arrangement and hide the facts from B.C. residents. The B.C. Attorney General, Brian Smith, has often used heavy-handed legal tactics against anyone opposing the current policies - like the union picketers at the Pennyfarthing Construction site last - * March, or the prostitutes in the I West End in May (1984). In contrast, big businessman Pattison contravenes the Criminal Code of Canada everyday, with immunity from prosecution. A. During the past year we have gather- *ed information on Pattison by looking first at our own lives and the » lives of women who call us one the mf crisis line. Other clues have been ■ gathered through the media, by learn- i ing from other women's groups, and by observing the moves of the govern- Iment and corporations in B.C. Many of - *us saw and discussed "Not a Love Story" a film that travelled the country. Many i.C. women participated as we did in the Stop Red Hot Video' campaign of 1982. Women in Canada have become increasingly educated about the existence and realities of pornography. Rape Relief women viewed tapes from Red Hot Video, and examined the print pornography available around us. We read books such as Ordeal by Linda Lovelace, Female Sexual Slavery by Kathleen Barry and Pornography by Andrea Dworkin. RESOLUTION 43 OF UN CONFERENCE ON WOMEN IN COPENHAGEN 1980 Item 2: Urges the government of State members to recognize that women and children are not a commodity and that every woman and child has the right to legal protection against abduction, rape and prostitution; Item 3: Further reminds governments that women and children prostitutes have the right to legal protection against maltreatment which they may be subjected to for the sole reason of their being prostitutes; We discussed among ourselves what we knew about the effects of pornography, in order to make decisions about how much of our time and energy to spend fighting it. Often we make those decisions by examining what an issue has to do with women who call us at Rape Relief. One woman had been repeatedly terrorized by a man who left pornographic pictures on her doorstep - some of it violent, some of it "soft-core". At first, she was confused and thought perhaps this was just a joke or a sexual come-on. When the man broke into her apartment and brutally raped her, his intentions became clear. Kinesis June 1985 15 PORNOGRAPHY Item 18: Like slavery in the usual sense, prostitution has an economic aspect. While being a cultural phenomenon rooted in the masculine and feminine images given currency by society, it is a market and indeed a very lucrative one. The merchandise involved is men's pleasure, or' their image of pleasure'; Item 19: In the industrialized market- economy States, a concern not to hamper trade allows an overt market for eroticism and pornography to develop alongside the discreet prostitution market. The two complement and reinforce each other. The streets on which the sex shops are located are those where prostitution ! is heaviest. -21 January 1983 submitted by the special Rapporteur to the U.N., Mr. Jean Fernand-Laurent. Another woman who was gang-raped on a Vancouver side street was photographed throughout her ordeal. No doubt these photos became part of the underground sales. The myth is that women are willing participants - men claim we get good money and we don't really mind doing it. When you see the terror on the face of a woman posed in a pornographic magazine, chances are you are witnessing a frozen moment in that woman's life, not a moment of acting. We began to use the term "pornography pimp" to describe Pattison because we saw ed the injunction not just on behalf of the street prostitutes - generally young, poor and vulnerable - although we recognized that the worst consequences would fall on them, but also we fought for ourselves. The injunction is a throw-back to the old "Vag C" - the vagrancy law overturned by earlier feminists. That law meant women could be picked up by the police on suspicion of prostitution for not having "enough".money in their pocket or not being "properly" dressed. We knew that the new order was worded so vaguely that the behaviour it named could apply to any one of us. We could be in an exuberant mood in the "wrong" part of town - wearing a T-shirt with no bra in the West End or waving to a friend on the other side of Davie Street - and be subjected to arrest. The injuction is an attack on all women - •especially poor women. We didn't understand the injunction right away. First we saw the threat to ourselves, and then we saw the terrible jeopardy it placed women in by naming them publicly on street lamps and in MHR offices as prosititutes. Now their neighbours, dates, social workers could use the "fact" that they were "only prosti-. tutes" to sexually abuse them. And some of them did. - The fear women shared reminded some of us of the extra police powers used before Montreal Expo '67 to sweep the city whenever the cops wanted, as though for the security of the coming 'visitors'. Over and over the Vancouver city government claimed to We began to use the term "pornography pimp" to describe Pattison because we saw that for women in Canada the major difference between prostitution and pornography lies in who's doing the selling and the number of times she's sold. that for women in Canada the major difference between prostitution and pornography lies in who's doing the selling and the number of times she's sold. Pornography is a great improvement on the age old scam of pimping, because a man can now vastly increase the potential for profits by selling one woman's body many more times to a much bigger market. He pays her only once, if at all. Porn is also a way to make violence against women turn a profit. In February, 1985, some 300 of us made a silent candlelight march,down East Broadway to mark and protest the death of Linda Tatrai. Tatrai was a teenage prostitute, one of the 30 women and men who were declared "Public Nuisances" by the Attorney General of B.C., and subsequently driven out of the West End by a sweeping, unprecedented injunction. As a collective, we protest- be saving the West End from being a 'red light district' and over and over again they said they were not against prostitution. But their actions were driving young runaways into brothels and creating an east end 'red light district'. The injuction also led us back to Pattison. We began to speculate on what connection it might have to Expo. It seemed to us that prostitution is a "service" that will be sought after by men coming to Expo. Perhaps the problem was that the West End didn't work very well as a red light district'. It was too easy for colourful young . women to blend into the general street scene. Now, strung out along Broadway, Fraser and Main, prostitutes are much more •easily available to tourists. Maybe that's why they were moved. ^fjpp S=«^=^K2sL—. if' JjBf&jIS' \ Ji 1—mlf ^^"Wry^if^ftr j?l*r~*~,t> -» -r -,. ^a^ji ifejji JffiU 2t - I ^i"~Sf> tally mlmiJjr Of hundreds of newsclippings on Pattison found at the Public Library, it is difficult to find anything critical written about him. Mostly, the media present Pattison as a bright businessman - amiable, if somewhat gauche. When he was caught selling pornography, he was quick to proclaim his shock. "I am offended by porn" the media quotes. He claims that his empire is so vast that he can't keep track of all his companies, a claim contradicted by the section of the press most likely to be sympathetic to him: But day to day it's still Pattison who does the scrutinizing and sermonizing. Twice a year he embarks on a gruelling two-week tour of his plants, showrooms and supermarkets across Canada and the U.S., making it clear even to minor managers that if there's a problem, they're free to call him about it. -Canadian Business Magazii Dec. '83. Caught temporarily in a bad light, Pattison announced that he would wipe his hands clean by selling the porn company to Van- della Enterprises. In May, the Globe and Mail revealed that Vandella was owned by a former director of a Pattison company. We suspected that this was a deal on paper only. In September, a reporter from The Vancouver Sun wrote that Mainland Magazines was still owned and operated by Jim Pattison. The 'name change' game is an old one for Pattison. In February of 1980 when he was charged with "distributing obscene material" through Mountain City News in Hamilton, Ontario, Pattison managed to stay out of court for one and a half years with a simple trick. He changed the name of the company to "Jim Pattison International" and back-dated the name-change six months. Although some 18 magazine titles, including Hustler, had been siezed, the final conviction (resulting in a $12,000 fine) was for only one magazine, Numbers, featuring bondage and sado-masochism between white men. We suspect that this conviction was more about homophobia than about violence against women. An important point to consider is the amount of ideological control that Pattison holdings afford him. Pornography is one clear example, but there are others. In June of '84, Dennis Patterson, the Territorial Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, made a presentation before the Fraser Commission in Yellowknife. He said that traditional Inuit culture is being "bombarded" by the influx of pornography with its racist and sexist messages. Pattison's Provincial News Company controls the magazine distribution in the Northwest,. Territories. C0NT. PG.18 16 Kinesis June 1985 by Miriam Azrael M. 1 orning is a long time coming when you're spending the night on someone else's hotel room floor. For Aleta, it's better than the parking lot where she spent several nights after fleeing the hotel she called home for a week, after being assaulted by the manager in her hotel room. "Yes, he owes me money. I was paid up to the end of the month," she says. "Of course I'm angry. But no way am I going back there." I offer to go with her to the hotel to . claim the money and the few clothes that she left behind, or to the police station j to lay a complaint. "It won't do any good. Why bother?" This is not a question but a conviction delivered with a shrug and a smile containing bitter wisdom born out of an understanding developed over many such similar incidents, j My righteous indignation reveals me as still an outsider. "The manager will never admit what really happened, and who will believe my story.?" This too is hardly a question. Aleta answers it herself with another shrug. "And", she is adamant, "Absolutely no police." I have to respect her wishes. It's her life and she seems adjusted to it. It seems the only time she voluntarily entered the police station for assistance, she ended up getting charged herself. "I didn't even know there was a warrant out for me", she explains. "I had to spend two months in jail just waiting for trial. They weren't serious charges. In the end I got a fine. Of course I couldn't pay. I chose jail. Three square meals and everything. I consider it a rest."; This mixture of fatalism and a very deliberate acceptance of things, the tendency to minimize even the most horrendous experience, is a common attitude on the street. The way is to take things day by day, tending to immediate needs. These needs are to eat and to sleep and to have a little joy in life. It is survival in the city stripped down to its lowest common denomi- home base ans to be Living on the street, wit] to sustain your existence forever scrambling. With no roots one continues to grow, but with no( place to go in particular, something else begins to be called home. Aleta tells me: "Over the years I've stayed in just about every hotel and rooming hous'e in the area. You make the best of it, and when it gets intolerable, you move. It's the neighbourhood, really, the street community: not the physical part of it, but the people, that feels like home to me." Home may be a feeling, but it must be a place where a person can find peace and rest, renewal and rejuvenation. Home is the security of knowing that it is fairly unlikely that you will have to clear out, move on, often against your will and in a hurry. Living on the street, security is a luxury, and home can be seen to be found in a bar or a needle or a pill. Says Aleta, "I know that the bar isn't home. Here, not that everybody loves everybody, but we all know each other. To a certain .extent, we watch out for each other. At the same time, you have to watch your own back. There's no way you can survive down here if you forget that for a minute." I am sitting with Aleta at a side table in \ of the quieter pubs near Main and Hast- ;s. At intervals, we are joined by women both know who stop by to say hello and stay to chat. Ambivalence is expressed about the street life. Most of the women agree that the world is basically a hostile place. "A lot of us were abused at home. That's why we ended up down here," says Karen. She's older than Aleta and less resilient. "I've lost track of the number of foster - homes they stuck me in until I got fed up and just took off on my own." Many of the women have worked as prostitutes and a disproportionate number are from broken, often violent, homes. General health is poor, often neglected. Only a few of these women have ever maintained their own household. It's not a coincidence that many of the women are addicts or alcoholics. The street is a hazardous resource with its own demands. The protection, benefits and opportunities offered to mainstream women are not readily available for street women, who are limited by their poverty and lack of education. Without the security of a home, subject to the demands of their precarious lifestyle, its violence and casual routine abuse, the street woman seldom gets the chance to take a step back and assess her life's expectations. Survival is an ongoing struggle. While she must constantly reassess her situation, there is rarely the opportunity to be systematic, thorough and objective. Yet without a careful analysis, realistic plans for an alternate future cannot be made or attempted. Prison offers a poor sanctuary from the street for many of these women. In the cold season or when things are especially . hard, prison is actually seen as an option by some women with no satisfactory place to go. Unfortunately, prisons do not provide an atmosphere conducive to healing, creativity or good.mental health. Prison In the cold season or when things are especially hard, prison is actually seen as an option. is a dehumanizing experience that can severely alienate the prisoner from both society and self. "Sure it's a fast life down here," says Karen. "I've done things I'm not proud of. Sometimes I can't believe some of the things I've done for money. Yet I've taken care of myself. I'm not a bad person. This isn't the life I planned for myself. Too much violence, too many risks, too many things can go wrong. "You're in a very vulnerable position, especially the women working the streets. I got to hate it so much, I thought I'd rather sell drugs than sell my body. So that's what I do now, to support myself." I thought I had overcome the tendency to ask this question, yet I find myself asking Karen why she 'stays down here if she feels this way. "I don't want to hurt your feelings," she says, and I can tell that she is angry. "For all your talk about increas ing choices for women, unless you're damn lucky, you don't get anywhere else from here but dead. Twice I've moved right out of the area. Both times I ended up crazy. I'd sit in the house alone. I didn't know any of the neighbours. I missed my community." All of the women at the table have the same questions and have reached the same conclusions. "What would I do away from this community? Where would I go? I am trapped here." Each of the women feels this. "I no longer have any choices." I am ashamed that I don't have much in the way of concrete suggestions that could benefit Karen or Aleta or any of the women gathered at my table. I can see what they are up against. Their stories are so similiar that when one of them stops talking, another from the circle can pick up