ANIMALS

END ANIMAL CRUELTY!

Puppy Mills 101

Countless dogs are bred for profit and kept in cruel conditions just to keep the puppy industry in business. Learn how this shadowy industry works and how it hurts dogs
ALL DOGS DESERVE THE GOOD LIFE!
ALL ANIMALS DESERVE TO FEEL SAFE JUST AS MUCH AS HUMANS!

go to hsi.org !!!!!!!!

YOU CAN HELP!

- Ban the shooting of badgers immediately.

- Urge the government to introduce a bill to ban cosmetic animal testing.

- Tell government leaders to oppose cruel ag-gag laws.

- End wildlife killing contests in British Columbia.

- End the wolf cull in British Columbia:
Caribou are struggling as a result of habitat loss due to industrial development authorized by the BC government, not due to predation by wolves. Live in Canada? Call to end the cruel and needless BC wolf cull!

Ask UK Government to release results of trophy hunting consultation

The UK Government have still not released the results of the trophy hunting consultation which closed in February. Sign our petition now calling on the UK Government to release the results and bring forward a ban.

3 WAYS TO BE AN INTERSECTIONAL FEMINIST ALLY

Through our partnership model of working with existing women's rights organisations across the Asia Pacific region, we make it a priority to build and contribute to an inclusive feminist movement. A big part of that means always approaching our work with an intersectional lens, and we continue to learn so much from the amazing people we work with on what it means to be an ally.

Previously, we spoke a bit about the history of intersectional feminism, and what it means to us. Intersectionality can seem complicated, but it's really just about acknowledging that women can face different types of oppression.

This doesn't mean one person's feminism is more important than the other. It doesn't take away from any of their experiences. It's just means approaching women's rights issues from a position that takes into account all women, in all their diversities. Here are a few ways you can try to be a supportive, inclusive and intersectional feminist ally.

KNOW YOUR PRIVILEGE

The barriers faced by a middle class woman living in Melbourne are not the same as those of a queer woman living in rural Fiji.  Women aren't just exposed to sexism – racism, ableism, ageism, homophobia, transphobia, and religious persecution are intrinsically linked to how diverse women experience inequality.

As a feminist movement, we need to advocate for the equality of all women – not just those who experience the same barriers as we do.

To begin to understand the additional degrees of difficulty some women live with, it's important to look at your own privilege. This can feel like a personal attack, but it isn't. It's about noting that your personal history may mean that in some way, you've been spared the oppression another woman may have experienced.

You may not know what it's like to live as a person with a disability, or have never had to deal with racism. But a woman who has may not have experienced discrimination that you have, like homophobia. Checking your privilege isn't about creating a sliding scale of who's worse off – it's about learning and understanding the views of other feminists, and remembering that we're all in this together. True equality leaves no one behind.

This is a great article that breaks privilege down, and Mia MicKenzie of podcast Black Girl Dangerous gives great advice on a few things to keep in mind.

TAKE THE TIME TO LISTEN AND MAKE THE SPACE FOR OTHERS

So you've self-reflected on your own levels of oppression and feel ready to support your sisters to stand up for their rights. The best way to do this? Give them your full attention, and listen.

Their stories may not make it into mainstream media often, but they're there – sometimes it just takes a little digging. If you live in a capital city, there are likely to be feminist events and festivals you can attend where diverse women come together to share their experiences.

Melbourne, for example, has hosted events such as the Women of the World Festival, Women of Letters, the Girls on Film Festival, Breakthrough, and the Feminist Writer's Festival. There are also panel discussions that pop up at places like the Wheeler Centre – most states have similar organisations that you'll be able to find through Twitter, Facebook or Google.

If you can't find physical avenues to hear from women where you live, social media is a treasure trove of wonderful humans to learn from, follow and engage with. You can find some great lists of Twitter feminists here, here, and here. On Facebook, Everyday Feminism is an invaluable resource – its diverse array of writers speak about their personal experiences, provide advice on how you can be more inclusive in how you speak about women's rights, and perfectly illustrate how privilege affects people to differing degrees.

Listening can also mean stepping back. As much as you can in real life, make the space for other people to speak up about their experiences. Advocating for other's issues doesn't mean speaking for them – it could be as simple as sharing a Facebook post, or giving space for diverse voices in conversations, whether it's at work or at the pub.

In some situations, it may involve having awkward conversations with people you feel are saying problematic things. This can be hard, but this article and this article are great guides on how to do so. Sometimes being an ally is just as important as being and advocate.

KNOW THE POWER OF WORDS

If you've acknowledged how elements of your life experience affect your place in society and are making an active effort to listen to voices different to your own, you're already well on the way to being an intersectional ally. But to be a true friend to the movement, it's important to remember that at the end of the day, it's not up to other women to educate you on their subcultures or experiences. This is where reading comes in.

There are a tonne of books that can help shed light on the experiences of women – here's a great list. If you're more of a podcast person, we've compiled a list of some of our favourites – check it out here.

