Sophie Labelle is a Canadian author, cartoonist, and public speaker from Montreal. She is transgender and is best known for her web comic Assigned Male. She speaks on the subjects of trans history and trans feminism, coming out, and is an activist in the transgender rights movement. She aims at creating spaces for transgender, non-gender, and queer students. The key message that I got from the speaker was that the world of transgender and queer people shouldn’t be any different than anyone else, that just because they aren’t the gender they were assigned to at birth doesn’t mean that they should be treated any differently than other people. People should be more open to talking about the subject and accepting it more. If we didn’t live in a world of discrimination this wouldn’t be a problem, but we do. People think that transgender people have to constantly identify themselves, but her work aims at changing that. It’s about creating something relatable for transgender and queer people. 

Other students responded very positively to this lecture by saying how important it is to talk about subjects like this, and how it’s very empowering to see and hear that people around the world are trying to make a difference. Other students said that people should be more open to the subject, and not to have such a negative view on it. 

This event made me think differently about the subject she was addressing because I realized how important it is to talk about things like this, and it was very eye opening to see what some transgender and queer people go through. It was hard hearing what some of these people have gone through, and what they still go through every day. It brought to my attention that this subject isn’t something people can just avoid and not talk about, and how even though you don’t hear about it on a daily basis, it doesn’t make it any less important. Trans people are seen as distorted, like they’re supposed to follow the stereotypes they have on them, when they’re really not supposed to.

Sophie Labelle is a cartoonist who focuses on transgender and queer people in her comics and what they go through. After her web comic Assigned Male was released, the Washington Blade said that the comic was funny and shows how transgender humor can in fact be funny without it offending anyone, which is what her comics are about. In 2017, she released a comic book called Dating Tips for Trans and Queer Weirdos which was scheduled to launch at a bookstore in Halifax, but was cancelled because the bookstore and Sophie had received death threats. After this happened, she strongly campaigned for Canadian Bill C-16 to protect gender identity and expression, and so there would be better and stronger laws against cyberbullying. 

I would recommend this to people who want to know more about the world of transgender and queer people because it was very informative and interesting to learn more about it. I would recommend it simply for the fact that transgender and queer people face challenges every day, and it’s important to know more about them. Some people may not agree with anything that was said or be against it, so I wouldn’t recommend it to them. 

Jessica Eisenbacher

Gender relations have always been very prominent in Aboriginal cultures. This text talks about gender relations in the context of the early contact period between Aboriginals and the French and the English. All around the world, hierarchies were created based on “systems of difference”, which allows people to give out power unequally; one difference being gender. 

Many Aboriginal cultures were hunter and gatherers, led by men, and the women stayed behind caring for children, collecting fruit, prepared food, made clothes, etc. Men were the big leaders, but women’s opinions mattered too. Although labour was separated, both men and women’s roles each complemented one another and were as equally important in their societies. Women did have power in these societies, because their decisions and opinions made up a lot of how these groups ran and functioned.  Women were also very important figures in many religious ceremonies. Men had authority because they were the stronger and more powerful ones, but also because they had multiple wives. Having multiple wives was supposed to allow the women to share their tasks and belongings, and first wives had more power over the others. Although, gender relations did differ amongst different Aboriginal groups, where some were more male-dominated, some were equal, and some could become female-dominated. Many Aboriginal communities also expressed the term “two-spirit”, which means that female and males bodies took on the roles and characteristics of feminine and masculine. 

New France was a very male-oriented space. The Catholic Church accentuated that the husband/father of the family was the leader, and that the wife and children were to obey him. The church later forwarded this idea to indigenous groups. Social rank and race also created gender outcomes in these cultures. For the English, women were not needed because they were seen as threatening. Aboriginal practices and views that were uncommon to Europeans were explained in gender ways. Europeans noticed that Aboriginal women were full of hard work and labour, that they were treated poorly, and that no one respected them, but in reality, many women had a lot of power and status. Europeans were only judging based off of their own culture. 

It wasn’t easy initiating proper gender relations amongst men and women in Aboriginal cultures, and the Catholic Church had an influence over them. The fur trade created a space for European men and Aboriginal women to meet and marry, which provided advantages for both groups. These marriages created a path in which gender relations and race were altered. 

Obviously, at that time, things were very different than they are right now. Women have come a long way and things have changed, but there are still gender relations and differences. Both men and women exert a lot of power today, but according to this text, women in these cultures still had some power and authority back then too. We still live in a society where gender roles exist, and some still believe that we are supposed to follow these gender roles, but it’s a lot more flexible today than it was back then because more men and women are taking on each other’s roles. 

