857 10 13654 https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2832/1994_Vol_15_No_2-3_Special_Issue.pdf f6424db9997d5eb52f6c5cdbe99d629a PDF Text Text t INOrthern Woman Volume 15 Numbers 2 and 3 Special Issue Thunder Bay, Ontario Sexual Assault Centres Cf) Economic Development Women's Centres g Violence Issues Information Centres ca.) Pensions Transition Houses c Health Support Groups C.) March 1994 $4.00 CELEBRATING .A WOMEN'S ACTIVISM .4)*- 1973 - 1993 Demonstrations Northern Woman Journal Position Papers Conferences 14003 Bookstore Organizing Lobbying Theatre 14 U OO O W Music 1111. O INJ Art PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EDITORIAL This is not an editorial but rather some Many months have elapsed reflections. since our last Journal issue but we have been busy fund-raising. To compensate for this delay we are providing you with this Special Double issue which includes a retrospective of NWO women's activism over the past twenty years. Much has happened since the last NWJ. Canada's first female Prime Minister has come and gone, and how quickly the "old boys" of the media and the P.C. Party dumped the blame for nine years of Mulroney disaster on Campbell's shoulders. We can bet it will be a long time before the Tories select another female leader. The media power mongers also tried to lay responsibility for the NDP's dismal showing on Audrey McLaughlin, never acknowledging how the media dismissed and marginalized her from the day she was elected. The NDP's problems are complex and multifaceted, but few should be assigned to McLaughlin. Nonetheless, we can anticipate that the feminist process McLaughlin tried so valiantly to implement will quickly be abandoned by the next NDP leader. So now we have a massive Liberal majority, an to the official opposition dedicated separation of Quebec, and a substantive Reform opposition, whose misogynist, racist and classist underpinnings make the old Tories look like shining stars. What does this mean for feminists and other activists? Ironically, it seems the social justice agenda will depend on the separatist Bloc (and the few determined NDP members). What can we expect from the Liberals? EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS A number of new Child Care Centres in the Kenora/Rainy River Districts require staff to provide quality care and early childhood experiences to young children. A wide variety of program positions in both first Nation and Municipal programs are available and will appeal to energetic applicants who are interested in enriching their own life experience while contributing to the provision of child care services that are responsive to the unique needs of the community. Supervisors Assistant Supervisors Resource Teachers Infant Teachers Toddler Teachers Preschool Teachers Positions Available: Initially, many feminists expressed cautious optimism, citing the presence of strong women in the Liberal caucus, and a modestly progressive "red book" social agenda. Such optimism will prove to be is instructive to note that Sheila Finestone (one of the strongest short-lived. It Liberal women) was denied a full Cabinet post, presumably because she was too "passionate" about her causes - women, culture and multiculturalism. The promises the Liberals have kept to date (eg Pearson, helicopters) can be viewed as gender neutral. Not so, the broken promise re NAFTA (see NWJ Vol.15#1 for women and NAFTA discussion). *Contingent upon location, other employment opportunities may be available to spouses/partners Qualifications: -Early Childhood Education Diploma or equivalent -Well developed communication and organizational skills -Good understanding of the Ojibway and/or Oji-Cree language and culture a definite asset for some positions -Adaptable to the northern climate and lifestyles What lies ahead is very scary. A UIC "overhaul" - a "restructuring" of the welfare system - catch words masking the destruction of our Canadian social programs (which now are frequently inadequate). Who will be most negatively affected by social program "reform" -- women, of course. A very disturbing trend in welfare reform discussion is the implicit assumption that caring for children is work of no value. (Listen carefully to Premier McKenna's words as he extols New Brunswick's welfare Location: Variety of locations throughout the Kenora/Rainy River Districts in Northwestern Ontario including remote fly-in communities reform program). How many elder women without independent income will be sacrificed by old age security 'reform," just Salary: Negotiable depending upon position and previous experience as non-labour force mothers were sacrificed Some locations offer accommodation, relocation and travel allowances Submit Resume To: District Child Care Selection Committee c/o Child Care Projects Support Worker 20 Main Street South Kenora, Ontario P9N 1S7 Fac # (807)468-2449 when the family allowance program was abandoned. We find from a study of those elected in 1993 many anti-choice Liberal MPs. Don't be surprised (but be prepared) when an anti- choice private members bill is introduced. No question, the goals we though we'd achieved in the 70s and 80s All! nave to be vigorously defended. the sa-e trne we must find energy to such For Further Information Contact: Leanne Mineault Child Care Projects Support Worker 1-800-268-2970 or (807)468-2400 THE CLOSING DATE FOR RESUMES IS THURSDAY MARCH 31, 1994 as the irto Canada of NORPLANT, a long -terrn contraceptive whose safety has not been proven. (NORPLANT has been 'dumped' on developing countries for a number of years, resulting in very serious health problems for many women.) continued pg 16 Northern Woman Page 2 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �From Gender Gap to Gender Trap In preparation for the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, international women's health activists met recently in Bangladesh to prepare their strategy. The following is one of the documents prepared in advance of this meeting. has been constructed as the desire of Women have always been the target of The United Nations Fund for women. Population Activities (UNFPA) has made an estimate of how the desire could be translated into real population control. "If all population control programmes. Therefore, women who said they wanted no more children were able to stop childbearing, the number of births would be reduced by 27 percent in Africa, 33 percent in Asia, and 35 percent in Latin America" (Safeguarding the Future, by Dr. Nafis Sadik) it is nothing new that these population control programmes are trying to "involve" women as a means to achieve the goals of What is new is the fertility reduction. rhetoric, such as "raising the status of women", which is only a curtain to veil the original intention. These words are more acceptable to women instead of talking only about contraceptive prevalence and depopulation. Women's womb is presently the most Why the women do not want any more children is not analyzed. In the case of Bangladesh, we have seen about the number of children is omitted and needs and desires of women are The reason is decontextualized. For example, a poor and understandable. that during the early sixties, the research by the population agencies on how to mobilize people to accept contraceptives showed that women must be involved and be given other economic benefits as well. They must be was identified as the producer of something black Brazilian woman may not want to helped to come out of their houses. "undesirable" for the earth ruled by white and rich people. Women, the owner of womb, has become the centre of attention for population control programmes bring her child into a desperate economic situation and a political environment where the child may be killed in the street by the woman should earn some cash income so that her status within the family is raised to a level to make her accept a contraceptive vigilantes. If the situation were different, she method without the "permission" of her husband. Once she starts bringing in cash income to the family the husband will not Activities to raise the status of resist. Every strategic object in this world. international agency is now talking about it in many different ways but most commonly as a concern about "women". The womb is part of the woman's body. Women never received so much attention until the womb The social and political context in which women decide Particular discourses are deployed in order to make the direct link between the number of "undesirable" population and the women's "responsibility" to stop bringing those people may love to have children. The question whether she wants children or not is contentless if abstracted out of the real situation, but for the population controllers the decontextualisation is all they need. So these women must be helped in a way that some terms are settled they do not have to bear the "unwanted" worldwide. into the world. securely by now in the common mainstream discussions to legitimize the acts of population control. These° are "unwanted" pregnancy and "unmet need" or "latent demand", etc. These words are used by mainstream population agencies, such as UNFPA, World Bank, IPPF, Population Council, Rockefeller Foundation, etc. Foundation, Ford Some studies are conducted to prove that women do not want children. For example, the World Fertility Survey shows that women in Asia, Africa, and Latin America do not want any more children. Once this "fact" is established it has become a very crucial and effective tool of the population control agencies. They can now say it is the women who do not want any more children. The purpose of the depopulating strategy children. A women help the population control agencies and the contraceptive distributors make direct relationships with the users of contraceptives and they therefore are able to circumvent the social, cultural or family norms associated with the child bearing There are also clearcut commercial interests linked to evolving depopulating discourses. The women's desire regarding the number of children, as well as the spacing of births, is crucial for the expansion of the commerce of contraceptive commodities. There is an "unmet need" for contraceptives, it is argued, therefore the need should be met. The "unmet demand" or "unmet need" is a way to identify new markets. The marketing interests of the pharmaceutical companies coincide with and complement the urge of population controllers to reduce the number of children women produce. Now the two decisions of the family. The precise objective is to cut individual women from their social and familial ties so that population controllers can make inroads to them directly. In the process, the women's bodies are displaced from the existing social nexus to be at the disposal of the population controllers, multinational companies, medical establishments, and other related The womb lies in the woman's body, so as long as she is in the hands of interests. the population control agencies, the chances of success for depopulation are much higher. It is indeed a war on the interests have merged into one and the same statistics are turned into tools to woman's body. realise their respective interests. In the beginning of the population control programmes, the issue was more directly related to practical problems of having Who are these women whose desire of having "no more" children has drawn so much interest among the international They are, of course, the community? women from black, poor, and various ethnic and cultural groups living in the developing countries. (In fact, the desire of elite and white women to have less or no children has become a problem for the ruling class in Europe and North America.) Generally the to reduce the number of the undesirable population are termed "population control programmes) or "family planning programmes". These programmes obvious intentions to exterminate a section of the world's population have been criticized by many. Therefore the language has been changed to incorporate discourses efforts arising from women's demands. Some of the new terms are "reproductive right", "women's right to choose" and "raising the status of women". It is proposed that woman herself now should " decide" and "act" to reduce the number of her children women as contraceptive users. Efforts were made to recruit women for specific contraceptive targets. But though millions of contraceptives were sold and some level of fertility decline has been observed, the long experience of over 30 years is not yet "satisfactory" in the relation to the decline in The developed countries fertility rate. providing aid for population control programmes are not happy with the results. So, women continue to remain the object of interest as they are still seen as the best means to achieve the goal of population control. Meanwhile, women have been very critical of population control policies and they are demanding access to safe means But those genuine contraception. of demands of women have been distorted towards the interest of population control agencies. continued pg 4 which are "unwanted" not only to her but to the world. The decision now is claimed to be not an imposition, but a free "choice" of women. Northern Woman Page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �continued from pg 3 The type of industries which are relocated in Initially the stated goal of population control programmes was to achieve decline in the average number of children per family. But this decline in fertility rates in the developing countries is not yet "satisfactory" in the eyes of the population control establishments. Some countries have shown enormous decline, such as Brazil and Thailand. In Thailand the average number of children per woman during 1965-70 was 6.14, by 1987 the number had declined to 2.2 Other countries have also shown significant levels of decline in fertility, yet taken together the total number of people in the developing countries have not reduced enough to satisfy the depopulation strategists. It is important in this context to look into the world scenario which focuses increasing These are the attention on women. situations generated by rapid changes in the world economic order, environmental degradation, and the geographic distribution of people in the developed and developing countries. i. World economic restructuring needs women as a source of cheap labour. The world economic order changing rapidly. The profit oriented market economy is rapidly emerging in societies that is previously used to produce mainly for the satisfaction of their own needs, rather than for the global market. Keeping women away from child bearing is a consequence of the logic of profit' and export oriented production. The world economic system now requires women in the developing countries to be involved in the industries as cheap labour:` In order to become a full-time worker, including working overtime and on holidays, they must be free from responsibilities such as marriage, child bearing, etc. The women engaged in jobs may not necessarily have to get married at an early age. "Women's access to labour market brings multiple benefits. It works to lower fertility by delaying the age of marriage. After marriage it provides women with an independent income which will improve their power and status in the family" (State of World Population, UNFPA, 1992). the developing countries for cheap labour do not recruit married women and do not provide maternity leave. Given the deunionization policy implemented in the package of structural adjustment programmes of multilateral agencies, women are losing ground to fight against the processes that are denuding them of their fundamental rights as workers. Under this situation, women are needed only for their capacity for production; their role in reproduction must be terminated as dictated by the logic of the system. The UNFPA consumed mostly in the developing countries, population growth allegedly accounted for both 69% of the increase in livestock numbers in developing countries and 68% of the increase in sub-Saharan Africa's carbon dioxide output between 1980 and 1988. No mention of the contribution of the developed countries in this respect. United States alone emits 22% of all carbon dioxide produced in the world. Uneven population growth in the developed and the developing countries. iii. document is very clear on this: "It is also The growing fear of the western developed clearly recognized that more attention must be given to women's productive rather than countries about the unequal number of reproductive role so that they may have being expressed very openly status apart from motherhood" (Population internal government documents. 'N ;r Issues Briefing Kit, UNFPA, 1992) percent of world population is occur- -g in the developed countries, which or ii. The world environment is degrading: Population is to be blamed! environment degradation has generated worldwide concern. Something must be done to mend it and a culprit must be found to be blamed. It is agreed by all that the "consumption patterns of industrialized countries such as the United States must be dramatically altered if environmental sustainability is to be achieved" (Why Population Matters, UNFPA, 1991). This report continues: "Americans need also to recognize the role industrialised countries play in global environmental problems. For example, Americans make Global up only 5% of the world's population but consume 33% of the world's resources and produce 33% of the world's pollution." In other words, only 5% of the world's population cause one-third of the pollution. people of other colour, race, or ethnicity is various in average is increasing at 2.1% per year. 42 least developed countries are growirig a: 2.8%. In contrast, the growth rate of developed regions, (essentially Europe, North America, Japan and Oceana) has dropped to 0.5% and may fall further. The same stark contrast is naturally to be seen in fertility rates: these average 3.8 in developing countries with the least developed among them at more than 6.0; but fertility is now only 1.9, i.e. below replacement level, in developed countries. Racism is more obvious in all the discussions of "overpopulation." In the cover page of The Economist (May 30thJune 5th, 1992), a picture of black African children was prominently presented to terrify the readers about "overpopulation." In UNFPA documents, whenever population is discussed the projected faces are of people of colour. On top of this, national But the western industrialised and developed countries are not prepared to change their consumption habits. On the contrary, they continue to blame the developing countries for their large populations as a major cause of environmental degradation. For many instances, population growth has been held responsible for deforestation, carbon dioxide output, methane gas emissions and loss of biodiversity. For example, since methane gas is produced by rice paddies and livestock and rice is produced and 65 S. COURT ST EQUINOX issues and the question of strict immigration laws are now on the priority agenda of the population discussion in the European and North American countries. Farida Abider is Executive Director of UBINIG, a Bangladesh research organization. She participated in the Women Working for Change project and visited Thunder Bay in 1989. PHONE: 346-4600 COMPUTER SERVICES Mailing Lists Resumes & Covering Letters Term Papers, Theses, Reports Newsletter & Pamphlet Layout Personal & Business Correspondence Business Forms Design Individual Lessons Consultation at your site or ours Troubleshooting, Maintenance & Repai r Equipment selection & Setup Call Maryann for a free consultation SPECIALIZING IN COMPUTER LITERACY TRAINING FOR WOMEN Northern Woman Page 4 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �"You fricking cow, Josie" I sobbed to myself, "you fricking, fricking cow." Patsy Cline I fall To Pieces I got home still sobbing at the thought of the suitcases, I cried for about ten minutes and Josie Wallenius were listening to Patsy Cline told Flo the fall to pieces." holiday was like a big wave, the kind that begins its swell miles out, and the holiday was the swell, not the crash on the beach, Flo and singing The last evening I was at my sister-in-law's house. The last party of the swell. At last I I "I then it stopped. That was 2 hours and 50 I was telling the kind story about my first husband for Matthew's sake, but it turned out it was for my stepson's sake, who had not understood something else, and there because that would come later, water draining moving pebbles that had needed to be re-arranged. was a pause as people looked into the swell, and I thought if this is story time I will tell another. I was at the stove, and Matthew appeared by my side. I told Brian, who is my other stepson's son, that as an anarchist he was a chip off the minutes less sobbing than I had done when they had bombed Iraq. And I thought of the suitcases again. Clothes, and 60 tiny bits of amethyst and 60 tiny Canadian flag badges, the ones you get from the M.P.'s office. 30 bits of amethyst for Daniel's class and 30 bits of amethyst for Alex's class. Badges ditto. So the kids could show where they had "You're privileged Mum". old been. I sank, Not you too Brutus. she wasn't escaping blows from her first I had not told my son, but I feel that I must when I write next, that I had been given little Canadian badges to take to Palestine from block, as his grandmother, my husband's first wife, had been a leftist when husband, He meant the journeying. Russia, Libya, Nicaragua, Palestine. lived I anything besides, privileged about failure, and know a hundred people who could go where I- went if they made that I choice, but they didn't make it, so shut up." I flung in an extra barb for good. measure. told them that his over the road from me in said, "What is the Bay of Pigs"? PRIVILEGE? And I said to the people who were listening to this story that I had never forgotten to this day the look of contempt that Nan had flung at me for asking such a question. I said that I had never understood what the contempt was for, that I had said to my first husband that it was strange that Nan never spoke to me any more even though she lived over the road, and it had taken me over 20 years to want to understand that knowing what the But he still thinks I am privileged. "They can't even turn their T.V. off and read." Bay of Pigs meant was important for all human beings to know, but the funny thing "Shit." I was speechless. The nights I was working full time and reading till 3 in the was that Joan, Brian's grandmother had never shown me contempt although she morning, sogging the pillow with tears. knew more about the Bay of Pigs than Nan, so that showed you what a wonderful "SHIT" I SAID. person Joan was, not to show contempt to people who did not know about the Bay of He walked away. Pigs. "Frick" I thought. I wanted to tell him about his blood father. I lay on a couch, the young women were talking. I lay talking with the old man in bed. I asked him who had heard the story about Nan's contempt because I wanted it to be my daughter-in-law, but he said it was my stepson's wife, so you never can tell, can you? My sister-in-law who is Canadian was asking my daughter-in-law what it was like living in London with all those IRA bombs going off. The silence was quite rapt. Rapt. I stirred. My daughter-in-law said Londoners could take it. The London blitz myths live on as though Dresden never happened. My mouth opened in the swell My intestines knotted. like a gasping fish. "Well, at least the IRA warn people, not like the bloody allies when they carpet bombed Iraq." It was as though I had thrown a gear shift MOMENTARILY into neutral ... somebody geared it back again, neatly. I had been giving my daughter driving lessons, but it wasn't her, she gets things, I have blessings to count. our M.P.s office, and had left them behind in a bin in a hotel room in the East Jerusalem hotel because I hadn't known what else to do with them. mentioned the Bay of Pigs to me and I had world, it's propaganda. That why I went. And I tried to bring a message back, and I failed and if you think this is privilege, Frick You, because it has been my experience I I Saskatchewan, and one day Nan had "Look son, you know what's killing this that nobody gives a mucking frick about anything outside their own lives which don't see am a failure and means and grandmother had a friend called Nan who used to visit England to see my family I used to travel from my daughter's When I place in Barnet to my son's place near Kings Cross station. I used to go by the underground train. The conspiracy theorists say all the big cities in the West have undergrounds so they can be blown up when the time comes. My son uses the train to go to work and my daughter-in-law uses the train to visit her mother. I remember in Palestine the people said the world is like a train. The people in the West are inside the train and the people not in the West are outside it banging on the windows and doors for attention. But everybody inside the train is hanging on tight, because things are getting uncomfortable inside the train too. Well, just after the time of Iraq, I was in England, on the underground going to see my son, and the train was packed, and opposite to me was an Arab man reading an Arabic newspaper, and sitting next to him Anyhow, the day they left went to the was a middle aged woman, neatly dressed, airport to see them off, then I went home. I walked into the house and into the silence. grey haired, carrying a bunch of seringa I The swell was over and now the pebbles would move. I felt great. I went to work that night and unwound, then I did six loads of washing in the laundrymat before I came blossoms. The train was rocking along and I remember think that the woman looked as though she had picked the blossoms for a friend because she had such a kind face. home. I was driving home, feeling O.K. and Suddenly the woman turned to the Arab suddenly, pebbles moved, and I saw them at the airport again, I saw them again as I was seeing them off. man who newspaper, My son was taking their two shiny new suitcases from the trunk of the car, and putting them on the airport cart, and was reading the Arabic "It's so dreadful what is going on, such a pity our troops did not finish it off and kill Sadam Hussein." I suddenly collapsed into sobbing. It was the suitcases. New, new for their trip to Canada to see Nan. A couple of working class kids with two new suitcases, their holiday dream. And I had dented it. The man smiled politely at her, he carried on reading. The woman sank back on her seat, her kind face smiling. The train rocked on. People were reading newspaper. They were going to work. My mouth opens. It is not me, it is never me. "For Christ's sake," shouts this voice, "It's all lies, don't you understand, it's all lies. continued pg 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 5 �Patsy Cline I fall To Pieces continued from pg 5 Book Review went to the door waiting for the train to stop. I stepped off and ran up the platform, and got on the escalator, had no idea what I station I was at, I just had to get off the train. I was still trembling. I felt a hand on my arm and turned around. It was the woman. Her face was flushed. She was out of breath. She had been running to catch up with me. "What do you mean?" she said. It's all lies, that's all I mean. Everything. It's all lies and propaganda. We got separated in the crowd. We had both left the train. It had nothing to do with privilege. Chapter 2. I had been waiting for an answer from my son. My old man had said, don't write in anger, but I had, plop, into the letter box, it was done. I was afraid, till he answered, I got the letter this morning. Sometimes things are too personal to share, but he said, together in a conflict that challenges DECLARATION OF THE FOUR SACRED THINGS A few faces turned, I was trembling, and as the rock samples. Both their classes, (my grandchildren's) were able to take a piece home, with around 30 pieces left which the school asked if they could keep to be used for study. I remember theln toiling up Silver Mountain, air thick with mosquitos, to get bits of amethyst for their little friends. Baraka Bashad, my son, which is Arabic for "Blessed be." The earth is a living, conscious being. In company with cultures of many different times and places, we name these things as sacred: air, fire, water, and earth. Whether we see them as the breath, energy, blood, and body of the Mother, or as the blessed gifts of a Creator, or as symbols of the interconnected systems that sustain fife, we know that nothing can live without them. WOMEN'S Saturday, March 19, 1994 Unitarian House 129 S. Algoma 7:45 p.m. ENTERTAINMENT and REFRESHMENTS (non-alcoholic) $3.50 at the door (or more if you can) CELEBRATING THUNDER BAY WOMEN year old crone-witch who visits with her departed lovers, reminisces and ruminates over her life's adventures, worries for both her grandchild and her lovers' grandchild and takes her fate and the fate of her city in hand when the need arises. It is at the Time of Reaper that Maya recounts the story of the Uprising: No one has the right to appropriate Today is the twentieth anniversary of the the Uprising. I've been asked to tell you the story of Las Cuatro Viejas, the Four Old Women who sparked the rebellion in '28 when the Stewards cancelled the elections and declared martial law. them or profit from them at expense of others. Any government that fails to protect them forfeits its legitimacy. part of earth life, and so are sacred. No one of us stands higher or lower than any other. Only justice can assure balance: only ecological balance can sustain freedom. Only in freedom can that fifth sacred thing we call spirit flourish in its full diversity. To honor the sacred is to create conditions in which nourishment, sustenance, habitat, knowledge, freedom, "We have had two blessed decades to remake our corner of the world, to live by what we believe. "...While the Stewards' troops were massing down on the peninsula, commandeering all stockpiles of food, and the rest of us were debating what to do and trying to work up courage to do it, Maria gathered with her neighbours, Alice Black, Lily Fong, and Greta Jeanne Morgolis, Four old women with nothing to lose. On the morning of the first of August, they marched out in and beauty can thrive. To honor the the dawn with pickaxes over their sacred is to make love possible. To this we dedicate our curiosity, our will, our courage, our silences, and of Army Street, and all the traffic stopped, such cars as a few people shoulders, straight out into the middle could still afford to drive. "Some of them were honking lives. The Fifth Sacred Thinq is Starhawk's first novel. Some readers may be already familiar with Starhawk's philosophy and world view as presented COFFEEHOUSE In the character of Maya, it seems that Starhawk may be envisioning herself several decades hence, a ninety-eight To call these things sacred is to say that they have a value beyond their usefulness for human ends, that they themselves become the standards by which our acts, our economics, our laws, and our purposes must be judged. our voices. To this we dedicate our SUPERIOR communities' very basis of existence: "There is still a place at our table, brother, if you will choose to join us." both All people, all living things, are "The badges went down well, but not as well Michele Proulx in her works The Spiral their horns, some were shouting threats, but when Maria raised the pickaxe above her head, there came a silence like a great, shared, indrawn breath. Then she let it fall, with a thud that shuddered through the streets, and Dance, Dreaming the Dark, and Truth or Dare. In The Fifth Sacred Thinq, Starhawk has taken another tack. She has written a story that is woven with her wit, her wisdom and her magic: a story that can only be categorized as Speculative Fiction. In the vein of the four old women began to dig. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's rushed from our - Tale, we are presented with visions of potential futures based upon the extension of present day circumstances and trends. In The Fifth Sacred Thing, Starhawk offers the reader a choice of alternatives. The hoped-for and hopeful option is a community based upon the above Declaration of the Four Sacred Things, where people live and work together to try to re-establish the balanced dance of the earth and her creatures. The other alternative is "They tore up the pavement, blow by blow, and filled the holes with compost from a sack Greta carried, and planted them with seeds. By ten a crowd had gathered, the worc r. .s carried through the streets, aDC eager :c many _ s _ s es to our ba 7 -e,.. -2, _ v. with fear, -.:ea-s s:rear7-,ng water the seacs. But Alice raised her hand, and she called out in a loud voice. 'Don't you cry,' she told us. 'This is not a time to cry. This is a time to rejoice and praise the earth, because today we have planted our freedom!" presented in what remains of the City of Angels where capitalistic avarice and consumption beyond replenishment have created a world where most suffer and a few live in splendid excess. Starhawk brings these-opposing visions PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 6 �Panel On Violence: A Response Jocelyn J. Paquette REPRESENTATION ON PANEL Northern Ontario Representative National Action Committee on the Status of Women Who and how were consulted in this process? This question rang loudly when the National Action Committee on the Status of Women asked the PANEL to describe the selection process. NAC and other national women's groups negotiated with the PANEL to initiate change in their structure and process. We as women felt it had to be more inclusive and accountable. (letter from Judy Rebick) The National Organization of Immigrant and Vis no accountability to groups, of those groups that took part in ible ROLE OF PANEL to engage Canadians in a dialogue on violence against women in an interactive, responsive grass roots manner, with the aim of producing solid recommendations for preventive action, immediate intervention and long term implementation. (PANEL P.3) statement - is from the Executive Summary of the National Action Plan of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women. This It leaves me looking for the direction and vision required by our governments at all three level (provincial, municipal & federal) to affect positive change. These changes were to include legislative changes that would give $ access and equal treatment in our society. What we see in the final report is something very different. I wish to present three issues of how the PANEL failed to provide the VISION hoped to have at the end of this process. Using the Summary and comments from NAC we will look at; consultation process $ representation on the panel $ final recommendations CONSULTATION PROCESS Who were the women consulted throughout the country? They were women working in violence, front line workers dedicated to the elimination of violence against women in all its forms. Women attended the consultation only to have their stories told and re-told. In Thunder Bay for example there were 5 french language translators and not one professional to support the women when they disclosed. This lack of awareness to the pain and vulnerability felt by women over their experiences being voiced was evidence of the lack of accountability to women in this process. Ten million dollars to say women were at risk of violence in Canada! Services for victims of violence and frontline workers could have produced all the necessary documentation. Nothing new was discovered for most women in Canada. Minority Women (NOIVM), the Congress of Black Women and DAWN Can ada in June 1992 met spoke with Pat Marshall (Advisory Committee of the PANEL). The original proposal asked that three minority women have full participation in the PANE L discussions. What was agreed upon was two minority women and one woman with di sabilities. When the PANEL was written up the picture was very different. The women would now be "special advisors" and it was clear that their role would be limited. the consultation no commitment was made to ensure that even "some" of these recommendations are adhered to in the foreseeable future. The issue of hope for change was by this point squashed since no directive was in place to enforce or at least begin the process to put some of these recommendations in place. The aboriginal women's circle established wi thin the PANEL was the "model of operation that should have been adopted for the panel as a whole." (Sunera Thobani, NAC Preside nt) Women at the grass roots level working against violence, racial minority women and women with disabilities felt excluded from this process. NAC and other women's how can we take seriously the over 497 RECOM- MENDATIONS that lack any support or structure to carry out the work that is needed. ZERO boundaries, TOLERANCE = NO ACCOUNTABILITY. Empty phrases. Women today deserve better. organizations pulled their support from the PANEL due to failure to respond to the concerns identified by women across Canada. what $ level of government would be responsible for the implementation of the recommendations. [The FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS report] for calls making women's safety a priority at the municipal level but does In the final analysis myself and many women I work with in Northern Ontario see the not made by the PANEL in the following way; commit the federal government to adopting the same priority. (Press Release, July 29th, 1993 from NAC) there is no timeline, in other words of the RESULTS to consultation on violence against women we are offered no timeframe in which some these recommendations are to be carried. No promise of legislative changes that could in fact bring about real change to lessen the violence of even In the final analysis the process of the PANEL not only excluded women and demeaned their experiences but it allowed little hope for the future. While women are experiencing meet the violence and deal the negative impacts of the with it through the courts. dismantling of social programs and funding cuts to shelters, transition houses and frontline workers, this report remains silent on these key issues which increases women's vulnerability to violence. (Sunera Thobani, NAC president) CONCLUSION Where do we gc from here? Look at our options. The impact had on the Constitutional Accord must not be forgotten. We must secure access for ourselves. Though the Court Challenges Program was reinstated the Women's Program continues to be at risk. Cuts to the program due to reductions of transfer payments to the provinces furthers the aggressive assault against women in this country. continued pg 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 7 �Do you know the difference between Nobel prize-winning literature and pornography? You're one up on Canada Customs and the federal government if you The Customs Game do. Since the Supreme Court of Canada Whether to be nice, non-offensive and Wonder bread like in order to gain the Mickey Koivisto acceptance of heterosexual society. I am not When I was a baby dyke of 5 or 6, my friend Audrey and found a stash of her father's Playboy magazines. We were I intensely curious about the female body and innocently inspected the various body parts of the women at our leisure. A short while later Audrey's big sister hauled us out by our ankles from under their parent's bed. By the end of Big Sister's hissy fit we felt ashamed. Big Sister told us we were "bad girls" and those pictures "were dirty". We believed her. Audrey still does. I remember the incident vividly because it was the first time I was told that the female form was "dirty" and that was bad for I wanting to look. The shame stayed with me for years to come. The actions of Audrey's big sister made me feel that not only my body, but all women's bodies were dirty and lesbianism was a dark and sordid act that could not even be named. Many years later, kissed a woman for the first time, a twinkling of the feel ing I'd experienced so long ago came back to make my belly do wonderful and exhilarating flips. as I Unfortunately so did the shame I'd been told should feel. It would be another several years before I could make love to a woman and several more years before dared to make love to her in the light of day. Occasionally my bdhaviour is still I I affected by the-shame that was instilled in me. I have to be ever vigilant against it - and this is after 10 years of fighting homophobia in myself and the world at large. I've asked for On Our Backs, books by Califia or Bad Attitude at women's gone. More often bookstores wherever Pat I than not I've been informed that such pornography isn't appropriate for sale in a feminist bookstore. This is usually accompanied by a look of judgement one that says "you bad girl." I can't help but feel that Big Sister is once again trying to define my sexuality. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I honestly can't see the difference. want access to sexual imagery produced by lesbians for me. That makes me a consumer of pornography. It does not make me evil. It does not make me want to I go out and do everything I see or read about. Does this mean I objectify women? Why yes I sometimes guess I do. with my lover, Sometimes, when I'm in her body, she is many intensely lost things to me, including a sex object. She is also a Goddess in the flesh. When I look at On Our Backs, and see two women entangled in each other's arms, sweating and laughing or doing whatever the fuck I they want to, they are objects. They objectify my sexuality. The dictionary defines an object as anything that is visible or tangible and in this society my sexuality is not visible. I'm not positively represented as a lesbian woman. Although I want acknowledgement for my contributions I want to be recognized as a multidimensional human who happens to be a lesbian, I also refuse to buy into the homogenous rhetoric that says my sexuality has nothing to do with who I am. Recently, the lesbian and gay community has become polarized over the issue of whether to kick out the drag queens and stone butches. of that ilk. The stone butches and drag queens got us through Stonewall and farther than we'd ever been. believe we owe the success of the lesbian, gay, et al. struggle to I them and I'll be damned if I'll be a nice white girl for my movement. My sexuality is not all of who I am, but it is a part of me. I believe that access to sex positive delineative portraits of other lesbians allows that part of me a certain amount of validity. In a society where my community and I are handed down the Butler decision in February of 1992, no prominent difference can be seen in the availability of heterosexual pornography. However, Canada Customs has targeted feminist, lesbian and gay bookstores, making it difficult for them made it difficult for them to import not only erotica, but work by authors such as Toni Morrison, Anne Cameron and Jane Rule. In 1993, over 5,000 books and periodicals were detained by Canada funeral homes, magazines like On Our Backs might not be necessary. However, lesbians have a hell of a time talking about Customs. Many of them were available in mainstream bookstores. Some were required reading in Canadian universities. The common thread in their binding was destination or distribution. The materials were either destined for lesbian, feminist or gay bookstores or were shipped by Inland Books, a major supplier of lesbian and gay what goes on in our bedrooms. We have no material. on billboards and pandied to by every industry from diaper manufacturers to role models, we have no sex education courses in high school. Most of us can hardly tell even our lovers what we want from them. Someday this will change. Seeing ourselves having sex between any covers - including those of a magazine produced by lesbians will help get us there. Right now, lesbians need every piece of material we can get that says "YES, not only is it o.k. to have sex with other women, it's o.k. to have sex however you like and here's a few ideas ya'll might like to try". My family, my government and my contemporaries are doing their very best to ensure my day of equality never arrives. I want to be a big sister who says - "look, look everywhere you need to and remember that each woman including you is strong and unique and that's part of what makes her beautiful." IN THE BEGINNING, PRE-BUTLER Little Sisters Book & Art Emporium was the first store to challenge Canada Customs on its discriminatory practices. In 1986, the Vancouver lesbian and gay bookstore had its first shipment of books and magazines detained. Amongst the considerable amount of material ruled obscene under Canada's Custom Tariff Code and prohibited entry was The Advocate, a well known magazine. On behalf of Little Sisters, the B.C. Civil Liberties Association began to appeal the ruling. The BCCLA and Little Sisters launched a Federal Court challenge, but after waiting two and a half years to litigate the government conceded their mistake, two weeks before the trial. Hoping to raise the issue of discrimination, they sued for losses incurred. Again,the government conceded. A suit was filed with the B.C. Supreme Court in 1990. The Court decided not to hear the case before R. v Butler was heard. A new date was set for September, 1992, and was again postponed until October 1993, when the Crown unsuccessfully brought forward a motion to dismiss. In October, the Crown delayed for the third time, stating that they were inadequately prepared for a case which had been in their hands for more than three years. The also argued that twenty days would not be long enough to hear from all of the expert witnesses, they had demanded be there in person. Ten weeks have been assigned to hear the case, beginning on October 11, 1994. While the government succeeds in obfuscating and obstructing the justice sought by Little Sisters, the by now impecunious bookstore and BCCLA have maintained sole responsibility for raising the challenge. In money to continue the addition to the $80,000 and incalculable work hours spent, Little Sisters will be trying to raise an additional $200,000 before this October. THEY SAID BUTLER WAS A GOOD THIN:: Aside from the Little Sisters challer- Canada Customs has been coming fire from several of Canada's organizations. The Book & - :s - Council, PEN International, The Union and the International Federation began to pay atte -:: = E:i Customs' targeting of gay. SE= E..feminist bookstores was c-a a: -: ---a agenda at PEN Ind.'s Spain. They called on the c - - PDFNorthern compression, Woman Page OCR, 8 web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �"immediately halt all seizures...". Also during International Booksellers The 1993, Federation, met in Belgium. They too called Customs attempted to apologize to L.D.M. for the Canadian government to "join the other major democratic countries of the world in confirming and guaranteeing the principle of freedom of expression..." The that seizures of books going to non-gay Book & Periodical Council, representing over 6,000 individuals and 5,500 firms and institutions began addressing letters to the Minister of Revenue, Importations Unit in Ottawa,and the Prime Minister. The attention from these organizations came following a seizure of unprecidented scope. Between April 16 and May 4, 1993, Canada Customs detained over a thousand books, destined for 46 Canadian bookstores and libraries. They were from Inland Books, a large U.S. supplier to feminist, queer and alternative bookstores. Customs placated the media, literary, lesbian and gay communities, by saying that there was a distinction between gay and non-gay bookstores and bookstores were a "mistake." The Sexual Politics of Meat was destroyed on its way to Wonder Words in Toronto. Book People, the distributor of the book was told "That they faced heavy fines" if they tried to resubmit the book of feminist analysis into Canada. While a summary of Canada Customs' actions reads like an Orwellian Keystone Cops script They say they're just doing their job "intercepting obscene material." Their decisions are arbitrary, subjective and biased. While most of us expressed joy over the Butler decision there is little to cheer EXAMINING BUTLER The Butler decision evolved from a 1987 incident involving Donald Butler, a Winnipeg video outlet owner who sold "hardcore" pornography. He was charged with 250 counts of violating the Criminal Code's obscenity provision. Butler's case was the perfect test for Canada's new obscenity law because of the numerous charges brought Criminal Code prohibition on obscenity did not violate his freedom of expression. If the Court had ruled in favour of The Charter of counts. The Crown appealed the acquittals. Butler appealed the convictions. In a nine to zero decision, the Supreme Court convicted Books. After six months and numerous calls Rights and Freedoms, the criminal code from the store to Customs the notification needed to begin appeals had still not been provision against obscenity would have been received. Customs later said that the comic was banned because it sexually degraded men. Eventually, the comic was allowed into the country. From Womensline Books the police seized Weenie-Toons! Women Artists Mock Cocks. This material was banned for debates began again in fervour. The decision came after many of Mulroney's bills Andrea Dworkin's books; Pornography: Men Possessing Women and Woman Hating prohibited from entry after publishing transcripts of a telephone conversation which the government wanted banned. Due to their journalistic clientele the seizure made the pages of the Montreal Gazette. Little Sisters in a in the States there are a lot more people realizing that we're talking about are... Canada Customs seized a lesbian comic; Hothead Paisan and returned it to Inland window display, began to have materials seized. Le Dernier Mot, a left-of-centre bookstore which caters to journalists, had of knowledgable about what the actual issues Butler of all charges. They ruled that the materials reads like a who's who of lesbian and gay publishing, mainstream bookstores remain relatively unscathed. Three notable exceptions are Pages and Le Dernier Mot. Pages, after mounting an anti-censorship Manager because this court case was delayed so many times. It's created more and more interest around it. People have become Books, While the file of seizures involving gay In a recent conversation with Janine Fuller, community, but that's changed a lot. Partly RFR detained (its first in an 18 year herstory). copies of Hothead Paisan seized. They too, had never faced inspection by Customs. The Customs' raids of Toronto Women's Bookstore material started after they began selling Bad Attitude, a sexually explicit magazine published by lesbians. real not necessarily an issue specific to against him. He was convicted on eight "its degradation of the male penis." The Toronto Women's Bookstore also had exception but the norm. The pornographers have been left alone. them, and in Canada it's just a bookstore - Toronto Women's Bookstore, Everywoman's Books, of Victoria and Womensline Books in London began to have material inspected. Everywoman's had a shipment of books Everywomans where homophobic behaviour is not the was a Canadian issue that didn't involve expeditously." The "expeditous" service offered by Customs must have left notifying bodies could be trusted, the Butler decision might have a chance of fulfilling its intent. However this has not happened in a society JANINE: ...for a long time I think it was an isolated thing. In the States they thought it that "The examinations were conducted Without legally supply lesbian imagery to a male heterosexual market. If Canada's policing MICKEY: How far reaching has the support been from the lesbian and gay community? council received a letter from then Minister of Revenue, Otto Jelinek reassuring them Customs war on lesbians and gays. The Attitude, a magazine produced by lesbians, for a lesbian market. Ironically, the X-rated bookstores peppered throughout the area, ongoing harassment of Canada Customs. four months later, the Book & Periodical and preposterous. BookstoreS which had never before been harassed became the targets of Canada Glad Day are no longer able to sell Bad What went wrong? the ones going to feminist or gay bookstores. The government had no response to the letters of outrage. Although Customs became even more homophobic standard for judging lesbian and gay porn. Their petition was denied and the owners of about in its application. released all the books on May 11. Except interest in covering the fight for queer sexual identity, those following the ordeal became dismayed as the actions of Canada argued that there should be a different Vancouver, we talked about the Butler decision, pending court case and the saying it was routine. As promised they bookstore owners wondering, just which country's Customs agency the Minister of Revenue was referring to. Although the Canadian media seemed to have little distributing obscenity. In court, lawyers American authors being banned in Canada. That sort of contextualizes it for them. MICKEY: It seems like The Globe & Mail has done some fair coverage of it, but don't think that Canadians in general understand the significance of the case or what Canada Customs is doing... I think the problem is Americans are born believing in the First Amendment, it's something they espouse on an almost daily basis, where as our Charter of Rights JANINE: I continued pg 10 invalidated. The pornography/censorship were defeated and many anti-pornography supporters had virtually given up hope on changes from the government. Now Canada was the first country to define pornography as hate literature. The Court had looked to its own verdict in R. v. Keegstra. Where the distribution of the material in that trial was 111111111 deemed harmful -to Jews, so to was pornography, said the Court, harmful to women. Anti-porn feminists cheered for the long awaited link between pornography and violence against women. Anti-censorship advocates called the decision, "A misconceived piece of legislation" and feared that bigotry now had license to run rampant. Although most of the material in the Butler case had been heterosexual, a small amount was gay male oriented. In a brief prepared by the Women's seized Legal Education Action Fund (LEAF), the judges were shown depictions of gay male sex so that they would better understand the degradation caused by pornography and empathize with women. This brought lesbian and gay erotica into the sphere of the new obscenity precedent and it was the first to be hit by the Butler decision. Glad Day bookstore of Toronto was charged with Northern Woman Page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �continued from pg 9 want to be detaining this material, but I don't has only just come into being in the last 15 But at the same time years... think Canadians are getting pretty outraged by it, I by the number of calls I get - from the straight media, the gay and lesbian media, there are a lot of people who realize this is a part of the big picture. It's not about one thing. It's about a whole history of harassment, not just for gay and lesbian bookstores, but for all book sellers. For 10 years this has been ongoing in gay and lesbian book selling communities in Canada, it's just been this feeling that it's o.k. to sit back and watch and think you're not going to be involved in this but eventually the feminist bookstores will start to experience the same kind of regulation - over the last year that's happened. Naiad Press, who have never really had any difficulty with their material are starting to have things like Claire of The Moon being stopped, I Left My Heart In San Fransisco - authors that you would not necessarily think would have their material stopped... When our court case was due to come up last October we had 39 affidavits - from book sellers and individuals across Canada, who were attesting to their experiences with Canada Customs. That was just a small medley. There's a lot of others... MICKEY: It seems like Inland Books has been unfairly targeted and because they've consolidated shipments, mainstream bookstores are now being effected... JANINE: Right. Where as it might have just been our shipment being stopped, because Inland consglidated their shipments the United Bookstore experienced a seizure, Cole's Bookstore has experienced a seizure. Marguerite Duras had one of her books going to Trent University for a course, and that book was stopped and banned in Canada. There's no doubt that Inland has been centered out and targeted. But the way Canada Customs operates is; once that once they catch one piece of material that they consider to be obscene you are an importer of 'obscene' material. When they're asked to explain why they've made these detentions they will say, 'Little Sisters has been targeted because they have a history of importing obscene materials.' That history has been made by Canada Customs. It creates itself through their actions. MICKEY: They say that they're 'just doing their job' intercepting obscene material. JANINE: To try to be fair to them - what they have to work with - in a determination of a detention, it is very limited. I've had Customs agents phone me and say; 'Look, I don't have a choice, because this is my job and there are 8 categories that I have to tick off when I review material and my supervisors are watching me review your material.' MICKEY: Tell me about the 8 categories. JANINE: They are 'sex with violence', 'child sex', 'incest', 'bestiality', 'necrophilia', 'hate propaganda' and 'other.' Certainly you can imagine 'anal penetration' is a category we often find our selves falling under and 'other' as well. 'Other' doesn't explain itself - it gives no explanation. MICKEY: Bad Attitude for instance could fall under that category. JANINE: 'Other' - Often we'll get 'other' bondage. Most of our seizures are 'anal', 'other' or 'sex with violence' because there's so much conjecture around what is violence and sex and consentuality. With Canada Customs they have a one day training course that puts them into a position to decide the morality of any one community or any one individual. MICKEY: That seems to be one of the biggest problems. Aside from the Butler decision itself - the way Canada's policing bodies are administering it. JANINE: Yes, it's the inconsistencies... Pat Califia's Macho Sluts has been seized on four separate occasions to this bookstore alone. Now each time it's been seized it's gone through the bureaucratic maze to find its approval status. Why should it be seized over and over again and not just be on a list that identifies it (as o.k.)... MICKEY: I spoke to a bookstore which dealt with their seizure problems by having the distributor send the unlabelled boxes. material in small, JANINE: ...unfortunately, that doesn't solve the problem. We just can't be silent about this anymore. We have to be very vigilant in our efforts to make sure that these laws are changed and the way that Canada Customs essentially does discriminate against Inland our bookstores. I understand this bookstore considering those options and often we've had people suggest it to us, but I guess we feel so strongly - we've spent all this time and money and energy working towards getting this issue before the courts where people can see the reality of it. MICKEY: I can see how booksellers might consider these options - to go back into the closet, to look for subversive ways to get material into Canada or to start censoring themselves when they order... JANINE: Yeah, don't think there's many book sellers who go through the excruciating process of thinking about I what's going to be stopped and what isn't and 'how much can I afford to risk?' I don't want to prejudge what Customs is going to have such a long history of knowing what they're going to do. So it do, but I certainly does affect what you order and how you order it. There's a trickle down effect with publishers... This happened with Gay Ideas, a book by Richard Moore. It's a very scholarly work around a lot of issues such as outing, gay history and that kind of thing. Oxford Canada - which had the rights to the book - said, 'Unless you omit these pictures, we're not interested in publishing it and we're withdrawing our proposal to bring it into Canada.' Beacon Press picked it up and published it, but again, if you're a small publisher you can't possibly fulfil the needs of all the people who are being censored. MICKEY: It almost seems like Customs' mandate is to force lesbian and gay sexuality back into the closet. JANINE: Well, when 'anal penetration' is a reason to be stopping it and the form is produced by our government - let's not loose sight of who's continue... allowed this to MICKEY: Of course, there's the Community Standards of Tolerance Test... JANINE: Yeah MICKEY: But which community? Right. Who's making choices? I've never been asked. those JANINE: MICKEY: How has this whole process changed your opinion of censorship or the Canadian government? JANINE: It's certainly opened my eyes. I think everyone has a sense of belief that the justice system is going to be somewhat swift and your voice will be heard, but after four and a half years (and really since 1986)... we've never gone to court, we've never had our voice heard. We've never had the chance to put this out to the Canadian public. It's discouraging. MICKEY: How far do you think the freedom of speech should be taken? Do you think there should be limits on what is allowed into Canada? JANINE: I think obviously as a society, we have a great deal of difficulty finding out what those limits are and how to set them. So I think it's a really difficult issue that needs a lot of discussion before it's implemented into any kind of law. think I with hate propaganda there should be certain provisions ... but they don't necessarily have to fall under the same Acts that we have. guess the belief is that Canada Customs shouldn't be regulating I these things. They should be done through Canadian law and not through Customs' officials who really don't know. continued pg 11 PDF compression, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman PageOCR, 10 , �continued from pg 10 JANINE: No They will not do that. MICKEY: That's what I thought when I first took a look at this whole thing; it's common agree with you. There are laws against harming women and child pornosense. I graphy. I don't think these issues have to be regulated by Customs. JANINE: Yeah, and you have to believe they're protecting women and children. Part of the Butler decision was heralded as this great victory for Canadian women - that it would be protecting women and children. Well, it hasn't... The way it's been applied has been against the gay and lesbian book selling community. MICKEY: Right, it certainly doesn't seem like there's been a shortage heterosexual pornography in Canada. JANINE: Not at all. It's been co-opted by the don't think personally. They fought long and hard for Butler. They made certain choices that weren't necessarily the best choices in their lobbying of the government. But Butler exists and it's not going to change as far as Canadian law goes. We're stuck with it, so we need to find some ways to understand Butler and make it work for us. I MICKEY: You're challenging Canada Customs prior restraint powers and hoping to prove that Canada Customs acted in a discriminatory manner against lesbians and gays. Is it possible to win half of the battle? How optimistic are you and your counsel? JANINE: ... there's so many variables that are going to bring a ruling in our favour or not or halfway... I think you get ever growing in you optimism when you have domestic mail being stopped (1)... right wing to achieve an agenda of their own. JANINE: I think that's really a touchstone for MICKEY: Is there dialogue in the feminist and lesbian communities? We're not litigating one book. We're litigating a I I I that that's what the 90S is about - polarizing the feminist and lesbian community around a lot of issues not just censorship... It's this desire to get acceptance within mainstream culture. I heard Naomi Wolf speak the other day in an interview, here in Vancouver. She was apologizing for lesbians being involved in feminist politics and trying to make it o.k. I thought that, was a really dangerous thing to be doing. You don't apologize for one group to get mainstream acceptance. be homogeneous - 'Gee, look at how nice and clean cut we all are.' JANINE: Yeah, like, 'Let's get control of what our images are.'... 'We don't want any more pictures of drag queens and ... leather dykes JANINE: Yes. But we can't forget this is our community, and that community is one which fought so long and is part of our history. MICKEY: That's who was at Stonewall 25 seems like Canada Customs is trying to It force us back into the closet. It's just another piece of evidence that's just glaring... I think a lot of the reasons about why we're doing this is - let's put all of our eggs in one basket... We're not litigating one book. We're litigating a history. When we're talking Sisters' case we're talking about everyone - Everywoman's Toronto Women's Bookstore...the Red Herring Bookstore, in Halifax. MICKEY: Anne Cameron was really vocal in her support of anti- pornography legislation, but her material was amongst the first to be perspective on what censorship means, And think there's definitely a feeling that Canada Customs is not meeting the needs of the feminists or the lesbians... I MICKEY: Has the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund come out and said; 'Gee, maybe, Butler wasn't such a good thing after all.'? If you are interested in making a donation to Little Sisters and the British Columbia Civil make cheques Liberties Association, payable to: Little Sisters Defence Fund c/o B.C. Civil Liberties Assoc. 518 - 119 W. Pender Street MICKEY: I know you have the support of many Canadian writers - even Pierre Burton... MICKEY: The Crown wants everyone there in person. They are not satisfied with I ****************************** She had Man Hating stopped. I think there's this feeling,`that at no matter what cost you protect the women and the children'... MICKEY: Vancouver has some of the most sex positive dykes in the world I think. It also buy Afterglow by Karen Barber and tell them that it's a banned book in Canada - it gives them a completely different Ontario and contained sci-fi books. Customs and Canada Post apologized, explaining that the package had jumped a conveyor belt.) By Mickey Koivisto authors. JANINE: ...I think a lot of feminist dykes in (1. Little Sisters had domestic mail seized and opened by Customs. It was sent from JANINE: The same with Andrea Dworkin. JANINE: Yeah. Vancouver have - well, when they come in to and I wish I could have given that money to eighty-million different organizations. But that's just water through our hands. seized... JANINE: Yeah, Jane Rule, Carol Vance, Nino Ricci, all pretty well known Canadian supporters - the Women's Fire Brigade, for instance. What's happening in Vancouver? every time.' We've spent $80,000 to date Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1S5 years ago. has some pretty militant pro- censorship 'I really can't believe this case has taken four times and these people keep having to pay Books...The MICKEY: You're right. I was at the March on Washington and it seemed like an attempt to what's set people off. They're saying, and a half years...It's been delayed three history. JANINE: Well think there's had to be. think that it's polarized the lesbian and feminist community. In many ways, see MICKEY: MICKEY: It's a really scary time for any small interest or individual who wants to challenge the government. affidavits? JANINE: That's certainly been a tactic they've used. Now originally when we set out with these affidavits it was believed in good faith that the Crown would be willing to let them into testimony... but, as a motive for having the case delayed, threw this thing at the last minute saying, 'Well, you've got all ... if you're going to bring them to Court we want the right to these affidavits and interview each and everyone of them. The Crown has an inexhaustible supply of money to be trying this case. We, on the other hand have to pay for every single one of those witnesses. We're in desperate need of people making donations so this case can be heard. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northein �m PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �boyfriend, and who accepts this abuse as one of the "things a girl has to put up with." The kind who doesn't get her period, PMS, or pregnant. The kind who possesses the Dil's sexual potency, on the other hand, is toned down through feminization/ emasculation. Time and again, these are the kinds of images of Black men found to Remember that before God finalized his body of a slim, athletic boy with perfect covenant with the Hebrews, Abraham had to prosthetic breasts attached. be most acceptable to predominantly white audiences. Marjorie Garber points out a familiar example in the comedian Flip Wilson and his character Geraldine Jones. Prior to the invention of the outrageous Geraldine, Black comics even such as Bill Cosby had great difficulty breaking into television, and the subjects they could deal with in front of The Crossing Game be willing to kill his only son; at the last minute, God sent an angel to stop Abraham's hand. At the moment that Fergus is about to carry out the execution of Jody, the prisoner makes a break for freedom, and runs straight into the path of a British army truck. This effectively keeps Fergus' hands clean through the intervention of "fate." In "Lolita," Humbert Humbert's original intention When Fergus/James is finally admitted to the place of mystery, Dil's apartment, he finds a shrine to the memory of Jody. But Jody does not live in memory alone. "He looks after me," says Dil, and Fergus experiences visions of Jody wearing his white cricket uniform. Jody is immortal. as an obsessive child molester is to get At last comes the moment of truth; Dil was not only able to break through race close to the intended victim by marrying her mother. He develops a plot to kill the mother and become Lolita's legal guardian so that he will have unsupervised access to her for purposes of seduction. Lolita's mother, unlike Dil's lover, is not presented We are as a sympathetic character. supposed to like Jody, and he is extremely likable if you ignore his misogyny (much like disrobes, revealing her/his penis. Fergus reacts by throwing up. This may be simply the film makers' method of re-assuring the audience that Fergus is heterosexual and that his "caretaking" of Dil from this point barriers to appear on television in millions of white peoples' homes, he was also permitted to make jokes about sex while in the guise of Geraldine. Never underestimate the political power of a cross dresser. forward will be motivated by strictly disinterested altruism. On another level, As useful as the image of Dil is for the Jesus), but we are not supposed to like Lolita's mother. And the mother, of course, has absolutely no intention of handing the daughter over to the step-father for "careAt the moment that Humbert taking'. Humbert is about to carry out the murder of his wife, she too makes a break for freedom, makes a mad run based on the sudden knowledge of her husband's intentions, and is killed by an oncoming car. This effectively keeps Humbert's hands clean, and with the mother out of the way, seduction of the however, we know that the Irish saint is deeply committed to the separation of male and female, and here he is faced with Dil, in whom all things come together so beautifully. Dil is a person who confounds white audiences were limited. With the anxiety about Wilson's Blackness redirected toward the gender ambiguity, this comedian Instruction of women in how to be girls, his characterization as a gay man reiterates familiar stereotypes: political naivete rather than political activism, low self esteem and notions of polar opposites, binaries, neediness rather than pride and self-reliance, physical weakness and sickliness rather than dualisms, and whose physical appearance is a blend of genders and races.4 strength and health, and so on. We saw all The characters of Jody and Dil seem to exemplify ways that film and other cultural expressions geared toward a presumed white audience, attempt to deal with the daughter begins. anxieties they expect their audiences to have In "The Crying Game," this intervention of screen. First the characters are stereotyped something similar in "Kiss of the Spiderwoman," which was also supposed to offer a positive, three-dimensional image of a gay man, and which also dealt with male bonding between heterosexual and homosexual against a back drop of political intrigue. about the presence of Black men on the fate in the form of a British Army truck seems to erase', in audiences' minds, the _ original intent of Fergus, the IRA man. The irony of the British soldier killed (accidentally) by his own army after surviving the ordeal of being held hostage, and at the point of being killed (intentionally) by his Irish captors, seems to allow a reading of "Whew! Fergus didn't have to kill Jody after all. We can still like him." And "None of this would have happened in the first place if the British weren't there." Well, not really. The cult of the warrior in Ireland, initiation into as primarily sexual beings, and as being more sexually active/potent than white men. This racist construction of sexual potency is supposed to be too scary for white audiences to handle, and so a character like Jody (the legendary hyper-sexual hypermasculine Black Male) must .'e neutralized by restricting his freedom -- he is bound and/or hooded throughout most of his appearance on the screen. And Dil's comment, "Dil knows how to tie a body" suggests that physical restraints have always been a big part of Jody's sex life. Jude crosses the water from girlhood to womanhood, bringing with her a power wardrobe and a big gun. She holds Fergus accountable for his abandonment of the IRA group and demands his involvement in an assassination. We know that Fergus, as a convert to the religion of Jody, must reject any loyalty to his old relationships and cleave to the new faith. We also know that it is against his religion to take orders from a woman. Jude refers to Dil as "the wee Black girl" re-minding us of Dil's apparent smallness and powerlessness in the situation. which depended on the willingness of a man to kill another man, existed well before the 16th century English invasions and also before the Anglo-Norman invasions of the Jude herself appears tough and in control, but her swagger doesn't quite conceal the nervous terror and rage just below the surface. With her "tougher look," tailored 12th century. suit, and demanding ways, we can compare Fergus goes across the water, escaping the fiery retribution of the British Army. We find him working construction (or is it de- construction?) in view of a cricket field, ever reminded of the covenant with Jody. He constructs a new identity, signified by a new name and a haircut provided by Dil. At the Metro bar, Dil cannot speak to Fergus/James or acknowledge him directly without being formally introduced. The bartender serves as her chaperone for this purpose. We see an old- fashioned courting ritual take place in an unlikely setting, but as a woman I also see the beginning of my instruction in how to be the kind of girl men are pining for in these days of pay equity, date rape persecutions and "no means no" legislation. the kind who speaks when spoken to, and who can be counted on to stay within socially acceptable boundaries of behaviour, reinforcing the notion that she is ultimately responsible for men's reactions to her. The kind who is loving and loyal as a dog, and stands by her man. The kind who waits to be rescued from her abusive her menacing presence on the screen to that of other liberated single career women of film, such as Alex in "Fatal Attraction." That 80s backlash film was used to market the return of the good woman/bad woman split, "good" meaning centred on husband, child, family values, "bad" meaning single, childless, career-oriented and sexually aggressive. It also inaugurated the now familiar device of "good" woman cast in the post-feminist role of killer of the "bad" woman, or the part of herself that offends, that does not serve men's interests. The image of a woman with a gun began to create too much anxiety for film producers and their presumed male audience, however, when it was realized that if she could turn the on her own other half, she may also turn it on her "better" half, especially if she is able to make all the connections and figure out the extent of the betrayal. continued pg 14 Northern PDFCompressor Womar,t Page 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION �continued from pg 13 Witness the tremendous resistance to Woman With Gun in "Thelma and Louise. It's that it was actually Fergus and his mates who used Jude's tits and ass to get Jody. not just the practical concern that the woman might take aim at the actual The Woman is punished by death for being oppressor rather than an aspect of herself that causes such great anxiety; the gun also operates as phallic indicator, an extension of the phallus beyond the man and out into the world. I don't mean the penis, which is only a "piece of wang" after all, but the phallus, which is religion and culture and government and power. A woman is not supposed to be carrying one of those things around. With Jude in town, Dil is in danger, so s/he goes into hiding disguised as a man. In other films that relay heavily on crossdressing as a plot element, the male actors often dress up as women in order to finds employment, or to escape from danger. a woman; the feminine as constructed by men is rewarded with the privileges of staying alive, and being a vehicle for God's vengeance on that trouble-making woman. We last see Fergus and Dil together yet look. and Power in Celtic Ireland" for a more detailed analysis of separated from physical contact with their 4. visiting wives and girlfriends. As an IRA man in an English prison, it is a fairly safe bet that human rights violations are taking place, and that Fergus may not come out alive. Perhaps this explains his beatific expression: he is achieving the martyrdom that all good saints pray for. As he begins preaching the then it takes a devil to disobey Orders by occupying several different levels of the he sees before him a vision of heaven - that place where there is neither male or female, slave nor free, where all things are as one. It's sitting right across from him, in the person of Dil. continues to look like a girl dressed as a boy - a kind of Audrey Hepburn gamine Religion developments in Irish-Catholic theology and politics. changes gender indicators of hair and clothes to look more like a boy. When Fergus gives the reciprocal haircut, he However, even in Jody's cricket uniform, Dil See "The Serpent and the Goddess: separated by the restrictions of a prison visit. The scene takes place in a room full of tables, where men are safely and peacefully gospel of Jody from his monastic cell, the strains of "Stand By Your Man" attest to his reflecting back on Fergus' crossing story and the requirements of becoming a man. 3. Women, "Some Like It Hot" combines both of these motivations, with an emphasis on the need to survive by avoiding recognition. In "The Crying Game," Dil, who is a biological male, comments, "I want to make you into a man," perhaps an acknowledgement of the constructedness of gender, but also 2. It is interesting, in the context of the film as a whole, that both "Jude" and "Jody" are ungendered names, yet their characters are meant to exemplify what is "masculine by nature" and what is "feminine by nature". unshakeable faith, and he knows that he can look forward to his next crossing because The name "Dil" sounds a lot like "Devil" and perhaps this is why. If God and his saints set up a Natural Order in which Man is above Woman and White is above Black, hierarchy at the same tome. See "Vested Interests: Cross Dressing and Cultural Activity." It contains a chapter 5. offering in-depth analysis of the cultural image of the Black Transvestite. As well, Garber gives long-overdue consideration to female-to-male cross dressing phenomenon unto itself. as a Notes 1. Reference to a traditional English folk ballad explaining the difference between male and female genitals. Apparently, God made a mistake in cutting the cloth that would be worn as Adam and Eve as skin. Adam's skin was cut too long and Eve's too Fergus is protected (by Dirs tying him) from the free choice of whether or not to participate in the assassination. Dil kills Jude, placing the blame for Jody's death firmly on Jude's body: "She used her tits and ass to get him." Fortunately for Fergus, Dil is incapable of making all the connections and coming to the conclusion short, so that Adam had an unattractive extra flap, and Eve had an annoying gap. They brought themselves back for alterations, but God was too busy and dismissed them with the comment, "She can fight it out with Adam for that little piece of wang." Gilbert is active with the Northern Women's Centre and Definitely Superior Art Gallery. Lori NORTHERN WOMAN'S BOOKSTORE BEST SELLERS 1993 Non-Fiction Beginning to Heal Ellen Bass & Laura Davis You Can Be Free Ginny Ni Carthy Woman's Comfort Book Jennifer Loudon Women & Self-Esteem L. Sanford & M. Donovan Courage to Heal Workbook Laura Davis Women Who Run with the Wolves Courage to Heal Ellen Bass & Laura Davis Taking Care: A Handbook About Women's Health Mary J. Breen The Spirit Weeps Martens, Daily & Hodgson Changing Patterns: Women in Canada Sandra Burt, Lorraine Code, Lindsay Dorney Let the Healing Begin Maureen McEvoy Clarissa Estes On the Path Nancy W. I Can't Get Over ft Aphrodite Matsakin The Myth of Women's Masochism Paula Caplan Limited Edition: Voices of Women, Voices of Feminism ed. Geraldine Finn The Emotionally Abused Woman Beverly Engel Northern Woman Page OCR, 14 PDF compression, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Panel On Violence Book Review continued from pg 7 Ten million dollars (the amount spent by the PANEL ON VIOLENCE) represents the amount allocated to date to the WOMEN's PROGRAM per year. Now positioned and In the characters of Madrone and Bird, Starhawk presents young adults who have been nurtured within this community since their early childhoods; where education is holistic and includes the spiritual and the mystic. Madrone, who is a healer, ventures south to the City of Angels to teach those resisting delivered through the new supra ministry of Human Resources and Labour the Women's Program, cut by 10% in 1992, sees the move as threatening. This move has resulted in separating the four advocacy groups of Aboriginal Programs, Official Languages, Disabled Persons' Program and Women's Program. The future of these programs is now in question and groups seeking equity and equality for all are further marginalized. the thrall of the Stewards and the Millennialists. Bird returns to the City of San Francisco after ten years in a Take action. Contact women's organizations, whether provincial, national or local, and ask what you can do to keep our promise to one another. Millennialist prison, escaping only because he has withdrawn completely with-in sanity long enough to be overlooked by his captors. ZERO VIOLENCE NOT ZERO TOLERANCE Madrone's adventures in water starved N.B. Los Angeles are woven out of the courage and the strength of a person who recognizes her privilege and ability and though daunted by the scope of the challenge, is committed to living the vision of teaching and healing. YOU MIGHT WANT TO CALL C.E.C. FOR FAX NUMBERS TO THEIR OFFICES. I BELIEVE THEY WOULD BE BEST TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT. In Madrone's absence the Stewards SEE YOU SOON, THE NEWSLETTER IS COMING invade San Francisco and forewarned by Bird, the community decides to Northern Woman's Bookstore's 10TH ANNIVERSARY! A week full of fun and entertainment! Anniversary Party on Tuesday March 15 10am - 10pm Pot Luck Supper at the Bookstore a novel that inspires speculation and hope. Even if you do not find her other works suited to your literary palate, The Fifth Sacred Thing is a work that few readers would not enjoy for its story and even fewer readers would not learn from. Daily Prizes, Surprises and Games! on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday Lets celebrate the growth of feminist literature! on Saturday, March 19 5:30pm - 7:00pm then go to Superior Woman's Coffeehouse(at Unitarian Centre) Stewards as they attempt to conquer not only the city but the hearts and the minds of its people. Starhawk has written Good Books, Good Conversation, Good Food, Games and Prizes. Bring your favourite cassettes and your musical instruments and let's party! resist without compromising their Bird values of pacific resistance. the of tool primary becomes the 10% off all books all week THE FIFTH SACRED THING by Starhawk, Bantam Books New York, June 1993 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS We are putting together a collection of fiction, reflections poetry and art work about women's personal experiences with menstruation (first time, memorable We are moments, general thoughts). seeking submissions for all age and ethnic groups. This anthology is not restricted to artists or academics; we encourage first time writers to send us their tales. Submissions may be eight pages or less. Send submissions to: Paula Wansbrough and Kathy O'Grady, Department of Religion and Culture, Wilfred Laurier University, 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5. Deadline: April 30, 1994. Northern Woman Page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �$NWJ$ We must also examine the newest form of woman-bashing taking place in both public and private institutions, variously called "restructuring" or "downsizing," where a disproportionate number of women-held jobs are disappearing. A sure way to avoid employment equity... if you don't have any female employees you won't have to promote any. If you can't fire all the women maybe you can refuse to provide them with pay equity, which, it appears, at least one NWO municipality is trying to do. These are scary times. But, as our 20 year retrospective In the last issue we talked about the serious financial situation the NWJ was then experiencing. We are pleased to report that with the printing of this hefty special issue we will be back in debt. We urge you to thanks to fund-raising efforts and to your subscriptions sales with your friends and colleagues. Let's make the NORTHERN donations we have been able to clear all our debts, pay the printer for the last issue, and keep up with our rent. To raise $ we turned to yard sales, which were successful, but are only viable in the summer. We thank all of you who helped with the sales. demonstrates, women are amazingly resourceful in overcoming what seems to be insurmountable barriers. Northern women will continue to keep the feminist agenda visible and vibrant. Let's just follow Nellie McClung's lead.."Never retract, never explain, never apologize. Just get the job done and let 'em howl." Then there is the wonderful, wonderful Superior Women's Coffee House. Sincere appreciation goes to Jane and Margaret J. for the extensive time and energy they give to organizing these. While the Coffee House achieves only modest returns as a fundraiser, your sub today, and promote JOURNAL's 21st year healthiest ever. Thanks for your help. WOMAN the Please note: a * appears on your address label If it means your sub is due this issue. If a ** appears your subscription is past due. A *** means you're about to be cut off! Please be advised: Effective next issue the NWJ subscription rate will be raised to $10 for individuals, $20 for institutions. they add immeasurably to our cultural/social life, and hopefully, will become a permanent feature of the women's community. Footnote will be Many of you have made generous personal retiring from the NWJ collective. For these many years the Journal has been my writing motivation, my analytical prod, my spiritual home. But after 12 (14?) years it is time to will be forever grateful to the move on. Journal women for their friendship, nurturing and support. Over the years the NWJ has donations to the NWJ, and we sincerely appreciate your support. However, this With the publication of this issue I I experienced highs and lows, but, in my view, has developed a life of its own; and (in the same sense that Jill Vickers attributes to NAC) has become an "enduring feminist institution" which will continue to be of great importance to NWO women. firfirele&NNV.730:214tIV1/47.247ANN) The Winnipeg Women's Health Clinic eases the Journal's financial problems only for the short-term. To ensure our longer term financial health we must increase our subscription base, thus we, again, ask your Would each of you please recruit If we tripled our subscription base we could avoid future financial problems, and thus be able to focus our energies on producing a better and more regular NWJ. The reality is that help. three new subscribers? D. The experience in other countries has NNTZeig.eiNXII7115111°A.N.N7.0"AfAro serious implications for their health and wellbeing. With cutbacks in health care programs in all provinces, how will such HEALTH ALERT is seriously concerned about the approval by the Health Protection Branch of NORPLANT as a contraceptive agent for use by Canadian women. services be assured? As a long acting contraceptive, NORPLANT has often been viewed by health care providers as an easy "technological fix" where it has been approved, including the U.S., suggests some very serious problems which are likely to occur in Canada. Approval in Canada of NORPLANT is premature until a system to address these problems is in place. As a community health centre for women and as consumers, the Women's Health Clinic requests information on how these problems will now be addressed in Canada. Summary of Concerns NORPLANT is a new reproductive technology. Its use is entirely dependent on the insertion and removal by trained health practitioners. Informed consent is crucial to ensure that women understand the In other implications of this method. countries where NORPLANT is being used A. or where trials have been carried out, the lack of adequate counselling and informed consent has been well documented. recent report by the Royal on New Reproductive Technologies documents, Canadian women do not receive detailed and sensitive counselling pertaining to other new the Commission technologies, such as generic tests, with been that many women are lost to follow-up after the five year period. This raises the concern of women becoming pregnant while the implant is still secreting decreasing amounts of the hormone and hence foetal exposure, with concomitant risks. What process is in place to ensure that women will be followed up and the implants removed? B. for complicated social problems such as The experience with NORPLANT in countries As renew poverty or teen pregnancy. Young women, poor women, women from cultural groups where English is not a first language, women with disabilities, are more vulnerable to pressure and coercion. In the United States, courts have ordered the use of NORPLANT as a condition of probation and women on been offered financial welfare have incentives to use NORPLANT. What policies are in place to ensure this doesn't happen here? NORPLANT is associated with a wide range of significant side effects. As reported by the Population Council approximately half the vv omen using NORPLANT discontinue use by three years. C. As the removal of NORPLANT requires a minor surgical procedure, women do not have direct control over discontinuing its use. There is considerable documentation (e.g. Brazil, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Kenya, and the United States), that many women encounter resistance from practitioners in having it removed before the five year What role can the federal period. government play in ensuring ethical use of the drug particularly among vulnerable populations of women? E. Since NORPLANT insertion and removal require special training of health practitioners, how will this be handled across Canada and how will consumers be assured of the expertise of their care provider in this area? F. Long term risks of the drug must still be assessed through ongoing research. What are the mechanisms to ensure research appropriate to the epidemiological profile of Canadian women occurs and that there is scrupulous post-marketing surveillance? NORPLANT does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases nor against HIV infection. As a method that may be promoted and appeal to younger women, G. this is a major concern in Canada. Research show that as teenagers change to birth control with theoretically higher effectiveness rates, their chances of getting a STD increases (i.e. when teens change their contraceptive method to birth control pills they stop using condoms.) One can assume NORPLANT would have the same effect. It is disappointing that yet again women have been excluded from the drug approval process in Canada. The federal government must create a forum for women's concerns and recommendations to be addressed. