Over The Edge
UNBC’s Independent Student Newspaper est. 1994
COME TOGETHER
Stand Against Homophobia, pg 5
Bohemian Flopsidy, pg 10
Monique Gendron | OTE
Volume 25, Issue 5
Free overtheedgenewspaper.ca
November 27, 2018 over.the.edge.unbc@gmail.com
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Next deadline: January 16, 2019
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Support is always needed and no experience is required; help make Over The Edge better. We want to hear from you! Call us at 250-960-5633, tweet us @overtheedgeunbc, email us at over. the.edge.unbc@gmail.com and be
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Every year, we provide employment as editors, designers, and managers to students with a passion for journalism and are always looking for motivated individuals to work and volunteer in our collaborative environment. Over The Edge offers competitive advertising rates for space in our print publication as well as online.
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Over The Edge is the University of Northern British Columbia’s independent student newspaper. Our office is located on the third floor of the NUSC building in room 6-350. We are an equal opportunity publication which represents students in the UNBC and Prince George community. Our publication supports student writing by welcoming news, arts, sports, culture and opinion articles, as well as photography, comics, and creative writing submissions.
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Over The Edge
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This will also be the final issue for Emmanuel Drame, our Distribution Coordinator. We wish him the best into the future, and good luck to the incoming DC. Our current Publisher, Mohammed Alalloush, has accepted the position of Editor In Chief, beginning in December. Best of luck to the incoming EIC, I know you will balance both positions well, and bring your best to Over The Edge!
Moniq ue
My first year was spent reporting on the happenings of UNBC and
the Prince George community as News Editor. For the past year and half, I have had the opportunity to serve the student body as Editor In Chief. It has been a joy to hear the stories winding their way through our community, and an honour to present those stories to the best of my ability. I have been a writer for many years, and my goal in coming to Over The Edge was to be paid for writing, and connect those skills with my environmental studies. I am grateful to have accomplished those goals, and exceeded them by developing as an editor, manager, and creative human.
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hough the time has come earlier than I had originally planned, I wanted to inform our readers that I will be moving on from my position as Editor In Chief at the end of November. Like many others, I will be graduating from my
undergraduate degree in the spring of 2019, and I have chosen to put my focus towards getting the most out of my remaining classes. This will be my last issue as EIC, and I can not thank the incredible team, past and present, of staff, board members, and contributors enough for making my time at OTE one of personal and professional growth. Time has flown, and I have somehow been with this lovely Society for over two and a half years!
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Letter from the
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Citizens of the Extinction Rebellion Melanie Bellwood News Director
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he University of Northern British Columbia’s fall semester is coming to a close, and the local news is full of all the fun and fantasy that comes with the holiday season. Broaden your scope a little, however, and students and academics across the globe are using this year’s holiday media to discuss a much less heart-warming topic. Check your recent Twitter feeds, and you might be inundated with images of over one thousand protesters blocking off the main city streets of London, England, as part of the newly formed “Extinction Rebellion.” The group, whose main composition is formed from students, academics, politicians, thinkers, and the “common people” of the United Kingdom, seeks to force the British government to acknowledge the rapid deterioration of our planet and take radical action to mitigate our losses as a human race. The protests in London have been going strong for nearly three weeks, and although many describe it as a “peaceful protest,” it has certainly been disruptive for the day to day welfare of London’s tourist and urban population. Publications by Vogue, The Guardian, and Ecowatch state that because the protest has been going on for so long, the local police have begun to make arrests of those actively involved in the protest, due to their blockage of major highways and tourist centers. Nearly 100 people have been arrested at this time, according to the Guardian. In order to understand where the Extinction Rebellion is coming from, it is first important to know what their goals are. A Twitter and Instagram post from the group on October 31st, 2018, states “This is our darkest hour.
