Margins Magazine - Volume 2 Issue 1

margins 

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

CONTENT 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Shagun Kanwar 

EXECUTIVE EDITOR 

Nadia Adam 

EDITORS 

Natasha Seeram 

Rukhsar Abid 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER 

Julia Santiago 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Amanda Yokingco 

Carmina Santos 

Fateha Hossain 

Graziella Richandi 

Helen Jingshu Yao 

Lamia Firasta 

Leon Tsai 

Lisa Hazelwood-Goudie 

Maika Seki 

Mary Achebe 


Rawan Al-Wakeal 

Rayna Sutherland 

Shagun Kanwar 

Shangari Baleswaran 

Srimathanky Srikugan 

Equity Statement & Land Acknowledgment 7 

Editor’s Note 9 

Tricia’s New Dress 11 

Home 13 

The Love of Your Life Has Always Been You 15 

A Question 17 

Mother 17 

Amanda Yokingco - Photo Series 19 

Us and I 23 

Lamia Firasta - Poetry 25 

Knitting on the Bus 27 

HERstory: Lessons Not Regrets 29 

The Story I Tell While Cleaning 31 

Missing & Murdered 35 

Justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women 36 

Leon Tsai - Poetry 37 

I Am... 39 

My Daughter is Water 41 

Fateha Hossain - Photo Series 43 

Hadia Ghaleb: Embodiment, Empowerment, Identity 47 

What Oppression? 55 

6 Resources for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Toronto 57 

About the Women’s and Trans Centre UTSC Team 59 

At the Centre Podcast 63 

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EQUITY STATEMENT & 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

We shall neither condone nor tolerate behaviour that undermines the 

dignity or self-esteem of any individual or creates an intimidating, hostile 

or offensive environment in our physical and digital spaces. It is our collective 

responsibility to create spaces that are inclusive and welcome discussion. 

Any form of discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated. 

Hate speech rooted in, but not limited to, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, sexist, 

racist, classist, ableist, homophobic, or transphobic sentiments and/or remarks 

will also not be tolerated. We all have an obligation to ensure that 

an open and inclusive space, free of hate is established. Any behaviour that 

does not demonstrate an understanding of these principles and/or creates 

an unsafe atmosphere will not be tolerated. 

We must continue to work towards ending systematic and institutional 

violence, by reminding ourselves to include Indigenous people in our 

collective decision making for social justice and equity. 

As settlers in Canada, we have directly benefited from colonization 

and genocide of Indigenous people of this land. In order to engage in resistance 

and solidarity against injustices inflicted on Indigenous people, it is 

crucial that we constantly engage in acts of decolonization. 

The first step is to acknowledge that we are on the traditional territory 

of the treaty of the Dish With One Spoon, the Anishinaabe of which includes 

the Mississauga of New Credit peoples and the Haudenosaunee, the 

people of this traditional territory. We would also like to pay our respects 

to their elders past and present, and to any who may be here with us today, 

physically, mentally, and spiritually. 

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editor’s 

EDITOR’S NOTE 

I am so delighted to present Margins Magazine in its second year, created 

with the support of our resilient communities in Scarborough and beyond. 

This magazine serves as a space to give a platform to the voices of our communities 

and to celebrate the plethora of identities, narratives and stories. 

2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the Women’s and Trans Centre at the University 

of Toronto Scarborough. We celebrate and commemorate the struggle, 

victories, passion, resilience, and hard work of all those leaders that built our 

organization to where it is today. This year, we have faced challenges both on 

campus and provincially with the Student Choice Initiative. Despite the added 

challenges of navigating unfamiliar terrain, our collective has thrived in creating 

stronger-knit communities and long-term sustainable programming. 

The stories and photos encompassed within these pages are of the many creative 

talents of today and the future. These are the diverse perspectives that 

allow for us to make HERstory together and encourage the growth of everyone 

together, one step at a time. As Dinos Christianopoulos said, “They tried 

to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.” 

I would like to express my most heartfelt gratitude to everyone that came together 

to create Margins. 

Sincerely, 

Shagun Kanwar 

Editor-in-Chief 

9

icias new 

TRICIA’S NEW DRESS 

Everyone deserves to feel beautiful. I wanted to write a free-form poem about 

the pure joy my twelve year old daughter felt about trying on a new dress. 

I am a writer and mom who lives in Toronto. 

She twirls 

And her skirt twirls around her, 

Like sirens in the night. 

Her mouth is lifted, 

Her spirit uplifted, 

And she is beautiful. 

But then again, 

She always is to me. 


11

home 

HOME 

I wanted to capture what it was like growing up in Lebanon and the memories it 

evokes. It is easy to lose your authenticity in a world that wants you to blend. This 

poem is a reminder to find your roots and allow them to ground you. It is also a commentary 

on the dichotomy of beauty and ugliness which exists in being an immigrant 

womyn and the telling of our stories. 

I dream of campfire and sugarcane, 

dancing carelessly on mountain plains. 

Of large feasts with family and friends, 

the warming feel to bond again. 

Watching the sky in its hue of orange and blue 

of dusty storms and winter flue 

itchy eyes and black goo 

always a surprise on a nose blown tissue. 

Exploring land of gems and adventure 

with corroded lungs from smoky smog. 

Immersing waves that hypnotize. 

The reflection of self in lover’s eyes. 

The land I dream of is far away, 

but in my heart it is here to stay. 

It is one with childhood eyes and civil wars 

crouching down behind couch and floor. 

Fearing death in enemy fire 

watching a pile of flaming tires. 

The smell of manure and home cooked meals. 

A glimpse of beauty. 

A token of herstory. 

Graziella Richandi 

Instagram | @graziella321 @vintagethrill 

13

the love of your life 

THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE 

HAS ALWAYS BEEN YOU 

I wrote this in hopes that men can learn to love and embrace women as whole 

people and give them the space to be all that they are; from vulnerable to empowered 

and quiet to loud. I have hope that men will become more comfortable with their 

masculinity such that they do not feel threatened or intimidated by strong women. I 

call out to all the men who feel this way, and ask themselves why strong-willed women 

intimidate them. This is for the women who are loud, who do take up space, who 

do speak up. The movement towards gender equity does not only benefit women. I 

want this not just for the women, but also for the men. How rewarding and beautiful 

is it to love and respect women just as they are, recognize them as multidimensional, 

give them the space to be their whole selves, and importantly to see women as equal. 

I want men to be able to love women like this, and experience fulfilling relationships. 

And as a reminder for us all to move towards loving and respecting one another as 

people, free of social norms, gender roles and expectations. 

he told me i was ‘too much’ 

so i tried to quiet down 

to bite my tongue until it bled 

every time he spoke ill of all the women 

around me 

who are resilient 

and vulnerable 

and exhausted 

and furious 

the ones i love 

and admire 

but it just made me angry 

everything came out of me 

all the times men have touched me 

when i said ‘no’ 

every time i held my sisters’ hands 

as she cried, shaking, 

when a boy told her 

‘i would like you more if you knew your place’ 

my hands shake 

blood boils 

i am not sad anymore 

i am angry 

and moved 

and empowered 

and motivated 

to all the men who came before me, 

i chose myself every time 

over the ones who hated 

girls who are 

‘too smart’ 

‘too ambitious’ 

‘too loud’ 

‘know your place’ 

‘i would like you more if you were quiet’ 

so i tried to be quiet 

maybe he will want me 

if i wasn’t so difficult 

if i didn’t care about other women 

if i just listened 

and did what i was told 

i do know my place 

it is everywhere 

you feel entitled to be 

and everywhere 

Maika Seki 

15

a question 

A QUESTION 

Have you ever felt 

the disconnect 

between 

the 

separate 

identities 

that you 

project into the world, 

(those for the global institutions, 

rotating amongst the cultural circles, 

deep within the spheres of yourself) 

and that too among the 

jagged and broken lines 

forming 

the intersections 

of 

who 

you 

really 

are? 

