REAL-LIFE FASHION HORROR

GOLD COAST AUDITIONS: 15 minutes of p * * * |

50 VI BRAT a goo db uy guide

Baby you can We'll show yi

GOOD THINGS ABOUT BEING A LESBIAN

0X10 Make-up that really

gets under your skin

want me to put

where?

"3+*K Ll! I'LL PUT MV ICBM N E WHERE I \>m 2"

:-racl:: the code • • 1 • I I I • 1

• M l

• I • • • • • • I ."8; i

i r.

Cuban holiday Teli us who this man is talking to and you could win a $10,000 holiday for two to Cuba. Here's a clue. Think '960s. Is it: a) Ivjikhail Gorbachev b) JFK or c) Saddam Hussein? Send your answer - a, b or c - as an SMS text message lo 1562'to be in to win, Each entry costs just 22 cents, so enter as often as you like. Just make sure you enter before 14th September. If you'j:e.not already with Vodafone, what better reason to get connected? Cuba's waiting.

%

I

O vodafone

'cneNeiiwikPtyLCTM, w2fl,©20OO. Junes'

m m% 1 1 i fjf^ i ^ S S ijaf ski

H^'5!

U

FASHION 6 Semper tackles the suburban shopping mail and comes home crying - how to find a bargain in an alien world 20 Sweatshops in our backyard, get the facts

HEALTH AND BEAUTY 4 Body Beauty tips, find out how Semper got so stylish 12 Curl up with a good read and an excellent vibe - Nicola Hardy shows us how 28 What the fuck are you putting on your face??? 36 Intelligent skin

INTERVIEWS 18 Semper talks with Anna Gonzalez 22 Vulcana Women's Circus

30 Artsworker project - Seeds 50 Old Spice with Mc Tash

37 24

FEATURES

32 MUST READ 26 Proper summers, with Mariza 27 The fifty most excellent things about being a lesbian 39 Recipes (that you can't eat..) 42 Cartoons!!!! 43 Websites 46 Girl tunes 48 How to survive.

OTHER STUFF 2 Notes from the editors (real life people, you know??) 52-56 Union Pages - including Kristine's speech on transgendered women at this years nowsa

editorial The Women's officer has a rant.... The importance of having a women's Semper is often chal­

lenged and many argue that to have true equality we must

also have a men's Semper which focusses on men's issues

and gives men an autonomous space in which to express

themselves. This flawed argument is based on the often

used premise that we all start out on an equal footing in life

and that we are all treated equally by life experiences. This

neo-liberalist idea places responsibility for an individual's life

experiences on themselves and negates any role for social

inequality Women, despite the arguments of many (usually

white, well-off men and women devoid of life experience), are

still treated unequally by society. Society still operates along

lines of power that are defined by wealthy white men, des­

perate to hang on to the systems that have done them so

well so far. Women reach lower levels of education than

men (check out the statistics about our higher degrees and

teaching staff here at UQ), do far more unpaid work within

society, are beaten and sexually abused within their homes

and on the streets, harrassed at work and study and are

subject to everyday sexism within newspapers, through

advertising and on TV. It may not be happening to you but

look around you and you'll see that these things affect

women that you know every day. They might not tell you,

but then again who would, its not pretty especially to a soci­

ety that tells us to be beautiful, thin, together and have

every consumer item money can buy to paint up a masquer­

ade that we are all absolutely and utterly happy and perfect.

That's bloody tough to live up to, and many people have

hidden lives that they dare not utter to even those closest to

them. Open your eyes. Anyway, this is all getting a bit

emotive and sounding a bit like a rant, but I'm fed up! And

angry! AGGGGHHHHHrrrrrr

Jen Smith

The lUomen's issue Is put together collectiueiy in association with the Ulomen's Area. It has meant that a lot of cool people haue been inuolued, ail of luhom haue learnt a heap and contributed to the nightmare in some luau. Eueruone's input has been uaiuabie.