the thread without missing a stitch. These women are representative of a growing population that inevitably gravitates to the more depressed areas of all major urban centres. The problems that they face: chronic unemployment, sub-standard housing, lack of meaningful options, poor health, conflict with the law - are compounded by a sense of powerlessness and Angell's study confirms that "attention must be made to social needs as well as 'Ģ physical needs" and that "it is clear that economic, health, and social considerations must be included when planning for these women...Providing shelter combined with co-ordinated and appropriate services may be far more beneficial than the current band-aid approach." Most significantly, she notes that "Housing needs of Skid Row residents addressed by urban renewal, such as relocation programs, have failed because they ignored the social causes of the problem or the needs of the residents." Concluding the need is urgent, Angell recommends that "the City should secure premises exclusively for women." Thi: topi* spec Vancouver City Council in October 1979, when Skid Row women were identified as a priority group in need of housing. It seems reasonable that every effort be made to insure that something be done immediately to alleviate the situation. The Vancouver Women's Shelter Society was formed-in January 1983 as a direct response to this continuing emergency. We are a aalatffiSgUirttk. . There is a gap between mainstream and street women. The amenities and the order of a conventional life are seen as unattainable, beyond the scope of the street, especially for a woman who has little formal educa- - tion or job experience, and especially if she has a criminal record. Society provides very little opportunity for integration of these women into the rest of society and very limited options for the destitute woman with a bad record of any kind. Legislation does not protect these women or their interests, thus ensuring that they maintain an outlaw status, to the detriment and risk of us all. In other cities such as Toronto, Calgary, and Ottawa, shelters exist that address the street women's specific needs. In Vancouver, the need for housing designed for this group has been amply documented in such studies as Residential Alternatives for Women on Vancouver's Skid Row (1982, Corrine Lee Angell) and the 1979 Study of Housing of Single Women in the Downtown Eastside. The specific problems they discovered - dirty accomodations, no locks on common bathrooms, hotels that rent to men only, generally unsafe conditions - exist today. various degrees of related work experience. Our own observations have convinced us that without meaningful intervention and some fundamental changes in their situation, many of the women down here will die young and violently. We are proposing to create a safe stable environment which will function as a refuge for adult women in this area who are at risk. We want to provide an alternative to the bar scene and to help women break free of the revolving door of prison and the street. Our aim is to provide housing and ancillary services for up to thirty women, with some provision for shelter on an emergency basis. By situating the shelter right in the heart of the problem area, and offering a variety of services in the same facility, we hope to be accessible to the women most in need. The shelter will encompass four main areas. The residential section will be separate from the public area. There will be a large kitchen and dining room where nutritious meals will be offered at cost and where cooking lessons will be given. There will be classrooms, a lounge, a library, meditation and counselling rooms, a craft area and laundry facilities. There -will be workshops drawing on the expertise of established women's groups and activities directed to helping the women grapple with problems they have faced for too long on their own. "I am convinced that many of our clients both incarcerated and bound by orders for supervision in the community will benefit from a shelter located in that area," says Ted Harrison, Regional Director of Corrections in Vancouver. "Many of these women do not fit common molds and therefore are rejected from facilities and services that are available to those who can conform. In my view, we definitely need a residential facility...that must offer more than simply a place to sleep and take meals." The Shelter Society envisions a facility co-operatively run by a staff trained and able to respond to the situation as it is. The routine will be individually determined and variable. Staff will be available . to work with each woman to assist in setting up a program. suitable to her personal development and level of functioning. Personal changes will be accomplished as a result of personal growth rather than of coercion or fear of withdrawal of services. It is expected that women will move through three different levels of involvement during their stay at the refuge. Level one will place an emphasis on regaining health, on becoming familiar with and comfortable within the facility, and beginning an involvement in the available programs. One to one counselling will be offered at all times. Level two will see the woman begin the process of her individualized goal setting and defining of needs. She will begin to take advantage of the morning workshops and will begin to establish self-directed routines. Level three will be indicated by the woman moving out into the greater community and making a commitment to long term goals. These levels of course are not fixed; what we hope is to be able to accomodate overlap in the interest of meeting an individual's unique needs. ^^^^E The society has received project development funding from CMHC and has asked the city to buy the building we have chosen. For our purposes, the location we have found is perfect; accessible, a clean site, ready for renovations. "While your concept is good," the mayor wrote us on April 17, 1985, "your present service and funding proposals are not yet sufficiently developed to proceed in 1985." "In my view we definitely need a residential facility... that must offer more than simply a place to sleep and take meals." What city planners would like, evidently, is a plan toned down in scope, preferably in another location. They are worried that our project will not blend in with the family housing that has just been approved for the area. In addition, the city is insisting that there be a definite commitment from other levels of government for capital expenses, staff, and operating funds, before they consider our proposal in a more serious way. This is extremely short-sighted. What is being overlooked here is that none of the other social housing projects that are slated to go ahead in the area even begin to address this problem. In addition, the support of CMHC is expressly for the housing portion of the project, and we cannot even apply for other funding until the building is ours. "Your project is never going to get off the ground." The women at my table are pessimistic and cautious. 'If you had your building I might go there. It sounds like just what we need. But the government won't support it. We're an embarrassment. Even to the community workers. Oh, not all of them, but most of them, just wish we would disappear. We just don't fit in to their idea of a "nice" community." I hate to admit that our dealings with the community workers have also been discouraging. To us, it seems obvious what must be done. We can't do it alone: we are welcoming participation. Yet to date, the support we have received is oblique and the criticism very general. There seems to be a myth that women's needs are being met down here. We know this isn't so. It is getting late. I'm starting to feel the familiar tug of war between wanting to stay and keep talking, and wanting to retreat to my safe home. There is dinner for me to prepare, tasks to attend to. I am hungry. For the women at my table, there is no where else to go. The lucky ones know where they will sleep tonight. Most of them will not eat dinner. When I first started coming down here as an extension of my work with the B.C. Federation of Women, if I couldn't find a place for a woman in need, I'd bring her home. This proved to be unmanageable . Two blocks from where we sit is an empty building. It has been sitting, empty, for almost four years now. The Vancouver Women's Shelter Society has populated this building with a vision. We have been told we can't afford to go ahead with this project. We. say we can't afford not to. The Vancouver Women's Shelter Society wishes to express its appreciation to the various individuals and groups who have contributed support. To help, or for more information, contact us by mail at 315 Cambie Street or by phoning 732-1867. The conversation described in this article is a composite of several discussions with Vancouver street women. The names have been changed. Creating alternatives in a hostile world t Kinesis June 1985 PORNOGRAPHY In other ways, we are inundated with the images of women that make Pattison money. He owns Trans Ad - the company that controls ads in all buses, subways and bus stops in 60 cities in Canada. Neonex, another Pattison company, has absorbed the majority of the competition in the neon sign business in Canada. In Vancouver, billboards have frequently been a target for "redecoration" when they carry sexist or imperialist messages. Through "Seaboard Advertising" in B.C. and "Hook Advertising" in Alberta, Pattison is Canada's biggest billboard owner. When tourists arrive for Expo, they will likely want to read Beautiful B.C. magazine - a slick profit-maker that Pattison picked up from the Socreds during their rush to "privatize" government holdings. If these same tourists are arriving from the U.S. and bringing with them the guns that are such an accepted component of American life, they will be able to get instructions on the use of these weapons from such magazines as Soldier of Fortune and Guns .and Survival - distributed by Mainland Magazines. Pattison is under little obligation to reveal his business dealings publically. A standard Pattison answer to a probing question is: "Well now, that's why we have private companies - because we don't like to answer questions like that." The federal government says if he owns the company alone he doesn't have to declare his operations to anyone. It seems significant that the one company Pattison has kept for 18 years, despite the fact that it loses money, is CJOR woman's right to choose abortion, and display their intention to limit women's freedom. There is an often repeated rumour that one Sunday morning Pattison placed a cheque for $1 million in the Glad Tidings collection plate. "I'm sure that others have given more, according to their ability", Pattison says in Canadian Business in December, 1983, to perpetuate the rumour. Immediately after our leafletting action at the church we received a letter on Glad Tiding's letterhead denying that Pattison had ever been a member of the church. They sent a copy to Pattison. According, to a Province survey conducted in June of 1984 (based on a random sample of 3,470) 93% of women and 64% of men believe that exposure to pornography increases sexual offences and other aggresive and anti-social behaviours. The survey said clearly that most people did not want violent pornography avialable in any form. We understood that to eliminate the pornography industry it would be necessary to attack it from all sides.-Women had already invested a fair amount of energy in persuading individual men to stop consuming pornography, and to work on other men to do the same. In B.C., women have actively gone after retailers with complaints, by picketing, by destroying merchandise and by firebombing stores. However, we were also beginning to understand that it was the distributors who actually created the market by bringing products in from the States and forcing local merchants to display it with other print. A standard Patterson answer to a probing question is: "Well now, that's why we have private companies — because we don't like to answer questions like that." I. radio. When Dave Barret, former premier of B.C., stepped down as leader of the N.D.P. and moved up financially to his new job as radio broadcaster for CJOR in the Fall of '84, one of his first assignments was to interview his new boss, Jim Pattison. The topic was Expo, and the style was friendly, non-confrontational. (The two men have been lunching together for years). The one sour note in the lengthy interview was Nicole, a member of our collective, on the phone-in line voicing questions about pornography. Pattison brushed her off by saying that "82 titles are no longer,being sold." Suddenly, the man who claimed to be "offended by porn" - all porn - was deciding that some porn was more "acceptable". He was also reversing a public explanation made by "John Seebach, president of Mainland Magazines, in an address to a local anti- pornography coalition. In June of '84, Seebach said that Pattison's company was under powerful pressure from the American source distributors to either "take Penthouse - or you can't take Ladies Home ■ Journal." Now Pattison was saying that he could control what was distributed locally. There are many reasons why feminists are concerned about the messages that Pattison is using his empire to sell. Pattison's connection to a fundamentalist church warned us of the effort those religious groups have used to "keep women in their places". Recently in Vancouver, 3,000 angry demonstrators answered the call of their right wing leaders to protest a Many women and women's groups have fought the Pattison empire. Pattison retaliated by stirring up trouble among us. Shortly after the Fraser Commission hearings, a coalition of women's groups, including North Shore, Canadian Congress of Women, University Women's Club, Vancouver Council of Women arid Canadian Council against Media Pornography pressured City Hall to "call up" the magazine distributors and force them to answer questions about the industry. Pattison retaliated by calling a meeting of his own, inviting representatives from churches, women's groups and the mayor's office to meet with him privately on his terms on the day before the public meeting. There was a great deal of controversy within the coaliton over whether or not to attend this meeting. Women did not want to collude in any way with Pattison. Some were concerned that this meeting was going to go ahead with Or without them. In the end, some women attended, over the strong objections of others. Several things came of this May 2nd meeting. Pattison got more agreement for his.Review Board proposal, and women attending found out about an upcoming magazine distributors' convention, which proved to be a useful source of information. The creation of the Review Board was Pattison's work. He got the ten B.C. distributors to meet and offer jointly to pay three people to screen their porn for Community Standards. The porn pimps would "voluntarily withdraw" from us anything these three people found objec- • tionable or thought was illegal. In analyzing the purposes of the Review Board proposal, we compared it to a tactic used with apparent success by Pattison in "dealing with" his employees. It's a method he learned from Japanese capitalists: the "quality circle". A meeting is called of workers and managers ot discuss complaints and suggestions. The theme is "we're all in this together". What gets hidden in the hierarchy - the fact that some of us are in this able to command, and some of us must take orders. By promoting the notion of open discussion and co-operation what often gets preempted is union organizing - and any real power for the workers. Similarly, the tone of the Review Board is of "co-operation". Because the magazine distributors voluntarily submit to the rulings of the board, for a relatively small amount of money (salaries) they get to appear to be concerned with < ty standards. By claiming to be able to an outside "authority", they likely