GenZine 14
Gender equity discussions & art.
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Welcome to GenZine! What is this Zine about?
Who has created this Zine?
GenZine has been created by a group Our names are Jasmine (she/her), of young people from the western Christopher (he/him), Hamid (he/him), suburbs of Melbourne to promote Hannah (she/her), Emily (she/her), and raise awareness of gender Natnael (he/him), Cynthia (she/her) equity. When reading GenZine, we and Nyawir (she/her). We are all young hope you recognize that everyone people who live, work or study no matter what gender, should have within the City of Brimbank. equal rights, opportunities, We came together in a responsibilities and We are the program we called Agents should be treated with for Change which was future and respect. No matter developed by cohealth. where you are or who A special shout out together you are with, we all to Ebony, Jim, and with the right Leonie (the awesome deserve to have this basic human right. knowledge and runners/creators of this program). Initially, we did The name GenZine motivation we six informative training has two layers of can change the sessions about gender meaning. First, GenZine equity and preventing is short for Gender Equity world! violence against women Zine. Second, GenZine also and this was followed by stands for Generation Z Zine, four workshops to build our project reflecting the young people and ideas management skills. We then chose that this zine was shaped by. a project we would like to plan and implement – the result of which is now in your hands (or screen!) - an informative zine to raise awareness and promote gender equity.
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Front cover artwork Title of work: Boys are Allowed to Cry Name: Jara Segal - jarasegal.myshopify.com @MotherTeresa3000 Pronouns: she/her Title of work: Body Fair Name: Karina Benbow - www.karinabenbow.com @karinabenbow.art Pronouns: she/her
We all hope you enjoy reading this zine, be sure to spread the word around.
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Acknowledgement of Country The collaborators of cohealth’s Agents for Change would like to acknowledge that this zine was created on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung Peoples. We would like to pay our respects to the elders of the Kulin nation, past, present and emerging. We want to acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded - and that this land was stolen and no acknowledgement will give it back or can right past wrongs. We would also like to recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, especially women or gender diverse people, in Australia continue to face social and economical disadvantages. We recognise the pain of genocide, assimilation practices, hate speech and structural disadvantage. We recognise the negative and misleading portrayals of Aboriginal Peoples, as well as the omission of their voices, that has been prevalent in mainstream media publications. We urge you to be aware of the ground you stand on, the air you breathe and the nuances of the world you engage with. You are standing on Aboriginal Land.
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Title of work: Neville & Danny Name: Sunny Baek @sunnybee_art Pronouns: they/them
Title of work: Identity label Name: Karina Benbow Pronouns: she/her
Contents
Introduction - Welcome to GenZine!.......................... 3 Acknowledgement of Country.................................. 4 Statistics ‘The tip of the iceberg’.................................. 6 Candid Community Convos...................................... 8 So why is gender equity important?............................ 9 Gender Equity interviews......................................... 10 A– Z of consent, empowerment and respect ............ 13 Self Care and key contacts .................................... 14 Holding Space ..................................................... 16
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The tip of the iceberg 1in3
Australian women (34.2%) has experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by a man since the age of 15.(1) On average,
one woman a week is murdered by her current or former partner.(1)
Image source: Our Watch (adaptation of original image from Gippsland Women’s Health)
1in3
Australian women (23.0%) has experienced physical or sexual violence by current or former intimate partner since age 15 (1)
37%
of surveyed men said that if a man has a girlfriend they deserve to know where she is at all times.(2)
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Violence against women
is a serious and widespread problem in Australia. But violence against women is also preventable. To prevent violence against women we need to understand it. Get informed with these key facts on the problem:
27%
of men surveyed said that a man should always have the final say about decisions in his relationship or marriage.(2)
54%