Semper Ulomen's issue Is special, uihich means all the people who haue been inuolued haue been a bit special too:

Editorial Team: Thorun Oddsson , Jen Smith, Nicola Hardy, Rachel O'Rieily, Melissa Armstrong, Sibhion Thakhur, carmen Seaby, Hoify Roberston

Couer photo: Sheuuan Lee Stephens Photography; Soibhan, Rachel, Thor, Carmen, Rachel. Cartoons: Nicola Hardy '

EKtra Special Thanks: nicola, rachel, liss, sibhion, carmen, holly, marizza, jen, sarah, sarah, Julianna, Jenny and ioseph sheuaun, arwen, susan, rachel, liz, sam, kylie, tash, elaine, sladja, naomi, anne, robin, matt and kristine, seja erin eueruone who helped and eueryone who stayed well away.... ' ' ^

semper Is pubHshed by the uniuersity of queensland union

1. Your tits are not too small if they are there. Not too big if when looking at them you can see anything else in your peripheries.

2. W hat you should really worry about are the shape of your ears. Unattached lobes may have been fine in the eighties but the catchword from the Parisian runways this year is 'Attached dears, Attached'.

3. On the other hand, arses provide nice sitting material (try growing yours if you find sitting uncomfortable).

4. "Badaboom badaboom" is a nice complimenting adjective accommodating of all forms of bodies.

5. No two twins have exactly the same number and placement of pimples, or score the same number of girls/guys i.e. Clearasil might not be the reason for one's dating success, the other might just be a complete wanker/ wankess in comparison.

6.Cutting your own hair costs nothing. It's a novel idea to create your own self.

7. Why would you get your haircut by any ofthe five people in that salon anyway, who collectively occupy the last five places in the worst /largest /most unflattering/purplist/hardest to style, haircuts of all time.

8. The nicest belly I ever saw was a belly that existed.

9. The woman who brings her twelve years old daughter onto the midday show as an advertisement/exhibition of pain free lip-hair removal is just a bitch.

10. 'Hair removal' and 'painfree' are two concepts which have never met each other, let alone know what the other looks like, and don't intend to get together in the near future.

11. Crossing your legs is fine to do, but really only handy when you need a higher balancing surface than the level your knees come to when your legs are uncrossed.

12. The Pond's Institute is not Austudy approved. There is a rumour the place

on the ad with the swinging glass doors and the women wearing nurses uniforms is just a set in a T.V studio. Semper is stil investigating this one

^ ^

13. No one EVER, when considering which dish washing detergent to purchase, asks

. whether it's gentle to the skin. No ' one puts their left hand in ajar of the prospective brand and their right hand in a bowl of 'the control' (your average brand)and invites a , chemist into their kitchen to watch over them for four hours, to determine this. They miglat do this at the Pond's Institute, however.

14. You should walk as if you have a book on your head, but only if you want to be a librarian and are armless.

15. Did you know your eyes don't •all out if you use normal moisturiser on them, or no moisturiser whatsoever?

16. To make 2 in 1 hairwash at lome add shampoo to conditioner and put it into one bottle!

17. Perfume smells like rust and gets up your nose and eveiyone . around you.

18. Many beauty products were invented just to fill in spaces e.g. rouge.

i9.Never take beauty advice from someone whose catchphrase is "maintenance maintenance maintenance."

20. Waxing occasions pain. The epilady prolongs such pain over a five hour period.

21. A bath in mud is cheaper when you D.I.Y. (And more fun in company, when you're semi-naked and intoxicated)

22. The only people able to rationalize time spent on a thighmaster should be those who tests the thigh-poppability of American Footballs. To my knowledge there's only three 'Playboy Amazons' and Jour brands of American football inyoMBhere.

Qucenslanii

23. Never take beauty advice. People who give it want more 'them-looking' people, or alternatively want to create a tribe of unfortunately fashioned people to walk beside.