- a question. 

Artwork by 


Shagun Kanwar 

17

amanda yokingco 

Amanda Yokingco 

Instagram | @ yochinkco 

I recently discovered film photography as a hobby. In a world of digital technology and immediate 

response, I think it was very eye-opening to explore more analogue artistic mediums. Film is cool in 

the sense that you only have a certain number of shots and you can’t tell what any of your pictures 

will look like until you get them developed. It has allowed me to slow down and be focused in the 

present moment. My favourite type of pictures to take are portraits. People are so amazing in so many 

different ways and I really believe that portraits are like a view into their souls. The following are four 

portraits of just some of the women who have been influential in my life. A quote that would best 

describe what I am failing to put into words is: “It’s one thing to take a picture of what a person looks 

like, it’s another thing to take a portrait of who they are” by Paul Caponigro. 

Amanda Yokingco is a first-year student in the Life Sciences program at UTSC. She enjoys running, 

reading, dragon boat, cooking, and volunteering! 

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amanda yokingco 

21

US AND I 

us and 

Who I am changes everyday 

In ways I want them to, others I do not anticipate 

Static in some’s ways, learning other new roads 

Stretching myself to newfound lands 

Revisiting old clothes, I wore, in certitude 

Who I am maps the places I have been, people I encounter 

Experiences I lived, the awakening that moves me 

Voices reaching the deepest part of a being that exist without my knowledge 

I am lost in fragments of Us and I 

Her eloquence pulls me in 

She is fierce and tenderly loves the one’s she creates 

Her turmoil’s surges within me, to search for more that I have become 

I am naked, novel, born to existence, my old clothing removed 

I am alone 

The peace that coexist to bring me to my feet’s rises, I am alive ,I breathe 

again 

Slowly she calls, I run into her soft tender arms, it all I have known 

A surge arises within me, there is an Us ignorant of I 

I find myself lost in mysteries I did not create, I can not comprehend 

trying to find myself within the Us and I 

Her eloquence eludes me 

I get lost in a world born without knowledge 

Of a person I am assumed to be or have been or will be 

I am dynamic, mosaic, reaching and yet holding on 

The Us and I are elusive, producing distinctness that are one homogenous 

being 

I realize, I awaken, I see that everyday I encounter another 

I breathe, and I am alive, part of something bigger than 

My senses are willing to admit 

The US and I, are you and I. 

Mary Achebe 

23

Lamia Firasta 

Instagram | @ lamiart__ 

I have been trying to shed light on mental health through my poetry, as that is what led me to create my 

poetry page on Instagram. I have come to be thankful for my depression because without it, I would not 

have started on my journey of poetry as a cure. It changed my perspective on life and helped to begin this 

journey of figuring out who I am and loving myself along the way. After a year of struggling with my mental 

health and all that has happened, I am sharing my heart with you in the hope that my vulnerabilities 

empower you to share yours. 

THINK 

Before you say a woman’s body is something 

Think about her mind too 

And if you don’t think her mind is something 

Then don’t say anything at 

All. 

WELCOME 

Boys and girls 

Welcome to the mind 

Of a girl 

Let me show you around 

I want you to see 

The nights in which she’s cried to sleep 

The times where she’s had to carry her family 

but all she garners is criticism 

The moments in which she’s made others laugh 

But was really dying inside 

The times where she was called ……… 

But held her head high 

The times in which she had a fire brewing inside of her 

But all she did was smile 

The times where she was told to be a show-piece doll 

And wished she was a man instead 

I want you to witness 

The amount of times she’s given herself to petty boys just to 

Make her feel like a woman 

The times where her girlfriends don’t support her views anymore 

I want you to see how many times she was broken 

But got up every single time 

And this time 

She got up 

As a 

Woman 

LISTEN 

But you see I don’t 

Want your help 

Don’t need free advice 

The ‘You should haves’ 

Or ‘You could haves’ 

Or step by step instructions 

I want you to listen 

Not with your mind 

But with your heart 

That’s how you help 

It’s simple 

By listening 

LOVE IS LOVE 

Love is love 

Regardless of sex 

Regardless of gender 

Love doesn’t discriminate 

People do 

THAT ALONE 

You’d rather fall in love with a stranger than yourself 

That alone says a lot 

25

itting on 

KNITTING ON THE BUS 

I take public transit to work, and can spend up to over three hours on the bus 

every day. I took up knitting to pass the time. I noticed that that I would be 

constantly stared at, which happens to women alot. So, I wanted to write a 

free-form poem about being different and creative and having the confidence to 

turn myself into performance art every time I bring out my knitting needs. 

I am a mom and writer and I live in Toronto. 

Knit 1, Purl 1 

They watch. 

Knit 2, Increase, Knit 4 

They are still watching me. 

Rip out, rip out, rip out. 

They always watch me. 

I am an enigma, 

An oddity, 

A freak. 

I am an exhibitionist 

Who only wants to create 

Beautiful things 

Because I am not one myself. 

Too often my world is being torn down 

By words, 

By strangers, 

By friends, 

By myself. 

But for those few minutes 

From Orton Park 

To Victoria Park, 

As the rain pour downs, 

My needles clicking 

To the time 

Of the windshield wipers, 

I am freedom, 

And imagination, 

And love. 

While others are plugged into the world, 

I unravel mine, 

Cotton yarn trailing through my fingers tips 

Like the mythical ball of thread 

Through the Minotaur’s cave, 

Knitting helps me find myself. 

And I don’t care who watches!. 


27

essons not 

HERSTORY: 

LESSONS NOT REGRETS 

Staring into the sky 

Wondering about the times that flew by 

If only I had done something then 

If I only I had taken the right action then 

Could I have set myself on the path I so desired 

But I would have not learned a lesson so fundamental 

So crucial 

To shaping my identity 

A lesson I will hold onto while I walk on my path guided by God 


29

Helen Jingshu Yao 

Facebook | Jingshu Yao 

Twitter | @Shu_Yen 

With the ideas of feminism bringing changes to the world, different cultures have received different impacts 

during the process. This movement is beyond the boundary of race, nationality, and culture. As a writer 

and and an individual that identifies as multicultural, I wish to present the HERstory of my family. To 

show SHE in my culture defines HERSELF and manages to find HER way toward the world. I have to admit 

that many factors have limited the women’s movement to expand in my culture, but to let HER voice 

to be heard is the first step in embracing feminism. 

THE STORY I TELL WHILE 

DOING CLEANING 

I stand in the kitchen, doing the cleaning. 

I wash the dishes and pots in the sink, place them onto the shelves; I wipe the surface of 

the countertop and oven; I clean the plate in the microwave and mop the floor. 

