By: Ileena Ke

On Jan. 20, thousands of people took to the streets to protest in favour of women’s rights, and Hamilton was no exception, with a Women’s March Forward Summit held at city hall to talk about what can be done to further civil rights, at home.

The agenda listed three main workshops following the 30-minute keynote speech, all of them embodying intersectionality, or the framework that brings to light the interconnectedness of various social oppressions and how that informs one’s identity.

The summit saw delegations from a vast array of speakers about various topics such as community organizing with Pam Frache, Cindy Gangaram and women, labour and social justice; Padmaja Sreeram, Sahra Soudi and Gachi Issa covering anti-racism and anti-oppression in movement building.

“The organizing committee is just really conscious of the criticism that was received by the global women’s march movement, about not including other genders, and there not being people of color,” Daniela Giulietti, YWCA’s advocacy and engagement coordinator said, in a phone interview. “We have really tried to push [intersectional feminism] to the forefront.”

Criticisms of last year’s march were aimed at the continuous presentation of white, cis-gendered, straight middle-class women. The keynote speaker, Brittany Andrew-Amofah, Policy and Research Manager at Broadbent Institute, spoke of the significance of including diversity in race with a statistic.

“53 per cent of white women voted for Trump,” she said, then added that the point was not to antagonize white women, but to show the result of excluding various voices. “Oftentimes, race is chosen over gender.”

While the movement within the last year brought intersectionality into the rallies and events, Andrew-Amofah questioned whether it was “truly intersectional”. She referenced an image taken during a march, noting the pink hats with stubby antennae. These “pussy hats” were a form of exclusion. A symbol for a uterus, the hats centered cisgender women and left trans women out of the conversation.

Embodying intersectionality into advocacy was not the only objective for the organizers. Inspired while at the women’s convention in Detroit, and by a book on the women’s shelter movement in Canada, Giulietti wanted to revisit the energy of last year’s march.

“I really want women and other non-men genders to have the tools to be effective change makers and to create the future that they want to see in their community.” Giulietti said. “The objective [of the summit] definitely is to shift the conversation from word to action. And I think the first way to do this is through education.”

Andrew-Amofah liked to approach it as “organize to be politicized.”

“Feminism is great. It’s a place of solidarity,” she said in her speech. “If we don’t change it into… policy change, we’re going to be organizing forever.”

“What I’d like to see come out of this, is concrete change, whether they’re small or large. A greater push to work together to do something concrete. Whether it’s a motion at the municipal level, or whether it’s another campaign, like a postcard campaign to send to the federal government, I’d like to see something concrete come out of this,” Giulietti said. “We make sure the floor under all women is strong, and work together to break glass ceilings. … We work together to achieve the equity of men.”

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By: Rachel Guitman - WGEN Contributor

One of the goals of Making Waves, formerly known as International Women’s Week, is to reframe conversations about gender equity to include those who are agender, transgender or gender nonconforming. These conversations are also meant to communicate the idea of activism, progress and creating inclusive spaces. The event aims to raise awareness and engagement among students about the intersectional feminist work that the Women and Gender Equity Network does.

There are events open to all and events focused on Black, Indigenous and people of colour. This is similar to WGEN’s BIPoC Bodies are Dope campaign, which took place before the February reading week. Certain events are closed, meaning they are only open to certain groups based on identity or experience.

These open and closed events have different purposes. Open events, like WGEN’s documentary screenings and workshops, are a great way to get people engaged in conversation. Conversely, closed events give specific groups, e.g., BIPoC or survivors of sexual assault, a space where they feel comfortable and safe in sharing their perspectives and experiences. These closed events aim to support, validate and create space for people who do not hold privileged identities. The closed half of the event allows for more intimate discussion among those with shared experiences.

The open half of the event is a good opportunity for allies to learn and listen about experiences they haven’t had without speaking over the voices of others. This allows participants to learn how to be better allies through opening themselves to the lived experience of others.

In a world that caters to White, cisgender, heterosexual men, it is vital to have a space carved out for BIPoC to feel safe. For example, if one of the events during the previous Bodies are Dope campaign had been open instead of closed, the topics, anecdotes and tangents that were brought up would have been missed. If events like that are not closed, then people may be worried about saying the wrong thing, and might be insecure about sharing their experiences. By closing events to individuals with lived experience, they provide a safe and cathartic environment to promote solidarity in a space with others who have shared experiences.