24. Mascara has never been knovm to go off, even if it did, would you care anyway? The shit costs about a dollar a millilitre.

25, No one cares about tan marks. People will point and laugh at your sunburn though.

V!S^^, is

A YOIING WOMAN DEAD.. AN OeSKSEDAUTHOft CONFESSES,

THE M Y S r a y KERNS.

it. ' ' , \ .MURDERr MYSTERY! OBSESSION!

CREIVIORNE THEATRE, QPAC JULY 31-SEPTEM,BER 2.20flft BOOK 0 1 1 M 1 3 6 24B WEBSITE qtc.tlieliiib.coiii.au: ,

26. To cut your beau bathroom face' inst my beau your face

e time spent on n going to the

ing my

27. To survive an expedition through the department store cosmetic coun­ters, take an ambo's advice- 'Get do vn low and go, go, go'

28. Wearing a g-string may not make you feel sexier, though you will have that "undies up your bum" sensation for quite a while till you get used to it. And the strap thing will smell (very un-sexy).

29. Ha\dng a shower on top of a yacht facing a film crew does not constitute "getting back to nature."

30. For a quick exfoliant rub your face on the beach.

Kylie Purr / I Writes for Semper

OK, so you play music, or you want to play music. This entails gathering

'kit', buying stuff to make you rock righteously and going to stores to do

so. It's no secret that most music stores are daunting experiences for a

young lady, full of cocky young men determined to show you how much

TI IHY know, and how LHTLE you know. This is quite daunting if you

are new and just wanna rock out without all their posturing bullshit. But

it doesn't have to be this way. Read on for instrument purchasing

liberation (of sorts).

MY FIRST GUITAR (or bass, or keyboard, or sequencer - whatever!)

If you arc just starting out, having just caught the bug, or plucked up the

courage to play, you don't necessarily go straight to the top. A good,

basic and (one of my favc words when describing gear) sturdy

instrument is what you want in the early stages, and there really is no

need to go to a music store just yet. Your first instrument should not

cost you an arm and a leg, as what you need is a basic set up. One place

to get such a thing may be through a friend who might sell you their old

guitar at a mate's price. They might even give you some tips. What if no

one you know is remotely into what you are doing, and that option is a

big, fat dead end? Other cheap, easy options include hockshops and

Cash Converters, where guitars, keyboards and more are abandoned,

yearning for a new, enthusiastic owner at a good price. I picked up my

first guitar for Sjo at a C ash Converters, and my first bass was S25 from

a triend. Probably lucky stories, sure, but it's still gonna be cheap. Also,

they will barter at these stores. I like to round down - my S50 guitar was

jjriced at S60, so 1 rounded down, offered them S50 and walked out

with it. Anyhow, these two options are the easiest. There are a couple of

others, but it just means going out of your normal realm. The Trading

I ost newspaper has a zillion ads for guitars and stuff, but I fmd it to be

full of Fenders and Gibsons (like the Fords and Holdens of guitars) and

little of quirky interest - but you may well find a surprise in there. If you

have internet access, online auctions arc also fun (and Trading Post is

online and searchable), with cheap and interesting stuff. Try

www.sold.com.au or www.stuff.com.au - both are Australian and quite

relevant. The next level up would have to be the second hand music

store. These arc often good for cheapish stuff, but we are back in the

muso fuckwit realm. Recently online, I found an awesome 2nd hand

store, with a massive site (www.melmusic.com.au). I don't know if I'd

buy anything online without trying it first, but it is a good site for

research, and getting familiar with what gear is around, how much it

costs etc. (I am, however, a gear nerd and will probably buy the

HotCake stomp box via mail-order. It just sounds so nice!) Another ftin

way of buying gear is via (real life)

auctions. If you scour the city papers in the classifieds, you will find the

locations of auctions, some of which are exclusively musical instruments.

