EVENT: Pro-choice demo (9th July 2011)

Pro-choice Demo – 9th July 2011 from 13:00 to 15:30 – Trafalgar Square, London

Given the government’s recent appointment of Life to their sexual health forum at the expense of the British pregnancy Advisory Service, I’m organising a protest to show that we don’t think this is right. An organisation that is anti-abortion, advises abstinence, and doesn’t provide a full range of contraceptive services doesn’t have any place in influencing government policy decision. Whilst Life may offer a service to those wh…o do not see abortion as an option, we still live in a society in which women have a legal right to an abortion if that’s what they want and any step away from that endangers a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body. It has been argued that the appointment of one anti-abortion group will not make a difference to policy – I argue that this is a symbol of a further attack on women’s rights by a government that has shown itself to be retrogressive and misogynistic. We need to stand up and tell them to keep their hands off our bodies, to protest for the right to carry on deciding what happens to our bodies.

The police have not yet confirmed that this protest can go ahead in Trafalgar Square, but it isn’t inside a ‘designated area’ near Westminster so permission should be less difficult to get. Police support is desirable though, because some organisations have shown interest in speaking at a rally. I’ll post more information on this as soon as I’ve spoken with the Met.

So, if you believe that abortion rights are fundamental to women’s places as full citizens in our society, and that those rights are under threat, please join us on 9th July and publicise this page.

You can also check out #prochoicedemo2011 on Twitter.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=175470995844914

ACTION: Proposed changes to abortion law

Hi everyone,

Seriously time to sit up and act now – our government is attacking women again. Those of you following the F Word blog or keeping an eye on feminist news in general will probably already know, but abortion rights are, as usual, under threat.

Under new proposals, which won’t be well-publicised, and won’t be voted on in Parliament, women will be required to seek conselling before being able to access an abortion, effectively shortening the window she has. This counselling may be provided by organisations with a distinctly anti-abortion agenda. More information is below this email, where I’ve pasted the F Word blog post.

We need to make a *massive* fuss about these proposals, spread the word, tell people what’s happening and encourage everyone (not just women) to raise their voices and defend abortion rights.

Actions

  • Write to your MP. A letter is attached which you can adapt as you please or send in its entirety. You can find out your MP here. (Just pop in your postcode, then click on your MP’s name and you’ll be taken to a page where you’ll find their email address and postal address – you can paste the letter into an email or post it to them. Remember to add their name at the top and yours at the bottom)

Or be a superstar and do both.

Please send this email on to your friends and networks – it’s so important we stand up now and defend the hard-won abortion rights that we enjoy, but which are always under threat from those who seek to diminish women’s control and choice over their own bodies and lives.

Cheers!

____________________
The government is seeking ways to make it more difficult for women to access an abortion without bringing the proposal to a vote in Parliament, Liberal Conspiracy reports.

The Department of Health is looking for ways to force women to undergo mandatory ‘counselling’ before getting an abortion by changing existing regulations.

That is they are adopting the patronising proposal by Nadine Dorries and Frank Field in their quest to undermine the right to choose, rather that through the democratic process in Parliament, where it would at least face scrutiny by MPs and the Lords.

They also want to introduce a further ban on abortion clinics giving counselling. As Sunny says:

As BPAS (who have been targeted in this amendment) point out – around 20% of women they offer counselling to eventually chose not to have an abortion.

It’s like saying your doctor should not operate on you because they have an interest in doing so.

We’ve seen this all before in the US. Anti-choice campaigners wear away at one thing after another, till we’re left in a situation where women who miscarry and have stillbirths are being tried for murder, as the Guardian reported only yesterday:

What can we do? Writing to your MP and the Department of Health might be a good start. But also if you’re able to make the Pro-choice demo in London on 9 July, that’s another way to show your support for the right to choose, trusting women to make their own decisions, based on accurate information given out by healthcare providers.

EVENT: Wild – three women writers perform (Sunday 3rd July 2011)

Wild: women/write/speak, Hebden Bridge Arts Festival Fringe, White Lion, Bridge Gate, Hebden Bridge

Sun 3 July – 8pm – £3/£4 on the door

Three vibrant women writers and performers, stretching from Manchester in the west, to Bradford in the east, picking up at Todmorden in the middle, all come together at the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival Fringe. Emma Decent of Todmorden presents her raw, funny and vibrantly performed words – a mix of provocative poetry and performance prose. Emma has had guest poet slots all over the north west including Manchester, Huddersfield
and Preston. She was chuffed to have her first ever poetry slam win when travelling further afield last year at the famous Chicago Uptown Poetry Slam. “Thought-provoking, lasting, understated but pivotal.” Belinda O’Hooley.

Jane Steele is a Bradford-based poet whose first collection, ‘Natural Light’ was published by Currock Press in November 2010. She has been doing stand-up performance poetry in and around Yorkshire for 5 and a half years, and in 2007 was a prizewinner at the Ilkley Literature Festival for a monologue bringing Medusa to Wakefield. Her poetry makes people cry with both laughter and sadness. Well, three of her mates have cried. They told her so.

Angela Smith is well known to anyone who enjoys the Manchester live poetry scene. Impish and wry, Angela’s poetry looks at love, relationships and life with only a little help from faeries and butterflies. Her book ‘This is the Me I Would Be if I Dared’ is published by Puppywolf in June 2011, so ‘Wild’ will be one of the first opportunities to taste it.

There may even be time for a little open mic so bring something if you fancy!

EVENT: Huddersfield Feminist Collective at Manchester Slutwalk

Slutwalk (1)Here’s a couple of shots from when some of us took part in the Manchester Slutwalk on Friday 10 June.

Another Slutwalk is currently being planned for Leeds – look out for them on Twitter if you want to get involved.