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 16 �Celebrating Northern Woman Journal Volume 15 Numbers 2 and 3 Northwestern Ontario Special Issue Women The chronology and the historical portions of this retrospective were completed by Margaret Phillips. The following resources were invaluable in tracing our collective herstory: * Northwestern Ontario's Status of Women's Initiatives 1973-1993, Fiona Karlstedt 1987 * The History of the Battered Women's Movement in Northwestern Ontario, Fiona Karlstedt and Leni Untinen, 1989 * Transition House Services in Northwestern Ontario, Margaret Phillips, 1984 * Northern Woman Journal * N.W.O. Women's Decade Council Annual Report 1986-1993 * 'Story Telling' session with Lisa Bengtsson and Leni Untinen Celebrating 20 years of women's activism in Northwestern Ontario is the theme for this Special Issue of the NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL. Yes, it is 20 years since the first Northern Women's Conference, which is seen as a benchmark in the evolution of Northwestern Ontario's feminist movement. Not that these Conference women were the first to concern themselves with women's status. The L.U. Women's Liberation Group and the Birth Control centre organizers are recognized as the motivators of the "second wave" of feminism in our region. Strong women's groups preceded even this activity - the work of the many Women's Institutes throughout N.W.O., the local Women Teachers Federation, and the Business and Professional Women's Clubs, come to mind. Further back are First Nations women and pioneer women, whose "herstories" of strength and courage and resourcefulness and innovation we are only beginning to discover. But the 20 years just past are years of new activism as enduring feminist organizations have developed to provide services and resources to address women's needs, and to articulate an analysis and a Northwestern Ontario perspective that women's experience matters. This retrospective celebrates N.W.O. women's activism through the provision of services; the development of networks; the success of political action/advocacy; as well as the stories of a few (of the many) N.W.O. women who "make a difference". In developing the chronology we were amazed to realize all that has happened in 20 years (and we suspect that there are other achievements that have been lost to the record). We recognize that there have been failures along the way. Some because of systemic barriers as yet beyond our ability to dismantle; other failures for which we must assume responsibilty, and which require our analysis if we hope to achieve our collective feminist goals. But we leave such analysis for another day... as this NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL is a Celebration of the very significant achievement of the N.W.O. feminist movement. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 1 �Women and Northwestern Ontario We were meant to strive and struggle Meant to risk and meant to dare We are the lifeblood of the planet And our place is everywhere That our activism be regionally based has always been a given, and herein, perhaps, lies our strength. From the first Women's Conference in 1973, through International Women's Year Coordinating Committee, Decade, W.H.I.N., N.W.O.R.D.C.C. - the need for regional activism brought women Gert together for collective action. Local organizations develop to meet local needs, and take strength from the regional group, Celebrating N.W.O. women. Northwestern Ontario. What is our reality? We live in a and in turn strengthen and motivate other communities and the regional body. vast area of trees, rocks and water; a region of small towns, unorganized territories, widely separated from each other, centred only by one mid-sized city three hundred miles from the region's outer border. Our winters can be bitter, and seemingly neverending. (On October 1st, this year, snow Still, to many of us, Northwestern Ontario is storms prevented Kenora women from attending a workshop in Dryden.) Winter driving can be hazardous. Air fares are astronomical. A Mulroney government legacy to N.W.O. is that we no longer have choose our train. Lack of affordable transportation is a N.W.O. reality. The economy of our region (controlled in centres a thousand miles away), exacerbates patriarchal structures. The colonization and exploitation of our region affects everyone, but it is women who suffer most acutely. The poignant B.C. film "No Life For a Woman" could as easily have been made in Northwestern Ontailo. "I have no power over anything in my environment" (Project Mayday) "I a very special place. to Some of us even here when remain economic/family considerations don't dictate that we must. We believe, we feel, that left a good job, my independence, my Gert Northwestern Ontario is different, is special. There is no easy, rational explanation to our sense of differentness, specialness. It is pure emotion. Some years ago I was studying creative writing in the United States and having much difficulty with that foreign environment. I found that my writing was chock full of Northern images - frozen lakes, jagged rocks; stories of storms, of forest fires. I kept trying to explain my "geography" to my writing group but only Nancy (who was from West Virginia) related at all. In a letter from home received a wonderful newspaper I own cheque, my good feelings about myself when I moved here. It's been good for my husband... but I feel like I'm losing myself here" (Project Mayday) Here we're committed to struggle with fate, an inch at a time, if we must. This is the place where we bury the myths and write our own name in their dust. article about my friend Millie, who, at that time, was taking the Royal Commission on the Northern Environment to task. When Nancy read the article she questioned why Northwestern Ontario was spelled with a capital N, while southern Ontario with an uncapitalized s. replied that the article NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO WOMEN'S DECADE COUNCIL I As women came together and shared their stories, the commonality of their experience became known. In a series of participatory workshops, organized by Decade's Economic Development Committee in the 1970s, women talked about isolation; the power and control of the "company"; the single-industry towns; the invisibility of women's needs to community planning. hierarchy of What I wouldn't give for a sidewalk." (Project Mayday) "Sidewalks. "When my husband works long hours, everything is dumped on my shoulders and there is no one to take the pressure off." (Project Mayday) "How can (a battered woman) get out of town if you have (Project Mayday) no money or car...?" A decade later when Women's Health Information Network (W.H.I.N.) held workshops across the region identical concerns were again expressed, as they were in the 1985 Project Mayday study of women's lives in North Shore communities. Northwestern Ontario experience a "chilly climate". Indeed, women must have been written by a Northern journalist .... that Northerners always capitalize North. "Ah", said Nancy "now I understand...." Not easy to explain, but indeed special. And Northwestern Ontario is enriched by very special women who have developed organizations that are tremendously effective empowering women, individually and collectively. Grounded by the assumption that "Northern women are the experts on their own lives", the Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council (Decade) is a in regional political action organization committed to ensuring Northern women's perspectives are heard, and that policies must be changed to improve the status of Northern women. Decade Council is unique in Ontario, if not all of Canada; and is recognized as a model for feminist activism. We sometimes ponder why "Decade" councils have not evolved in other regions of the province. In a similar vein the N.W.O. Regional Day Care Committee was the first regional child care advocacy group to organize in Ontario, again providing a consistent and strong voice in demanding Northern perspectives be heard. The goal of the Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council is to improve the status of women in Northwestern Ontario through the elimination of barriers to the full participation of women in all spheres - economic, social and political. The Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council promotes non-partisan interest in and action on status of women's issues. Decade Council: supports individual women and organizations as they work together for the equality of women in education, employment, the home and the community; facilitates information exchange among women's groups in the region; develops a body of knowledge and resources that incorporates Northwestern Ontario women's perspectives; provides resources and skill development on status of women issues in response to needs of area women; mobilizes and co-ordinates action on specific issues identified by area status women's groups and services; advocates on those issues at the local, provincial and national level; works within a feminist framework and organizational structi..'e the foundation being the Statement of Unity. Decade Council meets bi-monthly with representation from ira-, regional communities. Our activities and priorities are designed reflect the issues presented by Northwestern Ontario Women Present areas of work include, Women and Economic Develone-i and Women Against Violence. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council R.R. #16, Mitchell Road Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 6B3 (807) 683-5662 Fax (807) 683-8504 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 2 �Networking "The survey was brought to the communities in the early spring of 1983 along with a workshop entitled "Cabin Fever", a topic that coordinators were sure many women could relate to after a long winter. This workshop set the tone for the others, heavily emphasizing group participation and sharing of information. The aim was to have the In 1983, as a result of sustained lobbying by the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses and regional and local groups, the Ontario government provided "bail out" funds to Transition Houses that were experiencing a deficit. A stop-gap women identify what they needed to talk about, their problems and, in the process, measure of course, but a great boon to groups that were struggling to maintain their services to battered women. But there was one major problem. They left Atikokan out. Why exclude Atikokan from the "bail out" Because the Atikokan Crisis provision? Centre operated with volunteers (had operated with volunteers for seven years) and consequently their "deficit" was not as severe as those transition houses that had been operating with paid staff. validate their personal experience. "Cabin Fever" was well received and a number of women's groups formed as a result .... How often do you hear of a struggling, group turning down an unconditional grant? Never, you might think. But it has happened, not once, but twice in Northwestern Ontario. And not just underfunded one group, but seven groups - saying "we The herstory of the Atikokan Crisis Centre is yet another example of women's determination to make life better for women. It began in 1976 when two women who had experienced the problem of having no where to go and no one to turn to in a crisis situation began to study the need for formed a committee to implement this program. In emergency housing, and refuse to take this grant...give it to the organization that needs it most." The grants in question came from a special "anti-violence grants pot" of a particular Ministry. Because of the NETWORK, anti- violence groups knew that, in the first instance, Kenora, then several years later Year Two of the project brought home to the coordinators the problems inherent in the task. The sheer magnitude of the geographic expanse between workshops, the dangerous road conditions (which broke one car axle and forced another car into an encounter with a guardrail) and the difficulties of air travel, which brought a new meaning to the phrase "fear of flying", made us wonder if the workshop format was the best approach. But the 53 women who came out to the Women and Stress workshop in the isolated community of Manitouwadge, and the 56 December 1977 they approached the Township Council for financial support.. but Red Lake, had been unsuccessfully seeking who packed a room intended for 30 in funding for specific purposes. By directing The Crisis Centre were turned down. committee, with other supportive women, respective organizations could achieve a substantial goal, whereas dividing the grant eight ways would not significantly help any of them. Kenora to attend Exploring Life Changes: A Workshop on Menopause and Aging, reaffirmed our belief in the women's need for information and an opportunity to talk with one another. A frequent comment... was " learned that I am not alone". The Ministry officials went into shock,almost .... sheltered women in crisis in private homes, or rented a room in a local hotel; often paying the abused woman's expenses from their own pockets. The cornmitteaundertook a public education campaign and sponsored community workshops on violence issues. In 1979 they developed an agreement with the Township to use two rooms in the nurses residence. The Crisis Centre's expenses were covered by teas, bake sales, flea markets and all N.W.O. grants to one group, these pleading with the groups (one by one) to remained accept the grant. The Interestingly, the major grants steadfast. denied Kenora, then Red Lake, miraculously became available from other sources, and the individual shelters also got their piece of the pie. Feminist solidarity over political opportunism!!! I Women identified isolation - from one another, from extended family and friends left behind in another community, from husbands who often work out of town at the job site for days at a time - as a major stress in their lives. Community spirit was often identified as a problem... lack of organized play groups, child care, or interesting The demand for services grew, and by 1981 activities for women that might easily be organized were sometimes not dealt with because the women lacked a feeling of the top floor of the nurses residence was ownership in the community or were isolated donations. Services utilized as the Crisis Centre. continued to expand and by 1983 the centre was desperate for secure funding. But, because they had managed for seven years with volunteers they didn't qualify for "bail out" funds. Northwestern Ontario women thought this was unfair. The NETWORK went into action. Within hours the Minister responsible was bombarded with telegrams from women's groups across NWO. Atikokan received "bail out" funds. It was the ability to act quickly that made this lobby successful. The Decade Council Network was in place and was activated immediately. from one another because of frequent moves. The ability to mobilize political action is only one aspect of Networking. Networks are vitally important for individual women to find like-minded women to share experiences, share information and alleviate the isolation of living in the north. The workshop on menopause and aging had the best overall attendance. This indicated again how much the women ... want to come together and discuss something that so profoundly affects their lives. The Women's Health Information Network (W.H.I.N.) is a good example of a NWO organization that evolved to meet this need. W.H.I.N. stemmed from the NWO Women's Health Education Project - a three year project, initiated in 1982, to survey health needs of women in 14 NWO resource-based communities and design workshops on The need for a feminist network was first recognized by the Canadian Women's topics identified by the women. Centres Conference, held in Thunder Bay in In reviewing W.H.E.P. and W.H.I.N's reports several themes emerge: * isolation 1975. NETWORK NELLIE formed to "facilitate information sharing on issues requiring immediate collective action'. Northern Women's Centre was the NWO link in (Ottawa-based) NETWORK NELLIE and * women's sense of a lack of control over their environment began to develop communication links to * the need to validate their experience by s aring with other women women's groups throughout the region. Unfortunately, NETWORK NELLIE faded away after several years, but its concept article 'Breaking the Isolation' by Elaine stimulated the development of manageable) regional networks. Lynch in The weatthsharing Resources for C.2 a.- a: a- Nomen.) (more (The following excerpts are taken from an Book, Northern Woman Page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Networking Chronology April 1973 .... 1 600 gather for Northern Women's conference 1973-present Northern Woman Journal 1973-present Northern Women's Centre 1973-1976 many "consciousness raising" groups meet 1 "allowed us to get to know ourselves again as people other than mothers and homemakers. By getting in touch with our ... interests, and our special abilities, it built on 1 1 1973 First women's studies course "Today's Women: A New Awareness" facilitated by Estella Howard 1973 Women's Program, Secretary of State appoints program officer for NWO 1974-1984 Women's Programs, Confederation College 1 1 1 1 1974 Pro-choice activists meet. Form C.A.R.A.L. branch 1982. 1974 Rape Crisis Centre opens - closes in 1976 - present reactivated 1976. Now operating as T.B. Physical & Sexual Assault Centre 1 1 1 1975 Thunder Bay hosts National Women's Centres Conference with reps of 85 Cdn Women's Centres participating. Poet Gert Beadle discovered. 1 1 1975 1975 1975 1975 1975 1975 1975 Nipigop-Red Rock Action Group hosts seminar "Inside-Outside" with 123 area women attending 1 1 1 First public Thunder Bay celebration of IWD. Thunder Woman Theatre performs Need for housing for women and children in crisis documented. Crisis Homes Inc. established. City opens Community Residences. 1 1 it The Information Caravan travels to 14 NWO communities with info on family law, day care, human rights, rape, health care, sex-role stereotyping, etc. 1975-1976 The Clinic Strike, though unsuccessful, demonstrates the plight of unorganized women workers & the need for legislative change 1976- present The Northwestern Ontario International Women's Decade Coordinating Council (Decade Council) forms to carry on the work begun during IWY 1976-present Rainy River District Decade Council Women's Place Kenora begins with volunteer crisis line - Crisis Centre opens 1978 but we are confident that the value of a regional network will reemerge (perhaps in a different form) and build on the experiences and solid achievements of W.H.I.N.'s There are a lot of women really excited about the regions' newest network - Northwestern Ontario Women in Trades, Technology & Operations (NW WITT). NW WITT in partnership with Equay-Wuk Native Women's Group has sponsored two successful regional conferences for aboriginal and non-aboriginal women employed or interested in trades, technology, operations and blue-collar work. decade of activity. The conferences have explored appropriate training models and supportive services for women. Support to local women is one of the network's main goals and conference participants have volunteered to act as NW These reps WITT community reps. 1 constitute the NW WITT steering committee and meet quarterly to plan and oversee NW 1 WITT's activities. 1 This network has also identified the need for a NW WITT voice at national and provincial 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1976-1980 The Networking encouraged by W.H.I.N., while not always visible, has provided links between women in their communities and across the region that empowers women in their daily lives. Since late 1992, W.H.I.N., as an organization, has been taking a rest, 1 1 Committee forms in Atikokan to document need for crisis housing towards adolescents on the subject of eating disorders) 1 1 1976 * developed resource kit "What Can I Do? Making Changes in Health Care" * sponsored the Body Image Play (directed 1 1 1975 * facilitation of scores of health related 1 NWO Women's Art Festival brings together over 1000 art works... the largest women's cultural event ever held in the district. First Regional Child Care conference attracts 140 day care parents, workers & advocates activities which included: * regional and local workshops 1 Women & Politics conference, sponsored by Women Teacher's Federation attracts 200. 350 T.B. full-time homemakers with children under 14 participate in Women & Stress study. The transition from W.H.E.P. to W.H.I.N. came in 1985. In the next seven years W.H.I.N. undertook an extensive array of Give Birth" Planning Seminar & formation of NWO International Women's Year Coordinating Comm. Kenora Women's Conference attempt something similar for other women" said a woman from Fort Frances." Guide to Travelling Away From Home to 1 1975 our self-esteem and made us ready to workshops in many NWO communities * published Health Network News * produced "Long Distance Delivery: A 1975 1974 (In the third year) a series of training sessions for community women centred on the use of the W.H.E.P. workshop kits. ... The women were delighted to discover the common issues they faced and the similarities of their concerns. The weekend 1 Sometimes Networking evolves as an offshoot of an organization's other objectives. A case in point is the Northwestern Ontario Networking springs from the opportunity to get to know one another that NWORDCC has provided through annual Forums. Because of these contacts day care workers from small regional communities now know their colleagues - and know where to seek advice on program expansion, resources, training, etc. Similarly, parents active with non-profit Day Care Boards discover (for example) that Atikokan faced that situation last year, or that Marathon was able to resolve this problem; and thus, a voice of experience is only a phone call away. Inconsistency of direction/advice from 1 funding sources often plagues NWO day 1 Ontario perspective is considered in official planning. Regional Day Care Committee (NWORDCC) whose prime function is advocacy. 1 1 policy levels, to ensure the Northwestern care, and the NETWORK has proven valuable in crisis management in some situations. Knowing there is a network to call on makes the very difficult job of providing day care in NWO a little easier.. less lonely. Northern Woman Page 4 9 web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor PDF compression, OCR, �Chronology Not Another Conference Sometime in the late 1970s a group of feminists were in discussion (I forget the precise reason for the gathering). Most of the group were from southern Ontario, a couple of us from the North. At some point I mentioned that we were planning a Conference (Working Women? Pensions? Women and the Economy?.. I forget which) but my announcement was met with a mix "A condescension. of surprise and conference" they remarked "why would you hold a conference? They are a waste of We stopped holding conferences time. years ago." The Northerners quietly smiled at each other, acknowledging yet another instance of the south's total lack of appreciation of the reality, the uniqueness, of the north. For indeed, Conferences have played a vital role in the women's movement of Northwestern Ontario; have created the climate to build the networks that give us have been a lifeline for individual women to break the isolation our strength; we've experienced. all began with a Conference.. the 1973 Northern Women's Conference, and for It many of us there will never be anything that can match that experience. A group of us had been planning the Conference for months, hoping against hope that we could persuade 100 women to attend. It was a touch overwhelming when 600 women showed up ... and talked and talked (and laughed and cried) and celebrated our budding, feminism. The joy in finding like ' the the joy in breaking the isolation. It is from this first Conference that so much else has stemmed - the NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL; Women's Centres; action on violence issues; health; family law; child care; pro-choice activism... the list is Since 1973 there have been innumerable Conferences; some on specific issues; pensions, health, the economy, violence, bringing together, usually in Thunder Bay, women from across the region to acquire information, share insights, develop strategies. Other Conferences have been organized locally - Dryden, 1977-1983 Northern Women's Credit Union 1977 Decade's Equal Pay Committee (angered by Clinic Strike issue) organizes Working Women's Conference providing a forum for 235 NWO working women 1977-present Au Feminin Pluri-Elles 1977 May Sutton, supported by Decade Council, initiates action on pension reform resulting in survivor benefit legislation in 1979 1978 Ontario Native Women's Association (O.N.W.A.) establishes head office in Thunder Bay 1978 'Women in Transition" study reveals 1100 reported or suspected cases of wife battering in Thunder Bay; produces a multi-lingual self-help handbook "One Day at a Time" 1978 Major study "Women's Work: the Northwestern Ontario Case" provides data base for advocacy on employment related problems of NWO women. 1978 Dryden Women's Conference 1978 VOICES: Thunder Bay's first feminist theatre 1978-1980 Dryden Women's Decade Council 1978 "Life Begins at Forty" conference 1978 Beendigan Native Women's Crisis Home opens in Thunder Bay 1 1 1 Geraldton, Kenora, (although always including other regional women) with a wider agenda involving many issues and reaching out to 1 involve new women. 1 Some conferences are primarily information giving/skill building; others are specifically action oriented. Some conferences bring in nationally renowned guest resource leaders; others recruit all the resource people from N.W.O. or the local community. 1 1 The issue, the style, the agenda of the Conference is not the key. What matters is that women have the opportunity to get together. The motivational speakers, the dynamic workshops, are not the key. It is the breaks/informal time where friendships develop, networks evolve, and support and nurturing abound that give lasting importance. Of necessity, the largest single budget item of any conference, of any regional organization, is travel. Conferences also have been the mechanism that allows the creation of networks that are vital to women working with women's I lt networking later). Meeting colleagues at conferences has provided day care workers, endless. experiences. What was it that was so important about that Conference. Sure we were delighted and inspired by the wonderful feminist speakers. Yes, we were enthusiastic about the interesting and meaningful workshops. But what really was important was that we found Over the past decade the Northern Woman's Bookstore has been invited to be a resource at many conferences throughout the region, and consequently I have had the pleasure of Thunder Bay elects first feminist mayor Dusty Miller 1979 Atikokan Crisis Centre opens 1979 "Fifty Years a Person" celebration 1979-1983 Ignace Women's Education/ Information Group 1979 Women Against Violence Conference 1980- 1987 Red Lake Women's Information Group 1980 Research project issues report "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: An Occupational Health Hazard" 1980 Women in Single Industry Towns workshops held in Thunder Bay, Fort Frances and Ignace 1980 Voices: For Lesbian Survival begins publishing 1980-1983 Mainstay House, Fort Frances 1981- present Northern office of Ontario Women's Bureau opens in Thunder Bay (now known as Ont. Women's Directorate 1981 NWO Women's Health Conference 1981-1985 Atikokan Women's Resource Centre 1981-1982 Women's Production of Thunder Bay 1981-1982 Women and Addictions Project 1982 Women and Stress Conference, Kenora 1982 - 1988 Project May Day 1982 "A Day for Us" Conference 1982 Pension reform activism through meetings in district communities & regional Conf. 1982 Faye Peterson Transition House opens 1982-1992 NWO Women' Health Project 1 services or on specific issues (more on transition house workers, tradeswomen, Board members of women's services, the opportunity to meet colleagues and share 1978 1 1 1 other women who thought as we did, we discovered we weren't crazy, we learned that wo were not alone. witnessing the empowerment that conferences bring to N.W.O. women. 1 1 1 1 1991 the Women Uniting for Change Conference brought together close to 400 In 1 women in the largest regional conference to be held since 1973. For many it was their first feminist conference and their excitement and joy was contagious. 1 1 1 1 It happens every Conference. Because every gathering - large or small - local or regional - involves new women attending for their first feminist gathering and gaining strength from the energy of women committed to making change. 1 1 1 1 Northwestern Ontario has an impressive record of successful collective action much of which has been motivated or enhanced by the opportunities provided at conference gatherings. We expect Conferences will continue to play an important role in feminist activism in our region. 1 1 Northern Woman Pape 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Political Action Chronology 1983 Women in Crisis, Sioux-Hudson North organizes Transition House opens 1985 1983 -1985 Childbirth Education & support group 1983- present Northern Woman's Bookstore 1983 Women and the Economy conference As feminists gathered, exploring our shared experiences, our analysis deepened, and the systemic barriers to women's equality became exposed. The need for legislative 1983 Feminist Reunion Dinner equality for women became 1984 Dryden BiCentennial Conference Political action is necessary and N.W.O. 1984 Forum on Women and the North communicates NWO perspectives and concerns to Ontario Status of Women Council (now Ontario Advisory Committee on Women's Issues) 1985 "Contingency Day campaign to raise awareness re retirement and pension needs of women 1985 North Shore Women's Conference 1985 "Run to Win" guidebook produced 1985 Hoshazaki House, Dryden opens 1985 "A Day in the Life" workshop, Fort Frances 1985 Women and Decision Making project 1985/89/92 Women and Disabilities conferences 1985-present Northwestern Ontario Regional Day Care Committee 1985-present New Starts for Women, Red Lake 1985 Thunder Bay Advocates for Quality Child Care form. In 1986 successfully lobby City Council to maintain quality child care. 1985 -1987 Committee to re-instate birthing services (Nipigon) 1986 Young Women's Conference 1986 Feminist counselling workshops held in Dryden, Thunder Bay and Terrace Bay 1986 Geraldton Women's Conference 1986 Women & Mental Health Workshop, Atikokan 1986 "We Have a Lot to Share" workshops held in Dryden, Thunder Bay & Terrace Bay 1986 1986 1986 Marjorie House opens in Marathon serving women and children in North Shore communities NWO women participate in pay equity consultation "Women in Northwestern Ontario" presentation made to Task Force on Single Industry Towns and policy change to provide justice and apparent. feminists have been in the forefront of demands for policy and legislative reform that takes into account women's experience. Supporting, or leading, political action federally and provincially, we have also continuously articulated a N.W.O. perspective, as while some issues are common nationally (even globally) there are other issues that are specific to N.W.O. Frequently overlooked by southern-based policy developers, it is important that our Northern voice be heard. Over the years regional groups such as Decade Council and the Northwestern Ontario Regional Day Care Committee have become skillful in presenting the N.W.O. perspective. Absolutely vital for Quality child care. women to have the opportunity for During these 20 years we've learned that effecting political change is indeed hard economic equality. With much persistent effort community groups in many N.W.O. communities throughout the 1970s identified the need for a day care centre, and convinced their municipal council to accept responsibility for the centre's operation. With a change in government funding policy slogging. The solutions seemed so obvious in to us, and our assumption was that when subsidy") the economic viability of many of these centres was jeopardized. The threat of closure of these day care centres was a N.W.O. crisis. In response to the crisis, the Northwestern Ontario Regional Day Care Committee was formed and one of the most extensive grassroots lobbies the North has initiated. Parents, children, ever day care workers and community activists made politicians abundantly aware that the policy decision (made in Toronto and pointed out the injustices (with government/ research) substantiated institutional action would be quickly forthcoming. Our initial optimism is long gone but our determination remains. While we've lost our naivety, we've refused to lose our hope. we In 1977, a Thunder Bay woman, May Sutton, soon was suddenly widowed and experienced a drastic reduction of her income as after her husband's death May's pension (under the Spouses Allowance Program) was cut off. Then in her early 60s, in less than robust health, May's prospects of finding paid employment were nonexistent. Recognizing that her plight was shared by many women, May set out to do something about this deplorable situation. Two years later, legislation was enacted providing survivors benefits to widowed persons between the ages of 60 - 64 years. In the intervening two years May, with the assistance of Decade Council, mobilized senior citizens and women's groups to take political action on this issue. Utilizing every possible forum including the Working 1986 Heather Bishop and Tracy Riley help us celebrate "end of the decade" 1986 Sioux Lookout & Marathon videos produced for input into federal Child Care Comm. hearings Women's Conference, Dryden Women's Conference, Senior Citizens Alliance, Life Begins at Forty Conference, May made N.W.O. aware of this problem. She then 1986/87 Massive NWO lobby re "indirect subsidy" day care issue. 300 Geraldton parents send letters to Minister of Community & Social Services. Day care children send Minister pictorial "Save Our Day Care Centre" messages went national, with articles in Homemakers magazine, the NAC newsletter, and a CBCToronto television interview; as well as participating in Ontario Senior Citizens workshops. She achieved results. Viewing this particular legislative victory as just one 1987 "Team Building" NWO Transition House Conference small step, May stayed involved with the Women And Pensions Committee, which 1987 Forum on Women and the Economy 1987 Safe Access Project focussed on broader issues of pensions and women's poverty. One small step perhaps, 1987 'Ask Your Candidate" voter's guide distributed 1987 Kenora Women's Place purchases home 1986 (the elimination of the "indirect Ottawa) did not take into account the reality of day care in the North. N.W.O. was mobilized, and the Minister of Community and Social Services was inundated with letters, videos, petitions, telephone calls, and children's "Save Our Centres" dramatic pictorial contributions. Over several weeks children's art work arrived daily on the Minister's desk.... and he got the message. Agreeing to meet in Thunder Bay, the Minister listened carefully to our representations, and put into effect a policy that, at least temporarily, eased the crisis for the municipal centres. The longer term goal of comprehensive child care reform remains elusive, consequently the N.W.O. day care community must constantly renew its advocacy efforts, but because of that 1986 political action, day care centres in our small regional communities continue to exist. but a great example that one woman's determination can "make a difference". Woman Page 6 PDFNorthern compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Political Action Chronology 1 1 1 1987 Rural Women's Network Conference, Fort Frances 1987 Workshop & presentation by Lillian Men 1987 Women's Health Conferences held in Nipigon & Sioux Lookout 1987 "Twelve Angry Crinolines" street performance brings attention to the marginalization of women artists 1987 W.H.I.N. conducts PMS, menopause, patient rights, nutrition, birthing, conferences throughout the region 1987 Joyce Weiland gives workshop-critique with women artists 1987 Workshop kits on Free Trade and Privatization produced 1988 Video tapes produced on history of battered women's movement in NWO 1988 Women and Transition project, Kenora 1988 Maya Bannerman performs 1988 Project on Out of Town Birth 1988 "Healthy Horizons: the Impact of Technology on Women's Health" Conference 1988 Banakonda Kennedy-I0sh paintings and drawings about the birthing experience, and a workshop called "A Walk In The Medicine Wheel" 1988 Broad/Cast - exhibition examining media images of women in NWO 1988 Incest Committee sponsors workshop with Elly Danica, author of DON'T: a Woman's Word 1989 "Freedom from Fear" brochures produced 1989 "What Can I Do? Making Changes in Health Care" resource kit 1989 NWO activists participate in "Child Care Bake Off" 1989 Conference on violence issues brings together educators and shelter workers 1989 Training kits produced for Boards of Directors of shelters 1989 Cross-Cultural community forum on incest and child sexual abuse, Kenora 1989 Violence Against Women Who Communicate poster competition and exhibition, in conjunction with photography exhibition 1989 "Women Working for Change" brings together NWO women and women from Bangladesh, Zambia and the Philippines to share experiences and strategies 1989-present Lakehead University Women's Studies Program 1989 Sylvia Wagner - "Mrs. M and the Alter of Life* solo exhibition installation pieces examining the figure of the Housewife as she is portrayed in television commercials 1989/90/92 Women Healing gatherings 1989 "Celebrating Women" conference, Kenora 1989 Thunder Bay feminists trashed and harassed for "women-only" vigil in memory of 14 women murdered in Montreal 1 1 1 With the solidarity provided by existing N.W.O. shelters other Decade members, these groups were able to stand firm. Because of the Decade action, and changes to the operations policy were achieved. Continuing critique and action led, in the longer term, to the stabilization of all transition house funding. One of the most engaging portraits The issue of violence against women has been a focal point for N.W.O. organizing. Women's shelters have developed in many communities and Decade Council has been persistent in analyzing policy development re battered women. There are a score of examples of political action on this issue. We will briefly relate just two of these actions. The 1983 provincial government Family Resource Centre initiative was developed without consultation with the battered women's movement, or with the affected municipalities/First Nations communities. It contained many elements that were completely unacceptable. It appeared that the F.R.C. proposal was designed to ensure that the philosophy and operation of battered women's services would be removed from women's groups/local communities and controlled by politicians/ bureaucrats. - The eligibility criteria were unworkable; the budget totally inadequate; training for staff and volunteers totally lacking and expectation of service providers unrealistic. It is instructive to note that the F.R.C. announcement came shortly after the 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 of determination and political courage is the image of Freda Hoshazaki locking the door, closing down the black-ribboned Hoshazaki House (the Dryden Transition House) moments after it was officially opened. That didn't actually happen but Freda was prepared to do it. Six years of planning by a community group finally, in 1985, led to the opening of the Transition House. The Dryden group experienced all the barriers common to transition house development, including municipal resistance; and they were temporarily side-lined by the F.R.C. initiative, but they perservered. The final roadblock was that the promised Ministry of Community and Social Services operational funds failed to materialize. Repeated communication with the Ministry lead to more promises but no cheque. Drastic action was called for, thus the committee was prepared to simulateously open and close the doors. An enterprising journalist heard rumours... and telephoned the Ministry. The cheque arrived within 24 hours. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Oh, these gutsy Northern women! 1 1 1 1 Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses annual meeting, when that organization was gearing down for a Summer of not, the summer recess. 1 1 1 1 potential ill effects of this new program on Northwestern Ontario prompted Decade to develop a comprehensive critique (which O.A.I.T.H. supported). At the time transition 1 1 1 1 houses were in the planning stages in a number of N.W.O. communities, and the F.R.C. initiative threatened their viability. 1 1 1 NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO REGIONAL DAY CARE COMMITTEE Post Office Box 144 Thunder Bay, Ontario P7C 4V5 Comprehensive, high quality, publicly funded, non-profit child care as the right of every child PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 7 �Chronology When I came back to Thunder Bay, I went Women's Voices into practice with the woman I'd worked with before. 1 1990 A Room for Honouring Women - artists examine male violence against women in response to the Montreal massacre MP 1 Michele Proulx interviews Lucie Nichols 1 1 1990 Women Living Independently with Disabilities (WILD.) forms in Thunder Bay 1990 Anne Cameron reads in Thunder Bay and as a midwife for many years. She has recently completed the 1 1 1 1990 1990 1990 Women & Work in Northwestern Ontario - Socio-Economic Research Report Women & Family Law - Equal Justice? report, Kenora Naming the Violence - solo exhibition by Jennifer Garrett started working as a midwife it was still very much an out-on-the-fringe kind of field. It was not a medically accepted thing, although it was never illegal. Midwifery just had no legal status in Canada. 1 It is just now becoming possible, in this province, for a woman and her baby to enjoy the excellent care that midwives provide in the birth setting 1 1 1 of the woman's choice and with 1 OHIP coverage. Lucy and I spoke in 1 1990-1993 I process for certification as a midwife in Ontario. 1 Yes, certainly in the beginning, when LN Lucy Nichols has worked as a nurse 1 Did you find, that over time, you developed a clientele by word of mouth? October about her involvement in "Take Back the Night" marches, Kenora these exciting changes. 1 1991 1991 Kenora Sexual Assault Centre initiates network of self-help groups across district 1 1 1 Lucie Blue Tremblay helps us celebrate 1 IWD 1 1991 "Women Uniting for Change" conference 1991 WEAVING MAT(t)ERS - exhibition by Sasha McInnes New Starts for Women shelter opens, Red Lake 1 "Fighting Days" performs in Kenora 1991 "On Shifting Ground" - examination of, and critique of, the image of women as nature, fertility, earth symbol 1 1 1992 1 1 1 1 Ontario Cabinet Forum on Women's 1 Issues 1 1992 NWO groups lobby for inclusion of women in constitution talks 1 1 1992 1992 Women & Addictions conference, Kenora 1 1 1 Body Image play tours region 1 1992 Artists Against Violence 1992/1993 "Striving and Thriving" conferences, Eagle Lake NW WITT network forms 1 1 1992 1 1 1 Company of Sirens perform in Thunder 1 Bay 1992 1 1 Provincial Child Care Reform consultation 1 1 1992 1993 1993 Judy Rebick speaks on women and the constitution 1 1 1 Superior Women's Coffee Houses "More Than Dollars" Community Economic Development workshops in Dryden and Nipigon completely fascinated with it and wanted to be involved with somehow; certainly I adored working with the babies and 1993 Cross-cultural training sessions for shelter workers held across region Young Women's Committee forms enjoyed working with the mothers after the birth. knew that there was a profession called midwifery but I also knew that it did not exist in Canada. knew that it was something really wanted to do, but because I live in Canada, there was no way of doing it, the idea just went in the back of my brain and stayed there for a long time. It became more of a possibility for me when I moved to Thunder Bay and I met a woman here who was a midwife. She had trained as a midwife in Germany and she was working I I I at that time, which was 1980, in a very underground sort of way, attending home births. When we met, I immediately expressed to her my long hidden desire to be a midwife, and she said "Apprentice with me and I'll teach you to be a midwife." started attending births with her and just went on from there. I worked with her for I two years and in that two years we, I think, that it was going to be a long time before I could gain enough experience to call myself a midwife at that rate. So that's when I made 1 arrangements to go and obtain training in 1 Scotland. 1 MP What did that training consist of? 1 LN It was an eighteen month program at 1 a maternity hospital in Scotland. Midwifery 1 has been an organized profession forever in 1 1 4 thildtm". Woodcui, $6.1k. 04.t.,4 MP What about home births? LN No it was never illegal. It was "a- legal" - not legally recognized. When we first started practicing, we would attend a birth at home and the couple would then go to register the birth, to get the baby's birth certificate. We would always instruct them to say that the father had delivered the baby because we couldn't really afford to have our names out there too much. But then, gradually, we just stopped doing that and we became more public and more open about what we were doing and we found some supportive doctors. We actually did some work within the hospitals here, to build some good relationships with the staff in the hospitals. We were probably, in some ways, a lot further ahead than some of the midwives in Southern Ontario, because we ended up having pretty good relationships with the two hospitals here and having a Not number of supportive physicians. supportive in the sense that they thought home birth was a good idea, but supportive in the sense that they were there to back us up if we needed help, to transport a woman to hospital. When we did go to the hospital we were always welcomed by the staff, we were never treated badly, we never felt that the staff were going to treat our women badly because they were women who had come in from a home birth. Generally speaking, the medical community became pretty accepting. 1 babies in hospitals. So the midwifery training 1 was very hospital oriented - there wasn't and who will never accept the concept of home birth as a safe option for women. Family Law Forum, Kenora 1 1993 "Moving On: A Woman Guide through the Separation and Divorce Process", produced by Women's Place, Kenora l 1 Self-Empowerment Workshop, Kenora M;/.rfe osit;e1, MP 1993 1993 UP most of Europe and Britain. It was a good training in some ways but not so great in other ways. There used to be a pretty common tradition of home birth in Britain, but in the last fifteen to twenty years they've really got away from home births and have been pushing women pretty hard to have Women and the Economy Committee sponsors 3 workshops 1 1993 I I 1 1993 d ldh time in maternity - my feelings were really torn because part of me was completely appalled at the way birth happened in the attended five births. The demand for midwifery at that time was pretty slow; I felt Hope Thompson "Mandate" - gender and power in corporate landscape 1 1992 th P4a-Nankili1B1(qiikt706,0/1;2: I hospital. But the other part of me was 1 1 1991 LN It was something that I wanted for a long time. first did my nursing training twenty years ago; I remember when I did my 1 1991 What drew you to midwifery? MP 1 1 1 1993 Sexual Harassment Workshop, Kenora 1 1993 "From Fear to Freedom" booklet 1 fortunate to have a couple of teachers who produced by WILD. 1 were midwives with experience 1 World much to say about home birth. I was in Third were really comfortable with the idea of delivering babies in all kinds of circumstances. I would pick their brains about what you would do in home situation - I learned a lot from them. countries, so they So in a sense you were being active for the cause of midwifery and home birth through your example. LN Well, I think so. There are certainly members of the medical community who will never accept midwifery as a valid profession And I don't think that there is very much that anybody can do to change that. But, yes we tried really hard to show that we were safe, competent practitioners and that we gave safe care to women. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 8 �MP What is it, that makes a midwife a has the responsibility for accepting or not accepting any care that is offered. However, most of the time patients don't really midwife? I could quote from the international definition of midwifery which explains that a midwife is a primary caregiver to women understand that and are not given the during the childbearing cycle. MP LN That is, caregiver, in situations where they're healthy and they're having a normal pregnancy and anticipating a normal birth. Physicians, particularly obstetricians, are trained Obspecialists in complicated cases. stetricians are trained to deal with the more high risk women, women who have L' There are two different things. First, there are the practising midwives in Ontario, most of whom belong to a professional organization known as the Association of complications in their pregnancy, who, for one reason or another are anticipating a complicated birth. That's one really basic difference between what a physician does and what a midwife does. MP The term "Midwife" itself LN Yes - with woman. It's from the Old don't know what language it is - what its origin is but I know it means "with woman." I English. And that also illustrates the difference between the way midwives function and the way most doctors function - midwives are really with the woman. We don't see our role as being the decision maker, the one who directs the course of what happens, My role is to work with a woman, to inform her, to give her all the best information that can about what's happening and to support her decisions. I I see the woman and her partner in the birth - even though, they are together making decisions - it is the woman who is the primary decision maker. am there to support her decisions and to care for her throughout the process. Nurses are very different from midwives. First of all, the nurses' role is not as a primary caregiver. Even though occasionally they will catch I babies at hospital, that's not the intention of their role. Their role is to care for the woman in labour and to inform the primary caregiver, who is generally a physician, of what is happening and to have the primary caregiver be responsible for making decisions. the intermediary between the woman and the doctor? The nurse is Well yes, at least theoretically, an LN important part of the role of the nurse is to act as an advocate for the patient. Unfortunately, I think, very often nurses do not live up to that role and they end up being more the spokesperson for the doctor. So the communication goes the other way. Instead of from the patient through the nurse to the doctor, it goes from the doctor through the nurse to the patient. MP an independent profession. What is the connection between practising midwifery and advocating for the legalization of midwifery - not just local leading by example, but your connection to the provincial level of activity? MP about what midwives do; we are support to act.... during the pregnancy, the labour, the birth and the post partum period. Midwives are specialists in normal birth. My role as a midwife is to care for women as a primary - will be set up to govern midwifery practice in Ontario. Doctors will have nothing to say It's a power structure that seems to in general medical Ontario Midwives. The AOM has been very actively involved for over ten years, trying to opt midwifery recognized. Then there is the resumer side of it, the Midwifery Task force of Ontario. The Midwifery Task Force is a consumer lobby group which has also been very active for over ten years to get midwifery legalized. The two groups have been working on parallel courses. For the government, one of the major kicks in the butt was a very unfortunate occurrence, a home birth where a baby died. When that happened, because it was a death that occurred in a home birth situation, there was a coroner's inquest into the death. From that coroner's inquest came the vehicle for examining the whole of what's been happening in Ontario with midwifery practise. The inquest became a very lengthy, and a very involved process with expert witnesses from marry countries around the world, and from the provinces and from different professions - nursing, midwifery, medicine - you name it. The outcome of that inquest was first of all, that there was no blame attached to the midwives who attended the birth, and secondly, a very MP Will midwives operate out hospitals or out of private practice? of This is incredibly exciting and unique in the world - the way that we've managed. LN We've worked very, very hard in this province to make midwifery happen in the way we think is the best way for it to happen. Most doctors are really pissed off that midwifery is going to be funded by the Ministry of Health and that we will be paid salaries, not on a fee for service basis. As far as I'm concerned, the fee for service system is completely incompatible with giving good care. It encourages churning people through as quickly as possible, to make enough money to pay the overhead etc., to buy that sailboat, whatever. Midwives will be paid on a salary basis - that salary strong recommendation that midwifery should be legalized and that the government will be based on an estimation of the move on that as quickly as possible. That required to attend a certain number of births per year averaged over a certain number of was the impetus for the government to establish a task force on midwifery with a series of hearings throughout the province and a very thick report. From that came the legislation which has been passed, How will midwives fit into the existing health care structure? MP number of full time practices; you'll be years, so its not as though you can collect a full time salary and attend three births a year. You will have to maintain a certain level of practice in order to qualify for full time salary. If you want to do half time practice, you can but then you only get half time salary. So that's one aspect that is LN For now, midwifery is an independant Midwives will self-regulated profession. quite unique. Mostly what is really unique about how we are going to be practicing in this province is that it will be a requirement have their own college, the College of of a midwife's practice that she provide Midwives which will be the regulatory body Midwifery will be for the profession. governed by the Midwifery Act which is part of an umbrella piece of legislation called the continuity of care - in other words, we care for women through out the entire pregnancy, Regulated Health Professions Act of Ontario. This act covers all of.the health professions: aspect of what we do. Another critical aspect nurses, doctors, chiro-practors, massage therapists; each has its own section. The Midwifery Act is a section of that umbrella act and it covers all aspects of legislation choice of birth place. So its not that you can be a midwife and only deal with babies ifery - everything that we The College of Midieives you are required to attend births in all settings according to the wishes of the pertaining to can and cannot , labour, birth and post partum. This continuity of care is a extremely important is that we will follow the woman to her in a birthing centre or only work in a hospital or only do home births. If you are a midwife women. be well established practice. MP So the status of home birth in Ontario has changed from "a-legal" to legal? It's a bit of a misleading power structure, because if you really examine it, it LN is always the patient who is in charge, the patient who is ultimately responsible for the decisions that are made. Unless it's a dire emergency and the patient is unconscious and unable to make decisions. The patient is the employer of the physician, the nurse, the hospital. It is the patient who ultimately Definitely, because its a requirement of our medical practice of midwifery that we attend home births. LN ff you would like more information about midwifery or the midwifery program to be offered at L.U., call Lucie Nichols at 343 4774. Northern Woman Page PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �My memories of feminism in Thunder Bay form a collage of images ... women's faces and the places where we met to create and plan. Underscoring the images is a remembrance of feeling pressured for time...too much to do, too little time! We all had day timers (printed especially for busy women) with every day filled to overflowing. I remember my new-found pride in womanhood and all things created and achieved by women...all the films, books and even the day timers. heard the The "first conference". Until Friday night speaker I would have bet that wasn't disadvantaged by being a woman. wept to hear her story which was my own and my failure to see anything wrong with it. I I I french fries, so we could set up a big table for the Journal where we would cut and paste in fun and frenzy. I remember the issues we tackled...rape and sexual assault, battered wives, and financing loans for women who had only their husbands' credit ratings...and the things we built - Rape and Sexual Assault Centre, the Faye Peterson Transition House and the Northern Women's Credit Union. I remember taking the time to enjoy life with women I enjoyed. Typing and printing Salt and Yeast was a labour of love which showed me that we need poetry in our lives too. Even our meetings could be made into pot lucks and parties with the line between work and pleasure lost entirely. Leni Unitnen ... I was two paragraphs into writing this speech when my son came by to take me to lunch and asked him, 'So what do you think women brought to the North?" I I remember Women's Centre on the second floor of the YMCA and the door Damon Dowbak painted in the children's room. I remember setting up a crib for my son, then less than one year old, in the children's room so I could work on a day care project. I remember using a gestetner to run copies look at the old pictures which show us when we were young... pictures taken 20 years ago! Pictures which show us singly and in groups at our meeting places. And I wonder how did we do all the wonderful things we did. But then remember the passion and the devotion we shared and I I Jokingly, he said, "The women brought Tupperware" and thought about it for a I moment and decided, "No, the women are Tupperware": I know the answer. They are flexible. They protect and preserve. They are marvellous caretakers of the of the NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL which was put together at "the Y". How Lynne Thornburg professional we felt when we changed to our newsprint format! I remember the move to Bay Street and working to clean up the old leftovers. If they are the real thing, they wear the good housekeeping seal of approval. If they don't have the seal of approval, they lack credibility. They never break when you drop them. Memories kitchen, stripping away grease of a million And they are never at the table on really important occasions. But with all that where would we be without tupperware and where would the North be without women. Women have brought to the North all of the stereotyped feminine Memories Lots of nostalgia. The wonderful, wonderful New Year's Day parties, especially when Women's Centre was on Amelia St. Midnight swims at the Y. The visit to Thunder Bay of the Abortion Caravan. To mark the twentieth anniversary of the Northern Woman Journal, I was asked if I could write a short piece that spoke in some way to the unique character and sense of humour of women in the movement. Two particular occasions came almost immediately to mind. Capturing their essence on paper though is another matter, so please bear with me. One indelible memory I have is that of Gert Beadle reciting her poetry at a function in Dryden during the 1980's. In attendance that night were various government and municipal dignitaries. Taking centre stage in her fuzzy, flapping, pink slippers, Gert looked every The intensity of discussion and analysis, combined with nurturing support of early Women Centre collectives and the 1982-85 Journal collective. The production of the "Prisons" issue of the Journal. Fiona presenting roses to lona Campanello, thus totally defusing an anti-choice demonstration. The empowering of NWO child care workers as they joined 500 others in storming P.M. Mulroney's office when he refused to appear (or send Cabinet representation) to a National Child Care Conference. And a memory that will remain forever with every present: Kim Erickson singing Bread and Roses at the Ontario Cabinet Forum on Women's Issues. the kindly grandmother. Her unsuspecting audience had no idea of what they were in for as she began her program with a poem about the husband who, in an attempt to crush his wife's spirit, tried to kill inch her houseplants by urinating on them. Forced to sit and listen politely to a composition about some guy pissing in his wife's pots left them squirming. It was one of those rare moments in time... characteristics ... warmth, tradition, caring, sharing and a strength and staying power fed by love and preservation. Industry's role in the North has been to take. Minerals from the earth, wood from the land. Women's role has been to plant roots, to add substance, to build a place to live, to stay in Northwestern Ontario. ... Women attempted to play the perfect role: the perfect mother, perfect company wife, perfect soul mate. They lived in exact-model company houses or sometimes substandard housing and made them into warm homes where they prepared the meals, washed the socks, relieved the stress, and sent their men back each day to the company. To keep everyone happy, women geared their own interests and recreation to their partners, trekking the ski-doo trails, sitting in the boat or the bar, longing to take a course that wasn't available or to see a play that would never come to town. The second occasion that comes to mind happened several years ago during a Decade Council retreat at Quetico Centre when a group of us were sitting around one evening talking about some of the incredible characters we knew; in this case, two longtime friends, Hilda and Mary. Leni's telling of the story of Mary's deep regret at having ignored Hilda's advice to invest in Cabbage Patch Doll stock left us howling with laughter and blinded by tears. That night was a celebration of who we are. We need to celebrate on another with the same affection every day - it does the heart and soul good. Margaret Fiona Karlstedt PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Pane in �kg/bet Women's roles have traditionally isolated them from other women. Family structures and needs allowed little time for women to get together in a structured way. It was not until the '70s that things began to change...when women started meeting to share ideas and concerns. Groups were established dealing with what some men and women alike construed as totally selfish subjects, like women and violence, or women and economics. A large conference Memories was held in 1973. What women found out was that their concerns, needs and interests were shared by other women living in much the same circumstances. Conferences became our lifelines. We used them to tie into each other and to women living in other parts of the province and country. We listened to women when they raised a My fondest memory is when my daughter, then in Grade 7 or 8, joined with her two concern. We talked about it, printed it, and studied it. And more women added their voice to the concern. William). There are a million memories of the Thunder Bay sisterhood and the education they gave a willing rebel. That I was a little long in the tooth when the reality of what I had missed in my life occurred to me problably explains One of those "exotic dance" places we why even today I can't believe the nerve I had. I used to think, Gert, if you ever lose your nerve you will fold like a pricked balloon or a wet paper sack. As fast as women came together, they were labelled...homewreckers, women` libber's... and women were forced to defend a stereotyped image. The media had a field day in their interpretation of the women's movement. What that did unfortunately was successfully isolate women who didn't want to be portrayed as a man-hating reactionary in bush boots and braids. But women are used to dealing with isolating tactics. We learned to push ahead. We took the issue of violence and forced it close girl friends in our second Reclaim the Night March (through the streets of Fort She remembers being hoarse in the morning from chanting "Women Unite, Take Back the Night." marched passed was Uncle Sam's Tavern, which has since been demolished to build a community health centre. How's that for neighbourhood improvement and "personal is political". Donna Phoenix onto the front importantly supporting together. we learned each other the value of and standing When I had the mastectomy in 1976 and There was and still is a resistance to women was just a short time in bed after the wanting change. Change costs money. It isn't going to cost us any because women never had it in the first place. And so men, surgery...still very groggy...I heard a voice industry and government have a vested interest in resisting the issues raised by influences for the most of my life was suddenly unfettered and ready for action as long as it was in protest against patriarchial regimentation. have not known a more profound sense of belonging anywhere than in the circle we called consciousness raising, there is no more tangible evidence of what women could and should feel in a time when they are together pursuing an ideal. I Memories pages and into government. We learned to write briefs and we learned to lobby. More History will record I never lost my nerve, my spirit which had been under negative (nurse) say "No, you can't come in, only family is allowed". Then heard Estelle Howard say "I'm her sister". barely I I remember seeing Estelle, my eyes wouldn't Feminism is many things to many people but to me it was an idea whose time had come, an ideal. It still is. The dogma of liberation the political correctness went over my head, I was in love with my own free spirit. The publishing of Salt and Yeast changed my life, I guess the party at the centre on that occassion might be a high point, perhaps the party on my 65th birthday women. But the movement moves on.... stay open, but she gave me a drink and We will no longer accept that some of us are held my hand. Right from my first days with feminists I felt "Sisterhood" and a new and tremendous pride in being a woman, but the visit from Estelle was certainly a highlight of perhaps the feminist play, perhaps working on the Journal, perhaps taking the Common Woman players to Sudbury. Certainly doing the sharing and caring women did for and my poetry as outrageous as it could get with each other. gave me a sense of liberation and great joy. The many funny things we did in our various Women's Centres are memorable, especially the skit one Christmas. Maureen did a flash, Laurie was a robot, Monika was the emcee (Monika Meatloaf) and I was Noreen Nitpick (did I name myself?) Doreen was Gay De flowered.... did a skit about Women's Place The sisterhood at Thunder Bay gave me back my creative spirit and the strength to receiving funding for a project "On Our copy of the script somewhere.. must find it. attend the Women's Centre board meetings by special invitation but I am truly a liberated woman: for that I thank that great collective that has my undying love and gratitude. Noreen Dunbar Gert beaten in our own homes and there is no help available. We will no longer accept that we work at jobs equal to men's and are paid less. We will no longer accept that we aren't at the table on important occasions.. the Board table, the Council table, the political table. We will no longer accept that after we have dedicated our lives to raising children and homemaking we run the risk of being left impoverished because of inadequate pensions. We want affordable day care. We want training and employment and equal access to good paying jobs. We want economic equality. We want our contributions recognized. So, let them label us and let them howl, we still ain't satisfied. Backs". I don't think it would be politically correct to do that now do you? have a I when they presented me with a vibrator, preserve it, I have in turn given that spirit to countless women. The Courier calls me Kelowna's Pagan Crone but they do it with affection and they print my scurrilous attacks on religious intolerance and misogyny. I PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 11 �The following is from "Letters to My Sisters" which was performed by the Common Woman Players, a group of Northwestern Ontario women, at the 1979 Sudbury Women's Conference. Dear Sisters Atikokan has been a one industry town since its beginning. First a CN Railway divisional point, and later the home of Steep Rock Iron Mines. They overlapped for about five years. Between 1901 and 1954 all travel to and from Atikokan was done by train or canoe. In '46 when I arrived on the scene, only a few of the women - mostly wives of the management and executives - were from large centres. Wives of the hourly men and railway personnel were usually from rural Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario, and wouldn't be devastated by the lack of the "finer things in life," not that they wouldn't appreciate theatre, ballet, art They were galleries and libraries. considered frills and would come later. Eighty-five percent of them were young with small children. The winters were bitter cold, long, no transportation except one taxi that ran if the weather was conducive. There wasn't any place to shop anyway. The Manitoba, Hudson Bay Post was out at the mine site and the hospital was a box car on the railroad siding. When a baby was due, first the doctor had to be found and sobered up, then came the fun of just getting to the hospital. If it was in the winter, it was hardly worth the effort. The mother lay in state in one of the two beds with diapers hung to dry from rope strung back and forth across the room, and she was kdpt busy with a towel wiping the-condensation off the walls to keep her bed reasonably dry. Besides starting a new mine, other new records were set: the highest birth rate in Canada, highest incidence of insanity and suicide. More beer and booze was sold in Atikokan than in Toronto. This was my life - trying to get the most out of a one industry town in Northern Ontario. We didn't give up, we howled, rebelled, cried, beat our heads, then stuck our tongues out at the devil and got on with the job of making a home and town worth fighting for. And now the mines have closed down!!! For the first while I thought I'd lose my mind. Being told that it was going to happen didn't really sink in until that day when I had no job to go to. After 14 years of going to work five days a week, solving work problems, knowing the security of that pay cheque, gaining confidence from doing a job well, and having the dignity of working with people who respect you, doesn't do much to prepare you for the degradation of having to register for Unemployment Insurance. Why should I, who have always made my own way, now have to accept this dole? Why aren't there jobs for us here in this town? Why should I have to put up with the indignity of having to go down to the UIC building at all? Why should I be made to feel like a pauper asking for a hand-out, to have to answer questions that I had no answer for? I slunk out of there like an old dog with distemper, hoping no one saw me. Then I met more people who had been through the same ordeal and who were as angry as I was, and who asked the question - "why aren't some of the available jobs here in Atikokan?" I wasn't the only one that went Atikokan Crisis Centre Roads and shopping improved somewhat, but women had to look after their own "food for the soul." They started women's groups, church groups, agitated for a new hospital and churches, taught classes in art, crafts, their neighbours and accepted help when it was needed. Northern Woman Page 12 new $5,000,000 sewer system uses their own men and equipment. When asked about the percentage of local employees it came out 13 of 30. The road construction company that is doing the highway outside time and energy invested in this town to give it up now, just because our government bodies have boobed. Now that Council has decided that dumping nuclear waste into this tears, isolation, boarders in their homes, lost friends and homesickness. Swing-shift was brought in at the mine. This innovation of Children's Aid, service organizations: hospital work, teaching, church work, helped that will hire local people, not like Hydro who bring in all but 20% of their labour force. The construction company that is putting in the leaving. I'm not going to!! I've too much figure skating. Women coped with pay cut backs, mud, cold, frozen fuel lines, booze, the mines, in tourist camps and at the mines. They did their jobs, raised their families, kept up with the work of their been brought in, but not until six months before the pit closed down, why wasn't it done ten years ago? We want something one of the stipulations of the contract? Many of the miners are pulling up their roots and wouldn't freeze to death playing hockey and find, catering, working in the new stores and restaurants, taking in boarders and/or roomers from the construction crews and True, an Industrial Development Official had these companies. What is the matter with Council that hiring local labour cannot be had a regulation size rink built so the kids jobs. They worked at anything they could Management, Council, Government and workers all knew that the closure of the mines was imminent and yet nothing had been done to entice a new industry big enough to take up the slack, into the area. town clerk who is also the secretary of Council, didn't know the hiring policy of necessary, so women raised the money and When hours at the mine were cut from 56 72 per week to 32, many women had to find without it. To hell with them and their bloody money." their own equipment. When questioned, the singing group which just disbanded this year, and a Little Theatre Group. Council didn't think an indoor skating rink was friendships. Just something more for people to put up with. out of that office with "Stick it lady, I'll do of town and the streets of the town use people brought in from other Unions and sewing and cooking, started the Norternaires the devil is the ultimate in breaking up Women's Voices area would be a good thing for all of us, Our vision is... "To live in a peaceful society without fear of violence, to have freedom of choices, where people are equally valued. WE BEGIN BY VALUING OURSELVES" I think there is a reason for me to stay. We've been betrayed, and the only thing to do is to get onto our horse again and get something done about it. Thanks for listening, UIC number 16975 Ruby Chumway Atikokan Crisis Line: 597-6908 Toll Free Crisis Line 1-800-465-3348 Ruby Chumway continues to work to make her community a better place for women. (area code access: 807-705-204) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Memorial Award Honours Millie In recognition of her outstanding contribution to the people of Northwestern Ontario, the Millie Barrett Memorial Award has been established. lifetime. True to her nature, a serious health problem did not deter Millie's commitment to the value of community development, which she personified. Many of us, unaware of her personal situation, continued to call upon A mentor to many of us, Millie's commitment to economic, political and social justice inspired us all. Millie's deep respect for people made her a superb grass-roots organizer. Her skills and her wisdom were generously given to women's groups, Native organizations, environmentalists; to all who shared her love of Northwestern Ontario. Her friendship enriched our lives. Actively involved and influential in every community in which she lived and worked, it was the small communities that Millie loved best, where people "spoke her language." Whenever a difficult task needed doing we called on Millie. From chairing tumultuous meetings, to facilitating a "counter" conference, to negotiating with decisionmakers, to setting the record straight with southern officials, Millie met the challenge with determination, poise and good humour. Millie's passionate voice spoke our hopes and our vision. An enthusiastic participant in the 1973 Northern Women's Conference, Millie's involvement with NM:), women predated that her, and as always received her assistance and support. Just a few months before her death, Millie was actively involved with the Women Uniting for Change Conference, where she facilitated a workshop on Older Women and Housing issues, and chaired the resolutions session. Millie's passing is a great loss, personally and politically, to the people of Northwestern Ontario. Her words and her works are her legacy to the region. Our task is to continue to develop her ideals. The Millie Barrett Memorial Award will be administered through Lakehead University, and will support mature students pursuing studies or research in the political, historical, or social policy fields; and, who have demonstrated commitment to Northern concerns that reflect Millie's spirit and ideals. Contributions may be made to the Millie Barrett Memorial Fund, in care of the Director of Development, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 5E1. conference, and extended throughout her ift. 4.10 410 gol die 4111%. 