These are usually clearing houses for stores gone bust, overstocked hock shops,

deceased estates and private sellers. Sometimes the prices are crazily low! You

just have to be in the right place at the right time. This method is probably

quite a fun one.

SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING!! Ok, you know where to start your search,

but what are you searching for?? If it's something other than a guitar/bass, I'd

simply try it (take your time) and see if I Uked the sounds that it made. If it's

electrical, you need to make sure all the ftinctions work - just press buttons. If

nothing happens when you press a button, it might be broken. Try to avoid

buying stuff that is broken, unless it's really cheap. It is your prerogative to try

gear, so don't let them intimidate you, or hurry you up. It's your hard earned

cash, be resiUent. Alternatively, the gear may not be perfect but would serve

the purpose of aUowing you to learn to play, and muckaround, at a good pace.

If it's a guitar you are buying, you will definitely need to try it. The

salesperson should have a lead and plug the guitar into an amp for you.

Dragging along a mate who knows something about guitars could help, but

it's not vital. Once it is ail set up, say thanks and say you'll just give it a go

*" Mv I How vfouWe ahf(4nk! * for a while. Hopefully they will leave you alone to fondle and fiddle with

the guitar, if not, ignore them. I like to try guitars without the hot air of a

salesperson surrounding me. So, what should you look for? Well, take a

seat and strum it, put your fingers on it. Does it feel comfy? If you have

never played before, your guitar-knowin' mate could be handy about now,

just to be sure. Also, it should not be too heavy - some guitars are heavier

than others. A guitar bought from a music store should have been

serviced, with new strings and be 'set up'. 'Set up' refers to the 'action' and

making the strings sit properly on the bridge and fret board. However,

if you are buying from a private sale or hockshop, this will probably not

be the case, and you will simply have to try it and see how it feels.

Generally, most guitars will be 'set up' ready to go. Basically, try out the

stuff you have an eye on, take your time and don't let the salesperson

sweet talk you. If you are a bit inexperienced, take someone with you,

even if they don't know anything, moral support can be great and

empowering. Or get in contact with me! I love to shop for musical gear,

and those salespeople don't put it over me anymore. I don't care if you and I have

never met. Let's meet, have a coffee and shop for gear. My contact details are below.

I'm nice, not scary and have a boring life, so lets shop for loud shit!! OK.

WHERETO GO! As far as stores go, most suck. They arc exclusively male

domains where several pairs of eyes swoop to your appearance at the door, when

you are a female prospective customer. With one exception, I've never seen a

woman working in a music store on the sales floor. Instantly, they have you sized up

and you feel small, as they assume you know shit. Once, a couple of years ago whilst

living in the 'burbs, I went to a local guitar, er, let's say it was a "factory", as I'd

come into some cash and wanted to sink it into some top qualit)' leads for once.

Instantly I was alienated by poodleheadland and over the top mctal-guitar-music

playing. I strode confidently over to the counter, observing the walls admiring the

guitars that hung there. Once the salesman found I was after leads, he barraged me

with prices and lengths - in FEET! So I was confiised as to what length I required in

FEET, and nervously stated that lo FEET seemed a little long, to which the wanker

responded with a surprised look that told me he thought I was a dill. None of this

had to do with my ACTUA.L abilities and knowledge, only my post 1966 education,

which was generally served in METRIC!!! He'd lost a sale. Well, he struck out and I

will never return to that store, nor will I recommend that any of my friends attend

the store. At another store I frequent (in order to collect my street pres,s), all four

guys who work there turnaround and watch me enter, like a bunch of teens scared of

the girls who have wandered into their D and D conference. My #1 store in Sydney

is Pete's Musician's Market in Newtown, which is also the store where there was a

girl in sales (though I haven't seen her there in a while). I've been going there for

several years and have received a lot of information and assistance, and I never feel

scrutinized - no matter how uninformed my queries! As a result I have bought all my

gear (bar my hock shop vintage look amp and my Cash Converter's first guitar for

S50) there, including my pink glitter Les Paul Epiphone. Iliey are just nice normal

folk who wanna help. I feel comfy, I return. So it's great if you can find a store in

your city with a similar attitude.