Humanity finds itself embroiled in an event unprecedented in its history. One which, unless immediately addressed, will catapult us further into the destruction of all we hold dear: this nation, its peoples, our ecosystems and the future of generations to come. The science is clear -- we are in the sixth mass extinction event and we will face catastrophe if we do not act swiftly and robustly… We refuse to bequeath a dying planet to future generations by failing to act now. We act in peace, with ferocious love of these lands in our hearts. We act on behalf of life.” The lengthy letter is captioned “The DECLARATION OF REBELLION against the criminal inaction of the UK government on #ClimateBreakdown has just been made,” and only garnered nearly 1000 retweets. The physical response, however, was phenomenal, as the protesters that did show up were not only numerous, but successful in paralyzing the city of London almost immediately, blocking all five of London’s bridges and debilitating any travel inside or out of the city for approximately six hours before London’s Metropolitan Police were able to successfully intervene. The day with the largest response, to date, was on November 17, when an estimated 6000 Extinction Rebellion activists occupied London’s main roadways. Climate Home News’ Chloe Farand writes that the Extinction Rebellion has grown large enough to start setting its sights farther than the United Kingdom, and is working with the United States, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, and Spain to expand its non-violent direct
climate actions internationally. The most recent news regarding the protests in London is that the protesters have converged on central London, marching a coffin down Downing Street to Buckingham Palace with the intention of burying it to signify the death of our planet. Responses by local political officials have been limited unless they are in support of the Extinction Rebellion as a whole. Brent Patterson of Rabble.ca states that “This past weekend, Extinction Rebellion gatherings were organized by Extinction Rebellion Vancouver and Extinction Rebellion Toronto.” He questions whether we will see occupations of the Cambie Street Bridge in Vancouver and the Alexandra Bridge in Ottawa similar to London, and what the reaction will be from the local public. In London, the reaction has been inherently positive, as many new members of the Extinction Rebellion have joined since the beginning of the protest. Will we see a similar response from Canadian citizens? Should we? More importantly, how has the government reacted to the protests in the United Kingdom, and how might we expect our government to respond here in Canada? As students and faculty of a university that boasts one of the best environmental health and study focuses in Canada, awareness regarding these Extinction Rebellion actions has been stunted at the very least. Is this a good thing for students who are being taught to be aware of the environment and its traumas? One aspect to be decided, is whether the participants of the Extinction Rebellion are carrying
out their actions with good cause. Is a non-violent but direct protest an appropriate way to get the point across that our planet is dying and it is more than likely that we will all go down with it? Is it true that “biodiversity is being annihilated around the world,” as ExtinctionR on Instagram says? If this is the case, what is our responsibility as citizens of nations, provinces, cities, and homes to react to this incredible failure by our governmental institutions and organizations? Ultimately, is it right to support the Extinction Rebellion? As a student of this university, I would say that it is our responsibility to become as educated as we can about the matter. If these rebellions are seeking a place in Canada, we should be aware that they are happening and what they stand for before they get here. Therefore, I welcome everyone to do your own research, look at what the Extinction Rebellion could mean to you, and to respond to the idea that our planet is dying. It is up to us whether radical change is necessary and how best to apply it. If we are able to learn as much as we can before the time comes to make a choice, we will be much better prepared to make a good one. How will you act on behalf of life?
Tierney Watkinson | OTE
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Secure UNBC’s Sustainability Manager Position Students for a Green University Contributors
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NBC’s Sustainability Manager plays a key role in ensuring that we are constantly working towards a more sustainable university, and we are currently at risk of losing our Sustainability Manager indefinitely. Maria Mercer’s Interim Sustainability Manager Position is coming to an end at the end of December, and the University still has no concrete plans for her position once her term has ended. In addition, the University has not expressed any interest in re-appointing this position. In her time here, she has done an incredible job educating herself on all the different sectors of sustainability around campus, and has become an extraordinary
liaison to assist anyone in the completion of a project or initiative around campus. She has also initiated a great number of projects herself, including the “20 Days of Sustainability,” where she designed a graphic and wrote a summary of 20 different sustainability initiatives around campus. These connections build important partnerships in our community and have contributed to greater productivity for groups helping aid UNBC in meeting the goals set out in its Green Strategy. With all the amazing work that she has done and the talent that she has brought to UNBC, we believe it would be in the best interest of the University and student body to ensure she can
continue her efforts under a renewed contract or full-time position. If she is ready to move on, then proper measures must be taken to find a new Sustainability Manager as it is an extremely important role at UNBC. There are countless different groups of amazing people around UNBC working hard to make the University and this world more sustainable, therefore having a key person to connect all those people and assist in getting things off the ground is essential for us here at Canada’s Green University.
