Tag: Gender Advocacy

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The Night is Not Enough protest takes over Phillips Square

The march aims to be more inclusive of all people battling sexual violence

On Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. the A Safer Concordia campaign, run by the university’s Centre for Gender Advocacy, hosted a march called “The Night is Not Enough,” which took place at Phillips Square in downtown Montreal. The goal was to demonstrate that the annual “Take Back the Night” march is not inclusive enough, as women are not the only ones who may face sexual violence.

Photo by Ana Hernandez.

According to Jada Joseph, a volunteer for the A Safer Concordia campaign and a Concordia psychology and child studies student, “The Night is Not Enough” aims to be a more inclusive protest for all people who have faced sexual assault, not just women.

Joseph said the march is not only calling out to all genders to participate, but also to all races as well as sex workers and individuals from the LGBTQ+ community.

Spoken word artist Shanice Nicole performing before the march. Photo by Ana Hernandez.

“We’re definitely taking a more inclusive alternative to the ‘Take Back the Night,’” she said. Joseph explained that “Take Back the Night” implies that gender violence only occurs at nighttime, when in fact gender violence is a continuum—it can start with cat-calling and escalate from there. “We are saying that the night is not enough,” she said.

Photo by Ana Hernandez.

“Sexual violence and gender violence is very pervasive in our society,” said Madison Kompagna, a Concordia student majoring in sociology and minoring in women’s studies. She said there is a very strong narrative in our society in which sexual violence only happens to women and only occurs at night. “It’s important that this event exists because it’s more inclusive of everybody,” Kompagna said.

If you or someone you know has encountered sexual violence and would like support, Concordia has resources on campus to help.

The Centre for Gender Advocacy is located at 2110 Mackay St., Sir George William campus. Hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

You can call The Centre for Gender Advocacy at (514) 848-2424 ext. 7431. For peer support call (514) 848-2424 ext. 7880.

The Sexual Assault Resource Centre is located at GM-300.27. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can reach them at (514) 848-2424 ext. 3461 or ext. 3353.
If you are in immediate danger at Concordia University call campus security at 514-848-3717.

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“Another Word for Gender” will open your eyes to sex and gender inequality issues

The Centre for Gender Advocacy invites you to take part in their thought-provoking series.

Concordia’s Centre for Gender Advocacy is aiming to open eyes, challenge perceptions, and inspire activism at their event series “Another Word for Gender,” which kicks off this week.

Entering its fourth year, the centre organizes a week-long stretch of thought-provoking lectures and expert-led seminars that cover a range of controversial themes relating to gender and sexuality. All lectures are free, open to the public, and take place at Concordia’s downtown campus or at specified locations nearby.

Despite a wide range of topics, the centre believes that there is resonance for every demographic of the student body and community in general.

“Even if a presenter’s particular experience is completely removed from your own life, there are ways of learning from the experiences of others and applying that insight to our own lives and our own communities,” said Julie Michaud, coordinator at the Centre for Gender Advocacy.

“Everyone has decisions to make in their life about sexuality, reproduction, being true to yourself, [and] fighting for justice,” said Michaud.

The events and workshops provide what Michaud refers to as a cross section of the types of issues that the Centre for Gender Advocacy handles daily. An open house event on Sept. 29 will allow students to interact with employees and volunteers at the centre, who will be dispensing information on the many ways to get involved.

“The great news is that the centre offers opportunities for those who do feel inspired by these events to get involved in a related campaign whether that’s with the Reproductive Justice League, Missing Justice, A Safer Concordia, or becoming a peer support volunteer,” said Michaud.

“Another Word for Gender” runs from Sept. 29 to Oct. 4.

Further details and locations of events can be found at genderadvocacy.org.

SEPT. 29—

The Porn Event (Talk and Q&A)

6:00-8:30 p.m.