My mother is a very neat woman, and she passes down her habit on to me, even though 

from her perspective, my housework skills are always a mess. 

I do not know what the other women think when they do this kind of repetitive, mechanical 

work. However, stories flow in my mind; the stories I was told when I was young; the stories 

I saw over the years growing up; the stories of myself; the stories of HER. 

My grandmother is strong but not literally. For as long as I could remember, I envisioned 

her as a thin old lady, weighing 40 kilograms, always wearing a serious look on her face. Yet she 

is the strongest person I have ever known. 

Born during WWII, she grew up in the post-war economic depression. Under the conservational 

traditions of rural China, she dropped out of school early and took care of her 

younger brothers. As a teenager, she lived through the civil war era, which included social 

changes and the Agrarian Revolution, then the Great Overleap as a young adult, followed by 

the Cultural Revolution in her 30s. The difficulties and suffering she experienced from hard labour, 

diseases, and starvation are far beyond my imagination. She left home alone at the age of 

12 to work in Shanghai, the biggest city in China at that time. Three years later, she was called 

back by her mother to look after her youngest, newborn brother. Later, she was drafted in the 

young labour force to join the construction of a reservoir for the government’s agriculture plan. 

The next time she left her hometown was to get married. My grandfather is a kind 

person, but it was hard for him to support his widowed mother and the two orphans of his 

deceased older brother alongside his own family with the slender income of a wireman. The 

only reason that led to the marriage was that my grandfather was “from the city”. During that 

time, this term sounded similar to “the United States” or “Canada” today. 

The poverty got worse with the arrival of children, and grandmother also faced discrimination 

from the community for once having been a peasant. She was not able to find a job; her 

children were not registered as a part of the urban population; sometimes the police came to 

check the household account and asked her to “go back to where she came from”; and some of 

her husband’s family members looked down on her. 

Yet grandmother took up all the burdens, like the ocean accepting every drop of water. 

She used to work over 16 hours a day for a clothing store. From my mother’s narration, every 

night when she went to sleep, my grandmother would sew under the only light in the room, and 

the next morning when she woke up, my grandmother had already started to sew again in the 

early daylight. 10 years later, before grandmother could retire, the clothing store was shut down; 

there was no social security. 

When the economy and technology development finally occurred, China’s living standard 

greatly improved. By then, grandma had already become the old lady that I was familiar with: 

the old lady who always held her head high, walked faster than people half her age, always had 

a desire to learn and to take risks, always the strongest I’d ever known... the old lady I love and 

respect. But there were some emotions other than love and respect --- pity. Had she received access 

to better education, had she the opportunity to fight her way out of poverty as her brothers 

did, intelligent and ambitious as she was, she could have accomplished much more. 

Grandmother shared the similar unfortunate destiny with millions of women, not only in China, 

but all around the world who suffered, or are still suffering because of the place, time, and the 

gender they were born into. 

Her story is of a long fight to survive. 

My mother is the middle child in her family. 

The birth order and her gender decided that she was not the one who usually recieved 

care and attention. Many relatives disapproved of the idea of letting her seeking higher education 

after secondary school. But grandmother, who did not have the chance to finish her primary 

education, insisted that my mother should continue her studies as long as she had the ability. 

My mother lived up to grandmother’s expectation and became the only one to attend college 

among her siblings. Their poor family background was what encouraged her to work hard 

and persist, but it was also the source of her insecurities and lack of confidence at her young age. 

She used to be aggressive and tenacious, she liked to argue and fight. In the environment where 

she grew up, the only way to let your voice be heard was to yell out loudly, to keep on trying, until 

someone noticed. I used to feel embarrassed when she argued with people who stood in her way, 

but realized that it was the only way to get things done after I started to solve problems by myself. 

30 years earlier, it must have been much harder for her to move from the very bottom to become 

the respectful procurator she is today by studying, arguing, and fighting. 

Her story is of a long fight to stand out. 

Comparing myself with the two closest women in my life, I realize my story is plainer and 

easier than my mother and grandmother. 

I was born at the end of the 20th century, when the Chinese one-child policy was at its 

peak. The policy was carried out to deal with the problem of China’s oversized population at 

that time, which meant that couples, regardless of being wealthy or poor, well-educated or illiterate, 

could only have one child. 

31

My father had always wanted a son. There is such a belief in China that only sons can 

keep the family line alive. However, for my father, another important reason is that he felt that 

he didn’t know how to raise a daughter. Don’t take me wrong; he is a loving father and never 

mistreated me due to my gender. He is a person rich in emotion, even though like many other 

Chinese individuals, my father prefers not to show his feelings directly. As I aged, I gradually understood 

his love and expectations for me. But as a child, the worry that my gender failed to meet 

my father’s expectation used to bother me. During my teenage years, I rejected dresses, refused 

to use pink things, and got a short haircut like the boys. I deliberately made my footsteps heavy, 

chewed with my mouth open, and spoke curse words. I disliked the things that emphasized my 

gender and wanted others to stop thinking of me as just a girl. But it never worked out. I was 

skinny, with a height that was below average; there were no muscles on my arms; I was bad at 

sports and video games. I worked hard trying to adopt the typical male stereotypes, but I was still 

everything that girls are considered to be. My behavior made my parents worried, my friends 

distanced themselves, and I myself felt dissatisfied. That’s when I began to find another way to 

rebuild my identity. 

In the upper years of high school, I discovered the works of Simone de Beauvoir, Margaret 

Walters, and Judith Butler. The concept of “feminism” interested me and made me realize that 

there were ways to express my ideas other than pretending to be a boy. I made a short speech at 

school about how Chinese women should be more active to embrace this idea and join the revolution. 

It was a very idealistic thought that I didn’t understand besides the historical and cultural 

reasons, and there were other factors that prevent the Chinese community from forming movements 

like Westerners did. However, it encouraged me to conduct further research in this area 

and I tried to create works of my own. I wrote a short play based on the idea of anti-filtering, in 

response to the famous cliché in Hollywood movies that sexy woman spies infiltrate the bad guys 

to complete their missions; it also included two fiction stories under the theme of “Herland”. I 

am an inexperienced writer; none of these writing were published nor recognized by others. But 

the process of writing inspired my thoughts and helped me to persist in the way of being a feminist 

and a writer. My story has just started. 

When the one-child policy ended in 2015, every family was finally able to have a second child. 

One of my father’s friends, who has a son older than me, decided to have another child. His 

wife gave birth to a daughter in the summer of that year. Last summer, when I was busy with 

the Chinese University Entering Test and not able to attend the girl’s birthday party, my mother 

suggested that I prepare a gift that she could bring to the party on my behalf. “Any toys, hair 

rings or beautiful decorations a little girl would love”, she said. I have no idea what to offer to the 

young girl that I had never meet. Honestly, I don’t know what a girl is supposed to love. I played 

with dolls, but I also played with wooden swords. My hair hardly reached my shoulder during 

my adolescence, and I was never good at choosing beautiful decorations. Later, I heard from my 

father’s friend that his daughter loved to listen to stories. 

My mother ended up going to the party with the books that I chose for the girl, but that 

was not what I really had in mind. 