this objective. Please help us in encouraging her supervisors (Dan Ryan and Robert Knight) to complete this task and secure plans for the succession of the position by signing our petition. The petition can be found on the Students for a Green University (SGU) Facebook page or at the following link: https://www. change.org/p/secure-unbc-ssustainability-manager-position
The purpose or her Interim position was to give the university time to reformulate the position to better fit UNBC’s current goals, but they have not yet achieved
Sam Wall | OTE
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A Stand Against Homophobia The Board of the Northern Pride Centre Contributors
Monique Gendron | OTE
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n October 21, members of the Northern Pride Centre (NPC) discovered vandalized resources outside their door. This was not the first time resources had been defaced, but was one of the more targeted and premeditated attacks: vandalism of Blood Ban pamphlets. The Blood Ban is a controversial issue within the LGBTQ2S+ community, in which members, particularly gay men, cannot donate blood. The fact that all seventeen pamphlets were defaced and were offensively edited suggests the offender was acting purposely, with a motive specifically against gay men. Slurs used by the offender in their personal vendetta are a cause for concern for everyone within the UNBC community. The use of hate speech violates section 319, subsections 1 and 2, of the Criminal Code of Canada under Hate Propaganda. This section refers to the inciting of hatred against a group in a public manner, and is punishable by law. This occurrence on UNBC property is shocking, and has challenged the safety of a
minority group on campus. While the Northern Pride Centre is an advocate for equality and acts as a resource for those within the community, it is above all a safe place where members are free to disengage from discourse and simply be themselves. The Board of the Northern Pride Centre wants to make everyone aware of the fact that this campus should remain safe for everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, and anything or everything in between. The NPC reached out to other groups, SLOs, organizations, etc. around campus and received the following words of support. We can not thank any of these community members enough. Their statements follow: “It’s come to my attention that a sad example of hatred and ignorance recently surfaced on our campus. Our Northern Pride Centre office, led by students, was working to raise awareness about the deferral period in Canada for gay and bisexual men to donate blood, calling on the government
to repeal legislation to increase the pool of potential, healthy, safe donations. Unfortunately, some repugnant and unacceptable text was scrawled on the posters that were designed to be a positive campaign. Let me be unequivocally clear – this is simply not acceptable behaviour. We continue to provide support to our friends in the Northern Pride Centre. These individuals play a vital role in fostering positivity and messages of inclusion, collaboration, and strength in community. We are working with our safety and security team to delve into the issue to determine how this happened, and who was involved. We have also alerted the RCMP, who take incidents of this nature seriously. In addition, representatives from our Counselling Services are working with the Northern Pride Centre to provide support, not only to them, but by extension to all members of our community who make up such a vital part of our ecosystem.
This is hate speech, something that our community will not accept or ignore. If you have information or knowledge related to this incident, I urge you to come forward and contact our Director of Safety and Security, Sarah Elliott at sarah.elliott@unbc.ca. We will treat each complaint or piece of information confidentially and with complete discretion. I choose to believe that this vile act could not possibly have been perpetrated by a member of the UNBC family; it’s simply not who we are. We set goals that are visionary and inspirational; we don’t sink to levels of hatred, bigotry, racism or exclusion. On behalf of the UNBC community, I thank the members of the Northern Pride Centre for the good work they do each day to be advocates, champions, supporters, and leaders. Your contributions to life on our campus are immeasurable and invaluable. Know that we stand with you and will not sit idly by when the forces of division and intolerance emerge. Peace, love, and
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understanding will rule the day.” UNBC President Daniel Weeks
“NUGSS has been informed by the Pride Centre that several acts of defacement have recently taken place. These acts were performed on informative material located outside of the Pride Centre. The comments themselves are hateful and inappropriate, and it would be counterproductive to repeat them. The Pride Centre has been the subject of disrespect and defacement in the past. This Centre is intended to be an inclusive and welcoming space, and is open to all. It is a great space for gaining information, making friends, and studying. It is important that all students respect this space, particularly as one that is meant to promote open and civil conversation. As an institution, university, and student body, we welcome conversation. These acts do not promote respect, civility, or engagement with fellow students in good faith. These acts serve only to further ignorance and insensitivity, and do not have any place at UNBC. Moving forward, NUGSS is exploring the installation of security cameras in or around the Pride Centre, in the hope that they will deter any further vandalism. It is an unfortunate step to have to take. Moving the conversation forward means doing so in the open -- giving your fellow students the opportunity to engage with your views, however controversial. NUGSS sincerely hopes that students will take a more respectful approach to the expression of their beliefs. If any student has information on the vandalism, please contact
NUGSS, either in person, by email, or over the phone.” NUGSS President Ethan Fredeen “The recent vandalism of the Pride Centre is an act of blatant violence and ignorance that will not be tolerated. The Equity Council stands in support with all members and ally’s of the pride centre and will continue to advocate for the mutual respect and universal education to remove misinformation and acts of discrimination on campus.”
