COMING OUT AS AN ANTI-ZIONIST JEW | SHAWNA DEMPSEY ON ART & INTUITION WOMEN’S NEWS & FEMINIST VIEWS Fall 2008 Vol. 22 No. 2 Made in Canada NICOLENICOLE BROSSARDBROSSARD THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST QUÉBÉCOISE POET LOOKS LIKE SENATORSENATOR NANCYNANCY RUTHRUTH CANADA’S FIRST OPENLY LESBIAN SENATOR SUNERASUNERA THOBANITHOBANI THE MAKING OF A CANADIAN CITIZEN $6.95 Canada/US Publications Mail Agreement No. 40008866; PAP Registration No. 07944 Return Undeliverable Addresses to: PO Box 128, Winnipeg, MB R3C 2G1 Canada Display until December 15, 2008 FALL 2008 / VOLUME 22 NO. 2 news 6 NELLIEGRAMS DOUCHE BAGS OF THE WORLD UNITE! 7 by Kaj Hasselriis 8 CAMPAIGN UPDATES TEACHERS BUILD PEACE IN UGANDA 11 by Lauryn Oates KENYAN WOMEN CONFRONT VIOLENCE 16: Senator Nancy Ruth 13 by Maggie Ziegler features THE SENATOR IS OUT 16 Nancy Ruth, the first openly lesbian senator in Canada, is doing all she can to promote women in Ottawa and to help Stephen Harper’s Conservatives do more to advance the cause of equality. Feminists would do well, the senator says, to give fiscal reform a higher priority. by Kaj Hasselriis COVER INTERVIEW: NICOLE BROSSARD 20 The poet and activist asks: “Is patriarchy in your cellphone, in your marriage contract, in your perfume or in your head?” It may all depend on les valeurs, la manière. by Mariianne Mays COMING OUT AS AN ANTI-ZIONIST JEW 53: Sunera Thobani 28 Aviva Cipilinski recounts her experience as part of a Birthright Israel tour and describes how her transformative experience as part of a Birthright Unplugged tour changed the way she views her political identity as a Jew. by Aviva Cipilinski ART AND INTUITION 32 If female artists acknowledge that their work is informed, at times, by intuition, will they be marginalized? by Shawna Dempsey GRAPHIC SCENES: MARIKO TAMAKI 37 by Zoe Whittal CONSTRUCTING THE CANADIAN CITIZEN: 53 AN INTERVIEW WITH SUNERA THOBANI by Mridula Nath Chakraborty 28: Birthright Unplugged HERIZONS FALL 2008 1 VOLUME 22 NO. 2 MAGAZINE INK MANAGING EDITOR: Penni Mitchell FULFILLMENT AND OFFICE MANAGER: Phil Koch ACCOUNTANT: Sharon Pchajek BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Ghislaine Alleyne, Phil Koch, Penni Mitchell, Kemlin Nembhard, Valerie Regehr EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: Ghislaine Alleyne, Gio Guzzi, Penni Mitchell, Kemlin Nembhand ADVERTISING SALES: Penni Mitchell (204) 774-6225 DESIGN: inkubator.ca WEB MISTRESS: Rachel Thompson/BlueMuse RETAIL INQUIRIES: Disticor (905) 619-6565 PROOFREADER: Phil Koch COVER PHOTO: Susan Moss 40: Chandra Mayor HERIZONS is published four times per year by HERIZONS Inc. in arts & ideas Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. One-year subscription price: $27.50 ARTS PROFILE (includes GST) in Canada. Two-year subscription $45.99 in Canada. Subscriptions to U.S. add $6.00. International subscriptions add 40 Chandra Mayor, author of All the Pretty Girls $9.00. Cheques or money orders are payable to: by Kerry Ryan HERIZONS, PO Box 128, Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA R3C 2G1. Ph (204) 774-6225. MUSIC MUST-HAVES SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES: [email protected] 42 Zaki Ibrahim, Martha Wainwright, EDITORIAL INQUIRIES: [email protected] Hanne Hukkelberg, Ryelee, ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: [email protected] Annabelle Chvostek, Lily Come Down. WEBSITE: www.herizons.ca HERIZONS is indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index. FALL READING GST #R131089187. ISSN 0711-7485. The Violin Lover by Susan Glickman, Stealing 44 The purpose of HERIZONS is to empower women; to inspire hope Nazreen by Farzana Doctor, Waiting: A Novel and foster a state of wellness that enriches women’s lives; to build of Uganda at War by Goretti Kyomuhendo; All awareness of issues as they affect women; to promote the the Pretty Girls by Chandra Mayor; Full strength, wisdom and creativity of women; to broaden the Frontal Feminism by Jessica Valenti, Bottle boundaries of feminism to include building coalitions and support Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittal, The Persons Case among other marginalized people; to foster peace and ecological by Robert J. Sharpe and Patricia McMahon, awareness; and to expand the influence of feminist principles in Goodbye Madame Butterfly: Sex, Marriage and the world. HERIZONS aims to reflect a feminist philosophy that is the Modern Japanese Woman by Sumie