of men surveyed said that society as a whole tells them that men should figure out their personal problems on their own without asking others for help.(2)
Men should use violence to get respect if necessary
35% said
society reinforces this idea. (2)
Sources: (1) Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2017. Personal Safety Survey, Australia,2016, ABS cat. no. 4906.0. Canberra: ABS. The Men’s Project & Flood, M, (2018) The Man Box: A Study on Being a Young Man in Australia. Jesuit Social Services: Melbourne. (2)
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Candid Community Convos By Emily Bartush and Hannah Veljanovska gender diverse peoples face. Gender equity recognises that women and gender diverse people are not in the same ‘starting position’ as men. Gender equity aims to level this uneven playing field. Gender equity aims to achieve this by treating everyone fairly based on the different levels of social disadvantage they face. This includes treatment that is different but is equivalent in terms of rights and opportunities. Here’s a picture to further explain these differences:
Title of work: Respect how I Identify’ Name: Jara Segal Pronouns: she/her
As part of Agents for Change, we hit the streets and got candid with the community about gender equity. You might be wondering what is gender equity? Gender equity is the process of ensuring women, men and gender diverse peoples have equal access to the same rights and opportunities. So, what is the difference between gender equity and gender equality? Gender equality aims to give women, men and gender diverse peoples the same rights and opportunities. While, gender equity recognises the different needs and conditions that women, men and
Source: Interaction Institute for Social Change Artist: Angus Maguire
What do we mean by Gender diverse? It’s an umbrella term used to describe gender identities that demonstrate a diversity of expression beyond the binary framework of male and female (cohealth, 2019). If you want to learn more about common terms like ‘gender diverse’ and LGBTIQA+ inclusive language, check out these links here: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/lgbtiqcommunities https://www.cohealth.org.au/ lgbtiqa-inclusion/
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Title of work: Bubble Gum Name: Annaliese Gee Pronouns: she/her
1. How many Australian women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15? a. 1 in 3 b. 1 in 5 c. 1 in 10 2. How many Australian women experienced physical and/or sexual abuse BEFORE the age of 15? a. 1 in 10 b. 1 in 6 c. 1 in 5
Answers are on page 12. (don’t peek!)
find out take the
quiz
So why is gender equity important?
3. What age group do you think experience higher rates of physical and sexual violence? a. 18-24 b. 25-40 c. 41-60 d. 61+
4. How many women are hospitalised for assault injuries perpetrated by a spouse/ domestic partner? a. 10 per month b. 10 per week c. 10 per day
Source: www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/personal-safetyaustralia/ 2016#about-the-personal-safety-survey
Gender equity affects us all in a number of ways! It affects us in ways that we may be conscious of and many ways that we may not be aware of. Gender based violence is an ongoing issue and demands for change of the status quo, continue to grow loudly and clearly #EnoughisEnough #March4Justice
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So, let’s hear what people in our community have to say about
gender equity. What does gender equity mean to you?
What do you do on a daily basis to keep yourself safe in public?
Nikki Gender equity means having everyone at the same level and making Nick: I walk in a lit street if there is a adjustments to what people have, so particular rowdy bunch of dudes but everyone starts off on the same playing field. really, it’s never an issue. During the day, I’m never concerned at all. Peter In the context of the workplace, gender equity is about creating an Peter I always acknowledge my equal playing field for all men, women, surroundings and don’t go out past a or however you identify. It’s about giving certain time. I am cautious at later times everyone a fair chance. in the night, but I haven’t really had any issues with that yet though. Rob In the context of the workplace, I honestly haven’t really looked into it too Dani I am always aware of my much before, but I think it’s something to surroundings, I always take extra do with ensuring that all genders have precaution visually and listen for anything equal opportunities and everything is that makes me feel uncomfortable. At the same and even for everyone. Treated night, in addition to using my intuition, fairly and the same regarding promotions I am hyper aware of my surroundings. I or getting the job. always make sure to have my phone at hand or have my keys at hand to use as a weapon.
Dani To me, gender equity is making sure the rights of all people are equal, whether they are male, female, trans or not identifying.
