Take Back the Night Edmonton- Sept 21st, 2012!

6:30 PM at Alex Taylor School!

Check out the event here: TBTN EVENT!

Hollaback in Social Media- Kim’s Story

A photo was posted after a social event and “tagged” by the photographer. His note said ” I hope no one notices where I tagged these ladies. Of course he was asking for people to determine where the tag was positioned and shock of shocks he had tagged their breasts. After a quick conversation with the site leader this poster was removed from the group for inappropriate behavior.
I was so pleased that the leader clearly understood that this was not funny.

Check Out Who is Behind Hollaback Alberta!

Our volunteers have many different backgrounds. Check out some of the volunteers for Hollaback Alberta: WHO WE ARE

Your Staring CAN Be Helped- Kerry’s Story

So I take my sister to her training sessions three times a week and rather than go home and head all the way back out again I usually take any work and/or a book with me and sit in a Starbucks or a McDonald’s. Two days ago I was sat in the McDonald’s typing up some notes for work when I look up and see this middle aged guy just staring down at me from the opposite side of my table. Now it’s no lie that I have a bigger than average chest and in the summer I wear vest tops which no matter what will always show that I have a bigger bust. Just because they’re there doesn’t mean this guy could stop and stare down for ages. I just glared back at him and he just smirked back. What was worse was when I told my Dad later he just said that it can’t be helped!

Hollaback ‘Toons Inspired by Real Life Events

by: Lauren Alston

Unnecessary Touching on the Calgary C-Train- Annika’s Story

This happened a year or two ago, but I thought I’d post anyway, as this man is likely still pulling his tricks, if not on this line. He seemed like old-hat at this.

I had just switched to the McKnight line out of downtown, on the way to Franklin to meet my dad; it was on a Friday late afternoon, post-rush hour. I got on the last car, in the front half, which was completely empty (in the back half were seated a few people, including a couple who looked at me quizzically as this thing played out, as though they knew something was up, but didn’t know how to react. Props to them for keeping their eye out, though, I’m positive they would have helped had this situation gone further!).

I like to read on transit, and thus had my nose in a book, sitting at the window, when a middle-aged (early 50s?) 250-ish lb, grey-haired, mustachioed man in a mustard sweater and faded jeans sat down RIGHT NEXT TO ME, which was suspicious enough as, as I said, the rest of the section was tumble-weed empty.

I shifted closer to the window, as I remember being very engrossed in my book and not instantly realizing something was off. He kept pushing his thigh closer to mine, until he practically had me pinned to the wall, and proceeded to fold his hands over his crotch, and move next to me in what was clearly a stimulating action, though maybe not obviously observable. I had NO IDEA what to do, so I sat tight till the next stop (not mine) came close, at which point I got up as though I was getting off. I walked to the door immediately behind me. This was prior to the fancy new Calgary Transit cars with the handy Emergency buttons everywhere, and I noticed that there wasn’t one at my door. Or maybe I was a little too panicked to. Anyways, at this point, aforementioned couple looked at me, though I didn’t say anything to them. The harasser has ALSO gotten up, and had gone, thankfully, to the door at the front of the car. I had my phone out, ready to dial 911 if he came near me again.

I was going to get off and catch the next train, but as we pulled into Barlow/Max Bell, HE got off, so I stayed put, and watched him stare after me as the train pulled out again.

In retrospect, I wish I had said something, but I was terribly afraid that he’d do something before the people in the back could get to me, or that they wouldn’t do anything, so I remained schtum. But thankfully, now I know better.

Ladies, if you come across this douche, RUN FOR THE RED BUTTON. He didn’t seem overly dangerous or volatile, but he definitely knew to go after me where I was most vulnerable/alone.

Flurt! Magazine Launch Party!

The Flurt! Launch Party is taking place on June 23, 2012. The event is open to the public and all ages and genders are welcome to attend from 7:30PM to 1:00AM at Expressionz Café located at 9938 70 Avenue. [$8 tickets click here!]

Flurt! has grown from a small online blog to an organization, magazine, website and community dedicated to empowering young women. We believe in improving the standards that young women set for themselves and society. By joining together, we are achieving the first step to changing the course of the future.