Most local, suburban music (as opposed to exclusively selling guitars) stores are

friendly and 'down-home' in their approach. These stores probably don't sell second

hand gear, but when getting your basics Geads, picks or strings) they can be great.

Forming a relationship with storcfolk means that they will easily help when you have

queries, and you'll feel comfy asking. I once went to the Bass Player

(a bass specialty store in Sydney), with the bass player from my band who wanted me

to help him buy a pedal, and I found the staff pleasant and nice, no over the top

sales type pitch. Some stores seem to be staffed by bitter, has-been, would-be gui­

tarists or just wankers.

My tip? Don't let them put it over you and SHOP FOR LOUD SHIT!!

Kylie Purr.

po box 143 Newtown NSW 2042

catpounce@start.com.au

^heap Fast

^ v ^V l i* a%^e| | r ice in these pos **- 5 ^ times, bS\^%nanaged*to.Md

bargains at ouf local sli6f||?ig

spite the appeal of fora couple Oi

^cked. They Ifces and it ma

h^3^|we&uldii't

'T" l^^'^jfAp-^ rooms to dp)#r^but oi& l b u r M | ^ : I g i ^ ^ a l M l ^ ^ y o n e i | t | J | t o thijyics 0 ^

•ensii^Aiy^w, despite going binpletjly ins ni irte eap if you are wil|j^jto do, t h e . ^

fe^^ssue that I have, bei^^ft tall a j " ^ sfiiiff iiever fits properly. J ^ i f e ething. I always end up witfrw'

liis is a mysterious afflictipn Hghtii^, causing one's buttW R)|)ow, this can be avoided^y w " d that tjy getting hold of ^ e budg;

ti U ^ Q P ^ i i ^ n d up withj good>if&king w ^ '« Sfe^' ^ "^^r you c i laiways sticlc'to op-sho^

It's WH lo find something

The Good GirVs Guide to Good

O

Qj CX E OJ

Ln u

Q >\

L,

t3

8

^

W hen I was 18 and in love, my boyfriend at the time

presented me with a huge flesh-coloured vibrating penis as a gift.

Two weeks later he dumped me. I suppose the gift was timely and

thoughtful, he really had my best interests at heart, it was some­

thing to tide me over until I could go out and get another 'real live

partner'. The vibrator and I had lots of great times together and a

long lasting relationship, more than I can say for the boy that gave

it to me.

Feeling weird about using a vibrator? Creative, inspirational, self-

help type author SARK makes some noteworthy points about vibra­

tors in her must-read book, "Succulent Wild Woman" (Simon

Schuster, 1997). She writes about her first vibrator: "I continued

practicing so much... that I became rather pale and exhausted.

I... confessed to having 50 - 60 orgasms a day! I've always been

an extremist." And she also says: "Vibrators arc no better than, or

capable of replacing, lovers. Have no fear!.... The more we learn

about our bodies and orgasms, the more empowered we'll be to

share sexual pleasures with a partner, and with ourselves.

WOMEN DESERVE SEXUAL PLEASUREf" (Succulent Wild Woman, pp. 80,81). Pleasure

activist and post-porn feminist, Annie Sprinkle

is also a big fan ofthe magical vibrating friend

and incorporates one into her on-stage

performance.

Vibrators are great, they can bring you to

orgasm in seconds, if that's what you're after,

and they are always up for it. You can use

them by yourself or with a partner. But is a

great big flesh coloured cock what a girl

yearns for? Some cry YES! others whimper no.

Take my hand ladies and let me be your per­

sonal vibe consultant, I'll look after you.