I wrote her a story, a story about a little girl who loves reading, and her adventure with a 

little elf that lives in the books. According to my parents, the story was too informal as a present. 

But that was my wish, the wish that the love toward stories can encourage her to create a story of 

her own. The story was more marvelous than the story of my grandmother’s, my mother’s and 

mine. 

Her story is about to begin, as well as the stories of all the other young girls around the 

world. 

Though I was critical toward the way pop culture presents “women power”, it actually provided 

many good ideas and examples. My favorite cartoon as a child was Mulan by Disney, not only 

because of its Chinese origin, but because of the way that Mulan is in control of her own destiny, 

which was different from other “princess” figures at that time. After becoming familiar with the 

real story of Mulan in Chinese culture and reconsidering the movie, I was still surprised by Disney’s 

ability in capturing the Chinese features of Mulan and adding in the humor and creativity 

of western world. 

More recently, the rewriting of many old princess stories, the adaptation that brought 

Wonder Woman to the screen, and movies such as The Last Jedi and Ocean’s 8 ends the era of 

women staying in the background. They are all successful examples of the transformation of 

female figures in pop culture. Other countries are also trying to present the work of their own. 

China is one of them, but the strong woman characters in Chinese movies or TV series seem 

like clumsy copies of Hollywood: black tights, red lips, and cool fights. Without the features that 

distinguish the characters from former samples, this makes it hard to impress people, thus they 

are less likely to resonate with the ideas of women power. On the other hand, movies like Dangal 

from Bollywood are good examples of developing their own voice of feminism. The stories and 

creativities rooted in a country’s cultural background are what touch people and bring motivation. 

In addition, there are female figures in our lives that don’t have the chiseled face or ability 

of Black Widow. Their stories are the real content of HERstory. I seldom get emotional while 

watching movies, but I cried when I watched Wonder Woman, not when Steve died, not when 

Diana fought her last battle, but at the beginning where she was trained as a young Amazon, 

with Hippolyta’s narration, “five times harder…ten times harder…” Shock and respect not only 

generates for the final glory, but for the rough path that leads to it. For most people, far from 

reaching the end of their stories, the process they undergo is what makes up HERstory. 

I tell these stories while washing the dishes and mopping the floor, with my hands covered 

with soap. But these same hands also tear down bicycle wheels, shoot basketballs into baskets, 

and type letters into computers. The purpose of telling HERstory is not to let HER be defined 

by a single story. 

33


THE MISSING AND MURDERED 

It is believed that when someone is reported as missing, appropriate actions are taken to 

rectify the situation at the earliest. Resources are typically employed to find these individuals, 

and the community at large, including the police force and municipalities, focus their 

strengths on searching for these individuals. For example, platforms such as Amber Alerts 

are initiated in high risk circumstances to find children quickly, and these systems have 

proven themselves extremely efficient repeatedly. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. 

Some individuals can be overlooked when they go missing, resulting in dire consequences, 

and this can affect various communities. Specifically, the Indigenous community feels 

this inequality more than others may realize. This is because there is no record of the 

number of women and girls in these communities who go missing or are murdered due 

to a lack of resources employed, and so no one knows the exact number of females and 

2SLGBTQQIA people who suffer from these situations (CPAC, 2019). This has an increasingly 

negative impact on the families of those that it affects; it is an ongoing conflict that 

has been present for decades, and yet, Canada does not take responsibility or hold itself 

accountable, despite its obligations to its Indigenous roots. 

This loss of life is so severe that it is seen as a genocide, though the Canadian government 

may not acknowledge it as such (CPAC, 2019). Although Prime Minister Trudeau recognized 

the impact that the situation has on Indigenous communities, he neglected to use the 

term that many others see the situation as: a genocide. And yet, in a video found on CPAP 

Report (2019), it portrays the impact that this epidemic has had on the families of those 

who went missing or were murdered; for one man, it left him with a distrust of both the 

government and RCMP, and even caused him to ‘not know what love is’ (CPAC, 2019). 

The video goes on to explain how more than half of the children in foster care homes 

come from Indigenous communities, and this fact is astonishing. The information taken 

from the videos demonstrate a different perspective, because people can see the impact on 

those directly affected by the lack of aid and support coming from the government. The 

Indigenous communities are not supported the way that they should be, as is evident in the 

number of children and females who suffer from either loss of family members, or from 

being directly violated. 

Nevertheless, the effects of this genocide has resulted in individuals seeking out the Canadian 

government for acts of justice to be issued. National News (2019) released an article 

with the Calls for Justice necessary for Canada to attempt to come to some sort of resolution 

with the Indigenous community and their rights. The various Calls seek to ensure that 

there is a National Action Plan set up in order to address everything that has been lost to 

these crimes, to help those currently undergoing this experience, and for the future (National 

News, 2019). 

A positive step that has already been taken is that a 24/7 hr toll-free support line has been 

set up to allow individuals to call in if they need emotional support so that they may come 

to terms with the injustice that they have been facing. In addition, Prime Minister Trudeau 

also later acknowledged the violence occurring against Indigenous females as a genocide, 

and declared that they would focus on putting an end to the trauma these families have had 

to endure (CPAC, 2019). Although it has been a difficult journey for many, it appears that 

small steps are being taken towards correcting the trials and tribulations that females have 

been facing, albeit slowly. 

The Prime Minister receiving 

the final report about the 

National inquiry for missing and 

murdered Indigenous women, 

including these Calls for Justice, 

are only the beginning, and 

while it will take strenuous 

effort for justice to be delivered, 

this may have been the 

unnecessary, but needed, 

push to wake the government 

up about just how 

Indigenous communities must 

fight a losing battle, just to survive. 

Artwork by 


35

Leon Tsai 

A LOVE POEM 

Loving Myself, is like 

Diving into the Ocean Sea 

I drown, I struggle, learning to 

Embrace the Tides within 

I strive, I survive, learning to 

Dance under the Moonlight 

Love You, is like 

Blooming under the Sun 

Flowers laughing and crying 

Nothing is eternal, yet 

Even though they are dying too 

They still dance, They still blossom 

Love Me, 

like the Spring’s gentle breeze 

like the Summer’s warm sunshine 

like the Autumn’s falling leaves 

like the Winter’s chilling frost 

Love Me, like the seasons, and 

Our growth together, shall be 

Our Most Beautiful Love Poem 

MERMAID MAGIC 

Becoming a Mermaid, 

is my Trans Girl Magic. 

Where I give birth to myself, 

Into the waves, embracing the tides. 

I love you like water... 

I love me like sunshine... 

I love us, like the moons gentle call... 

Together, let’s make a rainbow. 

DEPRESSION IS WHEN ... 

Depression is when... 

When I overeat, 

Trying to fill myself, my stomach, 

Trying to fill this emptiness within me. 

When I can’t get out of bed, 

Feeling like there’s no purpose to be alive. 

When I isolate myself, 

Blocking communications with others, 

Forcing people to leave me, 

Wanting to burden no one but myself. 

When I feel guilty, 

For things that I can’t control. 

Feeling as if I need to be better, 

Feeling as if I need to change, 

Feeling as if I need to be fixed, 

In order to be loved. 

When I sleep for a whole day, 

And still feel sleepy, 

Desperate for an escape. 

When I want to cry, 

To let everything out. 