will not lose money to their American suppliers. They also avoid publicity for any consequences of their products. The Attorney General and the distributors benefit by avoiding prosecutions under the obscenity law. "The industry should be policing itself" the A.G. was quoted as saying is a Vancouver Courier article dated May 19, 1984 and entitled 'A.G. Applauds Pattison on Porn'. The two women and man on the board do the work of "reviewing" an impossible amount of print pronography per month and are set up as if they were responsible for what they don't stop. And in the interests of stopping the 'worst of the stuff, ordinary, everyday exploitation of women slips by as if it had been approved. On May 3, 1984, the Vancouver City Council Community Services Committee met. Pattison avoided appearing himself by persuading George Brammel of Vancouver Magazine, his chief "competitor", to speak for both of them. The committee voted unanimously and pointlessly for Pattison to keep Mainland, but not sell pornography, a suggestion he ignored. The meeting also put together a series of recommendations to City Council and subsequently a number of rather hasty resolutions were passed about how to display porn. Events were moving quickly. At the same time as we were"struggling to understand the City Council moves and to figure out' how they could be useful to us, the interim injunction was issued against the prostitutes in the West End. While the provincial government and city hall appeared bumbling and avoided dealing with this porn pimp they moved gracefully and with the force of an axe to publish the injunction against women's use of the West End of the city. Thirty people were named - and room was left for unidentified others - as prostitutes, and told they were banished from one whole section of the city. The police were free to snatch them from the streets. They had no way to appeal or fight. We had no way to avoid being named Public Nuisance #31. We were beginning to see that the injunction was becoming a favoured tool of the government. We had seen an injunction used very successfully to minimize the uproar over the Socred's massive social service cuts. Although Rape Relief women wanted women's groups to evade government control through financing we did not want governments to dump women's groups into further poverty. When the same tactic was used against pickets on the Kerkhoff line, we saw ourselves as clearly aligned with the union when it was being attacked from above. HEALTlf Kinesis June 1985 19 Feminist politics going up in smoke by Annette Clough FACT - Lung cancer now equals and will soon surpass breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in U.S. women. FACT - Smoking causes about 85% of lung cancer in women. FACT - Besides the well-known links with lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and emphysema, smoking is also linked with other cancers and lung diseases, recurring ulcers, hearing loss, problem pregnancies, harm to unborn babies, optical damage, menopausal problems and osteoporosis, among others. FACT - The U.S. tobacco industry spends . over $1 billion annually on advertising and promotions and withdraws its ads from magazines which run critical articles on smoking and health. FACT - Now that many North Americans are quitting smoking, the tobacco multinationals are engaging in massive advertising campaigns in Third World countries while more and more of their agricultural land is being turned over to tobacco. FACT - In the twentieth century, tobacco has killed more people than war. If cigarettes were drugs and the tobacco companies were drug companies, feminists would surely have made smoking a political issue long ago. The parallels between cigarettes and, for example, the birth control pill or estrogen replacement therapy are obvious: many well-documented health risks, a well-financed advertising campaign, production by corporations with powerful lobbies and clear links with the establishment, and huge profits from their sale. Why, then, do many feminists who have been outraged for years by the cynical approach to women's health by the drug industry see smoking not as an equally serious health issue as the pill,or ERT, or as a political issue, but as a matter of personal choice? The "right to choose" is so basic a feminist tenet that it seems hard to argue with, and control over one's body may indeed include the right to harm it in any way one chooses. That right, however, ends when it infringes on the rights of others who choose not to smoke and their right to breathe clean air. Apart from being annoying k£a§ non-smoker, sidestream smoke (the smokef.gljat goes directly into the air from a.-j^toirning cigarette) presents a very real-:!$iiealth hazard to the non-smoker. One Canadian study of non-smokers in a working Environment demonstrated that passive smoking (the inhalation by non-smokers of t^eacfco-polluted air) was equivalent to smi^kirig ten cigarettes a day. ; ////, Sidestream smoke contains tvifee as much tar and nicotine, five times'?&s much carbon monoxide and fifty timesik/s much ammonia as inhaled smoke. A fourteen year Japanese study reported a twofoldnjtficrease in lung cancer in non-smoking ^b^en who lived with smokers. }J/j So where is the "choice" of/^trhe non-smoker? Leave her job? Not go to p^ffeies or bars? Leave home? It is ironic 1$ja& we can call the police to stop a neigfejSur making noise after 11 pm but we^qrinot do anything about a co-worker who fof&es us to breathe sidestream smoke (urij.esS;i.1:he individual office has a no smoking policy). And what about the "rights" of children who cannot "choose" wjiere to live? A recent study from Bostoift showed that children who live in house'^lds where people smoke are at a signi^BvJ-iiant health disadvantage, including ^Wftated eyes and nas- as passages and inclosed respiratory infections. A study f^tijj/.McMaster University in Ontario pronounc^af(vsmoking at home a greater risk to ch||;iren'si'. health than industrial air poll\4tSibn. .Smokers' children have more asthma,fj'wheez-i^g, coughing and colds. @| If smoking were a rational, choice for women, based on health or p^fifctical concerns, there would be no smokersfijfLy, then, were 33% of Canadian women smok\|ftjg in 1981? Why are more men than wom^^ow giving up smoking? Have women, usualit-^jjso aware of the manipulations of the ;^vertising industry, really bought th$S.-s.moker-as-liberated- woman-Virginia-Slf^ifrs image? Why does the issue of smifikingj^roduce all kinds of defensive rationalizations in women who would otherWise^be the first to condemn industries ^fiose/products maim and kill women? Why ^0 wofien smokers need to smoke? The easy ai|swer]:Jp.s that nicotine is physically addic'ti^er£ but nicotine does not fill all the criteria' for a drug which creates physical depe]ri£lience. The phenomena of 'tolerance' ,-iiJQ 'withdrawal syndrome1 do not apply afeplearly as to other addictive drugs. Smok^ys do not usually keep increasing their.jfdai.ly number of cigarettes past 10-25 a d&yt, whereas someone dependent on a narcotic-becomes more 'tolerant' and needs more and>more of a drug to achieve the desired;(<effect. Some smokers experience unpleasant 'withdrawal' symptoms when they try tft'stop, but many don't. It*" seems that smoking is much more than a physical addiction and may have more to do with social and psychological factors. Peer pressure and the identificiation of smoking with being "cool" and sophisticated has no doubt led many, particularly teenage and younger women, to smoking. Smoking has been sold to us as something the confident and independent woman, the woman who knows she is equal to men, does. It is probably no coincidence that the number of women smokers rose during the beginnings of the second wave of feminism in the sixties and seventies. Tobacco com panies were quick to respond by gearing some of their advertising specifically at women. Once again the industries of a sexist society found a way to exploit women's vulnerabilities. More basic, though, than complying with a certain image of the modern woman, is the way in which smoking can give women the illusion of coping with stressful lives. The Addiction Research Unit in London, England has concluded that women tend to use smoking as a sedative, whereas men tend to use it as a stimulant. More men than women report smoking for pleasure. Women may in fact need smoking more than men do. In a society where women are socialized not to express their feelings, especially anger, and where feeling "out of control" emotionally is a frightening experience for most women, smoking is a way to control feelings, especially anger and aggression. Smoking becomes a safety valve, the alternative to letting off steam. Feelings can be pushed down by inhaling smoke or released as puffs of smoke. The real feelings, which might have serious consequences if released, are not recognized or experienced. As a woman in The Ladykillers said, "Our husbands can explode when they come home but we can't. We are supposed to absorb the frustrations of everyone else in the family and still maintain the image of super-wife and mother. I don't want to scream or yell at the family, so I smoke". From a feminist perspective, it becomes evident that the need of many women to smoke is grounded in their situation in society. This doesn't mean that non-smokers The Addiction Research Unit in London, England has concluded that women tend to use smoking as a sedative, whereas men tend to use it as a stimulant. More men than women report smoking for pleasure. necessarily have more access to their feelings - there are other ways to supr- press emotions - but smoking has provided a socially sanctioned way to swallow emotions and not have to deal with them. Perhaps if women saw why they smoked in this light, it would be easier for them to stop. Many women try to stop smoking and start again because they cannot deal with the feelings that come to the surface. If a woman can somehow create a situation in which it is safe for her to experience her feelings and change her way of dealing with them, then she will be on her way to not needing to smoke. The self-help group model is well suited to a woman trying to give up smoking. Here she can find understanding of why she needs to smoke and support to make the change. Quitting smoking isn't easy, but it would be easier in an atmosphere of support and understanding. The benefits are obvious. The Ladykillers: Why Smoking is a Feminist Issue. Bobbie Jacobson. London: Pluto Press, 1981. The Smoke Ring: Tobacco, Money and Multinational Politics. Peter Taylor. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984. A Smoking Gun: How the Tobacco Industry I Gets Away With Murder. Elizabeth M. Whelan. Philadelphia: George F. Stickey Co., 1984. that AKiy««"- : i-end with. . a portrait j-Joaa WW hi atld her m lopment • 0f Toshxko AKxy musical deye * I a career lowpoxnt tbe • 3,-i's point, wnen sn^ ghe ': g was at this po tae gxrl tha V single ^eerup°£jaZz because ^fj^op- : almost gave up 3 lbttte to jJB ^ lbutl \ *** ^eventually decided to c _ peOPle;^edocum;nts the tl-e ^°--et. Stonewall <wc o£ ttle <- rights cement cam ^ ws. I gses?s «£«-£ tz m »t" it he vaated/ 1"' » d. ^^r-ith HBHBHBB to be first. the subject. lesbian hystory without bethS atta lesbla"s and gayS Ti o» laabiaaa »aa "»fj^, director transcended a £irst (xf Beft«« S*m«*tt, atSor°ieal°££ilms on gays and V Vhe fi^st) byS Client beginning. --^rs: ml ml While there are pQrtant to listen M^ stories ^jt. Itself deminstrates, ^ ^ d perhaps be ^-^f Is directed by a woman, an women artist^ | lf ^^"Tes her druggie §> -f^V the ■ describes n« small cnxx o_ ■■■BtiHlpi 1 usually will not &fc£aRS is the c ■llllllli PBMBP . tVlo »usi» ln t,jUd, lawever, "JS that ** 'fTthetT.bi*» daaf'^tsevort - -\^t-*=-ir;oaSrtISo»ad- TM?:J"£e*• TM\£%£i«"' r8 «st hi «*sr-»«be °ore sfM3S -^ Be"H i s oorfortable g ^-^ a. aftatr .*--• also killed- | iess ^ a slick Ami I moment of ^^ been raised so *.<,mbyeXaPeglowlng ■■§■ set this high by a g x qaxckiy Festival guiae deceived. doubt aside. Luisa "f hat £il« «e | ln ""ioh »«rttaoirrt--rtSaartr romantic a co-operation aaa^-^rt^S-nd, r-SS^da.' the church is ma e. glaring hhBp comfortable wor m Language -, Visually, ff^Stftrding.^mus, ^Tourse, C^i^H^H £? ■■• -, 4, one of two filTM3 E«sUS*^'-«fe8ino£8doco«.aatatiaaoo ^Sta°sC,ndta«. mc1ousmss ■ ■■■■HP duction crew, a youn8 , mother | n 7w world and the giri ther xn ^ of her w the £amxiy tog iolence § attempt to boent and the i tSt Sades the community. _^^ ^, y///V/&^tfi&i£&k 4-me were the attitudes of the irx u8t and con nrktprr^Vam:£%r^ Bi *i«nstth:^n« ^« lish T-'- Prod I"ratv. The Eagltah 01 i^en up the Jf^'SllT *« ="' Eagliah Eovetn»eat. tbt""ghoot, !, the pi *-«ia »y:; S« * £ii» Margarethe von Trotta's Marianne and Juli one was one of the strongest of the 1984 festival's spate of feminist political films. Sheer Madness by von Trotta is also a must see for feminists. , Like Marianne and Juliane, Sheer Madness 1 is a dense film - it has numerous levels I of meaning and metaphor. The story is that \ of two women connecting. One, Ruth, has spent time in institutions for the mentally \ ill. She is continually grappling with jj death and with suicide as a solution to ; her problems. The other, Olga, is a uni- ', versity lecturer - feminist - living with I* a musician and her son from a previous ^ marriage. Y6 It soon becomes apparent that most of ^ Tilth's difficulty in developing a sen !-•-.to aTVa grow, cc f% It soon becomes appatcL^ _ ^ Ruth's difficulty in developing a sense of yfo self, and a will to live and grow, comes #%£ from her relationship with her husband. ;4%! She feels bound to him because he helped her to leave the hospital, but has begun to see that he wants her to remain helpless and dependent on him for emotional security. Ruth's friendship with Olga becomes the path to her personal liberation "vk- On the mSst basic level, Sheer Madness is gfc about male fear of female bonding. One jfcX pivotal party scene shows us Ruth and Olga /2% animated and entranced by each other, the w^9 various men in their lives mute and glar- ; ing. ; The film also explores women and madness '; - feminism and suicide. It raises issues ', of mothering, repressive sexuality, and £ has some exquisite lesbian scenes. '', Hanna Schygulla in the role of Olga is 2 fantastic - sensual, intelligent, and J at once in control of her life and c.onfus- ^ ed by the advances of Ruth's husband and 'r her attraction to Ruth. ? Sheer Madness is bound to come back to £ Vancouver. Don't miss it. ailMH^^J Pumping Iron II focusses on three USA women, Lori Bowen-Rice, Carla Dunlap, and Rachel McLish, and an Australian, Bev Francis as they prepare for the Dec. 1983 Caesar's World Cup. This competition, certified by the IFBB(International Federation of Body Building) was created especially for providing footage for this, film.-' Women were preselected for the event to show a "kind of battle between the amazons and the beauty queens" - the amazon being world powerlifting champion-turned-bodybuilder Bev Francis. With her massive physique and muscular development she was clearly in a league of her own, making the other competitors look like cheerleaders. The beauty queens were the less built women ^who were the obvious favorites with the IFBB officials - <->>-! s film because o obvious favorites wa.