OTE and the campus community. Every person deserves to feel as safe as possible in their learning environment.” Over The Edge Newspaper
NUGSS Equity Council
“Over The Edge Newspaper seeks to reflect and advocate for the perspectives of UNBC students. This includes all students, regardless of how they may identify or experience the world; some of the most timely and important revelations come from those who are most marginalized in society. OTE fully supports and stands with the Northern Pride Centre, who have worked tirelessly to create an environment of awareness, safety, and acceptance for the LGBTQ2S+ community. One aspect of this work is using posters to raise awareness of the unfair and exclusionary regulations placed upon gay, bisexual, and queer men when donating blood. Though vital to remember the AIDS crisis of the 1980’s, we do no favors for anyone by associating fear of blood-borne illness with any particular community, especially in a time of high blood demand The horrible slurs and phrases graffitied on the NPC’s posters were completely ignorant and discriminatory. This sort of hatred will not be tolerated by
“Inspiring Women Among Us (IWAU) believes in respecting the inherent dignity, worth, and human rights of all individuals. IWAU opposes any action that attacks the integrity or human rights of any person. We support our friends in the Northern Pride Centre and work to preserve and advance the rights of transgender and gender non-conforming people on campus and in Prince George. We expect and demand a UNBC atmosphere of inclusiveness and acceptance where we are all valued and feel safe.” 2018 IWAU Team “University is a place of higher learning, expanding your mind, and generally going beyond that which you knew before you got here. It’s a place where we as students are challenged both within the classroom and without, as we prepare ourselves to tackle the challenges of the world we will soon inherit, and more importantly, understand ourselves and our role within it. In the face of a looming climate catastrophe and tightening political tensions, the supposed free thinking and academic world of university should be seen as a haven for us students to explore and express ourselves before we apply ourselves to making our own small slice of the world a hopefully better one.
Recently, however, the deplorable actions of a certain individual or select few individuals at UNBC have called into question the validity of that notion -- that we as students are free to explore whom we want to be, whoever that might be. We hope this reaches the people or person who took it upon themselves; while you are entitled to your personal beliefs, as we all are in this free and democratic society, there are absolutely no excuses for the actions you took. And it’s not only that what you did is immoral, it’s frankly disappointing that such outdated beliefs about a person’s preference still persist, even at an institution like ours. Ultimately, it is sad. Sad not only for the people you targeted and made feel so unwelcome and even unsafe in our school, but more sad that you can’t think outside of yourself and look past your feelings or beliefs towards the valid problems and threats we face in the world. The members of the UNBC League of Environmental Science Students would like to also take this opportunity to assure the Pride Centre that we stand with you, that we are allies, and we support what your organization does. It is incredibly important to feel a sense of belonging in the world, in your community and at school, whether you like different people or different science. We don’t all have to agree, but we need to get along so that we can all reach our potential. So, to whomever did this, shape up or ship out.” League of Environmental Science Students
News “The NHSS supports the Northern Pride Centre and state that it wishes to create a space where everyone can come learn, be a part of a community, in safety, without fear of being who they are. The actions of hatred should not be met with kindness and not more hatred. We stand with the Northern Pride Centre in solidarity.” Northern History Student Society
“The atrocious act of vandalism that occurred all over the Pride Centre posters was a devastating act of hate. It’s sad to think that the UNBC community has individuals with that behaviour and mindset. On behalf of the UNBC Drama Club, I would like to send our support to the Pride Centre and anybody that was affected by the vandalism. The Drama Club fully supports the Pride Centre and the LGBTQ2S+ community. Hate crimes like this should not be tolerated at UNBC. The Drama Club will always be an accepting group for any person.” UNBC Drama Club “The South Asian Student Society (SASS) was disappointed to discover that the Northern Pride Centre had been vandalized. We fully support the Northern Pride Centre and our fellow LGBTQ2S+ students and faculty on campus, and in the greater Prince George community. Our campus has no space for hatred, hate crimes, or discrimination. We will not stand to see any of our LGBTQ2S+ community members discriminated against,
and we hope that the University of Northern British Columbia takes action to bring the Northern Pride Centre justice.” South Asian Student Society
“The Board of Alpha Pi Beta Sorority would like to express our sincere appreciation and support for the Northern Pride Centre at UNBC. Though we unfortunately do not live in a world free from hate, it is everyone’s job here at UNBC to make our school a safe space. The Northern Pride Centre is a vital piece of that framework in our community. We intend to show our utmost support for the LGBTQ2S+ community, and encourage all our fellow students and UNBC staff to do the same.” Alpha Pi Beta
such a space on campus. We stand for equality between all people, no one should feel uncomfortable to be on campus, and there is absolutely no tolerance for hate or prejudice. The Psychology Club will now and always stand with the Northern Pride Centre in their journey to provide a safe place for all who are a part of the LGBTQ2S+ community.” UNBC Psychology Club