This event will give women the chance to experience inspiration through live entertainment by female artists, shopping from some of Edmonton’s small businesses, prizes for attendees, a silent auction, the café and bar will be open, and it will be the first place to experience the new website and to pick up a copy of Flurt!’s new print magazine!

If you’re interested in purchasing ad space in the Flurt! magazine contact Alicia Bolseng, Director (alicia@flurtsite.com) before June 7th, 2012. Right now ad space is on for half price!!

Hollaback Against Campus Harassment!

Help the Hollaback initiatives to end campus harassment and donate before JUNE 13th

Hollaback! Buenos Aires, AnyBody Argentina & Adios Barbie Stand Unified in Rejecting the New Practice of Digital Harassment

By Inti Maria Tidball-Binz & Ju Santarosa  (Hollaback! Buenos Aires) & Sharon Haywood (Adios Barbie & AnyBody Argentina) 

Read this post on Adios Barbie [http://www.adiosbarbie.com] with an introduction from Sharon Haywood, here [http://www.adiosbarbie.com/2012/05/21st-century-street-harassment/]

Every day, as women, we walk the streets, travel to work, visit our families, go out with friends, do our shopping, always knowing there is a possibility that they’ll catcall us, lean up against us/cop a feel in the subway, or follow us. Furthermore, knowing the reality of human trafficking, many of us live with the fear of being abducted off the street. If we have children, we project these fears to our daughters, who are exposed to the same reality.

Today the possibility exists that a stranger can anonymously take a picture of us and then upload it on the Internet for anyone to measure our physical attractiveness. Chicas Bondi, an Argentine Facebook page with the motto, “without posing and without permission,” exploits images of anonymous women for self-promotion. Taken secretly on local transportation, the images of these women, who could be identified by their dress and route of travel (which is also published), are subject to the gaze of thousands. In the context of a lascivious gaze, these women are exposed to a greater risk of harassment and stalking, which can be especially problematic for women who are suffering in or trying to escape violent relationships.

Chicas Bondi promotes this practice among its fans, encouraging them to upload their own photos, creating a culture of digital harassment. The feeling of being photographed in secret, or to discover your own image on Facebook can be extremely unpleasant, as one “chica bondi” described on Facebook: “Well, when I saw that I was in a posted photo, it scared me… and then afterwards, blah! But maybe there isn’t the need to post these photos online… I feel like I’m in a catalog for rapists or other sick people. It was quite shocking…” As so often happens, the social pressure to accept what has happened is stronger than the sense of shock and fear these women may experience.

On Thursday, May 24, Hollaback! Buenos Aires along with several other feminists engaged in a long conversation with the creators of Chicas Bondi (who wish to remain anonymous) in order to discuss how their project was impacting women and society. We described the reality of how women are objectified every day in the streets, in addition to the social pressures to conform to one stereotype of beauty (young, white, thin, wealthy). We reported the page to Facebook, and encouraged our followers to do the same, in addition to having them voice their concerns directly to Chicas Bondi.

We ended up extending the following proposal: if the photographer asked women to offer up publication rights to Chicas Bondi before publication, women would then have the right to decide what is done with their own image, thus giving them autonomy over their own body. After a lengthy and indepth conversation with the owners of Chicas Bondi, they committed to asking women permission before publishing their photos, and in return, we agreed to withdraw our unified campaign against the page. We hope that they fulfill their promise and also apply the same measures in any other similar situations.

Prior to our negotiations, the page published a notice stating that if a woman requested her photo to be removed, Chicas Bondi would do so without issue. It’s important to highlight the difference between this measure and the act of asking permission before posting. Once a photo is in the public domain on the Net, it cannot be deleted; the moment a photo is published online, it can be easily copied and stored by anyone who wishes to save it. It is impossible to know who has a copy or where. Worth noting is that if the photos are posted on Facebook, the location and time of the photo are saved: “When you post things like photos or videos on Facebook, we may receive additional related data (or metadata), such as the time, date, and place you took the photo or video,” even though such data is not made public.