Yet I feel nothing, 

Not even a single tear. 

When I feel my friends’ hopelessness, 

Feeling like they no longer know, 

How to love me. 

When I fight a War with myself, 

Every Single Day. 

When I act so well, 

To look happy, 

To look confident, 

To be funny, 

To be sassy, 

To be... Fine. 

Depression is when... 

When I don’t live, 

I Survive. 

37

I AM... 

My name is Rayna. 

Let’s get one thing straight, 

I’m white-passing, 

But wait, 

… 

I’m Not white washed. 

That’s right. 

Hi. 

Do you think, 

It’s a lie, 

Etched into my skin, 

Like streaks, 

Of shame 

On a white canvas, 

No, My name, 

Is Charanjit. 

Hi, 

Do you need 

A minute to swallow, 

To heed 

That confused twitch. 

Ready? 

Let me explain. 

No what, 

Let me disclaim, 

To you all I am, 

from all you assume. 

Let me justify 

Who I am, 

Before you, 

Try to ram 

Your own picture 

Down my throat. 

My skin, 

Is a privilege I bear, 

Creeps down my back, 

I swear 

Cringes between my toes, 

Scraping into Stolen rows. 

Of land 

I’m sorry, 

For the ways, 

its painted in glory 

My skin curls Into smiles 

So well received 

As white 

And believed, 

To be white. 

I’m sorry that 

My mother’s caramel skin, 

Cracked with weather 

toil akin 

To her labour 

i am 

her love 

her energy 

She has poured into 

Those who she built a synergy 

Of blended love. 

I am white passing, 

I’m sorry, 

And I’m sorry 

When I’m just 

Not, 

Not quite 

Bleached enough, 

In the length of my skin 

And nature of my kin 

I’m sorry when they 

Tell me 

To stop 

To be 

just white. 

I’m sorry 

When they mock 

Those of caramel ambition 

To dock, 

to the Pacific sea. 

And again, 

I’m sorry when, 

Comes my same friends 

To tell me I’m just 

White 

White washed 

“So white” 

And with that, 

My culture Is tossed 

Out the window pain 

Spin and spiral 

with the rain 

Do you 

Think 

my culture is tossed, 

Out the window, 

To be lost 

Left trapped in greedy white clouds, 

Thrown, 

Strewn on the floor. 

I’m not broken half parts, 

I’m a blend you pour 

Of rich caramel sand, 

And white dust 

Pleated together on stolen land. 

They tell me, 

Take that juni off your head, 

Excuse me, 

Were you there when my mother led, 

Me up to the Darbar Sahib, 

My friend, 

Each day, each morning 

Tell me to not to play pretend, 

Stop appropriating 

another’s culture with your dress. 

As if I’m any less, 

Of my mother’s womb. 


39

daughter 

MY DAUGHTER IS WATER 

While writing this piece, I created the first line, ‘my daughter is water’. I loved the simplicity and how 

I had a complete poem and rhyming scheme in four words. I wanted to use the concept of water and 

the connection to fluidity, and how non-binary gender is also called gender-fluid. This poem was hard 

to write. So hard. I loved my daughter from the moment that she was born, I loved her when she 

came out at twelve. I loved them when they told me they were gender-neutral at fourteen. And I love 

him now that he goes by Peter at school. 

I am a writer and the proud mom of three boys. I live in Toronto. 

My daughter is water 

Graceful and strong 

My son has begun 

To follow along 

On this journey through the rain and the sun. 

You see, my daughter is water, 

And my son has begun. 


Crashing through rocks, 


To be the key that unlocks 

Doors and minds and the question 

Of how my daughter is water and my son has begun. 


And has fallen in love 


To rise above 

The stares and the laughter of those who poke fun 

At my daughter who is water and my son who’s begun. 

My daughter is water, 

Fluid and true 


To fight through 

The battle of prejudice that has yet to be won 

Because my daughter is water and my son has begun 

My daughter is water and rages on. 

And my son has begun to carry on 

Because my daughter and son are one. 

Anonymous 

41

fateha hossain 

Fateha Hossain 

Instagram | @ yochinkco 

Fateha Hossain, a fifth-year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, has been migrating 

from bustling cities to close-knit communities, from snowy Moscow to Tkaronto or “home” for short. 

Being the daughter of the North American Bengali diaspora has been the foundation of her identity. 

Navigating Scarborough as a first-generation Bangladeshi Canadian has been filled with its own set of 

familiar challenges and opportunities such as negotiating between two vastly different cultures, understanding 

how to practice her cultures in innovative ways, building a sense of home within these spaces, 

and creating new family bonds with her loved ones. 

Homage to the Motherland is a project that emerged on my return back to Bangladesh 

after an eight year absence, as my nostalgic lens attempts to grapple with constructing a 

sense of home and by working through the restlessness of constant production of familial 

and cultural history making. As the Diaspora re-emerges into the imaginary of the 

Motherland, this is a first attempt at a type of narrative reconciliation that straddles myth 

making both on route to Dhaka, the return back to Toronto; navigating the burden of 

rebirth of the possibilities on how my loved ones and I operate in the world culturally and 

socially. This burden of cultural identity making is a common experience for many folks 

at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Through this project, I would also like 

viewers of this publication to witness the messy, imperfect, and fluid processes I 

employ to this type of reconciliation, as well as display an imagined possibility of what 

re-imagined diasporic identity could look in Scarborough. 

43

fateha hossain 

45


Instagram | RawanAlWakeal 

LinkedIn | RawannAl-Wakeal 

My name is Rawan Al-Wakeal and I am currently a second-year graduate student doing my master’s at 

the York and Ryerson Communication and Culture program. As a Muslim womxn who is also a visible 

minority and a person of color I believe that it is important for me to talk about successful womyn who 

have dismantled stereotypes that portray Muslim womyn as either passive, uncultured or controlled. 

HADIA GHALEB: EMBODIMENT, 

EMPOWERMENT, IDENTITY 

Hadia Ghaleb is an important case to analyze because of the way she was able to start her career as 

a REGULAR Instagram user, then as a fashion mogul and eventually turned her passion into a BUSINESS. 

Ghaleb’s body is a signifier for resistance against oppressive ideologies of scholars and media images of the 

Arab world and Muslim women, that are perceived as backwards. Her strong drive in managing her company 

makes her a female who is able to break all stereotypes against what Arab women are judged as, women 

who are forced to be a part of the household with no agency. Hadia Ghaleb uses her body to empower her 

identity through her dual life of a fashion influencer and a business woman by challenging oppressive ideologies 

against Arabs, Muslim and women. 

“I don’t do faux pas, it’s my style I do whatever I want” quoted by Hadia Ghaleb, who is 

a Middle Eastern household name and has captured the audience’s interest worldwide. Ghaleb 

used Instagram to follow her hobby of fashion and eventually become the chief executive officer, 

CEO of her own company, Ghaleb Production House. Ghaleb challenges the oppressive 

views of the Arab world, Muslims and women as victims of patriarchal control and violence by 

using her body to empower her culture, identity and gender. Her embodiment of fashion style 

freedom, travelling, and her success in a male dominated industry, allows her to present a more 

positive view of Arabs, Muslims and women. This essay will use this video to highlight how 

fashion and business empowers her embodiment identity as an Arab, Muslim woman. 