Something else to look at is your own words. Think of all the subtle but hurtful microagressions you experience as a woman on a daily basis – being told you're bossy, rather than assertive; being told the way you dress means catcalling is your fault; being judged for being a working mother, or one that chooses to stay home. The people saying these things probably don't actively mean to offend – but they do.

Now imagine what LGBTQI women, women of colour, women with disabilities or women of a particular background would have to contend with. Hearing people use words like 'ghetto', 'crazy', 'psycho', 'retarded' or 'gay' as insults. Telling them they're pretty for *insert racial, sexual or physical identifier here*. It's not meant to harm, but it does. Keep this in mind when you speak, and gently pull your mates up if they use this kind of language. It seems inconsequential, but subtle shifts around how we discuss those around us add up to fewer discriminatory attitudes in the long-run. You can read great guides on words to avoid here and here.

As the wonderful Audre Lorde (an incredible queer black feminist pioneer) famously said, "I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own."

We can't achieve true equality of women without equality of race, sexuality, religion and every other social issue that affects women's lives. One thing to keep in mind that no one will ever be the perfect intersectional feminist ally – it's a journey, not a destination anyone ever fully reaches. You will make mistakes, and that's okay – you just need to always be open to learning.

The more diverse your knowledge of these issues become, the better ally you'll be able to be to the entire movement, and the stronger the movement becomes.

WHAT DOES INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM ACTUALLY MEAN?

You may have heard the phrases 'intersectionality' or 'intersectional feminism' cropping up more and more lately. Intersectionality has recently taken on more space in public discussions about feminism, but it's not new – even if it was only added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary last year.

It defines intersectionality as "the complex, cumulative manner in which the effects of different forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect". To break that down, it essentially means that discrimination doesn't exist in a bubble – different kinds of prejudice can be amplified in different ways when put together.

It's a critical concept, but one that some people find confusing.

Here's where it all began, how it's used today, and why it matters to our work.

The history

The word itself was first used by scholar and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. While still a student studying to be a lawyer, she saw that gender and race were looked at as completely separate issues. To Crenshaw, studying them in isolation to each other made no sense. She saw that women of colour, for example, are doubly discriminated against, particularly in law.

The 1976 case of Degraffenreid vs General Motors is used by Kimberlé Crenshaw to this day to illustrate intersectionality.  Five African American women sues car manufacturer General Motors for racial and gender discrimination. But the courts found that women in general weren't discriminated against when it came to jobs as secretaries, and the fact that GM employed African American factory workers disproved racial discrimination.

It ignored the fact the sheer majority of secretaries were white women, and factory workers were all men. So the women lost.

Intersectionality today

Despite coining the term, Crenshaw is the first to admit that she's not the first to articulate its true meaning, citing women like 19th century Black Liberation Activist Anna J. Cooper all the way through to living legend Angela Davis, a prominent political activist.

As Crenshaw built on these foundations, modern feminists build on hers – today, intersectionality encompasses more than just the intersections of race and gender. It's now widely used to illustrate the interplay between any kinds of discrimination, whether it's based on gender, race, age, class, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, gender or sexual identity, religion, or ethnicity.

Why it matters to our work

The whole purpose of intersectional feminism is to listen to different kinds of feminists – not just ones like yourself. Making your feminism intersectional makes perfect sense to us – your life experiences are based on how your multiple identities intermingle. And we can see compounding forms of discrimination experienced by the women we work with. There are many examples, but here are just a few. DIVA for Equality, for example, tell us that LGBT women in Fiji found it more difficult to access disaster relief in the wake of Cyclone Winston.
In Timor-Leste, class and socioeconomic discrimination intersect with sexism, making it hard for poor women to get elected because of the high cost of campaigning in the newly democratised nation.
Research IWDA has contributed to in Cambodia shows that women with disabilities are more likely to face violence from immediate family members, and more likely to experience controlling behaviour from partners.
Intersectionality is a broad concept, and it's still one that's hotly debated in the feminist community. We don't claim to be authorities on anyone else's feminism, but to us, acknowledging how different forms of discrimination intersect with and amplify gender-based discrimination is a critical way to ensure all women reap the benefits of women's rights.

SELF CARE!!!!!!

healing is not linear.
you are doing the best you can. that is enough
i want you to know that as hard as things are right now, nothing is permanent. it's a pretty cliche statement but i promise you this as someone who also struggles with their mental health.

grounding yourself * helplines
dealing with suicidal thoughts
healthy coping mechanisms

↺

being lgbt can be hard. but who you are is beautiful.
trans affirmations * questioning your identity
dealing with gender dysphoria

↺

YOU ARE TRANS ENOUGH.

tw - body mention
you understand your identity best
the pronouns and name you use deserves to be respected
you do not need to define your identity to fit cis ideals
you do not need to medically transition to be trans
your relationship with your body is yours and yours only
you do not need to fit in a binary
there is no right or wrong female, male or non-binary body

back to lgbt+

questioning your identity is okay. there is no time limit on how long you can take to figure yourself out. you don't ever have to label yourself if you don't want to. your community will welcome you with open arms.