41114. Ad AM 4/1110 AA. 010 Ole AO OW A. 4111 41 4,1 4011 ONO 4110 goer web dn 411110 "The people who belong here, whether they are born here or are here by choice, will tell you that it isn't so much that they chose this land The but that the land chose them. land, the bush, is the arbiter of everything here. The bush imposes a certain respect, a certain humility a certain healthy tempering of human a And it promotes arrogance. certain competence, an ability to deal with the essentials, to cope with harsh realities among those who belong here." MILDRED E. BARRETT 4% ONO ONO 4110 4110 ONO 4 40140 A* AO "0 ONO AO 41110 AM Ar "st 1924 - 1992 41% 4a ow ow AM ow, eminist Literature alwiroominwift*-- or feminists over 50 one of the most citing aspects of the women's movement Three months later the Northern Woman's Bookstore opened. as the discovery of feminist literature. nally, our voices were being heard, our henever we met, someone would bring th a book she had discovered that had hanged her life", and would loan this asure for others of us to eagerly devour. Dryden, Eagle Lake, Sioux Narrows, Terrace Bay, Geraldton, Hearst, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, resourcing Women's conferences; Women Healing gatherings; NW WITT conferences; violence, health, MPD, and urs would be spent discussing, digesting, 1.1701111K ITE MAMA% minist books trickled in to Thunder Bay-- Opening in the store-front cubby-hole of Women's Space on Bay St., then to N. okstore stocked a feminist section, and Court St., then Camelot St, the Bookstore now has a permanent home, sharing space with Equinox Enterprises at 65 S. Court St. wanted. Then we learned about the ronto Women's Bookstore, so whenever got to Toronto a day was spent there, sorbing this wonderful array of women's rds. Spending all our hard-earned vings we'd come home with a suitcase full books - again to be shared, digested and cussed. ny, many times over the years we talked out how we'd love to have a women's okstore in Thunder Bay, but all we did s yearn. Then one night in the fall of 83 the discussion reemerged at a Journal eting. We need a Bookstore! Let's do it! w can we start a Bookstore when we can rely get the Journal out? We can do it! impossible! Round and round the circle hours. At the end of the evening a cision was made, the Journal would not dertake a bookstore, but Anna McColl d Margaret Phillips, in partnership would. addiction workshops. A LITEAME owe Alki AI AVMs CA DIA LIMIS u couldn't find them at the library or ainstream bookstores, only the Co-op re helpful in ordering when we knew what women across Northwestern Ontario, providing a mail order service (anywhere in Canada) and taking (or sending) books to conferences and workshops throughout the region. The Bookstore has been to Kenora, periences analyzed, our history recovered. vouring our new insights and emotions. te Millet, Robin Morgan, Vivian Gornick, ulamith Firestone impacted on our lives d motivated us to feminist action. The Bookstore serves as a resource to Margaret, Mary Ann Kleynendorst and Rose Piths, purchased this home, in partnership, in 1992, and separately operate their respective services. Anna retired from active Bookstore partnership in 1988, but remains closely involved. As with all feminist bookstores, the Northern Woman's Bookstore is more than a "store", it is an information centre, a gathering place, sometimes a quite place to browse, sometimes an active place for feminist dialogue. On March 15th the Bookstore will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its official opening. A great anniversary party is planned and events and sales will continue all week. Come down and join in the fun. Starting with a mere 300 books, today the Northern Woman's Bookstore stocks over 2000 titles covering a broad spectrum of women's interests: feminist theory, violence issues, health, women's spirituality, lesbian, biography, women's history, self-help, recovery, psychology, education, work, older women, children, literary criticism, women's studies, Third World, environment, humour, poetry and fiction. Women's music, feminist periodicals, and greeting cards compliment the books. Rose has recently provided a new source of joy - a wonderful selection of women's jewellery. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Page 13 �Services The early years of feminist ferment quickly faced a contradiction: analysis/political action or service? (The interweaving of analysis, action and service remain a challenge.) From the moment there was a telephone number and an identifiable woman's space, individual women in crisis appeared. So many times the discussion group/action meeting got put on hold while a safe home for a battered woman was located; vehicles found to transport a woman's belongings in the dark of the night; a sympathetic lawyer contacted to provide advice; money raised to provide transportation out of town, or simply to buy food. The support individual women sought Throughout Northwestern Ontario the first issue that women organized around was battering. "It is a story of struggle, achievement, tears and celebration. Each women's simplistic BATTERING. in group had a dream, its approach. STOP PROTECT WOMEN. As women in each town addressed the tip of the problem, the iceberg rose from the water. The numbers and problems of battered women overwhelmed the vision in reality. As each organization toyed with the idea of opening a transition house, their covered the gamut of issues: legal, financial, health, violence, employment, education.... It quickly became apparent that there was a great need for services for women, provided by women, grounded in women's experience. battered sisters demonstrated there was no turning back. Women were in this issue for the long haul." Through the 1970s we find women bonding together to provide the service, the nurturing, the needed support. Creating women's centres, information and support groups, specific services and individual because of the unequal power relations support, women reached out to meet the needs of women in crisis. The development of these vital womencentred services progressed despite formidable barriers encountered along the way. Because of hundreds of thousands of volunteer 'woman-hours, services have been achieved. The energy, the personal and monetary sacrifices, and the considerable emotional stress required, demonstrates the depth of women's commitment to their sisters. It is not surprising that woman-battering issues have been a priority in Northwestern Ontario. Violence against women persists between men and women in our society. A patriarchal society that economically, socially, politically subscribes a second class status to women condones violence against women. Given the economic status of NWO women; the "male culture" of resource industries; the lack of child care; the scarcity of adequatelypaid jobs for women; the lack of recognition of the value of women's traditional work; NWO women are indeed vulnerable. While the root cause of battering - the power and privilege held by men - is still not seriously addressed in our society, NWO women have established services for battered women and have raised community consciousness about violence issues. structures often leave us bruised. But, women continue to strive for new modes of operating, new ways to empower women to create opportunities, make decisions, best suited to their needs. "respect for the right of individuals to choose the kind of maternity care that meets their needs, and the right to information which will enable them to make informed and responsible choices regarding childbirth options." As well as providing peer support, the CESG had some success in pressing the medical system to be more responsive to birthing mothers needs. The work of the Women's Health Information (see Networking) lead to the development of other community-based groups that addressed women's health and adequate funding brought into play a equality, the intransigence of patriarchal had a special interest in the physical and emotional health care provided to birthing mothers and couples. The group held a Network As services matured, the need for paid staff new dimension... feminists engaging with the state. The lessons learned have often been painful. The extent of hostility to women's The Childbirth Education and Support Group Twenty years ago there were no services. Today shelter services for battered women are provided in Kenora, Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Atikokan, Thunder Bay, needs in a number of NWO communities. Geraldton and the North Shore communities. Information and support groups have been an important service enriching the lives of Rape crisis centres developed in Thunder Bay and Kenora in the mid-70s and have continued to expand their services, with an ever-increasing demand for support for incest survivors. Over the years a number of groups have addressed the issue of pornography. Most recently attention is many NWO women. Reviewing the history of the Red Lake Women's Information Group (1980-87) we find an impressive story of educational being given to the insidious problem of activities and political action. Workshops and information sessions included: women sexual harassment. The work goes on. and addictions; financial management; violence issues; women and health; women through film; body images; women and Although often the first problem addressed, violence was by no means the only issue that brought women together. Women's health issues - physical, mental, emotional were high on the agenda. The Thunder Bay Post-Partum Counselling Services, a self- help and support group, formed in 1980. "The groups offered one-to-one support and weekly group meetings. When a depressed mother contacted the group she was given the phone number of a volunteer who was willing to listen, share similar experiences and offer reassurance. In a caring and sharing atmosphere, women discovered that they were not alone, that they were not "crazy", that they did have the power to regain control of their lives." decision making; economic development; pensions; stress; PMS; DES; breast selfexamination; assertiveness training; manmade language; child and family legislation; pornography (leading to a Pornography Working Group to plan ongoing public Action was taken around education). violence issues and child care. In 1985 the group produced and distributed an information pamphlet on day care, housing, affirmative action, and services for women in crisis - thus raising the visibility of these issues in the lead-up to the municipal election. These achievements are all the more noteworthy when we consider the transient nature of the town and the reality that the groups had to be regularly replenished as active members moved from the community. PDFNorthern compression, OCR, Woman Page 14 web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Services The Ignace Women's Education/Information Group (1979-83) was a "bunch of women who wanted to make the most out of living". The group met regularly to discuss common concerns, promote workshops and training/education programs, and establish Women's Place Kenora Accepting the inevitability of the FRC, WPK submitted a proposal to operate the facility. Their proposal was rejected in favour of a One of the most amazing stories of feminist service is demonstrated by the herstory of Women's Place - Kenora (WPK). It is a chronicle of courage, determination, commitment and vision. group that had no experience in working access to resources (books, films, etc) of It began with a Women's Conference in interest to women. 1975 where the need for a women's centre and for rape crisis services were identified. A group of women "committed to the quality In of life for women" formed the Atikokan inadequate Women's Resource Centre (1981-85). The Centre was "a place where women with diverse interests could meet and share ideas, discuss concerns and take action. A resource library was set up to afford women greater access to information on status of women issues and other topics of interest. Guest speakers were featured at monthly meetings..assertiveness training offered. Volunteers were active in coordinating such activities as clothing, toy, coupon and skill exchanges, a food coop, and assisting Atikokan Crisis Centre in developing services for women in crisis. To keep area women informed a weekly column was published in the local paper." the AWARE, Bay Terrace with battered women. Ironically, WPK was asked to train the FRC crisis line workers. 1976, one woman, distressed by the service she had received, organized a group of volunteers to operate a rape crisis line. From the calls received it quickly became apparent that support for women experiencing all forms of abuse, not only rape, was needed. Thus a community organization - the Kenora Women's Crisis Intervention Project - formed with the goal of establishing a crisis centre, and the "grants" game began. For the next number of years the group survived from one short-term grant to another short-term grant with never sufficient funding to adequately meet needs. committed activist and founding mother of Kenora's Women's Place, Charlotte Holm In 1980 a suitable location was found to house the Crisis Centre but the municipality refused to approve the premises for sheltering, or to provide per diem funding. Women's Concurrent to all this political work, WPK reestablished a downtown Crisis Centre. (In a 10 day period in Nov. 1984 the Centre dealt Resource Group "developed a number of strategies to promote understanding of and action on women's issues in the with 24 women and children in need of community... space was acquired for a drop- assistance policies; they surveyed the availability and quality of services for battered and assaulted women; encouraged shelter.) in centre where women could meet other women and form mutual support networks. Information evenings and workshops were conducted communications, trained to lead workshops on women and addictions; a single parents groups was formed; and a committee formed to investigate the extent of wife battering in North Shore communities." Disappointed, but undaunted, the Centre (which incorporated as Women's Place Kenora in 1981) then undertook public education programs to sensitize the community to the issue of violence against women, and embarked on a capital fundraising campaign with the objective of WPK establishing a Transition House. broadened their horizons and organized a safe, legal abortion is a key example of such planned support. In the 1970s & 80s many NWO women were denied abortions in their home communities (even those communities where hospitals provided abortions). While wide range of activities including workshops on alternative health care, group dynamics, women and addictions, pensions and pornography. The Centre was also utilized for support groups such as MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) and the Newcomers Club, as well as recreation and cultural activities. The Centre temporarily had to close when the lease expired in December 1982. However, service continued as the crisis line was moved to a member's home (files were stored to await new space and new funding). the situation has eased somewhat since the 1988 Supreme Court decision striking down Having raised some capital towards a down payment for a Transition House WPK Throughout history individual women have always provided support to other women in crisis. With the development of a feminist analysis the need to plan for situations of The needed support became clear. assistance provided to women seeking a the federal abortion law, there are still communities in our region without abortion services. Since the early 1970s a core group of Thunder Bay women have volunteered their time supporting and counselling women coming to Thunder Bay for their abortion, and accompanying (and fundraising for) women who have found it necessary to travel to Minneapolis, and later Duluth, to obtain their abortions. The work of this group of women has been largely unrecognized (except for the gratitude of the women supported) but has been (is) a vital service to women. in getting "Images of Women" .... which "clarified the connections between violence against sexism, family law, women and violence, The and women in single industry towns impact of these activities can be assessed in part by what came after. Volunteers were succeeded health and justice agencies to develop protocols; and conducted six workshops on women and addictions, assertiveness, ..?vtraining, They improvements to the Town's emergency applied to Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation (which had a program to build shelters). While CMHC was receptive, the mortgage was dependent on the commitment of the municipalities to provide per diem funding... which was again denied. women in the home, at work, and on the streets. In 1986 a workshop "Equality Under Law" was co-sponsored with the community Legal Clinic; and many years of analysis and focus on the justice system's response to women victims of violence was rewarded when the province selected Kenora for a Victim/Witness Advocacy Program. (The province, of course, did not recognize WPK as contributing to this decision, and they rejected WPK's offer to consult in the development and implementation of the program.) the "By keeping the issues visible and holding agencies accountable WPK was able, albeit slowly, to create a climate for change within the community." Supported by other community agencies, WPK pressed the Ontario Housing Corporation to increase the availability of subsidized housing for abused women and single-parent, female-headed families, and in 1987 forty housing units were approved. The rape crisis centre continued to operate with volunteers... and the occasional shortterm grant. WPK's goal to provide a Transition House was further frustrated when, in 1983, the province intervened and offered municipalities 100% capital funding for WPK Family Resource Centres (FRC). presented a critique of the FRC project to the municipality and the province, however 8 0 the Town accepted the Ministry's offer. Northern Woman Page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �A most positive development came in 1987 when WPK received a major capital grant to purchase a house. WPK gives much credit to the other women's groups of Decade Council who supported their quest for this funding. The new home providing office, library and meeting space (a large meeting room was later added) quickly became a "well-utilized centre for community women". ms y WPK activities have also flourished (and in 1993 staff support secured when the province began funding women's centres). Open meetings are held monthly with timely and provocative speakers, films and discussions. WPK sponsored the 1992 Woman Healing Gathering, organized a Women and Addictions conference, and co- sponsored workshops Self- on Empowerment, and on "Sexual Harassment: A Workplace Hazard". Take Back the Night marches and December 6th memorials are held annually. Lobbying and letter writing continues. The whole area of family law, separation and divorce, and support and custody issues A have been extensively worked on. Women and Family Law Forum was held and a booklet "Moving On: A Woman's Guide through the Separation and Divorce Process" produced. The meeting room provides a wonderful safe and comfortable space for many community groups (Nursing Moms; Women for Sobriety; self -help groups, etc.) to hold regular gatherings, as well as groups/agencies holding one-time events/training sessions. Indeed it is a 'well-used community woman's space', and the ever expanding library -tiOt936\ is a valuable resource to the community. participated in the provincial campaign to increase awareness of rape and sexual assault by producing a fact card that was mailed to 6000 households,- and sponsored a week long radio campaign and circulated additional cards to local social service agencies. Much energy also went to letter writing campaigns re violence issues, free trade and privatization. In 1990 the Ontario government made funds available to Rape Crisis Centres, and finally Kenora was able to hire full-time staff and "actually engage in planning our program and activities, rather than just responding on a crisis basis". With crisis services secured Survivor WPK could expand activities. groups were facilitated, group facilitators roses too", WPK also plans fun events bringing in feminist theatre and musicians to help Kenora women celebrate. perseverance, the commitment of the women of WPK is a The stellar energy, experience. The NWJ salutes Women's Place Kenora and the many hundreds of women in communities across Northwestern Ontario working to ensure their communities courses held, and a Cross Cultural Forum safer place Incest organized. for women. and Child Sexual Abuse service for women, by women, grounded in women's are on the example of feminist trained, a resource guide for abused women "Out of the Shadows" produced, WEN-DO ...is superior entertainment for local women. Thanks to our already loyal fans (women who have attended the Coffeehouse more than once) and their friends, the Superior Women's Coffeehouse has enjoyed tremendous success. Since last July, Coffeehouse audiences have been entertained by many local women, including: Believing that women must have "bread but Anti-violence work continued. In 1988 WPK SUPERIOR WOMEN'S COFFEEHOUSE Nancy St. Jarre and Sue Paskoski, Josie Joyce Michalchuk, Glenna McLeod, Nancy MacGibbon, Val Saunders and Ellafern Poindexter. The highlight of the Wallenius, season was a performance by Heather Bishop on January 22nd. Coffeehouse performers are now booked into the summer. In addition to musical performances, our audiences enjoy poetry reading and storytelling, art exhibits, craft displays and, of course, coffee and treats at each event. The Superior Women's Coffeehouse takes place at the Unitarian House on S. Algoma on the third Saturday of every second month. Translation - the next Coffeehouse will happen on Saturday March 19th at 8:00 All women and their friends pm. are welcome. Admission is really cheap and it is the place to be in Thunder Bay...If you (or someone you know) is interested in performing at the Coffeehouse, contact Jane through the Northern Women's Bookstore. a better and Thank you to all who have supported us so To ensure a clear distinction far assault services and activities the Kenora Sexual Assault Centre incorporated as a separate entity in 1991. Let's audience, performers and workers. keep the Superior Women's Coffeehouse open for a good long time. between women's centre - See you on March 19th. Since permanent funding was secure the KSAC has been able to reach out to district women through the group support program providing group facilitation training and selfhelp training. Local community work has included developing a protocol with the hospital and police services to respond to victims of sexual assault; public education sessions including the "Break the Cycle" 22/ WOMEN'S campaign; development of a manual for self- help survivor groups; work with local high school students by sponsoring a date rape poster contest; co-sponsorship of a sexual harassment workshop; and establishing a district wide 24-hour toll free crisis line Marion MacAdam Project Co-ordinator APRENrICESHIP Ommeowg otaw-wo%mi RtOJECT Royal Canadian Legion Building 300 McClellan Avenue Kenora, Ontario P9N 1A8 TEL: (807) 468-3698 FAX: (807) 468-3051 (1-800-565-6161). individual counselling, facilitation of survivor groups and training of crisis-line workers continues. Northern Woman Page 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �FROM THE JOURNAL FILES itorial Survivors! Determined, persevering, resilient Survivors. As the NORTHERN WOMAN enters our twelfth year of publication we conclude that we - that Northwestern Ontario women - that all women - are survivors. Preparing this Anniversary issue and consequently reviewing all our past issues, has prompted our mixed emotions! A joyful nostalgia for the excitement, the optimism, the birth of awareness that the early Journals evoked. A sense of pride for the creativity, the courage, the excellence of Northwestern Ontario women writers. A disheartening recognition of how little change has occurred in the institutions/attitudes/actions that oppress women. Be it 1973 or 1984 the issues remain - violence, reproductive rights, economic equality, health care, day care - and on Legally, equality under the constitution is essentially a'paper tiger. Provinces play the major role in enSocially, forcement of human rights. women are losing their traditional power Sources, but are NOT GAINING IN TRADITIONAL MALE POWER STRUCTURES. These economic hard times are making the feminist take a back seat. Welfare mothers are being forced to find work in jobless economic markets with no availability of child care. Men as a class are coming down hard on women as a class--especially poor women--because we still are basically powerless. and on. OH BROTHER Thus as we observe our anniversary we do celebrate the courage, the strength, the survival of women; yet we understand the need for unrelenting analysis and constant vigilance. Dear Viola: In response to your request for written support regarding a name change for the Lakehead University's "Man In Society" course please allow me to explain that the-term "man in VOLUME the 'phrase "Man and Society" 'is in this instance, the generic, term mean- ing "all people". Similarily, the pronoun "his" can also be used generically as in the common phrase "Man and His World". We must never forget that the word "man", when used generically, includes, the female. I have not seen the course outline for "Man and Society" but I imagine it covers all the aspects of a man's life. No doubt it deals with basic anatbmy. For example, under the heading "Man's Body" (which of course refers to male and female -) one could Study man and his heart, man and his ovaries, man and his fallopian tubes, the breasts of man. The life stages of man would be included. Topics would be: man at puberty, man's menstruation, man as father, man as mother, man as husband, man as wife, the end of the-childbearing years-the menopause of man. As one man to another, Viola, I am interested in all education which promotes the brotherhood of man. I have discussed this with other men of good will including my sister. I.ama man of two, minds about this question but I am also a daughter. I will abide by my mother's opinion for I believe that, when tinkering with the language, all generations should be consulted. Besides, isn't it true that we are not the men our mothers were? If I could consult ber man to: man, I know that she would firmly state that the use of the word generically to mean all people somehow--illogically perhaps--leaves out half of alf mankind. Yours sincerely, Joan Baril March 1982 Editoriai: Our Heritage ISSU True to her Taurian nature, the paper has stubbornly persisted, bouncing back into publication from innumerable bouts of self-criticism, colic, fractures, diversity diarrhea, hnd funding influenza. Her health 3 i -as stabilized for the time being and the bright-eyed collective, hone f-om past experience, .2.o have learned t-e proper perscription to ensure , --be4_ng c,f 1-.1.3 Northern Woman. EDITORIAL For most of us involved in the Feminist Movement, - instant recognition of our oppression was very unlikely. It is more probable to assume.that although we were exposed to inequalities and sexism very early in our girlhood, this recognition of our oppression did not occur, or was not acknowledged as being a problem of being born a female. However, if it was recognized at all, it was likely to be viewed as a personal .Not a universal oppression. The growing 'stages of our awareness (raising of our consciousness) can be compared to the rungs of a ladder. We all began on the bottom rung. ConsciOusness-raising is the first step up from the bottom rung. Our educational system and ourday-to-day living does not usually provide us with the perceptions and knowledge that allow us to effectively discern areas of discontent and oppression. External influences such as women's conferences, women's centres, feminist literature, rap sessions with our friends, women's studies, films, conscious ness-raising (CR) groups, do contribute to internal recognition of our oppression. Click, click. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Page`17 Northeiil Womari �FROM THE JOURNAL FILES 1988 Volume 11 No. Pro oChoice And then there was the Abortion Caravan's journey through Thunder Bay. Beginning on the west coast the Abortion Caravan travelled across the cour*try gathering support and momentum for their Ottawa protest of the abortion law (1970). Meetings were organized along the way and Caravan members and local women gave personal testimony to the need to repeal the law. Apparently the Caravan's western stops had been supportive but uneventful... the gatherings mostly committed pro-choicers. Then they reached Thunder Bay. The Women's Liberation Group in their enthusiasm and idealism had widely promoted a public meeting... and the crowds came ... the small basement church hall was overflowing ... irimarily with pro-choice supporters. but including a small, vocal group ot anti-choice women and their "brothers" who persistently disrupted the meeting's agenda. Apparently frustrated by the pro-choice speakers calmness and logic, the anti-abortionists broke up the meeting with a vitriolic display of verbal abuse... which spilled out into the streets where deflammatory accusations of a personal nature nearly caused a riot. Totally stunned by this amazing experience, the Abortion Caravan-continued on to Ottawa apparently blanking out this experience as the Thunder Bay stop is omitted from all of the Caravan's historical accounts. Women's Liberation meanwhile matured their political sophistication. Editorial Many months ago, as the Northern Woman Journal collective was meeting to plan future issues of The Northern Wbman, we suddenly found ourselves engrossed in a discussion of our (i.e. omen's) situation. Many hours later Donna (who always discusses with pen and paper in hand) brought to our attention key words she had heard us say. Restricting. Inhibiting. Tied up. Locked. Cramped. Confined. Limit. Cage. Stopped. Caught. Duty. Subordinate. Trapped. Silence. Inferior. Blocked. Excluded. And so, this "Prisonssissue was born. Prisons is not a cheerful topic. Yet, an understanding that the factors that imprison women are systemic is crucial. The "prisons" imposed by rape, battering, pornography, sexual harassment, denial of reproductive rights will only be counteracted when we fully understand them as issues of male power and control. The dilemmas women face regarding double work days, inadequate day care, isolation, and 'super-woman' exhaustion will be rationalized only when we understand the tyranny of the "institutions" of marriage and motherhood, and can separate the "institution" from our very normal desire for warm, caring relationships. Wye will only regain control of our own well-fare when we ad knowledge the misogyny of many "experts" (medical practioners, counsellors, etc.) who have usurped women's traditional healing roles. And it is important to recognize and analyze the renewed economic oppressions women are experiencing - blanketed by that over-used term recession. Let's fade it, the governments' (6&5 and 9&5) restraint programs are a direct attack on wormn.-It is not accidental that in Canada poverty is largely a female phenomena. Urging an examination of the prisons that restrict us is meant not to depress us, but to empower us. It is only when we understand and acknowledge the roots ot the oppression of women, that we will develop the strength, the courage and the creativity to demolish the 1prisons EQUINOX ENTERPRISES Call Maryann at 346-4600 or 577-6090 Jane -of -All- Trades General Maintenance and Home Repair Drywalling, Painting and Wallpapering Furniture Refinishing Shelving & Custom Wood Furniture Decks and Sheds Reasonable rates! Willing to tackle any job you need doing Northern Woman PageOCR, 18 V web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor PDF compression, �Book Review The "bridging of generations" is an important NAC theme in Canadian feminism. benefited from the experience of other Politics as if Women Mattered: A Political The premise of this book is that given the national women's organizations - particularly Analysis of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, by Jill Vickers, Pauline Rankin, Christine Appelle; University of Toronto Press, 1993 failure of male-stream politics to incorporate the concerns that women have advanced for this past 100 years, "women's movements can and must develop enduring institutions the National Council of Women (which celebrates its 100th year in 1993). As well, working in coalitions has always been important. through which their efforts to gain equality Reviewed by Margaret Phillips If you have ever engaged in feminist discussions about reform/revolution; action/ service; process/task; professionalism/grass roots; to take/not take government funding, you will find this book interesting, instructive, thought-provoking and satisfying. can be organized over the course of several generations." One such coalition the Committee for the Only within women's movements - that women control - will a political analysis, derived from women's experience and perspective, develop. As a 'parliament of women," operating parallel to the political system Canadian women's movements develop a political analysis " as if women Women) was established to lobby for the creation of the Royal Commission on the Equality of Women (later restructured as the National Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of mattered." In fact, Politics As If Women Mattered: A wave" feminists (of whichever ideological distinction) as its analysis will inform our understanding of the Canadian women's movement, and help clarify our analysis of the successes and failures of the feminist of the royal commission, and they thereby came to represent an radical and leftist grass roots grafted on to NAC's founding course of several generations. coalition. organizations in which we are (were) involved. The book will also be important Politics As if Women Mattered is not, the authors make clear, a history of NAC, but is a political analysis based on the study of available NAC documentation. The period under study is 1972-1988. On first glance it seems unfortunate that the study ended in 1988, given the significant and remarkable challenges and changes NAC has experienced in the past five years. But with the evolution of NAC and the now-proven enduring nature of the organization it is appropriate that the present stage and continuing development of NAC as a vital Canadian political Institution" be recorded in a future document. A A Initially an organization of convenience, NAC became the arena in which such conflicting understandings of the condition of women could be debated and explored. As a result, it came to take on a unique role as a "parliament of women." Organized in 1972, from the Strategies for Change Conference, NAC originated with the limited mandate of lobbying to ensure the recommendations of the Royal Commission of the Status of Women were The ideological diversity of NAC's membership was However, NAC quickly advanced to an organization remarkable, which NAC's credibility consistently has been based on its claim of representing women better than did any other existing political It structures. The authors conclude that "NAC made good on this claim. In particular, the ideological diversity of its membership was bridge between generations of feminists". INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FAIR Tuesday, March 8, INFORMATION 1994 7:00 p.m. Scandia Room, Valhalla Inn Guest Speaker: DR. SHIRIN KUDCHEDKER SNDT Women's University Bombay, India was between generations feminists. polity. remarkable, as was its ability to act as a as its ability to act as a bridge developed feminist approaches to public <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< A A A lobbying were the initial majority of NAC representatives of the new, radical "grass Conference also participated from the "In time, these new groups beginning. developed an analysis of the oppression of women that was distinctly different from that Women's movements can and must develop enduring institutions through which their efforts to gain equality can be organized over the Christine Appelle, is an important book for all "second and organization of the movement. While traditional feminists with experience in voices heard at the Strategy for Change Committee on the Status of Women, by Jill for young women and for newly-involved women as a herstory of the English Canadian women's movement and the evolution of NAC" as the prime national became the founding mothers of NAC. roots" feminist groups who had made their Political Analysis of the National Action Vickers, Pine Rankin Status of Women; and many of its members of is this ability of women from different generations and diverse ideological persuasions to work together under one A V A V A V A V A V A V V A A V V TOPIC: Violence Against Women: A Comparison of Canadian and Indian Experiences A A V V A A BROUGHT TO YOU BY: V A V The Public Service Alliance of Canada/Thunder Bay Regional Women's Committee V A A V Thunder Bay Immigrant & Visible Minority Women's Organization V A A V V A The Women's Committee of the Thunder Bay & District Labour Council A V V A A V V A A V V A A V V A A V V A A V A V A umbrella organization that significantly differentiates the Canadian Women's Movement from the United States movement. Canadian women's willingness to engage with the state and to accept government funding also differs from American feminism which (at least in the Republican era) as been strongly antistatism. The authors discuss the influence on feminism of the political environment of the liberal era which they Canadian term 'radical liberalism', which "embodied a commitment to the ordinary political process, a belief in the welfare state, a belief in the efficacy of state action in general to remedy injustices, a belief that change is possible, a belief that dialogue is useful and may help promote change, and a belief that service or helping others is a valid contribution to the process of change." Northern Woman Page 19 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Book Review Groups such as the Voice of Women and the Committee for Equality coalition became feminist in purpose while remaining "traditional in their views of politics and organization and adhered to a reformist, rather than radical, analysis of women's situation". The new grass roots groups embodied 'radical feminism' with the focus on gender as the source of oppression. Despite these conflicting perspectives there was a willingness by both groups to work together resulting in "the Canadian tradition of integrative feminism." The now grass roots groups embodied 'radical feminism' with the focus on gender as the source of oppression. One result of the years of internal turmoil was that "some members of the executive were beginning to care far more about the integrity of NAC and its political processes than about the factions represented on the issues in dispute. This commitment would status in their quest for changes to the be the basis on which the institutionalization of NAC could begin... It also reflected the emergence of integrative feminism as the pursue a more militant, collective-rights intellectual basis for parliament of women! individual rights and its failure to defend NAC's role as a Indian Act. But this was an "individual rights issue...and status women, more intent on collective rights were never significantly involved with Throughout NAC. the 1980s...many aboriginal women came to approach, which rejected white feminism for a number of reasons, including its stand on aboriginal collective rights Charter negotiations." during the The final era discussed, 1982-1988, is titled Institutionalizing NAC. The authors "use the term institution in reference to an instrument of social organization that exercises collective power over a number of generations." Recognition is given to the discomfort many feminists feel about "institutions," but it is considered that feminists now have the experience of a woman-centred perspective to the Free Trade debate and Meech Lake (and more recently the Referendum) moved NAG into "a full-fledged feminist politics." This entry It is within the third era that NAC developed "feminist approaches to conventional political issues that transcend the more limited status-of-women approach." Bringing 'male' under study 1972-1988 is considered to have these distinct stages. creating our own institutions and that new into women see our institution as "natural." The founding era 1972-78 had the dominant objective of lobbying for Royal Commission politicians but resonates well with many women who can link the analysis to their This third period studied saw NAC gradually resolve the conflicts that had so stressed it; develop internal structures more acceptable particular experiences. to the membership; and develop a high policy seriously represented one of the most important advances NAC had ever made as an institution of an enduring women's movement." The period implementation, yet the 'radical' feminists advanced alternatives, particularly, the issue of violence/sexual assault (absent from the R.C. report) required NAC to develop policy positions. During this period two government departments - Women's Programs of the Secretary of State, and Status of Women Canada were established, and the quasigovernmental Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women appointed these three state structures also "shaped NAC's political environment:4' NAC assumed that government funding should be sought (without considering how this would affect NAC's options). By the end of the era the new generation of feminists held the majority on NAC executive, and the move from Royal Commission preoccupation and to a new role for NAC began. The founding era "equipped NAC for the changes ahead, in that the political experience of the older generation of feminists had been transmitted to the younger generation." The Transitional Era, 1979-1982 was a period of conflict for NAC with energy consumed by the issues of internal structure; government funding; membership accountability; executive accountability; voluntarism vs paid staff; as well as basic purpose (i.e. lobbying or being the focal point of a transformative movement). Why such conflict? The experiences of the founding members and the new generation concerning political process was significantly different, as were their views on what "feminist politics" should be. Nonetheless ... "The realities of politics, economics, and geography in Canada had forced women from all factions to come together to conduct politics with a shared structure and consequently, to deal with, rather than avoid, the conflict..." and that "the resolution of that conflict bore practical fruit." public profile. In this era NAC dramatically increased its membership becoming more inclusive (lesbians, women with disabilities, immigrant women, visible-minority women, prostitutes), as well as more broadly based in terms of issues of concern to member groups (violence; sexual harassment; pornography). NAC also became the focal target of the anti-feminist movement - and became strengthened by the solidarity of traditional and radical feminists in the wake of the Right's attack. The authors suggest that "..it is because of umbrella structures such as NAC that efforts to drive wedges among different elements of the women's movement have been less effective in Canada than in other countries." While becoming more inclusive in the past decade, NAC has not been successful in achieving significant involvement of Quebec francophone women or First Nation's women. The relationship of Quebec francophone women to NAC is discussed throughout the analysis. The FFQ (Federation des femmes du Quebec) joined, left, re-joined, left again during the study period. The FFQ, a 'liberal- feminist' organization was viewed (by government and others) as the critical Quebec women's organization, however, it is noted that "francophone feminism in Quebec developed institutionally separate wings, with revolutionary left and radical feminists resisting organizational involvement with liberal-feminist groups such as the FFQ....Moreover the development of a territory is threatening to "The development within NAC of a public-policy debate that took women seriously and that took public Bringing a woman-centred perspective to the Free Trade debate and Meech Lake moved NAC into a fullfledged feminist politics. In a concluding chapter the authors ask 'Can NAC survive'? and conclude that NAC will become increasingly important. "Ironically, the very fact that most women know that changes needed to eliminate the poverty, violence, and degradation that often marks their lives will not come quickly makes it likely that NAC, like its model, the National Council of Women of Canada, will survive for many more decades." The only NAC conference I have attended was the founding conference in 1972. While not active, I have always supported NAC, and have observed its evolution with keen interest. In discussions critical of NAC (including threats to withdraw membership) my reaction has always been - NAC is all we have, and we need it. From a vantage point of 20 years involvement in Northwestern Ontario feminism it is clear that the power structures of our society will not advance the equality of women. In fact the anti-woman agenda grows stronger. Feminists have to admit that our progress has been minuscule; and agree that it will take several progressive form of nationalism in Quebec shifted the focus of many younger francophone feminists to collective rather generations to begin to accomplish the than individual rights claims...these collective claims set feminism in francophone quebec us well and we can only hope it will grow and strengthen and ensure a Canadian on a trajectory that anglophone feminists political culture "as if women mattered.' goals that in the 1970s we naively believed would be quickly achieved. NAC has served within NAC would take some time to understand." (Because NAC was wreaked with internal conflicts they could not give leadership on the issue of the Canadian Constitution. It was a quickly mobilized coalition of women the AD HOC COMMITTEE - that dealt with the constitution crisis and won for Canadian Women equality guarantees. The networks NAC had developed were, however, very The concept of individual rights rather than collective rights is also a major factor in NAC's inability to include many First Nation's women's organizations. NAC was a leading supporter of Mary Two Axe Early and other Native women who had lost their important to the AD HOC Committee.) PDF compression, OCR, Northern Woman Page 2 0 web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �sassed ties. Mel INIOltransa $s. SOU L TO: rA01AriP)^ RETURN TO: f_)00 giCk tin Kamm WWI P.O. DOI 144 THUNDER RAT, ONTARIO ;Na -r.CANik-11'(\ tri--E, JOURNAL P7C 4V RI Patera Postage Guaranteed IS TEM AN ASTERISK ON TOUR LABEL ?? .EASE RENEW TOUR SUBSCRIPTION Don't for_got to wow your SUBSCRIPTION NAME ADDRESS POSTAL CODE individual prodticed $8.00 inditutionel $16.00 NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL Consetweil WO* Margaret Phillips viele\e PO Box 144 Thunder Bay Ontario CHRIS SEDER 034EsNus°E'Is P7C 4115 RAE ANNE limey ERN 9RT IN MARGARET JOH sToN Celebrating Northwestern 9MAN 7URAIAL Ontario Women PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 15 No 2-3 Description An account of the resource Vol. 15, No 2 & 3 (March 1994) Title: Northern Woman Journal: Celebrating Northern Women’s Activism Topics include: Sexual assault centres Women’s centres Transition houses Support groups Economic development Violence against women Pensions Health Early childhood educators Population control discourse Feminist book review Panel on violence Pornography Trans identities in film Feminist book review Winnipeg Women’s Health Clinic Women in Northwestern Ontario Networking for women in Northwestern Ontario Women’s conferences Feminists and political action/activism Midwifery Home birth Atikokan Crisis Centre Feminist literature Services for northern women Women’s Place Kenora History of the journal Pro-choice Feminist book review Authors/Contributors: Josie Wallenius Michele Proulx Jocelyn J. Paquette Mickey Koivisto Lori Gilbert Michele Proulx Lynne Thornburg Leni Untinen Fiona Karlstedt Noreen Dunbar Gert Beadle Ruby Chumway Rae Anne Honey Margaret Phillips Margaret Johnston Jane Saunders Chris Snyder Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1994-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2833/1994_Vol_15_No_4.pdf d600de177c316ab0357c44e10fbeb278 PDF Text Text $2.00 04 THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO co 7 September 1994 7200 14003 Volume 15 Number 4 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �As the NWJ goes to press, representatives of governments throughout the world are meeting in Cairo at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). What is critical for women worldwide is whether the recommendations and action stemming from this Conference will provide for "development" that will accommodate women's social, health and economic needs; or will it again focus on "population" and population control policies that are inherently abusive to women. Will women's voices be heard in Cairo? Will an alternative to population control be advanced? Will governments recognize that the women whose lives are most directly affected must be allowed to determine their own needs and solutions in relation to fertility control, health and development within their own contexts? "Women need access to safe and effective methods of birth control and abortion. But population programs that merely involve the distribution of contraceptives in the absence of education, improved health care, credit and productive resources, jobs, economic security and legal protection from exploitation and violence is of limited value and can sometimes do great harm" states Karen Seabrooke of Inter Pares. The population control lobby (which includes multi-national pharmaceutical companies) is powerful. Unfortunately, many mainstream media pundits have become mired in the population control camp. It is urgent that feminists analyze the "population issue" and put forward the alternative vision. fact, women have been working internationally in this regard for years (e.g. Comilla Declaration, Bangladesh 1989, N60 In Treaty on Population, Environment and Women, Rio, 1992). Those familiar with population control programs in developing countries know that these programs are coercive, exploitative and harmful to women. We also know that poor women, women of colour, and disabled women are targeted for fertility reduction. Forced sterilization of Aboriginal and Inuit women, black women and disabled Canada. women has occurred in Canada is involved in population control through domestic and foreign policies. Canadian women must understand the issue in both a national and international context. The Canadian Women's Committee on Reproduction, Population and Development came together because of a felt need to present a Canadian feminist perspective on population issues. Their recently produced report is essential reading for everyone concerned with women's well-being. by MARGARET PHILLIPS PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �TRADITIONAL TO NON- TRADITIONAL Teresa Legowski interviewed Mary Feawasige at her home in Ear Falls. Teresa: started? How did your profession get Mary: I was very young when I got married (17) and then I started having children, one after the other. By the time I was 25 I had five girls; the The police said just to throw him out. Right! I was only 120 pounds then and he was 210 Teresa: How old were the girls at this time? - how am I to throw him out? So he got a job here too and moved into the house. What could I do? I was stuck again. He Mary: My oldest daughter was 13 when my husband and I split up, so the twins were in daycare after school until I would get home, or one of the older girls would go pick them up and bring them home. If it was afternoon shift I'd have sitters come in or sometimes the neighbours would come in. But I'll tell you, the girls really helped out an awful lot. stayed around here for a year and things got really, really drastic. Things really came to last two were twins. My marriage was not going good. This went on for 12 years and then I finally got a job for a a head. construction company for the summer. got a gun after him and told him, that's it, have no protection. I told him if you come through that door you're going to get shot just don't come because I'd taken enough abuse and wasn't taking it anymore. So that's what happened and somebody I When it was over I was on unemployment in 1975 which was the year they were really pushing people to take courses. job What was your construction company? Teresa: in He ended up leaving forcibly because I kind of flipped out, I guess, and the phoned the police and they came down and, of course, if had the gun that was a different story - they were going to take it away from me but an hour before he'd had a knife to me and the children had phoned the police. never did give the gun up. took the bullets out and laid it on the table. I Mary: I was just a flag person on the road. (I don't say flag man, I say flag person.) So, they were pushing to take these courses and the only thing I could see was I'd been with my husband for fourteen years, I was I kind of used to the bush. I'd go out and help cut firewood and use the powersaw. They had a cutter and skidder course. So I thought, well, I know the money in the bush is good. I've got no education, no way to support these girls. There was no way in the world I was going on welfare. So I took I the one-person slasher again for 12-13 years until last spring when I went on a delimber. It's been 17 years that I've been working in the bush. At the beginning when first anywhere near Ear Falls at all. He has come the odd time in the last few years. He stopped in to see one of my daughters. don't have a problem with him anymore, it's finally over. I I in the bush. So I went to Manpower and told them of all the discrimination and I got a phone call the next day...Do you want a job? YES! You have to move to Ear Falls. Where's Ear Falls? So, he explained it all to me and at that point in time I didn't trust him too much so I made him give me a letter in writing that within thirty days of moving to Ear Falls that I would be working and if wasn't, they had to pay my wages. So this was how it happened. He gave me the I Mary: No. We saw each other quite often. J.S. and usually always worked the same I shift so we were always together. We ran started with the powersaw felling trees. never did like a powersaw very well. I saw they finally did put in were so bad that they my ex-husband cut from his toes to his head with powersaw cuts and I was really always powersaw looks like and you're putting them So did you see each other or did you work on separate crews? Teresa: I I I I came here there were three other women bunchers at night usually just the two of us. Sometimes one would break down and one would stay out by herself. In those days we Then I started working here in the bush. said, OK, that's fine. That's all wanted to know because know you've been hiring 17 yr old boys off the street and you're not supposed to hire anybody in the bush unless they're 18. I've had my name in here for a year - I'm qualified, I've taken courses; these kids don't even know what a I In the meantime I was still working; I believe I was on that buncher for three years. Then I went on to a one-person slasher for a year and then to a three-person slasher. I was on that for two years and then I went back to even ride the bus if you're on it to go to work. and that was it, the discussions went on. There was no subject that was ever taboo. It was, if it bothers you, let's hear it. If somebody did something to you, let's hear about it. Everything always came out in the open so it was actually pretty good. and the Reeve here in Ear Falls and the doctor's wife. I had everybody going and then in one day things finally got done. had a bond put against my husband and he couldn't come within a hundred mile radius of me. !f he did he would get chargett wttr I attempted murder and he would definitely go Thank goodness - I've had no to jail. problems since. He couldn't come women too. I was told that he had talked to the guys and they absolutely said they won't that was family night. The dishes were done Then finally a judge got involved and lawyers I the course, did excellent, finished, put my name in at that time. It took me awhile - I kept going in reapplying and phoning bugging them. Finally a year later they told me: We're not going to hire you because of the fact you're a woman. I said that wasn't a very smart thing to say really. That was the year there was kind of a push for the We had a very close family - we always talked one night a week (Thursday night), didn't have two-way radios and the ones wouldn't go further than 12 miles - all crackling and wouldn't work right. So a lot of times you were out there by yourself. very afraid of that saw because they can kick back so fast. I wasn't afraid of being maimed, you know, or scarred, I just didn't want to lose an arm. Then, they needed a had a few episodes which weren't too much fun. Now I can laugh about them. skidder operator so I got on that and was on Teresa: Can you describe one of them? I that for a few months and then I went on a feller buncher. It was a little easier, but then it was shiftwork. That's when the problems started a little bit more at home with the kids. I was working on the buncher and J.S.'s buncher had broken down. She had more seniority and to her if you had more seniority, you had the right to go home and I had to stay there and work. On this day Mary: one winter I started felling - I had a truck and drove it to the landing, then I started cutting wood and in came a snow storm. It was a letter. doozer and the wind picked up and was So, I came out here and started working and blowing and I was thinking that the little road I came in on was plowed very narrow and I in the meantime husband where I had split-up with my been living in Wabigoon. When I moved here to Ear Falls, I had he followed and I couldn't get rid of him. I called the police and told them we were going into our separation and that this was my house, I paid the rent, it's in my name. knew that it would be drifted right full. I 9:00 and thought I'm not worked until staying out here any longer, so I brought the machine to the landing and got on the truck. I made it through the first 2 snow drifts and the third one just pulled me right in and I was stuck. The camp was 2 miles away or better so I walked to camp, got a skidder Northern Woman Journal Page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �job. So, you have to do it. It's gotta be ten and brought it back and hooked it on to the truck, but with nobody steering it I was just pulling it from one bank into the other one. So finally I took my boot lace off and tied years since there have been no other women working out in the bush except myself - there's no other woman working in the bush for C.P. but myself. D.C. went on staff and she was scaling for a while and then quit - she didn't want to do it anymore. J.S. decided to go to Edmonton and the steering wheel to the side window (straight so it couldn't turn). I finally got the truck out and by the time I got home it was 2:30 in the morning and I started at 9:00 to get out of there. Calgary. Teresa: That's what they say - necessity is the mother of invention. It's always the female who thinks of these things! So there are no younger women coming up in the ranks at all? Teresa: Mary: One other night I was broken down on the buncher way back in the bush and I had a long way to walk out. Of course, my Mary: No. There are no other women in there except myself. They haven't hired anybody since 1986 (no men or women). flashlight was dead - what else is new? This is They won't be hiring either because now we have a contract (letter of understanding) that we are on a protected list - we have our jobs in January - cold again - it's always in winter they freeze. It was a bright night but really cold - it must have been thirtysome below but I had a parka on and was warm and started walking out. It was real quiet could hear this "crunch, and thought crunch." until the day we die or retire, whichever There won't be any new comes first. people. It's a shame because then women won't get a chance to get into it. I I I stopped and listened and it would stop. Then I'd walk again and hear it again. You don't realize being a female that you have so many body hairs that can all stand up at the same time! I almost felt like my parka was expanding - it was the most eerie feeling because you know there's something there but you can"t see it. Something was following me - knew it I wasn't a person. I kept going and saying, couldn't run don't panic, don't run. anyway with the big boots had on and there were stumps and trees all over; would have fallen flat on my face. All of a sudden I tA, the outline of the truck and I made a wild dash for it. The next day the I I I foreman checked - there were three wolves stalking me. Just in the bushline they were walking all the way beside me. That's a weird feeling. They say wolves won't attack but they like to stalk and they're very curious. It's a weird feeling to be out there all by yourself and you have nothing - no weapon, no flashlight and you know your vehicle is a long way away. Teresa: She met a guy there and got married and didn't come back. I'm the only one left out there. When you first started, this man said to you that the guys wouldn't even want you on the bus with them, in terms of their attitude towards women out there. How did you find it when you started to work? Teresa: working You said that when you started shift work that's when mentioned some of the ways you tried to overcome that. What exactly was starting to happen? Mary: The girls were getting older and into their teens and they were starting to think about boys and that kind of stuff and I used to tell them to invite one or two friends over and stay there and watch tv or play games. My house was always full of kids but at least knew where my girls were. The guys would drop me off in the bus in front of my place and there were kids around the front door, around the back door and they'd say said, know how can you stand that? I I I where my kids are, do you know where yours are? - fishing, building a big deck in the back (myself and the girls built it all by ourselves). I had a camper and we'd go swimming, fishing and We always spent our water skiing. weekends together. I had the odd boyfriend but I didn't want to put the girls in that position, and myself too; I didn't trust men anymore for awhile. I just kind of stayed away from them. I was Mary: It wasn't so bad here because there were other women already ahead of me who brought up in the city - when I was married, we used to live in two - three room shacks had been working in the bush and the with no water, no electricity and wash majority of them had proved that they were clothes on a scrub board. That's what was moved to Ear Falls 17 happening until very good workers. You take a lot of ribbing; you take a lot of kidding. You get a lot of dirty jobs that nobody else will do. But if you problem. do your job, there isn't any Teresa: So it's a matter of proving yourself? Mary: That's right. A lot of women say that we should have the right to have the high paying jobs too. I say they should have a right too, if they can do the job. If they are not capable of doing the job, the same as a man does, then they shouldn't. Then you I years ago. Mary: I met my husband in a tourist camp in Pearl Falls. I went to work there in the summer and he was guiding there. And you were a city girl up until Mary: Yes - from Winnipeg. My aunt had a tourist camp in Pearl Falls. left the camp I have to take the bad with the good. You can't holler at someone else to come and do this because you're going to get your and my aunt. found me another job at a hands dirty - you just do it. I come home all covered in grease a lot of times - really dirty alright looking back on it now. and grubby-looking, but that's part of the yourself? Mary: That a woman can do anything she anything! I've puts her mind to doing always taught my girls that where there's a . . . will, there's a way. Teresa: Is that what got you through most of the stuff? Mary: Yes, that and my girls. I do everything for my girls. (I really don't know why I'm crying.) Now I guess maybe I'm going to get transferred to Dryden. I'm Putting a posting in is what I'm doing though to get transferred to Dryden. Now that my family's all gone (I've still got three girls here in Ear Falls but they don't live here anymore), I'm going to spread my wings now. I'm going to go to Dryden and maybe find a guy I like. I'm going to start looking. I always say that here Ear in Falls there are no eligible bachelors, just everybody's leftovers that nobody else wants anyway, so why would I want them? The girls and I fixed up this old house, we built the deck, we landscaped ourselves, and we all shared everything. The girls didn't like the yard work and I love it. They did the housework. There was always a big chore list of the fridge. It always all got done. The neighbour's kids worked here too if they were around. If my kids got grounded and the neighbour's kids were here too, they got grounded too. All kids get into trouble. No children are angels no matter whose they are. Teresa: How did you meet your husband? Teresa: then? through what do you think is the most important thing you've found out about all the problems started happening at home. You We did things on weekends Teresa: Of all the things that you've gone Lodge. I started working there and met my husband. I was young but it turned out Teresa: In terms of you being able to raise five kids as a single parent, I think a lot of it had to do with the wages you were earning. Mary: Yes. When my husband and first split up, the first three years were pretty had to pay all of his debts off rough. I I because he quit working when we split up. He had borrowed money from finance companies and all kinds of loans and I got my wages garnisheed. The only job I had held before was as a part-time construction worker. I had never co-signed any of his loans but I was made responsible for all his debts. I had to pay them off plus support five children because he never contributed PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Journal Page 4 �one red penny to them. I went to court a number of times trying to get some money from him - I finally got them to drop the garnishment but I still had to pay half of his debts off - making payments. In 1984 I got a bill from taxation saying that I owed them all these thousands of dollars from all this child support I'd been receiving in 1982. never received any child support, but in the meantime until they looked into it further, I I still had to pay thousands of dollars, whether it was right or not. So I started sending Mary: The first few years I names. I'd put a stamp on the envelope and let them mail it. We did the same for Father's Day and Christmas. After a while the cards would be on the table and nobody signed them so I quit buying them. The two youngest girls - the twins - they never remembered most of the bad married life - whatever I could afford. I guess I misplaced a couple of money orders and I lost track of some of it and it took them a year and a half had a very hard time not saying snide Teresa: And in the meantime, how long did it take you to get your divorce from him? Mary: I had it in three years. When I went through the divorce at that time he owed me $17,000 according to the court and when I asked the court who was going to collect it, they said you have to do that. How am I going to do that? This was the seventh time I had taken a day off and gone to court and not once was her made to go to court to own up to his responsibility. I said why don't you just write down that he, owes me nothing - you might as well because that's exactly what I'm gbing to get. They said they couldn't do that - it wouldn't be legal. He was supposed to be paying $250/month for the children - $250/month for five kids and I never got a penny. Teresa: What do you think of the new ruling that the Quebec woman got that she does not have to pay taxes on her child support payments? Teresa: What is your role as an area rep? Mary: talk to groups of women and tell I them about my experiences - good and bad - and what they can expect if they get a job in a man's world. I try to encourage women asked if he could stop by for coffee. She said sure; he came over and she said she more and there are a few women around remarks. The girls have made efforts to go and see him. I've seen him a few times; I'll stop and talk to him. town that I've been keeping close touch with trying to get them into jobs. I go around to the seminars and meet new women that are in different trades. You also mentioned to me that you've talked to groups of women in the There are a lot of things in the women's Teresa: Mary: It took me five years. gorgeous and, of course, it's exactly the way she wanted it. Her friends are hiring her to build decks, do renovations. It is starting to work. the older three girls remembered. Last summer my oldest daughter who lives in Winnipeg was contacted by her Dad and he Teresa: When did you finally end up paying off all of your husband's debts? getting jobs even with these trades. One carpenter built her own home and it's just birthday cards and ask the girls to sign their them money - $100 here and $50 there, to straighten it all out. When they sent me back my money, there was some missing and they never did send back all I had sent to them. We lived from payday to payday. But the women have a very hard time used to buy Women in Trades Technology and movement. How did you get involved with Is it them? What is their official title? Northwest Women in Trades and Technology? Mary: Yes it is. How did I get involved with think them? I am an area rep for them. somebody called me and asked if I would I like to go to a meeting and went to a met everybody meeting in Dryden and I I Then they had a seminar in Eagle River. Usually in the fall of every year in a tourist camp, they rent all the cabins and sometimes have over 100 women come in. They are more on the basis of giving selfesteem to women - don't give up, keep there. going, keep trying to get trades. There were welders there and a carpenter with papers. movement that really don't believe in. always believed if you're capable of doing something then you should be able to do it. I I you're not capable you shouldn't But if expect someone else to do things for you and you take the credit for it. I think too if you go into a man's tradition there are things that you have to put up with. On Thursday morning I got on the bus and first one guy started teasing me and another guy started and pretty soon everybody was picking on me. One guy said "You know, Mary, you could have just about any job you wanted out here in the bush - all you'd have to do is charge us all with sexual harassment." He said "I bet you could charge everyone of us with sexual harassment" and I said I probably could, but these are things you have to take in stride. Men are different than women.-iikiokama31,._ to fit in with them, you have to fit in. They all call me one of the guys but I'm not one of the guys anymore - I found myself a pink hardhat - I'm the only one with a pink hardhat. I'm also in the union. There was a rally on Parliament Hill last May and I was in on that - I was marching. All of a sudden in this march I would see this "pink" bobbing I always requested a pink cap with a red pompom - I never even got a safety hat after Mary: I think that's right - it should be that way. I know if I had received any money for child support that money would have gone directly for the children. I had to say sorry I can't buy you a parka this year but maybe if I had child support you could have a parka this year. You'll have to wear that old one that you've had the last three years. I really don't think they should have to pay taxes on that. There just never seems to be enough money to go around. My girls all learned early - they started babysitting and helping pay for their own things. If they wanted a new bike, I'd give them half the money they wanted and they would put in the other half. I'd take the car and we'd go collecting bottles along the highway on weekends and go pick pine cones and all kinds of things to earn extra money. Teresa: How did you see yourself as a role model for your kids? Now I see myself as a good role model for my children. Mary: that. I saw a pink hat and I told the guy beside me to hold my sign, I was going after that hat. I finally caught the guy and he was a telephone man and they had 10 - 12 hardhats made up especially for this march. He did not want to give up his pink hardhat. I traded my white union cap and he gave me the pink hardhat. I got back to Dryden on the plane that day and got a ride with a fellow from Ear Falls. He said we should stop for some chicken on the way home - took the hardhat off and went into the restaurant and when I came out my hardhat was gone. Somebody had followed us that had been on the plane. never did find out who took it but three months later I went to a union meeting in Dryden and in the middle of the table was I my pink hardhat - I got it back. I've always told the guys I may have to work with all of you, I may have to do the same job as you guys, but I'm not one of you guys - now I've got something to prove I am different. Teresa: Did they ever see their father while you were here? Did he ever come around to say hello? Northern Woman Journal Page 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �TAKING BACK WHAT IS MINE We were trapped, no telephone in our tiny by Charlene Dodge no weapons with which to prison cell, oppressing, stifling, overwhelming, invades the most precious sense of security that I am entitled to have - my thoughts. The sound of a muffled footstep, the monotonous tones of heavy breathing, the flickering of a barely present shadow, send Fear, me into a screeching spiral of frightening reality. Struggling for emotional control, cling to the realization that I am probably I safe, merely overreacting to past events that are too incomprehensible to have ever really happened. In the privacy of my own home, possibly fall prey to an how could unspeakable act of violence and terror? I protect ourselves. How does one describe the feeling, relive the fear and certainty of impending death? How does one maintain complete control in such a terrible ordeal? could Was he still inside of the house? I hear nothing but the ragged breathing of our terror, and the wind and rain howling outside. Would anybody hear our muffled screams if he returned? Our only hope, our only prayer, was the was too frightened to crawl window. I outside and run for help, so I merely flung it open and screamed until I was hoarse. He could be out there waiting for his golden Yet, nobody is infallible, a lesson dearly learned at the cost of nearly paying the opportunity, watching in fevered anticipation. He must have been gleeful over my feeble to see the best in everybody, overlooking cries, must have laughed over the sheer terror and pain he had inflicted upon his hapless victims. Begging to the world to save us, I was certain I had never been so the fact that certain people fester to the desolate, so reliant on a faceless stranger to ominous point of overload, striking out at the show us mercy. Finally, a shadow raced across my line of vision, and I jumped away from the window. It could be one of two ultimate price - that of my life. Young and naive, a firm believer that society consisted of fair players, I was too confident, too eager innocent to destroy nearly everything in retaliation. A harmless dream, I thought as I heard the sound of running footsteps and harsh screaming. It was late at night, far too dark to deal with the unwanted complications of meaningless interruptions. As if in a haze, my roommate came bounding through the persons - a rescuer, or the attacker. Terrible, unenviable odds, as we waited for our fate in the stifling, one room hell. registered her words - "I've been attacked by silently a man with a hammer." No, I silently prayed, begged for God to show us pity, and heard a familiar voice of a coworker. Hugging my shocked companion closely, I whispered that we were safe as I finally gave into the overwhelming hysteria and cried, huge racking sobs that shook my body. Dismantling our formidable fortress of furniture, we raced into the welcome midst of our rescuers, thankful to be alive. screamed in denial, that simply could not be! We were in our own home, two female teachers, prepared and ready to develop Although this happened almost four years ago, will always remember the aftermath inky hell of. night, to land squarely in the centre of my bed. Her eyes were wide with terror, and her voice was barely a whisper. I bolted upright as my disbelieving mind I young minds in a few scant hours. She was terrified, almost incoherent, but her message that he was still in our home rang through my muddled mind in tones that were sickeningly clear. How could this be, in I I with startling clarity. The praises of everybody commending us on our bravery and adept handling of the situation did little to alleviate the sense of outrage that I had felt at the time. How dare this nameless intruder steal our security, our faith in the human race, and cast it aside like a used tissue? How would we ever feel secure again? Indeed, how could we ever feel secure again? People commented on how fortunate we were to have been unscathed, basically unharmed by the entire ordeal. Such inaccurate conclusions were based on the assumption that no physical marks meant no harm done. How wrong they all were, since we were both emotionally battered beyond all imaginable repair. The stranger had tainted our perception of the human race, making us speculate about the probability of living among monsters. It made us verify our vulnerability at the hands of our male counterparts, taking away our sense of equality and oneness that we had worked so hard to achieve. Sadly, this incident paled in comparison to the horrific occurrences in today's media. Women, being slaughtered by the hundreds by vindictive, hateful people they had tried to befriend. Being struck down in the prime of their lives by strangers who were too sick to recognize the potential and the promise lying within the gentle souls. What will it take to get the message across to those who could make a difference in this war of the sexes designed for female defeat? Will it take a total holocaust of innocent victims who in no way deserved the bitter fate that was delivered to them? I had always considered myself to be a strong and confident woman until the night that a stranger took all of that away. Now, every newspaper article, every blatant headline convinces me that I am fragile and easily broken, fitting into a mould that society has constructed for our sex. Nothing could ever totally erase the feelings of anger, betrayal and bitterness that I have harboured towards the perpetrators of such unconscionable acts. What could possibly such a tiny, close community? How could it happen when I had carefully locked all of the doors before I had retired for the night? of self-preservation clung tenaciously to the cloying air about me. if there was even the slightest chance that this maniac was still in our home, we had to be rational, we had to be strong. Springing out of bed, instructed my hysterical friend to A sense I help me barricade the bedroom door with the furniture that littered the room. The lock would never withstand the murderous frenzy of a twisted mind if the intruder were to Join us for a WOMEN'S DANCE on Saturday, October 22nd return. He could never get past the heavy furniture, since the door swung inward. Was he listening to our pathetic struggle for survival? Did he smile in the darkness as he heard us scuttle about the room, clinging to the fragile hope that we would indeed prevail? from 9:00pm to 1:00am at the Multicultural Centre 17 N. Court St $5.00 at the door (All proceeds to the Northern Woman Journal) Northern Woman Journal 6 PDF compression, OCR, webPage optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �be going through the male mind to allow this to occur, to terrorize the beauty of a free spirit, inflict being? pain to the essence of our oppression to rise above the stifling chains places upon us by stereotypes of weakness and inequality. It seems to be a grave injustice that we cannot escape the shackles of violence directed to destroy us - that there I wonder sometimes if it will ever be possible for women to regain what is rightfully theirs a place as an equal citizen in every respect of the word, from security in the workplace, can still exist the primitive minds that blame and hold us responsible for some minute detail that did not go in their favour. to peace of mind in everyday life. It is not Fourteen of us were massacred in Montreal morally right that we should be compelled to at the hands of a man who believed that glance over our shoulders when we hear somebody walking behind us, it is not fair that we should hesitate to answer the door of our own home because we are female and alone at the time. women were the epitome of failure in his life. Countless numbers of us are victimized in daily life at the hands of men we trust as husbands, our family, or the fathers of our children. No, it is not just, and it is not fair. We as women have overcome adversity and We unite in common bonds throughout the countries of the world to voice our outrage, and mourn for the death of our fellow mentors. The futility of what we say is difficult to ignore when the evening news screams another bulletin about another female victim. What will it take to stop the pain, to move a progressive step forward, instead of a vindictive bound backward? As both a woman and a victim, implore society to listen to our voices, to give back I what is rightfully ours. Let us, as women, be essential elements in a functioning society by allowing us to cultivate security in our homes, our workplace, and above all else, in a world that should emphasize the importance of personal freedom and safety for every living person, be they male or female. 