Nikki I travel a lot on my own, as a 24 year old woman, travelling alone can be quite scary, so I always message my mum; where I am, who I am with, no matter what country I am in, so if she hasn’t heard from me within the hour, she knows my last location. And it sucks that I have to do that at 24. Lemon I am 34 years old and I live very near to a train station … and I still wonder if someone is going to come out and attack me. So I always got something next to me, like my keys or something like that, to make sure that I am going to get home safe.
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We interviewed: Nikki, (she/her, 18-25 years), Lemon (she/her, 34-40 years), Dani (she/her, 26-33 years), Nick (he/him, 26-33 years), Peter (he/him, 18-25 years), Rob (he/him, 18-15 years) and Josh (he/him, 18-25 years). These interviews have been edited for clarity.
Do you think gender equity is important? why/why not?
What do you actively do to enact gender equity in your daily life?
Nick gender equity is important. Why? I don’t know. That is a tough question! It’s important to give everyone a fair shot but also giving everyone equal opportunities in achieving what they want to achieve. Also needs to be safe at all times and not emotionally or physically manipulated.
Nick I don’t actively campaign, do any volunteering or anything like that day to day. It’s more about giving everyone a fair shot regardless of prejudice, such as gender, racial, cultural. Giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, from little interactions like engaging with a waiter at the bar or hiring someone for a job.
Peter Yes, because people need equal opportunities to be able to thrive. You don’t see what someone can do or provide if you don’t offer them a level playing field.
Peter I wouldn’t say that I do too much, but I do treat people evenly and fairly, regardless if they’re male, female, their age or sexuality.
Rob Yeah, of course it is, because no matter who you are, you deserve to have the same opportunities as anyone else and be treated the same. Dani Gender equity is important because everyone should be treated equally. There are some groups in society that are marginalised and are unfairly treated due to the biases in society, and we need to abolish those inequalities. Nikki I one hundred percent think gender equity is important because at the end of the day we are human beings; we all bleed the same, we are all made up of the same things. So why should we be separated and segregated because of our gender? It seems very wrong to me. I think everyone deserves the same opportunity that everyone else has; no matter their gender, socioeconomic status or anything else.
Rob I honestly don’t really actively promote it or anything, but in my head I know that I always treat everyone the same no matter who they are. Just because people are different to me, doesn’t mean that I’m going to treat them any differently.
Dani I make a conscious effort to uplift the women in my life in various ways. For example, I try to uplift women at work, through giving women opportunities that would have otherwise by default been given to men. I try to encourage and show support to other women, so that they feel empowered.
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After the things we discussed today, how comfortable are you in discussing gender equity? Please rate your comfortability on a scale from 1 to 10. 10 being super comfortable. 1 being that talking about gender equity is uncomfortable. Nick: Still at a 5. Peter: About a 5 now. A bit more comfortable knowing a bit more about the subject so that helps and helps me to recognise certain things as well. Rob: I think having this conversation has helped a little bit. I’d say probably maybe a 6 now. After having a bit of a chat about it I’d say I am slightly more comfortable than I was before. Josh: I’m at a 7. If someone brings it up I’ll
talk about it, but I won’t bring it up. Dani: I would say my comfort level is at a 9, because gender equity needs to be a subject that we all think about and always have at the back of our minds. Nikki: I’m at a 10. I am so confident in discussing gender equity because I don’t want my children to grow up in a world where, if they are a woman, they feel like they don’t have the same opportunities as everyone else. And I think that in 2021 the fact that us, as women, are still put below men is not good enough and not really relevant, there are other problems in the world that we need to focus on, other than putting human beings on the same equal platform.
Title of work: My Body My Choice Name: Annaliese Gee Pronouns: she/her
ANSWERS TO QUIZ: 1. A (1 in 3) 2. B (1 in 6) 3. A (18-24 years) 4. C (10 per day)
All bodies are beautiful
Body hair- go bare or leave it there
Consent- it’s a two way street
Diversity- celebrate it!