crowdsourced lgbt dictionary * am i a lesbian?
info on being non binary * trans faq
whats a neo pronoun? * whats a xenogender?
non-binary lesbians * bisexual vs pansexual
info carrd on bisexuality

welcome to queer undefined, a site detailing the many meanings of lgbtq+ labels and phrases. each definition you see here was submitted by an individual and may not align with your understanding or even with the other definitions displayed alongside it. the lgbtq+ community is multifaceted and ever-shifting, as is our vernacular. none of these definitions is official or final. this site is not all-encompassing. it is an attempt to decrease barriers to conversation and understanding by opening a space of learning and knowledge-sharing, where we can collaboratively make meaning as a community.

theres no way around this one. dysphoria is hard. but there are ways to help soothe it.

general dysphoria tips * huge master list of info + tips
non-binary asmr affirmation video playlist
pronoun dressing room website

20 Small Things To Do When Gender Dysphoria Gets You Down

The uncomfortable feelings that come with gender dysphoria can really throw a wrench in your day-to-day life, making even simple tasks seem impossible. This type of dysphoria is often defined as a condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because the gender to which they were assigned at birth and their gender identity don't match up. When your body and mind aren't seeing eye-to-eye, it's easy to feel pretty low.

We asked people to tell us what they do to make themselves feel good when they're stuck in some serious dysphoria blues. Here's what they said:
1. Escape for a bit into your favorite playlist.
"When my dysphoria gets bad, I take out my guitar and play music. Sometimes I like to play my own music, music I wrote. Mostly I just cover songs. When I play, I feel like I'm in my own world, just my mind, my hands and my guitar. I escape into a little space inside my head and fill it with music."
— Anonymous
2. Take a moment to point out a few positive things you love about your body.
"I am nonbinary, but I was assigned male at birth. Whenever I experience dysphoria, I usually turn on some music and just let my mind clear. I've also found that it helps to tell myself, out loud, that my body does not define my gender and to point out things about my body that I do like. Just because I have big hands, doesn't mean I'm male. And I know I love my eyes. I have to remind myself that there are still positive things about my body.

Transgender Teen Survival Guide

We are a blog created for people of all ages who have questions concerning their gender identity. Read our FAQ here!
Transgender is an umbrella term that is inclusive of, but not limited to (nor forced upon), trans women, trans men, non-binary people, genderfluid people, genderqueer people, agender people, and anyone who doesn't identify as the gender assigned to them at birth.

YOU MATTER.

your situation is temporary
do not feel guilty for feeling suicidal. if you have people you trust- reach out to them. the best support system is talking to other people. if you don't or don't want to, there are still other ways you can take care of yourself.
alternatives to self harm 1 & 2 * distracting your mind

ALTERNATIVES TO SELF-HARM

Snap a rubber band around your wrist.

Find a thick rubber band and put it around your wrist. When you feel the need to cut snap the rubber band until the urge subsides.

Draw on yourself with sharpie/draw pretend wounds where you want to cut.

It's a physiological thing. Your mind sees red where you want to cut, and sometimes the urge goes away. Or, instead of cutting you can buy brand new sharpies with semi sharp edges and draw on the undersides of your arms. It can also be fun and artistic.

When you want to cut, go outside and distract yourself, or pick up a hobby.

If possible, go on a walk. It's a good idea to get some fresh air where these thought's don't seem to trap you. Exercise is a natural way of releasing endorphins, a similar reaction to harming oneself. Good hobbies to pick up are painting, or writing in a journal. You don't have to be good at it; nobody will be critiquing your work. It's a healthy way to express emotion, which is highly beneficial. Sit and draw, or read a book. Whatever you're comfortable with works!

A very simple one, blast music.

One of my various mottos: Headphones in, world out. Just get some music, somewhat cheerful preferably, and tune out the world. Embrace music, and embrace yourself. Feel free to dance like a hooligan as well.

For every cut you have, you have to wait one day to cut again.

Let's say you've cut 5 times. 5 cuts. Wait 5 days to cut again. See if you can do it. It's an alternative to driving yourself crazy by trying to stop cold turkey. Because, you're not stoppingcompletely. This is also a pact you can make with someone who desires you to stop SI. Or for burns/bruises etc, you can wait until it heals to 'X' point before doing it again.

CLEAR UR MIND AND DISTRACT YOUR SELF WITH THIS SITE!

ORANGE SHIRT SOCIETY

The Orange Shirt Society is a non-profit organization with its home in Williams Lake, BC where Orange Shirt Day began in 2013. We have both Indigenous and non-Indigenous board members. The purposes of our society are as follows:
To support Indian Residential School Reconciliation
To create awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of Indian Residential Schools through Orange Shirt Society activities
To create awareness of the concept of "Every Child Matters"
Click the button below  If you would like to make a donation to support our work.
www.orangeshirtday.org