Briarpatch Magazine » feminism

Letter from the editor: Gender politics in theory and practice

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:05:30 +0000

By Dave Oswald Mitchell Briarpatch Magazine March/April 2008 Planning and producing the gender issue each year has to be one of the most challenging and most enjoyable parts of my job. Of course, Briarpatch always seeks to connect theory and practice in its coverage, but in my experience, there is no issue that is at once so theoretical [...]

Won’t Get Schooled Again

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:00:46 +0000

Feminist home-schoolers are creating new ways of living and learning By Becky Ellis Briarpatch Magazine March/April 2008 I am a feminist. In fact, most people who know me would say that feminism informs practically everything I do: what I read, how I relate to people, what forms of political action I undertake-everything, some might say, except my decision to [...]

Sharon McIvor’s fight for gender equality in the Indian Act

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:00:01 +0000

By Barbara Barker & Tyler McCreary Briarpatch Magazine March/April 2008 In June 2007, following generations of non-recognition, and 16 years of intensely personal battles with bureaucrats, governments, and the justice system, Sharon McIvor, a member of the Lower Nicola First Nation, successfully challenged sex discrimination in the Indian Act in British Columbia’s Supreme Court. As one of thousands of [...]

Strange Bedfellows: How feminism and porn get it on at the Feminist Porn Awards

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 02:59:28 +0000

An interview with Chanelle Gallant, founder of the Feminist Porn Awards

**By Nikko Snyder Briarpatch Magazine March/April 2008**

When I first learned of the Feminist Porn Awards, I wasn't surprised to discover that Good For Her was behind them. An independently owned and operated sex shop in Toronto, Good For Her's feminism is as explicit as its inventory, so it seemed fitting that they were the ones to spearhead an annual awards ceremony celebrating filmmakers intent on subverting mainstream pornography.

But, I kept wondering, what on earth is feminist porn, anyway? In an effort to answer that question, I tracked down Chanelle Gallant, the former manager of Good For Her and founder of the Feminist Porn Awards. A past sex columnist for Chatelaine and an unapologetic pro-sex and pro-sex-worker feminist, Chanelle is currently in Southeast Asia writing about issues facing sex workers internationally. Before she left, I called her up to discuss what, if anything, allows feminism and porn to coexist.

Finding his better half: The Boy Code & the modern man

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 02:57:34 +0000

**By Calvin Sandborn Illustrations by Daryl Vocat Briarpatch Magazine March/April 2008**

Men's social conditioning takes a tremendous toll on not just their relationships, but also on their health. Those who want this to change, Calvin Sandborn argues, will have to come to terms with the concept of patriarchy-and with their own emotions.

Review of Getting Off by Robert Jensen

admin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:18:01 +0000

By Nikko Snyder Briarpatch Magazine March/April 2008 Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity By Robert Jensen South End Press, 2007 In Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity, Robert Jensen asks readers to look unflinchingly at contemporary, mainstream, heterosexual pornography and reflect honestly on what it says about the culture we live in. Jensen argues that porn represents a masculinity so toxic that conforming to it requires men to sacrifice their very humanity.

Racism, feminism, and the Sharia debate

dave — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 19:06:48 +0000

By Sharmeen Khan Briarpatch Magazine November 2005 The recent uproar over the possible inclusion of Sharia law in Ontario arbitration has raised a number of important questions concerning religious freedom and the place of religious law in a secular society. While superficially, the issue might be seen as a straightforward conflict between religious and secular practices, the fact [...]