“The executive of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of UNBC stands in support of the Northern Pride Centre against this and all incidences of hate speech. UNBC must remain a safe place for LGBTQ2S+ students. Such acts of hatred are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated or condoned.” InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of UNBC
“The UNBC Greens club will always support the LGBTQ2S+ community, and were horrified to hear of the awful vandalism that occurred on campus on Pride Centre resources. We echo the Pride Centre in their statement that ‘this campus should remain safe for everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, and anything or everything in between.’ Period.” UNBC Greens Club “The UNBC Psychology Club believes it is important that everyone feel safe and welcome, this being said we stand behind and support the Northern Pride Centre, as it is important to have
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A Letter in Response to Issue 3’s Anonymous Contributor Counselling Services Team Contributors
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n the October Issue of Over the Edge, a student wrote a piece regarding their experience with UNBC’s Counselling Services. We would like to thank this student for sharing their experience. We are sorry that your time with Counselling Services negatively impacted you. We strive to create a space where clients feel heard and their wishes respected. We regret that you were not provided with the emotional support
you were seeking. We want you to know that we will continue to reflect on and address what happened to prevent this from happening again. If you would like to participate in this process, we would welcome your input in whatever way feels comfortable for you (in person, email, phone call, or through a friend). We would like to take this opportunity to clearly state that we wholeheartedly believe
Sam Wall | OTE
it is an individual’s choice to report an experience of sexual violence. Access to any UNBC services and supports should never be conditional on whether a report has been made. Counselling Services values feedback and welcomes comments and concerns from all UNBC students. Students can speak with us directly, request a different counsellor, or meet with management. As
we continue our learning and growth, we hope students will continue to give us feedback.
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Ride Hailing Finally on the Way Trevor Ritchie Contributor
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n Monday, November 19, the BC Government introduced legislation paving the way for Uber and other ride sharing apps to be legalized in the province. This legislation follows a 2017 election promise to bring in ride sharing if elected, and years of consultations with both the general public and the taxi industry, which is strongly opposed to the creation of ride sharing in British Columbia.
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The legislation being brought forward includes a number of requirements for individuals who wish to be a driver for a ride sharing app, including the need to have a class four commercial driver’s licence and a completed criminal background check. Individuals joining a ride share app will also have to purchase a new form of car insurance, which ICBC is currently tasked with creating in anticipation of the late 2019 app launch date.
Thus far, industry seems supportive of the proposed legislation and considers it a good first step, with Uber’s head of cities for the west stating that the legislation looks like a good first step, but that they need more detail before they can move ahead with ride sharing in BC. Uber indicated that they are working with MLAs in all three parties to ensure that as many people as possible are able to participate. While all three political parties in the Legislature are looking forward to the inclusion of ride sharing in BC, other groups outside of the government are expressing concerns. The BC Federation of Labour is concerned about how drivers will be treated by the companies that they work for, and note that in most other cities the drivers are considered independent contractors. By being considered independent contractors instead of direct employees of the ride sharing companies, this can impact the drivers’ ability to ensure wage security, and impacts the way the drivers pay taxes. The Federation of Labour is hoping that the government will give consideration in future legislation to ensuring the rights of drivers to fair pay rates and other issues covered by labour legislation. In response to the BC Federation of Labour’s concerns, BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson suggested that issues of wages and driver protection could be best addressed by the drivers and the market itself, and further suggested that the NDP was already providing too many regulations that were impeding bringing ride sharing to British Columbia. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver also notes that many drivers do not do it as
their main job, and that it is used as supplemental income, so those drivers would already be protected and have some of their labour concerns addressed through their main job. While there remain a number of significant barriers before Uber and other companies can operate in British Columbia, the enabling legislation is being put into place. There are finally signs that concrete steps are being taken by the BC government to ensure that ride sharing is given a place in the transportation market in a way that does not completely displace the taxi industry, and which also protects the rights of drivers and potential customers. The government continues to believe that ride sharing will be open for use by the end of 2019, with any potential other concerns being addressed in the spring 2019 sitting of the legislature.