As stated in the reading, Aboriginal communities were very diverse, and their diversity also extended to gender relations. However, all the societies had something in common: they were all egalitarian, meaning that they valued the roles of both men and women. In general, men’s roles were to hunt large prey, fish, and engage in warfare. Women, for their part, were in charge of trapping smaller prey, gathering berries, preparing food and clothes, and taking care of the children. Despite the fact that the tasks in the communities were separated according to gender, Aboriginals recognized that the roles were complementary and equally important. Other roles in Aboriginal communities, such as the important role of shaman, could be undertaken by either men or women, which demonstrates the egalitarianism of Aboriginals. With respect to leadership roles, most high positions, such as being member of the tribal council among the Iroquois, were reserved for men, but the men were chosen by women. In other communities, such as in Haida societies, women could even become chiefs.

Women were greatly respected in Aboriginal communities, given that they are the ones who bring in new life. This respect was reflected in the way descent functioned in many of these communities. In fact, many societies were matrilineal, meaning that descent was passed through the female line, as well as matrilocal, meaning that the husband was the one who moved to live with his wife. Aboriginals also recognized that gender is not binary: they recognized and accepted those whose gender identity did not correspond with their sex. In fact, they created a category of people called “two-spirit” to refer to those who had both feminine and masculine features.

In contrast to Aboriginals, Europeans had patriarchal views of gender relations: they believed that a wife is subordinate to her husband and that she must always obey him. Moreover, as European societies were very materialistic as well as being patriarchal, property was controlled by the husband. Just like in the Aboriginal communities, there was some variation in gender relations among Europeans, especially according to wealth: those belonging to the bottom of the social hierarchy were usually more egalitarian than those at the top. For instance, in “habitant” families, wives had some authority in the house and was respected, given their essential roles in terms of survival. However, among the elites, women of high rank were seen as inferior to the men of the same rank.

Looking at gender relations from a more contemporary view, we can see that despite the fact that we have made improvements in terms of equality between the genders, we are still far from the standards in Aboriginal communities. In fact, the recent political scandal involving Prime Minister Trudeau, SNC-Lavalin and Jody Wilson-Raybould exemplifies that. Jody Wilson-Raybould, who used to be the attorney general of Canada, was demoted to minister of Veteran Affairs after she refused to set an out-of-court settlement with respect to the criminal charges against SNC-Lavalin. This example demonstrates the level of disrespect that women – even women in power who simply do their job – are subject to in our society. As an Aboriginal woman from the We Wai Kai Nation, Jody Wilson-Raybould also serves as Hiligaxste, meaning that she is in charge of correcting the chief’s path. It is interesting how in both of her roles – attorney general and Hiligaxste – she is required to make sure that rules are followed, yet in her role as an attorney general, she is punished for doing just that.

Although her presentation did not specifically address gender relations, Diane Labelle discussed other values that are important to Indigenous communities, specifically those relating to education. In fact, she mentioned that in Aboriginal traditions, learning is done holistically, meaning that different topics and subjects are taught simultaneously, and education is not constrained to a specific schedule. Moreover, students learn through concrete, real-life, examples: in her presentation, Diane Labelle gave the example of the students who decided to build and take care of a chicken coop. By doing so, they simultaneously learned mathematics, biology, marketing, etc. In contrast, in our Western society, academic disciplines are separated, and students have a harder time making connections between theory and real world. Therefore, Aboriginal traditions and values should perhaps be incorporated into the current Western system in order to promote success.

“Gender relations vary from one culture to another” say Keough and Campbell in their text. This is evident in the differences that first existed between the Aboriginal and European cultures in the time of colonization. In many aboriginal groups, there is an egalitarian relationship that exists between men and women. The Mi’kmaq men tend to be leaders, but the women are respected and relied on for their opinions and decisions. In Inuit communities, both genders can become Shamans, highly respected mediators. Iroquoian nations are matrilineal and matrilocal, with women exercising just as much power as men and playing very vital roles. How these populations share power was unfamiliar and disturbing to the European colonizers, specifically the religious and patriarchal French missionaries. There is also a far more complex idea of gender relations that exist in North American Aboriginal communities, known as “two-spirit” experience. In some cultures, this consists of both a male or female assuming a both male and female role and appearance. In other cultures, for them this means male-bodied individuals assuming feminine roles and appearance, and vice versa. This includes having sexual relationships or marrying people of either sex regardless of the individual’s sex. This was viewed as a very abnormal gender system consisting of men that were too weak and soft or homosexual to the Europeans.