diverse, understandable and relevant to women’s daily lives. Kawakami, Bar Codes: Women in the Legal Views expressed in HERIZONS are those of the writers and do not Profession by Jean McKenzie Leiper necessarily reflect HERIZONS’ editorial policy. No material may be reprinted without permission. Due to limited resources, HERIZONS does not accept poetry or fiction submissions. HERIZONS acknowledges the financial support of the columns Government of Canada through the Publication Assistance Program (PAP) and the Canada Magazine PENNI MITCHELL Fund toward our mailing and editorial costs. Oh Canada 5 HERIZONS gratefully acknowledges the support SUSAN G. COLE of the Manitoba Arts Council. 15 Pity, Sex in the City Publications Mail Agreement No. 40008866, PAP Registration No. 07944. Return Undeliverable Addresses to: PO Box 128, Winnipeg, LYN COCKBURN MB, Canada R3C 2G1, Email: [email protected] 56 Bish Wish Herizons is proudly printed on Forest Stewardship Council- certified paper that is 50% recycled, including 25% post- consumer, acid-free and chlorine-free. 2 FALL 2008 HERIZONS contributors MEGAN BUTCHER KAJ HASSELRIIS Megan Butcher is a librarian, pornographer, sex has been male since birth, a feminist since his first educator and writer living in Ottawa. The author year of university and a journalist since he covered of two chapbooks, This is What She Said and a speech by Maureen McTeer. He’s travelled the Caught My Eye, contributes regular book reviews world, come out of the closet and run for mayor of to Herizons.. Winnipeg. Last January, he went to New Hampshire to campaign for John Edwards, but fell in love with Hillary Clinton instead. MRIDULA NATH CHAKRABORTY has just moved to Australia, where she has taken MAYA KHANKHOJE writes regular book up a five-year postdoctoral fellowship with the reviews for Herizons. Her feature essay Writing and Society Research Group at the “Homeland. Security” appeared in Herizons’ University of Western in Sydney. She hopes to Spring 2008 issue. Maya’s recent book, A continue making transcontinental, herizontal Panther in Your Dreams, is published by Gyldan connections and flights of imagination. Edge in Montreal. SHAWNA DEMPSEY MARIIANNE MAYS is a performance artist and curator who has Based in Winnipeg, Mariianne Mays is a writer recently been appointed as one of three co- and poet with a special interest in the creative executive-directors of Mentoring Artists for process. Her chapbook of poetry, Umbrella Women’s Art in Winnipeg. Her contribution issue, Suites, was published by JackPine Press in an essay “Art and Intuition” is on page 32. fall 2005. CINDY FILIPENKO LAURYN OATES Music reviewer and feature writer Cindy Lauryn has worked throughout the Middle East, Filipenko also creates for TV. Her animated Central Asia and Afghanistan to advance series, My Life Me, is currently in production women’s human rights. She has written for Teletoon. She lives in Pemberton B.C., with extensively for Herizons on women in her partner and children. Afghanistan. This issue, she reports on teachers in Gulu, Uganda’s poorest province. DO YOU TEACH WOMEN’S STUDIES? Herizons is a great educational tool and women’s studies HERE’S WHAT PROFESSORS ARE resource for your classroom. SAYING ABOUT HERIZONS: Bulk Herizons Subscriptions for women’s studies students are “I love having copies of Herizons to hand available for the reduced price of just $8 each for editions out to my intro women’s studies students!” published during the university year—Fall, Winter and Spring. 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Herizons research is useful in their classes and we have had positive feedback Herizons, a great teaching tool for from students attesting to its value as well. women’s studies professors. HERIZONS FALL 2008 3 Welcome Home! Come on in to Herizons new website at www.herizons.ca Here you can relax and read your favourite articles content from past issues for your pleasure. Past from past issues of Herizons magazine. Read some issues can be downloaded for just $2.75 each, or of inspiring Canadian book reviews and music reviews, course you can order past copies by mail for $5.00 or do research for that course you’re taking. each plus postage. Membership has its privileges. Subscribers are Buy gifts online and we’ll send an e-mail notice automatically entitled to download past issues of right away! You can also renew your subscription Herizons at no cost. 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