Featuring trans, gender queer, Two Spirit, Black Boricua Taino filmmaker and activist Ignacio Rivera, AKA Papi Coxx, and Sarah Beall of MakeLoveNotPorn.tv. Together, they’ll discuss the topics of feminist porn, consent and porn culture, among others.

SEPT 30—

Gender, Disability and Sexuality: Real Talk with Accessibilize Montreal

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Taking a look at how people with disabilities or diverse ways of being are being short-changed in society, and how they operate outside the constraints of “normal” intimate and sexual relationships.

OCT 1—

Natural Cycles and Rhythms with Sonia Osorio

6:00-8:30 p.m.

An informative seminar about The Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)—a natural, cyclic form of birth control that prohibits the use of drugs or devices.

OCT 2—

Reproductive Justice Without Borders: Choice and Accessibility

6:00-8:30 p.m.

A panel discussion among a diverse group of experts about access—or lack of access—to abortion services, breastfeeding support, or basic reproductive health services.

OCT 3—

An Evening with Janet Mock: Gender, Race & Realness

6:00-8:30 p.m.

The keynote event of this year’s series, featuring New York Times’ bestselling author and trans activist Janet Mock, sharing her thoughts on topics of gender, race, and reproduction.

OCT 4—

9th Annual Memorial March and Vigil for Missing and Murdered Native Women

6:00-9:00 p.m.

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Staying close to the roots, but flowering ever higher

Gender action group Dragonroot Media partners with CGA to strengthen its mission

After several years of dedication as Montreal’s feminist and gender-issue radio program, newly expanded Dragonroot Media (formerly Dragonroot Radio) has tightened ties with Concordia’s Centre for Gender Advocacy by rebranding itself as an action group in an effort to provide better services.

Originally started in the fall of 2011 and broadcasting over McGill’s CKUT 90.3 FM radio station, the show has been shining a light on gender-specific topics by reporting on events and exploring issues with activists and intellectuals.

“I feel like being part of Dragonroot for the past few years has really shaped my politics, and everybody I speak to [on the show] shapes and changes how I understand issues. It’s been pretty rewarding in that way,” said Hannah Besseau, host-turned-coordinator for the program who, among others, has been behind the move that will see Dragonroot Media, completely run by volunteers, restructured to increase its scope and resources.

The organization has always had a close relationship with the Centre for Gender Advocacy. When the Centre began looking to create a stronger bond with surrounding groups, Dragonroot’s passion came foremost to their mind and they were encouraged to apply as an action group, a designation allowing for it to receive operational and promotional funding and other benefits.

“Who better to make a better action group than Dragonroot?” asked Besseau rhetorically on the eve of last week’s fundraising concert at La Sala Rossa. She said the increased visibility of the group will allow it to reach a bigger audience and tackle larger projects, but also stressed the group will remain as it was before.

“Now that we’ve [got] an action group status, we’re hoping make our radio content better. We want to find different ways to approach gender content on the radio. We’re also working on a new website to post more things, and we’re doing a call-out for editors to produce more content.”

The recruitment drive is an effort on part of the group to remain true to its origins as a consensus-based collective but adopt an editorial model that will create several longer-lasting positions to ensure volunteers will still be able to come and go as before without interrupting content consistency. A small core of well-defined roles and positions will ensure sections of Dragonroot Media, like their blog, which has suffered from bouts of inactivity in the past, don’t re-occur. Besseau believes the permanence will enable a mentorship program to take hold that will help those interested in media and willing to assume a more prominent role in gender awareness hone their abilities and confidence.

“We really want to have a space where people can come and learn media skills, specifically for gender topics. That way, we’ll have people constantly engaging and learning. [We’ll be] putting the microphone, so to speak, in the hands of those who it would benefit.”

Dragonroot Media’s weekly radio program runs every Tuesday on CKUT 90.3 FM at 8:30 – 9 p.m. If you’re interested in contributing or keeping up to date with the project, find for them on Facebook or Twitter.

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