December 21, 2013
by GUTS
- The Supreme Court of Canada has struck down the country’s anti-prostitution laws in a unanimous decision on Friday, thanks to the ongoing struggle of sex workers Terri-Jean Bedford, Amy Lebovitch, and Valerie Scott. “The prohibitions at issue do not merely impose conditions on how prostitutes operate. They go a critical step further, by imposing dangerous conditions on prostitution; they prevent people engaged in a risky – but legal – activity from taking steps to protect themselves from the risk” said Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin. Read further details about the decision here.
- I’m climbing up the walls ‘cause all the shit I hear is boring/All the shit I do is boring. Feeling conflicted about (while simultaneously dancing to) Beyoncé ? Amidst the boring shit, there’s a few pieces worth checking out. In defence of Beyoncé’s feminist intentions, Jezebel reported that Beyoncé watched Youtube videos about feminism and then made an inspiring Youtube video about that process, and, in a more ambivalent tone, Chris Randle wonders if Beyoncé could be anticipating revolution.
- Meanwhile, Aphrodite Kocieda argues that “in talking about black women’s relationship to feminism, we can’t lose sight of the sexism Beyoncé employs to get to the top” And similarly, Real Colored Girls critiques the metaphor of bottom bitch feminism, collectively saying that when faced with B’s “simplistic, pro-capitalist, structurally violent sampling of feminism…We’re concerned that the capitalist ethics of mainstream hip hop has seduced feminist allies into flirting with bottom bitch feminism in their silencing of those who would critique Bey and the systemic violence she represents.”
- Although more than 130 aboriginal bands have signed a declaration against the project, Northern Gateway pipeline has been recommended for federal approval. You can sign this petition to support these communities in their opposition to Enbridge’s project.
- In a provocative post against liberal conceptions of sex work, authors ask the difficult question: “what does sexual consent mean in the context of an institution (labor under the capitalist-patriarchal social arrangement) that is inherently exploitative & coercive?” See anarchistnews dot org’s Grin and Bare It All.
- Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Threaten No-Smile Strike During Holidays.
- While Putin isn’t sorry for imprisoning Pussy Riot, Russia has “passed an amnesty law that grants leniency to nonviolent offenders, first-time offenders, and parents of small children.” It’s unclear when Pussy Riot will be released, but it’s certain that young mothers Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina should be granted amnesty under this new law. Also, in case you missed it, Tolokonnikova’s incredibly powerful and devastatingly frustrating letters to Žižek really bring home the complexity of these women’s struggles.
- Part two of Briarpatch’s Andrew Loewen’s “The Unmaking of the Canadian working class” was re-posted on Jacobin this week. This time the conversation touches on recent Canadian political and social movements and the hollowing out of socially democratic parties like the NDP.
- Check out Ainsley Doty’s thoughtful piece on beauty pageants, sexual reassignment surgery, and the failures of the Canadian health care system.
- And finally, before you cozy-up to watch Love Actually yet again, read this. And then, if you like, enjoy it, one more time, despite everything.