WHO IS HADIA GHALEB: 

Business Woman x Fashion Icon x Traveller x Influencer x Brand Ambassador x YouTube Personality 

x Speaker at Universities, Conferences & Events 

Hadia Ghaleb was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1993 and comes from a highly educated family, 

as she attended a French school and was a champion in Basketball and Track. Her defining 

moment was when she joined the American University in Cairo and from then on, started to 

explore her own fashion style. Soon into university she became the stylist for a fashion magazine 

managed by students. Although she graduated with an honors major in Economics, she 

was able to use her talent in fashion and business to create her own career for herself. 

HER PURPOSE: 

Every celebrity has a purpose for being “famous” and Hadia Ghaleb’s lifestyle is important 

to look at because she is able to empower Arab women by challenging cultural representations 

of the Arab world through her dress code. She also breaks barriers as a female entrepreneur 

who manages two media companies. She is recognized as a celebrity not just regionally in 

the Middle East, but globally as well. Ghaleb uses embodiment, fashion and social media technology 

to promote a positive space as an online celebrity to empower her Arab identity and 

female body. 

Instagram: @hadiaghaleb 


THE BEGINNING OF A SUCCESSFUL JOURNEY: 

Ghaleb’s passion began when Instagram was introduced into the media scene. She quickly created an 

account in 2012 and would post pictures of herself that she considered “weird” and different (AlAssema Tv 

2016), because Egypt is considered as a conservative country. She would express her mood, personality and 

sense of style through clothing and accessories by posting photos and tag the brand that she was wearing. 

She slowly started to get followers each day and this meant that more brands would contact her for work. 

On television, Hadia Ghaleb explained “brands need to reach audiences online since they already reach 

audiences through public events, they need online marketing. Instead of paying Facebook or advertising 

companies to promote their brand, they paid me.” Egyptian brands trusted Ghaleb because of her increasing 

following rate, which she attained from her authentic embodiment of clothing styles. It is from this moment, 

she started to become a social media celebrity and influencer. Her CEO moment however started when she 

received an email from a fashion brand called BHS. The BHS management team initially hired Ghaleb as a 

stylist, however she came back with a counter offer of managing an entire fashion project. She gave them the 

idea to train regular everyday people into models who could walk the runway and suggested that she would 

advertise their clothing and event on her Instagram page. From this moment on, she created her own media 

company called, Ghaleb Production House. Her company offers services in content creation, online marketing, 

public relation and events management. She opened her first company in Egypt and her second in 

Dubai, working with photographers, videographers and account managers to help her work with clients. 

47

WOMAN IN BUSINESS: 

Hadia Ghaleb continues to challenge barriers, not just as an Arab Muslim but also as a woman 

in business. In entrepreneurship ventures, it’s always the men that have been dominating the 

field of business. Ghaleb however, proves otherwise with her two successful media companies 

that she manages in Egypt and Dubai. 

HADIA GHALEB - THE CEO: 

Ghaleb is able to succeed as the leader of her own company because of her many individual 

talents from fashion styling to photographing her body on her app and having strong 

leadership positions. Female business leaders, like Hadia Ghaleb, are able to “attain their positions 

due to exceptional training, credentials. For example, research suggests that women leaders 

invest more time and energy in human capital accumulation compared to their male peers 

(Cook and Glass 92). Ghaleb poses many talents and personal practices that she has developed 

for herself to build two media business at just the age of twenty-three years old. Her knowledge 

drives from many attributes. Her background in economics has helped her gear her brain towards 

a more corporate way of thinking, when it comes to numbers and clientele. Her personal 

Instagram as a fashion blogger, has allowed her to learn communicative skills online, engaging 

with her fans and responding to their inquiries. Also, many fans see her outside in person and 

her face-to-face communication is a skill that she learned to further interact with her followers 

at a personal level. Another expertise that she possesses from her personal experience is her 

connections with many local Egyptian and international brands. These companies are well 

recognized in many Middle Eastern countries like Tunis, Dubai, Kuwait and Morocco and she 

is the leader behind many of their promotional projects. 

HADIA GHALEB - EMPOWERING ARAB COUNTRIES: 

Hadia Ghaleb uses her photos on Instagram to post images and empower her Arab identity. 

Her Arab status can be seen throughout the video analysis and her daily Instagram posts. She 

travels to different Arab countries like Dubai, Egypt and Lebanon and when doing so, she displays 

what clothing style she is wearing for the appropriate occasion. Arab countries however, 

have not always been seen as a positive space in historical and cultural studies. Edward Said, 

a postcolonial expert, has described his theory on orientalism that depicts the European West 

as the “material civilization and culture” (Said 2) and people who live in the Arab world lack 

progress. Ghaleb challenges this idea of the orient through her Instagram account. She has 

the freedom to post Instagram content showing her vacationing on a boat on the Nile river in 

Egypt, to flying to Dubai to manage an event by a fashion app named JollyChic for her business 

to guest starring on “Project Runway” as a fashion and business mogul. Her ventures as 

a fashion influencer and a business woman allows her to embody her own style while visiting 

three Arab countries who each have different cultures to strengthen her identity as an Arab. 

HADIA GHALEB – EMPOWERING HER GENDERED IDENTITY: 

Hadia Ghaleb’s clothing style displays how she has the freedom to dress herself regardless of 

her religious background as a Muslim woman. Some however, like Aayan Hirsi Ali, who is a 

Dutch politician, an author and an ex-Muslim is known for her criticism of the Islamic religion. 

One of her projects includes her collaboration with filmmaker Theo van Gogh who 

created a short film called “Submission” which portrays the stories of four women who have 

been oppressed by Islam and Muslim men (Jusova 148). Hadia Ghaleb challenges Ali’s critiques 

of the Islamic religion through her style of clothing. In her accomplishment video, her photos 

portray that she has freedom and agency to cover her body or by showing skin through a 

variety of different outfits. She uses her body to portray that as a Muslim woman, she has the 

freedom to dress in what she desires. In the video, she films herself in a tank top in Egypt, while 

wearing a see-through dress in Dubai and a long mermaid dress in Lebanon. Also, her travels 

to Arab Muslim countries are a source of freedom for her, allowing her to visit vibrant and exciting 

events while interacting with as many people as she can and wearing clothing outfits that 

she is confident in. Her embodied sense of fashion style does not change as she stays true to 

herself in every country that she visits. Ghaleb proves that Muslim women are progressive and 

that they have the freedom to experiment fashion with their bodies. 



49

In many mainstream Western media, orientalism is portrayed through some American films 

which portray war on terror. When individuals watch Hollywood films, they think that Arab 

countries in the Middle East and North Africa are places of poverty and cruelty due to culture 

and religion. Hadia Ghaleb challenges these media images of her ethnicity as an Arab woman 

by travelling. Through her Instagram video she shows how the Arab world is safe and travels 

between Arab countries of Dubai, Egypt and Lebanon for work and leisure purposes. While 

travelling she takes pictures of her travel outfits that she wears on planes and what she wears 

when she lands in the country, portraying that she has the freedom of an Arab woman. Ghaleb 

promotes the Arab identity by engaging within the space of embodiment in these Arab countries. 

