concordia’s independent newspaper wait, this is hypothetical since 1980 Synaptic Sex : Stimulating the mind and body through show-and-tell • Special Issue insert Getting to know football all-star Corey Greenwood • Sports page 19 volume 29, issue 16 • Tuesday, December 2, 2008 • thelinknewspaper.ca You pay for Concordia’s Co-op bookstore, so go and use it • Opinions page 21 THE LINK • DECEMBER 2, 2008 • THELINKNEWSPAPER.CA/NEWS NEWS 03 Too sexy for school Why the sexualization of young women is a form of violence • CHRISTOPHER OLSON and recently starred in a docu- ‘represent’ her school in Victims of Crime Act.” The Act mentary produced by the Playboy,” says Goldfarb. intends to protect the fetus from Violence against women National Film Board, entitled The failure of schools to pro- harm which Mugyenyi believes is remains a pressing problem 20 Sexy Inc.: Our Children Under vide sexual education is under- the “first step to recriminalizing 510 Number of aboriginal women years after the Polytechnic shoot- Influence. lined by the increasing corporate abortion.” ing, says Lilia Goldfarb of the Sexy Inc. catalogues all the presence in school cafeterias and One of their most recent meas- murdered or missing since Young Women’s Catholic usual media distortions sur- women’s bathrooms, says Bianca ures is a cooperative effort with 1980. Association. rounding sex by exploring misog- Mugyenyi, the 2110 Centre for Le Frigo Vert and the Concordia Source: Native Women’s According to Goldfarb, the yny in rap music to the sexual Gender Advocacy’s Programming Co-op Bookstore to create the Association of Canada. YWCA’s head of Leadership underpinnings behind reality TV. and Campaigns coordinator. Solidarity Identification Card, Services, violence against women More surprising, says Sexism cuts across school which allows students not only to can be attributed to the increas- Goldfarb, is the recent trend of lines, says Mugyenyi, and the select their own given names, but ing commodification of young age inappropriate material aimed group which is at the largest risk the gender which they identify women’s sexuality. at children as young as four to six of sexual violence and intimida- themselves by, something identi- “Sex remains a taboo, even if years old. Goldfarb cites Baby tion are aboriginal women: the fication cards distributed by it’s everywhere,” and advertisers Bratz, a line of plastic dolls fea- Native Women’s Association of Concordia don’t offer. 77,000 have a monopoly on the public turing young babes with plucked Canada calculated that 510 abo- “The Centre [has been] lobby- Number of invasive surgical discussion of sex, says Goldfarb. ing the school to make that procedures performed on 18- “Part of the problem is that “Sex remains a taboo, change,” says Mugyenyi, “but year-olds and younger in when AIDS became huge, sex even if it’s everywhere.” instead of just waiting for them to 2005. education became about the take action, we decided to be mechanics of sex and less about —Lilia Goldfarb, proactive and to issue our own YWCA head of Leadership Services the human experience,” she says, cards.” which is another reason that sex Aside from its practical use as shouldn’t be a subject taught eyebrows, silk diapers, and lip- riginal women have been mur- a second form of personal identi- exclusively in biology and science stick galore, as well as a brand of dered or gone missing since 1980. fication, the SID cards are cur- classes. children’s diapers made to look “It’s astounding that [so many rently the only ID cards that 70 The human experience is now like women’s lingerie. women] have disappeared and it reflect the owner’s self-identifica- Average percentage of teens tion. “Being able to have your supplied through cable television All of these developments can is shocking how little attention 15 to 17 years old who acci- shows, and easy access to pornog- be seen in just the past five years, this has received,” says Mugyenyi, chosen name and gender is a big dentally encountered pornog- raphy on the web. Kids as young says Goldfarb. “When I started [at who says it is “important to deal to people,” says Mugyenyi. raphy on the Internet. as 13 “talk about sex and pornog- the YWCA in 2003], people said I remember that gendered violence Inspired by the Polytechnic raphy like they know it,” says was just exaggerating, that this is a systemic problem,” even if it’s shooting, the YWCA will be pro- Goldfarb, who was told by a 13- was just a trend.” But now that out of sight, out of mind. moting the Rose Campaign, a year-old youth that the way to tell trend is rising ever higher, that is, Mugyenyi and the 2110 Centre companion to the White Ribbon a girl that you like them is to until