Fifty Shades Of Grey Protest At Galaxy Cinemas Theatre In Peterborough

There have been protests worldwide at theatres—ranging from London, England to Los Angeles—from protestors who say Fifty Shades of Grey glorifies sexual abuse and domestic violence towards women. Part of a headline for a Forbes.com film review said it's "Abusive Gender Roles Disguised As Faux-Feminism". Protests included one by the Trent Feminist Society, who brought placards outside of Galaxy Cinemas Theatre in Peterborough Friday night (February 13th) to shed a different perspective on the book/movie in regards to the controlling way Anastasia Steele was treated by Christian Grey according to this Facebook comment on Magic's 96.7 Facebook page. The commenter noted they were not trying to prevent people from watching the film but rather to encourage a different point of view, and spread awareness and give resources to those in need. They also handed out pamphlets containing info on the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in order to prevent, support, heal and educate.

**You can read The New Yorker's review of the movie here, and read a frank conversation on Buzzfeed about the sexual dynamics in the movie here.

Photo via Magic967fm Facebook Page

[via Magic 967fm Facebook page]

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Tweet & Text-Up: Fleming College Promoting Mental Health Awareness Through Bell Let’s Talk

Staff and students at Fleming College will promote the importance of mental health awareness through the Bell Let’s Talk initiative on Wednesday, January 28th.

The Counselling department, along with faculty and students in the college’s community services programs, are inviting students and employees to join in the conversation about mental health at a special tweet and text-up that will take place at the Sutherland Campus.

Bell will donate five cents to mental health initiatives for every tweet, text, email or long distance phone call made through the Bell network. All who would like to participate at Fleming are invited to wear a blue shirt and stand in the main foyer at 11:55 a.m. for two minutes of texting and tweeting.

“We would like to raise money for mental health awareness," says Fleming Counsellor Anita Arnold. "Myths about mental illness contribute to stigma so awareness is critical to dispel those myths and end stigma. Be aware of the language we use to describe mental health issues. Be kind to those who struggle with or have been affected by mental illness. Listen, ask questions and, most importantly, talk about it."

For more information on Bell Let's Talk Day, click here.

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Missing & Murdered Aboriginal Women Awareness Campaign Launched By Peterborough's STRUTT

Peterborough's STRUTT Central has launched an "Unmask the silence" campaign to raise awareness about the number of Indigenous women who are going missing and being murdered at a much higher rate than other women in Canada—a rate so high it constitutes nothing less than a national human rights crisis.

STRUTT's program was undertaken with young girls from the Cree Nation of Wemindji to spread awareness on this crisis. The impactful photographs below (and above) from the series were taken by Paisley Spence Photography. The campaign was directed by Christina Abbott, who tells us the backstory for how it came together in this photo essay below...

Christina Abbott... "I was working with Mickey Decarlo, a First Nations Woman in our community, and her group of young Cree women. Mickey serves as a mental health worker at the Cree Nation of Wemindji Wellness and Culture Program. She meets with the girls individually every week to discuss issues concerning them over lunch."

Abbott... "Mickey, who lives in Peterborough, brings the girls from Wemindji to Peterborough at least once a year, and arranges fun and meaningful activities for them while they're here in town. Amnesty international states that: 'Indigenous women are going missing and being murdered at a much higher rate than other women in Canada—a rate so high it constitutes nothing less than a national human rights crisis.' As a First Nations woman, Mickey sought to educate the girls on the seriousness of this crisis by challenging them to picture the effects of similar tragedies on their family and/or loved ones."

Abbott... "Together, we decided to make an awareness campaign as so many, including myself, have gone years without knowledge of the extent or severity of the crisis affecting Aboriginal women. By asking the girls to act as models in campaign photos showcasing facts and figures on the crisis, we endeavoured to educate them on the dangers they may face, as well as spreading awareness beyond their community."

Abbott... "The butterfly is the national symbol behind the struggle to combat this crisis; it represents the individual beauty of each woman that is missing. In our images, the butterfly mask being removed symbolizes the unmasking of the cold hard facts that we all need to face together. We want Canadians to see the plight of these women as though they were our sisters."

View more photos in the striking series below...

You can view the entire photo essay here on the campaign. (Hair and Makeup by STRUTT Beauty's Jasher Guiel, Carolyn Abbott, Brandy Aston, Jacqueline Hoss, Christina Abbott. Creative Direction by Christina Abbott. Research facts by Camellia Shaw.)

For more information, check out Amnesty International and Native Womens Association of Canada.

Please spread the word about this campaign on your social media channels.

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