^.. Controversy surrounds this film because of the inclusion of Bev Francis. Is she too muscular, i.e. masculine? Would the audience be turned off by her? The male IFBB officials' fear of Bev Francis was quite evident. Shocked by her presence they warned judges to remember that they are judging a women's contest and they must look like women." A woman judge declared on camera that "it would be a total disaster if Bev Francis won. She does not respect what women want to look like". This prejudice somewhat rubbed off onto Bev. Backstage, after the competition, she looked at her trainer and asked, "Did I look like a girl?" While counting votes, IFBB officials again felt Bev was a problem because some of the judges had given her good marks. "Obviously the judges didn't understand what they were told", said one. As a result, they gave Bev last place. The Ridge Theater audience did not agree, i They booed and hissed when judges discreditiei her. They applauded and whistled when she presented her poses. Despite the IFBB's and the filmmakers' fears, Bev Francis stole the show with her natural warmth, humour and professionalism, not to mention her stunning body. ' 1|§£|P It would have been a better film if there was less footage of Rachel McLish and her Christian born-again philosophies, and more footage of Carla Dunlap. Probably the most respected and admired of women bodybuilders, Carla was truly a sensation to watch. Her support for the other competitors and recognition of the misogyny in the judging provide some hope for the future of this sport. A lot of the film was staged with endless discussions of whether muscular women were femininine (are male bodybuilders ever told they are too muscular?) and did not present any conclusions. More candid interviews with the women and fewer close-ups of thighs, crotches and painted lips, would have been nice. ; Pumping Iron II is a male-made film about a 'fj male-controlled sport. It probably will not ; achieve the financial success of the first j Pumping Iron because of the controversies, it is a worthwhile film to view, if only see some incredible women. Kinesis June 1985 21 by Nicky Hood Sugar Cane Alley.Directed by Euzhan Palcy, ^ Martinique/France, 1983, 106 minutes. ^ —— — ^ Sugar Cane Alley, more correctly transla- 2 ted from the french to Black Shack Alley, $ is one of the feature length films from { third world countries that played at the : Film Festival. It was also the most moving, eloquent and beautiful films I have seen in a long time. ; -V: ^* Sugar Cane Alley tells the story of an old woman and-her grandson who live on a sugar cane plantation in Martinique in the 1930's. It is the story of a woman trying to escape the exploitation and poverty imposed on the black descendants of African slaves by the French imperialists. The film explores racism from a variety •of perspectives. And while it is set in a specific time and place, it parallels in <jj many ways the experience of farm workers 3 in Vancouver, Southern Ontario, California^ Europe and Central America. The issues \ are the same: low wages, long hours, inadequate housing, child labour and no * ' childcare facilities for small children, The film is directed by a woman, Euzhan Palcy, and is beautifully scripted and exquisitely filmed. The acting of the main characters, mostly children, reveals a subtlety of craft rarely seen in adult actors with years of experience. This J- well worth seeing. 22 Kinesis June 1985 REVIEW Our Bodies, Ourselves updated and expanded by Robin Bamett The-women's health movement has come a long way since its first days in the late 1960's and early 70's. Then women came together to exchange information about their treatment by doctors. They moved from this consciousness raising about the medical profession to gynecological self examinations and research about their own health concerns. Our Bodies, Ourselves was first published in the early 1970's and for years has been the only comprehensive book about women's health. Many copies have passed through the hands of women; some searching for information about particular health issues and others just discovering the feminist approach to health care. The New Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Book. By And For Women. The Boston Women's Health Collective. Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York, 1984 be incorporated in one place. As with the old format, chapters contain quotes from various women about their own experiences as well as medical and health information and political analysis. Extensive reference bibliographies are at the end of chapters. There is nothing else to compare with this gathering of women's health information. Such an undertaking is not without its problems. The Boston Women's Health Book Collective are white women from mostly middle class backgrounds with seemingly quite a bit of education. They have attempted to include information about and from a wider range of women. But chapters are uneven. I was dismayed that the chapter about-food failed to mention that the healthy diet the writers were proposing was easier to attain when one had more money or education or both. No help was offerred to those with financial problems. In the section on menstrual problems women Some fifteen years later we now know much more information about a wide range of areas denoted as women's health, far beyond gynecology, birth control, abortion, pregnancy and birth. After a'long wait," The New Our Bodies, Ourselves is out in an entirely rewritten, updated and expanded edition which reflects the scope of this knowledge. Included in the" book are chapters about body image, addictions, emotional therapy, occupational and environmental health, vio-' lence against women, the new reproductive technologies and women growing older. (Yes, there is more than menopause.) Many sections which were small in the original version are now expanded such as sections about lesbians, nutrition, and sexually transmitted diseases. You may be wondering how all that is packed into the format of the Our Bodies, Ourselves which you might be familiar with. This is a completely new book and it is twice as big as the original. It is a really big book; more properly a reference book. Both women who are familiar with the old version and women who are unfamiliar with feminist health care will want to use this book for an overview of women's health and an introduction to particular concerns. Unfortunately for us in Canada the size of this new edition translates into higher cost. With the descending Canadian dollar the price becomes almost $20 at most bookstores here. The Vancouver Women's Health Collective will be selling the book for much less than this bookstore price. To cover many topics collectively is an ambitious task. The Boston Women's Health Book Collective is the cornerstone of The New Our Bodies, Ourselves. Individual chapters were written by different combinations of women, many not actually members of the collective. Each chapter apparently was edited by most members of the collective. The endeavor has enabled much information and many different women's experiences to Eioned to "get restandplan crit: meetings for times when they are not premenstrual." This is little help for women with clerical or serv.ice jobs, and little help for mothers. I do not think that The New Our Bodies, Ourselves is an easy book to read for anyone who does not have many educational skills. Compared to the old edition there is a higher ratio of pages of print to pages that include some graphics. Many chapers contain numerous footnotes, asterisks and double and triple asterisks. There were times when I had to use my fingers to hold, places so that I could read in some sort of continuous manner. Sometimes this information could have been added to the text in a less academic fashion. Since the writing comes from so many different women some parts are more accessible to women with less education and under- Graphics from Our Bodies Ourselves standing of health issues than others. Sometimes medical terminology is used in a new chapter and not defined or explained until later in the chapter. Many of the diagrams used to illustrate medical information are unclear. Body parts are labelled and indicated with so many lines and arrows that it is difficult to get a sense of what is where. Shading and lined areas to denote depth make some of the drawings dark, overbearing and flat. It is difficult not to compare these drawings with those by Suzanne Gage who illustrated How To Stay Out of the Gynecologist 's Office and A New View of a Woman's Body. Gage's drawings are given more space on a page and are clear and beautiful to look at. Another general problem is that some of the information should have been placed in greater perspective. The psychotherapy and alternate healing chapters, for example, contain information about types of therapies. There is a limited selection. Does this reflect the authors' experience or is that what is, available in Boston? I would have appreciated a list at the end of the chapters indicating that there are many more types of therapies available to women. The authors also could have placed their ideas in less of a reference position. The information presented is really only what they know now and what they have had experience with. Some information is controversial and not labelled as such. In the section on- pelvic inflammatory disease (P.I.D.) sperm transporting bacteria into the uterus is mentioned as a way of getting P.I^.D. Researchers know that bacteria can attach itself to sperm, but they are far from agreed that this is how women get,P.I.D. Lesbian health concerns stili have a chapter of their own. Attempts have been made to integrate lesbian concerns throughout the book, particularly in a general chapter on sexuality. There is a new chapter about relationships with men to try to balance the chapter on lesbians. Unfortunately the chapter on birth control still makes use of a . universal "we" for women, implying all women. I am a bit concerned that after a general discussion about lesbianism, sexuality and legal issues around health care that the first medical issue to be addressed is alcoholism. It is questionable whether this is in fact a unique lesbian issue. Other possible lesbian health issues such as hypertension, breast cancer and hysterectomy abuse are missing. At the end of the book is a nascent section about Developing an International Awareness. Alas, Canada is notably missing. The only resource listed for Canada is Healthsharing, and it is listed as a newsletter rather than the magazine that it is. Hopefully a Canadian resource section will be compiled for future .editions of the book. Many women in Canada will undoubtedly purchase and make use of this book. Too often the information flow is from south to north. There are numerous Canadian resources as valuable as any 'mentioned in The New Our Bodies, Ourselves. Of course readers will find that the sections on abortion and references to health care structures relate only to the U.S. experience, In reviewing The New Our Bodies, Ourselves I did something which most people will never do - I read the whole book at once. Our Bodies, Ourselves was always a book whose use increased over time. The new edition will be used in the same way. It contains a lot of good and interesting information. Just don't expect it to have all the answers. You j probably have to go elsewhere for further j information so that you can be fully informed about your own health care. Kinesis June 1985 23 RUBYMUSIC Singing For Ourselves by Connie Smith 1B1111I I have in my photograph album, two pictures briefly with two other people who were in- ■ of Ilene Brown. They were taken over the May. terested in learning her songs. ("I say people because they weren't women.") More 6 weekend, 1977, at the Pacific Northwest Women's Music Festival in Olympia, Washing- She is one of about twenty women who have relocated to the roof of a building on the Evergreen campus. If I remember correctly, we were all up there because we had been kicked off the lawn by the university officials. Evidently, rows of bare-breasted womenactually let a sound come out, and to recently, she sang and played drums while Frannie Ruvinsky performed a dance about the death of a lake destroyed by uranium mining. Now Maura commits her time to Kinesis and Co-op Radio. She also teaches singing work- aging people "to open up and the feeling of making that sound. To enjoy their own voices." She calls the workshops "Singing for Ourselves." s familiar with Maura's music as I years ago, when she was one of a playing conga drums on the grassy knoll i somewhat incongruous with the rest of the student body. In the photograph, Ilene is wearing white draw-string pants with rows of beads and shells around her neck. She is slightly sunburned. And she is singing. I first heard Ilene on the steps of Parliament in 1976 at the Women's Rally for Action Day, and later on the steps of the Vancouver The first record she ever bought was The End Court House. Her strong, melodic unaccompa- of the World, by Skeeter Davis. She went to nied voice was the musical equivalent to a Catholic school in Ontario and survived the powerful speeches the women of our com- because she sang in the choir. She became munity were writing during those early years."really interested" in music when she heard Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and Buffy St. Marie. I'm not ; was nine group of women who were our first freedom singers. And until we talked in preparation for this story, I knew little of her life before the women's movement. Ilene was also a regular at the Full Circle Coffee House on 8th near Main, and I seem to recall one infamous night when someone pulled the plug on her and Bells because an unruly crowd of women, fresh from the WAR demonstration, wanted to dance to records. Ilene and Bells is another story. They sang together for a couple of years, travelled across the U.S. and back, and took their music to Europe. By then, Ilene was playing fiddle, and with Bells on guitar and mandolin, they entertained non-english speaking audiences with such original hits as Lesbe- radas, ("in a wild western town, passing liberated garlic around. Lesberadas, renegades, nozama, amazons. Nozama is amazon spelled backwards, right?"), and occasionally when passing the hat, someone would say in English, "Oh, that was interesting." Ilene returned to Canada in 1979. She became involved in a relationship, moved into a house full of women and started parenting a three year old child. She changed her name to Maura, and later to Maura Volante. The combination.of names signified her connection to water, and to the three stages of a woman's life: maiden, mother and crone. Her music changed, too. She stopped singing in public for a time, but continued to sing for recreation. She experimented with free- form. When it was time to step out again, she wrote music to Cyndia Cole's poetry. | ' She and Luna sang while Chantalle Laplante played piano. They called one performance New Weave. And she was the MC for the Vancouver Folk Song Society, a position which required she sing The Wild Mountain Time at the closing of each variety night. ("The what?" "The Wild Mountain'Time?' 