The distinct values of the european newcomers to New France stems from the fundamental catholic value that the land was built on: that the colony should operate as a patriarchal society, with patriarchal families as a social, economic and cultural foundation. Marriages at this time were not based on romantic choice. It was the norm for values to have multiple children (average 8-9 children). Divorce was not an option. The society valued status and rank. In the average family, men were workers and women were caretakers. In elite families, men were authoritative and powerful figures and women were socialites. While some elite women had plenty of autonomy and success and even competed with males, they were still always deemed inferior and always operated under the authority of a patriarchal society in the end. When the colonizers came into contact with the Aboriginals, there was a clash of gender-related cultural values, and this part of what led to the marginalization of the Aboriginals.

Compared to the European values of gender roles in the 16th and 17th century to Canadian ones now, ours are more similar to the Aboriginal ones than the 16th and 17th century. They are similar in terms of the division of responsibilities. More and more today, we see less of the traditional european “breadwinner” husbands and “homemaker” wives. More women are encouraged to get an education and be autonomous. Some men are considered the “cooks” of the family, being in charge of groceries and even taking paternity leaves to care for children. With that being said, there is still work to be done. However progressive we think we are in terms of gender, we still live in a male-dominated world where we still see gender segregation. Additionally, many aboriginal communities remain more open to concepts of gender, especially two-spirited individuals. We have labels for everyone, whereas the two-spirited individuals can look and act like whichever gender they wish, and romantically and sexually be with whomever they want to be with. In our society, we use terms: homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, straight, cisgender, transgender, gender fluid, crossdresser and so many more. While some people argue that having terms is unnecessary and others say it is, the point is we judge those who label themselves as anything other than “straight”. There are countless amounts of people who still face lots of oppression. To say there is still work to be done, is an understatement.

In different societies comes different gender roles. From early on we are assigned roles based on our gender. In the text « Gender history Early contact » the aboriginal ways of gender roles is explained. Aborginal cultures valued a women and the women was seen as an equal to the man. Her tasks were just as important as the ones of a man. Although there was some indigenous cultures that men had a stronger political power, the women were not socially oppressed.

Before colonization the indigenous communities recognized more than two genders. They were seen as “two spirited”. Meaning you could be a female with male characteristics or a male with female characteristics and you could take on the gender role you please with the partner of any gender. Of course this did not float the Europeans boat but nonetheless your role was not determined by gender, it was much more fluid. A relationship between the same gender was not necessarily seen as homosexual on the gender level, but on the level of physical sex.

Diane Labelle spoke about the differences in an indigenous approach to learning versus a more colonial way of learning. In our education system we learn about the struggles of the indigenous people. Many classes are offered on indigenous people. But when it comes to having an indigenous person in our class we often disregard them as an equal and refer to them as “they or them”. They are often mislabelled for example indigenous people should not be labelled as Red Indians and they are not half-breed(for Métis). A teacher can simply read us facts about indigenous but Diane says it is important to really dig deeper and learn about who the indigenous really are. In Canada there about 1.4 Million Indigenous people. They are the fastest growing population in Canada. The government does not value indigenous people, and never has. For example the land that they stole from them, the assimilation they put them through, residential schooling,the 60’s scoop and even the slaughter of the Qimmit in Quebec.

The Indigenous people have different values and a different culture then us, but they have always been disrespected by the non indigenous.For example during the Cold War Inuits were used as flag poles to determine Canadian land and were relocated very often with no chance of returning home. In regards to this assignment particularly I do agree on the way that gender was separated among the aboriginals. I think we should adopt a similar way of distributing gender roles, and stop living in fear of patriarchy.

The reason for the use of the labelling them as “indigenous people” is because that is the accepted term in today’s society.

Gender relations in North American Indigenous cultures were much more diverse and flexible than their European counterparts. Although many communities shared similar gendered divisions of labour, with men being responsible for the more physically-demanding roles, like hunting large game and partaking in warfare, while women took care of the more day-to-day tasks such as trapping, cultivating, and cooking, the value associated with these contributions was much more equitable. There seems to be a positive correlation between the accumulation of wealth and the development of patriarchal society; generally, indigenous groups that were more sedentary and economically secure had more patriarchal aspects, while in communities where survival was harder and greater cooperation was needed between all members in order to achieve prosperity, the system of gender relations was much more egalitarian.