society as a whole decides to for Gender Advocacy have been Campaign, which asks partici- pinch their rear end. put on the brakes. working to fight gender oppres- pants to mail a white rose to their Goldfarb insists that violence The lack of educational stan- sion and to promote gender local MP as a plea for action 244,000 and sexuality converge so often as dards for women compared to the equality through a series of com- against gendered violence. Minimum number of American to link the two together, and that standards of beauty they are munity-driven projects, including “the sexualization of kids is a forced to maintain, is evidenced calling for universal access to free For more info on the Rose children at risk each year of form of violence.” by a recent Playboy centerfold, and safe abortions. The fight for Campaign, visit rosecampaign.ca. being victims of commercial Goldfarb wrote her graduate which featured McGill students. greater access to abortion For a list of upcoming events hosted sexual exploitation. thesis at Concordia University on “There was this one girl on televi- includes a concerted campaign by the 2110 Centre for Gender Source: American the sexualization of young girls, sion who said she was proud to against Bill C-484, “The Unborn Advocacy, visit centree2110.org. Psychological Association. Remembering the fallen Gearing up for National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women • TERRINE FRIDAY father as a child, blamed his Geneviève Bergeron, 21 actions for his distaste for femi- Nathalie Croteau, 23 “Force is all-conquering, but its nists on his father. Monique Anne-Marie Edward, 21 victories are short-lived.” Lépine, Marc’s mother, tells her Maryse Laganière, 25 —Abraham Lincoln own story of emotional grief Anne-Marie Lemay, 22 and survival in her book Michèle Richard, 21 On Dec. 6, 1989, Marc Aftermath. Annie Turcotte, 21 Lépine entered Montreal’s The Link commemorates Helène Colgan, 23 École Polytechnique’s engineer- the women who died. Dec. 6 is Barbara Daigneault, 22 ing school and shot and the National Day of Maud Haviernick, 29 killed 14 women. 10 other Remembrance and Action on Maryse Leclair, 23 women whom he shot Violence Against Women. Show Sonia Pelletier, 28 survived. solidarity by wearing your Annie St-Arneault, 23 Lépine, who was abused by his white ribbon. Barbara Klucznik Widajewicz, 31 GRAPHIC SAGINE CAVÉ 04 NEWS THE LINK • DECEMBER 2, 2008 • THELINKNEWSPAPER.CA/NEWS Judicial board decision in the books Driving to sustain • JUSTIN GIOVANNETTI Fuelling sustainability with a little bit of grease On Nov. 26, the Judicial Board of the Concordia Student know it's not a real solution.” students doesn't necessarily stop Union delivered a written deci- The unfortunate reality is that when Jerry and Whittaker leave sion on the complaint brought there isn't enough used deep-fryer the classroom. “Students can go to it by councillor Louise oil to go around, and it will never online and track the progress of Birdsell-Bauer. be a viable replacement for petro- our journey from the website,” The JB ruled that, “The leum fuels. Using fresh vegetable Whittaker explained. These gung- Executive […] shall present a oil is a solution, but Jerry and ho greens even have resources for motion at the December 3rd, Whittaker don't think it's ethical. teachers: a downloadable curricu- 2008 Council meeting, respect- “It's a situation of food versus lum developed with the help of a ing all applicable deadlines, to fuel,” said Whittaker, referring to British Columbian teacher to fur- address the prompt appoint- the fact that increased use of bio- ther educate students about sus- ment of a new Chief Electoral diesel is raising global food prices tainability issues. Officer and 4 [sic] new Judicial and contributing to world hunger. New York Fries in Canada and Board Members.” The pair does believe, however, Taco Time in the United States Although a five-day period that the value of their eco-trek is supplied the oil for the sustainable was provided to challenge the Tyson Jerry and Chloe Whittaker hit up fast-food joints for fuel...for their van. that it gets people thinking about journey. Participating locations of ruling, both Birdsell-Bauer and • THOM BATOR in an effort to beat the previous alternative fuel sources. “This is the sponsor restaurants along the CSU VP Communications Elie world record of 38,137 kilometres all about energy, whether it's duo's route save the oil from their Chivi said that they have not Would you like a world record set by a group of German environ- clean or dirty is the question,” said deep fryers that would otherwise done so. with those fries? mentalists in 2006. Jerry. “We have the technology be thrown out.