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Bohemian Flopsody: Why Beelzebub has a Devil put aside for the Remaining Members of Queen Jordan Tucker Contributor
Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: actor Rami Malek did a great job as Freddie Mercury. While I obviously never met the Queen frontman myself, the version put forth by the 37 year old actor was a sensitive, inquisitive, funny, inventive, and ultimately kind portrayal of a man known for a larger than life personality and heart. This movie has been in the works for over a decade, and like many others, I was saddened when Sacha Baron Cohen, the actor initially conscripted to play Mercury, dropped out. Not only did he look the part perfectly, the funnyman’s deep intelligence and natural flamboyance would have perfectly channeled the late singer. So while it was too bad that Baron Cohen could not take on the role, Rami Malek truly made the part his own. The real cracks in the film start to show when we begin to examine exactly why Sacha
Baron Cohen left the project: he felt that the way the remaining members of Queen wanted to handle the story was disrespectful to Mercury’s memory. The producers of the film chalked it up to “creative differences” and ploughed on with the project. Here’s what happens in the first half of the movie: you have a really straightforward meet-cute where the original members of Queen meet with a cocky young Mercury in a parking lot, where he belts out one of their songs and informs them that he will consider joining their band. Then, through what feels like a fastforward feature on an old VCR, we are treated to various bar, stadium, and record office scenes. These show the viewers that yes, Queen’s star did progressively shine brighter and brighter. There are also various cute scenes where the band jams
around and reveals that (alas and alack!) the big meanies at the record company never wanted to release Bohemian Rhapsody as a single! At this point, Freddie Mercury stylishly storms out and throws a rock through the window of the office, telling all the weirdos (!) and freaks (!) in the audience that if they hold fast to their vision and commit some mild vandalism, they too can be international superstars. As their star glows ever brighter, we also see the Mercury character face deep opposition to his fanciful music career from his Stern Ethnic Parentstm who seem to think that dumping on his dream will convince him to become a lawyer! Malek’s Mercury also compliments a shopgirl named Mary on her coat (clear lazy Gay Foreshadowing if I ever saw it) and proceeds to fall madly in love with her, leading to an eventual proposal and then marriage. This
happy hetero coupling takes up the first half of the movie, and is very nauseatingly wholesome. A wrench throws itself into the cog of all this legally/godly sanctioned missionary sex though: the more Queen tours, the more Freddie Mercury’s character is lead to the accursed homosexual way. Everywhere he goes, some swarthy trucker eyes him up and down outside of a truckstop bathroom, or some pretty boy looks too long at his lips. Tempted by the fruit of someone’s brother, Mercury rushes home to Mary to tell her, “I think I’m bisexual,” to which she (obviously an oracle of some magic who can divine the true lustings of his dong better than he can) replies, “No Freddie, you’re gay.” They break up on the spot, Mercury rocked by the revelation that he has been faking orgasms with women for years. In fact, he would continue to fake orgasms
20th Century Fox
Culture with women (interspersed with his male lovers) for the rest of his life in a naive attempt to prove her wrong! Bisexuality doesn’t exist, thank god for Oracle Mary. This is where everything begins to go haywire for the film, portraying Freddie Mercury and the remaining members of Queen as a tight little family unit, previous to the revelation of his sexual proclivities towards men. The fellow members of Queen, the narrative implies, are the gatekeepers of the true heterosexual morality, and deign to bestow their kind tolerance on their freaky creative friend. They sure do put up with a lot for a couple of good tunes! The dynamic of the band members in the film is really just a bunch of dudes shitting on Freddie Mercury for being weird, while they wait for him to crap out the genius music they put up with him for. Dance weirdo dance! But lest we forget, the other guys also helped write the songs! The lesser knowns of Queen, Whatshisface, Whoshisname, and Whatchamacallit, really want you to know that they also helped write the songs. In one scene, Mercury is late because he is out doing gay drunk sin, and the three downtrodden and abandoned members somehow find the will to carry on and stomp on a box to create the beat of “We Will Rock You.” They also enlist “the wives” to stomp on the box with them, so committed were they to fostering female creativity in the heydeys of the 70’s. ( I say “the wives” as their spouses are never actually named in the film, and are instead shuttled about like a many-bodied hive mind of polyester, poofy hair and motherly concern.) At the end of the scene, Mercury staggers in and all the straights, obviously jealous, yell at him for being a drunk and horny rockstar. They threaten to boot him out of the band, but he performs the trick that makes him loveable and spits out some lyrics to their song. Hurrah! A hit. While the rest of the band is
