stay outta trouble (so i don’t have to)
Here are a few things to keep you busy this weekend while I’m off enjoying the company of a bunch of pervert activists in Minneapolis at the 11th annual Leather Leadership Conference, in the fine company of Princess Pepper (formerly known as "my San Francisco honey P," who has now made it entirely clear he’s down with not being anonymous in my blog). I promise I will post tales of kinky adventures (well, a few titillating and name-free details, at least) and activist “aha!” moments when I get back, or maybe while I’m there if I’m not too busy.
Hmm. On second thought, it’ll pretty much definitely be when I get back.
Summary: a book launch about Muslim women and war, faith and sexuality … long live King Size … bondage makes Australian guys happy … Iranian queers go international.
Have fun! I certainly plan to.
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Voices of Resistance: Muslim Women on War, Faith, & Sexuality Montreal Launch
Saturday April 21st, 7pm
York Amphitheatre (EV 1.615), Concordia University, 1515 St. Catherine St. West.
Wheelchair Accessible – Free ASL interpretation & Childcare available with 48hr advance request
With readings and discussion by contributors, Shadi Eskandani and Nuzhat Abbas, followed by a book signing.
Edited by Sarah Husain, Voices of Resistance is a groundbreaking collection that explodes current contentions about Muslim identity, gender, war, and citizenship. Muslims—literally, "people of the book"—must seek knowledge wherever and however they can. As the prophet Mohammed sat in a cave of Mount Hira, the first command he received from the angel Gabriel was "Iqra!—Read!" The Quran instructs that obtaining knowledge is integral to one’s spiritual practices.
Hailing from Yemen, Iran, Palestine, Afghanistan,Kashmir, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Canada, and the United States, the contributors to Voices of Resistance also insist on a politics and spirituality that command knowledge that is fluid, contextually engaged, and dynamic. And in their pursuit, they are sharing wisdom of their own. They engage in conversation concerning their bodies and their communities and share compelling stories: a woman mourns the death of a cousin killed in a suicide bombing; a transsexual man remembers with fondness the donning of the veil he no longer wears; a woman confronts sexism and hypocrisy on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia; several experience being judged on the basis of skin color and political and religious affiliation that is far more blatant and ubiquitous since the September 11 attacks.
This event is co-presented by QPIRG (Concordia & McGill), the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, the Concordia Co-op Bookstore, and the Simone de Beauvoir Institute.
For more information, or to request ASL or Childcare (up to 48 hrs prior) for the event, contact the: 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, 2110 Mackay (metro Guy-Concordia) tel: 514-848-2424 ext. 7431
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Find out what local hotties King Size are up to by checking out their new website. (I have independently verified information confirming that at least one of said hotties is indeed king-sized. Ahem.) There’s a show coming up on April 28 that you definitely don’t want to miss, in which they’re performing with guests, Montreal’s revered Mambo Drag Kings. More info on that soon!
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Read up on how bondage makes Australian men happy. Well, some of them at least. A great little excerpt from the article: “[Men] into BDSM scored significantly better on a scale of psychological wellbeing than other men. ‘This seems to imply that these men are actually happier as a result of their behaviour, though we’re not sure why,’ [Dr. Richter] said. ‘It might just be that they’re more in harmony with themselves because they’re into something unusual and are comfortable with that. There’s a lot to be said for accepting who you are.’ At the other end of the spectrum – least happy – were men who reported being attracted to men but had never acted on their desire and didn’t regard themselves as gay. Researchers said the study helps break down the reigning stereotype that people into bondage and discipline were damaged as children and were therefore ‘dysfunctional’.”
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Find out more about an international Iranian queer organization whose newsletter editor lives in Canada. I wish the article had a date on it, but whatevah, it’s still really interesting.
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And those are my recommendations for you. In the meantime, I’ll be off fighting the good fight. Or something like that.
