Its never too late to join the resistance and help dismantle patriarchy and other forms of oppression. If you missed the International Womens Day march last weekend, there are still plenty of opportunities to celebrate feminism in all its intersectional glory.
The past 365 have been hard on women, especially for those who identify as queer, Indigenous, Black, racialized, trans, differently abled, immigrant, homeless the list goes on. Our courts continue to fail survivors of sexual violence. Families of missing and murdered Indigenous women still seek justice. Pay inequality still exists in many industries. Immigrant women, particularly Muslim women, are harassed on our streets. There is still so much work to be done.
That being said, there are achievements to celebrate, and a number of events are happening across the city on Thursday (March 8) for International Womens Day. Gather your girl gang or show up as an ally and honour the work of women past and present to hopefully build a more equitable and inclusive future for all women.
Bad Girls Collective, a feminist book club that also runs workshops and social events, is hosting a market featuring female makers at the Drake General Store. From 4 to 8 pm, purchase T-shirts from Leeloodles, vegan and gluten-free baked goods from Dolled Up Desserts and Quinsco jewellery. Artist Sophie Berg will be drawing portraits of attendees. Additionally, 10 per cent of all Drake General Store in-store and online sales that day will benefit Sistering: A Womens Place, which provides 24-hour shelter and services to homeless and at-risk women. See website for details.
Beer culture can sometimes mean bro culture, so the Society of Beer Drinking Ladies is here to remedy that. All genders are welcome to a tap takeover and dinner at the Craft starting at 6:30 pm. Taste more than 15 one-off beers brewed by women followed by a buffet-style dinner with beer pairings guided by women brewers. Theres no admission fee to enjoy the tap takeover, but the dinner costs $85. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Womens Foundation. See website for details.
Shake off the patriarchy at a feminist dance party boasting gender-neutral Doritos at the Swan Dive. Head there after 9 pm where DJS Lana Leprich and Chandler Levack will be spinning women-centric songs alongside visuals from 80s and 90s cartoons. Cocktail specials, including non-alcoholic options, and no cover mean everyone can partake. See listing for details.
In an effort to draw more attention to women in film and television, TIFF is partnering with HBO to present screenings of Olive Kitteridge, Love Crimes Of Kabul and Suited to the big screen. These daytime screenings are free to TIFF members only however, a panel discussion on Insecure is open to the public at 8 pm. As well, all folks are invited to help TIFF update the Wikipedia entries of women in the Canadian film and television industry by dropping by their Wiki Edit-A-Thon from 12 to 7 pm. The event takes place at TIFFs Film Reference Library, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptops (although there will be a few computers to borrow). See website for details.
Be inspired by 10 female creatives and entrepreneurs at the Design Exchange from 6 to 9 pm. Speakers including Odessa Paloma Parker of Van der Pop, Alyssa Bertram of Easy and Izzie Colpitts-Campbell of Dames Making Games will have just under seven minutes each to present their startups, challenges, successes and inspirations. The presentation will be followed by refreshments and an opportunity to network. The event is free but pre-registration online is required. See listing for details.
Toronto Womexn in Music and herHABITAT present an International Womens Day concert at 8 pm at Array Space. Join host and performer Skye Wallace with musical acts Winona Wilde, Lydia Persaud and Merival, as well as artist jes sachese and pop-up vendors NEW FRDM and Knot Naked. Admission is $10 and all proceeds from the event including a silent auction, will benefit Sistering: A Womans Place. See listing for details.
michelled@nowtoronto.com | @michdas