Entering the Adult Store C'mon, don't be scared. Go with a friend if you must and keep

in mind that the staff are there to help you. Their seemingly

intimate questions about your sexual needs are not research for

their short film entitled "Confessions of a Sex Shop Pervert". On

the contrary, they are just trying to determine which would

be the right product for you.

They have heard words like clitoris, orgasm and penetration

before, so don't be afraid to use them in their presence.

Look and Feel Vibrators come in lots of shapes and sizes but the basics are

phallic (longer than it Is wide which can, but not necessarily

be, penis shaped) and vibrating eggs. Not everyone is look­

ing for the magic penis and manufacturers are aware of this

so they also make a variety of vibrating 'wands' (for want of

a better word), with little ornamentation. Vibrators are

available In a huge array of colours; pink, purple, sWwr, gold

and even pink with silver glitter for the disco bunnies out

there. Textures range from hard plastic like a Tupperware

container to soft plastic to squishy 'life­

like' latex. You can also get plain vibra­

tors with a variety of 'sleeves'. These are

latex sheaths in a variety of textures and

shapes that slide over the top of your

plain vibrator to provide a different feel/

effect. Vibrators usually have variable

speeds and are either controlled with a

dial at the base or a hand held eighties

remote control looking device. Choose

the one that suits you best.

Vibrating eggs are awesome if penetra­

tion is not your thing or if the whole

phallic Idea is off-putting. They are small and portable so

you can keep It in your handbag for emergencies. They

basically consist of a tiny vibrating motor encased in a

But is-a great big flesli coloured cock what a gir) yearns for? Some cry YES! oth­ers whimper no.

Take my.hand ladies and let me be your

persona! vibe consultant, I'll look after you.

VIIBimAiTlldlllS I I plastic or latex egg. Many people are attracted to the versatility and discreet nature of the vibrating egg. For example, at dinner with your grandparents you can say "I had a great time with my egg last night" but you probably couldn't say "my 12 inch vibrating purple glitter love pole and I really got it on". Just try not to put all your eggs in one basket, or disaster may strike.

What the Hell is That? Okay, I have to explain the awesome little animal-shaped friends that you may come across at the adult store. These are vibrators that specifically target cli-toral stimulation and as an added bonus they can be worn under clothing if so desired due to their compact design and the addition of thin elastic straps! The shapes they come in include lady bug, sting ray (with anal stimulating tail) and lightning bug. They are silent and controlled with a hand-held controller. Perfect for those really boring lectures or mid-exam stress relief.

The Pearl Finally I must introduce you to the piece de resistance of vibrators, the kind you could have a long term relationship with, the Pearl vibrator. Japanese made, these are designed specifically to stimulate the clitoris and g-spot simultaneously. They are shaped like a lady with a bob hair­cut with an animal on her back. You thought I made that bit up, didn't you but it is, in fact, true. I'm sure there is a story behind it but I don't know what it is exactly so I made up my own. According to an ancient Japanese legend, a young girl was sent away from her village to find promised riches and save her people from poverty and starvation.

She put down the pearls and the penguin and touched herself, as it was her favourite way to relax. Meanwhile, the penguin ran off, knocking the basket of pearls over on his way, causing them to roll down the mountain and be lost forever. The girl could not return to her village empty handed so she decided to live in exile for the rest of her life. In honour of her

courage and because of her fondness for orgasms, a vibra­tor was made in her image. The pearls are carried inside her stomach and the penguin is firmly attached to her back so that she will never lose them again. She is now worshipped by women the whole world over. Hey, I think it's a pretty feasible story. Anyway, the head swirls and twirls while the pearls spin around in an orderly fashion

providing g-spot stimulation like you wouldn't believe! Meanwhile the little animal with its flexible pointy nose is vibrating like crazy right on your cli­toris! The pearl vibrator is really site specific which is one of the reasons it is so good. Also the quality of the product is excellent, not prone to breakdowns and the texture is real feel latex that's not too hard, not too soft but just right!