'Will you go lassie go, and we'll all go together.'") The rest of the herself. story, she can tell you When and where was your first performance? Late '75 or early '76. It was at Simon Fraser University at a benefit for Press Gang, put on by Womankind. They had about 10 performers and then a dance. And since I was going to sing Hang In there, which they thought was a good ending song, they put me on at the end. So for about an hour before the end of the performances, there were these crowds of women waiting to dance. So I got up there - my first performance in the women's community - and I had to cut it short and only do two songs. I felt it to be a very restless crowd, but I also felt that there were women who were listening. J remember you singing everywhere. There were always benefits, coffee houses. And there would be people...yourself, Ferron, Jane Perks, myself...I mean we all kind of shared the bill and we were all just sort of starting out and finding our way. What did music represent to you when you . first began to sing? Was there a message ■that you wanted to share? •In the beginning, if you were going to be a singer, you had to be a star. That was the model. But now I^ve come around to seeing that the way I'm going to use my singing is "If you were going to be a singer, you had to be a star. That was the model. But now I've come around to seeing that the way I'm going to use my singing is going to be different from that star model." Late: Mau: given a conga drum, and Denman Island, she played Do you sense that our community has a musical history? Yes I do. And I think that a lot of women who weren't there might not know that, because it was mostly live stuff that wasn't recorded and not all of us carried through to become stars. So a woman coming into the city now wouldn't realize how many performers there were of women's music back then, who later went on to do other things. Or who are doing music in different ways. I think that Ferron is the only one who emerged out of that to become well-known. And incredibly well-known. More so than we ever would have imagined at the time. Why did you make the break from traditional folk music? Gradually I began to feel more limited by that, as I was coming into a feminist consciousness, and I was searching high and low. for songs thai had strong women characters • in them. But then - when I came out as a lesbian, it seemed like 99% of my repertoire was suddenly irrelevant because it was all about men. Whether the women were strong or not, their lives revolved around men. So I didn't have very many songs to sing. Then I started learning songs by contemporary women, and some by women who were in the folk scene, like Malvina Reynolds who was writing feminist songs, and Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerard. So I was still in the folk milieu. It was while I was doing that kind of thing that I first performed for the women's community. going to be different from that star model. When I got very politicized in the women's movement, I felt that singing was something I could use to get a message across. I felt very much like that. That was why I was sing-l ing. It was what I had to offer. I've never been a singer who could sing stuffl that she didn't agree with. Well, back in the] early days, I.could sing stuff that was not very meaningful to me. But it wasn't offensive at that time. Gradually more and more in the mainstream of music became offensive to mo or so meaningless that I just couldn't relate to it. So that's been a problem forme. A lot of people have suggested to me, "Oh learn a few pop songs and you'll get along.", I can't do it, you know. I'd rather sing as an instrument without any words. So I'm really what some people would call hung up on the content. Content is extremely important to me. What were your early themes? Women awakening to a consciousness is one of the things. I always went for the positive and hopeful. But somehow it seems like it was easier then to do that. I don't know. It seemed simpler then. Some of the songs I wrote myself around that time, like one that I called Ocean Song -"I'm going to jump back into the ocean, until the earth can be a home again...." "I feel like a magic potion. .. " Yes. That's because the kind o; ocean : a naive song in a way ; just as polluted as the Rubymusic continued page 27 24 Kinesis June 1985 ARTS Unconventional women avert disaster through etiquette by Kay Ryan Sara Duncan's writing has attracted renewed interest as it is being published in paperback after being out of print for some time. Duncan was born in Brantford, Ontario, in 1861 and from an early age pursued her writing career "against the conventions of her class and sex." She was a teacher for a short time before working her way into the world of journalism. After extensive experience in that field she launched herself as a "roving shares an appreciation of Art and a sense of being different from the rest of their community. They both admire an unconventional artist temporarily in their area and the narrator is torn by his feelings for the two of them, especially as Dora falls in love with the young man. The artist eventually alienates Dora by compromising his art for commerce, and by running away to escape the possible bond of marriage. Dora and the narrator then marry and share their view of society as soul mates. In 'The Hesitation of Miss Anderson' a young American woman, Madeline, travels extensively after the death of a man to whom she was engaged but who dropped her to marry another woman, Violet. Violet was later reported to be dead. Miss Anderson turns up in an Anglo-Indian outpost and soon forms a strong attachment to a married officer whose wife is away. They share a certain sensitivity and see themselves as somehow different from their shallow, flirtatious, or dull peers in the community. The officer's wife returns and is, of course, Violet, Madeline's ex-finance's wife, thought to be dead, but alive and well and obviously an adultress. The stories do give insight into the tight J colonial worlds of those whose 'burden' f it was to maintain and uphold the Empire. 1 journalist", a very unusual career, especially for a woman, at that time. She met her husband while on .a job in India arid lived with him there from 1890 until 1919. She died in England in 1922, aged 61. The Pool In The Desert. By Sara Jeanette Duncan. Introduction by Rosemary Sullivan. Penguin Short Fiction. Paperback. $5.95. Most of the story is taken up with Madeline's serious moral dilemma, which is eventually resolved by Violet's own instinct for self-preservation, and Madeline is able to marry her love and live happily, away from India. The Pool In The Desert in some sense sums up the themes of all four stories. It too, tells of an unusual, intelligent, cultivated woman on an outpost, who fails in love with her best friend's son. The young man is seen by Judy as her 'pool i the desert' of boredom, insensitivity an shallowness. She is prepared to risk everything - her precious friendship with the boy's mother, her marriage, and everyone's reputations - in order to save her sanity and to feel fulfilled by her love. However, convention and duty save her when her husband is due to go into battle and she rallies to the situation as she is expected to. The main characters in these stories are unconventional, out of step in some way, and see the rest of their communities as lacking in taste and sensitivity. Conventional marriage is seen as constraining and limiting, and leads almost inevitably to a search for, and response to, an outside person who is also seen as set apart from the crowd. The featured women are portrayed as intelligent, cultured, witty, sensitive and different. They are interesting, independent thinkers, but are not feminists. Their strengths are purely personal and they show no sympathy with the foibles of the "ordinary" women in their environment, and find their equals only in men. ' The writing in these stories is delicate, intricate, witty and sometimes thoughtful. That the stories are set in India seems totally irrelevant, as Indians are rarely acknowledged, as background or even as servants. The stories do give insight into the tight colonial worlds of those whose 'burden' it was to maintain and uphold the Empire. The constraints on and subsequent rebellion of, the Anglo women in those communities was probably exacerbated by the geographic and social isolation and by the pressures of the perceived necessity to 'keep up the side' and never to lower defences. I think the interest in these stories lies in. the descriptions of the women who go against the conventions of their communities, and the way in which all of these difficult situations are eventually dealt with by adhering to other conventions and etiquette of those same communities. "Correct" behaviour always serves to avert social and emotional disaster. The four short stories in this collection seem to reflect the author's experiences, both as an independent unconventional woman, and as a colonial wife in British India before World War II. The stories are set in India, among the ruling British ghettoes (colonial administration centres) and all deal with the lives of women in that environment. In 'A Mother In India' a woman who sent her sickly baby "back home" to be raised by'relatives is expected to bring this grown daughter to India to be launched into 'society'. The story mainly deals with the woman's inability to dredge up maternal feelings for this nice but boring and unimaginative stranger. The mother feels compelled to intervene in the budding romance she sees developing between her daughter and a charming young man with whom the mother shared a special friendship. He responds to the daughter partly in response to what he sees as the mother's "unnatural" lack of maternal- ism. 'An Impossible Ideal' is told from the point of view of a man in love with a much younger woman, Dora, with whom he Jjr Jimi. Ao¬∞^^c Women's music, art and issues have their place <r on our airwaves every week. Coming Out -Thurs. 7:30 to 8:30 pm' Gay and Lesbian perspective Rubymusic - Fri. 7:30 to 8:30 pm and 9:30 to 10:30 ar And our Second Decade marathon May 3 to May 12 features lots of special progt < about women's issues, music and history. Don't miss it. CO-OP RADIO D@2o^7 IHK] We're also on cable in many locations throughout B.C. Call us for a free programme guide684-8494 Kinesis June 1985 25 ARTS Changing habits behind the veil by Dorothy Kidd The combination of nuns, lesbianism arid pornography has set off one unholy row in the.United States this month. When excerpts from Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence were published without the contributors' permission in Penthouse's Forum magazine, some of them, and their supporters, reacted angrily. Publisher Barbara Grier defended her decision by saying that the earnings would bankroll less popular lesbian books, a and it was an opportunity to expose lesbian literature to a wider audience. Last month, the National Film Board's Studio D released their new documentary film about nuns, Behind the Veil, and I expected an equal amount of controversy. For one thing I saw it in Winnipeg which has been the scene of bitter dispute among religious women and feminists this spring. The downtown theatre was packed with women from opposite sides of both the Morgentaler abortion clinic fight, and the campaign to remove HERizons magazine from the public schools for its lesbian and so-called manhating content. I also expected an adverse response to the film as Studio D, the women's unit, has been targetted by REAL Women. In the question period that followed with the film makers, the expected debate never materialized. I'd like to think this was due to the excellence of the film. The film addressed a whole gamut of controversial issues about the subjugation of women in the Church and their fight to overcome it. It is an affirmatively feminist script with a very explicit critique of patriarchy in the Church. The film includes a discussion of sex and .celibacy which does not exclude lesbianism, but does not specifically address the Instead the film radiates a lesbianism of the most universal catholic sense. There are many loving shots of women together, erijoy- Margaret Westcott, director ing one another's company, laughing, talking embracing. The story of a couple of the nuns deciding to live and work together elicited a lot of knowing sighs from the audience, and very early on there are those tell-tale words about 'women of all varied lifestyles' represented among women religious. But the worl lesbian is never mentioned and that felt like a very pregnant silence. There are other striking parallels in the depiction of women religious living separately from men. Instead of choosing life with an individual man, these women have taken a vow to love and serve all women and men. When they speak of their call to serve, it is reminiscent of women speaking about coming out as lesbians or more broadly to a committment to feminism and to changing their lives and the world around them. Some of the nuns speak of joining after a long spiritual journey, others from the pressure of family and tradition, and others from an .early realization that this was their path. The bright and colourful cinematography captures the spectra of lifechoices represented. The Canadian women's crew went to Italy, Ireland, the United States and Quebec to show the wide variety of ways that contemporary nuns make their lives. The rich greens of the groves of a Trappist monastery near Rome combine with the white habits of. a Benedect- ine cloister in Quebec and contrast with a bright colours of Black women dancing in a jail in Chicago. Some of the women live the traditional life behind the veil of centuries past, while others work at jobs more familiar to us in the outside community, in a hamburger joint, a women's hostel or department store. The film suggests these women's autonomy from men has allowed them to speak very clearly about the problems of the male-dom- . inated Church, and of the need to include a feminist perspective in the leadership. They speak for the autonomy of all Roman Catholics to direct their own lives, and of the sinfulness of the Church hierarchy that prevents that. Unfortunately the radical voices are mostly American. The notable exception is Sister Margaret McMurtin of Dublin. In one charming passage this lively woman talks of how falling in live is an occurrence all nuns live with, and deal with, and how she would probably have been polygamous if she had not been a nun. As a history scholar she talks of her research in Rome and of the role of women in the Celtic tradition of Ireland. This is perhaps the most stunning part of the film. Showing some of the earliest fountains and places of worship, the film \ depicts the goddess religion which celebrated the cycle of life on the earth. Women took an integral part, so much so that the goddess is mixed up in early Irish Cathol^- ic mythology. Brigid was one of the names given to the goddess and also the name of the first woman bishop and saint. She founded a double monastery which continued as a centre of learning for over 700 years. With impressive visual documentation from early art, literature and archaeological finding, the film reveals women's central place in the early Christian church. In the beginnings in Rome, they conducted ceremonies in the catacombs, preaching and holding communion in some women-only sessions. During the middle ages they founded the Great Abbesses which provided an autonomous place for women to study, develop their art, music, crafts, and science. Many of the Abbesses and other women religous were counted on for their counsel;;and scholar- . ship. One of these scholars from England dressed as a man to be able to study in Athens. In 853 she was made Pope, and soon after became One of the first martyrs to the cause of feminine power within the Church. After a long procession through the streets of Rome, Pope Joan gave birth and was immediately stoned to death with her baby, and her memory wiped out of the Church record. The male theologians were beginning to revive the misogynist theory that pictured women as evil beings physically incapable of learning and unsuitable to perform priestly functions. With the destruction of feminine spirituality and the autonomy of the abbesses, the Church became immersed in the decadence of the male hierarchy. During the Protestant reformation which grew in response to this Church, women Birth Enhancement Services ... Pre/Post Natal Counselling... Labour Support... Education... Midwifery Services... religious became victims of a new kind of persecution. Those who were not raped or killed were forced into greater seclusion from the outside world and into greater dependence on the leadership of the Church of Rome. Life for many did not change very much until 1962 and the Vatican Council of Pope John. Many women then gave up their compulsory habit and went back into a ministry in the community where they combine their spirituality with social activism. Over a decade later this activism is beginning to have an impact once again of the Church hierarchy and on women outside the Church. Behind the Veil is a timely doc- mentation of the link between women's spirituality and activism within the Church and outside. It also speaks of some long- kept taboos, adding to the discussion about sex and power from one more silenced group of women. You can see Behind The Veil: Nuns for yourself and speak to the film makers Tues. June 11 in tww showings at