This is far from the Utopia of Alberta

September 4, 2008

Another piece of mine printed in the Gateway today. I have the original here, because I’m not a fan of the editing, but you can check it out for yourself here. Read the second comment if you really want to get upset, with gems like, transgendered students are “confused.” Anyway, read on:

Two years ago, I stumbled onto the U of A campus for the first time as a student. Having come to the university from a small town in rural Alberta, I was most looking forward to a liberal atmosphere. Yes, no more sexism, racism, and homophobia, among other things.

While I was wrong in believing that interpersonal discrimination happens to a far lesser extent than it did in my hometown, I was struck by the more insidious inequalities that are reinforced on our campus. Despite what we may believe, our beloved U of A is no haven of equality.

First, there’s the classic example: tuition fees. Many of us pay upwards of a few thousand dollars with little difficulty, but a lot of us also have a little something called “class privilege.” Any introduction to sociology will point out there are vast numbers of people who simply lack the economic means to attain a post-secondary education.

I can hear you chime in, “But there are scholarships! And bursaries!” While this is true, most of these funds are awarded to students taking at least four courses per semester, despite full-time status requiring students to complete only three courses each semester. That means that people who really need the funding – single parents, (dis)abled persons, classed individuals – often don’t receive it.

But what of those of us who can afford our education? Chances are, unless you’re a white, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle-class male, you might have your fair share of problems. The inequalities may be difficult to perceive, but that doesn’t make them any less harmful.

Consider first that the risk for sexual assault is four times higher for college-age women than any other group, and while university-endorsed frat culture isn’t solely to blame for the problem, it certainly plays a part. Transgender students lack gender-neutral washrooms throughout campus and, as a result, must choose between refusing to use them and risking shame and possible violence. Additionally, current wheelchair access across the university is something to be truly embarrassed by, in addition to the fact that many services are ill equipped to serve those with disabilities, including the Centre for Writers. According to their website, “any student at any level of his/her degree is welcome to make an appointment.” They fail to mention that they can’t help blind students.

Students aren’t the only ones who face these issues; staff face a number of similar problems themselves. According to Human Resource Services, leaves for biological parents can be up to 50 weeks (25 weeks paid and with benefits), while adoptive parents receive a mere 10 paid weeks with benefits. This effectively limits heterosexual adoptive parents and gay and lesbian couples from attaining equal parenting opportunities.

The list goes on: Regardless of affirmative action, the number of staff who identify as visible minorities in the Faculty of Arts – often regarded as the most liberal faculty – is unbelievably low. In 2007, only 8.3 percent of staff and faculty who completed the Employment Equity Census Questionnaire identified as members of visible minorities. In addition, of the current 93 Canada Research Chairs – who have significant decision-making power regarding the direction of the university – 22 are women.

Despite all of this, I’ve only scratched the surface. Call it what you will, but the oppression of non-privileged groups is alive and well at the U of A, and it’s important to realise that and not assume some inherent liberalism exists throughout campus. There are groups that work to better things, however, such as Specialized Support and Disability Services and the Women’s Centre. As students, we’re then presented with two options: we can join the efforts to combat these problems, or we can contribute to them through our own complacency.

4 Comments | Ableism, Gateway Article, Heterosexism, Privilege, Racism, Sexism | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Kyle Payne’s actions show that women are justified in caution around men

July 24, 2008

Here’s my latest piece for The Gateway, the University of Alberta’s newspaper. Props to Amber for giving it a look-over.

Earlier this month, Buena Vista University alumnus and resident advisor Kyle Payne plead guilty to felony-attempted burglary in the second degree and two counts of invasion of privacy. While attending to an unconscious student in her residence hall room, he sexually assaulted her and videotaped and photographed her breasts.

Leaving aside the appalling fact that the guilty plea didn’t include sexual assault charges, there’s something else that’s troubling about this matter. Proclaiming himself as pro-feminist, Payne identifies as a social justice educator, writer, and activist. Not only that, but he’s worked with survivors of sexual violence and says he is—believe it or not—“particularly interested in men’s roles in confronting pornography and the rape culture.”

My first reaction to this news was to wonder how this would affect the perceptions of other feminist men. When someone as seemingly dedicated as Payne commits a crime such as this, it can lead women to question the intentions of progressive, feminist men, and that simply isn’t fair. It’s one thing to sexually assault someone, but it’s another matter entirely to jeopardize the roles of certain members of a movement.

This was my initial reaction, and it’s extremely problematic. Dwelling on how this incident will affect men fails to address the actual issue: the fact that a woman has been sexually assaulted. It’s important to take into account Payne’s alleged beliefs, but not in a way that takes away from the real victims of his crime: women. There’s much that a person can take away from this, but one thing is the seemingly controversial but incredibly true statement, “all men are potential rapists.”

It’s important not to confuse this with what may be misinterpretted as similar declarations, such as “all men are rapists” or “all men want to rape.” What the affirmation means is that rapists aren’t easily identifiable. They aren’t colour-coded, they don’t subscribe to sexist notions any more than most people, and they aren’t noticeably more evil than men who don’t rape. According to one study found in the Journal of Research in Personality, 51 per cent of college men exhibited a likelihood to rape (in accordance with the likelihood to rape scale) if they could get away with it. I’ll bet those men aren’t wearing signs around their necks.

In short, because of the rape culture we live in, women must constantly be cautious around men until they learn to trust them. Given that the victim knows the attacker in 69 per cent of all rape cases, even that trust is a leap of faith to a large extent.