busy making concerned faces and babies, Mercury and his scheming, evil, gay manager head off to gay bars. Mercury, upon finding other queer people and feeling comfortable with himself for the first time, does not look happy, relieved, and flirtatious. Rather, the Mercury of the film looks as though he is gazing into the void of his own destruction. A news report on a television reminds us that AIDS is about, punishing the gay men of the world! Freddie bravely steels his brow and continues to soldier forth into his world of bad gay sin. In one scene, he throws a lavish birthday party for himself, while all the other members of Queen share looks of abject horror and moralize at him for enjoying his birthday, and then pack up their wives and storm out! It seems for the members of Queen, that one of the chief benefits of outliving Mercury is being able to write out their own rockstar behaviour in retrospect. Dead men tell no tales! One of the chief reasons that Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out of the picture is because he didn’t agree with how the members of Queen wanted to frame the narrative. In an interview with the Guardian, the actor revealed that the movie they wanted to make would be different than other band movies because of the amazing middle twist: “And I go: ‘What happens in the middle of the movie?’ He goes: ‘You know, Freddie dies.’ ... I go: ‘What happens in the second half of the movie?’ He goes: ‘We see how the band carries on from strength to strength.’ I said: ‘Listen, not one person is going to see a movie where the lead character dies from AIDS and then you see how the band carries on.’” That the remaining members of Queen (Whatshisface, Whoshisname, and Whatchamacallit) were actually delusional enough to think anyone cared about the band beyond Freddie Mercury is as pathetic as it is problematic. The notion that they could frame the untimely death of
one of the most talented and well-known rock vocalists of all time as just something that the band and the film “carries on” from is dangerously disrespectful to their fans and the memory of their friend. Regretfully, what they actually do with the ending is much worse: they use Freddie Mercury’s AIDS diagnosis to spin a cautionary morality tale about the dangers of lavish sex and gayness. In the film, Mercury is beseeched by Mary (who remained his best friend throughout his life until his end) to cease his wanton behaviour! He does so, and casts out his treacherous manager, who has been supplying him with smooth leather-adorned men and everest-sized mountains of coke. He remains alone, however, having selfishly decided to make a solo album. It is only when he gets his inevitable AIDS diagnosis and realizes the full villainy of his free-living lifestyle that he is able to humble himself sufficiently to return to the band. There, they all give him pitying looks and hugs as they all decide to do their now-famous set at Live Aid to somehow redeem Mercury. As evidence that he is now safely back into the fold of monogamy and responsible living, Mercury picks up a long term boyfriend on the way to the show and swings by his parents’ Stern Ethnic Household to come out and tell them that he is thankful for all of their parenting. Then, the Live Aid set occurs and Mary, her husband, and the brand new longterm boyfriend all show up to signify that the evil of gay parties has been vanquished, and now Mercury will live out his days in tea-sipping monogamy. The credits then inform us that Mercury eventually ends up gracefully dying of AIDS as a final act of repentance for his lifetime of lavish gayness (definitely not bisexuality, which is not a thing). I just don’t understand why Freddie Mercury’s life had to be spun as a tragedy. In reality, Mercury was a lovely and loving man whose parents were anything
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but disapproving. Frequent attenders of Queen’s shows, they had enthusiastically supported his musical efforts his whole life by paying for lessons and driving him to gigs. And while he did break up with Mary, he referred to her as his platonic common-law wife throughout his life, who was present and excited about many of his various parties and adventures. When Freddie Mercury went to do a solo album it wasn’t a big deal, because the drummer (Whatshisface) had already done two solo projects of his own. Mercury met his partner at a gay bar, not as a member of his hired help. And lastly, Mercury had no idea he had AIDS at the time of Live Aid, he found out a few months later. These misrepresentations in the name of narrative do nothing but betray the history of the very man the audience of fans wanted to see honoured. It seems that because he died young, and of an illness that disproportionately affects the marginalized, we are expected to turn against how he chose to live his life. Look, the movie seems to say, if Mercury had been less himself, more like those other guys, he might still be singing songs for us. This is his fault. In reality, had he been more straight, more conventional, and less risk-taking, he wouldn’t have had the capacity to go out on an emotional limb to bare his heart for the world, and give selflessly of his enormous gift. This movie fails to celebrate Mercury’s life on the terms of how he lived it. He laughed longer and sang with more heart than anyone of his era. To write his story as though he was depraved and misguided, is to completely defy the evidence of the man’s extraordinary intelligence, and want for the extravagances of what life can offer for the brave and bold. Freddie Mercury lived how he wanted and needed to, with great love and joy. It’s a shame that the makers of this film couldn’t be bothered to honour that.