Robson Square, at 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. ^f^ THE \ftNCOUVER j OUTDOOR ' CLUB FOR WOMEN gjgs^SSsSSS^ ORGANIZED AND RUN BY WOMEN For more information, Phone: Dee-875-9021 Jill-732-5607 KEEPFrr FRIENDLY, NON-COMPETITIVE ATMOSPHERE LEARN NEW SKILLS SHARE THE EXCITEMENT OFTHE OUTDOORS 26 Kinesis June II To this day I remember her belly laugh. It shook her stomach and vibrated my child's body held in the folds of her fleshy arms. Her father: ...on the contrary was somber and thin sweated profusely. For a time it seemed he ground us down like wheat in a flour mill Later it is revealed of her mother that: All her life she was ill and so a martyr. All her life my father worked like some bowed bewildered beast: provider. Chase does not write as well when she becomes absorbed in metaphor and imagery as when she speaks, as in the above poem, plainly and colorfully about real people, real feelings. The Square Root of Female begins with a >f these less successful poems. "Forty an impressive list of reference books: I thought 'Usage & Abusage ' being by Partridge could be illuminating, but it appears that neither piss nor parrots are abused in search of the phrase's true origin, only to find it, at last, in the reminiscences of a "true blue/down to earth, dinky-di, grass roots Aussie" named Dr. Lacey. This poem brings to mind the one consistent problem I did have with Mansell's poetry. We speak, in part, a different language. Man- sell's culture, idioms, colloquialisms are different and I am at times aware that I have missed a crucial meaning and that subtleties are passing by me because of this Words like "prang", "dinky-di". "mopoke" are foreign to me. Sometimes I oculd help figure them out in context and an Australian friend helped me translate others. Still, it slows the perception. "Breakfa Sim®. Puss " is another witty poem. Mansell Days of Rain", "Swan Song" and "A Vision from calls it "feminist" in her letter and I Bentall Tower" are all attempts to draw to- suppose it could be that. It is like four- gether, in various combination, images mythi- teen commandments for male lovers to observe cal, spiritual, biological, geological, socio-for the pleasure of their female lovers. (A logical, and psychological. What often emerges- are those sweeping cynical statements that : is all too easy to make about the .character sfootnote: Mansell wanted to call this poem "fucking by Numbers" but "the publishers got twitchy".) by Deb Thomas Square Root of Female by Gillean Chase 54 pp Ragweed Press: Charlottetown, 1984 Love poems can at once express the most intimate and the most universal of emotions, the worst love poems tend heavily in one direction or the other, too general with no special character, or too intimate so that the reader feels unpleasantly voyeuristic and often unenlightened as well. The skill which Gillean Chase possesses is in balancing the two. A substantial part of this collection is love poems, nearly all to women. It is a book which celebrates and. explores femaleness without, for the most part, giving way to the shallow assumption that all that is female is inherently-good and beautiful. The darkness and complexity, the fears and sorrows of womanhood are explored as well. The title poem, "Women to the Second Power", (which ends "Carried to the highest power/ she is only the square root of female.") is a curious work. On first reading, I thought it was a particularly cynical view of woman i in human society. On second reading, it ap- i peared to be a description of the archetypal, patriarchal image of woman: Worshipped and reviled as madonna of the flowers and whore It's a chilling image with no warmth or comfort in it, only suffering and emptiness. This poem is in considerable contrast to her love poems which are honest, luminous, sensuous, passionate, and tend toward compassion rather than cynicism. The most successful of her love-poems, "And Still the Sun", is a two-part contrast of sunny day and storm; of loving and making love; of anger and fear. Part 1 concludes In this rare moment the sun finds us streaming through the glass. We are present |li|p£§f lifted out of time and in it, full. Part II ends with: After the storm what is left is anger and the edge of a thin fear. Another successful poem, "Obituaries", is wonderfully blunt and graphic portrait of Chase's parents. Her mother: ...had huge ankles and varicose veins. . of the human race and the fate of \ In "Forty Days of Rain" Mount St. Helens is Parthenogenic virgin she.spews forth the terrible toothless infant of our human discontent. In "A Vision from Bentall Tower" Chase asks: What other World is there besides the dread tide which is Now bearing us forward — In "Swan Song", Chase is: rite of sacrifice or meat for carrion crow Were.it not for Chase's skill with language and the hard work and thought that has obviously gone into each poem, some of these, might have been failures. They are instead full of clever language and sometimes particularly apt and graphic metaphors which nonetheless do not ultimately give these poems the depth, solidity and character of her love and portrait poems. The back cover of the book notes that Chase is "lTat work on a novel called The Immigrants, loosely modelled upon the lives of her progenitors." If the few glimpses in this book of her skill at scene description, character portrayal, and colorful language are any indication of what this novel will be like, I look forward to it. Head, Heart & Stone by Chris Mansell 64pp Fling Poetry: Eltham, Victoria (Australia), 1982 3Tucked inside this book of poems was a letter from Mansell which proclaims, among other things, the enviable fact that she is a "full time writer". It does not reveal how. she pays the rent, eats, pays her utilities, and other necessities, except to say that she does teach creative writing when she can. It's enough to make any woman writer sigh, voluminously. Her devotion to her art shows. Her style is relaxed, witty, deceptively breezy. She is, like Sharon Thesen, at home among words in the way that those who live them are. She uses poetic devices like alliteration, assonance, repetition of phrases, with apparent ease. These devices help give the poems a structure that Gillean Chase's poems sometimes lack. Fleshing out these structures are the thought and substance necessary to poems you'd like to read more than once. One of my favorites in the witty category is a dissertation "on the derivation of the expression/ 'pissed as a parrot'". Entitled "Definition Poem: Pissed as a Parrot", the poem'follows the poet through cultivate a manly bum do not pick your nose too obviously The poem concludes with: 14 do not expect breakfast The title poem takes a subtle shift toward the serious and imagistic. "Head, Heart & Stone" is a long, ten part poem which might best be compared to an expressionist painting. There are recognizable bits strung together in a flow of images whose meaning I did not always grasp. How much of this was due to our cultural differences, it was hard to tell. Much of the poem is enjoyable regardless of meaning, however, because the language is skillful and clever: Do not give me daylight or its kind relations cooing under domestic eaves. Or warm sheets twisted with, insomnia or the battle break of crockery on the back of the kitchen door, 3 or the hard sell of an incandescent globe over newspapers. The cost of Mansell's art is succinctly put in the poem "Goodbye Blue": 'I don't need you' and take the phone off the hook because the coin I threw fell art side up Calculate the chance 1:2 Art or love That is all. But the subj ect of whether women can be artists and still be lovers, mothers, wives is another one altogether. Small Press Poetry Review appears quarterly in Kinesis. Poetry for review can be sent to Deborah Thomas, 524B Robson St, NSlson, B.C. V1L 5A7 Looking for summer reading? albion books 523 Richards St. • Vancouver • 662-3113 Books and Records Bought and Sold Kinesis June 1985 27 ARTS Canadian Woman Studies International issue suffers from superficiality by Dorothy Kidd It's two months until the United Nations Decade of Women conference in Nairobi, Kenya. In the build-up to this event with over 5,000 women from 160 countries, many women's periodicals have put out special international issues. In Canada,- Canadian Woman Studies received a grant from the Canadian International Development Agency for a beautiful picture-filled spring edition. Canadian Woman Studies/les cahiers de la femme. A York University Project, vol. 6 no. 1. $4.00. mbject matt, if the editi t the hodge At first glance, the range of global coverage is impressive. Thirty articles in English and French deal with women in several African and middle Eastern countries, India, Indonesia, Latin America and Europe. A number discuss women organizing to improve their situations in the community, the workplace, the schools and the fileds. Some are more theoretical - raising the throny differences between how women see themselves and their movement in the west and the third world. But this range of geography, and approach is the weakness - the diversity seems token i podge of this collection. One subset of articles looks at the status of women within an individual country. As each of the articles, on Thailand, Sweden, Greece and Iridia, deals with a different topic such as changes in the law or workplace, it's difficult ot make comparisons. You need prior knowledge about each place to understand the changes that are happening. Imagine the confusions that would arise if you were to write a three-page article on the status of women in Canada for international consumption. Suma Chitnis's artilce "Feminism in India" talks about the misconceptions that arise ■ when using a western feminist analysis in a non-western context. "The contours of multicultural reality are flattened, some times beyond recognition". For example, the western feminist concept of patriarchy as the central oppressor does not have the same meaning in India. There, patriarchy is only one of several hierarchies and has to be understood within its larger social context. As well, it's a context that is so complex that Indian women traditionally are much more likely to seek compromise and operate with "conflicting alternatives in balance" than use the confrontation-style politics they read about in the west. Some of the articles speak of this need to be sensitive to cross-cultural differences, whether in developing research, attending conferences or sharing theory. A few continue western ethnocentrism in their general sweep of an entire areas' experi- There are so many subjects dealt with that it reinforces this superficial understanding . It's rather like being on a two-week tour of the world. If this is page 16, it must be Thailand! The issue might better have concentrated on one theme. While it is still difficult to collect material, no longer is there so little that one edition of even one book could do this task justice. (Perhaps the amount of material now available about womer around the world is one of the greatest contributions of the International Decade). The editors of Canadian Woman Studies would have done well to concentrate on their area of expertise, women's studies, or more broadly education and research. There are a number of articles included from this viewpoint, although ironically one of the biggest gaps is about Canada, as they did not get the information they solicited. One group of articles looks at how adult women are learning new skills to improve their situation in their own communities, and the impact they are having on their relationships with their families and others around them. Some of this informal educa- Rubymusic continued from page 23 rest of the world. And it probably was then, too. But I was just feeling very hopeful and positive. Another song is Music Makes Us Strong. That was one of the first ones I wrote, and it was to a traditional tune. What i ■ some of the lyrics? I am a travelling woman - I can't remembe: how it goes. (She begins to sing.) I am a travelling woman and I'm learning how to live. Building up my strengths giving what I have to give. I always have been singing since before I learned to speak; it helps me find the peace of mind and wholeness that I seek. And music makes us strong. Oh music makes us strong. Basically, i singing now, 's the same ; in a way. rt of stuff I'i Then what is different? You? I don't know what it is that's different. Now I feel like it's going to be a struggle all my life. And that we are not going to achieve exactly what we want in my lifetime, Yet, I have to keep being aware of all the shit that goes down in order to not be like an ostrich. At the same.time, when I go out to sing, I don't want to get everyone really down. I appreciate new wave and punk more than I did a few years ago. I think it has a lot to say, and I think it's really important to sing from your anger. But that's not my style - to sing of the anger. My style is just more...well, okay, there's a lot of crap around and we have to find ways to feel positive about ourselves. I think back then, I felt more hopeful and I felt that we were on the verge of something really wonderful that was going to change everything overnight. Now I don't feel that it's going to change overnight. But I still feel that we have to remain hopeful in order to live through it. In order to keep on going. I think that's the difference there. I think that without music and art and dance and theatre in our political work, it is lifeless. It's dry, cold and it's dead. We really need that stuff, more than the speeches. Especially as the struggle goes on and on and the speeches sound the same'.- Year after year. When the speeches start and women turn to their neighbor and start to talk, or go get a coffee or something... I've seen it happen. So to me it's very important to have music as part of the political work we do. tion is being conducted by women who identify as feminists. Liisa North writes in "Feminist Currents in Latin America" about how a group of middle class women opened a women's centre in 197-8 in the poorest barrios (neighbourhoods) of Lima, Peru. They offer legal aid, publish a bi-monthly bulletin and educational leaflets, carry out action research and organize short courses. The courses deal with how to meet the most basic needs of the women in the barrios such as developing women's leadership to improve the water and sewage systems. A second series of courses looks at themes Canadian readers might more easily identify as feminist: sexuality, the re-evaluation of women, their social status, historical roles and personal alternatives. "A Training Program for Rural Women in Sumatra Indonesia" looks at how adult educators are working with women. The emphasis is on developing local group leaders who will learn the participatory learning techniques of radical Brazilian educator Paolo Freire. They too try to analyse local problems and issues and learn how to come up with self-help solutions. These are two of the approaches initiated by and for women for their empowerment. There are also other much more conservative educational programs that affect thousands of women world-wide. The development of the women's movement has come at the same time as the realization of the tremendous potential labour force that women can provide for rural and urban economic development. Literacy and development programs are training women for the female job ghettos. Where women are not actively organizing themselves in their own intersts, they are being included in international plans which will do the opposite. As Canada and Canadians play an important role in international development and education, it's a disappointment that this edition of Canadian Woman Studies did not address some of these problems. If we are to benefit by the wealth of women's international experience, there is a lot for us all to learn. Some of it challenges our western notions of feminism: of patriarchy, of organizing independently from men, of what is universally true for all women.' Stories of women fighting every day for their most basic survival can inspire us with their courage and dedication. Some of the articles and photos in this special edition present that strength of spirit, but for the most part the words are directed to the academic reader. For those looking to further their international education, this is a disappoint- I Kinesis June 1985 LETTERS Kill Slide show depicts fightback On May 10 I went to the slide show, Women Fight Back in B.C. in 1984 and came away impressed and exhilarated. On every wall at Women in Focus gallery were hung long sheets of paper covered with pictures and newspaper clippings of women's fightbacks. Stories of the fight against Jim Pattison and his profits from pornography, stories exposing J. Bob Carter, stories of individual women fighting against violence in their lives. Added to this, five projectors were going at once, showing slides of yet more women's actions - the occupation of Christ Church Cathedral protesting the injunction, this year's colourful I.W.D.