This is not to say that it falls in the hands of women to prevent their own rape—nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, as men perpetuate the problem, it is our responsibility to not only refuse to sexually assault women, but to challenge the culture that condones and normalizes sexualized violence. Furthermore, men shouldn’t expect to get a pat on the back for this kind of work and recognize that women still have every right to question men’s intentions. That’s something that comes with being a member of a privileged group, and a point that needs to be taken away from Kyle Payne’s actions.

13 Comments | Gateway Article, Men and Feminism, Rape, Sexual Assault | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Misinforming People on Birth Control Ends up Doing More Harm than Good

March 27, 2008

Okay, everyone, I’m in a hostel and I have less than five more minutes on the Internet, so here’s my article!

Enjoy, and I’ll have plenty to tell once I’m back. Boston is so beautiful, and WAM!2008 starts tomorrow!

1 Comment | Gateway Article | Permalink
Posted by Derek

A Piece on the “Unborn Victims of Crime” Bill

January 15, 2008

My first article for my university’s paper, the Gateway, was published today. Have a look, if you so please.

5 Comments | Anti-Choice, Gateway Article | Permalink
Posted by Derek

Ending Violence Against Women

November 29, 2007

(Note: This is similar to my previous post in many ways. I wrote this as an article in The Gateway, the University of Alberta’s newspaper.)

      As many of you are likely aware, White Ribbon Days run from the 26th of November until the 6th of December. November 26th symbolizes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women while December 6th marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. The former was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999, following the lead of feminists, who had marked the day as one to acknowledge Violence Against Women (VAW) since 1981. The latter was formed as a result of the brutal attacks at École Polytechnique on December 6th, 1989, perpetrated by Marc Lépine. On that day, Lépine murdered 14 women and injured 14 others, saying he was “fighting feminism”. This is great that we’re remembering an event that had a tremendous effect on numerous lives, but there are problems with it that should be noted as well.

      When we mark an event such as the Montreal Massacre as a single, terrible event, it is argued by some feminists that it erases the VAW experienced on an everyday basis and I agree completely. When people reflect on the events that unfolded at the engineering school, they often see it as a single happenstance, perpetrated by a misguided man and, as a result, fail to recognize the VAW that occurs each and every day.

      According to the 1993 General Social Survey conducted and funded by the national government and, arguably, the most effective survey to date that measures VAW, three out of every 10 women have “experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner”. That’s 30 percent of women in relationships who are or who have been abused. The survey also acknowledges that 16 percent of women “have been kicked, hit, beaten, choked, had a gun or knife used against them, or have been sexually assaulted”. There are a number of other shocking statistics, but this one drives the message home: “half of all women have experienced some type of physical or sexual violence since the age of 18.” My intention isn’t to undermine the significance of an event as serious as the Montreal Massacre, but it is of utmost importance that we all take the lives of countless other women into consideration. Once we do that we can move on to doing something to change this problem.

      First and foremost, men and women need to make VAW known. The media is not covering it to the extent it should be and some people are flat-out denying the problem even exists. We must recognize the severity of gendered violence in our culture and encourage others to do the same. We need to do what we can to make VAW noticed, be it by talking with those we know or something as simple as wearing a white ribbon for these two weeks (or, even better, the entire year). Silence is just as good as supporting the violence. Without realizing the problem exists, people won’t be able to change it.

      Second, urge men to take responsibility and if you are a man, take matters into your own hands and encourage others to do the same. We’re the perpetrators, so ultimately it’s up to us to change it. Before tackling this huge issue, we, as men, need to educate ourselves and change our attitudes. Learn what consent is. I’m not bullshitting you. If a man pursues sex or any other sexual activity with another woman (or another man, for that matter) and that person says no at any given time (even if consent has already been given) and the man continues, it’s rape. That’s but one example of the many things men need to know. Furthermore, men need to stop looking at women as nothing more than sexual objects. Objectifying women reduces them to mere body parts, devoid of any personality or human characteristics, which facilitates VAW. It’s much easier to hit an object than a human being.

      Third, women are not to blame, period. It doesn’t matter how a woman is dressed, what her sexual history is, or if she’s drunk; if she’s raped, it’s not her fault. Shocking concept, isn’t it? Yet, it seems too much for some to grasp. As an example, in Pennsylvania recently, men who raped a prostitute at gunpoint were charged with “theft of services”. Furthermore, we need to stop warning women to watch how they dress or where they go at night. Let’s try taking responsibility for our own actions, guys! Instead of telling women what they’ve already heard dozens of times, let’s rally for tougher laws on VAW.

      Finally, there are a number of things I could address, but I’ll leave with this: challenge the traditional roles of manhood. This view that men need to assert their “manliness” is ridiculous and leads to VAW. When a man believes it’s his duty to be the one who “wears the pants” in a relationship and all of a sudden his masculinity is challenged, he is more likely to assert his perceived superior role through violence than a man who doesn’t accept gender roles.

      If you take anything away from this, I ask you to at least raise awareness about the severity of the problem by wearing a white ribbon until December 6th and talking to your family and friends about VAW. This serious issue must be given more attention and something needs to be done about it. While two weeks spent acknowledging the violence isn’t even close to a solution, it’s a start.

2 Comments | Activism, Gateway Article, Violence Against Women, feminism | Permalink
Posted by Derek