Her deep connection with Egypt and Dubai displays her love for her Arab identity. If the 

Arab world was a dangerous place, just as orientalist media messages promote, she would not 

have established her two companies in Arab countries or worked with Arab influencers within 

the region. Ghaleb is known for her fashion style - while travelling for business, she posts different 

outfits with a hashtag to promote the city she is in. She hashtags #ElGhaleb7awlAl3am, 

which translates to “the Ghaleb around the world” and #ElGhalebFe which means “The 

Ghaleb in” by naming the city or country she in and posting a picture or a video of what she 

is wearing. Therefore, Ghlaeb promotes a safe positive image of Arab countries contrary to 

Western films. She uses her body to physically travel and explore while empowering her sense 

of style and identity as an Arab woman. 

Hadia Ghaleb, as a successful entrepreneur and a gendered woman is therefore challenging 

stereotypes that were built against the Arab world, the Islamic religion and Muslim women. 

Orientalist interpretations, Western media representations, patriarchal assumptions in Muslim 

communities and Hirsi’s opinions are dangerous as they limit the view of Arab Muslim women’s 

agency. Hadia Ghaleb’s intersectionality as an Arab Muslim woman allows her to empower 

her identity. Her achievement video on Instagram as an influencer and social media celebrity 

displays how her embodiment of fashion has allowed her to express her hobby and build a 

career. 

WORKS CITED 




Cook, A., & Glass, C. (2014). Women and Top Leadership Positions: Towards an Institutional 

Analysis. Gender, Work & Organization, 21(1), 91-103. 

Duff, Cameron. “On the role of affect and practice in the production of place.” Environment 

and Planning D: Society and Space 28 (2010): 881-895. 

Jusova, I. (2008). Hirsi ali and van gogh’s submission: Reinforcing the islam vs. women binary. 

Women’s Studies International Forum, 31(2), 148-155. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j. 

wsif.2008.03.007 

Said, Edward W. (2003). Orientalism. New York, Pantheon Books. 

Wilkins, K. (2009). Mapping Fear and Danger in Global Space: Arab American’s and Others’ 

Engagement with Action-Adventure Film. International Communication Gazette, ISSN, 

71(7), 561-567. 

51

53


Instagram | RawanAlWakeal 

LinkedIn | RawannAl-Wakeal 

WHAT OPPRESSION? 

*Womxn = Woman 

*Womyn = Women 

How do female Muslim influencers who wear hijabs use new media to feel empowered? What type of empowerment 

do they feel? Cultural, religious, gender, political or economic empowerment? These 5 womyn 

are either visible minorities, womyn of color, bloggers, vloggers, models, travellers, mothers, fashionistas 

and/or television personalities from various multicultural countries and identities who speak different 

languages. What unites these womyn are online media platforms like Instagram, YouTube and their personal 

blogs where they can individually post photos, videos and write pieces of what empowerment means to 

them. 

She gets invited to other countries to create “fitness and hijab demos” consisting of 

her workouts in hijab. This includes her recent visit to Trinidad and South Africa (Brown 

Girl Magazine 2018). She feels empowered through her body, as a womxn who can be covered 

in a hijab, create makeup and fashion looks and has the power to also show people how 

to be physically fit. 

Sara Sabry - Culture and Gender Empowerment 

Sara Sabry is an Egyptian-Canadian influencer who works between the Middle 

East and Canada. She uses her culture to empower herself. An example was when she was 

sent on a trip to visit the largest Syrian refugee camp in Turkey in order to encourage people 

to help refugees in need. She collaborated with Inflow Summits, a company that connects 

influencers and brands together in order to collaborate for work and create social change. 

In her image, she writes the hashtag #influencetheworld, and is trying to promote cultural 

empowerment. As an Egyptian who works with Syrian children, she displays cultural 

empowerment. Her volunteer work shows how in times of need, people need to come and 

work collaboratively together to help one another. Her work with children gives them hope, 

joy and laughter. Sara shows that no matter what culture you come from, giving back to the 

community is what matters most. These refugee children will grow to learn that they are not 

alone and there are other countries and individuals out there who are willing to help them. 

WHAT OPPRESSION? Here are 5 womyn changing the game. 

Haifa Beseisso - Culture Empowerment 

Haifa is a Palestinian Instagram blogger who is known for her travelling adventures. Her Instagram 

biography states that she hopes to erase stereotypes through travelling. Haifa is an Ambassador for a camera 

company called Canon Middle East. The company collaborated with her because she is able to travel to many 

places and take pictures of experiences in different countries. 

Her love for travelling started when her uncle advised her to open the map of the world and pick a place to 

travel, shortly after her father’s death at age 15. Since her youth, her uncle taught her to always be an independent 

womxn. 

Travelling has taught her many lessons and experiences. When she traveled to the U.S, she was 

asked many questions about her culture, and this is when she fell in love with travelling. Her grandfather also 

encouraged her to travel as much as she could. She stated that the men in her life lifted her up and believed 

in her passion and dreams of bridging cultures from the East and the West. This is an example of how gender 

empowerment made Haifa a stronger person. In her personal life, it was the men who encouraged her to 

travel in order to understand how societies work and interact with each other. 

Nour Kaiss - Equality, Gender and Economic Empowerment 

Nour Kaiss is a Syrian-Canadian entrepreneur and a fashion blogger. She has her own online 

hijab clothing brand called NourCo. She designs all of her clothing and ships them worldwide. 

Aside from her clothing brand, she developed a mobile application called Souqina. 

The app is targeted towards Muslims who like to shop for clothes. People can place their old/ 

used/new clothes, accessories and hijabs online for sale and buy other clothes from other 

users. Her app is in collaboration with Islamic Relief Canada, where they donate a 10% 

commission from every single sale to Syrian families and refugees. Nour is Syrian, so she is 

culturally empowering her roots, by donating money to help Syrians in need. Her hijab line 

also sells scarves that say “Feminism” on them, empowering womyn to believe in equality 

and fight racism. Her ventures show that she is empowered by her gender as a female. She 

is trying to set a good example of racial and gendered equality among womyn through her 

businesses. 

Saman Munir - Sport, Gender and Religious Empowerment 

Saman is a Pakistani - Canadian beauty and fitness blogger. She is known for her make-up, hijab 

and fashion style; however, she is also known for being a fitness guru. She has collaborated with Under 

Armour Canada and a gym in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, called UFC. Her videos on Instagram include 

beauty tips, promoting her fashion style and filming videos of herself working out. She also dresses in fitness 

attire and promotes healthy food brands for fans to try out. 

In this article, https://www.browngirlmagazine.com/2018/01/saman-munir-rules-hijabi-fashion-fitness/ 

, she explains how she started her own YouTube show where she would give people tips on makeup, 

fashion and hijab styling. On Instagram however, along with her own personal Instagram account, she has 

a joint fitness account with her husband. Since they make workout videos, people started to call her “beast 

hijabi” (Brown Girl Magazine 2018). 

Taim Al Falasi - Gender and Culture Empowerment 

Taim is an Emirati womxn who is a fashion vlogger and blogger. She has over 2.4 million 

followers on Instagram and her account is verified. When she was younger, she wanted to be 

a television host and her father disapproved of the idea. He would even throw away newspapers 

that wanted to hire TV children presenters so that Taim would not look at them. 