11147BISMIBRISMISSISAMPOSNATINISIMIONIONW17. LYNX IMAGEScap 174 SPADINA AVE. SUITE 606 TORONTO ONT. CANADA MST 2C2 TEL: (416) 777-9333 FAX: (416) 777-1407 PRESS RELEASE THE REVENGE OF THE INVISIBLE WOMAN A documentary film about women and aging Filmmakers Andrea Gutsche and Barbara Chisholm are making a documentary film to counter the fear women have of aging. "Many women feel "invisible" once they reach their middle years - as if there is no longer a place for them in a society obsessed with the cult of youth. Roles constructed over a lifetime lose their stage, and for many, it feels like a time of decline," says Gutsche. "In the film, we want to portray the difficulties and regrets that women experience, but we also want to highlight women for whom this period has been a time to explore and flourish, and has surpassed any other time in their lives," Chisholm adds. The Revenge of the Invisible Woman will be funny, uplifting, insightful, and inspirational it will renew the spirit of any woman who has suffered in invisibility. We're On The Lookout... The filmmakers are looking for women from across the continent, and from a variety of cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds who have interesting stories to tell, and who are willing to share their experiences on film. We want to hear about menopause, love and sex, and new goals. We want to hear from women who have found individual ways to respond to what society has deemed this "unnatural" process of aging; woman for whom this period has given them new strength; and women who have taken their lives in new and unexpected directions. We want the film to be powerful, to reflect what is in women's hearts... and we want it to be humorous - to say in the open things that many women feel in private, so that we can laugh and know that we are not alone. What I want is to draw middle-aged women out of their purdah, make them really joyous. Menopause is the invisible experience. People don't want to hear about it. But this is the time when everything comes good for you - your humour, your style - your bad temper. Germaine Greer Women of the 14th Moon The film is scheduled for shooting early this autumn. For more information, please contact Andrea Gutsche or Barbara Chisholm at the above address. Northern Woman Journal Page 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �OUR LONG PAINFUL JOURNEY: A CHRONICLE OF DEPRESSION by Gwenith Margaret Whitford Melancholia was once the diagnosis for the unrelenting sadness and despair which afflicted certain people for no apparent reason. This malady is now commonly described as depression. As a mood disorder, it is recognized as an emotional illness. Its debilitating effects can be extreme. Scientific studies have found its origins are traced to a disruption of normal brain grip, feelings of hopelessness and despondency seem to go on and on. This is defined as clinical chemistry. Once in its depression. It is much more than a case of the 'blues.' Everyone endures an occasional 'down' period during the stressful times in one's life. This is called a reactive depression. When the crisis is resolved, one's spirits tend to lift. However, the intensity and duration of a clinical depression is much more prolonged and painful_ It is often accompanied by excessive anxiety. Some people may experience it during the short days of winter. Others have bouts -that linger for months, and if untreated, possibly for years. For too many, the only escape from this torment is to commit suicide. Research has determined that depression can be an inherited tendency. Stress may also play a role in its onset. Current After having spent several long moments reflecting on a very bad time in her life, Felicity emphatically stated that she could not believe that it was possible to ever feel so bad. She shuddered when she declared to me that she could never survive another episode like that again. The emotional pain was so intense and all encompassing. When she was about fourteen, Felicity first realized that she didn't always feel quite right. She was subject to very bad moods. She and her family reluctantly accepted it as a rocky phase of adolescence. In her last year of high school, she studied excessively and experienced tremendous anxiety. Despite her straight "A" average, she had managed to convince herself that she wasn't very smart. Something really snapped during her first week at university. Felicity described the unfamiliar sensations like this: "It felt as if acid had been poured into my veins. I was wired all the time." Her unrelenting anxiety and constant agitation rendered her unable to even talk to her friends. Increasingly frustrated, she turned inward and became an unwilling insomniac. There was never a moment when she could feel relaxed about anything. Due to a combination of the above factors, Upwards of ten percent of the population of Canada may have either knowingly or unknowingly succumbed to this severe affliction. As an emotional disorder, it is the most common mental illness in North America. And it could happen to anyone. This is the story of a survivor - a woman who endured a depression for over a her body, tearing away at the very core of her soul. There seemed to be no end in sight and nowhere to turn for help. Frightened and alone, her life was hurtling towards an all time low. Thinking that a change of scenery would relieve some of the agony, she quit university one credit short of her degree. Not wanting to be idle, she joined a Dr. Felicity Graves (a pseudonym) is a Ph.D. graduate who works as a scientific researcher at a Canadian university. Although she is now happily married, successful and well-ensconced in her career, volunteer youth program called 'Katimavik'. This federally sponsored work experience young adult life battling severe depression. interference forced her to once again tl seek professional treatment But the tal help. given counsellor/psychologist by a was campu completel useless. Her need for survival was great. She reall did not want to take her own life. He addiction to running great distances of 10 tl 12 miles per day helped to ease the pain. soothed her into a trance-like state, at leas for a few hours after every work out. Her optimum physical health was marred 17 an increasing obsession with her weight Although extremely thin, she viewed herse as being disgustingly fat. One way o another, a tragic and senseless end to thi anguish was becoming a frightenim possibility. unending one of situation became desperation. Panic attacks ripped through decade and lived to talk about it. she spent approximately 12 years of her Incessant suicidal thoughts taunted an tormented her. it became almost impossibly to study for exams. This daunting that these strange feelings would only be temporary. In the meantime, Felicity was Three agonizing years dragged by before her simmering anxiety exploded into a full blown derepression. Engulfed in feeling of hopelessness and despair, Felicity's the numbers of persons who have been afflicted with this emotional illness have increased significantly since the 1940s. accepted at another university which offerec a science program that was of great interes to her. But it was no respite. In fact, thing got even worse. university student, the physician assured her yet undetermined environmental factor. Hormonal systems, as well as genetics, play a significant role in this particular chemical imbalance in the brain. one credit she needed for her Bachelor o Arts degree. She applied to and wa: These increasingly frightening sensations prompted Felicity to seek advice from her family doctor. Because she was a new told to seek a diversion, such as a hobby or other interest outside of school. Although she complied with the prescription by pursuing long distance running, the remedy never did take effect. investigations have also suggested that there may be some interaction with an as That summer she managed to complete th( took her to different locations across the country with a group of young people who worked on community-oriented projects. Two-thirds of the way through this program, the intensifying anxiety continued to throttle and choke her. She felt trapped, as if there were no escape. Keeping to herself, she told no one of her situation. Worst of all, she felt hopelessly alone. Thinking that the pressure of this experience was too great for her, her only viable option was, once again, to quit. Just when there seemed to be no escap serendipity intervened in a most fortuitot way. Felicity happened upon a book call( Holiday of Darkness by Toroni psychologist Dr. Norman Endler. To h amazement, the description of this man illness was refreshingly familiar. She no knew what had been tormenting her for those years. And it was indeed call( depression. After she insisted that her parents read th book ( and they complied), they recogniz( the seriousness of her problem. With th( assistance in demanding immediate medic attention, Felicity was able to obtain ti services of a psychiatrist without dela Seven years after the initial onset of h illness, she began corrective drug ar psychotherapy. Northern Woman 8 PDF compression, OCR,Journal web Page optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �However, it was not the quick fix that she had so desperately hoped for. Inappropriate and inadequate treatment left her with a host of annoying side effects such as increased heart rate, hand tremors, constipation, dry Her mouth and excessive sweating. psychiatrist chose to ignore her requests for medication with fewer side effects. To make matters even worse, her recurrent anxiety attacks were not being controlled at all. That beloved running was now out of the question because of a rapidly beating heart. In addition, the slightest movements left her She recalled a drenched in sweat. particularly embarrassing incident when she was waiting in line at a bank on a cool autumn day. After a few minutes, her clothes were dripping wet. She was so selfconscious about it that she left the bank line and headed for home. As she walked down the street, she imagined the disgusted stares from everyone who passed her by. She really believed she was a freak. Three years after discovering the nature of her illness, Felicity discontinued both her drug and talk therapy. There didn't seem to be anything else that the doctor could do for period of time, Felicity's disillusionment with psychiatrists and psychologists was absolute. her. For a She then tried to take different approaches to healing herself. She attempted an anxiety and public speaking course, sought aptitude testing and then pursued transcendental meditation, But these repeated efforts to Coincidentally, her physical and emotional healing began when she returned to the family doctor who had initially dismissed her complaints so many years ago. But this time things were different. This physician had recently suffered through His ability to a life-threatening illness. empathize and to have compassion for those with other afflictions had greatly intensified. With his attentive guidance, Felicity is now fully recovered from her chronic depression, and continues a maintenance dose of antidepressants that works well for her. When Felicity back looks over those harrowing times in her life, she can clearly see that it was a matter of getting through one day at a time without really knowing what was wrong or what she should do to correct things. In hindsight, she realizes that you can go from one thing to another, but a serious problem will always follow you. For me, it was one long painful journey." week, for no apparent, to seek immediate medical attention. These are: prolonged and overwhelming feelings of sadness, hopelessness, extreme anxiety, loss of energy and interest, withdrawn, irritable, inability to concentrate, suicidal thoughts or feelings of guilt, excessive sleep or difficulty in sleeping. During something else to fill her life, and was accepted into a graduate school science Felicity suggests that a family member or friend intervene on the patient's behalf, if necessary. Go to another doctor if the first all this time, she managed to complete her science degree with first class honours. She searched around for program. Unfortunately, the first two years in the one is not providing appropriate care, or has misdiagnosed the problem. Masters program were a complete waste of time. Felicity felt completely misguided and The was much too insecure and frightened to ask her supervisor for direction. She just managed to stumble along. The ultimate humiliation came when she realized that she was too terrified to instruct undergraduate students in laboratory experiments. Although the co-ordinator was exceptionally understanding, Felicity experienced tremendous shame in having to reveal this "weakness". Anxiety fulminated into endless hours of gripping terror. There were no hours of the day or night from which she could escape it. Eventually, she became very run down. Felicity a very lively 1988 and being so recalled attending Christmas party in exhausted that she was close to fainting. Although there were people there that she hadn't seen for a while, her weakened state left her unable to converse with them. Shortly thereafter, a severe bout of mononucleosis rendered her physically, as well as emotionally drained for months. Recurrent painful abscesses appeared all over her body. Frequent co,urses of antibiotics wreaked havoc with her already stressed out immune system. Is Superior Felicity urges that if one experiences any of the following symptoms for more that a She insists that the person with depression be persistent with her doctor about appropriate and adequate medical treatment. This is often a very difficult task for a person in the throes of depression, so help herself were in vain. Coffeehouse family doctor should be able to determine if a referral to a psychiatrist or psychologist is needed. Felicity believes that it is important to initiate corrective drug therapy, which can only be administered by a medical doctor, before embarking on talk therapy. When the person is beginning to Superior Women's Coffeehouse celebrated its first birthday this past July among friends at the Unitarian Hall. In our second season, we hope to bring more women musicians, poets, storytellers, artists and entertainers to our loyal and enthusiastic audiences. Coffeehouses are open to all women and their friends, and are held (usually) on the third Saturday of every second month at the Unitarian Hall on S. Algoma St. Our next gathering is Saturday, September 24th at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $3.00 at the door (see ad this Journal issue). Join us for a lovely evening of music and what else coffee! In addition to the Coffeehouse, we are holding our inaugural WOMEN'S SOCIAL at the Multicultural Centre on N. Court St. (see ad this Journal issue). This special event will run from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and will be a fun evening of dancing, socializing and maybe a glass of wine! Tickets will be available for $5 at the September Coffeehouse or from our friendly Journal Collective members. feel better, then suitable psycotherapy may be appropriate. Her firm conviction is to seek treatment as soon as possible; the longer one puts off getting medical attention, then the longer it will probably take to recover. Do not delay. Unfortunately, a stigma continues to attach itself to emotional and mental illnesses. People seem to be afraid of what they don't understand. If you are ridiculed by others for their own ignorance, try to disregard them. Felicity stresses that depression is a real illness, not a character flaw, and it can be successfully treated in most cases. Society must realize that the mind can suffer an illness in the same manner as the body. And it could happen to anyone at any time. It knows no barriers. educating the masses about this common affliction, Felicity believes that there will be no more need to suffer and no more need for shame. By PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Northern Woman Journal Page 9 �Northern Woman's Bookstore 65 South Court Street Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 2X2 (807) 344-7979 WHAT'S NEW IN THE BOOKSTORE by Margaret Phillips Fall is always a book reader's dream. Despite urging from booksellers to stagger the publication of major new titles throughout the year, publishers insist on bringing out all new works in the fall. This year is no exception: there are choices galore. In Canadian fiction there is a new Alice Munro collection, OPEN SECRETS; ACROSS THE BRIDGE by Mavis Gallant; SKY Lee's second novel BELLYDANCER; a new lesbian mystery GHOST MOTEL by Jackie Manthorne; and the amazing Anne Cameron's latest novel DEEJAY AND BETTY. New American fiction includes a wonderful amazon her-story novel AMAZON STORY BONES by Ellen Frye; I AM BECOMING THE WOMAN I'VE WANTED, edited by Sandra Haldeman Martz (of 'When I'm an Old Woman' fame); Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown have another mystery MURDER AT MONTICELLO. And both Starhawk's THE BIOGRAPHIES/MEMOIRS NON-FICTION looking forward to Kay really McPherson's autobiography which is very appropriately titled WHEN IN DOUBT DO BOTH. With unflagging energy McPherson How to choose which non-fiction titles to write about? It's a difficult choice. I'll begin I'm has been one of my generation's most courageous activists (even once denied entry to the U.S. because she was "subversive"). Active in the VOICE OF WOMEN, NAC and the peace movement, and after 30 years still writing, organizing and demonstrating, McPherson is a true FIRING THE HEATHER: The Life and Times Briskin and Patricia Mc Dermott; and in of Nellie McClung by Mary E. Hallett and SISTERS IN SOLIDARITY by Julie White. "Everything you need to know about how to Marilyn I. Davies is an important book which provides a vivid portrait of the many-faceted McClung - suffragist, politician, author - and also gives a picture of the times in which she lived, the barriers facing women, and the determination of the feminist activists of that era. Other recent fiction titles include: ANGEL OF SOLITUDE by Marie-Claire Blais THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT by Eve Zaremba CHORUS OF MUSHROOMS by Hiromi Goto DEAD AND LIVING by Jane Bow THE INFINITE PLAN by Isabel Allende straight" (which she is sure her unauthorized biographers will not do), UNDER MY SKIN is Undertaken by Lessing "to set the record certainly a different style of biography, and very fascinating reading. While often irritated by Lessing's elitism, I am awestruck by her superb writing, and look forward to Volume MEDUSA AND HER SISTERS by Clare WEDDING CAKES, RATS AND RODEO QUEENS by Anne Cameron Criticism, edited by Jeannette Armstrong is the first compilation in Canada of literary critique essays on "Native Literature" by First Nations People. Literary movement, and it is nice that her memoirs are available to us during her lifetime. No doubt THE autobiography of the year will be Doris Lessing's UNDER MY SKIN, which covers the first thirty years of her life. Women, edited by Asha Kanwar LOOKING AT THE WORDS OF OUR PEOPLE: An Anthology of First Nation Women's relationship in the Canadian Labour movement is explored in WOMEN Feminism, UNIONS: CHALLENGING Democracy and Militancy, edited by Linda "role model" for the Canadian women's FIFTH SACRED THING, and LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE by Laura Esquirel are out in paperback. Braux ONLYVILLE by Cynthia Holz OUT ON MAIN STREET by Shani Mootoo SAINTS AND RUNNERS by Libby Scheier THE U N FORGETTI NG HEART: An Anthology of Short Stories by African American with some of the Canadian titles. form or build a union" is found in ORGANIZING UNIONS by Mary Cornish and Lynn Spink. J. Caplan (Myth of Women's Masochism, Don't Blame Mother) has a new book titled: YOU'RE SMARTER THAN THEY MAKE YOU FEEL: How the Experts Intimidate Us and What We Can Do About It. Paula PATIENT NO MORE: The Politics of Breast Cancer, by Sharon Batt, is "both a personal document of one woman's journey from anger to action, and an unparalleled exposé of the politics of breast cancer. WE'RE ROOTED HERE AND THEY CAN'T PULL US UP: Essays in African Canadian Other biographies/memoirs include: Women's History, Peggy Bristow, editor, Dionne Brand, Linda Carty, Afva Cooper, Sylvia Hamilton, Adrienne Shadd. These DOWN UNDER ALL OVER: A Love Affair essays "explore 300 years of Black women this long overdue history . in Canada . with Australia by Barbara Marie Brewster GRACE: The Life of Grace Maclnnes by S.P. . . . . Lewis in . provides a much-needed text . history, women's history and Canadian I AM ROE: My Life Roe v Wade and women's studies." Freedom of Choice by Norma McCorvey k.d. lang: All You Get is Me by Victoria Starr THE ME IN THE MIRROR by Connie Panzarino PERFECTION OF THE MORNING: An Apprenticeship in Nature by Sharon Butala TOUCH THE DRAGON by Karen Connelly . PICASSO'S WOMA\ A Breast Cancer Story WHERE ONCE OUR MOTHERS STOOD WE STAND: Women in Newfoundland by Margot I. Duley WILDERNESS MOTHER: The Chronicle of a Modern Pioneer by Deanna Kawatski WHEN WOMEN PLAYED BASEBALL by Susan E. Johnson Rosalind MacPhee Nortyern.WimanOCR, Journal:web Pageoptimization 10 PDF compression, using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �NEW TITLES ON VIOLENCE ISSUES LESBIAN NON-FICTION In RESIST!: Essays Against a Homophobic Culture, edited by Mona Oikawa, Dionne Falconer and Ann Decter, lesbians and bisexual women examine and challenge the ways in which homophobia, Iesbophobia and heterosexism function - individually, socially and politically." AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY: The Evidence of Harm by Diane E.H. Russell CAN'T GET OVER IT: Handbook for I Trauma Survivors by Aphrodite Matsakis IMPROPER ADVANCES: Rape and Heterosexual Conflict in Ontario 1880-1929 by Karen Dubinsky CARRY: A Memoir of THE MOTHER Healing from Emotional Abuse by Louise M. Wisechild NEXT TIME SHE'LL BE DEAD by Ann Jones TRANSFORMING A RAPE CULTURE by Buchwald et al UNCHAINED MEMORIES: True Stories of Traumatic Memories by Lenore Terr YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE IT: Women's BLOODLINES Odyssey of a Native Dasaillatc v. I OUT RAGE: Dykes and Bis Resist Homophobia, edited by Mona Oikawa, Dionne Falcone, Rosamund Elwin and Ann Decter, "is a chorus of lesbian voices working class and middle class, Black Asian, First Nation, Jewish and white - raised in anger and celebration." MY AMERICAN HISTORY: Lesbian and Gay During the Reagan/Bush Years, by Life Sarah Schulman, is a collection of essays that includes Handbook. the Lesbian Avengers About Sex, Class and Literature, by Dorothy Allison: "I wear my skin only as thin as I have to, armour myself only as much as seems absolutely necessary. try to live naked in the world, unashamed even under attack, unafraid even though I know how much there is to SKIN: Talking THE LESBIAN HERESY by Sheila Jeffreys AUTHOR Of TF42 /AILING OF CECILIA CA3T1Jkl Guide to Confronting Emotional Abuse at Work by Ginny Ni Carthy, Naomi Gottlieb, 11. Sandra Coffman THE COURAGE TO HEAL (updated and expanded) by E. Bass and I. Davis BACK IN STOCK: INCEST AND SEXUALITY by Wendy Malts and Beverly Holman SEXUALLY VICTIMIZED CHILDREN by David Finklehorn THINKING FEMINIST by Diane Richardson and Victoria Robinson A WHISTLING WOMAN IS UP TO NO GOOD by Laurel King WITCHCRAZE by Anne L. Barstow WOMAN CHANGING WOMAN by Virginia Butler MORE NON-FICTION TITLES I fear." JANET CAMPBELL HALE AND STILL WE RISE, ed Linda Carty GAZA AND GOD by Rosemary Ruether BLOOD, BREAD AND ROSES: How "challenges thee male supremacist and racist assumptions of the sex industry. THE LESBIAN HERESY advocates the continued creation of a separate lesbian culture, community, friendship and ethics based on principles of equality and resistance." Finally, I would like to introduce two talented young NWO women. JESSICA BLACK has written and published a young-adult book called TRAM'S DIARY. TRAM was sent from Menstruation Created the World by Judy the planet Quilop as a "world watcher to Grahn DECOLONIZING FEMINISM by Laura Donaldson THE FEMINIST CLASSROOM by Frances A. protect humans from extinction," and observes a number of problems with suggestions of how young people can deal with them. AMY BRUNN has recorded her Maher and Mary Kay Tetreault HOMEWORKERS WORLDWIDE by Sheila Rowbotham first cassette SAVANNAH, and demonstrates great musical talent. Congratulations to both Jessica and Amy. LETTERS FROM THE WAR ZONE by Andrea Dworkin MEETING THE MADWOMAN by Linda Leonard MISCEGENATION BLUES ed. Carol Camper MOVING BEYOND WORDS by Gloria Steinem PILLAR OF ISIS by Vivian O'Regan VVC..)IVIENS. !VI EDICINE WAYS SANDINO'S DAUGHTERS REVISITED by Margaret Randall ,,un, wave )00e344 mean 5211911 larh. 02920 anako. 161140 2.1,LSE111,110 nslae n000 03 318" esm f Aos" vv00,14.3 nage cormary.en AENEWErI3330"Herr3110 453003.0438400 2044 20320 3 328040 02' 3223307 f 3134402 vnaurrrn, 3edd48111 crmov taia-Amn e893 v34101 10010 413.14 bvicra. 14558 .4800 NANA 65 S. COURT ST EQUINOX 811325 kb 12'4 501.3100211 PHONE: 346-4600 COMPUTER SERVICES Mailing Lists Resumes & Covering Letters Term Papers, Theses, Reports Newsletter & Pamphlet Layout Personal & Business Correspondence Business Forms Design Individual Lessons Consultation at your site or ours Troubleshooting, Maintenance & Repair Equipment selection & Setup Call Maryann for a free consultation SPECIALIZING IN COMPUTER LITERACY TRAINING FOR WOMEN Journal Page Il PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy ofNotthern.Woinan CVISION PDFCompressor �Recommendation # 1: Policies must be put in place that support all women (independent of their race or class background, age and abilities) to obtain reproductive,freedom, including access to appropriate primary health care services, food, housing, information, education, universal child care, as well as access to policy and decision-making channels. Recommendation # 2: Canada must immediately address the development and use of "new" reproductive technologies in light of the outstanding questions about the impact of these technologies on the health of women and their children and on society as a whole. Recommendation #3:, Immigration and refugee policies must be adopted that do not discriminate against people of the Third World. Migration and displacement of Third World people must not be used as a rationale for funding population control programs. Recommendation #4: Rather than investing millions of dollars in the development and use of sophisticated fertility and fetal monitoring technology, Canada should balance its use of technologies and financial resources to accomodate persons with disabilities and, in conjunction with disability rights organizations, to: 1) address the socio-economic and environmental causes of infertility and disability (ie. causes related to poverty, war, toxic environments and unsafe workplaces); 2) protect both disability equality rights and sex equality rights guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; 3) educate all professions and the Canadian public in order to replace the eugenic philosophy of "detection for the purpose of elimination" with a philosophy which is respectful of the equality rights of persons with disabilities and all women's reproductive autonomy. Recommendation #5: The Canadian government must adopt policies to end the use of Depo Provera as a contraceptive in Canada as well as in the Third World and to stop the unethical use of other long-acting provider-controlled contraceptives. The Canadian government must restrict the use of Norplant to recognized health centres where providers have been thoroughly trained in insertion and removal. The government must establish a registry to monitor women who have used Depo Provera or Norplant. The government must also fund ongoing research into the long-term health risks of these drugs on women and their children. Recommendation #6: Canada must take a leadership role in ensuring that the distribution of hormonal contraceptives takes place within an ethical framework, as part of integrated health services and with women's full and informed consent. For this to happen, full information about the potential risks of these agents must be gathered and made accessible to all current and potential users. Recommendation #7: Appropriate government and health bodies, in consultation with women's organizations, must evaluate the safety, and use of hormonal contraceptives in Canada and in those Third World countries where CIDA provides development assistance. Recommendation #8: Canada and federally-funded institutions such as the International Development Research Centre, must put resources toward the development of safe and appropriate contraceptives that women control and that meet women's needs, and negotiate with women about the process for doing this. Canada should take a lead role in supporting the improvement of existing, and development of new, barrier methods as well as in developing, educating, and promoting appropriate contraceptive use by men. Recommendation #9: Policies and measures must be put in place to ensure funds from the Canadian International Development Agency go to basic human development and integrated health services including reproductive health information and services, rather than to population control programs. Recommendation #10: Canada should be a leading voice within the international community (United Nations, World Bank, ea.) in promoting sustainable development as a priority rather than prioritizing a reduction of the population growth rate. Recommendation #11: Canada should stop supporting structural adjustment programs, forgive Third World debt and work towards equitable trade relations major steps towards removing barriers to sustainable development and women's rights worldwide. NORTHERN VOMAN J)URNAL Northern Woman Journal Page 12 NORTHERN VOMAN 3)URNAL 111411.44, OCR, 44 PDF compression, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Everywomen Going North for Easter For six months of the year I am Intellectual Woman Reading/writing/thinking/creating my work. Winter Cycle Almost monochrome this grey Easter day but for the yellow line bisecting the highway to the vanishing point. For another half the year I am Earth Mother Baking cookies, visiting parks, devoting all my time to my Family. Summer Solstice In winter away from In summer away from White birches in clear outline against evergreens so dark they're almost black. I resent every moment . my work. I celebrate every moment my work. The skyline lacy with the skeletal hands of leafless trees. Driving along this eternal northern road I worry about this scenery so imprinted on my mind that my dying images may well be of jutting rocks and jagged trees In winter I am inspired at odd moments in the bath, in my bed. In summer I am required at all moments from the bath, from the gibed. Divided between the women I am or hope to become., What do my daughters make of_this matriarchal metamorphosis? This strange shifting back and forth. They no longer ask me if my work is done but wait, suspended stillborn, expecting the birth of a whole mother. Renee Norman but closer up, the conifers are deep, warm green and lift their arms in frilly, undulating boughs and the hills far away are almost blue. Ruth Latta rf,--V.s7-1-,...*...._ -.V.ir - ,I itil ft- -1 ,mor -... .,. .---;. - 45`4' 44.:, I....C.rz..- WAVES used to be a cold narrow brook, running in the forest, mountains, and valleys. I know that standinci waters die from within. I knew that joining the waves of the seas brings new life to the little brooks. Neither the long way, nor the dark craters, not the temptation to stop running ore vented me from moving on Now I have joined the endless waves. I exist in struggle, and my rest is my death. by Marzieh Ahmadi Oskooi Harzieh Ahmadi Oskooi was a woman revolutionary guerrilla, and a member of the Organization of Irani an People's Fedavee Guerrilla, She has written many poems and short stories about the suffering of Iranian people, resistance, and struggle. She was martyred in an armed confrontation with the Shah's (Iran) police in 1974. Northern Woman Journal Page 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �KNOW by Brenda Small Outside the house where I grew up there was a willow tree that hid the bones of various animals that my father harvested to feed our family. Underneath the lush green leaves of summer, the various token pieces of bone that hung by pieces of string represented our thanks and offering to the spirit world. SOME had heard stories of families that had starved in the bush and was taught As a child, I that these bones my father hung from the tree was our recognition of that possibility. I learned from. an early age that we had to be thankful for everything we were able to harvest from the land. The ritual of hanging up the bones showed that we were grateful and that we acknowledged' our continuing obligation to respect the earth. I suspect that when others looked at our cultivated yard and simple woodframe house they thought that we had long ago given up our harvesting rituals. The truth of the matter was that there was more to the way that we lived than there appeared. Amidst the forget-me-nots and marigolds that my mother had planted along the white picket fence I knew that those bones were there even if the rest of the world did not. In more recent years, I realize that there are numerous ways in which this childhood experience serves as a metaphor about my own adult life. As a Cree woman, living in modern times, I am often viewed as one of those who gave up traditional Cree pursuits for an urban, decidedly non-Aboriginal way of life. Not true, say. Just like that willow tree that stood on the manicured lawn of my parents home there is more here than meets the eye. I In spite of the urban environment there are many ways in which I have tried to observe the traditions of my people. I have tried to remain true to my early childhood lessons and to remember the things that my parents taught me. But I realize that I am required to find a way for these principles to apply in the face of enormous social and political TRIBAL WOMEN found myself face to face with Aboriginal people who bore no resemblance to the people I grew up with. Although these urban sophisticates were felt that a legal definition was hardly conclusive in determining the real citizenship responsibilities associated with being a always related to someone from a reserve or realizing the extent of my own internalized colonialism, I realized that I had saw these to change the way that Several years ago I village community they themselves had never lived in the way that many Aboriginal people have. They certainly did not grow up in the conditions or environment to which I was accustomed. The distance between my life experience and theirs was great and often equivalent to that of a white middle class Canadian, who in all liklihood had little or no knowledge of life in remote northern Ontario. I recall that my first response was not unlike that of many Aboriginal people in that questioned the place of these individuals member of an Aboriginal community. After I newcomers who had come into our circle. wanted to see these decided that I I individuals in another way. I wanted to see them through the eyes of a Cree or Eeou woman. I wanted to greet them in the tradition of my people. I wanted to try and greet them in the way that a balanced and healthy Cree community would have welcomed them. I within our community. In all honesty, my first response was one of exclusion: Who are these people who "say" that they're Indian? Along with this recognition, I had to begin to look for the qualities that reminded me of the traditional teachings of my family. started to look for kindness and generosity I of spirit. Ironically, I did not question their legal status as "Indians" but I shared the same ethnochauvinistic and learned defensive position that although they could be considered "Indians" under Canadian law that did not really mean anything in Aboriginal terms. I I wanted to see these individuals in terms other than the legal and the political. To my mind, the only way I would truly "see" them would be by finding the tribal identity that lived within myself and in them. I began to wonder would our hearts beat the same? change. This means, in part, that I subscribe to the notion that culture is an evolving thing and that it becomes many things through time. believe that the It also means that traditional values of my people are timeless I and that their relevance is not lost by the very nature of change. Northern Woman Journal Page 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I wanted to see the Aboriginal roots of these people reflected in their behaviour. I wanted to feel a kinship that would transcend our individual lives which were largely made up of differences in physical characteristics, imposed euro-centric legal definitions, acquired classism and internalized racism. By transcending these boundaries and divisive behaviours knew that we would begin to recognize one another in a much SUPERIOR WOMEN'S I more spiritual way. COFFEEHOUSE I began to imagine us seeing one another in With the recognition of tribal ways. ourselves as ancient tribal peoples I thought to myself, we would learn to meet one another in a context. natural, less constrained Saturday, September 24, 1994 8:00p.m. The equation then had to be extended to "other" people. Others who made up the dominant culture and the profoundly unfamiliar. Would I be able-to see others in a tribal way? at the Unitarian House 129 S. Algoma I have been told that it is not our way to be exclusionary. There are many stories about $3.00 at the door (or more if you can) things being part of an integrated whole. Now, struck by the beautiful blue eyes of my Mohawk friend who is the third generation of her people to be raised away from the village of her people I am sure that she is tribal. When I see the perseverance of my Cree FEATURING RECORDING ARTIST friend from Saskatchewan, I am humbled and grateful to see the courage of her mother in her walk. I celebrate that I don't need to see their status cards or question their place in the amended legislation anymore. Amy Brunn Their kindness and generosity of spirit is reflected in how they make time for others. They are polite and respectful. Their quiet participation in moments of meditation and prayer signifies their coming home. When I see them in the circle I am proud. When I am told of how they lobby on behalf of Aboriginal women and students in the corridors of privilege in Toronto, touched by their determination. I am I know these tribal women, my grandmother and my mother introduced them to me long ago. P. Northern Woman Journal Page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �SUPERIOR WOMEN'S COFFEEHOUSE presents singer, songwriter, entertainer, recording artist Kim Erickson Saturday, November 12, 1994 8:00p.m. at the Unitarian House 129 S. Algoma Tickets $5.00 in advance ($6.00 at the door) Available at Northern Woman's Book Store 65 S. Court St. .6.4111, Breast Cancer in Ontario died from breast cancer. jacqueline Pelletier has been appointed as the provincial spokesperson for the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP). The OBSP was set up by the Ministry of Health in 1990 to provide a province-wide, comprehensive breast cancer screening program. It is estimated that in 1993, 2,100 women Screening at an OBSP centre includes an examination of the breasts by a nurse-examiner, twoview mammography and instruction on breast self-examination. To be eligible for screening, a woman must be an Ontario resident aged 50 or older with no previous history of breast cancer, no surgical enlargement of her breasts and no mammogram within the last year. There is no charge for the service. A woman can make her own appointment or be referred by her physician. Screening results are provided in writing to each woman and her physician within two weeks of her screening visit. Centres are located in Hamilton, Kingston, London, Ottawa, Sudbury, Toronto and Windsor. A mobile screening van serves Northwestern Ontario from its base in Thunder Bay. For information about a centre in your region, call: In Northwestern Ontario, the Breast Screening program goes on the road. From March through November, the van travels from Marathon/Manitouwadge to the Manitoba border. For information or the date that the van will be in your area, call 1- iii 800- 461 -7031. 1-800-668-9304. Northern Woman Journalweb Pageoptimization 16 PDF compression, OCR, using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Soaped Class Mall Nee Istratlea No. 5697 MAIL TO: 4,0 RETURN TO: YV`-e-- THE NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL P.O. BOX 144 THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO P7C 4V5 Th Return Postage Guaranteed ;2IS THERE AN ASTERISK ON YOUR,LABEL?? PLEASE RENEW YOUR SUBSCRIPTION Don't forget to renew your SUBSCRIPTION NAME ADDRESS POSTAL CODE proible'd Hri517)1\wr Stab() Individual Institutional $20.00 NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL PO Box 144 Thunder Bay Ontario fkQ,C\- ri\F dfm /4, P7C4Y5 %1Atie SA 1..14 S siypee odS01° PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 15 No 4 Description An account of the resource Vol. 15, No. 4 (Sept 1994) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Canadian Women’s Committee on Reproduction, Population and Development Population control Women in non-traditional work roles Depression and women Northern Women’s Bookstore Reproductive rights Poetry Colonialism Breast cancer Authors/Contributors: Margaret Phillips Teresa Legoswki Charlene Dodge Gwenith Margaret Whitford Renee Norman Ruth Latta Marzieh Ahmadi Oskool Brenda Small Margaret Johnston Chris Snyder Jane Saunders Sandy Smith Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1994-09 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2834/1994_Vol_16_No_1.pdf 2317fc052c983c57452313ad5041b505 PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 16 No 1 Description An account of the resource Vol. 16, No. 1 (December 1994) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Population, resources, and equity Women portrayal in the media Poetry Tribal identity and feminism Aboriginal women identity Midwifery education programme Access to social programmes Authors/contributors: Karen Seabrooke Debb Hurlock Michelle Collins R.V. Skene Liliane Welch Joyce Michalchuk Margaret Brenda Small Margaret Jonhston Chris Snyder Sandey Smith Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1994-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2835/1995_Vol_16_No_2.pdf 2dbfb0aa3a441e5321a32b748601a79d PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 16 No 2 Description An account of the resource Vol. 16, No. 2 (April 1995) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Native people and Canadian law Law reforms from a Native perspective Superior Women’s Coffeehouse Feminist film review Female genital mutilation Amnesty International human rights abuses against women Value of drama Native women in the arts Poetry Lesbianism Authors/contributors: Debb Hurlock Barbara Mitchell Pollock Jill Battson Tina Renee Norman Brenda Daugherty Brenda Small Margaret Johnston Chris Snyder Jane Saunders Sandey Smith Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-04 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2836/1995_Vol_16_No_3.pdf b0b4a67556498c6739e0f3e7e3aa4358 PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 16 No 3 Description An account of the resource Vol. 16, No. 3 (November 1995) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Evolution of the Northern Woman Journal Editorial policy Provincial Conservative government policies Violence against women Child care Income security & housing Health & community services Employment challenges Recession & employment Poetry Ontario Legal Aid plan defunding Cutbacks to social programs Women & the economy Quilting Literacy & women Milk & bovine growth hormone Feminist book review Hope & healing child sexual abuse Feminist Press Authors/contributors: Rosalind Lockyer Rebecca A. Banks Renee Norman Sandey Smith Joyce Michalchuk Laurel Benson Debb Hurlock Jane Saunders Margaret Johnston Chris Snyder Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-11 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2837/1995_Vol_16_No_4_Final_issue.pdf ebdfcd977f872fc53ff2c2b561a4fe66 PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 16 No 4 Description An account of the resource Vol. 16, No. 4 (1995) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Child support defaulters Northern Women's Bookstore Women & labour Northwestern Ontario Women’s Decade Council Celebration of Dr. Leni Untinen Divorce Farm life for women Rural/northern isolation & loneliness Unemployment insurance Canada Pension Plan Unemployment insurance Tribute to Kathryn Brule Poetry Disbandment of Advisory Council on Women’s Issues Authors/contributors: Debb Hurlock Dianna Leeder Maureen Ford Lynne Thunderstorm Leni Untinen Margaret Phillips Lini Richards Grol Anne Le Dressay Ruth Latta Margaret Jonhston Chris Snyder Sandey Smith Jane Saunders Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2749/1977_Vol_3_No_6.pdf 7f2946da0fd3b9ba3780cb3b34f20332 PDF Text Text �The Northern Woman Regional Journal collective accepts the responsibility for publishing all articles in this However, the opinions of the paper. author are not necessarily those of each collective member. Any comment should be sent to our office. The Collective. GERT'S GOSPEL It was a great personal relief to me when multiple personalities began to be documented. It has been quite a long time since I faced my morning mirror and asked plaintively, "Who am I am now perfectly content I". to query, " Are we all here?" knowing that we are indeed all here and ready for just about When I first disanything. covered I was a crowd it was The collective of the North- my intention to be absolutely ern Woman Regional Journal owes fair with equal time for everyour subscribers both an apology one concerned but when I discovered we were a fairly easy and an explanation for the going crew we just decided that lateness of this issue. when I knocked on the door of The transition from paid cookies she bought at the market myself, whoever had the energy staff to a working collective in the cookie jar and take the would answer and surprise the cannot be successfully made loose dirt out. rest of us. without a firm basis of comA couple of days a week it's itted voluntary workers. In Consequently on any given bound to be Libby the Libber, off the past, the load has not morning it could be Carlotta, to the house of women where she been fairly distributed, and a gift from my Spanish grandfeels not indispensible but we have relied too heavily on Will she in her permother. reasonably intelligent, spiritthe creative energy of too few. petual lust for life invade the ually energized and creative. This has had the effect of chamber of my aging spouse, rip Lib is a late bloomer, stuck like making those who were involved off his sheet, expose him to the a fly in the syrup of the biblical feel they were taken advantage morning air, bite off half his good woman, she had stifled her of, and those who were not ear and sink her long nails inown rebellion by gnawing off her involved feel they were not to his quivering and flabby wings and laying down for the needed. Not likely, but she is flanks. Just in time she expersugar. We attempted to cement a not dead, she sleeps, weary of ienced a born-again conversion foundation of collective soliit all and no one mourns her which straightened her spine, darity before we went to press abscence more than my spouse. removed the film from her eyes again, to insure a continuous She was his favourite, and sent her out to preach the publication every two months gospel of the total female, hayIt could be Nanna, the proas we originally promised to do. mother, ing recognized the enemy who shall fessional relative, alias After long discussions, and She is out to grandmother, aunt, sister, and remain nameless. many disagreements, we have curb his influence, reduce his established a working volunteer wife not to mention daughter, him of his fantasmother-in-law and daughter-inpower, relieve collective. Some of the members ies while hoping there's enough In the days before I knew law. of the new collective particiin there to good stuff under all that garbage I had a lot of help pated in the evaluation and to win her love and respect. straighten her out, she almost Some new goal setting meetings. Hell-bent on being did me in. That is only the beginning of members did not. Some of the indispensible to an ever widenthe personalities that inhabit participants in the organizaing circle who were just as the long house that shelters us. tional meetings chose to withmyth, committed to testing the I am enchanted with the idea that draw as "collective" members, she found herself with a case of I might be a long house. It has but will continue to offer the terminal guilts whenever the connotations of natural people, their services. cookie jar was empty or a button While the format will not be ina natural place doing natural missing, used to grind her teeth things in harmony, where the gut changed a great deal, we hope She's very relaxed these fighter and dreamer, the dirt a lot. to do more that is original, days, saying things like "Is youi farmer and poet puff lazily on with each member of the colleg broken?" "Don't bother me, the pipe of peace and the smoke lective committed to their I'm thinking" and "Get your drifts out either end of this special interests. We just let foot off my neck". open -ended structure, where the We still make regional input o pack the her out long enough to aging crone who has advanced to a high priority, and earnestly reflection sits in solitary digsolicit from all our readers nity observing the sweat and letters and advice on the fever that takes place outside paper itself as well as news of the long house, lays another log things that concern women. on the fire and thanks the great We feel the bond created in spirit that love never diminishes the forming of this new collectwith use. ive will show itself in a richer, more diversified Journal. The single personality has no Stay with us and continue to balance. Without ling and yang, support us. it lies rigid as a stone, never The builder gets off the ground. builds better knowing the destroy It takes patience er is present. to know and appreciate the value Some of of your own complexity. people in me the most interesting are socially unacceptable which has increased my affection for them and made it practically impossible to be either surprised or disappointed in the human equation present in all my human northern woman journal page 2 family. APOLOGY PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �OUTERS CLUB Pam Wilson is interested in forming an informal Women's Outers Club. People interested in planning season's activities will meet Sept. 27 at 7:30 pm at Women's Place, 316 Bay St. or contact Pam for details, 683-5764. IMPORTANT NUMBERS THUNDER BOLT - TO RlArk Sauirrel for the sexist T.V. ads showing women 's posteriors and stating "We have the best bottoms in town" And to the Chronicle Journal who distorts the idea of women's Liberation by a sexist ad appealing to Have they run out girls (Girl's Lib.). of boys to exploit ?? . AL ANON ARTISTS CO-OP CRISIS HOUSING CRISIS INTERVENTION EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS FAMILY COUNSELLING FREE CLINIC HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION LEGAL AID MUNICIPAL DAY CARE NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION SMITH CLINIC SOCIAL SERVICES TELECARE 345-2711 622-9577 623=2711 344-3571 475-1691 623-9596 344-0727 475-1693 345-1972 344-3922 345-5841 345-7802 345-7802 344-2471 623-2711 344-2471 THUNDER CLAP to Marilyn Cavar one of four women who belong to the Toastmasters International. It took courage to speak on an unpoplar subject (Wages for Housework) in the presence of her male peers. Carry on Marilyn. Anyone interested in forming a group for Alcoholic Women please phone 345-7802 and leave first name and phone number. A meetin will be arranged. Cancer - causing Cosmetics The Food and Drug Administration is beginning an investigation into cancer causing properties of 27 popular shampoos and lotions. This investigation came only after a report on these products was prepared by Dr. David Fine for the National Science Foundation and released at the Americar Chemical Society's March meeting. Products under investigation are: Clairol Herbal Essence, Breck Shampoo for Dry Hair, PP Baby Shampoo, Mennen Baby Magic Shampoo, Head and Shoulders Shampoo, Wella Balsam, Johnson's Baby Lotion, Noxema Skin Cream, Keri Lotion, Nivea Cream Lotion, Sea and Ski Suntan Lotion, Extra Strength Desitin, School Cocoa Butter Lotion, Nutaderm Dry Skin Lotion, Bain de Soleil Suntan Creme, Diaparene Crado, Scholl Rough Skin Remover, Almay Deep Mist Extra Rich Lotion, Avon Topaz, Revlon Young Blush, Max Factor Ultraluscent Waterproof makeup, Clairol Creme Formula Hair Colour, Helene Curtis Everynight, and'Extra Body Conditioner. by jk "SHE WON" BRITISH RAPIST RELEASED London--Thomas Holdsworth, a guardsman in the Coldstream Guards, was given a three year sentence for his attempted rape of Carol Maggs. He broke herribs caused her serious internal injuries and ripped cut her earrings. When he appealed, his sentence was reduced to six months and suspended. One judge said, "It is probable that this girl would have been less severely injured if in fact she has submitted to rape by mere threat of force rather than forecebeing applied in the manner it was. " As the London Times said, "This almost suggestSthat refusing to be raped is a kind of contributory negligence." In other words, we can't win. If she had submitted without violence, they would have said that she didn't care whether she was raped. Maggs is seventeen years Inez Garcia, convicted of second-degree murder in 1974 for killing a man whom she said helped rape her, was acquitted this spring after a retrial. Raped and threatened with death Hitchhiker Advertise Availability she testified that she had picked up a gun, gone after her Calif. - In a nice companion tormentors, and killed one of piece to the Madison judge who them. After she was sentencedruled that rape is a normal refive years to life-Garcia stataction to women, the California ed simply, I have won...people Court of Appeals voted unanimbelieve in me...they identify ously to set free a man convicted with me." She spent 15 months of raping a woman because she was in jail before the decision a hitchhiker. In the written was overturned and a new trial decision, Judge Lynn Compton said, ordered. Susan Jordon, Inez "The lone female hitchhiker in the Garcia's lawyer in the second absence of an emergency situation trial, said she felt that thouas a practical matter, advises sands of women had identified all who pass by that she is will- with Inez Garcia's struggle and ing to enter the vehicle with any- had brought pressure to bear on one who stops and in so doing adthe public to reexamine its vertises she has less concern for attitudes about rape, and that the consequences than the average this was instrumental in winnold. female. Under such circumstances ing the acquittal. Holdsworth was ostensibly released it would not be unreasonable for Ms. Magazine,July/77 while waiting for his appeal bea man in the position of the decause of his fine military service fendant here to believe that the in Northern Ireland, where he was female would consent to sexual .,BNIII 1111M111 supposed to return. relations." However, A coalition of women's groups after his sentence was reduced, he was discharged from the army. picketed the Los Angeles Court Groups of angry women staged sev- of Appeal protesting the ruling. eral demonstrations in response The goups will work to have to this verdict. Two hundred Compton recalled and the ruling members of Women Against Rape overturned. (WAR) staged a mock trial in In other words, it is impossible Trafalgar Square, in which they to rape a hitchhiker because she found England's judges and gover- is the property of all men. The nment ministers guilty of connext woman hitchhiker raped in spiracy to rape and trespass again - California should sue the Court of Appeals. st the minds and bodies of women. 182 S. Algoma Str. NEWS 1111111=1111 11 THE CO-OP BOOKSHOP. AND RECORD CENTRE Info from LNS and the Detroit Free Press Info from LNS and In These Times Phone: 345-8912 Open: 10 A.M.-5 P.M. Monday to Saturday I 'm MIMI I northern woman journal page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �FEMINIST BOOKS individual problems, and individual solutions. Overall, however, there is enough material to sort through, so that most everyone will find something to take from this book and apply to our private and political lives. I've just finished reading a book I'd like to share. I made a mental note to buy copies for all my friends and family. I'd also like to donate a copy to Women's Centre. I realize that this first flush of enthusiasm may not last as long as it takes to find the necessary number of POWER POLITICS by-Margaret Atwood, Published by Anansi, Toronto, 1971. This must be what reviewers traditionally label "a slim volum It's also a book of poems describ a dissolving relationship between a man and a woman. I like poems which conjure up feelings and events and places In this book, th I can remember. imagery does not always make this connection with my experience. I does, however, make the connectio symbolically: I see you fugitive, stumbling acr the prairie, lungs knotted by thirst, sunheat nailing you down, all the things after you that can be after you with their clamps and poisoned ma copies. The book, Notes of a Feminist Therapist, by Elizabeth Friar Williams, is published in paperback by Dell, and sells Should I help you? Should I make you a mirage? for $1.50. My right hand unfolds rivers around you, my left hand releases The value of the book for me was that it helped me to analyze more clearly, and to identify specific behaviours in myself and others. I saw myself and some of my friends quite often among the pages. I will admit I was cautious at the outset for as I skimmed through the book before settling down to read it, some clearly Freudian references leaped out. I feared the title might not relate to the content. The book, however, was better than I dared hope. A number of "cases" are used to illustrate the conflicts in women's lives- in the areas of love, marriage, sex and work. Each "problem" could be connected in some way to either failures in communication, or a failure to reasses goals. For example, women are socialized to be devious and manipulative rather than to express honestly what we want. (In fact, we learn very quickly that making demands Is "uppity" and uppity women tread on very thin ice.) Ms. Friar Williams points out that nice girls/good girls don't often get what they want despite being nice/good--although they do manage to escape the hostility generated by "uppity" women. The book offered more honest examples of communication. With regard to goals, the author works closely with her clients to ensure that the goals like marriage and motherhood are realistically assessed and that goals like independence and work satisfaction are carefully reviewed. I am not without criticism of the book, of course. I think there is not enough (although there is some) recognition of the realistic necessity of much of the behaviour discussed. There is also an undue emphasis on its trees, I speak rain, I spin you a night and you hide i Now you have one enemy instead of many. Kin-flicks by Lisa Alther The title is translated as home movies and this author has a feast in store for the brave and the bold. A first novel, it could only have been written by a woman and one has the feeling that sadly it may only be fully understood by a new generation-of female readers. It's southern base firmly establishes of this only daughter as far removed from the realities that free wheeling Ginny Babcock explored with zest and as wicked a sense of humour as anyone repressed under penalty of exposure. Her adolescent fumbling into sex is the most hilarious you will ever see in print yet has the stamp of such authenticity one dredges up almost against your will a similar set of circumstances you didn't take full advantage of. Her abiding belief that there has to be more than this takes her out of her parents influence and embarks her on a trip of intellectual discovery through the hippy counter culture, the radical feminist movement complete with a journey into bisexuality, the back to the land trip with a woman's commune into the cult of trancending spirituality with a small episode of traditional wife and mother, and deposits her back at the source with a dying mother. There is a sadness here one senses rather than reads. It is an adventure story of grand proportions, mocking and tongue in cheek as she peels the varnish off each succeeding experience. Her feeble attempt to end it all tells us all plainly she still believes there is more. The sadness comes when we recognize there will never be enough. Gert Beadle northern woman journal page 4 Same of the poems are brutal their description of the man and relationship. These ones most Some o certainly evoke memories. the poems offer insights that rel to any number of reltiprships. We are hard on each other honety, and tali choosing our jagged truths with care and aiming them across the neutral table. The things we say are true; it is our crooked aims, our choices turn them criminal. On the cover, the reviewers comments include references to ti peeling away "layer after layer c protective armour", "cutting dcwi to the bone", "poems that lie on page like secretive and dangerou pieces of glass". This is very definitely what the poems in man' instances do for me--sometimes I appreciate the results, sometime: feel uncomfortable because it al: seems so raw emotionally. One thing the book didn't doN to offer viable alternatives to traditional male-female relation: The poems may tell it "like it but not "how it could be". PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �The Wind Through the matches the wind blew Caressing and weaving about the teaves Bending and ploughing the grass, Gently so St on steadity iast. The soothing brush oi the breeze, Ftowing, sensuat, beholding Stowing in /Lich sweetness and cteantiness, Atways there ,so youltt never be 6tiendtess. Mown and golden edged in black the moment Where you crushed my chin in you/L. 6ist And I Leaned °vet without thinking Kissed you on the mouth 40 solitty I Liked the taste 40 much it seated me And I drew back. On the beach waters it entertains you. Showing you its enetgy, its pow n, Stinning viatentty on shaking tovingty the blue, Jotting and sttiking but never at you. Goddamn you and your ttuth6ut whispets Goddamn you and yout mouth 1 should kitt you ion_ att the broken glass sptendot, Roaning to the iuttest masses, Mighty axe the cuts tents which never test, Son the best. No matte& what it does, i your ctuet gestures break me. It L majestic in att Jutie Stojko Tennace Bay Actoss my kitchen goon And the rings in my hand But instead you break me Deitdte Ham Thunder Say Why am 1 the one to do the dishes, and wash the goons, make art the meats and not compLain? POETRY Am I here onty to have the babies change the diapers do the shopping and keep smiting? When move money is needed, 1 go to won& and make a meagre Living, I take the bus everyday white you take the cat. BETRAYED There was a man With whom I chose to Live. The others did not matter, 06 no cane did I give. Unshamety there was Love, and cane. There was this woman Who said she was a sistet. Who cowed resist het? Behind a deceptive smite She puttayed a 6tiend and assistot. What contemptuous deeds, Have been done in the name o6 Sistethood. She slept with my man, "you're my sister, so I could." "Whyte", I recounted "is thiis sisterhood?" Promising tespect and considetation o6 women Ruining something o6 mine that was good I condemn him But I condemn you too. I witt sttip you o6 your deceptive 4m-ice, 1 witt sttip you o6 you/L. thetotic. What then, sister, £4 theme te6t but gwUe. There is no cane oi hutting hen, That who you pto6ess to protect. 06 distespect and contempt, To that woman you project. Sexuaeity that £4 not yout night Fon other women's men you Sight. You ate no sistet o6 mine Yout acts and yout kind. What contemptuous deeds Have been done in the name o6 Sistethood! Doreen Boucher Why, when something is bought it is away:5 youits never mine because art my money went into just sutviving? And you tett me It £4 better that evetything is youts. A6tet att, women can't handle money, and things tike that. And then you wondeA why I packed my bags, walked out and started a new ti6e os my own. Eve/77 To The Pink Goodie Cutlet Set I was having a good time untie a boy tad me to shave my Legs and stop spitting on the ground my ti6e was very simple then a Lady teacher said to weak dresses to the knee and paint my Lace to prove non-mascutinity I used to be a happy gint penson then glamour magazine said I should be mattied and dependant I was 6tee goating enetgy why did "society" teach me not to be me now, evetytime I breathe 1 must explain and prove my honesty in order to be the tittte gite again I must terrain 6nom potitics and tegatities the peon inside oi me canes not i6 it £4 mate of iemate the peAson inside this ptison is a human-being 6itst this body-cage-machine matte/Ls tittte oi its' sex my point £4 to tespect every 6otm o6 humaness Beverly Pudas Thundet Bay Aug.22nd, 7977 northern woman journal page 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DOING IT TO US The job situation for women in Thunder Bay is absolutely horrifying. am one of many women, university educated, who for the past few years has gone from job to UIC benefits to job, etc. Collecting U.I. benefits has to be the most degrading and humiliating experience. The workers at the UIC building behave as though the money you are collecting and it is rightfully yours) comes from their own personal bank account. They suggest that you are a liar, a burden on the country and that you are "ripping off" the government. Women, more than men, are generally harrassed. After all, most women are not unionized, and from my experience, UIC workers assume they don't know their rights. Some unions (male oriented) don't even have to go to Manpower for interviews cr to the U.I.0 office because their union has made a deal with them. Their unions are considered their sole hiring agent. This means of course that if these men refuse a job for lower wages than they were getting before, or whatever, U.I.C. will not "cut them off" because they have no knowledge of their activities. Whereas they know almost every move you make when you do not belong to a union. Many men in trades, plumbers, electricians etc. are not harrassed or "cut off" because they are considered trained in a specific area and are usually unionized. After a certain number of weeks there is a system where you can be demoted. For example--if you are a nurse after this certain number of weeks,U.I.C. can make you work as a waitress for minimum wage even though you may have made two or three times that amount. These woman are trained too, but U.I.C. doesn't seem to really recognize this. There is a case that happened last year to a woman collecting U.I. benefits who was making $150.00 a week before being laid off. She was "cut off" when she said she could not possibly work for anything under $3.00 an hour because she had babysitting expenses that would cost her $12.00 a day. That would cut her wages in half and she would be living on $60. a week-no wonder women are forced to live on welfare--they can make more MANPOWER AND U.I.C. - If you want to speak to a counsel for at Manpower or UIC - demand it. It is your right. 7) Ask the Interrogation Officer if she/he can provide any ideas for jobs if you get to the point where you don't know where else to apply. That is also part of their job. 6) Following is the procedure when applying for UIC benefits: I The first step when applying for UIC benefits is to be interviewed by a counsellor at your local Manpower office who will determine if you are eligible for benefits. Then they will fit you into a category they.believe suitable. You are then given an application form for UIC benefits. Remember to have your If you separation slip with you. have not received it, your previous employer has five days to send it After filling out the apto you. plication form, some people (not all) will be asked to go to the UIC office for a group interview. If you are not called within two weeks of applying, they have not forgotten you, you will be called eventually. At the group interview, be prepared to wait at least ten minutes after the set time to be called in. You will be directed to a room to watch a film which is incredibly immature and an insult to intelligence. The counsellor will then explain your rights and obligations under the UIC Act. Before you leave, you will be given a Job Search form which you must complete before returning for your next interview (in about a month). Possibly it has changed, but last year was called into the office every two weeks for three months and my Job Search form was checked for approval. ( money. It's a wonder no one has nervous breakdowns while collecting benefits. recall last year that every time the phone would ring would contemplate whether to answer it or not for fear that the U.I.C. Interrogation department were checking on me and heaven forbid wouldn't want to be caught having a cup of tea when should be on the street begging for I I I I a job. An organized group is needed to harrass these bureaucrats back and stand up to their abuses, perhaps calling itself the UIC Action Group. Something must be done to stop this unnecessary harrassment of people who's rights are being violated. W.I. C.) I I I I I tto,:r4ftiox,ii e V1C4 .-Sr..r4 sr- ,cloys k &,1.1 . I'm a secretary, at least accord, ing to my work history and my marketable skills. In my heart am no a secretary. want better things: to be able to use my head, to have freedom of movement, to make a livii I've tried in the past to ge wage. Manpower to recognize my own desire for something better. I've asked t( be registered as a labourer, told was interested in different them training, perhaps heavy equipment Of course, my clerical operating. skills remain on record, and since they are much more impressive than my lack of training in other areas, and since there has been a period was collecting U.I.C., the when times they have called, they have called to tell me about available And that is frequen clerical work. My heart ly at least once a week. pick up the phone dies ever" time and my helpful Manpower Counsellor asking me if I'm interested in a secretarial job at $4.00/hr. "Of course, of course", say to the U11 police force, "What's the address, I'll call to arran, what's the pay? I'll let you know ho an interview. it turns out." And all the time I', like to scream, "Leave me alone stuff your typing jobs at $4.00 an Help me find something diffe hour! ent, give me some support to break out of the typing pool, open up you training courses in male-oriented expect fields to women." But if that next UIC cheque to keep me goil explore other alternatives while keep my mouth shut. my own, I I vt-it.rrt.(Aqii I NEFAer;,-iizieT I I 04ue 145+ oLppl,eck -Ccr \ c\os e. mo,41,.. When you go for your interview, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!! Because they have a quota (for cut-offs), many will try to trick you. Here are some important rights to know: 1) Read the pamphlet they have given you very carefully. If you do not understand something in it, ask for a better explanation from a UIC counsellor. (That is their job) 2) Don't sign anything unless you Again, ask have read it carefully. if there is something you don't understand. No matter what education you have, tell them you will work for less money and will take any kind of job. 4) Apply for Every job Manpower sends 3) you. 5) Check in with Manpower once a month - talk to the person at the information desk. She/he will mark down on a pink card that you were there. northern woman journal page 6 Testimonial : 1 I've been working for some years had Grade 9 typing and begat working for agencies selling tempor, did this for a clerical workers. never wanted to long time because accept the fact that secretarial wo always might be my lot in life. figured, this is a temporary job, won't be here long, when this is ov, I'll go on to something different. would work for $3.50 an hour. The company selling me would get $1.00 hour for finding me a job, screening me and sending me my pay cheque. Manpower has never challenged these Right here in Thunder Ba, agencies. such an employment agency exists, and is able to find work for women looking for temporary jobs, and yet Manpower hasn't/won't do the same. and give the women in those jobs th, extra money that private agencies currently make. now. I I I I I , It seems Manpower plays an effec ive police role for both private agencies and UIC, and provides a fairly efficient, cheap service for employers looking mainly for cheap If UIC labour to do "shit work". continued on page 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �filed nerFive other men and vously into a room and sat around a hadn't written any kind big table. "Please don't let of test in years. We played word prayed. me fail," games, games to indicate hand and finger dexterity, simple algebra, basic geometry, the usual shape puzzles and round peg/square hole I continued from page 6 wants to take a few claimants off its roles, it can call Manpower to put pressure on claimants who have little choice about the kind of work they accept. If an employer has unsavoury jobs to do and doesn't want to pay to have someone do them, he can call Manpower and count on their coercive abilities to again shame someone into working who has little choice or training. And the private agencies can count on Manpower to leave them a clear field for providing another cheap, convenient service to employers while cheating their workers out of their rightful wage. I I tests. Then it was on to the interest All of these were done under the direction of a monitor with stop watch. staggered out at noon - a nervous wreck. They informed me that would need another 2 hours to go over the results with my counsellor.. And so returned the next week. tests. I I I The worst thing about both UIC and Manpower is the image they present as defenders of the public good. The progaganda certainly contradicts my And experiences with both agencies. what so often happens is that I'm fooled by the pitch, and start to believe that it may be my fault that can't find a better job. r r If You're Smart - Don't Bother with 0 4 was out of work. Last spring UnThe first time in twenty years. able to return to my trade because of applied for U.I.C. and an allergy, registered with Canada Manpower. I I I I I I I thought you were goir "Anyway to retrain me? How about welding?" "Oh no, you can see by your interest chart, that you hate routir It would be a bad investment for us to place you in something that you would be bored with in a year or twc said Mr. C. told him Iwouldn'tbe When evoked a sick smi' bored on payday told him I'd done hous( from him. work for 20 years and couldn't thinl didn't of anything more boring. quit that. Another sick smile flow "Well is there an, across his face. can be retrained in, what thing asl about a professor of English?" "We have to take into consider ation how many years it would take and your age." "So you're not going to retrail could do How about your job, me. This got a real hissed. this," chuckle out of Mr. Counsellor. "I suggest you go to the Chron icle Journal and apply for a job there," he said, "but you might have to start at the bottom. didn't mind start told him I I I We went over these results, my creativity was high, routine was low, All these results were etc., etc. numbered and this gave me a rating. My number started with 836. He showed me how we would look up my number in a great red book to see what kind of job would like. We went to a private room upstairs to evaluate my results. My counsellor drew a Bell Curve for me, explaining that the first section indicated the 10 percent of the population who are in the below average range of intelligence. The large middle section was the 80 percent of the population who are average and the end of the line indicated the 10 percent of the population who have above average intelligence. "Where do you think you are on this curve," he asked. "Well probably about here," said, indicating somewhere in the upper average range. "No, no," he said and smiled, "you are right here," and he pointed He was really to the top ten percent. "You can do anything - anything you set your mind to." thought, "now "Oh good," don't have to get stuck with a clerkI I I I I I I I ing at the bottom, but I was a litt too old to scrub floors. "I can't They'll laugh me right even type. How about retraining me in there. typing, then at least I'd have a sk to sell." He blinked at me and said, "We we can't retrain you in just one su ject, you would have to take the wh secretarial course. And as you can see by your interest chart you real hate routine and need a challenging job to keep interest up. So you ca see that would be a bad investment. told him that my babysitter could only stay two hours and had already been there for 21 hours. have to leave. "Let me know what you come up left. with," he called as waited for the bus thou As "let me know how YOU make out..What is his job anyway?"