Month: May 2018

(Conversation) – The horrific mass murder of innocent pedestrians in Toronto on April 23 triggered a mixture of torment and grief. The pain many of us experienced for the innocent lives lost in the traumatic act of violence and brutality was heartbreaking, fear-inducing and life-changing. Yet the possible misogynist and sexist motives are not surprising in a world that constantly violates women, girls and boys and the sexually diverse, (dis) abled, poor, Indigenous and racialized. For many of us, this reality brings up anger and memories of murdered women, men…

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(Conversation) – Research shows women are better positioned than men to resist the automation of work and possibly even benefit from it. Women are overrepresented in industries that require high levels of social skills and empathy (such as nursing, teaching and care work), where it would be difficult to replace a human worker with automation. Women in advanced economies also have, on average, higher levels of education and digital literacy, giving them a comparative advantage in a labour market that is continuously transformed by technological innovation. The fear that robots…

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United States (Greed) – Alexandria Brown is a philosophy student, writer, painter, and a sex worker.  Greed Correspondent Ava Rice reached out to her to explore her experiences and impressions of SESTA/FOSTA, two pieces of legislation that have been widely condemned for the potential and real negative impact on sex workers. Ava Rice:  Can you tell me a little about yourself and the work you do? Alexandria Brown Alexandria:  My name is Alexandria Brown. I’ve been a sex worker since the age of 19 when I began sugaring on the website…

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United States (Conversation) – At the core of the 1960s sexual revolution was “female sexual empowerment.” It fell short of this goal. Specifically, while the revolution made women having intercourse before marriage acceptable, it didn’t lead women to have equally pleasurable sexual experiences. This assertion comes from my vantage point as a sex researcher and educator. I teach human sexuality to hundreds of college students a year. As a teaching and research tool, I anonymously poll students regarding their sexual experiences and compare the results to published research. Both sources…

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Palestine (Conversation) – Outside observers tend to imagine the face of Gaza as resolutely male: the bearded Hamas “militant”, or the young man hurling stones across the border fence. But Palestinian women, both in Gaza and the West Bank, have a significant presence as activists, protesting against an unjust occupation, but also as the backbone of a fragmented and demoralised society. Women have been active in the Palestinian struggle since its early days. In the 1920s, they protested side by side with men against British control of their country. They…

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(Conversation) – The phenomenon of kangaroo selfies hit the headlines earlier this month, when several tourists were injured while feeding wild kangaroos in Lake Macquarie, north of Sydney. They may have wanted a memorable holiday snap, but ended up with rather more than they bargained for. One news report described how the “cute and cuddly” animals had begun “viciously attacking people”. Is that really fair on the kangaroos? Of all the adjectives you could use to describe an animal that is territorial, fiercely maternal and has large claws, “cuddly” is…

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United States (TexasTribune) – The Trump administration is making preparations to warehouse migrant children on military bases, according to Defense Department communications, the latest sign the government is moving forward with plans to split up families who cross the border illegally. According to an email notification sent to Pentagon staffers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will make site visits at four military installations in Texas and Arkansas during the next two weeks to evaluate their suitability for child shelters. The bases would be used to hold minors under…

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