-march, Take Back the Night, as well as slides of pictures and posters celebrating women's struggles around the world. This show is only the first in a series of films on women's battles, leading up to the Take Back the Night March in September. Other films include P4W (Prison for Women), and Night Without Fear. It was a rare feeling being there that evening, surrounded with the evidence of so many of our struggles, and the victories were there too. A great number of women did fight back against male violence in 1984, and seeing this slide show helped me realize some of the scope of that fight. Suzanne Hawkins, Vancovuer. Group finds message distorted Kinesis: We of the Lavendar Conception Conspiracy are disappointed with the presentation of our article in the May issue of Kinesis. We all think that the graphics and layout of the article present a negative ijnage of lesbians and the issues of pregnancy and parenting. Here are some of our specific concerns: •The graphic used was totally inappropriate. It makes no sense and does not have anything to do with the issues raised. Its Christian imagery is offensive.to many of us in the group. •We gave you a series of quotes to use to break up the text. You placed all of "them except one in a box at the top of the page, as if you didn't know what to do with them. You could have placed them in places appropriate to the text. The one quote -you chose to highlight (with the dark black box) is the MOST negative of the ones we gave you. We would have hoped that if you were going to use only one quote that you chose one that most accurately reflected the tone of the piece, which is much more positive and one that mentioned specific lesbian issues. •The word lesbian in the title, "Lesbians Becoming Mothers" is in much smaller and lighter type than the other words and takes away from the important fact that this article is specifically about LESBIANS and pregnancy. •The overall effect is disjointed and uninteresting. The black lines and heavy black type contribute to the negative impression of the article. We acknowledge Kinesis is done by volunteers, however, if there was a lack of experienced production people we would have appreciated the chance to help out. It is disappointing to put so much time and-energy into an article, only to see its message distorted by bad design. Sincerely, The women of L.C.C. Mother says thank you . fire in the woodstove, and warm and inspired to cook for I must thank you for 'Mothers: Unpaid and Exploited' in the May '85 Kinesis. As a woman who has been firstly a married at- home mother, then a married working mother, then a single welfare mother I am knowledgeable about several different options for mothers, all of which have their advantages and disadvantages. For the past few years,, however,*I have.felt strongly that wages for motherwork is a solution that has been sadly neglected by most of the feminist movement. I have been made to feel like a reactionary, like I am letting down the cause, for admitting that I prefer being home with my children (whom I love) than working in some office with a bunch of women I have nothing in common with! Still, when my daughter asked me the other day, "Is it hard being a Mum?" I said "Yes". It is all true, the overwork, the criticism (especially if you are single) and the lack of understanding from both feminists and traditionalists, that this is indeed work and worthy of a decent wage! I think that the fight for decent daycare must go hand-in-hand with an awareness that women who want to stay home with their children should have the option to do so - regardless of their economic status. That means we should have money of our own for motherwork, and not be dependent on a man's (perhaps inadequate) salary and the powerlessness that goes with that or on welfare, and the stigma that goes with that! It hurts to have to argue this point with those feminists who insist that work outside the home is the only valid option for the modern woman. Don't they see that they have adopted a very patriarchal definition of work? Keep up the good work with your publication. (I got May's from the bookstore, but am thinking of subscribing.) Sincerely, Anne Miles,.Gibsons, B.C. Emily's Place a rural haven Kinesis: I want to thank you'. I read about "Emily's Place" in your March issue - had heard a bit about it, too - and since I was on my way up Vancouver Island I decided to give it a try. I arrived in the blue sky and sun shining- afternoon, and was welcomed by one of the women living there, Caitlin. She gave me a big smile, the cabin key, and directions to "the valley". I gathered up my bedroll and backpack and set out down the road wondering what I would find. Walking down to the valley I experienced a sense of well-being and calm that pushed back the tension in my body. My sense of peace grew as I crossed the log bridge and rounded the trees that screen Emily's Place. |I breathed a sigh of relief and pleasure as I went into the cabin. How beautifully built it was, and, somehow, waiting for I started ; soon I was myself. The evening was clear, cool. I walked for awhile - looking for stars I know and feeling the stillness all around me. And when I climbed into the sleeping loft and sank into the sweet night, the moonlight shone in the stained glass window over my When I eased out of my sleeping bag in the morning I felt so refreshed and held in the serenity of that space that I cooked breakfast slowly and then sat down at the creek bank listening to the woods sounds, counting trillium, leaning against a moss- covered tree. Around 10:30 I filled the woodbox, collected my gear, and headed back into the fray - calmer, more centered, and happy inside. I'm on my way south and home now,, but before I leave B.C. I want to thank you at Kinesis for all your information, and I want to thank all the women who built the dream that is Emily's Place. It is a special place for women. In Sisterhood, Julie Summers, Portland, OR. Reader objects to 'pedophobia' Kinesis: Re: Childless by Choice, Kinesis, May 85 How would one react to paragraph 5 (reasons for not mothering a child) if it read: "I lived with a black/Jew/lesbian/lndian etc. for a year. The experience was distressing and provided little personal return." Instead of "I lived with a child for a Her comment sounds distressingly pedophobic to me. And the balance of the article is not much of an improvement. Mothers' "fine minds have turned to something resembling the mush they feed their toddler" and the childless feminist is needed to "help (us) stimulate (us)." And "childless by choice women do not find babies yucky. they are quite happy to spend a few hours with one." Is this a "some of my best friends ar Children'and mothers take enough flak from the non-feminist population. Now this? J.A; Hamilton Vancouver COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR DRYWALL REPAIR Kinesis June 1985 29 WOMEN Fraser Committee from page 6 two tiers). However, display would be permitted so long as warning signs are In addition to the proposed new section, the Committee agreed with the demands made by many women's groups (including the Working Group on Sexual Violence) that the hate literature provisions in the Criminal Code be amended to include womon as an 'identifiable group' and to make it easier to prosecute under this section. The Committee also proposed new sections to prohibit materials showing anyone who is or appears to be under the age of 18 engaging in explicit sexual conduct and to prohibit material which "advocates, encourages, condones or presents as.normal the sexual abuse of children". While the report discusses the possibility of using provincial Human Rights Codes to deal with pornography, it concludes ^that this would be less effective than creating provincial legislation which would give the women who were harmed by pornography the right to sue the pornographers. This kind of legislation could be modeled along the lines of the Minneapolis by-law, drafted by Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon, a strategy supported by the Working Group. The Committee made various recommendations for controlling broadcasting and mailing pornography as well as importation |through customs. While their recommendations show a good deal of research into these areas, they do not define the material which is not bo be mailed, broadcast or imported. Britannia Secondary School Cafeteria 1661 Napier Street Vancouver On-site childcare, free Catered lunches at low-cost Disabled access $10 employed; $5 fixed income Pre-register by calling 873-5925 Sponsored by Vancouver Status of Women 10% OFF | 20% OFF selected titles NEW TITLES: {Sinking Stealing I by Jan Clausen Magic Momas, Trembling Sisters, Puritans and Perverts I by Joanna Russ EMILY'S PLACE Think Spring! Think green leaves, mountain creek, and EMILY'S PLACE, a place apart. It is fully equipped, so all you need to bring is a sleeping bag and your food. Treat yourself to the pleasure of a women's space just four miles west of Parksville and call us now for your weekend or vacation reservations. \ • Daily Rates: Emily's Place, $10 per woman Outside Camping, $3 per woman • Special rate scale for women's support groups and workshops. Information and reservations 248-5410 Emily's Place Society directs user's fees to the projects continued growth. VANCOUVER STATUS OF WOMEN Annual General Meeting AT: N.D.P. Hall 517 E. Broadway (refreshments) DATE: Thursday, June 27/85 7:30 pm Members and Friends of VSW: show your support by attending this important meeting. NOTICE TO V.S.W. MEMBERS OF BYLAW CHANGE Vancouver Status of Women will propose changes of Part 3 #11 of our current bylaws at the Annual General Meeting, June 27, 1985. The proposal is to change the year end from May 31 to March 31. The new bylaw would then read: "the fiscal year shall be April 1st to March 31st in each year." Lastly the Committee has proposed a new federal Secretariat to "stimulate and coordinate efforts" to deal with pornography and prostitution as social phenomena. The Fraser Committee has done important work in gathering together an enormous amount of research on the topics it addressed and its members have given the issues careful consideration. However, it must be remembered that this is far from a feminist document. Feminists should read this report as useful resource material, but not expect it to provide answers for It is feminists who have raised the issues around pornography and it is our work which forced the government to create this forum. The compromises suggested by the Committee are not good enough. They do not express our understanding of the reality of pornography and the reality of violence in women's lives. It is this reality which we will continue to discuss with each other and to state out loud whenever we have the chance. It is not a reality which is gender-neutral. It is not a reality to be negotiated. Nor is it one which needs to be 'proven' by outside 'experts'. The government wiil no doubt lift out the recommendations which suits its purpose and discard those which don't. The proposed amendments and legal phrases are already beginning to fly around Ottawa. Pressure will mount to send women to 'consult', to agree to 'improvements' which are not good enough, and which we will later be told were what we wanted. It is important to remember that this issue is one on which feminists do not yet have consensus, one on which right-wing groups who are not our allies are also pushing. Legal changes which do not embody a recognition of pornography as "the graphic, sexually explicit subordination of women" will not only fail to address our concerns, but will also have serious consequences for the images we produce. The Fraser Committee report may well result in a "rush to reform" on the pornography issue. Unfortunately the report indicates that feminist concerns are not yet even on the government's agenda. Zimbabwe from page 9 The formation of women's leagues has begun to provide an alternative to strengthen the women members of the unions and enables them to fight more effectively for changes in their working conditions. These leagues have been formed, in Bulawayo and Harare, in the United Food and Allied Workers Union, and in the Harare branch of the Clothing Union. They represent means of organizing women to discuss their problems and to gain confidence and support before attending meetings. During union meetings, their representatives encourages men to elect women to leadership positions and to organize meetings at a time and place convenient to women members. Women are also elected to travel around the country to organize other women's leagues. It is hoped that by working together Zimbabwe's women workers will begin to get full recognition for the key role they play in the country's economic development. Dominique Clerk is a Quebecois woman teaching at a school in Zimbabwe. • • THEATRE • • For the best in Foreign Films and Independent Quality Films Non-Sexist, Coffee Bar, Crying Room for parents with small children 16th and ARBUTUS STREET Phone 738-6311 $2.99 on Tuesday $4 Students with valid cards 30 Kinesis June 1985 BULLETIN BOARD EVENTS ♦LESBIAN INFORMATION LINE's 7th ANNUAL WOMEN'S DANCE on June 21st at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street at 15th. Acting Up, Vancouver's feminist musical ensemble will perform East Side Story at 9:00 pm. Tickets $4 to $6. Doors open at 8:00 pm. Call 875- 6963 to arrange for child care. Advance tickets only at Octopus East, Women's Bookstore, Little Sisters, The Elbow Room. •THE CONGRESS OF CANADIAN WOMEN(B.C. Chapter) is privileged to have Alderman Libby Davies represent the Congress of Canadian Women at the July "Forum 85 United Nations Conference to End the Dacade of Women" which will be held in Nairoby, Kenya. To enable us to raise funds and to celebrate this event we cordially invite you to a Szechuan Feast" on. June 15th fronr 7 to 10 pm at the Szechuan Chongqing Restaurant, corner of Broadway & Victoria. Tickets for this Chinese feast can be obtained through the CCW. Please L;. RSVP - Sandi Brice 733-4576 or Lydia Lege- bokoff 874-4806. •MASTERPIECE MUSIC proudly introduces THE MUSICAL OFFERING in the 85/86 season. The Musical Offering is named after Bach's work of the same apellation and suggests a gift of music. The ensemble includes Ingrid Suderman, soprano; Sydney Humphreys, violin; Kathleen Rudolph, flute; Linda Lee Thomas, harpsichord. Complete programme information and dates are available by calling the Vancouver East Cultural Centre at 254-9578. •2ND ANNUAL RUN WITH PRIDE 10K/FUN RUN: the Seattle lesbian/gay community and friends will stride forward at this year's run on Sat., June 22. The Run With Pride runs, starting at 9 a.m., are for both serious runners (a 10K or 6.2 mile run) and a fun run for joggers, walkers and physically disabled (a 4K or 2.5 mile run). Preregistration is recommended. The entrance fee is $4 per person. Day of race registration, 7:30 a.m. •3rd ANNUAL US/CANADA BIKE-A-TH0N for the people of El Salvador, Sat., June 22, 85. We will leave Queen Elizabeth Park at 8 am, travelling to Peace Arch Park. Phone 254-3279, 254-8637 or 224-0541 for further information. Organized by C.I.S.