[Thanks to Pictures In The Cloud for letting us reuse the pics here!]

Slutwalk (2)

EVENT: Million Mothers March/ Million Women Rise (Sunday 31st July 2011)

Dear Manchester Wimmin Rising,

Planning for the Million Mothers March (MMM) is now fully underway. The date for the 2011 event is Sunday 31st July 2011. The theme this year is the EveryChild Matters outcome “Be Safe.” After the success of the 2009 event and last year’s 2010 “Be Health” theme the committee are once again hard at work planning the programme.

Mothers Against Violence and Million Women Rise will be working together to raise money for the Million Mothers March and the Million Women Rise March on 3.3.12.

We are looking for volunteers to help us do a street collection in Manchester on 29.7.11 and 31.7.11 at the march.

Please contact Patsy Mckie, Mother Against Violence (office@mavuk.org, 0161 2268134)

or

Louise Bond, Million Women Rise (jpluy@hotmail.com, 07872015114) if
you would like to be involved

Please see the following websites for more information:

www.millionwomenrise.com

http://mavuk.org/2011/05/28/million-mothers-march-31st-july-2011/

Together we will end violence!

**

*We are at a threshold. We are going to see change. If we can create
the vision in our heart, it will spread. As women of wisdom we cannot be
divided. As bringers of light, we have no choice but to join
together.*

Agness Baker Pilgrim – http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/

EVENT: Zine Fest! Women’s Library, London (Saturday 24th June 2011)

*ZINE FEST 2011*

*Saturday 25th June 2011, 12pm-4pm, Free*

*The Women’s Library, 25 Old Castle Street, London*

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=182937295088674

Hey everyone,

So ZineFest is super nearly here! This Saturday we’ve got a great
programme of events lined up – including comic making, stencilling, zine tours,
stalls, exhibitions, crafting, a discussion on survivor zines, and a panel
on feminist media and memory- including speakers from Race Revolt,
Shocking Pink magazine, Sheba Press, and More Crackers Please. For more info
see, http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/whats-on/events/zine-fest-2011.cfm

Please help spread the word!

EVENT: Moulin Bruise – Leeds vs Berlin All-Female Flat-Track Roller Derby 9th July

moulin bruiseHi all,
Following on from today’s super Roller Derby spectacular at Huddersfield Leisure Centre, we’re excited to announce that the next roller derby will be an incredibly intense bout between our very own Leeds Roller Dolls, and the Berlin Bombshells on the 9th July!

For anyone who doesn’t know much about roller derby, it’s a women-only roller-skating sport involving people basically bashing their way around the course scoring points for their team 🙂

Click here for more info, or see below! http://leedsrollerdolls.com/moulin_bruise_2011

At least one of us will be there – get in touch if you’d like to come with!


Moulin Bruise! LRD vs Berlin Bombshells – Home – 09/07/11

Start: 9 Jul 2011 14:00, International Roller Derby!

Leeds Roller Dolls vs Berlin Bombshells

When: Saturday, 9 July 2011

Where: Huddersfield Sports Centre, HD1 1TW

After meeting for the first time on track at Roll Britannia (2009), this will be a rematch not to be missed! Flying all the way from Germany the Berlin Bombshells will be coming to the UK to take on the Leeds Roller Dolls!

Tickets now on sale here.

Standard ticket : £6.00
Children under 10: Free

If you have any questions or queries relating to ticket sales please email tickets@leedsrollerdolls.co.uk

HELP: Sexism zine

honkHey everyone,

At yesterday’s Sunday Social (which was wonderful, by the way), some of us decided it would be good to create a zine (a DIY magazine/booklet) on the theme of sexism. We want to highlight all the little (and not-so-little) sexisms that surround us every day – the aim is producing something that we can hand out to people in the street to make people go ‘oh yeah!’ and realise that the fight for gender equality is far from over.

We want *all sorts* of submissions, and we reckon everyone has something they can offer. How about…

  • A rant about something that annoys you
  • A graffiti-ed magazine cover
  • A poem or song
  • A book or film review
  • Statistics you find shocking
  • Photography, drawing or painting
  • Good news stories about feminist successes

….or anything else that you think can help to convey the message. These are just ideas to get you thinking.

You can submit entries by email or post – the zine will probably be A5-sized so bear that in mind (though we can scan and re-size anything that’s too big).

Help us to make people sit up and realise what kind of a world we’re living in.

Cheers!!

Email info@feministcollective.org.uk

NEXT HFC EVENT: SUNDAY SOCIAL, Sunday the 12th June 2011, from 1pm

Microsoft Word - 4HFCSSposterApril11.doc12th June, 1.00 – 5.00
Coffee Evolution
9a Church Street, Huddersfield (click for a map)

ALL WELCOME!

Every so often we just wanna get together, make stuff, read stuff and talk gender equality.

We take over the cellar of the lovely Coffee Evolution in Huddersfield town centre and get up to all sorts. It’s a good way to meet us if you don’t fancy a proper ‘meeting’.

All are welcome to pop in and join us for a brew. Regular features include a feminist library (bring books if you’d like to share them!), a ‘current affairs’ table with newspaper clippings and other bits and bobs, and crafty activities. We sometimes also play our own music, so bring a CD if you fancy playing DJ 🙂

For more info, email us! info@feministcollective.org.uk

HELP: Doris zine – funds needed!

consentFolks

The awesome, amazing Cindy Crabb of Doris zine fame and Learning Good Consent (two of my favoure things in the whole world) is looking to self publish her new book ‘the doris encyclopedia’ through using crowd sourcing of startup costs – so if you donate money in advance then you get the book and other things depending on how much you can offer (from very small amounts to very big)…as I love her I’ve totally pledged…I think you love her two and thought you might be interested in investigating further!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/369768719/the-doris-encyclopedia

love L x