Equality and respectkey to every relationship
Feminism is for everyone
Get tested!
Have safe sex- use protection
Jot it downkeep note of changes in your body
Knowledge is power- know your rights
Learn about your body
Moon cups, pads or tampons? Choose what’s right for you
Oops! Forgot to use protection? You have options
Pleasure- explore what feels good for you
Quality healthcarefind a service that supports you
Reject stereotypes
Talk it out. Communicate your wants and needs
Unique- sexuality is different for everyone
Vulva or vagina? Know your bits
Want to know more? Visit whwest.org.au
Your body, your choice
Zero tolerance for sexual violence
Identity- embrace all that you are
Normalise everyday conversations about sex
Sex- always, sometimes, never... it’s up to you!
See the full Consent, Empowerment and Respect campaign at http://bit.ly/whw-consent XOXO- sext with respect www.whwest.org.au
(03) 9689 9588
Women’s Health West acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, the people of the Kulin Nation.
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Self Care
When working in the field of the Prevention of Violence Against Women (PVAW), we may encounter a number of different setbacks. This is why it is extremely important to support our own physical and mental health, every step of the way. Here are some tips to help us:
• Take breaks at regular intervals (e.g.
• Collaborate with other people
• Remember that you can consult
• Remember that you are not alone
every 30-40 mins) to help you stay focused and reduce fatigue.
with others for advice when planning your PVAW project; this can help you to refine and develop your ideas.
• Look at previous projects on the
PVAW for inspiration when you are planning/delivering your own and supporting others.
• Try to stay positive even through setbacks- use them as an opportunity for reflection and refinement.
• Focus on a single step at a time. Try to prioritise what needs to be done first.
• Celebrate small achievements in
the timeline of your project, remember that things take time!
during your PVAW project to reduce workload.
in your journey to advocate for and support victims of domestic violence
• there are always people ready and
able to assist you.
• Listening is important too- while
communicating with others, show that you are engaged and wanting their feedback/comments/opinion. This helps to build trust too.
• Professional support is available to
you when you need it.
Always remember that it is okay and there is no shame in asking for help, whenever you need support. Reach out to your work, uni or school’s EAP or counselling services. You can also call LIFELINE 13 11 14 anytime (24hr line).
Title of work: Let’s Change The Way We Act Around Others Name: Jasmine Gee Pronouns: She/her
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To seek help please contact: 1800 RESPECT 1800 737 732 Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491 In an emergency, if you believe that yourself or someone else is in any danger, please dial triple zero 000.
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Holding Space “Learning to wear a mask (that word already embedded in the term “masculinity”) is the first lesson in patriarchal masculinity that a boy learns. He learns that his core feelings cannot be expressed if they do not conform to the acceptable behaviors sexism defines as male. Asked to give up the true self in order to realize the patriarchal ideal, boys learn selfbetrayal early and are rewarded for these acts of soul murder.” - Bell Hooks
“To indoctrinate boys into the rules of patriarchy, we force them to feel pain and to deny their feelings.” - Bell Hooks
Holding Space is a visual exploration of how we can allow ourselves and each other to truly feel the spectrum of emotions: happiness, guilt, shame, melancholy, sadness and more. Holding space can be messy and complicated, but ultimately worth it, because the freedom to just be is granted.
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What does the process of holding space for vulnerability and emotion look like? Perhaps first we need to allow ourselves the honesty of falling apart publicly, to normalise and change the way we view stigmatised emotions. In particular patriarchal masculinity denies many men the capacity to connect with themselves and their emotions. This also intersects with the intergenerational trauma experienced during my parents migrant and refugee experiences. For a long time, the loneliness and pain experienced in my family remains hidden to the outside world. For a long time I have been forced to wear multiple masks to hide how I truly feel. ‘Good thanks’ and ‘yeah not bad’ become the default answers that mask the dialogue needed to occur for us to truly feel our own feelings and seek support from one another.