Community-building helps discussions about how the McMaster community treats issues of gender equity. These closed events, such as the Trans on Campus workshop during Transforming Mac Week, address the questions and concerns that would not normally occur to those without lived experience such as requesting a name change in the university. This is something that is simple and practical, but is able to have a significant impact on people’s experiences at McMaster.

The quantity of events throughout the week should be sufficient to cater to those who want closed, safe spaces to discuss issues affecting them and open spaces for allies to learn more about issues affecting other people. Both are needed to create educated discussion about the issues at hand.

Farzeen Foda

Senior News Editor

In cooperation with the YWCA Hamilton and McMaster University, the McMaster Students Union hosted on March 6 the first ever International Women’s Summit in light of International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day takes place this year on March 8.

With the goal of bringing down the barriers that continue to hinder the advancement of women in society, the event saw insightful messages of inspiration and anecdotes from guest speakers and attendees.

Six panellists coming from an array of backgrounds spoke about how they tackled the barriers they faced in the pursuit of their goals: Carys Massarella, president of the Medical Staff Association at St. Jospeh’s Hospital and the first transgendered person to be president of a major hospital; Nora Loreto, former Ryerson Student Union President; Ava Hill, Mohawk native and aboriginal affairs leader; Marva Wisdom, former political candidate; Charlotte Yates, dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Kim Crosby, co-founder of The People Project.

The evening began with a keynote address from Sheila Deane, professor at the University of Western Ontario, and Denise Doyle, CEO of YWCA Hamilton. Deane discussed her astonishment with the poor female representation in the literary world and the subsequent reaction by fellow professors to literary work by women.

Doyle spoke of the need to encourage and support women as they take on leadership roles, referencing the experience of a close friend of hers, current NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

Both speakers acknowledged that it is simplistic to say that we need more women in power. The challenge arises in voicing and acting upon the need for equality.

Doyle expressed that while women may be found in prominent positions they are too often silenced and are not the ones, “shaking the agendas.” The role of universities does not stop at simply educating women, but must also push the boundaries rather than reinforce them, noted Deane.

The six panellists addressed an array of issues plaguing the advancement of women in our progressive modern society.  Massarella spoke of her transgender experience and how her transition impacted her career as a doctor. She found that she was not as highly regarded as she once was as a practicing male physician. “I experienced some new barriers which I never expected,” she said.

Loreto shared her tumultuous experience as a student representative of Ryerson University finding herself amidst controversy at the university which subsequently led to threats to her safety.

Hill has held numerous leadership positions in Aboriginal Affairs. As a young girl, she was not encouraged to continue her education, but now as a single mother, has encouraged her daughter to pursue higher education and support Aboriginal issues.

Wisdom shared her gruelling experience in politics as a woman of colour and spoke to “the fierce urgency of now,” stressing that there is no gain in waiting for change.

Growing up with a strong female presence, Yates shared her experience as a young woman seeking employment in construction. She was questioned and doubted but persevered and landed the position, after which she found herself as one

of the only women in her PhD class. She stressed the need for women to hold onto the support of each other, and avoid feeling compelled to choose between a focus on either a career or family life, explaining that it is possible to strike a balance.

She discussed some of the narrow-minded commentary she recieved upon taking maternity leave as some regarded maternity leave as taking an easy break.

Coming from an extremely diverse lineage and comfortable with being a “femme girl,” Crosby stood against those who questioned her ability to perform her job simply because she enjoys dressing and acting like a girl. Crosby works in a range of settings, with the common theme of advising and counselling at-risk populations. “I can wear eyeliner and be a leader too,” she said defiantly.

The event was hosted in an effort to encourage more women to be active participants around decision-making tables. Canada currently stands in 40th place worldwide with respect to female representation in Parliament, falling behind such countries as Libiria.

For the MSU, the 2011/2012 academic year marks the first time that the Board of Directors, composed of the president and three vice-presidents, has both genders equally represented, noted former MSU president Mary Koziol.

Supported by personal anecdotes, statistics and research findings, it remains evident that better female representation and inclusion can yield positive results. Anecdotes, research and statistics however, only too often show that movement in this positive direction is not happening at an excusable rate.