Activism – The INSIDER

Is Michèle Flournoy the Defence Secretary Feminism Really Needs?

January 8, 2021 newspaper Activism0 comment

Please note: Mr. Christopher C. Miller was appointed to be the next Secretary of Defense on Nov. 9th, 2020, after this article was written. This is nonetheless a reflection that is still relevant, as feminism is always a topical interest of The Insider. Michèle Flournoy is expected to be appointed by Joe Biden as the first female defence secretary of the United States in accordance with his “pledge to have a diverse cabinet”. “Ms. Flournoy’s sound policy experience will be vital to ensuring strong civilian oversight of the military, professionalism and…

Features

Sam Smith and Elliot Page: Inspirations for Queer Youth, but Reminders of the Progress Left to Be Made

January 3, 2021January 3, 2021 newspaper Activism0 comment

On Tuesday, December 1st, 2020, Elliot Page, formerly known as Ellen Page, known for his roles in Inception and The Umbrella Academy, among others, came out as a transman over Instagram and Facebook. He stated that his pronouns are he/they and expressed his gratitude for everyone who has been supporting him. He also explained how the trans community has “endlessly inspired” him. Despite the gratitude he displayed, there was another side to his coming-out letter: “Truth is, despite feeling profoundly happy right now and knowing how much privilege…

Features

Amber Heard is a Liar, Doesn’t Mean All Women Are

January 2, 2021 newspaper Activism0 comment

When looking at the Amber Heard and Johnny Depp domestic abuse case, there is a lot of hearsay present, which adds confusion and only makes it harder for people to acknowledge who the real abuser is due to a lack of confirmation of evidence. However, there is no lack of confirmation of the recording, where Heard admits to hitting her ex-husband and even laughing at him when he refuses to hit her back. There is no lack of confirmation of the fact that Amber Heard became an advocate against domestic…

News

What is Happening in Nigeria with SARS

November 24, 2020 newspaper Activism0 comment

If you are somewhat active on social media, you may have heard of the term SARS, and no, I am not referring to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. In Nigeria, it stands for Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) and it is a special branch of their police force. Throughout Nigeria, citizens are calling upon the government to finally disband the squad and to acknowledge its human rights abuses. SARS was founded in late 1992 to deal with armed robbery, car snatching, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and other violent crimes. However, critics say…

Features

The Harsh Reality of Trans Women

November 22, 2020November 22, 2020 newspaper Activism0 comment

Harmful misconceptions are rampant in society concerning the reality of trans women in prisons. For example, if one searches the term “trans inmates” in Vanier’s database, the first five results will be about “male prisoners self-identifying as females,” who have supposedly raped female guards in female prisons. These articles accuse trans women of pretending to be transgender in order to gain access to female prisons, only to then sexually harass guards and fellow prisoners alike. This is, unfortunately, the image a lot of people in society have of trans women…

News

Poland and Its Abortion Rights

November 18, 2020 newspaper Activism0 comment

Throughout the past few weeks or so, you may have heard of nationwide protests in Poland. On October 22nd, the Constitutional Tribunal instituted a law declaring that abortions for malformed fetuses to be unconstitutional, thus banning what few abortions were allowed in the country. Thousands of Polish women and their allies have taken to the streets to protest the government’s decision; protests beginning the same day the law was announced. On the next day, people took to the streets in 60 Polish cities. On October 24th, people protested in more…

Campus

Updates on Vanier’s Women’s and Gender Studies Major

November 15, 2020November 15, 2020 newspaper Activism, Campus, Vanier0 comment

As most of you may or may not know, Vanier offers a variety of majors that you can complete along with your DEC by taking calluses that count towards both your DEC and a major of your choice. Sustainability, Indigenous Studies, as well as Women’s and Gender Studies are a few examples. Completing a certificate in one of these majors not only benefits students in terms of having something extra to add to their CVs and university applications, but they also become exposed to a new perspective from which they…

Voices

Why Francophone Non-Binary Individuals Hate French

November 8, 2020November 8, 2020 newspaper Activism0 comment

“Faced with the aberration of ‘inclusive writing’, the French language finds itself in mortal danger,” condemned a statement written by L’Académie de la langue française. The “inclusive language” they were referring to was writing “directeur(trice)s” rather than “directeurs” in the case of a gender-mixed board of directors, since the masculine form always takes precedence over the feminine form, even when there is only 1 man among 50 women. If you ever wondered why this grammar rule exists in French, it is because, in 1647, the grammarian Claude Favre…

Features

What’s Wrong With the RCMP?

October 31, 2020 newspaper Activism0 comment

Did you know that John A. MacDonald got the idea to found a Royal Mounted Police Force from the Royal Irish Constabulary, a paramilitary British police force created to police and subdue the Irish? Except, this body would not only police and subdue the First Nations, but it would also kidnap, torture and murder their children in the name of Christian assimilation. The RCMP used to be known as the North-West Mounted Police and was founded in 1873 with the colonial purpose of uniting the Northwest to the rest…

News

Humanity makes the same mistake again

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 newspaper Activism0 comment

“The Chinese Government has since moved towards carrying out the equivalent of a Final Solution on Uyghurs,” says Dr. Erkin Sidick, referring to Nazi Germany’s policy of Jewish extermination. China has built nearly 380 camps in the Xinjiang region since 2017. Local authorities have reported that Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are held in these camps in order to counter extremism and terrorism. Chinese authorities initially denied the existence of these concentration camps. However, the information has been made public, including the individual coordinates of every camp, in…

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