Even in cultures where gender relations most closely resembled those of the Europeans, women were much more respected than their settler counterparts. Societies were often matrilineal, meaning the “family line” was passed through the mother, as well as “matrilocal,” signifying that husbands would go to live with their wives rather than wives moving to their husbands. In cases where women were prevented from holding titular roles of leadership, such as band chief, they still had crucial roles to play in guiding, shaping, and advising tribe leadership. A prime contemporary example of this lies with Jody Wilson-Raybould, who serves as Hiligaxste for her band: this title means she is responsible for helping groom the chief, who has to be man, and correcting his path when needed.

When considering the differences between Indigenous versus Western approaches to education and gender relations, it becomes apparent that Indigenous cultures emphasize a holistic approach in all realms, with the intersectional and intertwining nature of all aspects of life constantly at the forefront. Conversely, Western culture prioritizes strict divisions and segregation between sectors, from our binary gender system to educational timetables that are vigorously enforced. The failure of the latter to recognize the value of the former and integrate it into our modern society is a tragedy which deprives us of the vast potential of many individuals, exemplified by the demotion and then resignation of the very honourable and accomplished Jody Wilson-Raybould.

The text “Gender History Early Contact” was really informative about how women and men were seen in the aboriginal cultures and what their role was. Gender relations vary from one culture to another. In the Montagnais Napaski culture, men and women’s role were complementary and equally essential to the community. In most communities, men hunted large games while women fished and hunted small games. Some societies like Iroquoians, Haidas, Ts’myen in which men held greater “political and ceremonial power”, women still had important roles and their opinions were still sought and respected. In other societies like Montagnais Napaski, Mi’kmaw, Athapaskan & Inuit, women had greater power and there were relatively an egalitarian governmental structure. Both women’s and men’s work was essential to the survival of the group and the contributions of both sexes were valued equally. Before in the Aboriginal cultures, w

omen were not treated like women in today’s society. Those women had the chance to not be socially oppressed and taken seriously. Every role was seen as necessary and had the same value, which is more different than today where some women are still being paid less for doing the same work as men. They were also more implicated in the political subjects and the opinions and point of views from both were respected and taken into account when was the time to take a decision. This egalitarian behavior was only seen in the Aboriginal culture, because even when the Europeans came to this land, they were surprised by how women were seen and treated due to the fact that in their society, the man was seen as the master and had the right to rule his wife and family as well as the country he lived in, compared to the women who had the social obligation to be submissive and dependent on her husband.

I think that we should take the Aboriginal culture as an example to follow in our own society. The Aboriginals were seen as “noble savages” and innocent childlike when instead of criticizing and destroying their society, we take them as an example to fix some of the problems of our own society.

On Monday March 4th, 2019, Sophie Labelle, a cartoonist who is also a transgender woman, gave a presentation at Vanier College about her experience drawing comics, one of her most popular being “Assigned Male.” She aims to create something empowering for people who are diverse in gender through her work.  Sophie Labelle expressed her feelings about gender being assigned at birth, which she deems as unfair because the individual being assigned a gender does not have a say in most cases.  She also emphasized that being transgender is not the same thing as being gay, which she has often been categorized as.  

Sophie Labelle pointed to the fact that we often refer to heterosexuals or non-transgenders as “normal” which in turn means that being the other is “abnormal.”  She also said that transgenders continue to be hated, and it is not uncommon to hear about them being murdered.  Hearing this made me think differently in that I felt pity for the transgenders that have to go through this as a result of not identifying with their binary gender.  Before this presentation, I didn’t really think about these issues at all; however, now, I believe that it is important to raise awareness about the hate that these individuals undergo in order to prevent in and live in a peaceful society.  

In the beginning of her presentation, she mentioned the term “TERF,” which is an acronym for “trans exclusionary radical fuckers.” This peaked my curiosity, and after doing some research, I found that this term was coined by Viv Smythe.  Her goal in creating this term was to use it to describe feminists who attempt to exclude transgender women from female organizations, and also women who believe that transgender women are not female.  

Some students responded to this presentation by saying that they completely support her mission to empower others who undergo the same struggles as she has throughout her life.  Some other students that I spoke to took a different stance and do not agree with Sophie Labelle’s mission, as they emphasized that the notion of more than two genders counters basic biology. 

The key emphasis of her presentation was that transgender individuals continue to be marginalized, are expected to fit certain stereotypes, are accused of using their demonstrations to further their own agendas and brainwash children, and are treated as abnormal.  She uses examples of her experience, such as discrimination inflicted upon her by her classmates, doctors, and many others to underscore the hardships that she and others like her go through on a daily basis.  She reinforces how they should just be treated as regular human beings and be given equal chances and opportunities, just like everyone else. 