We want to stress the importance of this new measure, even though Chicas Bondi has made ​​it clear that they did not make this choice for us (“us” being Hollaback and all women), but that they have chosen to do so for themselves. Filmmakers have approached Chicas Bondi with a proposal that would require consent of the women featured in the project. Beyond their personal motivations, we do see this as a step forward. Through a joint dialogue and an exchange of ideas and perspectives we were able to achieve greater awareness of gender equality issues.

For the record, Hollaback! Buenos Aires, AnyBody Argentina, and Adios Barbie reject the idea behind the project: it is an expression of sexism which, under the excuse of being artistic, presents women as “decorative bodies” in the public eye, acting as a “things” to be commented on and judged. This is the same concept behind the problem of street harassment. We reject the commodification of the female body as an object existing for the enjoyment of others, to be enjoyed without the essential element of consent. This form of sexism presents women as objects destined to satisfy men, removing autonomy over their own person and body. Why does the photographer feel he has the right to take pictures of women he does not know and share it on the Internet without their consent? What entitles him to do so?

To justify the existence of Chicas Bondi, the owners originally cited the [Argentine] law 11.723, art. 31 which says: “Portraits are free to be published as they relate to scientific, educational and overall cultural ends, or if they relate to facts or events in the public interest or have occurred in public.” Hollaback! Buenos Aires contends that a woman cannot be treated as a “thing” in the public interest. A woman is not liable to be “owned.” We need to stop endorsing the macho concept that, in public life, a woman is public property, and therefore “arguable” at the whim of an observer. Women’s image in society will not change if we ourselves don’t actively take charge of our own integrity.

In our favor, Article 1071 bis of the [Argentine] Civil Code, in seeking the protection of the right to privacy, states: “Whoever arbitrarily interferes in the lives of others by posting pictures, humiliating others by broadcasting correspondence that reveals personal habits or feelings, or in any way disturbing their privacy, and if a criminal offense has not been committed, the offending party must cease such activities, and pay fair compensation to be fixed by the judge according to circumstances; also the aggrieved may order the publication of the judgment in a journal or newspaper.”

We believe that anonymously taking pictures of women and uploading them to the Internet is a violation of one’s right to privacy, and threatens the personal integrity of women photographed. In addition, this kind of behavior reinforces a sexist and backward-thinking society in which the image isn’t just defined by its appearance, it is also defined by the connotations behind the image. The message being sent is that the woman is an object, defined by her passive role, thus leaving her to be exploited or suffer a loss of autonomy.

While the underlying issues remain–the objectification of women, the underlying sexism in this practice, and the way we normalize the violation of women’s rights–at least now, those digitally-captured Argentine women have the right to basic consent. For our part, we will make every effort to monitor the page to ensure that no further breach to the privacy of women occurs.

You can find the original Spanish version at Hollaback! Buenos Aires.

Hollaback Launch Party Evening Events:

RSVP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/369628976393206/

Schedule

7:00-8 :30             Meet & Greet- booths:

-SACE (http://www.sace.ab.ca/)
-WSUA (http://wsua.wordpress.com/)
-Feminist Edmonton/the ReBELLEs (http://www.facebook.com/groups/122815467787951/)
-Oxfam (http://www.oxfam.ca/grow)
-ConsentEd
-Amnesty International (http://www.amnesty.ca/)

8:30-8:35              Introduction to Hollaback Alberta

8:35-8:40              Guest Speaker: Dr. Frank Robinson (Dean of Students, UofA)

8:40-8:45              Guest Speaker: Sandra Azocar (NDP candidate for MLA Millwoods, Edmonton)

8:50-9:20              Musical Performance: Sara Isabel (http://www.facebook.com/SaraIsabelMusic/app_2405167945)

9:25-9:55              Musical Performance: Karl Andriuk (http://www.facebook.com/pages/KMA/113981098615028)

10:00-10:20         The New Dirty Pretty

10:25-10:55         Acoustic Project

11:00-11:10         Finale wrap up (Hollaback team)

11:20-12:00         Musical Performance: KickupaFuss  (http://www.facebook.com/kickupaFuss)