...What ever it could do it. Five hours I'm sure spent at Canada Manpower and still job....What do they do there? wonder where you apply for a job wi Canada Manpower? My counsellor did tell me." I I I ing job. I had an interview Eventually told him that with a counsellor. would really like to be retrained in some other field. He thought this was an excellent idea and said that would first have to take some tests to see where my aptitudes and interThese tests are given in ests lay. would the morning he explained and need 21 to 3 hrs. to complete them. arranged for a babysitter and reported for testing bright and early at ten tp mine Wednesday morning. said. I happy. Canada Manpower I I Vn I (Manpower) I I I Testimonial: I I I Are you willing to accept any kind of work - at minimum wage? Waitressing? Babysitting? Cleaning House? I I CANADA MAN POWER I have never outrightly been harTheir method of operrassed by UIC. ation seems much more subtle: telephone calls from Manpower to let me know there are always jobs if I'm willing to work for minimum wage; cheques delayed in the mail; the constant pressure of knowing that UIC requires a job search form; being called into interviews and being given helpful suggestions by a UIC counsellor while she tries to find out the "real" ,truth - have you been looking for work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week? to be a film director?" "Well no, "he said. We went through the red book and the possibi Marvellous job ities were endless. could hardafter marvellous job. ly contain myself. "They are really going to get IT thought to myself. a great job," Mr. C was ecstatic as he read Finthrough this prestigious list. "We'll go ally he closed the book. downstairs and see what is available for you." After we wer said. "Great:" seated, he burrowed through some papers and finally said, "well this isn't the greatest but..." said. "What is it," "Clerk at a stationery store, $2.65 an hour with Sunday and Monday off." am a Universil "Are you nuts, said. professor, remember," guess you're right, it "Well doesn't sound too interesting," he "Now," he said, "the important thing is to check your interest chart. We must see where you would be most happy." Mr. Counsellor flipped through "836... the pages of the red book. 836 Ah yes, here we are, Professor of Anthropology, Professor of Archaeology, Professor of English." He read on and on. thought, "they are go"Wow," ing to send me to university." Then could we looked up 638. This time be a film director, an editor of a newspaper or a stage manager. "Hey," said, "are you going to retrain me I I I I I I I 4'0 (nameg bv 0 u. reAstw6,s northern woman journal page 7 I PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Women Against Rape Local News In May of this year, the Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre acquired two paid staff for the interim of ten months through a Canada The women that Works grant. were hired are Bev Pudas, who has a lot of experience in the communications field, and myself, Doreen Boucher. We will be endeavouring to fulfill the criteria of the Rape and. Sexual Assault Centre of victim support, education, and social change, as well as co-ordination of activities of the Centre. There are various projects in the making. An education kit will be ready for the fall to be distributed to schools, public speaking engagments, etc. We are in need of additional volunteers who can help in areas of victim support, public speaking, fund raising, etc. We are sensitive to the problem that many people would like to help but hold back because they do not feel they have skills to In order to overcontribute. come this dilemma, we are considering training sessions for the fall, and individualized Interest is training manuals. the first step, direction, hopefully, will follow. If you are interested in attending meetings, please call us and we will inform you of Our number our next meeting. is 623-3220. We have an answering service that takes calls if we are not in the office, and we return any calls we receive. Bev, myself and concerned individuals have been monitoring court cases. There will be two cases coming up during the fall assizes. It is our intention to monitor furthercases that come up and lend solidarity and support to the victim through our presence. We cannot print any information on one particular case which will be going to trial in the fall. The defense lawyer for the accused requested that none of the material on the preliminary trial (which we attended) be made public,and the judge granted this request. We are abiding to this condition because we do not wish to jeopardize the victim's case in court. We will inform interested parties as to the date of the trial, with the understanding that those who attend the trial are doing so in support of the victim, and will respond to the circumstances with discipline regardless of how much our sensibilities are outraged. I am writing this with the hope that the judicial system will northern woman journal page If come forth with justice. this does not happen, we will not be silenced. under the code of silence enforced by the Italian attitude toward women. There is a growing sense of outrage in some Italian women who no longer want rape to be silenced by attitude and tradThe risk one took by ition. rape was disownment by father, family or husband for disgracItalian feming the family. inists are angry about this tendency that openly reveals the contempt for women in Italian society. They are further outraged by the treatment of police and the ten synecological examinations one has to go through if raped. Women are now demanding public It hearing on rape charges. has been revealed that rape in Italy is a bigger problem than realized--gang rapes being the "thing" for bored youths practising violence and torture. One woman came to the front to symbolize this struggle, and was firmly backed by Italian feminists who took up her cause. International News One news item that has gained a place of distinction is the Claudia Caputi case in Rome. There is a dilemma involved with the sensationalism that was We induced by the mass media. recognize the need for some exposure of the atrocities of rape, but this kind of news does not seem to get priority or coverage by conventional media unless the attack is of such brutal calibre that it results in murder--and in those circumstances, the rape Otherwise, is minimized. rape is swept into a basket or relegated to an inch column on the last page of a newspaper. It is not often treated with sensitivity. The Caputi case is unusual because of the social and political impact in the geographical boundaries in which the rape occurred--Italy. Bound and restrained by male domination in a system that would prefer a rape victim to marry her attacker and put an end to the whole insignificant This is only the incident. second time in judicial history that a woman has chosen to make public the crime of rape committed against her. There have been rapes, and perhaps as brutal and sadistic attacks made previously on Italian women, but they chose silence rather than family Therefore, we will disgrace. never know their torment Claudia was not a feminist at the time of her rape. She had gone to Rome to work, leaving behind a small, poverty-stricken village. One summer evening, she was walking with a teenage man and was chased by a gang of 17 youths who threatened her with a club She identified and raped her. some of the rapists before she was transported to the hosSeven were arrested, pital. including her "friend" who joined in on the rape. Backed by her employer, two well-known lawyers and feminists, she defied tradition and demanded a public trial. Because she pursued the case against the rapists, she received threats on her life. Four days later, she was found semi-conscious by a road She told police that side. she had been abducted coming from her lawyers' office and raped and slashed with a razor blade several times over her breasts, face and legs. The new abductors were recognized by Claudia as members of the gang from the first Within 24 hours,an estrape. imated 15-20,000 women marched into the assailants' neighbourhood in outrage against the latest assault on Claudia's The group was made up of life. various feminist collectives, the UDI (Union of Italian Women) and the large national organization of Communist women. Feminists took up a 24hour vigil at Claudia's bedside. Complications and political manoeuverings followed. The original judge selected for the case was replaced by an extreme conservative, Paolini 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �When the charges Dell'Anno. for the second rape were filed, the next in line as prosecutor was side-stepped and Dell'Anno took over, something almost unheard of in Italian judicial procedure. The prosecutor's next move was that after he had interrogated Claudia in the hospital, without her lawyers present, he announced that he felt Claudia had devised the second assault and mutilated her own body. (Doctors' reports later showed that the lesions could not have been self-inflicted.) Conflicting statments from Claudia further clouded the Claudia's lawyers askissue. ed the public prosecutor to resign because of obvious prejudice, and he refused. The lawyers walked out in protest, as 4-5,000 angry women waited in front of the justice hall in defiance of the attitude of Dell'Anno, and the exploitation of and violence toward women. Further complications resulted when the possibility of Claudia's involvment with prostitution was rumoured. Her background was not unusual. She was raised in poverty in a small village and attempted to leave this situation by going to work in the big city. She answered a request for employment advertized in a Rome newspaper. Her employer, Vito Gemma, evidently wanted a bed partner as well as a housekeeper. Without friends, family or money she adjusted to these circumstances in the only way she could. The only alternative she had was to give in to the situation. We, who feel we are sophisticated in the art of survival, should remember that in Italy, women are not encouraged to participate in the labour force, and there are few alternatives to choose from. When Vito Gemma was rumoured to be involved with organized crime and prostitution, Claudia's involvement with prostitution became a viable concern although details of her inclusion are not clear. Italian feminists were thrown for a loop. Some withdrew their support, others chose to stay by her side. Some realized that rape is political, as are other facets of female exploitation. The Italian movement had some stiff competition to face up to. On one hand, their religious upbringing that condemns contraception, abortion and prostitution, and held sacred strong extended family ties, came into collision with the rape of a prostitute. Obviously, if the fact of Claudia's relationship to prostitution caused so much disorder within the Italian feminist movement, the response in the general populace would have been disastrous in Claudia's bid for judicial retribu- The prejudice against (Her her was already rampant. own father had slapped her when she told him she had been raped, telling her that it was her own fault for leaving home and trying to make it on her own.) The discussion of prostitution was kept out of the case by Claudia's defense lawyers until the moment was right, and the feminists were given time to regroup and take a stand on prostitution. Seven of the youths were sentenced to prison terms, with four released on probation because they had been underage. The "friend" of Claudia's who joined in on the rape was charged only with public obscenity because Claudia had originally accepted his invitation. Some of the defense statments reveal the degree of seriousness they attributed to the crime. "My client did not know such a sexual act was against the law." "My client was one of the last. If he refused they would have thought he was impotent." "Boys will be boys, and when a girl likes to go out and have a good time, she has to expect trouble (emphasis mine)." tion. _00,Inftc1/4 1.40t5Or+ toow.e.AN's-ce4ke. exreS> To further add insult the lawyer accused Claudia of having a phallic fetish - inferring prostitution. He reminded the judge that the testimony of minors and prostitutes is not valid evidence. Claudia disappeared with the help of feminists and her whereabouts are unknown. Vita Femma was arrested for perjury because he gave conflicting statements during the trial. He tripped up on dates and time regarding the second rape. In a sworn affidavit, after Gemma's arrest Claudia admitted to perjury because she feared for her life. She charged Gemma with setting up the second rape to keep her quiet regarding the first. Circumstances are rather vague and scattered. Obvious- ly the situation turned out to be less than "ideal" for setting a precedent in changing realities regarding attitudes and behaviour toward But it made rape victims. the Italian women face up to the broader implications of female exploitations part of which involves prostitution. A single court case cannot end the repression and stigma toward women in Italian society but to those involved, the economic necessity of prostitution became part and parcel of the whole issue of rape. Is it any less a crime if the victim is a prostitute? If a prostitute cannot say no then would it be any more unrealistic for those of us with husbands and lovers to deny ourselves the right to choose if we want sex or not when a partner demands or wants it? Nineteen percent of Italian women are employed and this number is decreasing. Prostitution is an avenue open to women being denied education and resources to enter into other "The avenues and occupations. growth of a revolutionary feminist movement depends on our understanding, and of combatting the mechanisms which produce mass poverty, prostitution and rape - all of which are part of Claudia's personal experience." Off Our Backs, June 77 Perhaps this case will never be paralleled again as to its However, the complexities. violence of this case cannot be No amount of intellectdenied. ualizing and moralizing can diminish the degree of degradation inflicted on Claudia and thus, women. We cannot begin to imagine the attitude and climate toward women unless we have been brought up ourselves under the Italian rule of female silences and obedience, pope, power and poverty. Prostitution has relevance in our own court system as well. The condition of "lack of consent" comes into play in a court case. Who says a prostitute has the right to say no? There is hope. A new generation of Italian women might learn from Claudia's experience if one recent situation is any indication of the rejection of submissiveness in Italian women._ Reportedly, 400 girls at a Milan highschool held a nineteen year old youth hostage in a "people's trial" after he was accused of rape. Only after the mother informed police was he released. The process seems slow but it only takes one assisted by others before the ball begins to roll. We hope for a mountain and lots of snow. Doreen Boucher On page 12 is the survey. Please fill in conscienciously and send to: Rape and Sexual Assault Centre McKellar Hospital, Box 47, Thunder Bay "F", Ontario. northern woman journal page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �women in music THE WOMEN S WORKSHOP "We are each our sisters, mothers, We daughters, lovers and friends. have our own quests and struggles. We are We are workers and slaves. We artists and revolutionaries. have a mythology and herstory. We need to sing with and for each other...We need those shared highs that give us the energy to go ahead in our lonely quests for selfrealization. We need to sing our lives and share If we don't sifg for our songs. ourselves, no one will sing for us." NORTHERN LIGHTS FOLK FESTIVAL I went to the Sudbury Folk Festival on July 15, 16 and 17 of this year, and from my experience there, I decided to do an article on Wbmen in Music. Because this is a very complex topic, all that I hope to do is share some of my impressions, and perhaps from thLE, more specific areas can be exanined in future issues. The Northern Lights Folk Festival is a valuable concept because it draws a large part of its music and people specifically from the Northern regions, as well as from other parts of Canada. It supports and encourages talent from Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, etc., and it reflects the English, French and Native cultures through its music and crafts. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for women. What I mean by this is that, while women did participate in the festival, their numbers in all areas were either significantly less than their male counterparts or, in some cases, non-existent. For example, workshops took place everyday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. This is supposed to be a time when, people get together and share their music with other performers as well as with the audience. Approximately 81% of the performers invited to share their craft were men. In workshops for individual performers, women made up 39% of the total. In mixed workshops (male and female), this declined to 25%, and workshops which were hosted by women totalled only 20%. The evening concert performers included women even less often. Out of 17 evening concerts scheduled for the three-day festival ,only one woman was billed for a solo performance; only four women who appeared on the stage with men as part of a group. In contrast, there were 10 men scheduled for solo performances (some of whom had male back-up musicians) and four groups with men only. I think these figures are significant in terms of the kinds of struggles women musicians are underIt is certainly not that going. there is a shortage of women who are capable or available, but perhaps more a reflection of how the organizers of the festival perceive women in relation to music. The festival organizers gave names to the workshops that were meant to indicate what kind of music you could expect to hear. For example, there were workshops called Honky Tonkin, Songwriting, Blues with a FUse, Unusual Instruments, Northern Songs, Love Songs, Latin American, Odes to Mbther Nature, Songs of Protest, and, finally, one called Women. Now that's leaving a workshop wide open. All you have to do to participate is to be a woman. Host Rika Ruebsaat introduced the workshop by pointing this out. She felt strongly that it was not enough to label a workshop Women without talking about the importance of the music to be found there. She saw the workshop as a "token gesture", and suggested that a specific theme such as "Sexual Liberation Songs" might have been more appropriate. I can see the value of a women's workshop with a Sexual Liberation theme as a way to combat the traditional view of women, which for example includes the view that women "just sing" while the men "play"--leaving the real talent and authority to be seen through male musicians. Women being there "just to dress up the act". In this workshop, sane excellent music was shared, although there were some disturbing elements seem to indicate we still have a long way to go. - one woman ignored the female back up, and asked men to cone up and play "One time the M.C. forgot the name of the female half of the performing It's hard to imagine the duo. reverse happening, that is, the man's name being forgotten. Ellen Shumsky from Sing Out, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2976 INA6 6sA4m.64RN- "The judge said, Screw 'em, Boys, you're only human. They brought it on themselves being born a woman. Like a mountain's there to climb and food's there to be eaten woman's there to rape to be shoved around and beaten." Malvina Reynolds from The Judge Said BACK IN THUNDER BAY Caning back from Sudbury made me curious as to the kinds of struggles women locally were going Sane of through with their music. the women I approached talked about feeling vulnerable, always feeling on the outside, and constantly havir to "prove" themselves as good musicians. There were feelings express of belonging only on "male terms"- like a leader/follower structure, with women seldom in positions of leadership. "It's easier to stand by the side of the road and cry than to change the damn tire...it's easier to put on a record and live vicariously through Joni Mitchell, or putter about makinc, coffee, while the men play music in the living room, than to go through the pain of learning to play oneself. Holly Tannen A friend talked about what workin< with male musicians meant to her. She feels that it's important not to be fooled into believing you operate from the same power base as the men, and to avoid the trap of any special attention you receive as a woman performer because it could be a cage. I asked some women if they would like to play in an all-woman's band. Many of them felt that it would be fine if women worked together to develop a feeling of comeraderie, a sense of exploring the culture of women's music--to sing about their own experiences instead of always doing music related to men's experiences. "I could never write about a song But if I like Stand By Your Man. were to sing something Zike Stand By Your Man, my responsibility would be to put that song into some kind of context that says this attitude has to be overcome--but nevertheless_ this attitude is a reflection of women's experience." Alice Gerrard I can see support and encouragemer, occuring in this way, with women taking control over the kind of music in which they participate, in order to provide some rpal alternatives. Nothing could be better than .n and men) to work with people (w who were interested in change and responsible for the kinds of music they produce. While it would be nice for women to work together, we are still often faced with the old values. Competition is their within us all, because we've been geared to it--but for women, the roots of mistrust often go deeper. northern woman journal page 1C PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Although women may like to work with each other ,it is not a general rule. One woman in a group of men works very hard to acquire acceptance, but if there is more than one woman, feelings of fear and insecurity for your This type of position may surface. situation can then work as an advantage for some groups by keeping women isolated from each other--just as they do in society as a whole. It helps perpetuate the traditional power structure. Some women musicians feel they have reached a plateau when they are considered in a male group as "one of the guys". This deception, along with stereotypic relationships like "kid sister", "torch" between women and the men with whom they work, show how much further we need to go before we as people, as women, -1-71alans achieve equality in the truest sense. I have only touched on a few areas, but there are many more concerns and issues that should be talked about and shared: "Most of the Garlands loved to sing. We sang when we were happy, sang when we were sad. Sometimes I think be-ing a-le to express my feelings in song has kept me from going nuts." Sarah Ogan Gunning from Sing Out, Vol. 25, No.. 2, Z976 Albums: A Few Loving Women Lavender Jane Loves Women Lesbian Feminist Liberation, N.Y. ..77!E - sexism in music - what influence has the women's movement had on women in music - what contributions have women made throughout herstory in the field of music - what types of roles are women portrayed in--Mother Earth, .11cre, deceitful bitch what kinds of exoerience and struggles are women having locally? "We can't reach liberation unless But one the whole society changes. of the many problems under capitalism is the the competitive values we all have to Zive with. For example, it has been very hard to find men to accompany me. They feel ashamed, diminished and put down by accompanying a woman." Suni Paz Singer/songwriter from Argentina I'm Gonna Be An Engineer, Peggy Seeger "It should be noted that the song was written in Britain for British usage, and in Britain, an engineer is not a train-drive, but one of a huge body of industrial workers, a profession which includes toolmakers, lathe operators, fitters, etc. Give Your Hands to Struggle, songs by Bernice Reagon You Can Know All I Am Words and Music - Songbook Holly Near Held Over Malvina Malvina Reynolds, aZZ by Malvina Reynolds. Order directly from her own company, Schroder Music, 2027 Parker Street, Berkeley. ************************************************************************ Cur credibility grows, and with Women's place :omen's Place is settling in. What began as a possible dream is now functioning as a centre of various activities. The Women's Credit Union has a growing membership, with share capital around $15,000. The Northern Women's Centre has the hottest phone in town despite existing social services. The Citizen's Committee on Crisis Housing has become revitalized and re-committed to an eventual interval house specifically designed and operated for abused women and children, to supplement existing facilities. The Rape and Sexual Assault team have found it convenient to operate their research project from here. The Northern Woman Regional Journal has formed a strong collective of both old and new energy, with long term goals for the paper. The NWO Decade Council does its office work and keeps its files in their own space here. The files on the Herstory Project await future attention, but the joint effort to produce the Salt and Yeast book of poetry from the manuscript presented to the Journal by Gert Beadle, and illustrated by Sirpa Bishop, is in high gear. It will be "camera ready" in September. There are well over 100 women represented in minor and major roles in Women's Place, each group fully autonomous, with its own structure, but all moved by a single ideal, that of commitment to women. it our ccnfidence. The time has long pased when we can be dismissed as malcontents with no direction. We are a voice that has been too long silent in the pursuit of acceptance. With a little help from our friends, COMING SOON We are pleased to inform our friends and readers that the book of poetry we will speak carefully, thought- SALT ANDAND YEAST SALT YEASTpresented presented to to the the fully, and with conviction, in Journal in manuscript form by our defense of woman's right to be sister Gert Beadle is now being a full partner in the decisions It is readied for the publisher. that concern us all. a matter of great pride to us that from the financing to the final Women's Centre is open every day from 9am to 4pm and Thursday proof-reading it has been the combined efforts of a very special evening until ??? Thursday The talented artistry sisterhood. evening this fall a series of of Sirpa Bishop will get it's first information sharing meetings exposure in it's pages and the warm are planned to increasewoman's and human chronicle of one woman's awareness that they individually search for the larger truth in her as well as collectively need to own life over half a century will, examine their economic power. we feel, find it's place with women Stocks, bonds, Real Estate, your It is our intention everywhere. own business, 'and other investto share with women's groups a ments will be discussed with We invite profit in distribution. knowledgeable resource people. inquiries as to the method, write Come out and share with us your The NORTHERN WOMAN REGIONAL JOURNAL needs for economic growth. We for further information. can all learn together. Every other Thursday night meetings will be open discussion on a variety of topics emphasizing self awareness and growth potential as women. We will be sharing our frustra-' tions, problems as well as our joys and successes as women in our individual situations. We welcome everyone to share themselves so that we may all benefit and grow from each others experiences and thoughts, Phone 345-7802 for more information or to see what else is happening. NEW GROUPS THAT WILL BE FORMING. Being A Widow. Outers for Women. Newly Separated/Divorced. Over 60 and Female. Women's Breakfast Club. northern woman journal page 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Women Against Rape CON'T FROM PAGE 9 The Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre is attempting to compile statistices. We need honest, open responses. Please think carefully before answering. If more space is needed write on separate sheet and attach. Marital Status Present age Education 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) Race Occupation How long ago ? Have you been raped or attacked ? How many times ? Do you know anyone who has been raped ? How old were you at the time ? What time of the day/night was it ? Where did the rape occur ? Did you know the attacker ? What relationship to you Struggle ? Did you scream ? Have a weapon ? What kind ? Did the rapist have a weapon ? Did he threaten you ? Did you report the rape ? How did the hospital/ police treat you ? What circumstances surrounded the rape ? Were you hitchhiking ? Did you tell anyone about the rape ? Was there more than one rapist ? Did you have contact with the rapist after the rape ? Did the rape change your attitude toward men ? How ? Did the rape affect your sex life ? Did you become pregnant ? How was the pregnancy handled ? Has an employer ever requested or demanded sex from you ? What ethnic background would you think the rapist was from.? How old was the rapist ? What background do you judge him to be from ? Do you know if the attacker had previous rape charges ? What kind of notable qualities did he have ? As a child, were you ever sexually molested ? By Whom ? Have you taken self-defense ? In retrospect, would you handle the rape differently ? How ? ? Comments: IMO mom O 0 IMO= I OMEN II NM= I I MEM MEN UMW 11111111 speaking, in the dark as to what happens to that woman when she has, as it were, gone through the city mill, we have to ask ourselves, did she have the advantage of a restored self-confidence, was she exposed to any self-analysis, were her options clearly presented to her, could she in fact have had an alternative to marriage break up? It was generally felt we must begin a serious documentation encompassing both the agencies now involved in marital violence and the numbers of victims of that violence. Our location in Woman's Place presents us with the evidence we cannot deny; a survey in west-end Toronto presents us with the statistics that over 50% of women need it as a result of physical abuse, and further states that in more than half cases, there is no evidence of whether or not a satisfactory conclusion was reached in each case. We have no to believe the situation is any more enlightened here in Thunder Bay. have waited patiently for three years for the words "battered wives" to be spoken out loud, even in polite conion. Our mayor has been running around speaking for the sanctity of life, but we have yet to hear him give an n on the abused wife. Would he walk a mile for them--even for a crack at a bicycle? becomes more obvious to us every day that if ever a true refuge is in the future of this city, it must be through forts of a feminist group. crisis housing cont'd 0 MOON 0 MOM I izaction Guatanteed I MIMS O 10010101 BEATEN WOMAN FIGHTS BACK e, 1 was &Lazed to the teeth ked down McKibbon Stneet attoad o4 ziatheAing boy4 I woad be the 't evening toy oweted me with hoots and jems ng that's happened to me bon yea A4 ey once mote cacted the ()Zack ed o4 them to make a mock cat pated up to the cut() ompeetety teady to di4tatb amty I tai4ed my 6ace tty stated, sZowed my pace wanted to expne44 with pit.o4e nos4ed them out....with my 6inga s e. Bev Puda4 Women from the Women's Resource and Survival Centre in Keyport, N.J. have volunteered to set up a legal defense fund for a young woman, Roxanne had been batRoxanne Gay. tered for years by her husband, Blenda Gay, a defensive lineman for the Last Dec. after Philadelphia Eagles. hours of threats and beatings, Roxanne finally fought back and fatally stabbed her husband. Until recently Roxanne has had virtually no legal assistance. The Women's Centre has taken up her case in order to assist all women who may be punished by society's neglect of their terrifying situations. Besides the urgency and importance of Roxannes's position, this case has tremendous implications for battered women. Anyone wishing to write Roxanne may do so via the Women's Centre, and people are urged to send any donations possible to help pay for her defense to: Women's Resource and Survival Centre Roxanne Gay Legal Defense Fund 57 West Front St. Keyport, N.J. 07735 ern woman journal page 12 111111011i1 NI PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �NORTHERN WOMEN'S INTRODUCTION The concern for equal access to credit is based on the premise that women will only be equal with men when they have a measure of control in the This includes economic sphere. the ability to finance and pledge their credit just as it includes receiving equal pay for work of equal value. A major step in achieving this goal was taken when women began seeking independent financial commitments. This is the first in a continuing column from the Northern Women's Credit Union. This column will discuss some of the obstacles, both legal and social, that women have encountered and will continue to encounter until prejudices are challenged and eliminated. This first column is concerned with women and retail credit. CREDIT UNION occurred at their head office. Later a second card arrived still in 'his' name, this time accompanied with an explanation that -- here was the additional card had requested !!! cut this card, wrote a more indignant letter, mailed it, and was finally rewarded some weeks later. Even though the computer had only managed to spit out my first initial, it had managed to retain the Mrs., was satisfied. Fortunately my first initial and 'his' first initial are not the same or might have given up at this point. I I I I The second attempt to obtain credit came as a result of reading some material obtained from the Women's Credit Union office and an article in Chatelaine, July/77, on the importance of establishing a credit history. During the time of my marriage had opened, signed the agreement, and used extensively, various charge accounts. was also the person who was responsible for seeing they were paid, from a joint chequing account. (2) My husband rarely entered a store, let alone made purchases on the account. I I I I informed them now wanted a separate history kept, and this was agreed to. Now, after five letters, three phone calls, two interviews - not to mention the anger and frustration have two charge accounts in my name. will continue to proceed till all the accounts that use are in my name also. I I I I celebrate went to Simpsons-Sears to try and get an account with them. made purchases from this store on 'his' account CREDIT UNION day Oct. 20 I want to share two experhad in trying to obiences tain charge accounts with two local stores. The first was about a year was phoned by Macleods, ago. during a campaign they were having to get more charge custshould felt that omers. have done something earlier about getting accounts in my name but had not, so this seemed like an opportune time I I I I I to try. agreed to open an account with them on the condition that it would be in my name. (There was a long pause and then "just a moment please"). It appears she had not encountered this request before and had to consult someone with more authority. She returned to the phone and said this would be alright and that someone would be around to my home with the contract agreement. The person came, signed, emphasizing "my name only or don't want it". There was a space provided for on the application where the name of the spouse had to be entered. gave 'his' name but was not asked for any other information on 'him', employment etc. (1) A few weeks later the account card came and, you guessed it, it was 'his'name. cut it in half, wrote an indignant letter and mailed it to their head office. had first called the local office to complain and was told this 'oversight' I I I I I I I I I A testimony need three guesses. Having learned that the account with Simpsons-Sears was a joint one, dropped into the Credit Bureau (6) expecting that they would have a credit history on me. They did not. They did have an excellent history on my husband, however. The credit rating that had established while was single (7) was only kept for seven years. was also informed that if separate records on your credit history are to be kept, you must request that this be done. I a lot. filled in the application form (3) and within a few days received a phone call informing Me that could not have an I I account with them as my present employment was only on a contract basis and this was not considered permanent. My past, and lengthy employment, my financial contribution to the joint chequing account, my credit worthiness was all negated; it meant nothing to NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION 316 BAY ST. HOURS TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS 10 a.m. TO 5 p.m. THURSDAYS 7 p.m. TO 9 p.m. PH. 345-7802 them. Feeling that this refusal was not fair, wrote to the credit I manager asking that they confirm in writing the reason for their refusing me an account. (4) The manager responded to my letter thus, "I have reviewed your application for an account and wish to advise you that our decision can be revised, however an applicant must have steady employment to be considered....upon reviewing our files we found that in (year) you signed an agreement. This account was set up under your husbands name but has been a "joint account". (5) The letter also said could have a line of credit for $300. responded to this letter in agreement and requested that the account be set up using my first and last name, eliminating the titles denoting sex. (I could not tell by the signature from the credit manager whether it was a she or he) but didn't I I join now ! FOOTNOTES (1) Most lending agencies request information on your spouse, but if you have acceptable qualifications and plan to maintain the account on your own, you are not obliged to provide this infor.= mation. (2) The signature on the cheque means nothing - unless it cont'd page 14 I northern woman journal page 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �footnotes cont'd bounces - to the store or the Credit Bureau. The credit history belongs only to the person whose name is on the account. (3) The information asked for is not enough to determine properly whether you should be given credit. (4) Credit grantors in Ontario are legally required to give you their reasons, however it may be a phone call or a form letter listing many possible reasons. You take your pick. It is your responsibility to inquire within 60 days. (5) Creditors claim it is expensive for them to open two accounts for a family and with a choice between the husband and wife, they prefer to deal with the man. (6) At one time, a married woman could not only not get credit on her own, she was also denied access to the family's credit record unless her husband accompanied her. To-day the associated Credit Bureaus of Canada has a policy whereby a married woman who wants to establish a separate file may do so by advising the Credit Bureau. (7) You can maintain the credit history you had before you married and keep the accounts in your maiden name. There is no law that requires you adopt your husband's name. Married Women the Credit Ability Gap In recent years, women's desire to share in the market place equally with men is probably more pronounced. Their ability to do is often linked with their capacity to obtain credit. and in spite of the high cost of credit, its availability is vital in the upgrading of women's economic status because it determines their access to education, home ownership self employment, private transportation and independence. Few people would be able to buy homes, cars, and appliances without some form of credit. Some women, particularly divorced and separated women, suffer the results of being dependent on their husbands credit rating, even if they have worked and contributed to the family income. A woman who divorces must establish from scratch her own credit record. No matter how faithfully she may have contributed to the record it belongs to her husband. Widowed women "inherit" their husband's credit history. If it is not a good history they too must start from scratch and establish their own. It is important that married women should insist on having "true" joint accounts or separate accounts. In the area of retail credit we can start by examining What Can We Do In the area of retail credit we can start by examining those charge cards we use. Some women believe that the space provided for our own signature means the account is ours, however, these are only courtesy cards and the computer punched name in them is the name of the person whose credit history is being recorded with the Credit Bureau. We should go to the Credit Bureau and ask that they set up a separate file for us. Although credit-granting policies and practises have changed considerably in the past year or so, the whole credit-granting industry will not necessarily be aware of all the changes. If you are denied credit and believe you have been discriminated against because of your sex or marital status, ask to see the credit officer of the agency involved. If your request for credit is still refused and you are not given a satisfactory explanation contact the Women's Advisor of the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations, 555 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario. And of course,(it goes without saying) join your own Northern Women's Credit Union, a good place to begin to establish your own credit history. As women we must pursue our right to obtain credit. The attitude is in general that women are poor credit risks. Regulations and rule will not be sufficient to combat tl attitude. The assumptions must be exposed as myths. Those that offer services to the public must be forced to treat women on the same foot ing as they treat men. Noreen Lavoie Credit Union update The Women's Credit Union is growing steadily. There a now 169 members with shares o over $17,000. This is an average growth rate of over $2,000 per month in the eight months we have been open. We have $6,900 of this money now out in loans with a further $2,200 in loans approved. We have $2,000 invested in the Ontario Credit Union League. Expenses to date have be( covered by the donation we received in January from the Northern Women's Centre. It is important that we maintain our growth rate. Yoi. can help promote the Credit Union by telling your friends about it and also by starting a Credit Union savings account for your children (a great way to encourage them to save). We urge our members who now have the minimum share in their accounts to increase their shares. The importance of regular (even if small) dep osits cannot be over-emphasize as well as saving your money you are helping make loans available to women in need. Welcome to our newest anc youngest members, Beverley anc Brandy Sedore, 19 month old twin daughters of Charlotte ar Randy Sedore. Betty Harkema CRISIS HOUSING The Citizem's Committee for Crisis Housing met August 15 and again August 17 at Woman's Place, 316 Bay Street, to revitalize our original intent to have in Thunder Bay an interval house specifically designed for abused women and children. Our membership of interested persons shows both growth and energy. We discussed seriously how we might supplement the present city family crisis homes in a way that recognized the basic needs of food and shelter as being met by them, and at the same time, provide that further service we see as necessary to the emotional stability of the women concerned. The value of continual followup which is nct met in the present circumstance, is a matter of great concern to us. Since we are, in a manner of Continued Page 12 northern woman journal page 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Decade Council News The International Women's Decade Co-ordinating Council of Northwestern Ontario held their monthly meeting at Confederation College on August 20. Plans are being made for an indepth evaluation seminar on Sept. 17 and 18. This will be for the purpose of assessing the work of the Decade Council in the last year and planning the direction for the next year. The focus of the Decade Council at the present time is on two very important issues, Waitresses' vs. the Tip Differential and the Widows' Pension Brief. Both of these briefs have been circulated throughout Northwestern Ontario by the Decade Council asking for support. Waitresses' Action Committee Since organizing last January, the Waitresses' Action Committee has been able to give a voice to the concerns of many workers in the tourist industry. They formed originally in response to proposals and lobbying by his industry to the Ontario Government to freeze the minimum wage of workers earning tips. In March 1976 a precedent was set for this, when a new category was formed, alcoholservers, who were to receive 15C less per hour than the standard minimum wage. These new proposals would expand that category to include all workers who receive tips, and increase the 'differential' to as much as 50c per hour. Action Committee, Immigrant Women's Centre and Opportunities for Advancement met with Tim Armstrong, Deputy Minister of Labour, Marnie Clark, head of the Women's Bureau and three The purpose of this other officials. meeting was to present to the Government a broad view of how not only waitresses would be affected by a lowered minimum wage, but how this would seriously limit the options for many other women in the paid labour force, who have had to continually fight just to keep their heads above water economically. The meeting ended with support from both the Deputy Minister and the Women's Bureau, and a pledge to take the call for a public forum to the Minister of Labour. These changes in the minimum wage would affect thousands of workers directly and even more, indirectly, by setting a precedent for an industry to obtain special privileges to pay for its crisis at our expense. The Waitresses' Action Committee, with much support, has driven a wedge into the Government's closed-door decision-making policy. Please get your organization to mail the form on this page in to the Minister of Labour, calling for a public forum cn minimum wage, before any changes are made. Widows' Pensions In response, an action committee was formed to oppose any impending lowering of the already much too low wages. A brief was circulated which gained support from a wide variety of organizations. Many groups wrote letters of support to their local rIPP's, newspapers, and the Ministry of Labour. Media coverage has been steady and sympathetic. This support has been crucial in pressuring the Government to consider a meeting to present demands and points of view. The need for a public forum for debate was a focal point of discussion when the Waitresses' Action Committee met with senior officials of the Ministry of Labour on June 27. RepTesentatives from the Waitresses' TO: Two areas of concern regarding widows' pensions for older women have been brought to the attention of the N.W.O. International Women's Decade Council. These are concerns that should be widely publicized so that all will be made aware of the injustices experienced particularly by widows in the 60 - 65 years of age bracket. Protests against these injustices should be voiced to all branches of government concerned with pension programs, urging correction of the existing conditions, and the inclusion of survivor's benefits in all pension plans both in public and private sectors. A news release from Ottawa published in a number of newspapers on February 24, 1977 stated: *"ELDERLY WIDOWS PREY TO PENSION WRINKLE. About 200 elderly women a month receive condolences from the federal government for the death of their husbands...and are informed that because of his death their old-age pension (his old-age pension and her Spouses Allowance) will be cut off. They are victims of a wrinkle in the rules governing the recently created Spouses' Allowance, paid to people aged 60 - 65. But the death of the elder marriage partner cancels out the pension of the other. It means that a combined monthly pension of as much as $460 is suddenly reduced to zero. The Spouses' Allowance was set up in 1975 to assist couples when only one partner is eligible for the Old Age Security pension, but where there is little or no other income. The spouse must be at least 60 to receive it and about 70,000 now do, most of them women. It is, in effect, an old-age pension paid early for those in need. But a clause in the rules says that the Spouses' Allowance is only payable to the spouse of a pensioner. If a pensioner dies, his pension dies with him and so does his wife's. Officials say about 200 penisons a month are lost because of this rule."* * (Toronto Sun, Feb. 24, 1977) May Sutton of the Decade Council has prepared a brief on this injustice affecting widows. Copies of the brief are available at Women's Place, 316 Bay St., Thunder Bay P. Letters of support for the brief can be written to: THE HONOURABLE MARC LALONDE, MINISTER OF HEALTH & WELFARE HOUSE OF COMMONS, OTTAWA, K1A OK9 THE HON. BETTE STEPHENSON, MINISTER OF LABOUR OF ONTARIO 400 University Ave., 14th Floor M7A 1T7 Toronto, Ontario We feel that changes of any kind in the minimum wage must not be made without consulting the people who are going to be affected. We demand, therefore, that the Ontario Government provide a public forum where workers can present their position to industry and Government. SIGNED: (organization or individual name) ADDRESS: northern woman journal page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DAY CARE NEWS " P ARE NTS " Parents who are using or interests in DAY CARE and AFTER SCHOOL LUNC1 What does this tell me about how AND BEFORE SCHOOL programmes PLEA: Council views day care? It tells write to your alderman requesting me they see child care as the sole their full uncompromising support responsibility of the parents; that complete quality child care servic they do not see children as our Emphasize the child's right to shared resource for the future; that complementary parenting as a comm"parents" is a special category, and unity and municipal responsibility "full paying parents" should be the A meeting for those concerned abot ones to help out the welfare parents, DAY CARE will be held at Women's instead of sharing the responsibility Centre on November 3, 1977. This equally between parents and non-parents. a regular Women's Centre meeting we'll discuss the philosophy of dE City Council has effectively care as well as plan some action limited day care to very high income strategies -for support of day care people and to very low income people. As someone in the middle , I know I would find it difficult (an understatement) to finance two children in day care, and even harder to finance three children. NEW RATES FOR THUNDER BAY MUNICIPAL DAY CARE As a parent who uses City Day Care, I received a schedule of the new rates effective September 1/77. For day care centres, the rates are Maybe it's a Council plot to I know reduce population growth. I've considered waiting till my son is 6 and in school before I produce yet another child. Maybe Council smugly assumes that one parent in every family (probably the mother) should be at home anyway. e m" now: $8.50 5.25 4.25 6.50 3.50 for for for for for full day half day with lunch half day without lunch 3/4 day (between 4 and 6 hrs) 2 hours or less If I have two children (or three), the above rates apply to each child. Before the price hikes, second and third children obtained "special family rates"--additional $1 per day per child. Now, two children in full day care would cost $340/month, and three children would cost $510:: For private home day care, the rates are now: $7.50 for full day, under 1 year old 8.00 full day, 1 to 21/2 years 8.50 full day, over 21/2 6.50 3/4 day, any age 5.25 half day with lunch 4.25 half day without lunch 3.50 two hours or less And the special family rates no longer apply here either. In the case of private home day care, it costs the City $7.80 per child per day to offer the service. This includes administrative costs. How many other City programs recover all expenses--including administrative? The extra $0.70 will not be applied toward improving the conditions of day care workers. Home providers will still be paid $7.50 per day per child ,without receiving sick pay or vacation pay benefits. "KIDDIES " BOOKS 16151111 Travels of Ms. Beaver Rosemary Allison I'm a Child of the City Ister Fine Grown-ups speak funny They say choo-choo When they mean train, And bunny When they mean rabbit. They say goo-goo to my sister Who's a baby. She laughs at them. I'm not surprised. My aunt calls a clock A tick tock. Our dog had puppies, My aunt calls them bow wows. Perhaps she didn't have the chance To go to kindergarten Like me. Strange St-Ann Powell All About Us Bonnie McSmithers Sue-Ann Alderson True Farm Stories, Freda Kamstra (local) My friend's mother Calls cows moo moos, And ducks quack quacks. My aunt should meet my friend's mother. My teacher knows The right words But she says them in a funny voice Like my mother uses To my sister. My grandpa speaks normal. Not many people understand him Except me. Anne Clifford, adult Kitchener, Ontario from Weekend Magazine northern woman journal page 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Graft I 4k* Poolift Gollft P.M P...40 owl 11%.0.01' Bulk En hombre third Milani, dam cisme 220 TENT.w ...or moo RETURN TO: mom m . . TABLE OF CONTENTS: : is ..... THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 BAY ST. !Editorial THUNDER BAY P, ONT. Bits and Pieces Return Postage Guaranteed ' Feminist Books Poetry Doing it To Us Rape and Sexual Assault Women and Music Credit Union pg 4 31 5 6 8. 10 13 15 'DayNews Day Care 16 I Who Did This Issue - Eve, Pat, Doreen, Noreen, Gert, Thyra, Leona, Lenny, Julie, Peggy, nne, Sharo n, Donna, Betty, Lynne, so MMMIM= tnnette. l Want Call Free Free , . I11I MM all to get involved? 345-5841 weekdays to single-parent families to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 3 No 6 Description An account of the resource Vo. 3, No. 6 (1977) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Transition from paid staff to volunteer collective at the NWJ London, UK - Rapist reduced sentence Women’s Outers Club California - Hitchhiker Rapist acquittal/women’s coalition to overturn Cancer-causing cosmetics Group for women AA forming Acquittal of woman who acted in self defence against rape Feminist book list Poetry Unemployment insurance for women - sexism & harassment Comics Canada Manpower Women against rape Canada Works grant for Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre Claudia Caputi Case - Rome (media sensationalization of rape case; rape/marriage laws; feminist vigil; public trial) Rape as political Female employment rates Italy Women in music Northern Lights Folk Festival Women’s Place Thunder Bay Crisis housing Keyport, N.J - Women’s Resource & Survival Centre Northern Women’s Credit Union Married women & the Credit Ability Gap Decade Council Waitresses' Action Committee Widows’ pensions Day care news Authors/contributors: Gert Beadle Margaret Atwood (originally published by Anansi, Toronto, 1971) Julie Stojko Deidre Hamill Eve Pykerman Doreen Boucher Beverly Pudas Anne Clifford (Kitchener ON - Weekend Magazine) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Published on this site with permission. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977 Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2750/1977_Vol_4_No_1.pdf 07d6f2b861b6b8c31ea33ada5fb3e7d2 PDF Text Text 0111011 500" Vorurnc 4 4ssitt 1 J01111113-17 DECEMBER 1977 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �GERT'S GOSPEL The subject of mother's and daughters is as wide as thought can make it. That each generation fits into the pattern of progress in societies evolution immediately makes them different. With a quality of sameness in that the same things happen to both of them and is measured by the preception that is the product of the times. It is a wise mother who therefore knows the preceptions that have taken her years to formulate will only serve to provide a beginning and a base for the kind of experimentation and rethinking which is not only the norm for the young but the sign of personal growth. The number of daughters who think their mother's don't understand them is only equal to the number of mother's who try but somehow never make it. What goes wrong when the two people designed to be natural allies become the author of each others misery and sometimes destruction? What part is played by a mothers perception of her own self-worth? In a position of dependance does she unknowingly project her anxiety and anger in those who are in turn dependant on her --- from observation it seems likely. If she has persuaded herself that her own secret rebellion has been unworthy of her high calling as wife and mother, will she not strive to check that rebellion and the questions it asks and see her daughter safely esconced in a similar bind. It used to work and in far to many cases it still applies but one thing never changes. The pride with which the rare young woman speaks of the strong independant mother and grandmother who refused to play a passive role in the face of injustice, moved with the times in a pattern of awdreness, and nutured that same lively independance in her daughter. Since woman have been relegated to a position of dependance in the scenario of civilization and this fact is only partially compensated for in covert manipulation, the point at which mothers and daughters should find their closest alliance is mutual rebellion. The number of daughters that imagine their circumstances are different, their feelings alien is a direct result of the reluctance of mothers to establish this vital link of communication. The desperate desire to remain comforter, protector and counsellor rather than fellow travellers in a common direction to the fullfilment of all female potential separates the generation and robs both mother and daughter of the support each needs to survive. The Northern Woman Regional Journal collective accepts the responsibility for publishing all articles in this paper. However, the opinions of the author are not necessarily those of each collective member. Any comment should be sent to our office. The Collective. EDITORIAL Your Northern Woman Collective have had serious discussions lately regarding the future of this journal The survival of the paper as a vehicle that chronicles our progress in the cause of greater awareness in the public and a closer relationship with the readers has been a priority in the minds of all of us. To this end we have volunteered our time, our energy and in many cases our money to subsidize the operation that places in the hand of the reader a fair representation of what Women are doing in the region to support other women. In the last two years we have seen postage increase from 3 to 14 Our printing costs have climbed over 40%. (Materials are costly and we must therefore decide Should we go ) the route of further subsidization, and if we do, can we afford it or should we move our price of subscription to $4.50 a year.) We feel our readers should respond to our Dilemma. As alternate Women's papers bow to the pressure of economics, it is important for us to know. How do you feel about it's survival? 401111161 OPPRESSION IS... 4. ill have a sisterly Christms, INTRODUCTION TO NONTRADITIONAL OCCUPATIONS -Oppression is poverty; oppression is exploitation; it is forced dependence; it is being property, yet not being valued as other forms of property; it is being confined to work ghettos; being held solely responsible for the rearing of children; it is unwanted sex; being beaten; being raped; it is having no control over one's body. It is low selfesteem, it is fear of aging, of being alone, it is not liking oneself very much, it is learning at an early age that one is not quite tall enough, slim enough, pretty enough, competent enough -- oppression is never being able to accept that as an individual, one is not solely responsible for and the cause of one's poverty, exploitation, dependence and fear. Credit - Kinesis 10 HAVE YOU BEEN THINKING OF GETTING BACK INTO THE WORLD OF PAID EMPLOYHAVE YOU BEEN THINKING OF MENT? SOME OF THE MORE "UNUSUAL" JOBS THAT MIGHT BE AVAILABLE? If so, this could be the course for you. 1. Assess their own skills. 2. Determine which jobs are w their range. 3. Develop job search techniqu 4. Provide four weeks on-thetraining. The student will choose, with help from the structor, where this train will take place. Manpower is sponsoring, through Confederation College, an eightweek course for women who wish to seek employment in areas generally regarded as restricted to members of the "opposite sex". The course is designed to help students: The course begins October 17, in Thunder Bay South. REGIST YOUR LOCAL CANADA MANPOWER OFF For more information, call Wo Programs, 577-5751, Extension 353 or 232. Northern Woman Journal page PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �KINGSTON INTERVA uirectors and staff of Ontario Interval and transitional houses met in conference at Queen's University, Kingston, Ont. for 4 days Oct. lith to 14th, to share their common experience,re-enforce their common goals and plan a future stratedgy to insure the continued concern for women and children unhappily the victims of physical and emotional battering will culminate in a series of houses of refuge that will provide the support and encouragement as well as the knowledge to re-assess her lifestyle with in a way that promotes change. With 14 houses now operating in the province and 5 more in the planning stage the question of perminent funding is crucial to the survival of an operation that speaks to the problem as well as the sol- Women-In Transition The "Crisis Homes Inc." citizen's committee, concerned in the area of interval shelters for women and children who are victims of physical abuse are sponsoring an intensive study of the problem. The present social structure now involved in offering service and counselling to this particular segment of our citizens will be This project under review. will operate from 316 Bay St., Thunder Bay, and is funded by Canada Works. ution. The lack of public interest and the persistent stereo-typing of the woman caught up in this cycle is a From a feminist major difficulty. perspective clearly those involved have a responsibility to lead the way in a concentrated effort to challenge the apathy of those whose position of influence could provide invaluable support to the projects. Donna Miller from Hiatus House in Windsor, presented an example or a community where business and professional elements play a fully supportive role which has enabled them to serve both as a refuge for abused women and a counselling service for non residental couples in marital dispute. An interesting and encouraging new element emerged in the role that city law enforcement is playing in the field of violence in the home. London's family counselling division of the regular force and the female officer assigned to family emergency calls. A unanimous decision to form an incorperated association of Interval and transitional houses in Ontario will hopefully come to fruition before Xmas when Hiatus House will host a representation of those houses both in operation and planning comprising two persons, one actively working with women in transition and one board member of an incorperated committee. The excerise to emerge with a constitution that will enable them to seek a mandate from the provincial government that will provide a stable It was my pleaoperational budget. sure along with Bev Curtis from Atikokan to share the concerns that we here in North Western Ont. have felt about the growing incident of violence in the home. Our incorperated committee has been in place At Woman's Place for three years. the woman in trauma is no stronger to us, we have felt removed and outside the city run crisis housing being neither allowed or willing to refer the women to the frist format. It has been small consolation to us that these houses exist because of our pressure when so many of our hopes were not realized in it's The climate for a closer operation. co-operation now seems possible and we are prepared to explore every avenue that leads to a better serWe have been granted a vice. Canada Works for five persons for a documentation of both incident and the gaps in social services and will concentrate on follow-up procedures as well as producing a hand book for women in difficulty. Bev Curtis from Atikokan and her group have the added problem of a mining town, the problem is real and immediate but there are strong women in that community and she feels confident a place of refuge will be a certainty. The possibi47 ity of a Interval house in Fort Frances has also been discussed. It is one of the exciting realities that in our time a woman terrified and abused may no longer feel there is no one who really cares. With the advent of a provincial association the subject of battered women will finally be exposed to public conversation. Five persons have been hired under this project, and it is their intention to research the area of "Battered Women" and to produce a booklet specifically designed for victims of violence in the home, offering choices of a course of action for their protection. The project will run from November 21, 1977 to July 14, 1978. "Can Boys be doctors, Mom?" Report from conference held in Kingston, Oct. 11th to 14th. A RIDDLE OR A MYTH? A boy and his father were driving in a They had an car. accident, the boy's The father died. child was taken to the hospital, a doctor was called. The doctor said "I can't operate on this boy, he's my son." How can that be? answer on pg. 15 "You must be new around here. That woman you called a broad this morning would like a word with you in her Ilffice." rn Woman Journal page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �$ 12,000 FEMINIST SET AS GOAL BOOKS WOMEN, MONEY & POWER By Phyllis Chesler and Emily Jane Goodman. Bantam, $2.50 As everyone knows, women have neither money nor power and they have been systematically excluded from the means to achieving both. If you have read and enjoyed Chester's Women and Madness her very academic indictment of the psychiatric profession, you will certainly find this insightful reading. It is a collaboration with a New York lawyer, Emily Goodman, to castigate another social institution - the economy. Chesler and Goodman take turns poking gaping holes into such concepts as the alimony myth (wherein women live like queens off the spoils of divorce) the total commitment of women to motherhood and marriage, and "powerful" women. The financial impotence of women is examined from every angle, from the psychology of ambilvalence in women toward women to the psychoeconomics of beauty. One thought is clear throughout the analysis of the psychoeconomic oppression of women and that is, that women simply only get close to money. Any appearance of power is merely derivative. Even the wealthiest women in the world have virtually no power of their own; any power they might have is through association, with some individual man. Achievements are generally made in the area of beauty and youthful looks... few women rarely run countries, banks, or businesses because it takes more than beauty and youth to qualify and women are not allowed access to the more important avenues. The expectation that all women are committed to motherhood particularly generally prevents them from: Obtaining high-salaried jobs, advancing, getting credit, developing necessary job skills and experiences, and receiving equal pay for equal work. Little has changed for women in terms of power in the co-called revolution. Chesler and Goodman point out only too blatantly that they have no access to the means of change and the ends are not even in sight. By Mary Burns PROTEST...NOVEMBER 5th, 1977 ON NOVEMBER 5th, A NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WAS HELD ACROSS CANADA. AMONG THE THEMES WHICH EMERGED FROM THE PROTEST WERE: ...RAPE IS LESS AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN SEXUAL GRATIFICATION THAN A WAY OF ASSERTING POWER, OF DOMINATING AND HUMILIATING THE VICTIM. Northern Woman Journal page 4 As anyone who drops into 316 Bay Street can see Women's Centre is thriving. The growth of activity, the re-newal of energy, the involvement of many women in the variety of issues and projects underway is heart-warming. What is abundantly apparent is that to maintain this energy and increase the involvement, permanent funding to provide for staff must be obtained. At the Women's Centre Annual Meeting on December 1st, considerable time was spent discussing fund-raising endeavours that we wish to pursue immediately. We began by establishing a goal. We intend to raise (in cash or commitment) $12,000 by April 1, Women Artists, 1550-1950 by Ann Sutherland Harris and Linda Nochlin, published by Alfred A. Knofp, New York, 1977. $11.95 in Canada. I couldn't read the whole book before writing this review. But before you decide to discount me as a reviewer, let me explain further. The book reviews the work of women artists over four centuries. It provides biographical information and discusses the historical conditions which hindered women as artists, as well as reviewing the works of the women. It is a very large book with a wealth of interesting information, and illustrations of many beautiful paintings. It is a book you could browse through, finding something new each time. It is a book you could begin, put down and pick up again much 1978. There is agreement that while government grants (always uncertain) will continue to be sought, energy must also go to other fund raising projects. We would like to develop small business projects, that not only would be a source of funds for Women's Centre but would generate needed employment for women. We agreed that we have many skills that could be turned into moneyraising events. Two projects were immediately initiated - wrapping Christmas presents and making Christmas crafts. Monies raised will be placed in a special account (Women's Centre Survival Fund) with the Northern Women's Credit Union and we are determined to reach our goal of $12,000 in four months. If you have fund-raising ideas we would really like to hear about them - please call 345-7802. Cash donations are encouraged and receipts will be given for tax purposes. Have you considered a donation as a gift for someone? Every dollar counts. Crafts, candles and Christmas cakes are available to purchase from Women's Place, 316 Bay Street. later. The book reviews in detail the paintings chosen for an exhibition of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The research on works not part of the exhibition was made possible by several grants. Judging from the introduction, which provides an overview of women as artists from the medieval period to the 1950's; and from some of the passages which describe the artists and their work; the perspective of the authors incorporates both an understanding and an appreciation of the women whose talents could not be-suppressed. Just one more thought- there are 32 colour plates (which are magnificent), and over 150 black-and-white illustrations. This book has something for almost everyone. Lynne Thornburg ft THE COnea6e phone Women's nace be4one BOOKSH AND Anyone intenested in a VA,st aid couue 4-tatting in _lama/1g 1978 January 18, 345-7802 OW ...RAPE .RAPE SHOULD BE REDEFINED IN THE CODE, POSSIBLY AS ASSAULT RATHER THAN A SEXUAL VIOLATION, SO CONVICTIONS COULD BE GAINED MORE EASILY. .WOMEN SHOULD LEARN-THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SKILLS OF SELF DEFENCE, AND ..WOMEN, RATHER THAN POLITICIANS, POLICE AND SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES ARE GOING TO ULTIMATELY HAVE TO ERASE THE EXISTING STEROTYPES OF MEN AND WOMEN THAT ARE LARGELY RESPONS1BLE FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. 4 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �At 93, Muria] is still active and presently residing in a senior citizens complex in Sioux Lookout. Thanks to Marion Babcock for submetting this herstory. HERSTORY muriel boyle Muriel Boyle was born on February 20th, 1884, in London, England. Seven of her adolescent years were spent in India where she lived with an uncle and attended school. Returning to London in 1902, she received secretarial training and was employed in the municipality for many years. In 1921 Muriel took a Montessory Course; she taught in private schools in Devonshire and Derbyshire before emigrating to Canada in 1927. Muriel taught at Havergal College in Toronto for a year; the next fourteen years were spent as a social worker at University Settlement in Toronto. She set up a nursery school, music centre and recreational activities during this time and was involved with a varity of people. For three years she taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music, specializing in eurythmics. She instructed children with learning difficulties in consultation with the psychiatric department of the Sick Children's Hos.)ital in Toronto. After an injury in a car accident in 1944, Muriel spent a year in Quebec where she taught school. In 1945 she arrived in the small settlement of Pearson, 40 miles south of Fort William, where she taught in a one room school for a year amid many hardships. The next two years she taught in the nearby settlement of Pardee. in 1948 muriel came to Sioux Lookout; she taught music in the public schools throughout the area for many years past retirement age. In 1965, at the age of 81, she began Lakeview School for the retarded in her home. For two years she taught children with learning problems; After this time the Board of Education purchased the present Lakeview School and Muriel discontinued formal teaching. However she continued to teach music in her hare for 10 more years and at the present she is teaching piano to a friend. She also gives instructions in reading to visiting children who require extra help in their schooling. and studies eurythmics, folkdancing, the English language, and people with enjoyment. NUriel's interest in the retarded continues; she is the membership chairwoman for the mentally retarded and an active member of the management board. An adult residence for the retarded was built in Sioux Lookout in 1975 and named in her honour (The Muriel Boyle Centre). In 1975, she was presented with the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship in Toronto by the lieutenant Governor Pauline McGibbon. Muriel is sympathetic to the women's movement and feels that women should have a choice in the work world that is equal to a man. She feels that there should be a sharing of duties in the have with no dominance by the male. She has enjoyed all stages of her life, particularly teaching. In each new setting she has become completely involved. She appreciated individuality, has lived very independently all her --life, and has few regrets. She Muriel is an active member of the believes that life is determined mainly community; she is the musician for the by,luck, She has cultivated her talents Rebekah Lodge and secretary for the and is an interesting person to be Senior Citizens' Club. Her main interwith. Her wit and intellect, as well ests- teaching, music and children, as her true concern for others, make continue to benefit the community and her a joy to know and she rerains an she is a resource person in the field influence on all who know her. of education. She is a avid reader Mimi Novick . CREDIT UNION update The Northern Women's Credit Union continues to progress very satisfactorily, with membership and assets growing monthly. Members of the Credit Union have been speaking to Women's groups about our activities. If you belong to a Woman's organization that would like a speaker about the Credit Union please call the office (345-7802). The Credit Committee, which consider all loan applications, is kept busy and we would like to explain some of the Committee's work. The Credit Committee really has a dual responsibility: to provide loans to members for necessary purposes at a low rate of interest and to protect the savings of the Credit Union members. To be eligible to apply for a loan you must first be an approved member of the Northern Women's Credit Union. Memberships are approved by the Board of Directors which meets the second Monday of each month. We point this out to encourage you to become a Credit Union member now, rather than waiting until you need a loan, and being disappointed by a delay. A member wishing to obtain a loan -'ust fill out an application form, which is available at the Credit Union office. The Credit Committee meets every Thursday evening to review all loan applications. Usually, for first loans, an interview with the applicant is held. Both the Credit Union Act and the Northern Women's Credit Union's By-Laws regulate the granting of loans. Thus, it is required that any loan over $500 must be secured. (The Credit Committee may also require security for loans under Security may be a chattel $500). mortgage (e.g. on household furniture or an automobile), an assignment of wages or other monies receivable, an assignment of Credit Union shares, or a co-signer. The total amount that can be loaned to a member is also regulated. At the present time the total cannot exceed $1,100 in excess of the member's savings. As our assets grow so will the total amount we are able to loan out. If you wish further information about the Credit Union, please drop into the office at 316 Bay Street, (next to the Hoito) Tuesday's or Friday's 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Thursday evenings from 7 - 9 p.m. or phone 345-7802. THE GLEESON CLINIC of CHIROPRACTIC wishes to announce the associateship of __%-5-eirte4.1teq c.,20A214, D.C. in the Practice of Chiropractic GLEESON CLINIC OF CHIROPRACTIC 1304 VICTORIA AVE. THUNDER BAY, ONT. P7C 1C2 (807)623-5531 Northern Woman Journal page 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Margaret Trudeau Phobia Now that Margaret Trudeau is settled in New York and about to become a movie actress, perhaps it is time to check back and evaluate the whole "Margaret affair". It is hard to think of anyone in recent times who has been so castigated by the Canadian news media. Margaret was called spoiled, irresponsible and a traitor to her country. MacLeans, who came down the hardest, labeled her "a media groupie" and warned she was a danger to national unity. Ottawa gossip, usually left unprinted by the press under an unwritten "gentlemen's agreement", was inserted into the articles as fact. Harvey Kirk, CTV newsman, warned in a story in the Globe and Mail, March 31 that she was "fair game" for the press and Peter Kent of the CBC agreed on the grounds that she went into a public bar, something that Prime Minister's wives don't do. "Today's Generation", a teen magazine handed out free in the high schools, called Margaret a "national digrace" and suggested that she "keep her mouth shut." Furthermore the magazine claimed she had made the country "an International joke." In spite of an unprecedented deluge of mail protesting its treatment of Margaret, MacLean's continued its character assassination through March and April of this year. The language they used provides an interesting study in sexist reporting. Margaret did not talk; she "burbled", nor did she walk; she "skittered". She did not get angry; she "bitched", nor could she make a remark; instead she "chirped" (MacLean's, March 21, p. 63, 64 and April 4 p. 23). Every adjective and verb used was to make her sound childish and trivial. What did this woman do to merit such treatment?? Well, there was the separation and talk of divorce. Today's Generation said that a divorce would be hard on that but we should not expect her national morale (May/June, 1977). A lot of the remarks about lack of res"work" in return, nor should she be up as a model of virtue to refrain ponsibility were really a veiled criticism of the marriage separetion. activities common to Canadians such marriage separation, or going to rc Marg2ret's patriotic duty was to remain concerts for that matter. in the marriage lest she upset the Yes, it was that Rolling Stone cc country and especially upset the Prime Minister. MacLean's even opinioned that which seemed to irritate the media most. Why, they asked, should she the stress on the PM might cause him to resign, which in turn would cause the her position to get tickets? The separatists to triumph and therefore the is that heads of state and their fz have always used their positions fc break-up of the country would be on Margaret's conscience. tickets, the best seat at sports ac ities and other favours. The Ameri Let us ask ourselves this question. What are the duties and responsibilities presidential family doesn't get tic they arrange performances in Washin of a Prime Minister's wife ? As far as Former Prime Ministers in Canada ha know there are none. To be sure the used every bit of influence to meet Prime Minister's wife is in the public rich and famous as their autobiogra eye for she is often made part of that show. Prime Minister MacKenzie Kin political party's publicity as Margaret enamoured with the British aristoc, and her children have been. and pulled every string to get invi Whatever you think of the morals of there was no secret about it and not remember hearing criticism unti Margaret Trudeau went to a Rolling concert. wonder if the outcry wo have been as intense if she had bee given tickets to the ballet? There are two lessons to be learn, here. First, women in public posit are still being judged by a special of standards. For instance, it was Trudeau who used violence against hi yet it was Margaret who was blamed. The second lesson is a positive of The volume of mail from Canadian wor was an admitted suprise to the newsi and magazines. Women wanted no mon coverage of what was essentially a vate matter and there was also conch about the sexism of the reporting. pro-Margaret letters were so numerot that newspapers began to cover the It has become customary for wives to story in a more dignified, less gos! act as hostesses and perhaps most of manner. Finally, only MacLean's cor them have enjoyed it. Margaret did not. the tone of vilification. We do not pay the Prime Minister's If wife a salary nor is she elected. Joan Baril she lends herself to election publicity for her husband we can do nothing about 1 I I I who ordered them to undress and pe form oral sex on each other, then him. But while one of the women fellated the man, he lay back and closed his eyes, and the other wom hit him on the head with a rock. Stunned, the attacker dropped hi gun and fled. Police arrested him five hours later when he returned the scene to pick up his car. Jailed Victim of Incest Noreen Winchester is now in Armagh women's prison in Northern Ireland, sentenced to seven years for the 'manslaughter' of her father. From the day of her mother's funeral, when she was 13, Noreen was raped by her father, who threatened to kill her brother (9) and two sisters (6 and 7) if she told the police what he was doing. In 1975 when she was 17, she met Dertrr of Farrar and they planned to marry in April 1976. Noreen's father then said they need not be careful any more - if she got pregnant everyone would think it was Dermot's child. Noreen tried to ward him off but he raped her again. Desperate, the next night when he came home drunk, she put a knife in his neck. Passing sentence, the judge said she had been "a willing partner for years" and had had "plenty of time to go to the police about the incest" - showing a complete lack of understanding of pressures within the family. An international feminist campaign has started to fight for Noreen's release. Other raped women in the USA who retaliated against their attackers and got heavy sentences, have been acquit. Reuters. ted by higher courts after feminist publicity campaigns: Inez Garcia who killed one of two men who raped her; Joanne Little who was to be hanged for killing her rapist. This campaign is being co-ordinated by the Noreen Winchester Committee, Gerolaan 52, Zeist, Holland - they want postcards demanding Noreen's release. Irish Women United are organising support - contact them at PO Box 909, Dublin. - Spare Rib issue 62 Sept/77 RAPE IN THE NEWS Two young women sunbathing in a secluded spot near Sacramento, Calif. were approached by a man with a gun A Milwaukee man abducted a local woman and forced her to have inter'\fter course with him in his car. he'd finished, the woman told him that she might get pregnant and she wanted him to know about it if she did. He gave.