- P.E.S. (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, Bellingham), C.O.S.E.S. (Committee in Solidarity with El Salvador, Van., and C.A.S.C. (Central America Support Committee, Van.) to 8:30 a.m., is $5. Preregistration deadline is June 19. For more information on the runs, call the Run With Pride Committee at 547-2183 or 632-2833. LESBIAN/DYKE/WANDERING? What does it mean to love women? What does lesbianism have to do with feminism? This two-day workshopl for women offers a safe place to talk, learn, share, change. June 22-23. Phone 873-5804 to register. •WOMEN - FIGHT BACK TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. Join us the second Friday evening of each month for a presentation and discussion. •MASK-MAKING WORKSHOP Participants will be Place: Women in Focus at 450 West Broadway from 7:30 - 10:00 pm Women Only. Childcare at your request off-site. Please preregister June 14 - Rape Face to Face (Video). July 12 - P4W (film about women in prison). Aug 9 - The Confrontation - Latina's Fightback (film). Sept 13 - Night Without Fear (film taken through all the steps in making a paper-mache mask of their own design. Materials supplied. Open to anyone 14 years or older. For further info, call 876-7853 or 731-2508. about a past Take Back the Night). Sept 20 - Take Back the Night: Meet at 7:30 at the Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby St. Organized by Vancouver Rape Relief & Women's Shelter. 872-8212 •BREAD & DREAMS A FESTIVAL OF THEATRE AND THE COMMUNITY. Winnipeg is the place to be in June, esp. June 18-23, because that is when the Canadian Popular Theatre Alliance will host its next national popular theatre festival, Bread & Dreams. If you are interested in attending the festival, call the festival office at (204) 947-9374. CLASSES/WORKSHOPS •HOW TO WRITE A LIFE. The Kootenay School of Writing is offering a course on the researching and writing of alternative history. "Out of "His" Story: the Researching and Writing of Women's Experiences" 'is a 12 week course, beginning May 29th, that is designed to give students practical experience in library and archive skills, oral interviewing and writing. Instructor Kandace Kerr, who produced the 20 part oral history documentary "Sisters . to the Country: Pioneer Women Writers of t B.C." for CFRO Radio, said that "the emphasis in the course will be on actual research, not on talking about it." For . more information, or to register, call KSW, #105 - 1045 West Broadway, Vancouver, 732-1013. •WOMEN'S SELF DEFENCE. Method: Chimera of Chicago. Instructor: Jo Evans, 254-9788. Cost of 3 classes: $12 for one woman, $20 for a pair. For: Women of all ages (handicapped welcome). Dates: First 3 Wednesdays each month. Time 7-9 pm. Place: Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, 3981 Main Street. Phone to preregister: 879-7104. •THE VANCOUVER WOMEN'S HEALTH COLLECTIVE PRESENTS Women's Health: a workshop series at 7 -9:30 p.m. $5 or sliding scale. June 13 Endometriosis. A support workshop for women with endometriosis. There will be an emphasis on women sharing problems and treatment suggestions. 26 Hysterectomy A discussion of the overuse of hysterectomy: when is it appropriate; what are alternative treatments or solutions? We will cover topics such as what women can expect with the operation, possible complications or long-term effects. At 888 Burrard Street 682-1633. Preregister for childcare. •INTRODUCTION TO USE OF THE MASK In a series of six classes, participants will be taken through exercises in neutral mask, and explore the possibilities of several masks, animal, character, and commedia, through solo, duo, and trio improvs. Open to anyone 8 years of age or older. For further information, call 876-7853 or 731-2508. CONFERENCES •CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AND SPORT presents their 1985 conference, Sport and Politics: Playing the Game, June 14, 15, 16, in Vancouver. To register contact CAAW&S 888 Burrard. St. Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 2E2 (604) 687- 3333 •SEX AND THE STATE: THEIR LAWS, OUR LIVES An international conference on lesbian and gay history, July 3-6, 1985 at University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, in conjunction with the International Gay Association (IGA) conference, July 1-7. From July 1st to July 7th, 1985, the annual IGA conference will take place in Toronto, with delegates and observers from around the world. In association with this event an international lesbian and gay history conference is being organized from July 3rd to July 6th, to b.e held at the University of Toronto. For more info call (416) 364-2759 or write c/o Canadian Gay Archives, P.O. Box 639 Station A, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5W 1G2. •ASIA-CANADA WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT conference June 20 - 23, University of Victoria. For more information call Mary Ransberry, 721-8465. •VANCOUVER REFUGEE CONFERENCE. The recent plight of the Afghani refugee claimants at Narita Airport highlights the problem of how to respond to those persons for whom Canada is their only place of refuge. In the Vancouver Refugee Conference, participants will be informed of Canada's policy vis a vis refugees and together seek to provide needed services to refugees. For more info contact The Vancouver Refugee Conference c/o Vancouver Airport Chaplaincy., P.O. Box 23620 Vancouver, AMF B.C.. V7B 1W2 Ph. (604) 276-2211. •SIDE BY SIDE: FEMINIST RESOURCES INC. is currently organizing a feminist conference in Toronto for October 1985 entitled "Coming Together: A Women's Sexuality Conference", Please forward your proposals OCTOPUS INEXPENSIVE QUALITY BOOKS HARD TO GET ART, SOCIAL t LITERARY MAGAZINES t JOURNALS UPRISING BREADS BAKERY Vancouver's Best Wholegrain Breads 1697 VENABLES ST. VANCOUVER, BC V5L2H1 (604)254-5635 BULLETIN BOARD Kinesis June 1985 31 or suggestions by June 1st to Natalie Zlodre, Side by Side: Feminist Resources Inc., 382 Dovercourt Road, Apt. 33, TO, Ontario, M6J 2E6. SUBMISSIONS •THE BOARD OF THE GAY LIBRARY feels our name implies some gender exclusiveness. To remedy this we are having a contest to change our name to one which will reflect both gay male and' lesbian interests. The winner will receive a 3-year membership in the library. Mail entries by June 15, 1985 to Gay Library, #4 -1170 Bute St., Vancouver. Phone 930-9985. •CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS! Prairie Fire, A Manitoba Literary Review, in co-operation with Winnipeg's Women and Words/Les femmes et les mots, is planning a special issue for summer'86 to celebrate Canadian women's writing. We welcome submissions, in English or French, by and/or about Canadian women writers. Payment will be upon publication. Send us poems, songs, stories, drama and visual art. Query first for essays,- articles, reports, reviews and interviews. Please include a SASE with all correspondence. Submit before Oct. 31, 1985 to Prairie Fire, 3rd Floor, 374 Donald Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2J2. •A CALL FOR WRITINGS FOR AN IMPORTANT BOOK. Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Women Healing the Trauma of Family Abuse. This anthology, scheduled for publication in Spring 1986, will present the writings of therapists and of survivors of family abuse working on a wide range of recovery issues. Send letters of intent (as soon as possible), manuscripts(due by Aug 15), and inquiries to Liz Raymer, P.O. Box 85, Albion, CA 95410. Telephone (707) 937-0912. •SUBMISSIONS ARE REQUESTED for a forthcoming anthology, In Celebration of Canadian Women: Poetry and Short Stories by and about Canadian Women. Writers are asked to indicate which of the following broad categories are most appropriate for their work: (1) Growing Up Female: Childhood and Adolescence (2) The Body and Sexuality (3) Education (4) Romantic Love (5) Women and Men (6) Women and Women (7) Women and Work: Unpaid and Paid (8) Women in the Family (9( Mothers (10) Aging (11) Transcendence: Women's Art and Spirituality, and (12) Women-Power, the anthology is intended for general readership and for college course use. Deadline for submissions is October 1, 1985. Send submissions to Greta Hofmann Nemiroff, Director, The New School, Dawson College,. 485 McGill St. Montreal, Que. H2Y 2H4. MISCELLANEOUS •GAY & LESBIAN LEGAL ADVICE CLINIC at Van-, couver Gay Community Centre, 1244 Seymour St, Vancouver. Mondays 7:30 - 9:30 pm. Legal information, summary legal advice, referrals to appropriate services. Live out of town? Write: Legal Advice Clinic, c/o VGCC, PO Box 2259, MP0, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3W2. The clinic is free and the service is confidential. Provided by volunteer lawyers and law students. Free. •SINGLE-PARENT DROP-IN AND INFORMATION CENTRE at 180-6th St, New Westminster. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9:30 - 2:30 pm. Besides coffee and conversation, ' we offer free services such as: peer counselling, resource information, lending library, life skill course. Call Diane Edmondson for further information - 526- 1485 - Local 72. •EL SALVADOR LIBRE NEWSPAPER can be ordered $12/yr, $6/6 months, by writing 2 Bloor St West, #100, Box 197, TO, Ont. M4W 3E2. •VANCOUVER WOMEN IN TRADES ASSOCIATION is seeking names of women in trades-related non-traditional work. We receive requests for tradeswomen from the general public. Please call 876-0922 if you would like to. be on our referral list. •CANVASSERS NEEDED for Medical Aid to El ■ Salvador Campaign(Bombs that Burn) to take place June, 85. For more info, please call 251-7064. •1985 MONTREAL WOMEN'S DIRECTORY. The fifth edition of the Montreal Women's Directory, formerly the Montreal Women's Yellow Pages, is now available from Les Editions Commu- niqu'illes, 3585 St.-Urbain, Montreal, Que. H2X 2N6, (514) 844-1761, or in bookstores. It is published in both English and French editions. Price: $7.95 plus $1 postage and handling. •CANADIAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCE MENT OF WOMEN/CRIAW Knowledge Reconsidered and other publications in the CRIAW Papers series are available from CRIAW's national office, 151 Slater St, Suite 408, Ottawa, Ont, KIP 5H3. The cost of Knowledge Reconsidered: A Feminist Overview is $10.95 for CRIAW members; $11.95 for non-members. Cheques or money orders can be made out to CRIAW/ICREF. Please add 80c per copy for postage and handling. Only prepaid orders are accepted. •SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY is now accepting applications for the Fall 1985 class of the Foundation .Program in Management for Women. Qualifications for admission include three or more years in management or a professional position, and employer sponsorship. The application deadline is Sept 6^ the program begins in October. Call or 'write Carol Knight, Continuing Studies, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC, V5A 1S6; phone 291-4304 for a brochure with program details and application forms. •FUNDRAISING STRAWBERRY TEA for Still Sane book will be held June 16th, l-5p.m. at 3577 Marshall (off E. 19th near Trout Lk.) For more info: 253-2537. •2 BDRM TURRET APT - wonderful view, Grand- view area. 1-year sublet in housing co-op. Children welcome. July 1st or Sept 1. Paullette 255-0523. $515/mo incl. util. •ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LIVING COOPERATIVELY? WE are 43 resident and 12 non-resident members (ages 1^ to 70 yrs) living together in a cooperative community in Vancouver and Aldergrove. We're looking for new resident members for our Vancouver housing cooperative and ask that inter- , ested people contact us at the address below. Some of our interests are: alternate family groupings, community scale economics, community living, appropriate technology. We practice consensus decision-making, and we are striving toward , an egalitarian life style, working for social change, developing intensive farming (permaculture model) on our 10- acre farm. If any or all of this appeals to you, please leave a message for Community Alternatives at 732-5153 or write Community Alternatives, 1937 W. 2nd Ave, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1J2. •TWO FURNISHED ROOMS AVAILABLE in a feminist household at $160 a month each. Coquitlam - Como Lake - Gatensburg 936- 4869. •WANTED TO SUBLET BEAUTIFUL EAST END VILLA for July and August - non-smoking woman to live with three other women. $150 month plus utilities. Phone Rivka, 255- 3031 or 294-0616. •RELIABLE, NON-SMOKING, EXPERIENCED housesitter available throughout the summer. Good with plants and gardens. References on request. Call Mary Ev at 872-4251. Leave message if I'm out. •HOUR-LONG FULL BODY STRESS RELEASE MASSAGE Sliding scale, $15, $25. Heather 734-4408 CLASSIFIED •HOUSEMATE WANTED, employed feminist, dependable, supportive, with two daughters, 7 and 16, wishes to share or find and share large character house or duplex with women, with or without children. Call Jackie 873-8511 any time between June and September. •I WANT TO RELOCATE to the Gulf Islands or Denman Island in June. Let me know of any places for rent or sublet (with running water and electricity) Also any info concerning employment. Leslie - 736-9932. •PERFORMER SEEKS OTHER PERFORMERS, VISUAL ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, WRITERS, who want to create theatre, through improvisation, using mask, music, physical theatre and comedy, that explores the needs and issues of our culture and makes visually exciting theatre. For further information, call 876-7853 or731-2508. •FEMINIST GROUPS AND FUNDRAISING: I am doing research over the summer on the issues, ethics and achievements of feminist fundraising. If you or your group are also interested in the politics of funding, please contact me, Dianne Kinnon, 522 Macleod St, Ottawa, KIR 5R1 or (613) 234- 8483. •KAYAKERS: Two somewhat-experienced kayakers looking for somewhat-more-experienced kayakers to do a three week trip this summer to the Queen Charlottes. If interested please call Sue or Gail at 873-5080 COME AND SEE US! REPAIRS ACCESSORIES. MACHINING FORALLMAKES Alice Macpherson BOOK , AND ART EMPORIUM Featuring the largest selection of lesbian literature in Western Canada. spring arrivals Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence Sex Variant Women in Literature Misfortune's Friend — by Sarah Aldridge /ed Moderate—by Jane Rule w-dshbuckler—by Lee Lynch PHONE: (604) 669-1753 1221 THURLOWST., VANCOUVER, B.C. V6E 1X4 isnponeT5 B- E. 5 T f\ I NEW SUMMER MENU • Lovely Pasta Salads and our original "Wild" Salad • Strawberry Champagne Cocktails • Cosmic Margaritas • and Always Daily Specials GRANVILLE ISLAND 681-8816 ■ Equality for women? In 1985 the reality of equality Ibr women israjr from being achieyed/Anti- feminist amianti- women advocates would like to turn b&di the clockto^fume when even basic equaih^rights^rwomen were not recognized. At VSW we^bflie^ that^t is vital for feminists to fl^anize against mis attack. Won't you ioin us? g v By byfying a membership to VSW you are directly showing TOj^^mport. As Aur mem beiphip increases, so does our collective strength Published 10 times a year by Vancouver Status of Women 400A West 5th Ave., Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 1J8 D VSW Membership - $23 (or what you can afford) - Includes Kinesis subscription □ Kinesis subscription only - $15 □ Institutions - $40 □ Sustainers - $75 D Bill me □ Here's my cheque □ New D Renewal D Gift subscription for a friend
Preceding title: Vancouver Status of Women. Newsletter. Date of publication: 1974-2001. Frequency: Monthly.
Periodicals
Newspapers
HQ1101.V24 N49
English
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Vancouver : Vancouver Status of Women
Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the Digitization Centre: digitization.centre@ubc.ca
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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