The photos in this piece clarify relationships between large scale forces of individualised suffering and the intimate ways of being in our everyday lives to understand more about what holding space for emotional vulnerability can look like. I invite us all to shine the light of awareness upon our inner landscapes. Illuminating all the emotions inside us, and furthermore sharing that space together. Because I think that when we really listen deeply to the experiences of others, we often find ourselves standing in front of our own mirror. Feeling our feelings. Figuring out how to feel our feelings. Locating our feelings. What would they say if they could talk?
A dialogue on holding space w/ peter and chris at a cafe C: So.. What does it mean to hold space? What does it mean to hold space for someone else?
Holding Space
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P: I think the main thing uhhh… two main things.. The first thing... Holding space can mean a number of different things. Therefore It’s messy and complicated. It’s not something that you can just.. Uh.. like read the rules for and then carry out and you’re gonna make mistakes when you do it, and it’s not gonna be perfect. But it’s important. Second thing is it’s work… It’s like active work… C: So it takes time to hold space or?... What do you mean by that?
P: It’s not something that.. It’s not just listening to someone. It’s also responding to what they’re saying… It’s not something that you’re taught how to do, which means you have to learn how to do it. Which means you will make mistakes or not know how to do it in the first place. C: Do you feel like there are some people in your life that you take the time to hold space with? P: Uuuhhhhhh nnnooooo…? I think it’s something that I recently thought about and wanted to do actively… so no. C: So why do you think holding space hasn’t been a thing that has been created for you? P: That’s a good question. Probably because I... didn’t have examples of how to do it. And then also probably because I was uncomfortable with what holding space meant… like feeling your emotions. C: Why were you uncomfortable with the idea? P: I was afraid of it being awkward. I think I was uncomfortable about the fact that I thought it was uncomfortable. So I didn't want to feel that uncomfortableness. C: Why did you think it would be uncomfortable? P: When I think about holding space. It’s like holding space for when you feel sad or angry or any emotion that isn’t accepted. And then because I have that idea of what holding space is, I knew that they weren’t like accepted emotions. I didn’t want to feel those. Like it's not something that I usually did so why would I... If I did
C: Why did you think it would be uncomfortable?
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Holding Space
P: When I think about holding space. It’s like holding space for when you feel sad or angry or any emotion that isn’t accepted. And then because I have that idea of what holding space is, I knew that they weren’t like accepted emotions. I didn’t want to feel those. Like it's not something that I usually did so why would I... If I did hold space, then it would be sporadic.
C: So what I wrote was about how holding space for other people is that, I feel like the way we interact with other people are external reflections of how we interact with ourselves. A reflection of our internal landscape. P: Woww uhh C: And i think that we need to hold space for ourselves first if we want to hold space for someone else. Because it’s through being comfortable with ourselves and our own personal histories that we create a reference point to build on that and create connections with other people. P: So you think we have to hold space for ourselves… C: And in many ways I am very uncomfortable with myself. There’s a lot of different parts of myself that I'm uncomfortable with. C: And in answering a question you asked a while ago about how to hold space for difficult emotions like uncomfort…. I think you need to water the happiness and joyful seeds inside you and do happy things to have the strength to be able to process all those difficult emotions and uncomfort inside of you. Just having a good time with the people you love is important. C: Holding space for ourselves involves being honest about our internal landscapes… sometimes when i’m not honest about how I’m feeling and I suppress that. And you don’t deal with that issue or that thing, or that way that you feel about yourself. It impacts the way you deal with other people. So being honest about that and actually embracing those feelings and feeling those feelings. And really trying to recognise where it is that the feeling is coming from instead of just pushing it away. Or pretending it doesn’t exist like we’re so used to. P: Everyone is working on themselves, so I think there’s a degree of uncomfortableness with themselves... Title of work: Holding Space Name: Christopher Phung Pronouns: he/him
14 GenZine Title of work: Gender Equality Name: Jara Segal Pronouns: she/her