-her his phone number. Police arrested him later that day. Wisconsin State Journal (Karen Kim) A newly invented rape protection product called "Repel" consists of vial of concentrated skunk oil with which the attacked woman is suppose to drench herself in order to repul a would-be rapist. Toronto Star Credit to National Lampoon. Northern Woman Journal page 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WOMEN AGAINST RAPE the male member of this lawyer team, is that he had, but two years before, called the police to report a rape committed by this very man he was now defending. had been in danger. They would realize if they had, that when your life is in mortal danger, you have no conception of time when your every move is being controlled. The victim was asked questiona regarding drinks she had during the afternoon; her boyfriend's temperment; her debts -- subtle inferences with this line of questioning. The reasons behind this questioning became apparent later when the defense called the accused to the stand. WITNESS FOR THE ACCUSED--"ARE YOU READY TO GO HOME." THE ACCUSED- "NO, I'M NOT FINISHED WITH HER YET!" How did the accused account for the bites to the victim's thigh, breast and nose? "Oh,---well---in the midst of our scuffle, accidently fell on her, my elbow hitting her inbreast, when her leg flew up and stinctively bit her thigh, and as she accidentally bit raised her head, her nose." The victim supporters reacted to his story with anger, near hysteria, urges to laugh and others They shook their heads in disbelief. felt his account was too smooth, well rehearsed, and lacking credibility. I "I'M GOING TO PENETRATE YOU ANYWAY!" I A recent trial was held during the fall assizes involving an attempted rape of a 26 year old secretary. The attacker was her employer. The case was particularity important, as the Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre was familiar with other 'activities' of the alleged rapist. A year earlier he had been charged with rape--first trial was a hung jury--and thenhe was acquitted. The TBR&SAC collective and other supporters showed up at the trial to lend support to the victim and to watch how our justice system works. For the most part most of us had never attended a rape trial before, although we had been to preliminaries. Needless to say we were educated quite severely in matters of law. "HE LOCKED THE DOOR AND TOOK OUT HIS PENIS AND SAID WHAT AM SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS? AND THEN SHUT OFF THE LIGHTS." The accused took the stand and gave his account of what happened. The defense lawyer led her questioning of the witness to portray the image of a fine upstanding citizen. In the RCAF for a number of years, 45 years old, divorced, father of three children, businessman, well dressed and very contrary to the myth of the sidezy pervert. He was manager of a life insurance agency until this last incident. It boggles the mind to realize now, that this man operated a business that allowed him easy access to women's homes. The accused only spoke in glowing remarks about his victim. He related what happened that day with the smoothness t6f a well-rehearsed actor. Tears flowed when appropriate and gestures were made to emphasize his statements. He managed to look puzzled and persecuted when the crown asked direct questions that required a few seconds to think of a response, He angered self-righteously when the crown goaded? him on certain aspects of his testimony. I "MR. DEVLIN" CRIED THE ACCUSED, AM NOT A PARAGON OF VIRTUE, BUT I "I EXPECT MORE FROM YOU THAN SITTING BEHIND A DESK TYPING." The defense for the accused was the only wife and husband team in Thunder Bay. The fact that a woman was defending the accused was bad enough, but she also had been regarded as a supporter of women's rights and was friends of members of our support group. They were hurt, shocked, surprised and felt betrayed. personally cannot speculate on her reasons for defending a rapist --frankly, don't give a damn. Another interesting fact about I I .1 (One of the witnesses testified she saw indentations of teeth marks on the victim's breast.) This 'paragon of virtue' is free again. The verdict was NOT GUILTY. He could have been found guilty of indecent assault or common assault. The jury found him not guilty on any of the included charges Our I Our members heard testimony of evidence including the victim's. The victim related how she had worked for only four months for her accused employer before the attack happened. She related that she planned to leave his employment because of his persistence in becoming 'familiar' with her. He did so by cornering her between the wall and filing cabinets, etc. During her testimony, the victim was not emotional, she was polite and not vindictive. Her account was supported by other witnesses and corroborative evidence of clothing, bruises, evidence of fighting, etc. We felt from her testimony alone that the jury probably would have convicted him. But, KNO) I "AT ONE POINT GOT INTO THE OUTER OFFICE, BUT HE DRAGGED ME BACK." I The accused, in his testimony accounted for the bruises on the victim, the bites and severly sprained finger by steadfastly insisting that she had reciprocated to his advances that day. He also mentioned, in passing, that the victim had asked him twice about an increase in wages prior to that time. (The defense's inuendos about the victim's debts come into play here.) In the middle of their 'passion' he says, "She asks about that raise". "Well," he announced, half ashamedly "I said something I'm very sorry for." He told her if she was that hard up for money, she could go out on the street and hussle for it. He claims, she, then in anger, lashed out at him and to protect himself, had to beat her up. The defense lawyer could not understand, in his summation, how a slim woman of 5'7", 130 lbs, could not have come out more physically abused if she indeed had maintained a two hour fight with a 6', 180 lb. man. A previous victim related later that a man like the accused knew he would have to have an excuse for some bruising, but controlled himself so that he didn't beat her beyond accountability. As for the 2 hour struggle--it would seem that many people have never been in a situation where their life Interpretation In the legal system, it is her Interwoven in this word against his. are the myths of rape and the attitud our society has toward women. The de fense and the accused perpetuated the myths in this case, as well as many other cases that have passed through the courts before, in order to squirm out of the grasp of the law. It is only two years since the jury was instructed by judges that th could not convict on the woman's test There had to be corrobor mony alone. tine evidence--bruises, cuts, etc. Now we are told that rape, as a crimi nal offence is treated as any other criminal offense. Is this instructio apparent in robbery, embezzlement and murder? Does this not suggest that The jury women are potential liars? is no longer instructed this way, but even with corroborative evidence or NOT, it's still her word against his. The defense therefore, must infer, an make innuendos as to the character of the victim, using all the methods of exploitation of her 'suspected' morals. For instance, don't drink before you are raped. Suggestion: You are loose and have no control Don't live over yourself sexually. Nith a man. Syggestion: If you've CONTID PAGE 12 Northern Woman Journal page 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �MERRY CHRISTMS TO ALL XMAS want for Xmas is myself. Just wrap me up and give me back to me. From myth and social custom set me free. I'm not a tinsel angel on your All I Xmas tree, L'm just a hungry searcher for my own reality, that sees the shabby promise in this false equality. Can't you see the gift I'm dreaming of, is freely giving me to me -- with love! CHRISTMAS PARTY Sorry, but we really hoped to invite our subscribers to a party at Women's Place. The paper is going to print tomorrow, December 16/77 (hopefully) so by the time you, our readers will receive it - we're afraid the party will have come and gone. Hopefully, most of you know about the party and we will see you or saw you. Merry Christmas anyway! Peace '6AOM the heatth oe the wishes to hang on yout ttee, May the heath that we zhow the value, we hold dtaw to owe cite the Lonely and cold. Thete a joy eot the moment, stkength eot the day, yout welcome a sute at 316 Bay. We chetah outs 6tiends in the old ea4hioned way, Metty Xmaz to all on this greatest o6 days. Gurt The Night Before On the night beiote, the night beioke, coniusion teignz supteme, Got every woman watbs the tine between the nightmare and the &team. To pick it up on .let it tay..ot.. tun away and hide, zome mad imputse to 4atis6y the 6eveted -soot inside. The bitd Lay4 cold and hollow and the ttee not 6utty dkessed, 6athets making metty, the kids have gown the nest. Het brain iz counting dottamz white het hands ate tying stting, het heart Lis sunning on a beach where its etetnat stoking. Witt the ketatives atkive on time and who witt meet the plane, eot the stteets ate btowing -snow and the battety14 dead again. Haz the zitvet aft been potahed, wilt the ctyztat shine and gleam, witt the elves within the bottle /min the whole dwtn thing again. Stitt she moves ass automated, programmed to a dtaged task, and she zweaAs het heatt L merry, i6 anyone zhoutd ask. She wilt put it att together as she's done in seasons past, tilt the tazt pine needles petish, in the vacuums sucking blast. How society eneot6 het, how the rnetchantz bless het name, Mother served up eot the hungry, mother sucked .into the game. When we ask the Chtatma4 meaning, take the measure (le the plot, between the nightmate and the &Learning something takes a tot oe thought. Cast it out and set it dti6ting, butn a candle, give yout Love, join gout hands ackozz a table, bless the tuttte and the dove. GERT Northern Woman Journal page 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Wait. CAy I saw my sister raped to-day and I sat there immobitized. I am the ravaged victim. There nothing Leg to deOnd. I am the stinking, Orate cadaver. Let in the wake o6 a mad invading I watched, ass howl. Wet bouts they beat and kicked hen wow. and tone hen gesh and beat again. I SCheam Out, to yet - unborn Unzataiied to tear hen body, they atzo tnied to nape het mind. genetations oi women-- Heat me-Hetp me - -- POETRY And I was powentess to stop them. I saw my sista /taped to-day because she Lo a woman. Save me--- Anon SOUNDS With att the toots o6 their power and prestige They impnaoned hex, and, with constant threat hetd het captive. Then they said - You must enjoy can viotence - On why etze do you stay. Thexe are sounds 6nom your wtitten wonds Echoing across the distance, Sounds as sag az /min on my window And sounds that might be i4 I tiztened hand, Like those oi sunLight ituttcting on waters . I watched my satek /taped to-day Yet did not scream in hen de6ense But in my weakness ctept away to my sate ptace, whexe I cooed only Vomit, Vomit. Not att oi het attackens Were joy6ut in than viotence Some were uncompAtabte - some even brightened. Some joined in merely because oi than_ ignotance. White some had systematicatty devised etabonate justiiications theapanticipati.pn. But some oi them zmited. They axe sounds prom your heart, And in the depth oi a tonety night, I pick youA tetteA up And I Listen. Politics Anyone? The ptay goes on and on 6nom day to dtolny day I zit tnans6ixed it is betten than Another WoAtd bettet than the tezttess young. I pander on the quantity o6 swallowed aiA. The price o6 tongue We have ion. sate Mane garbage by the pound- Mote Aighteouz postuning Mote gexing o6 the Lung Than Simpte 6otk can bean- Canadians, they say 4Aom Coast to Rocky Coast Ate booming at the mouth A bittion Canadian bucks Witt sun their back-sides in the south. And all because, because Oun 6aith has been destnoyed God knows we're pate This Nation o achievers We'd Aathet .lose the Countty than admit we're unbetievens. The tAees stand naked against the stat-pAicked sky, The moon, Like a gAeat savet bind in the night, On Encloses the woods with platinum wings, PAessing the danknezz away, Shietding evexy crevice inom the shadow oi might. I saw my satet taped to-day because she iz a woman. Even ass I stand here, And stitt she battled back Though bruised and bteeding She stood tate, and cteanty spoke I beet the soot guttek o6 those wings in my mind. Though naked, as I am, "1 do not .let you nape me" Atone, Gent Cussing etetnities be6one birth I am Wted with the most humbte and Wen death, pAide Tanning only to the stars OA Fon the satet that I met today And iox all women who with thein strength and counage and see( Tat the wottd that Viaence againzt women must be anzWen,S, stopped. I can beet the pate tight quicken, And in my sotitude, Let the moon-bind take me &wands the dawn. Stephanie I saw my sister 'taped to-day because she a a woman. And I, myseei, am taped today because I too am woman. Maiuganet MY CAT Somewhere undo a so 6a bed. Sometimes you wilt be .cocky and maybe you won't. I once asked him how he came to be. Once I asked...Once I asked Once he came by so6tty and sneakty. He gave me a wink and sonta yipped his tail. A presence so so6t and warm and time. He gave me a wink and cotta You axe the onty one I can think o6 You've .Lived ban and wide Large and smart happy ate the time. Mita Northern Woman Journal page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PROFILE woman artist This interview was done July 13, 1977 during Suzette Downey's exhibition of paintings at Keskus Mall. Suzette Downey was born in Hearst, and presently lives in Longlac. She is French speaking. She has Grade 8 education. Prior to her marriage, 8 years ago, she worked in plywood plants in Hearst, but quit at her husband's request. Her interest in painting was renewed during the time she spent at home. She has little formal training: an art class in Longlac sponsored by the local recreation commitee and a Confederation College art course. She's been selling her paintings for 10 years now, and has had exhibitions in Toronto and Thunder Bay. Recently she and another woman artist invested in greeting cards displaying their paintings. She has no children, but "has lots of fun trying." She spends approximately 8 hours a day, 5 days a week painting in her basement studio. finished school and they're all some- Last year I formed a group with four body. And there I was... doing other women - we called ourselves So it seemed art was my bag. Northern Ontario Artists Five. Insteai nothing. I like sculpture and stuff like that, but I found after awhile that I was better at painting. So I try to exploit the thing I'm best at. I haven't 'made it' yet, but I will. And I'm not going to let go either. A,-d there's another reason, too. All the people who go skiing or have hobbies aren't going to have anything When I'm left when they get older. 80 years old I'm still going to be able to dab. Men retire at 65 and half of them die within 5 years because they don't know what to do. It doesn't matter what happens to me, I'm always going to have something to fall back on. If I leave town, I've got something. It's kind of nice. HOW DID YOU FINANCE YOUR PAINTING? I had.a little money before I got married - not very much, but it was enough to buy painting supplies. I sold my first paintings for about $75.00, just enough to buy material to make another one. I was so greedy about getting supplies that as soon as I sold a painting, I would right away go and buy supplies, in case I wasn't going to get anymore. It's hard to change that now - I have more supplies than I know what to do with. Friends and neighbours used to buy my paintings for $25-35 as a kind of favour. Today they're glad they bought them. DID YOU HAVE ANY SUPPORT TO CONTINUE PAINTING? I like to talk about painting. I find it hard to talk to women who want to talk about housework or children. So for a long time I didn't have many friends People laughed at me when I started painting. They thought it was a big joke. 'Let her do some scribbles' was their attitude. A couple of relatives would be nice and say, keep going, keep going, but to the rest an artist was somebody who was dead and famous. People who are alive and painting aren't well enough known. People are changing now - it's not the same attitude. of paying a lot of money when we went out of town, we stayed at each other's We shared the expenses for renting malls and advertising for exhibitions. It was very important to have that kind of help. houses. YOU WERE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE YOUR PAINTINGS TO TORONTO BY THE MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TOURISM. HOW DID THAT WORK OUT? I got jipped there. When I got there they only offered me about $25.00 a painting. That was another catch. A big hope and then poor! I had no idea from them. They simply said, come to Toronto and we'll buy your paintings. Just because my paintings are in a gallery, doesn't mean I'm getting rich. HOW WAS YOUR PAINTING RECEIVED IN TORONTO? People figured it was a fantasy thing snow on a tree. They figured I was something else. It was like a fairy tale for them - not real. A person came and said some people think that northwestern Ontario has lots of Eskimos - people right in Toronto! You figure only people from the U.S. would say that. YOU PUT A LOT OF ENERGY INTO SELLING YOUR PAINTINGS. IS IT HARD WORK? It's not very nice to expose .yourself in an exhibition, to say, 'here I am, these are my paintings and they're the result of 20 years of work.' There are lots of women artists, or even some young boys who come and figure, oh, isn't she lucky, she's got it made, sitting in a mall with lots of paintings. But they don't know what it's really like. I don't even know if I'm going to sell one. And I have to invest money in rent, frames, pegboard for displaying and advertising. Maybe I will go in the hole. Every art show is a fight, and sometimes you lose. But you don't talk about that. Who's going to buy a painting from someone who didn't do very well? HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN PAINTING: When I was young I always coloured, and won the colouring contests. I was always best in class and the teacher would make me do all the decorations. At school I was terriblezero on top of zero. Anything that had to do with spelling, I was terrible. Painting was my way of expressing myself. I wanted to do something. It was a big hang-up for me to have only Grade 8. There was nothing I was going to do that would ever be great. I would have liked to have been a hairdresserI really enjoyed doing it. But when I asked to take the course, I needed a higher grade. I would have liked to be a stewardess. But all the doors were closed. It was too late for me to go back - you can't redo your life. So to me art was a door to get there, to show that I could be somebody too. I came from a big family. I'm the oldest one and I'm the only one who didn't go to school - the others all My own hometown people started to accept me more because I went to Toronto to Fairview and because I have paintings in Lord Simcoe Gallery. When they see which galleries are buying my paintings they say, well, it must be good. You know you never do it in your own little town. You have to make it somewhere else before they accept it. When I first got married my husband thought my painting was ok because it kept me busy, out of trouble. It wasn't a big deal. But when I started to sell them and bring the money home, well, that was good. That's how he started to take me seriously - when my art was paying for itself. Before it was just a nice hobby. He's pretty understanding about it now. He'd have to be to let me come hereto Keskus for two weeks, and then I go to Longlac and Hearst for one week. At first he laughed at me, but when he saw I was determined, he changed his mind. Half of the artists are afraid to take the criticism that comes with exposing yourself. People say what junk it is, that prices are too high, who do you think you are. But they don't tell you to your face. When you ask them, they say, very nice, very nice. I'm stubborn. I know what I want and I'm going to get it, even if it takes 10 years. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR OWN WORK? Some of my paintings I like, some I don't even care about. But usually I'm wrong about my paintings. Something that I won't like will sell, and something I spend lots of time on and am really proud of, people don't pay so much attention to. The ones I pick to be my best are not, as popular as the others. Northern Woman Journal page 10 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WOMEN & at EE A L. ir Fi women's I) IVA c.e: WOMEN'S CENTRE IS HAVING A SERIES OF "WOMEN AND HEALTH" DISCUSSION GROUPS ON THURSDAY EVENINGS 7:30 p.m. BEGINNING SOME TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION WILL BE MENOPAUSE, THESE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY. JANUARY 12, 1978. ESTROGEN REPLACEMENT THERAPY, ACUPRESSURE, DRUGS-WHAT ARE YOU TAKING/SIDE EFFECTS, BIRTH CONTROL 6 ITS SIDE EFFECTS, MASTECTOMY, HYSTERECTOMY, NUTRITION, MENTAL HEALTH 6 WOMEN, PLUS OTHER TOPICS. THE FILM "TAKING OUR BODIES BACK" AND OTHERS WILL ALSO BE SHOWN. SUGGESTED READING IS "OUR BODIES OURSELVES" WHICH IS AVAILABLE ON LOAN AT 316 Bay St. RESOURCE PEOPLE WILL BE USED FOR THE DISCUSSION GROUPS AS WELL AS WOMENS' EXPERIENCE BY THOSE WHO HAVE LIVED WITH/ WE ENCOURAGE ALL WOMEN TO COME TO LEARN AND SHARE THEIR HEALTH CARE THROUGH THEIR OWN HEALTH PROBLEMS AND TREATMENT. EXPERIENCES. THUNDER BOLT To the justice system for their collective guilt in the perpetuation of oppression of WOMEN THUNDER CLAP To us, for struggling to keep this paper alive and to all the women who helped put Gert's book 'SALT AND YEAST' together S(Ift oint) *sr OkDER NOW t * ONE WOMAN'S POETIC DIARY OF HER JOURNEY THROUGH TRADITIONAL ROLES TO THE JOY OF SELF REALIZATION, WITHOUT DISMISSING THE VALUE OF THE JOURNEY ITSELF. * THE POEMS CHRONICLE HER PROGRESS FROM 1937 to 1977. * THIS BOOK IS OFFERED BY THE SISTERHOOD OF THUNDER BAY TO ENCOURAGE A GROWING SENSE OF UNITY IN ALL WOMEN. V ONE HUNDRED PAGES WITH OVER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY POEMS. 11114 .. * A ,S*06 *AM BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS BY SIRPA BISHOP CiOrt The- Northern Woman is extending a reduced rate to groups who order 10 or more copies. Instead of the regular $5.00 we are offering the special price of $3.50. Orders should bepre-paid by cheque or money order (made out to SALT & YEAST) and sent to the Northern Woman Journal, 316 Bay St., Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7B 1S1. Phone 807-345-5841. ORDER FORM ORDER FORM ORDER FORM SALT AND YEAST ORDER FORM Name Address Please Send copies @ $3.50 or 1mA awl amlIlimlVM @ , $5.00 Northern Woman Journ PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �k:o nt d from page 7 F CON COLLEGE R w 0 M E given before, you're expected to give at the office. Don't owe any debts. Suggestion: You try to get money anyway you can -- and then cry rape. The crown tried his best for a conviction, but he too was unable to pursue certain aspects -- because he tries rape as a sexual crime and not one of abuse and power. His line of questioning would have been appropriate if he was able to see a woman's point of view. After the trial the media played on the fact that a group of women shouted unpleasantries to a man who had just been found innocent of a crime. Before, during and after we were given accounts from men and women about the accused 'paragon of virtue'. Two women reported that he was the same person who harassed them in university until one told him to fuck off. When the accused showed up at her home and her boyfriend appeared he made a hasty retreat. The other victim was not so lucky. He raped her. She reported it and the officer in charge treated her story with disbelief. One man overheard another man who was reading about the case in the paper and announced he hoped they got the son-of-a-bitch. Why? The 'paragon of virtue' had been his landlord and he had often heard women's screams from his apartment. Another man told us that a native woman was raped in the car of the accused, while three people watched. They refused to report what they had seen. The Rape Crisis Centre feel that rape should be defined in the criminal code as assault rather than sexual violations so convictions could be gained more frequently. It has been shown in studies that men have not raped for sex; they have sexual outlets. Rape is used to humiliate, intimidate, over-power, brutilize and control. In its enthusiasm to protect innocent persons in this court system, they give more right to an accused rapist than they do to the victim. The sentence for assault should be :hanged from zero to life, with addi:ional years applied to the degree of the offense. Attitudes toward oomen have to be changed. Men have to be changed. Men have to start paying or their crimes against women. AND AFTER HE WAS FINISHED WITH ME, HE HANDED ME TWENTY DOLLARS, REFUSED IT!" N COURSES -- 1978 WOMEN IN HISTORY-Instructor: Joan Baril; Tuition $30.00; Mondays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., January 9 to April 17, 1973. Description: This subject traces the place of women in the history of western civilization from antiquity to the first two decades of the 20th Century. The final lectures will concentrate exclusively on the history of women in Canada consistent with the emphasis on unity as a priority for Students will be exCanada. pected to select one woman or topic to present for group discussion (or perhaps in the case of a credit course, do a short essay on). WOMEN AND PSYCHOLOGY-InstrucDr. B. Coomes; Tuition tor: $30.00; Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., January 10 to April 18, 1978. Descr4PA course designed to tion: familiarize the student with basic psychological concepts as they relate to women. Alternatives to the traditional approaches are reviewed and discussed. WOMEN MAKE MOVIES-Instructor: Rae Farrell; Tuition $30.00; Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., January 19 to April 20, 1973. Description: Can you recall one film you have seen that was directed by a woman? The most popular image of the great director But women have been is male. directing films since 1896. For a refreshing change, view over 30 films made by women. Included are feature, short, documentary and animated films. Women Make Movies is for It offers prizeeveryone. winning international cinema to encourage a critical interest in the influence of women on film-making. I Some of the titles include Shirley MacLaine's, THE OTHER HALF OF THE SKY: A CHINA MEMOIR and Judy Collin's, PORTRAIT OF THE ANTONIA: WOMAN. WOMEN'S RE-ENTRY PROGRAM (W.R.E.P.)-Instructor: Sandra Steinhause; Tuition $25.00; Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., January 23 to March 15, 1978. Description: Do you want to return to work or to College, or to University? You do, but you're scared you lack certain basic skills? This course will offer training in skills that the group decides are important to It will be limited to them. 16 women so that the group and individual needs will be satisfied. Some examples of past trainlisten7 ing sessions include: ing effectively, non-verbal communication, report writing, preparing a proposal, role playing job interviews, giving a talk, how to use a library, problem solving, visiting apprentice-training centres, vocational guidance sessions, preparing a resume or job application forms, job search techniques, assertiveness training. WOMEN AND THE LAW-Instructor: Dianne Baig; Tuition $15.00; Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., January 24 to DescripFebruary 28, 1978. A course designed to tion: acquaint students with the law as it effects women. Topics include labour law, consumer, marriage and property laws, and laws dealing with children, sex and welfare. REAL CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE -Instructor: Sandra Steinhause; Tuition $20.00; Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., January 25 to March 29, 1978. Description: Did you know that Harlequin Romances are the hottest item in the paperback industry? In 1974 there were 75 million sold in North America with a 79 % increase from the previous year. The course will be a seminardiscussion type. We'll examine today's Harlequin Romances and compare them with those written in the 1950's and the 1930's to see how women are portrayed. Since popular literature reflects the leading values of culture, Harlequin Romances and Love Magazines are important to analyze in order to understand our Canadian society. Drthern Woman Journal page 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �IS IT HARDER TO BE A WOMAN AND AN ARTIST? Suzette Downey Con't from pg. I think it's harder for women to be successful. She always has to ask her husband, can I go here? can I go there? A man, if he's an artist, he's going to find a woman who will follow Women like me, who can't support him. themselves, have to follow the men. If I was a man, I would get a woman to do what I'm doing here - sell my She would be my manager. paintings. A man can stay at home and paint and get his wife to go and do his dirty work for him - sit in a mall for 10 hours a day selling his paintings. 10 I like to do black and white. In painting, black and white is usually First of all, you're not a no-no. supposed to use black in a painting, and I'm trying to break that rule. And if I'm successful at it, black and white will be recognized, but there's no guaranty. I may get shot down all over the place. But I want to prove that black and white is beautiful. I have a camper trailer and spend most of my time in the bush. That's what I paint. I think I'm better at that than at portraits anyway. So why not try to do what you're better at. I'll throw in another kind once in awhile to try to improve myself. Like my painting of the baby there - it's not real, it's kind of a caricature. But people like it. It makes them talk. It's like the skeleton I painted that's just a conversation piece. People stop and say, ugh! or whatever. Then they notice something else. But when they're going a hundred miles an hour, they don't see anything. So when you get something like that, they don't like it, but at least they stop. Suzette Downey will be holding another exhibition at Keskus Mall, Thunder Bay the first two weeks May 1978. Her cards, plaques and paintings are carried by Art-Metal Stores (Thunder Bay), 36 S. Cumberland St. Her cards are also available at Woman's Place, 316 Bay St.; Small Wonders, Keskus; Val's Cards, Keskus; and the Written Word, Cumberland St. Or you can write directly to: Suzette Downey, Box 465, LONGLAC, Ontario, POT 2A0. There are people who are a hell of a lot better than I am. But they don't do anything about it. It's a big waste. I think they're scared. I'm scared, but I try not to show it. I'm afraid of not making it. But if you don't try, you'll always say, if I had tried I probably would have made by Donna Shaw & Peggy Smith (Special thanks to Faye Peterson for help in transcribing.) it. reflections am It took me more years than prepared to admit to understand the kind of fevered restlessness that drives a woman to cut herself loose from a man that in a child's mind, seemed to personify the very virtue of selflessness, - the happy hardworking nature that demanded nothing further from you than you be lived and As a child, happy too. sometimes bore the load for the kind of harnessed fury that occasionally manifested itself in hysterical departures and the penitent tears of The quality of fornew beginnings. giveness as expressed by my father and encouraged in us by him cemented him in my mind as a saint. She would be good now, she would be happy and if she were happy, then we would all be happy, this mother whose capacity to dream dreams she had no hope of fulfilling would forget all that nonsense and get on with the business of hoeing the potatoes under penalty of destroying the happiness of this magnanimous family. She did not, of course and, in due time, a further, by this time ex pected disappearance resulted in the little legal paper that said it was permanent. Operating from the lofty perch of self-righteousness and the sting of being abandoned, we comforted ourselves with the obvious, "We had lost nothing of any real value", we asked only for the opportunity to tell her she was unforgiveable. Our father remained the Saint and to this we added the The, further attraction of victim. fact that she took nothing of value with her was not considered strange - after all, she deserved nothing. I I a mother We survived, of course, and it might even be said we flourished. We became independent deciders of our own fate and under the loose management of our father's benevolent trust there was an unspoken confidence in our ability to produce the best. We devised a pack mentality that consciously spared him any details of the occasional fall from Grace. My mother pervaded my thoughts from time to time as matured and married and became a mother myself. There were disturbing similarities in our natures which tried to hide and dismiss but the old adage "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," could make me cringe and send me into extreme soul-searching. compensated by merging myself in my father's personality and had a spell of sweet passivity that to this day makes me shudder. Today am able to assess both the mother and the daughter with something akin to profound regret that it took me so long to know either of them. don't remember the cruel things she said and did out of her frustration; remember, instead, the time she was asked to participate in a theatre group and we laughed at I I I I I I see them because know them, not because am my mother's daughter, but because am a woman the rules of the game demand she meet every expectation but her own. It would seem this story has a chance for a happy ending where the mother and daughter could meet and find something of beauty in each other. This is not he case. Over the years that separateu us, had begun to think of that mother as one who took her freedom boldly and went on to live a triumphant and satisfying life. found an elderly woman, unhappy and cringing under the cross of guilt. found her desparately searching for someone to shoulder the tame for her unhappiness, unable to speak of herself in any terms but self-pity and still resentful that she had wasted so much of her life for a husband she never wanted and the children who became a reason for not leaving sooner. found her aggressively demanding that after all these years we make it up to her, that her grandchildren and their children who never knew her, produce the kind of love accorded a beloved grandmother. found hysteria and tears if a birthday was forgotten. realized to understand is not enough, had to deal with the transference of her own deep-seated guilt. could not do it as a daughter, had to do it as a woman and that is the base of our new relationship. But have had a glimpse of the price she paid for the freedom she is unable to enjoy, and am glad that in a similar circumstance chose to struggle and grow to my present feeling of self-worth. I I I I I I I I I I her till she refused and how pleased my father was to see her make a sensi ble decision. A thousand memories return to haunt me of the sublte oppression we all practiced to make her be what we wanted her to be and do what we wanted her to do. see clearly the large spirit nailed in the small box, the strong encircled by the weak and the price one pays for survival. 1 I I I I I I Northern Woman Journal page 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DREAMS for SfibE old school, and at the same time a Or pera proud and ancient family. He has a black belt in judo, beast. circles, haps he is in high diplomatic rides like a centaur, drives sports or is a famous (and wealthy) novelist, cars at over a hundred miles an hour. or he owns a very successful mill or He is arrogant, spoiled, even He harsh, is highly fashion design company. to everyone but her, of tours cruel respected. In short, HR is edging out of the The narrative key to the Harlequins wholesomeness business and edging int is that the woman is always a child and masochism business. in her relationship tothe thepassion man. She Eventually, the HR readers may have is a nobody; he is a big shot. She to look somewhere else for gentleness To comes into his world like a waif. and wholesomeness. emphasize this, his world is likely In other words, we have something to be high society in France, or Hawaii here which needs explaining. Almost or Japan, or one of the Arab nations. everyone looks down on the Harlequins In this world, he knows everything; is ashamed to admit reading them. she knows nothing, notoreven the langasked a university class to When uage. He looks down at her five-feetread GaAden of Dtearms (HR 1943) they two-inches from his six-foot-one, and objected that people might see them calls her "little one" or "ma petite" carrying the book around. And yet or "child". When she does something women read them, in such large number naughty, disobeying his orders, he as to make HR writers and investors sighs but understands, and murmurs rich. only, "Are you always so disobedient?" What do the Harlequins offer? An a When she falls off a ladder, or a on the inside cover of The La4t o6 th stone wall, or a horse, he is always Mateo/L.0 (HR 1937) says "Every month there to catch her in his strong arms, eight new Harlequin Romances are puband comfort his one. When he finds her lished, each one a gentle, wholesome trespassing on his estate with a little Gentle, wholesome love. boy she is taking carelove of, story." she and the Well, there's something to be said child confront him like two naughty for was gentle, wholesome love, heaven children, and later, "he haunted had to choose, I'd rathe If knows! by the image of Janie, tightly holding a year. have my children (boys and girls both the child's hand, both of them smiling Who are the readers that come up reading Harlequin Romances than to ha up at him timidly." Still later, he with all that money? HR told the them watching Kojak or the Six Mittio realizes that "it was the child in Financial. Pmt that its TV ads are Better they should dreary Data& Man. Janie... which first touched and aimed at "the women...who watch the of gentle, wholesome love than brutal charmed him. afternoon soap-operas and quiz shows" But the trouble is, andone violence. As a matter of fact, of the But thct represents only a group HR things can be better than Kojak and most important dreams the Harlequins is trying to draw in. Those who still not be very good, and the Harle let a reader indulge in is the dream already read Harlequins, according quins are not, in the long run, gooc Be that you don't have to grow up. to a quick survey taken by two They` propose fals for their readers. good, be chaste, be idealistic, be Regina University students, include solutions to real problems, and there patient, and sooner or later that one women from ten to fifty, from just fore discourage any real solutions tc man destined for you will come along, about all walks of life: factory those problems. with his money and prestige, and hand workers, secretaries, housewives on One of the odd things about our You don't you the world on a platter. all economic levels, university culture is that so many people think Just wait, and have to do anything. (Of the women students students. be good, and you will make the transition that stories, fantasies and dreams in university freshman classes that have no meaning and are of no importfrom being Daddy's child to being polled recently, over half said How many people say they watch ance. hubby's child. You don't have to grow they were or had been HR readers.) TV shows or read Harlequins or Wester up. So what do people relax with, in just to relax, or "just for pleasure' Harlequins? That's easy to say, as if it didn't matter what they were because Harlequins are written to doing while they relax or enjoy themThey are all much alike; a formula. selves. People know that what you only the details of names, places put in your stomach when you eat can NI particular twists of plot, etc, are either make you healthy or make you fo, The typical Harlelikely to change. sick, or listless, or even dead - bul quin Romance is the story of (a girl ok sometimes the same people think you in her very early twenties who has can feed your mind any kind of diet not yet met the man she will love. at all and stay healthy mentally and Either she has just left homeNO. and is But it does make a emotionally. working, or she is an orphan and rt, . difference what you enjoy and what never had a real home. She is humble you do to relax. Any folklorist or She sees herself as plain, simple, anthropologist knows that the popula It not loveable - though others 4A probably literature of a culture is always see her as interesting and pretty. meaningful. Taken as a whole, the She is a good girl, inexperienced stories of a culture always reflect She sexually, and full of ideals. the leading values of the culture. In deceive recent years the Harlequins have would never cheat or try to But as long as they can, the HR been gradually becoming more overtly a man. Her work may be interesting publishers will try to keep readers but woman now feels sexual and she may take pride sexual. in it, The looking for solutions in exotic passion, and can even imagine herself it is essentially meaningless. Workdreams, "wishing something that (in sharing the man's bed. ing is simply something to do until real life) could never come true." Thethen kisses Mr. Right comes along, and she are becoming less gentle Instead of doing anything about thei and wholesome, and more frankly passwill quit her job and devote herself lives, Instead of doing anything ionate. Also the liero is changing. only to him and his children (and about society, instead of trying to A decade or two ago, he was likely bossing his servants). make the world a better place, HR to be a cold, lonely man, disappointed She falls in love, always, with a readers will take their literary in love and therefore cynical about man who is about twelve years older, tranquilizers and "escape" into the women, with no one to share his wealth is strong, handsome, rich and ,''ho world as they think it ought to have and prestige until the childish purity No taking chances on a sucessful. What are they escaping from? been. of the heroine redeems him. Nowadays, young man who may or may not make good! No- as a Not from their problems! he is more likely to have the same odd This man has already made good, in a matter of fact, they dream about mixture that Tarzan of the Apes had: He owns a chateau in France, big way. those problems - about loneliness, both an impeccable gentleman of the He comes from or an estate in Spain. Harlequin Romances are an important part of the Canadian cultural scene, in spite of the fact that most people, including those who read them, talk as if they were silly and unimportant. To start with the kind of facts which are usually impressive in our culture, note that the Harlequin Romances, all by themselves, account for about 10 percent of the entire paperback book publishing industry Not bad for a in North America. Canadian company, eh? They are the If you hottest thing in publishing. wnat to invest money in a growing business, look at these figures: from 1965 to 1975, HR sales increased from 6 million books sold annually to 75 million annually. In the year 1974 alone, there was an increase of 79 per cent in sales over the previous year, and that trend is continuing. Total income from the Romances increased well over 200 per cent in just the two-year period 1973 to 1975, and that trend is conOf the more than 140 tinuing too. HR writers, several have very good incomes indeed from royalties, and at least one makes well over $100,000 I I I 1/':* Northern Woman Journal page A AS" 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DREAMS Harlequin Romances are an important part of the Canadian cultural scene, in spite of the fact that most people, including those who read them, talk as if they were silly and unimportant. To start with the kind of facts which are usually imoressive in our culture, note that the Harlequin Romances, all by themselves, account for about 10 percent of the entire paperback book publishing industry in North America. Not bad for a Canadian company, eh? They are the If you hottest thing in publishing. wnat to invest money in a growing business, look at these figures: from 1965 to 1975, HR sales increased from 6 million books sold annually to 75 million annually. In the year 1974 alone, there was an increase of 79 per cent in sales over the previous year, and that trend is continuing. Total income from the Romances increased well over 200 per cent in just the two-year period 1973 to 1975, and that trend is continuing too. Of the more than 140 HR writers, several have very good incomes indeed from royalties, and at least one makes well over $100,000 a year. Who are the readers that come up with all that money? HR told the Financiae Port that its TV ads are aimed at "the women...who watch the afternoon soap-operas and quiz shows" But that represents only a group HR is trying to draw in. Those who already read Harlequins, according to a quick survey taken by two Regina University students, include women from ten to fifty, from just about all walks of life: factory workers, secretaries, housewives on all economic levels, university students. (Of the women students in university freshman classes that polled recently, over half said they were or had been HR readers.) So what do people relax with, in Harlequins? That's easy to say, because Harlequins are written to They are all much alike; a formula. only the details of names, places particular twists of plot, etc, are The typical Harlelikely to change. quin Romance is the story of a girl in her very early twenties who has not yet met the man she will love. Either she has just left home and is working, or she is an orphan and never had a real home. She is humble She sees herself as plain, simple, not loveable - though others probably see her as interesting and pretty. She is a good girl, inexperienced sexually, and full of ideals. She would never cheat or try to deceive a man. Her work may be interesting and she may take pride in it, but it is essentially meaningless. Working is simply something to do until Mr. Right comes along, and then she will quit her job and devote herself only to him and his children (and bossing his servants). She falls in love, always, with a man who is about twelve years older, Arho is strong, handsome, rich and No taking chances on a sucessful. young man who may or may not make good! This man has already made good, in a He owns a chateau in France, big way. or an estate in Spain. He comes from I Northern Woman Journal page for SUE Or pera proud and ancient family. haps he is in high diplomatic circles, or is a famous (and wealthy) novelist, or he owns a very sucaessful mill or He is highly fashion design company. respected. The narrative key to the Harlequins is that the woman is always a child in her relationship to the man. She is a nobody; he is a big shot. She comes into his world like a waif. To emphasize this, his world is likely to be high society in France, or Hawaii or Japan, or one of the Arab nations. In this world, he knows everything; she knows nothing, not even the Tanguage. He looks down at her five-feettwo-inches from his six-foot-one, and calls her "little one" or "ma petite" or "child". When she does something naughty, disobeying his orders, he sighs but understands, and murmurs only, "Are you always so disobedient?" When she falls off a ladder, or a stone wall, or a horse, he is always there to catch her in his strong arms, and comfort his one. When he finds her trespassing on his estate with a little boy she is taking care of, she and the child confront him like two naughty children, and later, "he was haunted by the image of Janie, tightly holding the child's hand, both of them smiling up at him timidly." Still later, he realizes that "it was the child in Janie... which first touched and charmed him. As a matter of fact, one of the most important dreams the Harlequins let a reader indulge in is the dream Be that you don't have to grow up. good, be chaste, be idealistic, be patient, and sooner or later that one man destined for you will come along, with his money and prestige, and hand You don't you the world on a platter. Just wait, and have to do anything. be good, and you will make the transition from being Daddy's child to being hubby's child. You don't have to grow ii up. . , r11; 0.14 75 , In recent years the Harlequins have been gradually becoming more overtly sexual. The woman now feels sexual passion, and can even imagine herself sharing the man's bed. The kisses are becoming less gentle and wholesome, and more frankly passionate. Also the hero is changing. A decade or two ago, he was likely to be a cold, lonely man, disappointed in love and therefore cynical about women, with no one to share his wealth and prestige until the childish purity of the heroine redeems him. Nowadays, he is more likely to have the same odd mixture that Tarzan of the Apes had: both an impeccable gentleman of the old school, and at the same time a He has a black belt in judo, beast. rides like a centaur, drives sports cars at over a hundred miles an hour. He is harsh, arrogant, spoiled, even cruel - to everyone but her, of course In short, HR is edging out of the wholesomeness business and edging intc the passion and masochism business. Eventually, the HR readers may have to look somewhere else for gentleness and wholesomeness. In other words, we have something Almost here which needs explaining. everyone looks down on the Harlequins or is ashamed to admit reading them. asked a university class to When read Ganden oi Dnearm (HR 1943) they objected that people might see them carrying the book around. And yet women read them, in such large number as to make HR writers and investors I rich. What do the Harlequins offer? An a, on the inside cover of The Lazt of th Mateokyz (HR 1937) says "Every month eight new Harlequin Romances are published, each one a gentle, wholesome Gentle, wholesome love. love story." Well, there's something to be said for gentle, wholesome love, heaven had to choose, I'd rathe If knows! have my children (boys and girls both reading Harlequin Romances than to ha them watching Kojak or the Six Matto Datat Man. Better they should dream of gentle, wholesome love than brutal and violence. But the trouble is, things can be better than Kojak and still not be very good, and the Harle quins are not, in the long run, good They-propose fals for their readers. solutions to real problems, and there fore discourage any real solutions to those problems. One of the odd things about our culture is that so many people think that stories, fantasies and dreams have no meaning and are of no importHow many people say they watch ante. TV shows or read Harlequins or Wester just to relax, or "just for pleasure" as if it didn't matter what they were doing while they relax or enjoy themPeople know that what you selves. put in your stomach when you eat can either make you healthy or make you sick, or listless, or even dead - but sometimes the same people think you can feed your mind any kind of diet at all and stay healthy mentally and But it does make a emotionally. difference what you enjoy and what you do to relax. Any folklorist or anthropologist knows that the popular literature of a culture is always Taken as a whole, the meaningful. stories of a culture always reflect the leading values of the culture. But as long as they can, the HR publishers will try to keep readers looking for solutions in exotic dreams, "wishing something that (in real life) could never come true." Instead of doing anything about their lives, instead of doing anything about society, instead of trying to make the world a better place, HR readers will take their literary tranquilizers and "escape" into the world as they think it ought to have What are they escaping from? been. No- as a Not from their problems! matter of fact, they dream about those problems - about loneliness, I 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Dreams for Sale Con't from pg. 14 boredom, isolation, the lost little child in the adult, about marriage 'and the roles of the sexes, about money, about what it means to be happy. They take all these real problems right along with them, in order to dream about phony magic solutions to them. HR tells them all the wrong answers: 1. Don't do anything -- just wait. 2. Money is happiness. 3. Social status is happiness. 4. Work, and working people are vulgar. 5. 6. Society is perfectly all right. Only your own personal lonliness is the problem. So: Don't try to change anything. A rich, arrogant capitalist will come along and save you, and you will realize that the world is fine the way it is. Or, if it's too late for that in your life, you can dream that it ought to have been like that, and be nostalgic for the world as it ought to have been. Such a sweet "Is there to be no romance, then?" That is the response of many Harlequin readers, to people who talk against the Harlequins. There must be romance, yes, by all means. Properly speaking, Romance means "dreaming about things as they ought to be," as distinguished from teatbsm, which means "describing things as they already are." No individual and no society ever made any real progress without romance that is, without dreaming about a better way of life. How could they? You have to imagine a better world before you can try to achieve it. One of the great troubles with our literature (both popular and "serious") is that today there is so little romance that leads us into growth. Most of the stories we see by ourselves, nothing by working together. In other words, the same system that controls our lives and our jobs also controls our dreams, and the irony is that we pay the system handsomely for doing that. No male chauvinist ever put down a woman more insultingly than women put themselves down when they pay HR to let them dream that dream of big Daddy. That, finally, is what's wrong with the Harlequins. Like so many other stories in our culture, they are dreams that demean and belittle us, and keep us from growing, and keep us, too, from doing anything about making the strong dreams, the real dreams, the dreams about a better world, come true. Bob Cosbey Next Year Country Saskatchewan News Magazine Vol. 4 #5 or read, in novels, or on TV, or in the movies, are either sick romances that go nowhere, or sick so-called realism about how rotten and hopeless everything is. Our literature makes us dream that only big Daddy can bring us security, peace, happiness. We can do nothin.g sadness! WHO ARE WE The outcome of many years of growth and painful struggle. to say how am now trying feel about when he says, I "This is the way ing guilty for I I I am." I I start feel- am asking too much or am wanting too much! He says FACT there is more energy e xpended in one hour of ballet than in an e ntire foot ball ga me want I him to change to be something he is not. Do you feel tired, fed up with bumping your head against his wall of indifference, intolerance and apparent lack of understanding? Do you compro- mise, sell out, give in AGAIN? It seems to be a deadhead - a stalemate but something has got to give. As women, I feel we continue loving, caring and giving even when he is tired, drunk, ready to quit so many times. We continue to be the putter- upper-withers - but where and when will the changes happen? Who does it? We `Say Aunt' do. We sisters are changing, but to have change, we have got to do something. We have so much to give. Let's not let his apathy discourage our creati- vity, our growth and our ability to change. We are logical, intelligent, Answer to riddle on pg. DON'T MOURN.... 3 The answer is the doctor is the boy's MOTHER, of course. zestful and especially loving human beings. strength. Our emotional display is our We cry, we laugh, we feel ORGANIZE the pain, the love and let it out. I'm proud to say are we? I am a woman. We are sisters. Who We are women, we are changing. Donna Shaw Northern Woman Journal page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DAY CARE NEWS That provincial guidelines should recognized the need for private home day care programs to provide necessary program supplies and eauinment to enable providers to create a stimulating and enjoyable environment for the children in their care. 7. That further study is needed to develop a flexible system of staff ratios which would recognize differences in job descriptions, turnover of homes and children, differences in geographic areas and the differences in community needs (i.e., multi-cultural demands, stresses of urban living, etc.) 8. I do not providing this care. get the impression of their intending to do so in the foreseeable future either. No. 6: Full agreement. No. 7: Our City agrees. Our City program operates on the basis of 25 homes per worker, and feels the actual number of children is not a good indicator of work "We can appreciate that load. in remote under-populated areas that the ratio may be too high, and would suggest that this is the only area of change that should be considered." No. 8: "As mentioned previously, we feel very strongly that this is a Child Care Program and therefore should be staffed by child development specialAgain, the fear of ists." increasing costs precludes the possiblity of considering this alternative. No. 9: It is essential that all agencies/organizations providing private home day care have a multidisciplinary of staff insofar as educational backgrounds are concerned, (i.e., social work, early childhood education, nursing, nutrition). Competency is expected over and beyond academic qualifications. 9. PROVINCE The Ontario Welfare Council Action Committee on Day Care prepared a report following a series of meetings (Feb 10-12, 1977) in which Ontario Private Home Day Care was studied. Recommendations which are discussed in the report are listed below: That provincial regulations and guidelines recognize the need to provide additional funding to meet the needs of exceptional children in private home day care and, more specifically, that costs related to providers' fees, special support staff, equipment, program supplies and transportation be recognized. 1. That subsidized private home day care be made accessible to children 12 years of age and over with documented special needs which can be met by this service. 10. The City already offers excellent supervision of the program--"...our contact with Providers is at a minimum of a weekly basis, and at present the supervisor also has contact a minimum of once every quarter". review. The City response is No. 11: that "We are strongly opposed to the concept of hiring Day Care Providers as Municipal Rather, the City employees." That regulations under The Day Nurseries Act and related provincial guidelines should be revised to require home visits on a monthly rather than a quarterly basis, and that related records should be available for municipal The report also makes specific suggestions for improving the economic situation of day care providers. 11. CITY 2. That the province and municipal governments recognize the administrative costs of assisting parents who are ineligible for subsidized care to obtain approved private home day care placements for which the parents would provide full payments to provid3. ers. That provincial regulations and guidelines recognize the additional costs of providing alternative care when, due to sickness or other special circumstances, children cannot be cared for within their regular day care homes. 4. That provincial regula5. tions and guidelines be altered to allow for greater rates of payment for care during irregular hours (i.e., 4 day weeks, weekends, shifts and late hrs.) It is recommended the day care provider be recognized as a person giving a skilled service, and that this should be acknowledged by the commu6. nity. Mr. MacLeod, on behalf of the City Social Services Dept., responded to these recommendaOn some points there tions. is agreement, and on some there is strong disagreement. Our City feels we should recognized the needs of exceptional children with equipment and transportation- but not special support, this being available "through other community resources". No. 1: No. 2: Our City agrees. Our City charges all costs to parents who are ineligible for subsidy. In fact, the City charges more (See the than actual costs. article in last issue for a breakdown of child care No. 3: charges.) No. 4: Our City agrees that the area of emergency alternative care should be studied. Because irregular hours 5: of care would "put the cost of the program beyond the reach of full paying clients and create additional expenses to the Municipality", our City has not adopted a policy of No. No. 10: would continue-to deny them employee benefits such as holiday and sick pay, or "...to guaranteed wages. suggest that Providers would be paid for care which is not in fact provided would result in increased administrative overhead...and result in increased fees being charged to persons who are not creating the problem but would be subjected to pay their share of these increased costs." No mention of Municipal responsibility--always the threat of added charges to parents who use the service, forcing the parents into a position of accepting/permitting the exploitation of Providers in order to continue receiving day care. The City does not provide funds for the purchase of "start up materials", nor does it assume responsibility for the liability insurance a Provider must have. The City does attempt to provide income tax information to Providers who ate eligible for special exemptions as "self-employed" individuals. In answering the question, "Who Pays for Day Care?", it seems it is a joint responsibility- -the Municipality subsidiZes low income families, full paying parents add some to the pot, and the Providers also help to underwrite the cost of day care. Northern Woman Journal page 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I+ Goma post Pail Cam. Imapped1.04.1.W Bulk En hombre third troislibmo dins clone 220 RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 BAY ST. THUNDER BAY P, ONT. Return Postage Guaranteed TABLE OF CONTENTS: Pg Editorial Crisis Homes Feminist Books A Glimpse of the Past Bits and Pieces Women Against Rape Merry Christmas Poetry Suzette Downey Salt and Yeast Mothers & Daughters Dreams for Sale Day Care News 2 3 5 6 ' 7 8 9 ' 10 11 13 14 16 Who Did This Issue: Eve, Doreen, Pat, Noreen, Gert, Donna, Julie, Stephanie, Cathy, Betty Want to get involved? HAVE YOU MOVED? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Call 345-5841 weekdays (We must pay return postage to keep Free to single-parent families up our mailing list) Free to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 4 No 1 Description An account of the resource Vol. 4, No. 1 (1977) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Mother/daughter relationships Mutual rebellion of mothers and daughters Funding challenges for the journal Non-traditional occupations (based on previous gender divisions of labour) Kingston interval house Crisis housing Funding for crisis housing Comics Feminist book list Women’s Centre (thriving; growth; permanent funding needed; small business projects to generate funds & employment for women) Protest - November 5, 1977 - National Day of Protest Against Violence Against Women Herstory - Muriel Boyle Northern Women’s Credit Union Margaret Trudea Phobia (character assassination; sexism in media representation/coverage) Women Against Rape Christmas poems Woman artist profile - Suzette Downey Women’s health @ Women’s Place Thunder Bay Confederate College courses for women Reflections of a mother Cultural analysis - Harlequin Romance novels (originally printed in Next Year Country Saskatchewan News Magazine Vol 4, no. 5 Day care news Authors/Contributors: Gert Beadle Mary Burns Lynne Thornburg Marion Babcock Mimi Dovick Joan Baril Margaret Stephanie Mila Donna Shaw Peggy Smith Faye Peterson Bob Cosbey Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977-12 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2751/1978_Vol_4_No_2.pdf 8628722c7c0db60a020419aa77bec292 PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor e r t 1 B 1 & Yea st 44 February 1978 CONTEST Inside this issue.. : : : : : * * : * : : : ******************************************************* *8; Trudy, Eleanor, Betty, Marion. Faye First Board of Directors, Northern Women's Credit Union rthday and Salt * e ebration A Journa * Member too) * * * * * * : * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1* * * i* i* :* Some of the Journal Collective: Eve, Doreen, Npreen. Missing, Pat, Thyra and Donna * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1 * vcrume 4 4s'sitt 2 oman u Jornar * * C 5"0 O' THUNDER BAY, Ontario oriRern *************************** * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * 1 * * * * * * * I ****************************** * * 674 �editorial Our first issue in the new year will depart from the usual format and will contain only the brightest of news, the things we feel good about and a sort of overall picture of the kind of thinking that makes us glad we are women, living in exciting times with new options to explore and hopefully a new spirit to become real movers in the cause of human rights. We will explore the positive and give the negative, not the least of which is present in our own approach, a rest. In other words, we are depressed with all this talk of oppression and for one issue, It is we say to hell with it. literally our plan to restore the readers faith in the divine accident that made us women in the first place, and reasonable intelligent human beings in the process of making our own judgements about what limits our capacity to function in the We are inclined second place. to think regionally and in so doing. we are deprived of the GERM GOSPEL joy of some small success in Calgary, some struggle in Newfoundland, some movement in awareness in British Columbia and a dozen other places across this country. Our mind boggles when we cross the border and see our sisters to the south of us, knocking down the barriers of status and race, standing together where it counts, transcending sexual preference declaring OUR BODIES OURSELVES all in the name of human rights. We shall go to the astonishing lengths to prove we have class by thanking the Government for the grants that have kept us able to be a thorn in their side. We shall dare to be so ridiculous as to admit quietly that there are signs of New Men around, may heaven keep them safe. We will admit we love our country and worry about the things that divide it and if we are pushed to the wall, will concede we are not perfect. Having said all that, we are now ready to face the new year with renewed faith and determination, CHEERS! I once thought you wete the symbol. ab every good and petiect thin You waved as piee in the bteeze as the Canadian I thought you blew above the zpitit. histoty o6 bigotty and suspicion, that cat the wottd would matvet at But I have what you stood bon. seen the ctimzon dtain beam gout tatnished tea.6, the putity o6 yout backgtound gtey You bait. with discontent. to catch the cuttent, the winds ob change have teduced you you nevet matteted, to a tag, you wait to be tours in two as huddle in povetty. Yout chitdten wa..ia away, yout natives bon gotd. Yout women city bon justice and yours sons matket Oace your sad base is bon sate in the matked down, you who stood bon a centuty oi dteaming can't bind enough bite to keep you itom aiding down the dtain. Stitt. I heat you cateing me, save me Dream Men It has come to me lately that I may be old enough and bold enough to draw a picture of someone whose shape has changed with every change of my circumstance and every fluctuation of my minds eye. My dream man was once beautiful to behold; just meeting his eye was to know the meaning of voltage; just touching his hand turned me into slag. I drew him lean, tall, and narrow of hips, his hair curled endearingly on his forhead, and his mind, dear god, his mind, had nothing on it but me. What more could a young woman ask ? The picture blurred with familiarity, and I drew him again, out of the spirit of the times. He was strong because the times called for strength; he was bold and full of challenge where others lost heart. He was fearless in the face of poverty and his mind, dear god, had nothing on it, except me. I drew him again out of some deep yearning to find more in his mind than me. More than work and duty, more than play and appetite. I kept him wind burned and sun tanned but gave him the soul of a poet, and the mind of a philosopher. I made hir a supporter of causes, fierce as a lion in the face of injustice. I gave him principle and irpecable virtue. I drew him again- loving, filled with human generosity; a forgiving man, familiar with beauty a companion to my mind and mood, bigger than pettiness- neither leaning, nor leaned upon; neit ther possessing nor being poss,, essed; a man to grow old with. But finally I drew him real. A very human man beset by as many frailties as I; an individual functioning within his capacity to understand why I must do the same. A loving man who needs to be loved; a stubborn man who needs to be challenged; even as I,an individual who knows his mind as I do mine. It is well to recognize our dream men come out of us with all the unreal expectations that divide us. Under the fantasy, it is possible to find unexpected treasure. Gert Beadle save save me we must work collectively if we don't , our energies die Northern Woman Journal page 2 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Anyway, that's just a long-winded way of saying that I'd like to see women obtaining information, facts, statistics, data on opportunities and not being pushed to accept them. You might say that no one in the Journal is forcing anyone to do anything -- but we will not win more readers, and more women to an awareness of their condition by editorializing in articles that would be powerful by their factual content Dear Friends! I've been a subscriber of Northern found it on the Woman ever since desk of a local executive and public should figure here in town (male, also subscribe to MS magaalone. note). say -- yes, the Journal should zine, Newsweek, Atlantic and Writers So would like to be an occaI'm a Czech by birth, an survive, Digest. think that American by citizenship, and live in sional contributor, but am a translator its tone should be a bit less miliCanada by choice. and writer by profession, and I'm tant, and a bit more all-encompassing, why shut out unliberated males, unmarried to a Canadian bricklayer liberated teenagers, who suffer from (after some 20 years alone, bringing So much for the not dissimilar inner struggles? up three children). am sociological background from which You asked for an opinion, and hard-pressed not to give one when my letter springs. You ask in your editorial how your asked. apprereaders feel about the survival of Still, let me repeat that feel duty bound ciate much of the information you your Journal, and supply, otherwise unavailable or unto answer, if only for the hours accessible to me here, and it warms have spent reading and enjoying many my heart this cold January morning of your articles. do think your Journal should to know that there are people moving Yes, forward everywhere, even up here in have reservations about survive. am very definite Northern Ontario. its content, but Incidentally -- when does my subin my conviction that women should owe you have an outlet (and an "inlet"). scription expire? Don't My reservations are in the area of any money? Looking forward to future issues, heavy activism, where the movement of women toward their realization and assertion of self picks up a tone of K. Henley You will forgive me, fanaticism. Elliot Lake have lived through a hope, but variety of fanatical situations-from Hitler's nazism through Stalin's Dear Reader: communism through fanatical religious have arrived fundamentalism -- and 441001W We do thank you flepr.4,410rolleedr= at the conviction that, although it We are in discussion regulback. is fanatics who have been able to arity as to the format and the points change the world in the past, fanayou mention are part of that discusticism is another facet of intolerThe input of our readers in sion. cannot identify with ance, and the paper's content could solve a such a movement. great many problems as we have stated know from experience how hard a We have hoped this paper many times. row women have to hoe -- mothers would provide a dialogue of great alone, particularly. But identifyvariation in the experience of women. ing with the idea that every indiviBeing close to the problems may tend dual ought to have all rights to to make us one dimensional and seem his/her own person, all rights to more evangelistic than we mean to be. assert her/his own talents on a par We want to point out to the with every other individual -- idenreaders that they share a responsibtifying with complete tolerance and ility to bring this paper into its complete mutual understanding, real potential as an instrument in wonder whether what the women's movethe bonding of women, where ever it ment is doing is not ill-considered. is read. Because those rights include the We have not felt as yet, that right to live as one pleases, even men, who certainly have greater the right to be oppressed or taken opportunities to express themselves, advantage of, the right to prostitute need the special vehicle of a women's oneself in a marriage situation or "Dreams For Sale" was reJournal. out of it, as long as one is not cently criticized (see letters) and directly damaging another person. as it happened it was written by a Even the right to self-destruction, male. if such actions don't hurt others. We feel very strongly that If that is the case, then we have no women need the journal as much as right to force "consciousness" on For the the journal needs input. women who are not ready or willing most part, the mass media has igEven if it might beneto handle it. nored the women's movement. Our (Here is fit them in the long run. victories are buried on "women's see the parallel with the where pages", back pages; women's news abovementioned fanatical movements is trivialized, distorted or just -- the tendency to say, our way is For example the plain overlooked. best and you must see it, and even Chronicle-Journal was sent a press if you don't, act on it and sooner release regarding the Northern An or leter you'll come around. Women's Credit Union's first annual "end justifies the means" kind of meeting, (this credit union is the thing). second in Canada) on Feb. 7, 1978 and to this date Feb. 24th it has If it was not not been printed. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I for this vehicle, women in the district would not be informed that they are now eligible to become members. We hope to hear from you again, thank you for your input. The Collective Sisters: It seems to me that the cover of the last issue, Volume 4, Issue 1, is its only redeeming feature. Page 2: "OPPRESSION IS..." - hell, The more know what oppression is. dwell on what oppression is, actualkeep myself down. ly, the longer am, strapped down at wrists There and ankles by all of SOCIETY, MAKING exploited, dependent, fearME FEEL: ful, inadequate - oh, such a delicious So comfy. Love it love it. space. It's THEIR fault. No responsibilities. Do you really think Margaret Page 6: think she's Trudeau needs defend Articles of doing O.K. on her own. support from the Women's Movement seem to me redundant. How interesting that "Bits and Pieces" contained bits entirely about become as angry as the next rape. Truly. woman at the fact of rape. The "Bits and Pieces" were placed in such a way as to seduce me into complete sympathy for the next article, "Women Against Rape". To say this article "Women Page 7: Against Rape" was written in a throughly biased and non-professional way would be the obvious response. Sensatic-alis- 's a thoroughly ::--: ed 'technique - borrAOMMMOom a How thorouahly CCHHON dominated media. of all of you to allow the sentence, "The fact that a wor-an was defending the accused was bad enough, etc. etc.. They (our support group) were hurt, shocked, surprised, betrayed." Oh, If a woman becomes a lawyer, she see. may only defend those of whom the MoveShe may ment approves as defendable. not accept clients simply because they She is perare entitled to a defense. mitted only to trade one set of limitations for another. Here we have two Pages 14 - 15: pages devoted to Harlequin Romances as related to the virtues of Marxism. shall allow my subscription think to run out. I I I I I I I I I Margaret Frenette Dear Margaret: We are happy you liked our cover, many readers did not. Pleasing all our readers would be quite impossible. Putting a feminist paper together is a difficult task as some articles may Feminism in displease some people. itself is subject to controversy. The paper tries to put forth the feminist movement in N.W.O. and other cities. 