I would recommend that my friends attend this event in order to understand the backstory behind her artistic comic because it can be very interesting to a lot of people.  However, I would this presentation to individuals who are judgemental because the topic being discussed is very controversial.  

Gender relations in aboriginal cultures always deviated from gender relations in western cultures.  In the assigned text, gender relations in the early contact period are discussed, firstly amongst aboriginals, as well as the in the eyes of European cultures.  When the French first made contact with aboriginals, they were astonished at the power that women had, which was unheard of in their own patriarchal societies.

Most aboriginal societies relied on hunting and gathering for survival, and women were almost always given important roles, demonstrating a trust by men in their competence.  Many of women’s tasks included things like fishing, gathering berries, preparing food, caring for children, etc.  For the most part, these societies treated women with equality and respect.  Although women and men were not responsible for the same tasks, all tasks were treated as equally important and complementary to each other because they both contributed to the survival of the group.

One of the ways in which it is clear that women were respected in aboriginal societies is the fact that women could be shamans, which could be understood as witch doctors; these individuals had high standing in their culture, and the position was not limited to men.  Although many decision-making councils in their form of governments were made up of men, women often had something to do with it; often times, they would be the ones appointing men to these positions and having to give consent in order for important deals to be finalized, such as trade deals completed by their husbands, which demonstrates the authority of women.  

Aboriginal societies also took a different approach to gender than most other cultures.  There was not only masculine and feminine, but “two-spirit” was also acceptable; in these bodies, individuals embodied characteristics and gender roles of both genders: the masculine and the feminine.  They also did not limit their sexual relationships and marriages to one gender.

One aspect in which I find gender relations in aboriginal cultures to be unequal is the acceptableness of a man having multiple wives.  This increased their status and supposedly enabled wives to decrease their workload because it was shared; however, I view this as a disregard for the equality of women, and not something that helps them.  

When the French arrived, they attempted to salvage the aboriginal men and women by spreading Christianity, but men and women often resisted.  The French, who were deeply influenced by the Catholic Church, strongly believed in marriage because it emphasized the patriarchal family on which their societies were built.  In this European culture, women did not have many rights, especially when they were of elite status, because there was nothing for them to contribute to; however, it seems in the lower classes, women were deemed as slightly more important because they did work and contributed to the sustainment of their families.  Although women could do some things, like make decisions when their husbands weren’t there, they were still viewed as assistants to men, subordinate, and not their own people.  The way of life of aboriginals deeply concerned the Europeans because men lacked control over women; some examples of this are women’s ability in aboriginal cultures to have multiple sex partners, and lack of remaining in a monogamous way of life.  Catholics tried to change this, but aboriginals resisted greatly.  

Moreover, Diane Labelle’s presentation titled “Teaching and Learning from an Indigenous Perspective” also elaborates on the topic of aboriginal culture.  Today, because we have taken away so much of their land and previous ways of life, aboriginals often live in poverty and are unable to get educated because it costs money to attend school.  She claims that the non-indigenous education system is failing the aboriginal community because they do not keep in mind the reality that indigenous people currently live in.  She emphasizes the importance of teachers learning who aboriginals really are and how they live in order to spread this knowledge to their students.  A good way to approach indigenous teaching in a non-Indigenous education system is by keeping in mind that learning is holistic; true education from an Indigenous perspective does not schedule things.  Some learn faster than others or are more inclined to learn certain subjects better because individuals are different and therefore interested in different topics.  Indigenous educators teach all subjects at the same time; they are not divided, and this is believed to give students a better sense of self. Diane Labelle did not provide much information on gender relations in regards to aboriginal communities, but she gave an overall view of their culture today, mostly concerning education. 

Tuba Munawar

Jane Elliot was born on May 27th 1933. She is an American former third-grade schoolteacher, anti-racism activist, and educator. She is known for her “Blue eyes–Brown eyes” exercise.

The reason why i decided to do my presentation on this particular women is because I find her so inspiring. She did not need to go through all the “torture” she went throught  but she made such a huge difference in her time that a-lot of people do not have the ability to do. I found out about her because one day, like any-other college student, instead of doing my very important midterm essay , I was procrastinating on my phone. I was just going down my Instagram feed and I happened to fall upon a thirty second video of Jane presenting the blue eyed experiment.In that short video all I could see was Jane screaming at a bunch of adults which I found so intriguing that I did some research and ended up finding the whole forty minute video. Elliots first experiment was after the death of Martin Luther King Jr, on her students. She asked the students if they wanted to understand what it feels like to be black. They were all super intrigued.