20th Century Fox
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Culture
Sunshine Adam Faber Contributor
There she sits alone. Textbook open to another confusing page. Her blond hair shines under the harsh, synthetic lights. In her ears, headphones blast a melody. She hums along. Without stopping to ask for her name, you would never know who she really is. Kind, strong willed, loyal, caring. A ray of sunshine in human form. But there she sits. Alone.​
hramblag.spb.ru
News
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Researchers Lead Project to Enhance Indigenous Employment and Cultural Safety Press Release
Two UNBC researchers, together with northern and provincial partners, have embarked on a five-year research project focused on further enhancing Indigenous health in northern B.C. Dr. Sarah de Leeuw and Dr. Margo Greenwood received $1.3 million as part of a Healthy and Productive Work Initiative Partnership Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). It is the first joint federal research partnership grant of its kind to be held at UNBC, and is one of only nine such grants held across Canada. The work builds on a pilot project launched in 2016. Key partners on the five-year project include numerous Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders across the North, Northern Health, Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George, and the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health (NCCAH). The Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR), also a major partner, is contributing an additional $130,000 in funding. “We are excited to have started this journey with our partners through which we will explore ways to celebrate Indigeneity in health care,” said de Leeuw, Northern Medical Program and Geography associate professor. “It’s an opportunity to develop northern-focused solutions that seek to create a more culturally humble health-care system that embraces Indigenous people and Indigenous knowledge.” Over the course of five years, the project will focus on ways
to transform health service delivery in northern B.C., across existing organizations and professions, into a culturally safe and culturally humble environment in which to provide and receive care. It also aims to inspire new generations of Indigenous youth in the North to enter the health-care field. “We are going to look at what each of us in the North can do to help support our common goals in this project,” noted Greenwood, First Nations Studies and Education professor, and Northern Health vice president of Indigenous Health. “This means getting together with stakeholders across the region, having good conversations around the issues, and encouraging people to be selfreflective on practice, programs and the system. We know that not one community, employer, post-secondary institution or organization is going to fulfill these goals on their own. It’s going to take a partnered effort to fully address health care needs across the North in a culturally respectful and safe way.” The SSHRC and CIHR’s Healthy and Productive Work Initiative – Partnership Grant program aims to bring together a wide range of researchers and stakeholders across sectors to help develop and put solutions in place that improve the health and productivity of Canada’s diverse workforce. “Supporting projects like the one Drs. de Leeuw and Greenwood are undertaking is one of the ways we deliver on our partnership
funding priorities to enable Indigenous health and wellbeing and create better health in northern, rural and Indigenous communities,” said Dr. Bev Holmes, president and CEO of MSFHR. “Their work to enhance Indigenous employment and cultural safety for health care has the potential to make a tangible difference in the health of Indigenous people in the North.” The project is also receiving support through in-kind contributions, valued at approximately $460,000, from the project’s other major partners, including Northern Health, Two Rivers Gallery, NCCAH and UNBC. “Access to culturally safe care is a critical part of our ongoing commitment to improving services in our region and fostering respectful and collaborative relationships with our Indigenous communities,” said David Williams, Northern Health vice president of Human Resources. “We are committed to becoming more reflective of the people we serve in the North and look forward to furthering that goal through this project. We hope to attract more Indigenous employees to our workforce and also continue to improve the workplace for those employees.” “We are committed to engagement of diverse communities through arts-based initiatives and believe that self-expression, creativity and cultural identity is essential to health and well-being, especially for Indigenous communities,” said Carolyn Holmes, executive director, Two Rivers Gallery. “We
look forward to collaborating with the other partner organizations coming together to increase culturally agile healthcare employment environments and services in northern B.C., and we strongly believe that one way to do this is through engagement in the creative arts.” Other project participants include collaborators from the Northern Medical Program, UBC, and McMaster University. The First Nations Health Authority was a key partner in the 2016 pilot project. “Enhancing cultural safety is an important priority for our Northern region,” said Dr. Daniel Weeks, UNBC president. “The solutions and resources developed through this project in collaboration with Indigenous communities as well as other health-care stakeholders in the North will not only improve our regional health-care environment but also those in other jurisdictions across Canada and beyond.” This project is supported by the Research Support Fund, a tri-agency initiative of the SSHRC, CIHR and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), which assists Canadian post-secondary institutions and their affiliated research hospitals and institutes with the expenses associated with managing the research funded by these three federal research granting agencies.
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Photojournalism
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Chris King | OTE
Events
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Check Out These Events! Thursday, November 29
Monday, December 10
Super Supported Science Studying! Write for Rights All day 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm Location: Gathering Place 5-123 Location: Artspace at Books & Company
Friday, November 30
Friday, December 14
NRESi Colloquium: When the Feds Try to Give Your Land Away 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Location: 8-164
Sounding Out for the Old Fort Slide! 6:30 pm - 12:00 am Location: 369 Victoria St.
Monday. December 3 Dear Stress, Let’s Break Up 9:30 am - 2:30 pm Location: Canfor Winter Garden
Tuesday. December 4 Michael Smith Presentation Networking Social 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm Location: 7-512
Tuesday, January 8 Connecting U Cafe 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Location: Doug Little Lounge
Saturday, January 19 PARE Test 8:30 am - 12:00 pm Location: Northern Sports Centre
The Last Word
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. -Martin Luther King, Jr.
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