With all the craziness going on in the world, elections have been on a lot of people’s minds lately. The other day I started watching Chelsea Handler’s new documentary special on Netflix called Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea. One of the things it touched on was voter suppression through rules around voter ID. It’s an […]
Voter ID Laws as a Form of Voter Suppression Read More »
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is sometimes referred to euphemistically as female circumcision, but it’s drastically different from male circumcision in form, function, and consequences. FGM involves cutting or removing parts of the external female genitalia, including some or all of the clitoral glans and clitoral hood, inner labia, and outer labia. The diagram below shows
The Tragedy of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Read More »
Black feminist researcher Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw first proposed the concept of intersectionality in 1989 to represent the many different layers of social stratification that can combine to disadvantage people. This includes factors like race, sexual orientation, social class, age, disability, and gender. Expanding on this concept, sociologist Patricia Hill Collins described the intersectional points as the matrix
Intersectionality and What it Means for Mental Health Read More »
Employers aren’t supposed to discriminate against people with mental illness. In fact, it’s often against the law. Yet employment discrimination happens anyway, and it’s a form of structural stigma. So what do we do about it when it does? Legal protection Canadian human rights legislation In Canada, provincial human rights legislation requires equal rights and
Mental Illness and Employment Discrimination Read More »
If you were around in the 80’s, you are probably very familiar with the message to “just say no” that was part of the overall war on drugs. In 1991, Saved By The Bell got on board with an episode that told viewers “there’s no hope with dope.” There was also the classic egg in
The Failure of the War on Drugs Read More »
NIMBYism is a fascinating phenomenon. NIMBYs, who think that something is okay as long as it’s Not In My BackYard, cover discrimination with a thin veneer of civility and acceptability. Among the many manifestations of this is with regards to social housing, including supported housing for people with mental illness. The NIMBY arguments NIMBYs’ arguments
NIMBYism and Resistance to Mental Health Housing Read More »
Social determinants of health represent those factors that, whether we have control over them or not, can significantly influence both physical and mental health outcomes. Differences produced by social injustice can (and does) produce systemic health inequities between rich and poor, with a “social gradient” in between. The social determinants of health The Government of
Why Social Determinants of Health Matter Read More »
Is access to health care a right that should be shared by all people regardless of socioeconomic status? Or is it a privilege that belongs to those who can afford to pay? Views on that seem to depend a lot on where people live. Growing up in Canada, all I ever knew was a public
Is Health Care a Right or a Privilege? Read More »
Far too many people with mental illness will experience homelessness at some point. Why is that, and why on earth is it acceptable? Risk factors for homelessness According to the Homeless Hub, 30-35% experiencing homelessness have a mental illness. Among women, that figure jumps to 70%. How does society allow this to happen to some
Homelessness & Mental Illness: We All Deserve a Roof Over Our Heads Read More »
As U.S. states like Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia are passing laws restricting abortion and gearing up to challenge the Roe v. Wade decision in the U.S. Supreme Court, I look on from north of the border with dismay and disgust. I wouldn’t want to live in a country where limited reproductive rights could mean that
Abortion & Reproductive Rights: My Body Is My Own Read More »