1) Oppression is - We know many readers understand what oppression is, but out of approximately 1000 subscribers, maybe there are some who do We feel if one article reaches not. someone who has previously heard nothing about the subject, it may eduContinued on page 4 Northern Woman Journal page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �LETTERS Women Read Men? cate a new person. Our collective pride ourselves in being and reaching different levels From perhaps one exof feminism. Conservative treme to another (le: feminist to radical feminist.) We have been complimented on those think it only fair grounds alone. to note, our paper is still in existence where-as many Canadian feminist journals have folded. Margaret Trudeau - Our collective is split when the topic of M.T. comes Some feel she still needs deabout. fending and others don't. Again we feel our readers may feel the same Maybe a bit wishy washy, eh. way. "Bits and Pieces" was not intentionally placed in such a way as to seduce you into complete sympathy for Unfortunately, we the next article. were pressed for time in "getting the paper out before Christmas" and we didn't realize where exactly it was placed. "Women Against Rape" again See following another criticism. I letter. Harlequin Romance - Again we can Some readers not please everyone. have said they would like to see the paper become more political, to see marxist philosophy, redstocking feminism, etc. We are extremely sorry you may let your subscription run out. We hope you don't. Collective exception of the Volkswagon But books that are uniquely female orientated have not y found their way on the avera bookshelf. A few years ago I suddenly realized most of th things I had read were writt by men, and even the way I f about myself was from a mal I even fancied view-voint. they were the ones capable o telling me the way I was. I made an abrupt about face an proceeded to establish my ow little corner of the book ca Germaine Greer, Kate Millet, Betty Friedan, Robin Morgan, Simone de Beauvoir, Gertrude Stein, Doris Lessing and the list grows. Powerful stuff that opens doors to yourself that coaxes Women's poems you out of myth and mystery and exposes the raw nerve, t bare bone, almost frightenin in it's intensity. I have to ask myself, does a book serv it's full purpose J.f it make you think or is it perhaps only a prelude to what makes you feel? Women have read men for a thousand years; t ology, philosophy, poetry. a great thrill to me, that coming generations will be Over the years when I find the occasion to go into a strang:. er's house, my eyes go almost unbidden to the presence or absence of books. A tingle of delight starts up my spine at the sight of a well-filled book shelf. These people read, therefore they think; and what do they read and think about? Everything I want to know about them is written in the titles. How to support yourself on an acre of land, the organic gardener, solar heating, the art of log house building- and I settle back prepared to discuss both the depression and the art of survival. The absence of fiction tells me I am in the house of a scholar. History and biographies of the movers and shakers of the universe, poetry and philosophy and religious thought- and what's this? -"Do You Know Your Volkswagon?" A good collection of Canadiana tells me I am in the house of a patriot and when I see the native content and the French fact represented, I add, aware of the patriot. Now we know what daddy reads, let's try to imagine what mother reads. If she is a reader, one can imagine she has shared in most of the thin things on the shelf ( with the possible exposer7 to the creativity women in all the arts and be the better for it. Gert Bead The Northern Woman. WOMEN'S PLACE IS DIRTY DISORG we had to balance the scale. We invite you to write a follow-up article of your feelings about the The recent article "Women Against Rape" written by an anonymous member of the Rape Crisis Centre broke faith with the readers of the Northern Woman Journal in that it did not abide by a newspaper's responsibility to be honest accurate and fair in reviewing events. AND DARK trial. We are sorry if it offended you in any way. Collective Dianne Pettit Baig ***************************4 *the Dear Dianne: We are sorry you feel the "Women Against Rape" broke faith with the Our paper has no policy readers. concerning signed articles as other papers do. We feel we are different If we in many ways; we hope we are. had such a policy some beautiful work would be omitted, example: "M on poetry page". The article itself was edited by our collective and was published knowing it may offend some people. We are not in the business of offending people but unfortunately it someIt was a biased times happens. article but expressed the feelings of many women who witnessed the trial. We suggest that more women should attend rape trials and try to be unRape Crisis Centre's members biased. sometimes, only see one side as the article portrayed and we felt because of the local media's one sidedness, in favour toward the accused) (le: MO-OP BOOKSHOP * and .1:0ECORD Canadian literature. classics, : . Excellent selection ofCENTRE Now that we have your attentionthis is a plea for a vacuum cle in good condition, legal sized cabinets, wall dividers and a c of end tables and table lamps. Hopefully these items will be donated, however we can possibl squeeze out a few bucks. * 111 I* him books, science fiction, crafts, poetry, many ,,_ unusual titles. Best folk, ethnic and blues selection In 7c., town. Open till 8 each day and ail day Sunday X' m.1112 S. Aliens Street._ F. It., : On campus every Thursday beside the Main Cafeteria Plume 3454912 -X * * .. * ************************** WOMEN IN MUSIC LARGE VARIETY OF LPs OF SPECIAL INTEREST Co -op Book Shop, Record Centre LPs By: SUN PAZ, BERNICE REGAN, PEGGY SEEGER, SARAH OGAN CUNNING, LIS COFFON, AUNT MOLLY JACKSON, SIS CUNNINGHAM, ALMEDA RIDDLE, HAZEL & ALICE, OLA BELLA REED, BESSIE JONES, ANNE ROMAINE, ELLA JENKINS, WOMEN'S LIB, ROCK BAND, JONI MITCHELL, BUFFY ST. MARIE, BARBARA DANE, WOMEN'S CAUCUS, ..MANY MORE... Missing Check your book shelves! Women's Centre would appreciat return of the following books: Born Female, Male & Female, Mother Was Not A Person, Rep of Royal Commission on the S of Women, Sybil, To The Ligh True Story of How Babies Are Women & Madness, The Lace Gh The Edible Woman, Rubyfruit Surfacing, Women's Astrology Bodies, Ourselves, Birth Boo Children's Books: Charlotte's Web, Exactly Lik Fresh Fish & Chips, Free To & Me, I'm A Child of The Cit We would like to expand our li so donations of books are welc Northern Woman Journal page 4 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I.U.P. LEAVES WOMAN STERILE Dear Editors, 7 originally wrote this article / story that is enclosed to relieve some of the hurt and anger in myself. However, after I was partway into it I realized that these stories are usually buried and then again, that information is not passed on to other women who might be able to benefit by Dthers experiences. Therefore, enclosed please find an article that I hope you will publish in your journal. I would like to suggest that other women send in their experiences with birth control, both negative or positive so that we might learn from them. Thank you for your attention and your time. Yours truly, Sandra Steinhause I cannot become pregnant. I blame the doctors and their lack of responsibility when it comes to women's bodies. Doct!. ors disregarded me as a person and treated my body as loose parts disconnected from a whole. I have had different I.U.D.'s inserted for the past 11 years and been involved with women's issues for the past 8 years. Altogether, I have never considered myself unaware about my own body. My following experience testifies ,to the fact that women have to know even more about their own bodies in order that we may take care of ourselves. In June 1976, I was taking a French course in a small town in Quebec- Trois Rivieres. I developed terrible abdominal pains and phoned my gynecologist in Montreal. He was out of town but I assumed that the best bet would be to return to Montreal and go to the emergency wards of one of the larger hospitals. Since I had been to the Jewish General Hospital before, I went there. I was seen by a male doctor who pushed and prodded at my abdomen and advised me to curb all my eating of salads, vegetables and frnits. Although I mentioned that I had an I.U.D., he never once examined me internally. This point is important to remember. I returned to Trois-Rivieres ands after 6 days, I was so doubled in pain that I again PL EASE The Journal's subscriber cards have paper clips on the ones whose subscriptions are due. There are so many paper clips the Rolodex is Please check the back packed solid! page to see if yours is due and pay. We appreciate and need your continued financial support. phoned my gynecologist in Montreal. This time I insisted that another gynegologist in the office should see me. Upon internal examination it was found that I had a severe infection in my uterus (due most probably to the I.U.D.) and he prescribed antibiotics with an abstention from intercourse for 6 weeks. The doctor was amazed to learn that I had not been examined internally. He said, "Anytime a woman has pain at the level of her navel or below, it should be assumed that she has a pelvic infection and definitely examined intern- control) for no reason at all. Since one of the side effects of these pills is blood clots, supposing I had developed a blood clot? For what reason? Because a doctor forgot I was a whole person and things should be explained. He should have not just been treating my infection and wait for me to return in order to diagnose my sterility ors by chance, a blood clot. Since the medical profession is not helping us women in our search, for health; we must pass on our experiences and learn from each other. ally." Fine, I learned something vital but too late. It is also important to realize that at no time did this doctor talk to me about the consequences of a uterine infection. He prescribed birth control pills for me when the six weeks were over and mentioned that I could have another I.U.D. inserted in October. (Was be_trying to make more money for the pharmaceutical firms ?) This I proceeded to do. In the summer of 1977, we decided to have a baby and I had my I.U.D. removed. By December of 1977 I had still not conceived. Purely co-incidentally a female friend mentioned that the could never become pregnant because of pelvic infection she had from an I.U.D. It had travelled and blocked her fallopian tubes. This set me to thinking but since the gynecologist had never mentioned it to me, the idea seemed slim. I was still under the impression doctors tried to care for women. I arranged to have a uteregrap done by a radiologist and sure enough I am sterile. I cannot have that baby that we want so much. My fallopian tubes are scarred and completely blocked. I am so angry at the medical profession. 1. The doctor did not bother to examine me internally and left me with an acute pelvic infection. 2. My gynecologist never bothered to inform me that one of the side effects of an infection from an I.U.D. can be sterility. 3. The gynecologist never bothered to warn me of the consequences of a uterine infection- that my tubes could be scarred or blocked, What is their job ? If the doctors had cared about me as a person...I would not have built up expectations of being able to have a baby and be so shattered. I would not have had to ingest pills (birth THUNDER CLAP Muriel Boyle of Sioux Lookout who was 94 years old on February 20, She has just been awarded 1978. the Queen's Jubilee medal - An outstanding citizens award. THUNDER BOLT The Lakehead University "Argus" and those that advertise on its The contempt the editors pages. show towards its readers (especially women) is very evident. Northern Woman Journal page 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WOMEN AGAINST RAPE credit KN&515 What can we do about rape in our communities other than anguish at the courts that handle it all so badly. The paranoia that sees every man a threat and every woman a victim seduces us into extreme forms of behaviour that delays us in effecting changes of a system that badly needs a cold, relentless appraisal of it's deficiencies. If, as Florence Kennedy, that great feminist says"It takes more time to get your tit out of the wringer than it does to stop the machine", then it would seem the to better part of wisdom aim a concentrated attack on the machine, which is nothing, if not antiquated, protection of women are concerned. Considering the fact that our crown attorneys are mainly of that generation that enjoyed the fantasy of women as mere appendages -should we be pushing for the victim's right to have her own attorney as a co-prosecutor ? Should we be more vocal in support of changes in the in view terms of the charge of the reluctance to sustain a charge of rape because of the penalty imposed. While the rape and sexual assault teams support an the victim and embark on extended educational program to other groups, do we have the right to expect total exemption of the responsibility that is the moral obligation of every one of us regardless of sex ? taxpayer and citizen, I,as a have honored that obligation and taken the time to voice my concern to the Solicitor General for Ontario. When the courts deal properly with this crime, for it is a crime, as every woman knows, the incidence of rape will decrease. We should all be concerned that victims are further victimized by laws that were formerly supposed to protect them. When these same victims consider that laying a charge is an exercise in futility, then we are all in trouble. Get your pen out, and do your duty- you will feel the better for it. , , Northern Woman Journal page The last issue in "Women Against Rape" reflects the disheartenment and frustration rape crisis workers and supporters feel as witnesses to the ravishing of rape victims by our legal system. Because rape is considered a crime of passion (a sexual crime) the issue of consent plays the most important part in the courts, although consent is legally unprovable. To justify the issue of consent, the woman becomes the target of an inquisition, having to account for her behaviour, her life style, appearance, personality, etc. prior to the assault, during the assault and after the assault. This unfeeling process of discrediting a witness is allowed to create questions in the minds of the jury that the accused could not have committed the crime without her participation. The jury, remember has to convict "beyond a reasonable doubt" that he If they are only 99 sure is guilty. The he is, they must let him go. philosophy, more prevalent in rape and sexual assault cases is that they (courts) would prefer to allow a guilty man to go free rather than convict one innocent person. Being as it is, we cannot argue We sit at with the justice system. each rape trial knowing that the attitudes toward women regarding "sex" and the burden of proof would set another man loose to perhaps Rape laws reflect attirape again. tudes of its society and vice versa, so rape centres feel there is little hope of mass changes in attitudes overnight when our present laws have changed very little since medieval Women were regarded as protimes. perty then, and now centuries later these attitudes are still in our present laws. The law We have an alternative. reform Commission's working paper on sexual crimes is due to be re(March) leased in early spring. The rape crisis centres across Canada were enthusiastic although uncertain regarding some of the recommendations rumoured to be conRegardless, tained in the paper. they were ready to draw up a position paper with changes and/or acceptance of proposals. There is a problem. The National Assistor to Rape Crisis Centre, Joannie Vance, stated in her monthly newsletter that there is hesitation among some members of the law reform commission to release the working It seems that paper to the public. denied the we are, again, being right to respond to laws that are supposedly there to protect us (women) from sexual abuse. We ask individuals and groups to write to the Minister of Justice urging him to pressure the law reform commission to release the working paper to the public. Our goal is law reform above and beyond the working paper and this should be emphasized. To gain this end, we must have access to the paper. After the paper is made available, more work and involvement will be More necessary to enact stage two. about that in later issues. Please write to the Minister of Justice, with copies sent to your MPs and MPPs. Get friends to write There is power in the vote also. (they denied that to us for centuries too, remember) so put it to work. Women's Centre will have form letters to be signed, drop in and The next Time is important. sign. two to three weeks will either dash our hopes of acceptable reform in laws regarding sexual offences or doom us to more centuries of injustice. The Honourable Stanley Ronald Basford, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. LIBERAL Honourable Robert Andras President of Treasury Board Ottawa, Ontario 1 Liberal 2. 11 Paul McRae Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of National Health and Welfare Ottawa, Ontario Liberal 3. Mickey Hennessy, MPP Fort William Queen's Park Address: Room 413 B Legislative Building Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A2 (416) 965-4130 Constituency Offices 294 E. Brock Street Thunder Bay, Ontario P7E 4H4 (807) 623-1011 smosoolkomwm 638 A Simpson Street Thunder Bay, Ontario P7C 3J7 (807) 623-1011 4. Jim Foulds, MPP Port Arthur Riding 245 S. Court Street Thunder Bay, Ontario 345-6714 ***** CHILD'S PLAY An 11-year-old girl successfully fought off two would-be As she was child molesters. walking home from school, a car with two men stopped, and the passenger opened his door and grabbed her by the arm. the flipped him onto his back on the sidewalk, chopped him in the neck with the edge of her hand, and jabbed him in both eyes with her fingers. The driver jumped out, screamNeighing, "That's murder!" bours, alerted by the noise, called the police, and both men were apprehended. The girl is the daughter of a woman who studies judo and a man who lolds a brown belt She was unharmed, in karate. except for a slight bruise on her arm where the man grabbed her. --reprinted from Plexus 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EATING 1VATURAL by be Natural foods can best defined as "Any food which spoils but eaten before it does." It is plain food with nothing added and nothing taken away. That means (taxi which is Storage then invert to drain the as good as the food that we buy and store properly. Time and money spent on water off. Rinse again with lukewarm water and drain. Rinse morning and evening, keeping seeds obtaining fresh moist but not wet. (If you use a square-sided jar, place it on a side to give more surface area for growth,) Alfalfa sprouts are ready when 1.2" long (4 days!, mung beans 14" long, and. lentils 1" long. make the food palatable These and safe. But we we ran also allow ourselves to develop new and more healthful habits. fact. we owe it to ourselves and our offspring to do so. In There are 3 paths that can be taken in changing :hose habits. 1) Go whole hog and discard all the "bad" things you now cat. Unwise because you will miss what you have been used to and will not be accustomed to the new flavors and tex- tures. Also, without some previous experience. most people don't have enough knowledge of what natural foods air and how to handle them to be able to nake such a sudden change. They end up very discouraged and tesort to oath 2. 2) Sec the whole problem too vast to face and so opt to continue as is. They miss the moderate but most productive and longlasting way. path 3. 3) Try a little bit at a time. Get used to new organically-grown fruits and vegetables is wasted if they are not stored to retain their freshness and eaten while they still do. In general: natural foods are perishables and should be stored in a clean, dry, cool and dark place. Some foods will steep longer and require less care: nuts in sf ells, seeds. honey, unhulled Others are very perishable and should be kept refrigerated: fresh vegetables, ripe fruit, dairy products, eggs, coldpressed oils, Some bulk supplies are best kept in the freezer with smaller portions transfered to the refrigerator for immediate use: whole grain flours, peanut butter without preservatives, unsalted butter. Salads Salads should always be fresh and crisp. Buy the freshest vegetables possible and refrigerate quickly. Close to the time of eating, wash the vegetables and dry them with clean terry towelling before cutting. '(Vegetables can be pre- flavors and textures and to different shopping and and dried and stored in the fridge in terry towelling for quick use.) If Experiment and have fun salad must sit for, a time before eating, place salad back in refrigerator with cooking practices. while finding out how good latural foods can taste and nake you feel, and how washed plastic wrap in contact with the vegetables to they can be to prepare. Best of all, discover that eating exclude air and therefore natural does not cost any more but that your money nutrients. easy is spent in different places. Get acquainted with new people who are also interested in better nutrition. most Your valuable guideline will be to eliminate all refined sugar and all refined flour from your menus. Completely!! That is your eventual goal. Besides removing these two offenders, this step will leave such a hole in the average Canadian diet that there will be lots of room to substitute nutritious and delicious natural foods. To help you change your eating habits the moderate way, let's look at some suggestions that you can incorporate. Remember, a kw at a time and you won't be overwhelmed. are the best 3 varieties to begin pith. If you start a new jar every day or two, depending on how many you eat, there Your diet is what you habitually rat. The key is have all grown accustomed to a certain way of preparing and eating food. 4 day or overnight, for The food we eat is only closest to its growing state, made edible in the simplest way possible. Any food that can be eaten. raw. should be cooking should be kept to the minimum necessary to in the word habit Patricia J. Wales, D.C. retard the rate of oxidation and loss of enzymes and Alp nonstarcit vegetables .can be used in Add raw salads. muschrooms, cauliflower, broccoli, avacado, green beans, and raw young beets to the more common lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, celery, radish and onion ingredients. Use fruits and nuts for variety and extra flavour. The freshest ingredient is sprouts that you have grown yourself at home. You can buy a sprouter, one model has 3 trays with drainage spouts that lets you water easily once a day. Or you can use a jar covered with 2 layers of nylon mesh (a j-cloth will also work) held in place with a rubber band. Soak the seeds in water in the jar will always be fresh sprouts available for salads or to eat on a piece of buttered wholegrain bread. Oils and Dressings_ Cold pressed oils retain the ingredients which give each type of oil a distinctive flavor these ingredients have been removed from processed oils and so most people have never tasted the real flavor of the various oils. A mixture or oils is necessary to provide all the essential fatty ac :ds sunflower and safflower are rich in linoleic. peanut in arachidonic and soy in and linolenic is therefore the best for use in salad dressings. Soy has a strong flavor and should be used sparingly at Apple cider vinegar and fresh lemon juice both make good additions to the oil for dressings. Various herbs can be added to suit individual tastes but add the dressing to the salad just before serving to prevent leeching nutrients from the cut vegetables. Butter vs Margarine Butter has erroneously been given a bad name by the ant-cholesterol factions who promote margarine as being lower in cholesterol and saturated fats. Margarine is lower in cholesterol levels in the average diet. The oils that are used to make margarine are relined and then hydrogenated (or saturated) to change them from an oil to a solid. They are then fortified with vitamins A & D which could be better obtained in natural form from butter. As an alternative to margarine, blend coldpressed oils with sweet, unsalted butter. A combination of the two makes a delicious spread with complement of animal and vegetable fatty acids. and is soft enough to a spread immediately upon r t.9110% al front the -refrigerator. Allow butter to warm to just room temperature. Beat (hand or electric beater) in a mixture of cold-pressed oils (sunflower or safflower, sesame. peanut and a touch of soy as the latter is (nine strongly flavored) in Desserts ratio of butter to oil of '2: I or I. Store in small containers in freezer and Desserts as most Worth Americans know them are out!! They are almost always made with refined flour and sugar and cannot a I : eg) only what is currently 'a use in the frig. Fresh, unsalted butter tastes sweet: rancid butter and oils should never be used as they have toxic properties. Salt is used in most butters, disguising any off-flavors and allowing butter to be made from not-so-fresh cream and to be stored beyond the safe period without be included in a natural food diet. However, nutritious baked goods can be made from wholesome ingredients and eaten with gusto and appreciation. (see recipes in books listed). Some examples are nut loaves, muffins, granola cookies, whole wheat pastry and cottage detection of rancidity by cheese cake. the consumer. Eggs and Dairy Products Having eaten eggs from free-range hens, you won't ever want to eat those It is perhaps best to present these new foods to novice natural food eaters as variations on the theme, produced by caged hens again. Especially if you eat them soft-boiled or poached where the true :laor, or lack of it, is obvious. Yogurt is more easily thiin is milk because the lactose (milk sugar) has been converted to lactic acid by the Lactobacillis acidophilus. These bacteria also produce B vitamins in the yogurt and in the intestines as well. Most commercial yogurts packaged in small containers for snacks have large amounts of sugar and sugar-preserved fruit added. It is more nutritious and cheaper to make your own. A simple method using non-instant powdered skim milk is as follows: Sterilize a I-qt. glass jar or other glass container by rinsing with boiling water, and allou' to cool. Add IC powdered milk to I qt. of warm water body *temperature]. Use spring or distilled water if atoilable, or let water stand over- night, or boil and let cool to get rid of chlorine. Shake, mix or blend the irzilk and water. Add a little at a time to 2T plain yogurt or yogurt culture in the jar. Then fill the jar with the reconstituted milk and stir. Place in an electric yogurt maker for 6 8 hrs. or until tipping the jar causes the yogurt to pull away in a sold mass. If yogurt separates into curds (nut whey, the time was too long. A new batch can be made front the old but if off-flavors develop, use a new culture. Add fresh fruit or granola after the yogurt has set or when served. serving them in place of the usual evening snack. Here the flavors and crunchiness can be ap- preciated without clashing with expectations of cake and ice cream. Fresh fruit salads plus yogurt or sour cream or unsweetened whipped cream (add a little vanilla) are better a main served to finish meal with a light touch of sweetness. Once sugar- containing foods are eliminated from the diet, palates become more discriminating. The new desserts and treats become even more tasty while the previous favorites will be shunned as "too sweet". Breakfasts All too often breakfast in busy homes consists of presweetened cereals, milk, white bread toast and tea or coffee. The minimal protein afforded by. the nI;It is far ourtoeiyllc,! by the sugar and carThe body reacts to this by secreting sufficient insulin to remove bohydrates. excess glucose from the bloodstream often so efficiently that more sugar is needed in about 2 hrs. to sustain the blood sugar at the level necessary normal functioning. for Of course, this can happen in some individuals at any other time during the day but breakfast is most crucial as the body has been foodless all night. A meal containing some natural sugar for quick absorption (as fruit or fruit juice) plus protein (eggs, cheese, meat, milk) and unrefined (whole cereals, granola) carbohydrate grain bread, unsweetened gives a more absorbed and digested source of blood slowly sugar. Old fashioned rolled oats or mixed cooked cereals served with milk are good breakfast foods, especially if seeds or nuts, which contain some protein and oils, are added. Snacks 1: Lunches Junk foods such as pop, candy bars, chips and cookies arc readily and Cont'd on page 11 Northern Woman Journal page 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �BATTLE OF SEXES RING AROUND THE COLLAR NOTEWORTHY DECISION by SUPREME COURT In a complete reversal of the majority decision handed down in the courts five years ago against Irene Murdoch, an Alberta farmwife, who had sued for a share in the family property upon her marriage break-up; the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Jan/78, that Mrs. Helen Marie Rathwell, divorced in 1974, be granted half the family assets built up in 30 years marriage to a Saskatchewan farmer.The court ruled she had a legitimate claim over 2,049 acres of land in Tompkins, Sask., because she was not merely a housewife and mother, but did everything from the chores to driving machinery and canning garden produce, as well as contributing financially to the original down-payment of the property. "Increasingly, the work of women in the management of the home and the rearing of children as wife and mother, is recognized as an economic contribution to the family unit. The decision completely rejected the 1973 decision which ruled, "a wife's labour cannot constitute a contribution in money's worth..." The Murdoch decision generated much criticism from women's groups. The decision verifies that women's groups are gaining strength in their struggle for equal rights and they are being heard. revised from Editorial Chronicle Journal The strongest woman in the world, Jan Todd, lives in Nova Scotia. Winning all three categories in weight lifting, she has competed across the world. Coaching a mixed team of girls and boys, she took them to the U.S.A. championships where they won the team effort in weight lifting. Neither musclebound or gut heavy, she is a vibrant, healthy specimen, which puts the lie to women as the weaker sex. Her top lift is 451 pounds. ...Fort Frances Times Northern Woman Journal page When television was new, there was worry lest watching it might ruin children's eyes. That didn't happen, but someNow telething worse did. vision commercials are maligning and belittling women in ways which should, one would suppose, have feminists yelling their heads off in protest. Take that ring around the This involves the collar bit. rudeness of those who would point out such a thing and also the implication that a housewife who doesn't get shirts clean is pretty deficient. It might be pointed out in the picture, but it isn't that the collar wouldn't be dirty if the man washed his neck. Some pop-eyed radicals might also go so far as to state that nowhere in Holy Writ is it said that part of a woman's Nor duty is to wash clothes. that others are entitled to point the finger of scorn at her if she misses a soiled spot now and then. There are also the harpies who walk into a house and comThis plain that it smells bad. is a fair portrayal of women? In other plugs, women are shown as utter nitwits. Somebody walks in off the street, announces that Brand A beats Brand X, and the housewife accepts the statement instantThe suggestion is that ly. she's an idiot who'll believe anything. How about some commercials showing women with brains and courtesy? --The Boston Globe This joke wasn't funny (Ky.) - The billboards blazed In Beat Your Wife in huge letters. smaller letters, the signs added, Go Bowling. The Bowling Proprietors Association was trying to catch the eyes of But, what it potential bowlers. generated instead was a controversy with the Spouse Abuse Centre, which provides shelter and counselling for victims of abuse. Carole Morse, director of the centre at a YWCA, said that when she saw the billboard, "I almost cracked up my car. "This is just the sort of humor we have to stop," she said. "I think it is just the kind of mentality that makes this (wife abuse) the largest unreported crime." ...Toronto Star According to the Fort Frances Times, the Polish Tigerettes, a women's hockey team from Winnipeg, gave the Fort Frances Jaycee-Kinsmen-Police lineup a real tussle in an exhibition game in support of new arena roof for that a. city. In spite of the fact the home team iced a bevy of 200 pound heavies, we understand our Polish sisters even picked up a penalty for charging- tying the game six all. The Fort Frances Times quotes a beefier type as These saying, "Ho Boy Girls are Tough!" We say"GIRLS! HAH!!" ! ...Fort Frances Times ***** Digested $s Coughed Up (NY)--In an out-of-court settlement for a sex discrimination case instigated in 1973, the Reader's Digest has agreed, to pay $1.5 million to 2,600 women employees and former emThe bulk of the money ployees. will be used for compensatory back pay; 142 women currently employed by the magazine will receive immediate salary increases. --info from Woman Today NO BUT'S ABOUT IT (NY)--The buttocks has been declared an intimate part of anatomy, the pinching or touching of which without the person's consent punishable by up to three months in jail. A Manhattan criminal court judge found a man guilty of sexual abuse in the third degree for touching the buttocks of a woman without her consent while they were riding the subway during rush hour. The woman pressed charges against him; the man moved to have the charges dropped on the grounds that what he was accused of did not constitute a crime; the judge said that in this country, unlike some others, touching a woman's buttocks without her consent is not treated so cavalierly. The judge probably doesn't ride the subways. However mistaken his opinion on the highmindedness of social values and respect for another's person in this country, his ruling in the case is certainly It was reported in the lovely. United States Law Week under "significant opinions not generally reported." --info from the Washington Star 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �In 1867 she posed in proper school marm fashion, with fan in hand beside a rotund gentleman his moustache and his beard and a gold headed cane. Would she have looked so satisfiec if she had known her future lay with oxen on a trail not yet acquainted with a woodsman's axe. Was it perhaps her destiny to cut the trail herself and choose him for his skill at building log houses in the wilderness, If ever the impulse of Ruth crossed het mind and she was tempted to walk two steps behind, she saw it as another time, for someone else, and lived her true nature, a captain of industry, relegating all moustaches and canes to Water Boy. LEAVING AND SAYING HELLO I don't know you even heard 'thank you' in my btieli smiles. POETRY I was teatty smiting my betie6 in you. I coutdn't squeeze through the stumbting bZocks o6 6atten wands, OA 6ind time to remember what I had liotgotten. You were ptessuked with events, I was weighted down with emptiness. I packed my thoughts in a crowded heap and dressed to Leave finding space to say goodbye. Rosatyn Taytot Pettett Gent Thunder Bay Thunder Bay NOREEN on living with strangers The river is deep; and the water cool, here in the desert a spring-water pool. Drink me, I'm endless or bathe in my spray. I'll go for the journey, I'll stay for the day. Test me and try me I spring from a rock. I can walk lonely or fly in the flock. Words are a nuisance none can describe her The glue for the hive the ultimate sister. Gert Beadle Thunder Bay "they wouldn't be half so bad, she said wearily, through her glass of wine; if it weren't for the meat and the money and the make-up. early morning bacon combining with sickly sweet perfume wafts meandering then attacks burns acidly through my nostrils hey derry, hey derry, and a derry, derry down meat, money, and make-up turning me around. the barbie doll shuffle, "kept -woman syndrome.... I find tiviz piece a b papet And I've had three petnod And I Oa Like dying and wtiting It 'Is kitting me not to speak to you My discipZines I watch one peek atound the door I watch anothet play the saxophone The dank one's btothet smiles and speaks to me I dance with a man in a beard So young and handsome And quietZy take my French tiqueat I put my head down And my sistet sttokes it I am in pain and I cannot show it with such a sense of propriety, bright, sensitive, intelligent, keeps head and hearth together; looks after absent-minded genius man who supplies reinforcement, money, and enough fuel for barbie's masochistic fires; the gifts are more expensive, the communication witty, informal, and liberal and of course there is little chance of V.D. in suburbs dollies are swapped. one vagina, two vaginas, three vaginas more And I wig tee my Finnish con6idant To touch my at I witt. dtink cot bee and eat raisin bitead should we assume that barbie is a whore? And I wig weave my sins away in coaue wool Speaking, and taughing with you' mothex. with a down and a down and a derry, derry Deadte Haim Thundet Bay down that good ole meat, money and makeup turning my heart around. I/M/1 Thundet Bay Northern Woman Journal page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �THE WOMAN & THE ENTERTAINER 11/era Johnson Vera is an established singer of folk songs; she strongly resents any implication that her age has anything to do with her talent, and well she might, for what begins in her mind is entrusted to the pen and finally is translated by a rich and mellow voice in eternal youth without a single illusion. It was my rare privilege having Vera as an over-night guest and to sit with her at my kitchen table till the air was blue with smoke, since we are both addicted to the weed, and talk of the many things that delight or concern us. Although the patterns of our lives are very different, we met at the place where it matters. In spirit and mind, we are cut from the same material- she is an aging vagabond, a roving minstrel, a proud parent, a delighted Grandmother and a friend to whoever has the wit and wisdom to take her for what she truly is. The term feminist is too narrow for her liking; woman's rights give way to the larger human rights; her songs reflect her concern for the environment as well as the people in it. Power and pomposity are her natural targets; nothing is sacred; the Jesus trip falls under the same wry judgement as her shaft for the American eagle. 'Do It Yourself Divorce' is a hilarious exercise in ending something she was plainly too busy to bother with; on the other hand, her sincere and touching tribute to the mother of Bernadette Devlin reveals her admiration for the spirit that fights for justice. Vera adheres to non-violence preferring instead to blow up the idiosyncrasies of the human family then deftly sticking a pin in it before her audience in a way that invites mirth. She is warm, generous and real--has been hugged by the Prime Minister, entertained by W.O. Mitchell and shafted by the experts--she has been everywhere on the folk-festival circuits both here and on the continent, using her energy, her great sense of humour and her talents to jar us into a new perception of human potential. Vera Johnson: Song Book #1 - $4.25 Record LP Album Bald Eagle - $5.50 Send to: #207-527 Ash Street New Westminster, B.C. V3M 3N5 LODGEPOLE, NORTH WE KAY McCULLOUGH An LODGEPOLE, NORTH WEST: KAY McCULLOUGH is a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario. She has always been actively involved in art. "I was a painter long before knew how", she states. "Always did it, then later found out how and why, then taught it to other people, because it was too good not to pass on." Over the years it all became concurrent and simultaneous: -- being a wife, a mother to three children now grown, a professional artist, a business woman, a I I teacher. Since her husband was killed in an accident two and a half years ago, she has chosen depth experiences in her life rather than breadth, quality over quantity, concentration over juggling many things at once. At her own request she was granted a year's leave of absence from her teaching duties as head of the Art Department at Hillcrest High School. Since last summer her main area of concentration, painting, has resulted in some fifty very vital northern landscapes done in acrilics and mixed media. She has recently remarried, retaining her professional name. All the paintings were created at her studio-home at Birch Beach on Lake Superior. It is a ruggedly beautiful and quiet setting some twenty-two miles outside the city of Thunder Bay. "What a luxury to have the time and space to go deeply into myself and to tune into nature and the seasons as never before." A number of years ago, one of her teachers, A.Y. Jackson, wrote in a newspaper article about a current show that she was a natural colourist, versatile enough to take her place with the women abstract painters of Canada, and, if she wished, to take portrait commissions on the side and do printmaking as well. He stated that in his opinion, however, she should always return to landscape, for which she had a special feeling. "I'm glad did all those other things", she says, "and also that DID keep returning to landscape. At the moment feel there is so much there, at all levels of understanding, will never run out of inspiration." In this show, her deepest feelings about life seem to be expressed in autumn and winter themes particularly. "It gives my 'colourist' abilities a chance", she says, "to swing between the use of a very full, free and vibrant palette and a restricted, understated, subtle one." I I I I account of an organization that is trying to be born. Affordable housing is har to come by in North West On Priva rio for many people. industry builds a fair amou of housing but most of it sold or rented for a high The government also price. builds housing but most of is now for senior citizens (much needed of course, but useless to those who don't fall into that category). However, there is another kind of housing, called "Th It consis Sector Housing". of housing built by any gro not seeking to make a profi by it (for example: a Nativ People's group who decide t build housing and rent it t Native families who can't f suitable accommodation else where, or co-operative hous which will be owned by them collectively but where each part-owner will pay her or share of the expenses, like i rent) . The federal and provincia governments have a joint scheme to help finance such projects because they recog that the people who help th selves will nevertheless ne more help, such as mortgage money and funds to get star Also, these projects do pro much needed housing that pe can afford. However, very projects actually get off t ground -- or, should say, to the ground because so mu expertise is needed and bec there are such mountains of tape to overcome. But ther a ray of hope, because now two levels of government wi provide some of the finance organizations which are set to help Third Sector Housin over all these pitfalls, an also, if requested, with mai ment once the housing is bu (another area where difficu occur through lack of exper The housing committee of Lakehead Social Planning Cc cil is now trying to set up such an organization. If successful, it will then be independent and will be kno as Lodgepole, North West. hope that it will help many projects to materialize. T are certainly several group Northern Women who would be fit by organizing their own housing in order to become dependent. We hope that Lo pole, North West will be ab to give them the help they need. Anyone who would lik more information can contac Marg Frenette in the evenin Her telephone number is 983 I i 2307. Prue Morton PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �guess the s Cont'd from page 7 enticingly available wherever one goes. The availability of nutritious substitutes depends THE GLEESON CLINIC of on forethought. At home, raw vegetables can be cut up and stored in paper or CHIROPRACTIC terry towelling in the frig, ready for instant nibbling. Celery sticks filled with cheese, yogurt plus fresh fruit or granola stirred in, apple cheese with - wishes to announce the associateship of D.C. or without all can be available at home or taken to school or work. Nuts in the and sunflower seeds can be easily packed and carried PraCtice of Chiropractic for between meal snacks. Remember the essence fif a snack is availabilty .o be there when you want I irwithout requiring much 6 4 time or effort to procure it. There is a veritable library of books written on natural food: the dangers of ingredients added or removed: what happens to * GLEESON CLINIC OF CHIROPRACTIC 1304 VICTORIA AVE. THUNDER BAY, ONT. P7C 1C2 4 (807)623-5531 , The above photo spark amusing speculation o of the collective, wh arrived without docum Sex. raw foods when they are processed : how to shop One for, store and cook foods to get the food values we need for health. URGENT MESSAGE URGENT MESSAGE TO ONTARIO WOMEN The undersigned, acting as individuals, believe that the Family Law Reform Bill (Bill 59) will have disastrous consequences for women if it is adopted in its present form. The government of Ontario has stated its intention of passing this Bill within the next few weeks so that it would be law by March 31st, 1978. We strongly urge you to join us in attempting to stop this Bill in its present form. The Bill should be amended as follows: 1) To broaden the assets to be shared on separation or divorce (called "family assets" in the Bill) to include pension rights, savings and investments acquired during the marriage. This change would do much toward recognizing the equal contribution of the wife to the marriage partnership. (Section 3) 2) To guarantee widows a share of the matrimonial assets upon the death of their husbands. As the Bill abolishes dower rights without providing for sharing of the marital assets upon death, it would make widows worse off than they are at present. The law should ensure that women whose marriages continue until death get at least the same rights to their husbands' property as women whose marriages have broken down. 3) To change the Bill's retroactive presumption that a wife who received property from her husband is holding it in trust for him (in other words, he is still the real owner). Whenever a spouse transfers or buys property in the name of the other, the transaction should be considered to be one of gift. This would affirm women's rights over property they have received from their husbands and would bring the law into line with most people's beliefs and practices. (Section 11) The. Bill will apply to all Ontario spouses who do not opt out of it through a joint contract. As the above indicates, the authors of the Bill did not recognize the equality of the spouses during the marriage and have not given adequate consideration to the effects this legislation would have on continuing marriages. ACTION: (Most effective before February 28, 1978) (DO IT NOW) 1) Communicate with your Provincial Member of Parliament immediately, stressing that the Bill in its present form is not acceptable to you and why. All M.P.P.s can be reached at the Parliament Buildings, Queen's Park, Toronto. 2) If your M.P.P. is in one of the opposition parties, request that the party drop its support of this Bill. 3) Also write to the Premier (Hon. William Davis, same address). 4) Use all possible avenues (including your local media) to get similar immediate action by other women. Louise B. Dulude Lawyer and Research Officer Advisory Council on the Status of Women 29 Morris Street Ottawa K1S 4A6 (tel.: 613-992-4975) Charlotte M. England Past President Council of Women of Ottawa and Area 662 Brierwood Avenue Ottawa K2A 2J2 (tel.: 613-722-4551) Margaret J. Mason Lawyer and Member of the Steering Committee of the National is a boy and one They are not related collective does not k sex is which. Only the mothers and grapher know which se is. We invite you to sex of each and the r The correct guess wit reasons will win one subscription to the N Woman Journal. *****: Association of Women an 5 Oriole Drive Ottawa K1J 7E8 (tel.: 613-235-6736) Trudy Wiltshire Past President Provincial Council of W of Ontario and Member o Ontario Status of Women 492 Cooper Street Ottawa K1R 5H9 (tel.: 613-233-4294) (Note: The above affil stated as credentials organizations with whi are associated have ma tions on Bill 59, but too short to get their a joint text.) ***** GERMAINE GREER No better case could be the survival of the Nor Journal than the cynica of the Chronicle Journa and 7th, on the recent engagement of Germaine More on Germaine Greer issue. Anyone interested in fo ball, volleyball, socce Please come down to Wom and sign up. We have t practicing now to get i Northern Woman Journal pa PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �THE FUTURE NATIVE WOMEN Our Home is First Native Women Speak Exerpts from the Brief presented to the Hartt Commission by Marlene Pierre, President, Ont. Native Women's Association in Geraldton, Ontario. Nov 28/1977. We have come to tell you that if we are to live in the same house, that you must share with me, and I, with you; that if one of us begins to rip the floor and tear apart the walls, dirty the water and infest the air, that we will all have nothing left and will have to leave. , Such is the way it is becoming. With development, any given community experiences a form of trauma that requires it to readily adjust to a new thrust of development which is usual_ ly imposed upon it. This new development brings to the community a large influx of workers, both married and single. Married men bring with them their families, when re-locating to a new job. Schools, existing facilities, and housing, become a demand to accomnew on-coming transodate ient population and resulting shortages, overcrowding and emerge as new disrimination problems. Although this new family life should have a effect on the stabilizing community, it does not occur immediately. An element of the transient population lies mainly with the single men. The situation is different for single men. They live in campsites and share accommodation. Their concern lies mainly with their employer. They do not have or develop a sense of community spirit or loyalty. This, in fact, has a disruptive effect on the normal life of the community. Native people placed in this new situation must make enormous attempts to adjust and accommodate the new arrivals. It has been and will continue to be so in the future. Further, native people have lived in a relatively safe environment and have kept their own life style, values, and traditions. This new transplant upon the community will and has confused the way of life of native people.. The native society has been there for generations and will still be there when the transient population has gone. The two groups living side by side will affect each other. This effect will be greatest on the native communities because two completely different sets of value will Northern Woman Journal page 12 be in conflict with the traditional community as it is. By uprooting the basic fabric of the community, the consequences resulting from it causes social deterioration. It is this breakdown of a community, I wish to emphasize. We are concerned with the human element of development. What in fact happens to our native families when this occurs ? We are concerned about the social and family deterioration of the northern communities. We are concerned about the higher incidence of alcoholism among our native families. Residents of the communities must live along side of the construction workers; violence in the camps and the community will be visible because alcohol and weapons are freely available. Children will be exposed to these ill-effects of alcoholism. We are concerned about the use of drugs among our native women and children. Native women who must cope with problems and crisis may turn to drugs as a form of release for frustration, tension, and depression. The increasing use of gas sniffing, glue sniffing and .drugs will become more rampant among our youths. The lack of recreational facilities, no constructive use of leisure time, availability of drugs and alcohol all contribute to this problem. We are concerned about the sexual exploitation of our native women. Through the and availability of alcohol the communities being close to the camps, the evidence of violent attacks on women, rape, illegitimate pregnancies, unwanted children, prostitution, and venereal disease will rise beyond a social problem. We are concerned about depression among our native families, women, and children. The loss of dignity, self-respect and self-identity would lead to a higher incidence of suicides, murder, incarcerations of native women, violence, mental illness and crime. Communities along the C.N.R. have evidenced itself to this problem. We are concerned with the breakup of family units; abuse of wives, husband/wife beating by partners, communication breakdown-.all leading to shaky marriages common-law relationships, and eventual marital breakdowns. We are concerned about the neg lect and abuse of native children. We believe evry child has a basic and human right to live That right is the right to live at home in safety and comfort. We are concerned about the loss of cultural pride and identity, We are concerned with the lack of adequate social services in order to deal effectively with social problems. We are concern ed about the cutbacks in transportation and communications tc our northern communities. Mr. Commissioner, let us put our house in order,and let us help you. "There is no present or future, only the past, happening over now" and over again A quote from "Trinity"...Uris CALGARY STATUS OF WOMEN ACTION COMMITTEE 223 - 12th Ave. S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2R 0G9 For Immediate Release Prominent North American feminists -- including Robin Morgan, Dr. Lorene4 Clark and Dr. Diana Russel -- will participate in a conference on "Women in a Violent Society", to be held in Interested Calgary April 21-23. sons from throughout Western Canada are expected to attend. The conference is sponsored by the Calgary Status of Women Action ComA $3,500 grant has been mittee. secured from the Alberta Law Foundation, and further funding is expected from government and private sources. "Violence against women occurs on a continuum -- ranging from street hassling and violent pornography to battering and rape," explains Karen Lodl, conference organizer. Why focus specifically on women? Lodl points to a recent Weekend Magazine report that five of six violent crime victims are women, while only one of the nine charged with violent crimes is female. And domestic violence is of increasing concern -- one recent study indicates that almost 50 per cent of women jailed for murdering their hus' bands were physically abused by the men they killed. Purposes of the conference are to educate the public about the sources of violence in society, to garner support for additional rape crisis centres and women's shelters, and to examine law as it relates to rape, battering and sexual harassment. On the program along with authors Morgan (Sisterhood Is Powerful, Goinc Too Far), Clark (Rape: The Price of Coercive Sexuality) and Russell (The Politics of Rape, Crimes Against Women), will be Joannie Vance, natioi al assister for rape crisis centres, and Gene Errington, coordinator of Vancouver Women's Research Centre. For further information on the con ference, or to obtain registration materials, contact the Status of Women office, (403) 264-0774, or Karen Lodl, (403) 261-5697. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I1VSPIRATION FROG it WHAT IT ALL MEANS. HOUSTWU copyright by Collen Patrick 1977 Throughout the National Women's Conference, the public wondered what it all meant. To this reporter it meant: -that women, for the first time in American history, were seen not as sex objects, but as human beings taking action on their own behalf. - that women believed they should not only act for themselves, but on the behalf of children and men as well.. Resolutions passed at Houston pertain to the entire family of humanity. - that women, at least those at the convention, felt compassion toward themselves, as well as others. They acted on behalf of those who are less- as well as more- fortunate than the individual voting. -that women- as they were represented in Houston; the cross section of poor, of ethnic minority, of disabled, of older, of lesbian, of Republican, of Democratic, of "average" women ( and none of us are average), chose to stand up for equality and real human justice. -that women, as has been the case historically, do not put a price tag on human life. Nor do they put a monetary value on the right of that human life to exist in peace, with strength and dignity. Women have long stretched the dollar the yen, and the lire beyond its real value in supporting themselves and their families. They know governments can do the same. - that women, who have for centuries supported the lives and emotional well-being of others, are now claiming the right of their own fiscal, physical, and emotional welfare. -that women, who have long played an invaluable role in decision-making processes behind the scenes, can now claim the power to act on their own behalf as well as for for others who want the benefits of that power. -that women, who have seldom been given credit for their contribution to political spheres, are openly revealing their political savvy, and they are not hoarding it- but sharing it with others. -that women, who have kno the meaning of physical endurance through childbirth, field work and "traditional" women's work like lifting children, will now, more than ever, use that power to expand their individual athletic abilities. -that women, who have long been- contributors to the arts through the use of pseudonyms or through the men they have helped, will now bring their own names to the public, and get credit for their own work. -that women, just because they are women, were heard in Houston. Particularly through the media. Women, just because they were women, were asked how they felt and what they believed. Those beliefs and feelings were considered facts by the media. The same media which has ignored their cries for recognition and validation throughout modern history. -that women, women who have been socialized to be reticent, to be silent- would in fact, act. And they continue the fight, knowing the later consequences. A woman's right to her reproductive freedom and her sexual preference were deemed necessary in Houston Not because of personal persuasion, but because women who ask for those things are in truction has the distinct possibility of being diffused by the women who are supposed to sit at home while men deliberate their futures-and fight. It means that the women who are supposed to "sit at home" and work to support fighting men, and make heroes of them if they return, will no longer sit in suffering silence. And it means that men who sit with other men, squabbling, while other men, women, and children die of poverty, neglect, disease, hunger, and war, will no longer make their decisions without another vital input-the so-called "woman's point of view." Houston is a start. It means a lot. It can mean more. Credit Pandora 7V ************************** 9 *EQUAL PAY CON T * * * * * * * * * * * * need. -that women, who recognize that * none of us will ever be really "free" would rather be captive * within the framework of a feminist consciousness than within 71. a mind which does not realize human values. -that women, those same women who have been depicted in demeaning, unimportant terms by male-identified programing and * * advertising, must be acknowledged as beings of intelligence, conscience, capability, lt courage, and compassion; as people who choose to deal with * reality, survival, and people, * more than"ring around the coil - * ar" and "waxy yellow build-up". 4E - that women, whethet conservative or progressive, will no longer remain uninvolved. What does it all mean? It means * change. It means courage and sacrifice for beliefs and a better quality of life. It means* that women will finally be recognized as leaders for us all. * It means a lot. It means that every nation in the world knows of that change, * because of the international focus on Houston. They must now recognize the indepence women will increasingly * feel about expressing their con-* the Ontario Labour Code. A reply from Dr. Stephenson was requested.within 30 days. The resolution was passed by approximately 3/4 of the 250 delegates present. AlthOugh representatives of business and industry were present, no management opinions were expressed. I left this conference both elated and depressed. Elated, because this women's caucus had, through their skills of articulation and debate, made "mincemeat" out of the It was exhilarating to know that highly competent women lawyers, economists, and researchers work relentlessly toward moving governzpent to implement equal value legislation. And depressed, because despite all these proceedings, the Ministry would not commit themselves to the equal value concept. Instead, we got the we will continue to study the concept routine( as they have been for the last 20 years.) They would closelg watch the results of the federal equal value law before considering its inclusion in the Ontario Labour Code. To all women in the workforce who hope someday their granddaughters will have equal pay for work of equal value, I leave you with one thought... the words of Nellie McClung, a great Canadian feminist activist and social reformer.. "Resignation is a cheap and indolent human virtue. It is so much easier to sit down and be resigned than to rise up and be indignant!" cerns. It means that now any government contemplating war nr deR- Leona Lang * Northern Woman Journal page lj PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EQUAL PAY CONFERENCE Women in Ontario alone lose 3 billion dollars annually in potential wage and salary income due to male/female wage inequalities. The figure for all of Canada is 7 billion dollars ( Statistics Canada-74) Existing legislation in Ontario requires women to be paid equally with men when they prove their job requires substantially the same skill, effort, and responsibility as men under the same working conditions. This law is of no use to the 1.6 million working women in Ont.63% are concentrated in dead end low paying"job ghettos" sales, clerical, service, which are totally populated by women. Single sex job categories at low pay are being used by employers to avoid compliance with the intent of existing equal pay legislation. Women fear reprisals from employers when filing wage complaints. In the past equal pay investigators have repeatedly interpreted the existing eqdal pay legislation very narrowly. The Employment Standards Branch is underfinanced and there are not enough resources directed towards the aggressive pursuit of complaints. Women do not have the money or time to hire lawyers to defend them in their claims of wage discrimination. Consequently, despite equal pay legislation, in Ontario since 1951, the wage gap between working men and women continues to widen. Women still earn only 55% of men earn. The obvious what solution to the "economic ills" of working women is "equal pay for work of equal value" which, if implemented, would ensure women equal pay when performing jobs that are the same value as those of men. The criteria used in the job evaluation would be skill, effort, responsibility, and conditions under which the work is performed. (e.g. female sewing machine operator and male janitor). The objective of the conference organizers was to"raise the level of understanding and awarness of the issues concerning equal pay and opportunity for women in the workforce." Speakers from the United Kingdom, U.S.A., and Canada, examined existing equal pay legislation. Notably absent from the speakers' rosrepresentation from trum was the Canadian Federal govern ment, who will be implementing "equal pay for work of the new Human equal value "in Rights bill effective Mar.1/78. This clause will cover all federally regulated services such as C.N.R., C.B.C., Air Canada, Another Plaeebo banks, and agencies of the federal government. Federal representation was vital to explain how they intend to implement and enforce this law. Absent also was the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which has equal value provisions, and work hard at writing this concept into collective agreements covering their members. Instead, as an opener, we were treated to a welcome from the Minister of Culture and Recreation which, as Joan Sutton, Toronto columnist wrote "Sip your tea, ladies, and SHUT UPI Perhaps unwittingly, the Ont. government was telling the delegates in a symbolic way what this conference is really about. Giving the ladies something to do. Letting them have their say. While politics and business go on as usual. Withoutsignificant change." The Minister of Labour, Dr. Bette Stephenson, was also absent. This $20,000.00 conference was on the planning board a long time..if the Minister was really concerned with equal pay her schedule would have allowed for her presence. Instead, her deputy minister, T.E. Armstrong, Q.0 sat on the panel. His tone was patronizing, paternalistic, and uncompromising. In the face of difficulty he resorted to very slick, evasive bureaucratese, pointing outthat the issue at hand was a cabinet matter, and could only be spoken to by the Minister (who wasn't there). It soon became obvious we were in for another "snowjob" by the Ministry- how difficult and costly it was to implement and enforce equal value legislation: how, with high unemployment and inflation, women were not being realistic in our demands for equal pay for equal value(but then, we're not being realistic when the economy is booming, either). In response; delegates representing women's groups, unions, and academics, formed an informal coalition and attacked the Ont. government for"green-papering';, conferencing, and studying the issue to death, instead of passing effective legislation. One delegate asked a representative from Employment Standards what his department was doing to enforce minimum wage when there were thousands of immigrant women in Toronto working in textile mills for below minimum wage. He replied he was not aware of this situation. Amid incredulous groans, mr. Armstrong attempted to smooth this "faux paue' by passing the question over to Marnie Clark, Director of Women's Bureau, "Despite the fact that twice Mr. Armstrong instructions to her were politely disguised admonitions to keep her mouth shut, she did agree there are cases Tale immigrant and native women OD "Gee, I'd love to help, but...!" are being exploited, wnere women are working for less th minimum wage, and where equal pay complaints cannot be handled under the present law, Toronto Star.. Ms. Clark went on to discuss ways in which the government could ensure economic equality for woif,11-.. the workfarce. Government con tracts could be tended only t( those companies which voluntarily utilize affirmative action programs which are policies and programs based____-- on strategies to ensure the removal of unnecessary barrie. which restrict employment and promotional opportunities for women. It wa s argued that up ward mobility (higher educati( and horizontal moverpent (into non-traditional jobs for example) was not an equitable solution. Nurses and typists indignantly rose to point out they were highly skilled peop. but society had put a low value on their skills(hence, low pay). Ms. Clark also suggested allocation of tax incentives or rebates to equal pay/opportunity employers to which one woman scornfully retorted,"I pay taxes, which is paid to the employer(as a rebate) who exploits me in the first place!" What kind of reasoning is this?? At the final session of the two day conference, the Ont. Committee on the Status of Women, boldly walked to the microphone and amid flashing lightbulbs and whirring t. v. cameras, introduced a resolution(much to the dismay of the Ministry). It urged the government to seriously enforce existing equal pay legislation, and to legislate the equal value concept into Continued on page 13 Northern Woman Journal page 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �BOOK REVIEW What Is A Girl What Is A Boy? by Stephanie Waxman A CHILD'S BILL OF RIGHTS. WATCH ME GROW. Children of all ages need to be exposed to the exciting and informative world of books. Young children can develop an interest in learning to read from listening, watching, and participating while their parents read to them. We should not always keep only developing a desire to read foremost in our minds as we are selecting and reading books to our children. Children need a variety of books- colourful ,big pictures, small and detailed pictures, books to inform, to ask questions as well as answer questions, to laugh with, cry with, and just for fun. Take advantage of the opportunity to increase your child's vocabulary knowledge of the world around, interest in learning, and most important, your child-parent relationship. All of this, just by reading books with your child I'm glad I'm me, No one looks the way I do, I have noticed that it's true, No one walks the way I walk, No one talks the way I talk, No one plays the way I play, No one says the things I say, I am special- I am me, There is no one I would rather be than me. ...Ruth Dana Peterson Let me grow as I be And try to understand Why I want to grow like me, Not like my mom wants me to be, Nor like my dad hopes I'll be, Or my teacher thinks I should be, Please try to understand And help me grow Just like me. A curious child can, think, be stymied by some of the available children's literature on sex. To much information brings about a suffocation, perhaps of simple wondering. What is A Girl? What Is A Boy? gives. simple answers in the form of clear photographs of people (not just parts of people either) - the kind of picture a a child wants to examine. Each photograph accompanies a straightforward sentence in real language (no baby I ....Gladys Andrews SHE SHOOTS! talk or euphemisms) that stays within the vocabulary range of the average four-year old. One likes the people in the pictures. One wants to study them. They are everyday people illustrating points important to one who is sorting out things in our culture--points such as 'girls play hockey' and 'boys play with dolls' this man wears jewelry' and this lady has short hair'. It concludes that we are all people: women and girls being people with a vagina and clitoris, men and boys with a penis and testicles. The final illustrations in the book are the only non-photographs and are drawings done by small children, in which parts of the body (nose, fingernails, clitoris, etc.) are labeled. (Your mother may have been shocked had you drawn these at age four.) There is then provision for the young reader to enter her own drawing in the book. My child likes it. SHE SCORES! by Heather Kellerhals-Stewart The Women's Press $.95 54 pages Of great topical interest today She Shoots! She Scores! describes a phenomenon which has only recently become a reality. Although girls have wanted to play league hockey for many years they were only permitted to do so for the first time this season. She Shoots! She Scores! tells the story of Hilary, a girl who likes being a girl but who also likes to play hockey. She is in the fastpaced world of the hockey arena. Her family and best friend are rooting for her, but in the end it is Hilary's own determination that brings her through. Pat Conway, in the Junior Fiction Showcase says, "The text is lively and the pace is quick. This will be fun reading for boys and girls alike...". Sita FORT FRANCES DECADE Dear "Northern Woman" Here is a short piece as promised about our Decade Council DECADE COUNCIL REPORT The Women's Movement is alive in Rainy River District. The Rainy River District Decade Council had its beginnings with a core group of area women in the spring of 1977. A visit from Ruth Cunningham and Lynne Thornburg sparked more interest, and then area women travelled to Thunder Bay for the Working Women's Conference, and again to a meeting of the Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Co-ordinating Council. In May the N.O.W.D.C.C. held its monthly meeting here in Fort Frances. After that visit, the local group set priorities, and applied for and received a grant from the Secretary of State. The Dryden Daycare Conference solidified our commitment to help in any way possible to set up a Daycare Centre in Fort Frances. On February 13, Fort Frances Town Council passed a by-law which means the town will apply to the province for funding to operate a Daycare Centre. The Decade Council has been pushing the town to take that action since August. Since October, education seminars on Child Abuse and Women and Alcohol have been presented and received solid public support. Two more seminars, on the Problem Child and Rape and Sexual Assault, are in the planning stages. A three day workshop on Women and the Law is set for May. Nine area women travelled to Thunder Bay in January, 1978 for a Rape and Sexual Assault Workshop. Women who are willing to counsel rape victims and fulfill speaking engagements have met since to plan strategy, and a liaison has already been set up with the Fort Frances Police Department. The Decade Council has made some progress, and our hope is to continue. "We've only just begun." Gayle Quirie I Homecooked Catering for, Weddings, Showers, Parties (Large & Small) 767-7355, June or 767-5173, Grace Northern Woman Journal page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Scat GO Ifsar District Women Eligil Northern Women's Credit Union almost sold out Don'tYear Be Disappointed one, was viewed to be very Order low! successful for the Northern Women' Credit Union. A dividend of 5% ar a 30 loan rebate was approved at annual meeting January 30, at WOME Place, 316 Bay Street. We are very pleased to report 0 Women living in the Districts of Thunder Bay, Kenora and Rainy Rive The-Northern Woman is extending a reduced rate to groups under who order 10 or more the bond are now eligible, Instead of the regular $5.00 weassociation, are offeringtothe special price copies. become members. of Orders should be'pre-paid by cheque or money order (made out tow,SALT location $3.50. change of geographical YEAST) and sent to the Northern Woman approved Journal, by 316the BayMinistry St., Thunder Bay, of Consur The pry Ontario, P713 1S1. Phone 807-345-5841. and Commercial Relations. vious boundary was within a 70 mi S*rigt tom C pert ORDER FORM ORDER FORM SALT Name Address I radiJs of Thunder Bay. ORDER FORM ORDER FORM Lynne Thornburg, a member of th AND Credit YEAST Union, travels extensively into the district and has kindly consented to be bonded as a colle She will have the necessary or. forms so that women may become me bers. Please Send copies Women may also phone or write t Northern Women's Credit Union and application will be mailed to you or drop in when visiting Thunder Tuesday and Friday fr Hours are: 10 to 5 p.m. and Thursday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. el $3.50 or - e $5.00 cess Story n as The be s. ny 1 finding room for in the journal. We are seriously considering doing an anthology of collected poems--the time frame, to be one year hence. We The final invite women to participate. selection is that of the Journal No funds will be involved. collective. Send releases with material and stamped addressed envelope, if you wish your Address all poetry to be returned. suLnissions to the Northern Woman Journal, 316 Bay St., Thunder Bay. P7B 1S1. more credit union (NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UN] 316 BAY ST. HOURS TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS 10 a.m. TO 5 p.m. THURSDAYS 7 p.m. TO 9 p.m. PH. 345-7802 - The Northwestern Ontario International Women's Decade Co-ordinating Council cordially invites you to attend als ed n e r- join now "A NIGHT OF FILM" for contest International Women's Day nep and the The Northern Women's Credit Uni( can no longer use the above log( the hands and globe symbol is a copyright of the World Council Credit Unions. We invite women to submit logos for The Northern Women's Credit The woman submitting thi Union. winning entry will receive two 10th Anniversary of Confederation College -ny ua, s red ( honouring Women's Programs Confederation College Lecture Theatre Saturday, March 11 , 1978 8 shares. PM 4 I PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I+ Cosa Paolo Carlo Peal Bulk Ennead: re third woilims dos dorm ************************. 220 ** *Editorial *Gert's Gospel **Letters pg *TABLE OF CONTENTS: RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 BAY ST. THUNDER BAY P, ONT. Return Postage Guaranteed *Women Read Men *I U D LEAVES WOMAN STERILE *Women Against Rape *Eating Natural *Bits and Pieces *Poetry Artists tNative Women Speak ;Inspiration From Houston *Another Placebo Frances Decade **Typing...Leona and Cathy 2 2 3 4 ** * * * * * ** 5 if 6 7 8 9 * * * 10 * 12 * * 13 14 * 15 ** * *********************** HAVE YOU MOVED? PLEASE LET US KNOW. (We must pay return postage to keep up our mailing list) korgerti 316 Your subscription is due. CQn11411 gat-Sick tailltret (Six Ds'u.es) val., bd. 4.50 its° g usf ar %sr' Infifitruifo onattionsGt- cdertk fteeezifeti PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 4 No 2 Description An account of the resource Vol. 4, No. 2 (February 1978) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Shifting focus from oppression to positive news Highlighting grassroots activist success across Canada Poetry Letters to the editor Feminism across the spectrum (conservative to radical feminisms) IUD leaves woman sterile Doctors and women’s bodies Women against rape Law reform to support rape survivors Eating natural foods Land ownership after divorce Sexist television commercials Women in music - Vera Johnson Women in art - Kay McCullough Family Law Reform Bill (Bill 59) Ontario Native Women’s Association Native women’s experiences & status Equal Pay Conference Feminist kids’ books Fort Francis Women’s Decade Council Northern Women’s Credit Union Salt & Yeast by Gert Beadle Authors/contributors: Gert Beadle K. Henley (Elliot Lake) Margaret Frenette Dianne Pettit Baig Sandra Steinhause Patricia J. Wales (D.C.) Rosalyn Taylor Perrett Deidre Hamill Prue Morton Marlene Pierre Leona Lang Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978-02 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://writingresources.