Eventually, she started to chase her dreams on YouTube in order to find a voice for Arab womyn 

(Harper Bazaar Arabia 2016). Her YouTube show gave her many opportunities as she is 

now a fashion influencer and a television host. She uses her Instagram to portray her lifestyle 

as a fashion blogger, Television host and a brand ambassador. She was named the Best 

Dressed Womxn in 2016 in Harpers Bazaar Arabia. Her father now buys all the publications 

that feature Taim, from fashion to media magazines and watches her on television! (Harpers 

Bazaar Arabia 2016). This shows how she is empowered through her gender. As an Emirati 

womxn, who comes from a conservative country, she is able to empower herself through 

fashion, media and by becoming a blogger of travelling, food and luxury. 

55

6 RESOURCES FOR SURVIVORS OF 

SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN TORONTO 

[CW/TW: Sexual Assault/Rape] 

Dear Survivors: We see you. We hear you. We believe you. 

It has been a brutal past few months for survivors of sexual violence, their family, friends, and 

loved ones. As survivors of sexual violence continue to come forward, we need to believe and 

listen to them. Healing is a continuous and ongoing process. Healing is possible, but it is difficult 

to do alone. Please share the following resources to all who may benefit. If the mission 

of any of these organizations speaks to you, I encourage you to donate, volunteer and get 

involved. 

Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape 

TRCC/MWAR is a grassroots, women and non-binary run collective with an anti-oppressive, 

feminist framework. Services include but are not limited to individual face to face 

counselling, court support and accompaniment, support groups, a Latin American Women’s 

program and an African Ancestry/Black Caribbean Survivors program. The celebration of 

freedom of choice, sexual freedom, and healthy community interaction is at the centre of 

TRCC/MWAR’s vision. 

resources 

One in Six 

At least 1 in 6 men have been sexually abused or assaulted. This web-based organization offers 

resources such as a 24/7 online helpline. It is free and holds confidential weekly online support 

groups too. The mission of 1 in 6 is two-fold: to promote healthier and happier lives of men 

who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences and to help serve their family members, 

friends, partners and service providers through resources and information. 

Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic 

This organization is focused on three core components: counselling services, legal services, and 

interpreter services for women who have experienced abuse. In 2016 alone, the Clinic has assisted 

over 4700 women in need of support. Additionally, this organization advocates for law reform 

and social change that benefits women. The Clinic values the awareness of power amongst the 

international community of women through autonomy, self-determination, self-awareness and 

compassion. 

Shelters 

The GTA has several emergency shelters available for Toronto’s diverse community. The Anduhyaun 

Shelter is a violence against women emergency shelter servicing Aboriginal and 

non-Aboriginal women with or without children fleeing violence. Nellies, Redwood, and The 

Ernestine’s Women Shelter are located across the city. They offer women and children basic necessities, 

counselling and other free and confidential support services. 

This article was inspired by Katie Mitchell via Wear Your Voice Magazine. More resources for 

victims of sexual assault listed in her article. 

The 519 Community Counselling 

The 519 supports Toronto’s LGBTQ2S community through a myriad of services including 

trauma-informed counselling support. This agency offers one-on-one short-term counselling 

for individuals. Additionally, the 519 promotes wellness and mindfulness through group programs 

such as Healing Yoga for LGBTQ2S Women, support groups for refugee claimants, 

and mindfulness meditation. Beyond counselling, The 519 provides queer parenting resources 

to coming out groups, trans programming, and senior support. 

Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Care Centre 

Working through Women’s College Hospital, SA/DVCC is a service that assists women, men, 

and transgender survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Registered nurses provide 

acute services such as crisis support, assessment and documentation of injuries and assault 

history, and emergency contraceptive options. Visitors can also choose to pursue follow-up 

services. Additionally, the centre offers online care packages with self-care resources. 

Carmina Santos 

Twitter | @cmsaints Medium | @carminasantos 

My name is Carmina and I am a fourth-year student studying Human Biology and 

Health Studies. When I’m not working and volunteering with women and children, 

I’m writing about health care, food accessibility, and mental health. 

57

COORDINATORS 

TEAM 

2018 - 2019 

INTERNAL COORDINATOR 


Program: International Development Specialist Co-op and 

Women & Gender Studies 

Quote: “If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched 

into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” – Audre Lorde 

EXTERNAL COORDINATOR 

Leon Tsai 

Program: Women & Gender Studies 

Quote: “I came to theory because I was hurting.” – bell hooks 

FINANCE & SAFETY COORDINATOR 

Shagun Kanwar 

Program: Neuroscience & Psychology 

Quote: Love is not what you do. Love is what you are. – Sadhguru 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 


Program: Psychology & Population Health 

Quote: “A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover 

when they fall.” - Serena Williams 


Program: Psychology & French 

Quote: “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he 

treats his inferiors, not his equals.” - Sirius Black, Order of the Phoenix 

Rachel D’souza 

Program: Molecular Biology, Immunology, and Disease, Statistics, & Computer 

Science 

Quote: “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated” - 

Maya Angelou 


Program: Health Studies & Human Biology 

Quote: “Beauty is much grander than the definition we give it.” - Gina Rodriguez 

Leeza Gheerawo 

Program: International Development Specialist Co-op 

Quote: The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they 

donn’t have any. - Alice Walker 

59

EVENTS 

61

Welcome to At The Centre, the Women and Trans Centre In-House Podcast 

at the University of Toronto Scarborough. Each episode celebrates exceptional femme 

identifying, non-binary, and trans students - their work on campus, personal achievements 

and the extraordinary content of their character. Join the conversation of what inspires, 

motivates, and drives the school community. At the Centre is led by two effervescent hosts, 

Carmina Santos and Rachel D’souza. 

Carmina Santos was inspired by the words of Issa Rae to start this podcast. “Who is next 

to you? Who is struggling? Who is just as hungry as you are. These are the people you 

need to build with.” Carmina is honored to align with WTC’s mission in the celebrating 

experiential knowledge and femme mentorship. 

Rachel sat on the Board of Directors at the Women’s and Trans Centre from 2018-2019. 

She loves how WTC is a place for the womxn on campus to drop by, relax, and build each 

other up. That’s she was was really excited to join a podcast centered on young students 

PODCAST DESCRIPTIONS 

Rayna introduces us to the Women’s and Trans Centre, its 

intersectional framework, sustainable development and her 

secret party trick! 

Kali teaches us how to get involved on campus, the importance 

of mental health and the power of saying no. 

Ava and Vidya bring back their lessons from working with 

their local community. They discuss how to empower our 

youth and deconstruct the stigma of mental health. 

Cassidy is calling all of our beauty lovers! Let’s talk about 

Rihanna, entrepreneurship, and what beauty means on this 

episode. 

Tegwende and Stedrea share their wisdom on helping black 

students to be their best and most confident selves. We discuss 

self love, culture vultures and Beyonce and Solange! 

Sahiba asks: “Should your family and friends control who 

you fall in love with?” Find out about body confidence and 

positive energy on this episode. 

Sonila, Nith and Marie break down how to succeed in 

CMS, their experience as women studying STEM, and fostering 

positive femme friendships. 

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MARGINS - Volume 2 Issue 1 

UTSC Women & Trans Centre’s 

In-House Publication

Margins Magazine - Volume 2 Issue 1

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