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2752/1978_Vol_4_No_3.pdf d8bc9b3223574863e865154dedfcf4da PDF Text Text t141)Vitio 04 21301\111Ni 'AV2 111)titO olJelu0 011.11102 06, 0111t1j 17 AVYV 3141 -PaviNnoa 404 ONI AT. SI 'ONIWOD 1 AVS 'OS 61 n 13A s2l3nio .lanoa A7NO V l4J 111 O BELIEVE, NE ALC THIS MAN, OH IT. BELIEVE NOT MAY YOU YET FIRE, PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �editorial As the Women In Transition project moves inexorably to disclosure, and we in turn play our full part in exposing the magnitude of violence against women in our community, we have a strange feeling of relief that is echoed over and over again in the personal documentations. Thank God the secret is out, no longer any reason to pretend, as one minister who said, "There are no battered women in my congregation, Our women fear the Lord". One can readily see how difficult it would be for a woman in that congregation to ask for any kind of help. It is not easy for society to face up to its own violent instincts. It would be so simple to believe that only the base and deprived had cultivated the art to its present form. So simple to say, it's the drink, it's the drugs, it's the money, its the nagging, it's the woman's movement, it's the moral permissiveness, if we didn't know in every case it's the stronger against the weaker, the independent against the dependant and whether it is man against woman or woman against child it is rooted in the drive for independence on the one hand and the need to control on the other. It was inevitable that one day the lid would fly off and we would be forced to recognize and deal with the cycle that pits social pressure against men, men against women, and both men and women against children who in turn are at war with society. In the past woman has dealt with this brutal part of her reality by turning inward, going mad, protecting the source of her dependance and whether she has done it out of fear or love, the deterioration of her spirit and her loss of self-worth has been reflected in the family. Perhaps this first real break it the cycle comes when women are no longer ashamed to say, "This is th way it is in my life and see no good and sufficient reason to conceal it or continue to endure it." Our Society has an obligation to provide an option, a place of refu in the immediate and the support structures that encourage her to believe she can make changes that will restore her self-worth. This is short term for the fundamental change has to come from a reexamination of the power structure as it applies to personal relationships, and more specifically the I sexes. Gert GERT'S GOSPEL The column in this paper entitled Gert's Gospel must surely mean that Gert has things on her mind that she is dying to say, and that her sisters have enough regard for her wisdom to let her say them. Time slips by and the chances and the time for the saying sometime seem shorter than we like to think, so ask myself, "What part of my nature have not fully shared with you?" am as transparent as water in my total dedication to a future generation who care enough for themselves that oppressing each other will not exist, not because it is a law, but because each will recognize that infringing on another's rights is a deadly insult to their own spirit. This is not to say that struggle honestly done and relentlessly pursued in the interest of justice is not only our right, but our absolute duty. The world is full of warriors who say the end justifies the means. To say both genders are not in that march to destruction would be too fanciful for my age. see and feel the movement struggling on all fronts today; to even suggest it is a passing interest, a dying dinosaur, or even something that can be contained by pressure,is absurd. We have studied I I I I and researched everything but our own souls, and many of us still run in terror from the very word. If had one last secret of my life to share with all of my human family, especially my sisters, would speak of the mystery of the soul and the part it I I * * 4E * * * WOMEN'S PLACE FLEA MARKET We have a table at Aunty Linda's Flea Market (Labour Centre, June 11) This planet was formed by a creative life force of positive energy. IT was a supreme act of love. We are the keepers of that creative life force not because we are the chosen, but just because it belongs to us. The mind has changed and grown through the generations, but the true life force, the positive energy, plays its part in everything we do without too many people even recognizing it. Man has not been content with the simple facts of the life force that created us, he must first structure it and then conjure up the lord of the structure. It is no longer necessary to make man in God's Image; we now have him safely in our own image and have built him great mansions to prove it. have no objections to the multiple myths of the past, other than to sincerely mourn the blood shed for the foolishness of it all, and sincerely believe it will continue in the name ridiculous of holiness. I I * Bring your stuff to * 316 Bay or the * * Labour Centre. ( I I I INDIFFERENCE. Indifference, can yc imagine the incentive to care if indifference was the biggy, and the consternation to find it had nothil to do with sex. Second, claimed my creative life force; the positi energy of love in action whose onl' For many years function is to be. thought its purpose was to lay a guilt trip on me but discovered guilt was of the mind and as with many other things, was an illusion which had nothing whatsoever to do with the soul. Having shot down both sin and guilt and accepting t wisdom of the life force as my cen and my soul, and recognizing the p that passion plays in struggle if struggle is just, it is my opinion that we lose two things by not recognizing the woman's movement a spiritual; one, the committment th passion brings and two, recognitio of the power of the creative life force that makes a tiny seed split a rock so that it can bloom. I I I tions. li 11141 Gert Beadle * * it 1:111011i * *.w. * * **************** Northern Woman Journal that even my grass-roots thinking understand. First, took a good at what we're calling sin these dad and just threw it all out. pi( invite comment on the above an make only one small condition, tha you not bore me with finite quota- * 4e * * * 4i I could play in our certain destiny.''''the most heinous sin in my mind, * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * In the face of all this complica of simplicity, have chosen to mak( my spiritual life work for me in we 11111111, page 2 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Dear Editors: I. U. D., P. I . D . etc. Dear Sisters: received four A few days ago copies of back issues of the Northern Woman Journal from a friend in Thunder Bay. Reading those issues was a very moving experience. My emotions ranged from anger and sadness to joy and exhilaration. The Northern Woman speaks the truth, not only of the anguish of women but of their was strength and courage. struck by the incredible honesty of the accounts of women's experThis journal marks an iences. important step towards overcoming the isolation of women which has prevented them from realizing and working to overcome their oppresI I Dear Women: I I'm searching for information dealing with natural cures for P.I.D I've (pelvic inflamitory disease) been troubled by this repeatedly For a year over the past 4 years. a direct was sterile: and a half of a bad case of P.I.D. result was no discovered Last fall longer sterile but pregnant. had This is another tangent but womb was to have an abortion...my had a D & C perso unhealthy, That head trip is formed here. another story. want to do now is help my What have been body regain its health. etc, for a "into" natural foods, In all that time couple of years. I've been unable to discover a natural remedy for P.I.D. and related reI'd productive organ infections. specific also like to know about can do to help myself in things Can the fight for a normal womb. you (please) help me? would appreciate you discussing this and forwarding any information How about an article in the to me. Northern Woman's Journal? This information is important to all and, sadly, hard to come by. could come to your meetwish Maybe have MANY questions. ings. from you. I'll obtain the answers I'd like to impress you with the necessity of available information. Doctors, in my opinion, are not to place my trust in be trusted. other women and their experiences. We must share! I I I I I I sion. I The Northern Woman is one of the have seen. best journals that intend to pass the copies on to the women in my consciousness am sure they will raising group. was. be as excited about them as I I I I In sisterhood, I I Stephanie Holbik I Dear Gert: The Northern Woman Journal arrived day before yesterday. Haven't had a chance to read it yet (will do that fly to on the plane tomorrow when London) but wanted to let you know am absolutely delighted with that the article and intend to use it for promotional purposes. Thank you so I I much. No time to write a proper letter. still remember my Busy packing. visit with you with great pleasure and look forward to seeing you again some time. Made a new LP (live) last night and put the Women's Liberation Blues on it. Will let you know when it's released. I I I I Thanks to all Deb Hagarty Atikokan I Best Wishes Johnson Vera Thank you for the complimentary Enclosed copy of "Northern Woman". Please enter me as a subis $4.50. scriber. Thank you for printing Sandra Steinhause's article on the I.U.D. had a similar experience and have been very lonely in the anger and feel with the medical frustration establishment. also am a woman who is very conscious of her body and health care Before my decision to in general. have an I.U.D. (CU7) inserted in 1973 had a lengthy discussion with my felt fully informed gynecologist. on the pros and cons of this method was told there of birth control. is a high rate of "infection" but was not told that this meant pelvic inflammatory disease--a fertility Nor was threatening infection. told to contact a doctor upon the first sign of abnormal pain or bleed- New Westminster, B.C. Dear Sisters: Here at long last is the promised column--written at Gert's request. I'm not sure if this is the type of column you are looking for--if it's not I'd have no objection to your printing one of my letters to Gert. Also enclosed is my payment for my '78 subscription--unforgivably agree. tardy, eagerly await my copies of The don't feel Northern Woman. Though that NWO is the best place for me to am not inflexible, but be now, shall ever live there doubt if I I I I I ing. On a Monday in November, 1976, experienced abnormal bleeding. As live 10 miles from my gynecologist and planned a trip to town on Friday, decided to see him at that time. saw him, give me a He did, when full explanation of all possible conditions that could be causing my However, he instructed me symptoms. to check into the hospital on Sunday for a laporetomy (exploratory surgery) on Monday. This three-day delay had to ravage allowed the infection my reproductive On Monday my condition was longer. diagnosed as pelvic inflammatory was prescribed a high disease and dosage of antibiotics. I I I I I I The infection did clear up and my was doctor suggested that after have a test done completely healed to see how badly scarred my fallopian had this test done and tubes are. learned that my tubes are totally blocked with scar tissue, preventing However, he also informed pregnancy. me that there is surgery that can be performed to remove this scar tissue, which would increase my chance of becoming pregnant to 20%. said, my reaction to this whole As nightmare is complete horror and feel like a victim. indignation. am a woman who prides herself on As being in control of her life, this was an extremely demoralizing experience. am left cynical and bitter towards the entire medical profession which, in the long run, may be better for my I I I I I I I health. I I Dear Sisters: I Up until a month ago, Greetings! was unaware that Northern Woman am Journal even existed and now appreciative subone of its most A dear friend of mine scribers. received the last issue after havI I ing let her subscription go for some time (shame on her) and shared really enit with me one night. article joyed it, especially the was born about Muriel Boyle, as and raised in Sioux Lookout myself. opened my Anyway, a week later I I I again. Good luck with all your activities. (Gert a letter will be off to you sometime this week.) With much love and sisterhood, I I Carol P.S. A pen name is not necessary for publication of this column. must, however, say that Sandra Steinhause's experience surprised me have always felt the best in that medical attention is to be found in am not Tho the larger centres. satisfied with the doctor who inserted My I.U.D., the doctor who attended me during my infection, laporetomy and 'testing is to be highly commended when compared with Sandra's medical team. Thank you, Northern Woman, for allowing me to tell my story and to relieve feel. some of the anger I I I I Sincerely, I Marsha Michael Cunningham (see page cont'd on page 7 Northern Woman Journal page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Dear Editors: I. U. D., P.I.D. etc. Dear Sisters: received four A few days ago copies of back issues of the Northern Woman Journal from a friend in Thunder Bay. Reading those issues was a very moving My emotions ranged experience. from anger and sadness to joy and exhilaration. The Northern Woman speaks the truth, not only of the anguish of women but of their was strength and courage. struck by the incredible honesty of the accounts of women's experThis journal marks an iences. important step towards overcoming the isolation of women which has prevented them from realizing and working to overcome their oppresI I Dear Women: I I'm searching for information dealing with natural cures for P.I.D, I've (pelvic inflamitory disease) been troubled by this repeatedly For a year over the past 4 years. a direct was sterile: and a half of a bad case of P.I.D. result was no discovered Last fall longer sterile but pregnant. had This is another tangent but to have an abortion...my womb was had a D & C perso unhealthy, That head trip is formed here. another story. want to do now is help my What have been body regain its health. "into" natural foods, etc, for a In all that time couple of years. I've been unable to discover a natural remedy for P.I.D. and related reI'd productive organ infections. also like to know about specific can do to help myself in things Can the fight for a normal womb. you (please) help me? would appreciate you discussing this and forwarding any information How about an article in the to 'e. Northern Woman's Journal? This information is important to all and, sadly, hard to cone by. could come to your meetwish Maybe have MANY questions. ings. from you. I'll obtain the answers I'd like to impress you with the necessity of available information. Doctors, in my opinion, are not to place my trust in be trusted. other women and their experiences. We must share! I I I I I I sion. I The Northern Woman is one of the have seen. best journals that intend to pass the copies on to the women in my consciousness am sure they will raising group. was. be as excited about them as I I I I In sisterhood, I I Stephanie Holbik I The Northern Woman Journal arrived day before yesterday. Haven't had a chance to read it yet (will do that fly to on the plane tomorrow when London) but wanted to let you know am absolutely delighted with that the article and intend to use it for Thank you so promotional purposes. I I much. No time to write a proper letter. still remember my Busy packing. visit with you with great pleasure and look forward to seeing you again some time. Made a new LP (live) last night and put the Women's Liberation Blues on it. Will let you know when it's released. I I I I Thanks to all Deb Hagarty Atikokan I Best Wishes Johnson New Westminster, B.C. Vera Dear Sisters: Here at long last is the promised column--written at Gert's request. I'm not sure if this is the type of column you are looking for--if it's not I'd have no objection to your printing one of my letters to Gert. Also enclosed is my payment for my '78 subscription--unforgivably agree. tardy, eagerly await my copies of The don't feel Northern Woman. Though that NWO is the best place for me to am not inflexible, but be now, shall ever live there doubt if again. Good luck with all your activities. (Gert a letter will be off to you sometime this week.) I I Dear Sisters: I Greetings! Up until a month ago, was unaware that Northern Woman am Journal even existed and now one of its most appreciative subA dear friend of mine scribers. received the last issue after having let her subscription go for some time (shame on her) and shared really enit with me one night. joyed it, especially the article was born about Muriel Boyle, as and raised in Sioux Lookout myself. opened my Anyway, a week later I I I I I With much love and sisterhood, I I Thank you for the complimentary copy of "Northern Woman". Enclosed is $4.50. Please enter me as a subscriber. Thank you for printing Sandra Steinhause's article on the I.U.D. had a similar experience and have been very lonely in the anger and frustration feel with the medical establishment. also am a woman who is very conscious of her body and health care in general. Before my decision to have an I.U.D. (CU7) inserted in 1973 had a lengthy discussion with my gynecologist. felt fully informed on the pros and cons of this method of birth control. was told there is a high rate of "infection" but was not told that this meant pelvic inflammatory disease--a fertility threatening infection. Nor was told to contact a doctor upon the first sign of abnormal pain or bleed- Carol P.S. A pen name is not necessary for publication of this column. I I I I I ing. On a Monday in November, 1976, experienced abnormal bleeding. As live 10 miles from my gynecologist and planned a trip to town on Friday, decided to see him at that time. He did, when saw him, give me a full explanation of all possible conditions that could be causing my symptoms. However, he instructed me to check into the hospital on Sunday for a laporetomy (exploratory surgery) on Monday. This three-day delay in4ect7c, had to ravage my reproauctive sys to much longer. On Monday my condition was diagnosed as pelvic inflammatory was prescribed a high disease and dosage of antibiotics. I I I I I I The infection did clear up and my doctor suggested that after was completely healed have a test done to see how badly scarred my fallopian had this test done and tubes are. learned that my tubes are totally blocked with scar tissue, preventing pregnancy. However, he also informed me that there is surgery that can be performed to remove this scar tissue, which would increase my chance of becoming pregnant to 200. said, my reaction to this whole As nightmare is complete horror and feel like a victim. indignation. am a woman who prides herself on As being in control of her life, this was an extremely demoralizing experience. am left cynical and bitter towards the entire medical profession which, in the long run, may be better for my I I I I I I I health. must, however, say that Sandra Steinhause's experience surprised me have always felt the best in that medical attention is to be found in am not Tho the larger centres. satisfied with the doctor who inserted my I.U.D., the doctor who attended me during my infection, laporetomy and 'testing is to be highly commended when compared with Sandra's medical team. Thank you, Northern Woman, for allowing me to tell my story and to relieve some of the anger feel. I I I I Sincerely, I Marsha Michael Cunningham cont'd on page 7 (see page Northern Woman Journal page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �THE SI LENT CRIME Violence Against Women by Jackie Gross The FACT of wife beating has always existed behind closed domestic doors. The PROBLEM of wife beating, like child abuse, is only recently coming to light. The term "WIFE", it should be noted, takes in women in situations involving husbands, common-law husbands and male friends. Until now, it has been an accepted, taken-for-granted, though unfortunate, fact of many women's lives. Wife beating is thought by legal experts to be one of the least reported crimes there is, although family dispute calls to police departments constitute a very large percentage of their total calls. Though little has, to date, been written in Canada on Abused Women, estimates from the U.S. point out that every year, there are a halfmillion calls made to police for assistance in domestic disputes, and this figure represents only a small portion of the actual instances of wife battering that occurs. The results of a Harris Poll on Family Violence in America find that 20% of the families polled approve of slapping the spouse on "appropriate" occasions. This figure increases to 250 of college-educated persons. In summary, the fact most responsible for the assailant's immunity from legal action is that in nearly one-quarter of all American families, wife abuse is an approved mode of behaviour. This includes the attitude of potential or actual victims. In a Michigan State University Study involving a series of staged fights, three psychologists found that male witnesses rushed to the aid of men being assaulted by either women or men, and that men helped women being hit by other women; but not one male bystander interferred when a man apparently Dr. Murray A. beat up a woman. Straus of the University of New Hampshire suggests that the bystanders assumed the man was the woman's husband, and therefore, he had a right to beat her up. He also points out that in the famous Kitty Genovese Case, where 38 people witnessed a woman being killed without going to her aid, many of the witnesses said they didn't intervene because they thought the killer was the woman's husband! CAUSES OF BATTERING The causes of conjugal violence Domestic assaults are innumerable. are, to a great degree, alcoholrelated, and alcohol-related violence is almost always exclusively male violence. Dr. Richard Gelles, a University of Rhode Island Sociologist suggests that cause and effect in relation to alcohol and violence are the reverse of what is Instead of men commonly supposed. beating their wives because they've been drinking, they drink because Gelles they want to beat their wives. and Straus believe that, basically, violence is a learned behaviour. "In Fact," says Straus, "The family is preeminent in every type of violence, from slaps to torture and murder...." Mental disorder of the assailant has been blamed, but the fact that men all across the country beat their wives, is a clear indication that the problem lies, rather, in the societies in which we live; societies wherein the wife-beating phenomenon is taken for granted, actively supported, or ignored. Any change in the norm could bring out violent reactions in the wifebatterer. An example of this is According to Gelles in pregnancy. his paper on "Violence In Pregnancy" (1975), he suggests that attacks during pregnancy are directed as much at the unborn child as at the wife, and they represent resentment of the This child on the husband's part. may stem from the disruption of sexual activity, interference i- cater-s of social life, or the economic threat It constituted by the coming child. has also been suggested that abuse during pregnancy might be considered a form of pre-natal child battering. According to Mary Van Stolk, in her 1976 article in "Children Today", it was discovered in researching the abused and battered child that wife beating followed the same social, statistical and cultural patterns. WHY DO ASSAULTS GO UNREPORTED? The reluctance on the part of the woman to report or discuss domestic assaults and consequently remain in her situation is due to many factors: In many cases, she has nowhere 1) else to go. 2) A desire to deny or conceal due to embarrassment or shame. 3) Abuse is an accepted way of life and many women feel that they have actually provoked a beating. 4) Psychological and emotional ties: over the time in which the wife was subjected to physical abuse, she may doubt her own worth and integrity. 5) The fear of being alone. 6) Concern for the effects of family breakup on the children. 7) Economic dependence. 8) Lack of support available from family, friends and community services. 9) Lack of knowledge about alternatives. PUBLIC AND POLICE RESPONSE TO THE BATTERED WIFE In the past, and to a large degree today, battered women have met both legal and social indifference to their plight. One would assume that families would rise to the defence of their daughters, but such is not the case. Nor do neighbours who suspect or are witness to events of family violence accept the responsibility for reporting incidents to police. Even when police are summoned, the outcome is often less than satisfactory for the victim. Women are often discouraged from even filing a complaint, because the police know that in half the cases, the victim will drop the charges and that, as well, the court process and outcomes are not satisfactory to anyone involved. The police are reluctant to involve themselves in domestic disputes and this is somewhat understandable, considering that 23 of all policemen killed during 1974 in the United States, were killed answering family dispute calls. Some women who do make an attempt to press charges often give up due to an overwhelming feeling of "What's find that the victim herself must appear in court to file charges, and that it can take months for the case to come to trial, lose all hope and drop charges. This, in many cases, is due to lack of sheltering facilities and reprisal from their assailants while waiting for the case to come to court. The entire process requires a greater strength and persistence than many women seem able to muster during this time in their lives. NEEDS OF BATTERED WOMEN One of :the most fundamental elements in dealing with the problem of Battered Women is that of raising public awareness. This exercise in education must also be directed toward professionals in the community, such as Doctors, Lawyers, Clergy, Social Workers, Police and Courts. Some of the misconceptions surrounding the Battered Wife which must be dispelled are: That battered women bring the abuse on themselves; That these C kOr Northern Woman Journal page 4 la, OA_ /-y5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �mot herhood ON THE INSTITUTION OF MOTHERHOOD: "Everything else man can do. This (motherhood) is woman's function and her glory. For this she was sent Her best years must into the world. be spent in the nursery or the nation perishes. In the noblest periods of a nation's history, the ablest women are ambitious of bearing distinguished sons. Only in periods of decadence do women seek to be distinguished themselves." (1) This published after the 'war to end all wars' told women what they ought to be and how they ought to think and feel about motherhood. This is what men expected and wanted. Some of us may say that it has changed, that women need no longer feel pushed or co-erced by male dominated ethics. But young girls are misled still today to picture motherhood as something it is not. When we think of motherhood we like to think of the home--the happy home with the mothering lady hanging out the wash and serving meals to children and husband. We think or are supposed to think of blooming women with rosy children at their knees, ecstatic madonnas, a Jewish mother lighting the candles in a scrubbed kitchen. We do not think of the penalties imposed on those of us who have tried to live according to a different plan, the art which depicts us in an unnatural serenity or resignation, the medical establishment which has robbed so many women of the act of giving birth, the experts--almost all male--who have told us how we as mothers should behave and feel. We are not supposed to think of fantasies of infanticide or day after wintry day spent alone in the We have house with ailing children. in our long history accepted the stresses of the institution as if they were a law of nature. We do not think of the power stolen from us and the power witheld from us in the name of the institution of motherhood. We are not supposed to think of the woman lying in a hospital with ice packs on her aching breasts because she has been convinced she must not nurse her child; of a woman in Africa equally convinced by the producers of U.S. commercial infant formula that her ample breast milk is inadequate nourishment; of a Vietnamese mother gang-raped while working in the fields with her baby at her side; of a woman trying to conceal her pregnancy so she can go on working as long as she can because when her condition is discovered she will be fired without disability insurance; or of the women whose children have gone unnourished because they had to hire themselves out as wet nurses. We are not supposed to think of the woman who passes for "childless" who remembers giving birth to a baby she was not allowed to touch and see because she might love it and want to keep it. guarantee to a man of "his" children; the theft of childbirth from women; the concept of illegitimacy of a child born out of wedlock; the laws regulating contraception and abortion; the cavalier marketing of dangerous birth control devices; the denial that "women's work" is productive (work in the home); the chaining of women in links of love and guilt; the inadequacy of childcare facilities; the unequal pay women receive as wage earners, forcing them often into dependence on a man; the solitary confinement of full-time motherhood; the token nature of fatherhood which gives a man rights and privileges over children to whom he assumes minimal responsibility; the psycho-analytic castigation of the mother; the pediatric assumption that the mother (she's is inadequate and ignorant neurotic just another hysterical and mother); the burden of emotional work borne by women in the family- all these are connecting fibers in this invisible institution--and they determine our relationship to our children whether we like to think so Dr not. is not only the battered child that is to be considered. When children are dependent on one uncertain, weary woman for day-in dayout emotional sustenance, there is Then think of bound to be a lack. children pushed, cajoled, manipulated and the male children who grow up thinking that a woman is nothing more than an emotional climate made to soothe and reassure, or an emotional whirlwind bent on their destruction. It Adrienne Rich (from her book 'Of Woman Born') The institution of motherhood canIt's powernot be touched or seen. ful leaders are not housed in a specific building like The Institute of Technology. Women must never again forget that our experiences belong to a whole which is not of our creation. Rape and its aftermath; marriage as economic dependence, as the (1) Reverend George W. Clark Race Suicide - England's Peril 1917 (Published by the Duty and Discipline movement) SHOULD PROSTITUTION BE LEGALIZED? Prostitution is an issue which fast threatens to be overcome by sentimentality instead of common-sense among In sympathy with prostifeminists. tutes, because the women's movement recognizes that prostitution is the extreme manifestitation of the power struggle between men and women, some feminists have lent their support to prostitutes who have organized into groups like COYOTE AND B.E.A.V.E.R. which promote decriminalization of prostitution and aim to protect prostitutes against harassment by police or exploitation by the government or pimps. What must be determined is whether decriminalized prostitution, or even collectivelyrun brothels owned and managed by prostitutes, are alternatives to the degradation and violence that prostitutes currently encounter in our As feminists, we believe that employment for women should allow comraderie, creativity and enrich the social environment in which it takes The work of women, we recogplace. nize, has been trivialized and underpaid in the denial of this principle, and so we support women who organize themselves to improve their working However, prostitution is conditions. not work like that of a secretary or It is a relationship factory worker. of power, in which the purchaser gains control in a most sensitive sphere of human inter-reaction, and asserts his superiority over the person whom he has hired. To suggest that women can be salvaged from the abuse and degradation implicit in prostituting one's self by "collective brothels", worker's control, or whatever, is to reduce In a colthese concepts to jargon. lective brothel, it will be women, instead of a government or pimps, se ing themselves to be victims in the alienation between men and women. Perhaps organized, prostitutes will not be penalized as heavily financia ly, but does that make their fate an more enviable? Decriminalization of prostitution does not guarantee that prostitutes will be freed from the control of organized crime in their profession. Gambling, for example, is still heavily controlled by organized crin where it has been legalized. Decrin nalization may lessen the degree to which police can harass prostitutes but it will not end harassment as 1( as prostitutes are mainly the young cont'd on page 16 Northern Woman Journal page 5 society. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CAROL AULD WOMEN AND STRESS SEMINAR TRANSITION STORY Its been nearly eight months now fled the shackles that family, since school and Thunder Bay placed on me, haven't had the and, looking back, slightest twinge of regret or homeThat's probably because sickness. was not running from something as was running to embrace a fuller, did not richer life in Toronto. expect it to create or destroy me but to simply aid me in my development So as a writer and a woman. braved the unknown and escaped to the cultural milieu of my choice-Toronto. feel that During this brief period have grown tremendously continuing to experience education in the truest - no, the ONLY way, that being selfwas brainFor too long education. washed into believing that learning is a process separate from Life, and that one must attend a place called school in order to "learn" and/or acquire the job ticket that everyone (Success needs to be "successful". interpreted as financial assets by the Everyone is capable of majority). learning autonomous from the penal system which operates under the guise Everyone has the of "education". People do right to that education. not have to be bribed, seduced, or threatened into learning - their curiosity is natural, and should be allowed to develop in as many or as few areas as they wish. admit to having become Though spoiled by the cultural delights that Toronto offers in abundance, there are come a number of other benefits My from being completely independent. self-respect and self-confidence has bounded back with more strength than ever - before, it had virtually vanished into a well of oblivion. Now I'm able to devote my energies to positive sources, instead of perpetually wallowing in a sea of self-pity and depression. Reflecting on my rapid growth and maturation in recent months, encourage others, caught in the stifling, oppressive, totalitarian atmosphere of school, to escape and find ways of education themselves. am reminded by a section in Doris Lessing's preface to her incredible work, The Golden Notebook, where she speaks of her decision to leave school at the age of fourteen, choosing to educate herself rather than submit passively to academic instruction. She believes that each and every child who enters the current school system should be told repeatedly throughout the time she/he must spend there that they are not really learning anything, that they are just being put through a system of "indoctrination" because our society has not yet evolved a system that does not indoctrinate. In short, our society is not conducive to learning - it has merely produced an institution where everyone must spend X number of years in order to get a job ticket, with which they hope to be admitted to the labour force. Though the number of I I I I f I I I I I years increases with each decade, employment opportunities decrease, so that the time spent in school is wasted in more ways than one. So it's with these thoughts in mind have difficulties of close. that course - no one's life is free from problems - but they will be resolved unearth solutions for them, exas periencing new ideas and new people occasionally wish in the process. had the power to free people that from the institutions called schools and demonstrate what education actually is, but that would not only undermine the person if they weren't ready for such a change, but it would be imposing my reality on them, which is defeating my very purpose. Not a single one, for Regrets? am living my life according to my standards, rather than submitting passively to someone else's reign (which only exists if one lets it To be no one is indispensable). truly free is a difficult and painful journey, but one well worth travelFor without freedom, one can ling. only exist as an incomplete person, dependent on the judgement of others. The freedom to educate oneself is necessary for this development, and I've finally found that liberation. And there's absolutely nothing foolish, selfish, immoral or subversive about that. I I I I I I Carol Auld On Saturday, April 15, Confedera. tion College was the site of a day of workshops on the topic of Nome' and Stress", put on jointly by the "Status Committee" of the local Federation of Women Teachers of Ontario, and Women's Programs of Confederation College. Organizers of the workshops were Pat Rose, Sandy MacKenzie, Margaret Lanchok and Carlana Lindeman, of FWTAO, and Mary Fedorchuk of Confederation College. Guest speaker was Mona MacLean, of the Clark Institute of Psychiatric Research, Toronto, who preMs. sented an overview of stress. MacLean also conducted workshops or the topic of "How to Alleviate Other Stress in the Classroom". workshops given were entitled "Coping Behaviours", given by Julie Fels and Sita; Personal and Physic logical Factors, by Margaret and Scott Sellick; Drug Addiction and Alcoholism, by Jean Gale, R.N., an Medical Characteristics, outlined by Dr. R. Kajander. Participants in the workshops were treated to lunch at the College, and comments were such that those who participated found their One reday a most worthwhile one. sult of the day was that Confederation College Women's Programs woul( be willing to offer a six to eight week course on the topic of Stress, if an interest was expressed by the public. Marg Lanchok I I .'orthern Woman Journal page 6 SUFFRAGE TO NOW The role of women throughout the history of the Thunder Bay district has been significant from the early days to the present. Many individual women and women's organizations may have records of their action and activities. Information and records are being sought by two women on a Secretary of State summer grant. The period from the time women got the vote (1910 to 1960) will be particularly difficult to unearth as well as information on or recor of the Women's Christian Temperanc Union, W.C.T.U. Any contacts or information would be appreciated. Please call 345-7802 and ask for Anne or Monik PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �buy for the hard-to-buy-for....a year's subscription (at least) to Northern Woman Journal, what else?? (Thanks Kathy, for mine). Letters cont'd mailbox to find a Northern Woman Journal with my name on it yet. Needless to say, was rather surprised, not to mention curious as to who on earth could have known was planning to subscribe to it. thought my friend couldn't possibly have sent in a subscription for me and have it arrive exactly a week to the night first set eyes on it. Well that is exactly what had happened, although God only knows how you managed such speedy delivery. Regardless of how you did it, please accept my appreciation and thanks. would be very interested to know how our journal started and who had a hand in its beginning. I'd like to see an OPEN woman's group started in Dryden also, but as far as know there is no such animal- as yet. A year ago Ruth Cunningham visited the Con. College here in Dryden and as a student there at the time, saw a lot of women hopeful and excited at the possibility of a Woman's Group here. Unfortunately when Ruth left, so did a lot of the enthusiasm. Any of the women spoke to about it later just said, "Yes, it's a great idea, but who's going to start it?" That's a good question, Who? Help, somebody take us to our leader!! If that's impossible, can't someone out there, anywhere, give us some suggestions. The interest is definitely here but the know-how is not. Even if we don't achieve any big solutions to women's problems in this town, at least we could meet, discuss and generally get our heads the right direction. Is there anything we can do to help our journal grow? What can we do? If you had a "Let it all Hang Out" Column that women could write into (and back and forth) on specified subjects and simply exchange ideas or just express their different opinions and thoughts on that particular topic, think it would spark a lot of interest and produce a lot of positive feedback. Especially controversial topics such as abortion (although that's been rather overdone) birth control, and women's changing attitudes towards men, sex, marriage, personal goals, etc. A special column such as that would not only be extremely interesting, but informative as 411 Women's Place Printing Your sister-in-spirit B.J. Halliday I Dryden Brochures I Booklets Pamphlets I I I I I I Newsletters Dear B.J.: It's letters such as yours that make putting to-gether this Journal worthwhile. There have been many times some of the collective have been tempted to chuck it; however, it's difficult to quit an unpaid but rewarding job. The Journal started in 1973 after a successful "Northern Women's" Conference. A group of 50 women came to-gether in a church basement to try to establish a women's centre in Thunder Bay. The Journal was a newsletter informing women who had attended the conference, about the progress of this group. Most of the women who organized the conference are involved in some aspect of the women's movement in Thunder Bay. Many of us newly involved in the women's movement began "getting our heads to-gether" through CR. We have sent you an old issue of the Journal with the out-line of how to start. Before you can become politically involved, it is helpful to recognize how and why women are oppressed. CR is a good start. To help the Journal grow, subscribe, get your friends to subscribe, and submit articles, events, and most of all share your experiences with other women readers. As you said, "let it all hang out!" Editors can't speak for other women, of course, but I'd sure like to see a change from the "Rape Theme" to happier subjects. (Except anything that shows the laws changing in our favour, finally). It's damned necessary, unfortunately, but how about some articles on victories won as well. Every small (or large) victory shared, gives the rest of us greater strength to fight the next battle. So please encourage your readers to share their struggles and hopes to our greater understanding and sisterhood. know what to Incidentally, now I I *REASONABLE RATES .No order too small (Some may be too big) 316 BAY ST. Phone 345-7802 CHRISTIAN FEMINISM CONFERENCE The conference on Christian Feminism, held at Confederation College featured Shelly Finson as Co-ordinator of the movement for Ecumenical Christian Feminism from Toronto and Penelope Washbourn, author of "Becoming A Woman", assistant professor of Religion at the University of Manitoba. It was well attended although your reporter had difficulty seeing these bright inquiring and progressive minds nailed down to any particular pew. It was generally conceded that a feminist, although a Christian,would operate for some time to come in a hostile atmosphere inside the secular community. Nevertheless saw no indication of any reluctance on the part of participants to accept the premise that some changes have to be made and that they had some responsibilities to bring them about The focal point of wholeness was an irresistable force that established a sisterhood of mutuality that generated easy sharing with the members of the feminist community and those in the Christian community; the feminists that attended with an affiliation to Woman's Place have good reason to believe that a new era of understanding has been established that will in time prove of benefit to both groups. Few feminists would quarrel with the premise that spirituality is a necessary dimension in the search for full personhood; that it contains the hope factor makes it doubly necessary. To hear our own Donna Phoenix discoursing on (from the personal I I well. LETTER HEAD BULLETINS To the Collective: Enclosed you will find an article have written about a course called Women and Psychology, sponsored by Confederation College and conducted this winter. During a Rape and Sexual Assault workshop in late January in Thunder Bay, Barbara Coomes mentioned to some women from Fort Frances that articles and thoughts from this area were welcomed. Besides the article on Women and Psychology, have enclosed some poems wrote over the past few years. They have never been published before. Do what you will with them. enjoyed your most recent edition of Northern Woman's Journal. It's getting better all the time and I'm hoping to contribute as much as possible from this area of Northwestern Ontario. agree with the idea that women from all parts of this area be encouraged to contribute to the magazine. I I I I I cont'd on page 9 Best wishes and continued success, Northern Woman Journal page 7 Debra Pilon, Fort Frances PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Is This what we want ? THE FAMILY LAW REFORM ACT (1978) (In Force Mar. 31/78) Note: This Law is Retroactive 1. ASSETS (Married Couples Only) MATRIMONIAL ASSETS WILL BE SUBJECT TO A POSSIBLE 50/50 SPLIT: B. at the time of separation and items matrimonial assets include home, camp for houseused for "shelter and transportation or recreational, social or hold, educational, (determined by how it's used) aesthetic purposes" matrimonial assets do not include non-household plans, family bank accounts, investments, pension of business, land not used in the definition matrimonial assets (above); marriage contract only if spouses have not made a to split assets otherwise. * * * 111. DOMESTIC BUT AT THE COURT'S DISCRETION: depending on such there could be a different split * was acquired or how things as how the property separated; been married or long the couple has or assets if the family split up non-matrimonial if assets have been 'unreasonably impoverished' or due non-matrimonial assets one spouse has acquired assuming child-rearing and to the other spouse household management responsibilities. * through a (In writing, signed and witnessed; not lawyer) . to This Section gives a man and a woman freedom they choos organize their affairs in whatever way A domestic contract * until divorce or Court orders otherwise: house out from one spouse cannot sell or rent the consent; under the other spouse without the latter's marriage contract CANNOT affect this. 3) "contributed work, money or if one spouse has that money's worth" toward non-matrimonial assets, property claim. spouse will have a monetary or * 11. SUPPORT 1. OBLIGATIONS self and Every spouse has an obligation to support to support other spouse. "spouse" means: a) persons married; b) persons cohabiting: more than 5 years. i. relationship of some permanence and a child is born; and application within one year of cohabi- stances; qualified for p the dependant spouse support; there is default in payment of suppo Matrimonial Home - a married person prior separation cannot contract out of the rig control to possession or the right to dealings with the matrimonial home. 2) C. FAMILY BUSINESS: prevails over the Act except aside wh the support provision can be set it results in unconscionable circum- 1) MATRIMONIAL HOME: B. JOINT RIGHT TO POSSESSION OF THE * CONTRACTS Court is always able to review provisions childrer respect to custody and access of void (clauses in agreen Dum casta clauses 31/78 in which support made prior to Mar. dependent upon the woman remaining chast( void). KINDS OF DOMESTIC CONTRACTS: (If under 18, persf be marrie cannot legally make a Contract but can 1. Entered into during Cohabitation Agreement: cohabitation - becomes a Marriage Contract o marriage unless validly terminated. . tation. 2. Custody and Restrictions: Cannot deal with after separation. 2. his or Every parent has an obligation to support her child. "child" means: Entered into before and Marriage Contract: cohabitation. Cannot contract out of the r Restrictions: with, possession of, or to control dealings the matrimonial home; child under 18 years and unmarried unless over 16 and has withdrawn from parental control. Cannot deal with Custody and after separation. 3. Every child who is over 18 has an obligation to cared for and support parent, provided parent has supported the child. "support": dependent upon need and capability; Court shall consider all the circumstances of the parties. 3. Separation Agreement: tation has ceased. Can deal with: * * Can deal with: * Entered into after c Matrimonial home, posses and the right to control dealings; Custody and Access - Col disregard if it is in cl best interest. Support - Court will in if: Northern Woman Journal page 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �it results in unconscionable circumstances - the dependant spouse qualifies for public support - there is default in payment of support - cont'd from page 7 1V. DEATH 1. The new law with respect to splitting assets does not apply if one spouse dies unless an action was started before the death. VOICES A Play 2. If there is a Will, property is distributed as per the Will except if the dependants are not adequately taken care of. by Susan Griffin "a portrayal "Dependants": NOTE: of the lives -Spouse or common-law spouse -Parent -Child -Brother or Sister to whom the deceased owed a legal duty to support or was supporting. of five women" JUNE 25, 1978 8:Q0 p.m. I in (Common-law spouse - lived together five years or a relationship of some permanence where a child is born; Spouse - includes divorcees; Child - inside or outside marriage or a child whom the deceased has (Can include former treated as one of his family), spouse) 3. LITTLE FINN HALL I . If there is no Will: * * * to the political), our own JoanBaril teaching a workshop on the history of women, the kind of informed questioning of the church as oppressor by it's own members, the amount of good literature on the subject encourages us to see the Christian community not as it has been, but as strong aware women could shape it in the future. My own priviledge of standing before this group and identifying myself as a strong feminist committed to my sisters and the goals they have established, motivated by the love that cannot be co-opted and need never be apologized for and the invitation to read some of the poetry that expresses that feeling was a great joy to me, have nothing but love and admiration for my Christian sisters -- theirs is a monumental task, but the movement have set myself to, in the company of the vanguard to human liberty is moving on every front and my whole person is involved. We at Woman's Place celebrate a beginning dialogue between two groups that have in the past been strangers if not opposing groups. That we have met, and ask nothing of each other except the recognition of the bond that exists between all women, makes the visit of Shelly Finson and Penelope Washbourn important to the future of Thunder Bay feminists both inside and outside the church. If no children, spouse gets everything; If children, spouse gets first 75,000, the residue being split among spouse and children; above subject to dependants' claims set out in 2, above. by Mary Tomlinson and Dianne Baig Gert Beadle BABY PICTURE CONTEST COMMENTS: think the one on the left is a boy because he has his fists clenched and he is the more agressive looking." "I think the one on the right is a boy because he looks strong and stalky." "I "The one on the left because her The one on the eyes are brighter. right is the boy because his mouth is smaller." Kimara Holland (3 years old) "on the right is a boy because of the large facial structure" " the one on the right is a girl, she is much more delicate looking" The contest to guess which baby was of what sex was really just an exercise in how we stereo-type, even " the left is a boy because his ears stick out as mine did at his age" infants. Any of us that believed we could correctly identify the sex without an examination of the genitals is in need of further education. We recommend reading 'The Day Care Book' by Vicki Brietbart, available from Women's Centre library. The " on the right is a girl. expression on her face indicates some concern or sensitivity to the photographer." " both healthy looking babies. cares?" Who Editors Northern Woman Journal page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �so she said to me "why" answered "because -L Love him." tittte did i know Sot that Love cost me my health, and dignity. Mickey Pedersen a year oS teeth threatening to iatt out a Aniend's pout and a Lot of doubt one oS my ttuty hardest years LIVING ALONE, 1974 Living atone I have tea/tried to depend on mysetS and shun the ptoSetted but inconsistent Love oi men who want it always on theist terms to suit theit whims white I would tathet Al suited mine. So I have become undependent which .us not the same as being independent, but is a patody oS independence: barn not of Steedom but o6 bondage to an idea oi totatity within oneseti. ANOTHER DAV The showees spuitts o6 water clean away viotent nightmates and I'm ready Sot the day's dreams oi you white out Lost Love sits heavy in my empty betty. I take sustenance itom within this morning, again. Debta Piton Living atone I have Learned again and again to expect nothing o6 others and demand onty the best (36 my4et6. The pain sui6eted makes me equal to any task tequited and taps a jumble oS poems ctutteted inside steely pens. i've gtown so much sown a Little Velma Piton haven't gown and Seel so vety atone SIMPLE THOUGHTS--1975 No thought's of6 battle and yet have known at times the reason why stitt took up to see the sky and hope and breathe and cty a tot it's ate on course the struggle which Sew can zee iz just me atone sometimez in Love sometimes POETRY You just dance on down the toad Yes you've always been my Lovett You just dance on down the toad pride and List vanquished Few thoughts o6 my4et6 no thought oi tomottow Thoughts oi opening no thoughts oS Lonely rejection (IS you senseless hotding o4 me Past thoughts ,questioned now Un6eeting tovetess gameS oS gain or toss Ainatty cast aside. You know you'tt atways be my Wend Debra Piton You just dance on down the toad We've even been each other's patents You just dance on down the toad The toad that neithet 4talit4 not ends Mickey Pedersen a chatactet oS my music box and when i stop to tisten, ieet i caught queen oS Night a pmtt oi ti 6e Spa thong staAtight guides het way, Queen oi Night. i thought was missing THE DANCE Pam WitAon How do you Sect i mean, haw do you ieet 'bout ate those women wanting you Son theit very own sugat-daddy they'll Let you zteat theist hearths may now You know what you want and You don't cane hag you get it old news to me, you've known hag to take Sot a Long time nay oak! they'tewaitin' a new dtess, "my zin" pet iume exciting youth inviting eyes the putzing bazz beats out dance rhythms the Stoat is ative The dance begins You have gout choice oS Lovers tonight the thtitt oi the choice the thtilt oi the chase Ate you teatty agate on oS what's Phi tting to and Sto het cosmic doma her eyes take in het sex's helpless itusttations. ALL taughteAs heard, and recorded, another page -L added. Tears oS joy are gathered up, and added to the heavens. Queen oS Night's eyes glow with pteazute, as het eats tune in to tk sound o4 woman's Laughter. ALL het women down below, she dtear o6 theit tiSe better. Whitting thtough het witching hout, she pauses and teitects, she can't much, does what she can out Queen c Night. Each day we have out golden hour, acts it does give way to old toutir oS cries and pain these cties o6 anguish drown out the gayness and Laughter. Women stand, shout out Let us art make a pledge to Laugh c smite with all out tOMOAADWZ. Linda Richard OA. Do you tike the game? do you temtty 4eet, do you teatty Love, Can you neatly give? anon Northern Woman Journal page 10 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �lieRAE 'VISITS WOMEN'S PLACE Paul McRae is a likeable and well-intentioned member of the Federal Parliament, bumbling around in a bureaucratic stew he neither fully understands or totally believes in. That's probably the kindest thing that can be said of any politician of whatever party to-day. Acknowledging his lack of legal savvy in the area of woman's issues, he nevertheless submitted himself to the questions of several groups of women who are actively pressing for change in an informal setting at Woman's Place, Thunder Bay, with the following results: WOMEN AGAINST RAPE Meeting with Paul McRae: The Rape & Sexual Assault Centre, represented by Doreen Boucher and Shelley Vescio, attended a meeting at Women's Centre to present issues on rape and sexual assault to incumbent Paul McRae. Three major areas of concern were discussed, they are the following: Do you support Law Reform: 1. changes in the present Criminal Code involving sexual offences? The existing laws reflect the attitude that: Rape is defined by the crimia) nal code as a sexual act, (or crime of sexual passion) and therefore putsan aura on a crime that is an assault with violence, an issue of power imposed on another human being. Women are seen as property- b) therefore, rape is not recognized in a marriage. History, background style, past c) behaviour, issue of consent (by lack of resistance), there is consideration used against the victim by defense lawyers through innuendoes The woman's in cross examination. past sexual history can be brought up at the judge's discretion--including prior contact with the defendant. What support can you provide with the following situations? We feel that often local crown attorneys are not handling prosecution in rape cases adequately, regarding these 2. points: inadequate preparation and a) support of the rape victim. failure to take firm stands b) against defense lawyer's harassment of victims. poor analysis of rape: espec) cially with new research available Therefore, regarding the issues. they are unable to present accurate views to juries. Would you support permanent 3. funding of Rape Crisis Centres in Canada and,if so, what branch of government should provide financial support? r. McRae, in response to the qdestions put to him admitted to a lack of knowledge regarding aspects of the law, in this case rape, but he felt rape should be changed to an assault charge, to ensure more convictions as he realizes that this is a major problem (low conviction rate). Regarding the admittance of a woman's sexual background, he felt that this should be eliminated as well. He was unaware of any problems as those mentioned regarding the crown attorneys. Mr. McRae felt that any difficulty with crown attorneys should be dealt with through the attorney generals' office, as his He added office could do little. that a change of laws in the immediate future could encompass this problem. Regarding funding, Mr. McRae felt that Rape Centres should be funded through Health & Welfare or Secretary of State. He felt, however, that because assault and rape is very similar to wife battering, and he has trouble differentiating them as a problem, that these groups should be funded jointly with other women's groups, ie. Women's Centre. He emphasized that politicians view our groups as a "luxury" and that where cut backs are made in funding, nonbureaucratic groups as ours are the first to go. He recognizes the service that we do, but others do not. The Law Reform Commission's legislation of releasing their working paper on law reform to the public was He brought to Mr. McRae's attention. knew nothing of it--but promised to Before he left, Doreen look into it. Boucher gave him a copy of the centre's questions presented that night, and talked with him further regarding the Law Reform Commission's working paper on sexual offences. She gave the information she had received from Joannie Vance, the National Association of Rape Crisis Centres, ie. that there was indecision within the Commission to release their paper. He said he would look into it. True to his word, within the next week, his Ottawa office called to find out more information. His secretary, Mary Anne Pettit, called the Director of Research of the Law Reform Commission, Mr. Elton, and spoke to him regarding the problems with the working paper on sexual offences. Apparently, numerous problems plagued the completion of the paper, thus the delay in its release, but he told her it was in final translation (April 4/78) and would be released at the end of May to the Mary Anne told Doreen public! Boucher that she would keep in touch and a copy would be sent to the Thunder Bay Rape & Sexual Assault Centre as soon as it was released. Local News: Prior to the termination of the IWY Revisited Project (April 21/78) and the end of staffing for the Rape Crisis Centre, the city gave the Thunder Bay Rape & Sexual Assault Centre $15,000 for one year to conOur original tinue their operations. request for $35,375 had already been turned down by the Financial AssistAt the last ance Review Group. we were asked to attend the minute public meeting on March 21st and, through the support of Eleanor Morin, Don Smith and John Packota, (council person), the council passed a grant Needless to say, the of $15,000. Rape & Sexual Assault Centre were pleased. At a subsequent meeting of Rape & Sexual Assault collective, after hours of discussion, Doreen Boucher and Eve Pykerman were re-hired on a part-time basis to co-ordinate activities of the centre. Since the allotment of funds froir the city, the RCC has experienced "growing pains". There seemed to b a need for examining our direction and goals of the past, re-evaluatic made and new directions set for the future. After a great deal of discussion, debate and scrutiny, th structure of the RCC will be change to implement our new "lease" on lif A Steering Committee will be set up Members of the Steering Committee will be made up of the sub-committe that have also been formed recently These sub-committees are: 1) Education: personal education (i) (ii) public education Law Reform Study Group 2) (Committees) Funding Committee 3) 4) Victim Support: Training and Orientation Those interested in becoming involved with any of the aforemention committees, please contact the cent at 344-4502. The Centre has been active as wel in its Outreach program through Doreen Secretary of State funds. Boucher, Eve Pykerman, Julie Fels a Gert Beadle were a delegation from Thunder Bay to a workshop in Kenora Kenora is endeavouring to establish a Rape Crisis Centre there, and wer seeking assistance from Thunder Bay T Groups in helping them organize. workshop was held in Kenora the 12t It was attended and 13th of May. largely by those already involved setting up a Rape Crisis Centre and representatives from Fort Frances a Red Lake. The public is very hard reach regarding the issue of rape. Other resource persons from Kenora included Glenna Hamilton, a psycho] gist with the Children's Centre in Kenora, O.P.P. Don Jones, Kenora Police, Bob Mashaud and Vern Frolic Crown Attorneys from Dryden, The workshop served more as an educational session for Kenora members, and an opening of communicati between them and the officials, ie. 0.P.P.,Police. We have not received any feedback as to the direction Kenora is now taking, but we hope to hear from th In our opening session, we soon. stressed the need to talk to each other and find what personal needs i cont'd on page 11 Northern Woman Journal page 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �silent crime Women In Transition has made considerable headway in its crusade on behalf of Battered Women in Thunder Bay. An extensive survey of social agencies and other professionals determined that, in 1977, 1,108 Thunder Bay women sought help. Based on the fact that less than half of the questionnaires were not returned, it is frightening to consider the unknown numbers of women who were missed in the survey plus those who didn't seek help. According to similar studies done in other areas of the continent, where the base reported figure is multiplied by 10 in order to obtain a realistic picture of actual incidence of Battering, the figure of 11,108 possible Thunder Bay incidents looms in the forefront. In addition to the agency questionnaires, individual questionnaires were distributed throughout the city for the purpose of reaching actual victims of Battering to determine if they sought help, from whom, and if the help was adequate. The following are some of the comments gleaned from the 140 questionnaires returned to date: , cont d women enjoy being beaten; That it is a lower class phenomenon; That abusing husbands are mentally ill. The needs of Battered Wives include Immediate Refuge for themselves and their children; a 24Hour Crisis Line; Counselling Therapy; Medical Treatment and Advice; A Crisis Intervention Training Program for Law Enforcement Officers, to enable them to better understand and deal with Legal services domestic problems. and advice are needed regarding rights, separation, divorce, custody and property matters; Emergency Financial Aid is necessary through various social services; Law Reform is needed to better protect the rights of the Battered Wife; and Greater Cooperation between the medical profession and other agencies is essential. In many cities, facilities and centres have already been or are in the process of being set up, specifically to deal with and harbour Battered Women and their children. For example, The Frontenac Family Referral Service in Kingston, The Hiatus House in Windsor, The Vancouver Transition House, and The Women's Community House in London. The reluctance of many women to report assaults against them, or their denials of such assaults, make the compilation of statistics and data a difficult detri-e,tal to the in turn, is raising of public awareness anc attitude, ensuing changes in societal available and law social services "POLICE REFUSED TO INTERFERE - COURT WAS A WASTE OF TIME..." "DETECTIVE INFORMED MY SISTER (abuse victim) THAT HE DIDN'T BELIEVE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED..." "POLICE JUST SAID TO KEEP THE PEACE, EVEN AFTER SEPARATION WHEN HE BEAT ME ON THE STREET..." "IT MADE ME SAD TO GET THIS QUESTIONNAIRE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SEPARATED NOW TO KNOW THAT FEEL LUCKY TO BE OUT "CHILDREN INVOLVED, AND PARTNER'S REACTION." reform. -1--111.-11-1.1-1V-1-111.-1-1-1.-1 1*1.-1-14-.1.1.,11-1-.1 -1.-1.-V-1.-111-.111-...1-.1i-li-i11 marriage contract -Full disclosure of individual assets, and agreement that these shall continue to be owned separately by each person. -Agreement that all property acquired by either party during the marriage shall be owned jointly. -Neither party shall be forced to pay present or future debts incurred by the other (with the exception of necessaries). -An arbitrator may be appointed by mutual agreement for any future marital disputes. -The woman takes responsibility for birth control, and reserves the right to end an unwanted pregnancy. -The woman retains her own name in marriage. -Neither partner will impose religion on their children (or, the children will be raised in a particular faith). -Housework and childcare will be divided equally. -Both parties will continue to pursue individual careers. -Each partner may take two weeks vacation a year alone, if desired. -Should one partner have to relocate for business purposes, the other is under no obligation to follow. -Decision-making shall be shared equally. -A partner engaged in childraising or studying will be supported by the other. -If childcare is not shared equally, then the employed spouse will contribute a certain sum every year to a savings account or pension fund in the stay-athome partner's name. -If both work, half of each income is the property of both during the marriage. -If the marriage ends, both partners will continue to support the children. The partner with custody of the children will allow the other partner reasonable access. -If the marriage ends, both partners will split all their Canada Pension Plan credits evenly.% ADVISED ME TO FILE AN "MY LAWYER ASSAULT CHARGE AGAINST MY HUSBAND WHICH I DID. I WENT IN COURT 8 TIMES BEFORE THE TRIAL - IN THE END MY HUSBAND GOT OFF FREE OF THE CHARGE..." "THIS IS A SUBJECT WHICH TOO OFTEN IS PUSHED UNDER THE RUG. IT'S TIME TO BRING IT OUT IN THE OPEN AND DEAL WITH IT NOW!" "THE PROBLEM IS, IF I GO OUT AND GET HELP, HE TOLD ME ALREADY, THAT WILL BE MY LAST COMPLAINT." "I HAVE SOLVED MY PROBLEM. IF I HAD RECEIVED THE ASSISTANCE WHEN I FIRST APPLIED, 10 YEARS BEFORE, MYSELF OR THE CHILDREN WOULD NEVER HAVE HAD TO MY DIVORCE SUFFER AS LONG AS WE DID. SHOULD BE THROUGH IN THE SPRING. THE SCARS AND MEMORIES ARE HARD TO FORGET WHAT WILL REMAIN WITH MY CHILDREN AND THEIR PROBLEMS DUE TO THIS LIFE REMAINS AHEAD." "DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO GO" "TOO SCARED' "DIDN'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO KNOW" It is the object of Women In Transition to publish a handbook for Battered Women, for distribution throughout the city. Included in it will be emergency information, advice on alternatives available (Housing, Family Benefits, General Welfare, etc.' and legal steps to follow. Recommenda. tions based on the two surveys will be made to the agencies concerned--It is hoped they will be receptive. You are urged to lend your support to the plight of Battered Women -Letters to the editor, letters of encouragement to Women In Transition, (316 Bay Street) or any other form of or can pass one to the auestionnaires, been a victim of Bat---272 A-lo has 5o so -- They are -g, please libraries, comrunity available at the laundromats, Canada centres, some Thrif Manpower offices, Salvation Army Social Reclaim, City stores, Operation Agency, to name Services, Counselling Street. sew, and 316 Bay a -Either Partner ray initiate review and revision of this correlatract at any time, as the tionship grows and changes. -The spouse who stays home to look after the children shall receive a designated sum, or a percentage of the family income, for her/his personal use, to save or spend as she/he pleases. Source Unknown "No, I'm not a housewife. Are you a househusband?' Northern Woman Journal page 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �ROLL UP THOSE FEDERAL POLITICS: PRETTY CUFFSCHANGING OUR DAUGHTERS' FUTURE HORROR STORY In early 1974, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Speck of Pittsburgh decided they didn't want any more children. They already had two daughters afflicted with a rare, crippling hereditary disease shared by the father. In April 1974, Mr. Speck underwent a Nevertheless, Mrs. Speck vasectomy. was pregnant again by October. In December, she underwent an operation that she was told was an abortion. However, the baby arrived-a daughter, born with cerebral palsy and crossed The sickly, premature infant eyes. was kept in an incubator for 68 days before being sent home, and now she also has that much feared genetic disease. The Specks are suing both doctors for performing operations that didn't work. After the failed told the doctor I abortion, "when was still pregnant," Mrs. Speck recalls, "he told me it was probably a floating urinary tumor." MEDICAL I ***************************4 * !the - FO-OP BOOKSHOP and 411* CENTRE IIRECORD * Excellent selection of Canadian literature, classics, * film books, science fiction, craft*. poetry. many a unusual Mies. Best folk, ethnic and blues selection in F. town. S. cipow elli 8 each day It and A day Sunday On eumpue Emery Thusly bailie the Mein Cafeteria ph., 3451111: 11 as s. Mime Street.. -X . if * ri************************4a* THUNDER CL AP To Pat Ryan and her excessive energy in organizing our successful Boogie. THUNDER BOLT To the man who smokes cigars and works at the LCBO - Algoma Street-who commented that "Our boogie must have been a fizz" when we returned some liquor. Ottawa -- A newspaper report says a study has found that one-third of 2,070 psychiatric out-patients were incorrectly diagnosed by Ottawa doctors over a three-year period. The Ottawa Journal says the study was conducted by Doctor Erwin Koranyi, Director of the Ottawa General Hospital's Adult Psychiatric Out-Patient Department. The paper quotes Doctor Korany1 as saying he found cases of cancer, heart disease, brain tumors, syphi- , lis, diabetes, and epilepsy which other physicians had missed. Doctor Koranyi is quoted as saying he had one patient who had been prescribed an antacid for what was supposed to have been a nervous stomach disorder. Tests found the patient not only had cancer but a heart condition. MEDICAL - LAST TAKE 2 These are some of the cases described in Koranyi's study: --A patient presented herself several times complaining of intense lower abdominal pain for several weeks and was told it was psychosomatic. The woman, who was 24, died of peritonitis -- internal bleeding. and complication following perforation by her intra-uterine device, a contraceptive. --A patient, whose family physician said he was complaining of neck pain and headaches, was found to have a brain tumor. - -A patient, whose physician said she was suffering from depression, was being beaten by her husband for The woman was having miscarriages. suffering from a rare form of malaria which was also causing the miscarriages. After treatment the woman became pregnant, had her baby and the beatings stopped. The newspaper says Koranyi's department returns its findings to the physicians who made the incorrect diagnoses. Some doctors accept the information with concern. Others become angry and stop referring cases. Similarly, in a speech to the Annual Congress of the Chamre des Notaires du Quebec, The Honourable Monique Begin, (Minister of National Health/Welfare) cited the following statistics on women in federal There are now 9 women in politics: the House of Commons)3 of which are cabinet ministers. Two of these ministers are Quebecoises. Of the 167 recommendations of the Royal Commission Report on the Status of Women, 122 are within federal jurisOf these, 19 have not been diction. implemented in their entirety. Begin says there are four major issues at the federal level which need immediate action to improve the status of women nationally. She advises thus: a) Remove abortion from the Criminal Code and apply the Act as it was voted by Parliament in 1968. of the Indian b) Repeal that section Act which stipulates that an Indian woman marrying a nonIndian loses her native status. c) Reform the Divorce Act and set up consolidated family courts. d) Amend the Income Tax Act to allow a wife employed in an unincorporated family business to be paid a salary. Begin reminds us "The day will come when the positions of GovernorGeneral and Prime Minister will be held by women." Adapted by Karen Richardson Credit to Status of Women News Teen Family Teen Family Program needs concerned community people throughout Thunder Bay to be volunteer Family Workers, One-to-One Friends, Special Interest Leaders, and Tutors. No special experience or education is needed: Teen Family Program offers an orientation/training program and workshops for volunteers. Please call 345-1531, or drop in to 164 Peter Street if you would like to hear more. r, IMP 411111 Milk IBM 111=1 111.110 41111Ik WE'RE I .N/ I (MP S LINEN (new/used )1 for the soon-t i NATIVE WOMEN'S "Rape I WHEN? - THURS Is An Exercise In Power" -Susan Brownmiller "SomeA DEFINITION OF FEMINISM: thing we have assidously avoided. Feminism is working for political rights within the patriarchal system changing the monopoly of patriarchal standards, and preserving female experience. 6 p.m. WHERE? - WOME 41fMassmom 316 BA (Food & Refres Iwo ow Ma 11110 UMW Joan Hoff Wilson Northern Woman Journal page 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �GER.flitY GREER PILL IS DESTROYING WOMEN Germaine Greer says it. The bodies of women are headed for ruin because they refuse to take control over their lives. The intra-uterine device, the Pill and the teeming array of contrivances designed to render a woman infertile --are destroying her. Contraceptive abortion is the only real autonomy a woman has over her fertility. Contraception supposedly freed Not so, the controversial women. Austrailian feminist told a packed lecture theatre at Lakehead University Sunday night. Pelvic inflamatory diseases brought on because of the Pill's tendency to change the body's intricate chemistry are at "epidemic levels," she said. But nobody talks about it. "It is a great irony that the world's cleanest women have guts that are completely rotten and pelvises that are unspeakably filthy." "And if you were to taste us, any cannibal would say 'yuch', she's on the Pill." The chemical changes which develop are sometimes subtle and hardly noticed. The breath, skin and vaginal secretions of a woman using the Pill take on a different odor, she said. There are a host of possible psychological and physiological upsets few women are aware of because "we don't really know what the pill does." Some of its side effects aren't so Headaches, vaginal infecsubtle. tions, swellings, sterility, blindness, cancer--and very likely, she said, a shortened life span. "I happen to think that it isn't Fertility is not such a worth it. terrible scourge." Greer, 39, is an internationallyknown feminist best-known for her book, the Female Eunuch, published in 1971. RISQUE REMARKS Grey pant-suited and black-booted, her address to the mixed crowd was sprinkled with off-the-cuff humor- some of it risque, much of it unNot everyone agreed with printable. her, but very few didn't respond to her oratorial skill. Commenting on a statement in her book which said that any woman who would not taste her own menstrual blood had a long way to go towards "I'm not asking liberation she said: I'm asking you to you to do it. that something think about the idea of your own body which is coming out It's not horrible." is horrible. The responsibility for a woman's body does not lie with the medical It lies with women, she profession. said. "Medical procedures are never foolAnd most doctors are fools." proof. At the heart of the problem is the "basic insecurity of women." "We are constantly doing things in order to be loved." She pointed out that jealousy between the sexes have separate sources of motivation. While men fear fidelity because they don't want to share their women, women fear it because they don't want to be aban- what she 5; a i d "A marriage that ends is not a marriage that fails...it's just shorter." "I don't think we're ever going to get along with men until we learn to get along without them. I'm not suggesting lesbianism as a political tactic," she remarked lightly, "It's much too good for that." UNNECESSARY She suggested that actual insertion of the penis into the vagina (intramission) is not absolutely necessary for a normal sex life. The fact is that many women don't want intramission and this is evidenced if they don't produce vaginal lubrication. But in this society, women will not tell their mates what they want or don't want, she said. Withdrawal of the penis at point of climax, is a discouraged form of contraception which Greer favors. However, she said she would hesitate to recommend it in this society because most people have sexual relations "when they're drunk or stoned," thereby lessening their chances of self-control, she said. IUD NOT SAFE The IUD is not safe. Users bleed They are often inserted heavily. They wander to other improperly. parts of the body. They are frequently rejected by the body itself. And rejecting an IUD is "rather like giving birth to a bread knife." Commenting on contraceptive creams :: doesn't rake an: jellies, s-e sects.- s upbosed to be out on the skin can be placed inside the sensitive vacina. Tubal ligations are probably "simpler to perform than vasectomies" but the real problem is the four-hour operation involved to have it reversed, she said. She didn't leave many contraceptive options open. Except abortion. Abortions, even self-abortions, can be easier, safer and faster than IUD insertions but they will continue to be for the most part embarrassing, painful and costly as long as society believes they are an evil to be only slightly tolerated, she said. "They (society) don't like abortion because abortion is a matter of choice. It has an aspect of real control. They want fantasy control (chemical contraception)." "I'm not telling you what to do but to do some accounting...find out what they've taken away from you...and don't say ignorance is bliss because that's what they rely upon." by Nelle Oosterom Credit to ChronicleJournal Despite the coverage by the Chronicle Journal on the visit of Germaine Greer to our fair city there will be only a small portion of the public with enough emotional security to understand the message she brought us. We prefer to get hung up in the rhetoric, to dwell on the fee as an escape mechanism grey painted and black booted and a dirty mouth, the media image of fascist repression bringing us decadence and Could we have borne to perversion. hear the message in simple terms, that our bodies are our own, that our minds are our own, that our conscience is our own and that every infringement upon these territories whether by state or church or man or woman is an assault on our very souls. She is saying that in the final analysis unless we recognize where availability to the sexual appetites of our brothers have led us and understand the reasons why we respond to those appetites we will continue to abuse our bodies and our minds to escape the consequences of that act. She is suggesting that we all have a lot to learn about sexual and social intercourse and that woman is paying a very high price for man's exploration of the subject; she is saying that fear of not pleasing has castrated us spiritually and made us uncertain of our own sensuality. She is telling us if we were really aware of how little casual sex (and consider anything taken for granted is pretty casual) adds to our perception of either love or romance we might seriously consider it hardly worth the trouble. I conceived in love belongs only to the blind for love is a conscious decision for a shared responsibility --make no mistake--our outmoded abortion laws have nothing to do with a burning concern for children, the world is full of battered, bleeding and starving children, enough to keep these fanatic defenders of an 8 week foetus on their knees and broke forever. What it has to do with is control, a misguided conviction that women are not capable of a moral decision unless that coincides with a predecision drafted conception of woman as a productive instrument. The hypocrasy in our present abortion law is staggering, it makes no moral statement but it draws a line. Yes if you can afford it and no if you can't, on the grounds of human rights alone we should be enraged. Given all this, Germaine Greer is saying Face the reality, your backs are against the wall, there is no help and no pity anywhere, come to terms with your own sexuality, quit putting hardware and chemicals in your system for somebody else's benefit, quit looking for someone else to complete you, you are whole persons andYou reselling your souls for the kind of gratification that is not worth the price you're paying. If one young woman heard her message loud and clear it could change her entire life and make the price paid for her (Germaine's) visit our best bargain this year. Gert Beadle Northern Woman Journal page 15 doned. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �MUST BE A MEMBER Credit Union Ne ws Update - -Th The Northern Women's Credit Union is presently operating with volunteer help only. Their paid staff person, Betty Harkema, was paid as part of a Canada Revisited, Works Project, which ended on April 28th. Betty is still volunteering her time when she can and there are other qualified women to take your deposits, withdrawals or loan application, BUT try to conduct your business on the days the credit union is officially open (Tuesdays, Fridays and Thursday evenings) when we can guarantee a qualified person will be in the office. LOAN LIMIT $2,500. The loan limit is now $2,500. in excess of the member's shares. The credit committee reports a large increase in approved loans in the past month and urge all members to keep their share accounts growing by regular deposits, by cheque or money order, if you can't come into the office. The credit committee reports, also, that the nature of the loans requested have been mainly for NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION i 316 BAY ST. HOURS TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS 10 a.m. TO 5 p.m. THURSDAYS 7 p.m. TO 9 p.m. PH. 345-7802 emergencies, so it is vital for a women's credit union to be able to meet the credit needs of these women who in spite of anti-sex discrimination laws are still being judged on the basis of myths about women's financial irresponsibility. This credit committee judges your credit worthiness on the basis of character and ability to repay. As you increase your share deposits the credit union's capital assets increase and the loan limit increases thus allowing the credit committee to permit larger loans. Even if you are presently paying on a loan try to deposit something, however small, into your share account. As for all of you whose account has been inactive for months, come on, help us help the many women in need rf financial assistance. If you are considering a loan remember that you must first be approved as a member to be eligible. The board of directors approves your membership at their monthly meeting. Don't delay your loan--JOIN NOW. LOGO CONTEST The board of directors appreciat the efforts of the many women who submitted logos. There have been many good ones but the board had to postpone their decision last month due to a very heavy schedule of other business. They should be deciding at the next meeting early in June. If you are still considering submitting a logo you still have time to bring or mail it in. mAINTERPRETERS NEEDED *ITALIAN *CRER *PORTUGESE *OjIBWAY *UKRAINIAN to translate a booklet on alternatives for battered PLEASE CALL women. WOMEN IN TRANSITION. - 345-827; THE COST OF BORROWING SHOULD PROSTITUTION.... by Noreen Lavoie What it costs to buy on credit or borrow on a loan is confusing to most of us when all we have in the way of information is an interest rate that the lender charges. How they determine the actual cost by this rate of interest is important for us to know. If finance charges on goods, for example, are added to the purchase price and the total is to be repaid in 12 equal monthly payments: Example #1 WHEN THEY SAY 1% per month 10% per year YOU PAY 21.46% per year 17.97% per year If finance charges are made on the unpaid balance each month: Example #2 WHEN THEY SAY 1% per month 11% per month YOU PAY 12% per year 18% per year The Northern Women's Credit Union determines interest as in sample #2 at 1% per month or 12% per year. When we read that some banks are offering loans at 11.5% we must first determine what this means in actual costs before we can compare. Lees say you want to borrow $500. and pay it back in a year: Example #1: equal monthly payments $500. x 21.46% = $607.30. Cost to you $607.30 - 500. = $107.30. Example #2: unpaid balance monthly Cost to you $60. $500. x 12% = $560. Based on the two methods of computing the interest)there is a difference of $47.30. If you cannot find out which way the lending agency computes the interest, do this: Choose a figure close to your own loan requirement and a time figure for repayment. Phone the bank instead of making a personal visit (less hassle and easier to obtain only the facts), the credit union or finance agency, and ask what your Multiply monthly payments will be. the amount they give you by the number of months you asked for to Subtract this amount from the repay. amount of the loan and the difference will be the actual cost to borrow. It is the actuat coot to you that should be uppermost in your mind when shopping for credit. cont'd. from P. 5 Rather than poor and desperate. decriminalization, the law should recognize that, as in other types of employment such as child labour, it i5 the employer (the man who solicits the services of a prostitute), and not his employee (the prostitute) who is Once the law holds tha the criminal. the man who solicits sexual services is guilty of a crime, and not the woman who works as a prostitute usually out of desperate circumstance reforms to make prostitution obsolete (as child labour was made obsolete) wi be instituted. It will be a great setback for wome kind if prostitutes are seen only as kind of proletariet whose struggle tc organize must be supported. No womar whether poor or middle-class, needs t subjugation of prostitution toleratec by the law and instituted in the fabr Thus feminists must of our society. not allow their concern for prostitut to extend to the tolerance of prostit tion as an acceptable means of employ ment for women. by Georgina Garret We know and you will find out that, for personal loans, you cannot beat a credit union. Remember, too, that most credit unions will be returning to you a percentage of the interest you paid in the form of a loan rebate. Northern Woman Journal page 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �006118 AWN MOM 14..1111ed 8 11118111.0r Bulk II En nonce Oicl dim dire 220 RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 BAY ST. THUNDER BAY P, ONT. Return Postage Guaranteed Donna Shaw 171 Banning St. Thunder Bay P, Ont. P7B 3J2 PLEASE LET US KNOW. HAVE YOU MOVED? to keep (We must pay return postage up our mailing list) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Editorial, Gert's Gospel Letters The Silent Crime Motherhood Carol Auld Is This What We Want Poetry McRae Visit Bits and Pieces Germaine Greer Credit Union pg 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 12 14 15 16 Your subscription is due. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 4 No 3 Description An account of the resource Vol. 4, No. 3 (May 1978) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Women in transition project for violence against women Letters to the editor Police response to battered wives Causes of wife battering Needs of battered women Resources for battered women Under reporting of battered women The institution of motherhood (Excerpt from Of Woman Born by Adrienne Rich) Legalization of prostitution Decriminalization of prostitution Transition story - Thunder Bay to Toronto Women and stress seminar Christian Feminism Conference Family Law Reform Act Poetry Paul McRae (MP) visits Women’s Place Thunder Bay Women against rape Marriage contracts Teen Family Program Female contraception & negative health ramifications Northern Women’s Credit Union The cost of credit Authors/Contributors: Gert Beadle Stephanie Holbik Deb Hagarty (Atikokan) Vera Johnston (New Westminster, B.C.) Carol Marsha Michael Cunningham Jackie Gross Carol Auld Marg Lanchok B.J. Halliday (Dryden) Debra Pilon (Fort Frances) Mickey Pedersen Pam Wilson Linda Richard Nelle Oosterom Noreen Lavoie Georgina Garrett Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978-05 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English