Many people are,attracted to the versatility, and discreet nature ofthe vibrating egg. For exaniple, at dinner with your grandparents you can say' ' had a great time with my egg last night" but you probably couldn't say "my 12 inch vibrating purple glitter love pole and I really got it on".

A Few Minor Points Always make sure you have spare batteries at home

for back up, you don't want to be relying on the

dodgy ones from your walkman, or you will be disap­

pointed when they die half way through-

Make sure to test the vibe In your hand in the store.

You want to know exactly how it feels and what its

capabilities are before you buy it you as there is a no

return policy after use (obviously)!

Always use a lubricant.

Always wash your vibrator after use.

Have fun 1 f

CAUING Ml CAR CHta^. Rachel O'Reilly

To be a chick lulth a car is a grand thing. To be a chick u/ith a bike is euen grander. But, admittedly, on some occasions bike or public transport are impossible (or the Monaro-buz hits and lue must release the scarf from our golden flailing locks and scorch Rutomobllic rubber). Rfter all, there is only so much matching luggage you can fit in a cane handle-bar bike basket without ouerbalancing.

Rnymay, to be sole car-ish nauigator of a piece of 6Q-1B0km/hr metal uiith a gazillion mouing parts is quite a larger bundle of responsibility. Once you'ue decided to jump in and churn up the world uiith toKic crap emissions, there are further issues of maintainence and safety to be adressed.

If you are one of those wild things who loue driuing alone by the light of a full moon and not telling anyone where you are going, what you are doing and when you'll be back, then...well, good one. I loue you and I want you to stay aliue and happy and keep doing that thing you do. In that case we must be chicks with stickshifts that know their shit and keep spreading that shit around so all our stick-shifted breasted buddies are as safe and comfortable with the iocomotlonal eKperience as we are. If you know absolutely anything about car maintenence why don't you swap stories..ie more power to ya honey. It would certainly reduce the amount of unnecesary ulsits

to those garages where Mechanic Dodge-boy is always conueniently flat-backed on one of those Greased Lightning under-the-car-skate-boarding-trolley things and just rolls ouer to greet your ankles and undies without bothering to get up. "So you'ue got gasket troubles you reckon?'

Care for your Betsy Beetle or Mazzie Star 626 and it will steer away from Mechanic Dodge Boy at least for the period between seruices. Df course female mechanics eKist in many numbers and if I'd done my research i may haue been able to glue you the contacts but of course I didn't and whose to say they won't rip you off either, really. (Note: there are also many top blokes who are mechanics too, but nice blokes are not funny and not able to be referred to for the purposes of this article)

So then Rlways make sure your oil and water/ coolant are filled to maKlmum leuels (neuer ouer this, or kaboom to you too) and your oil tank is emptied, cleared out and refilled regularly. (Remember there are two containers for water, one for your engine and one for your squirters on your windscreen wipers. Detergent does not go well in the former container. (H friend of mine can giue testimony for this)

Bastardish mobile phones are OKCusable if bought for the purposes of safety on (onely-road trips. (Lonely referring to the road, not you, you happily independant aduenturess) Keep attached a copy of your RflCq rego and their phone number, or at least the number of Telstra-connect or something similar for mobile mechanics etc.

To check your battery, unscrew each of the little caps and make sure the water leuel is aboue and unbroken by the little metally things. (I think these are the 'cells') If they are protruding couer them up with distilled water.

Check your tires. R bald tire is less desireable than a bald man, (I'm biased though, I don't mind the odd bald man.) Rnd a lot more threatening to the safety of your swerue and curue manouueurs. It is usually written on the tire near the rim the leuel of pressure they need to be filled at. My Mazzie takes 35 PSl, but this can uary. Rlso, tire treads are made for all different purposes. Know how yours are supposed to perform in wet and dry conditions before the doughnut Friday night sesh. No one likes an incomplete doughnut. Rlso, no one like Shazza when she's dead in a blood red flanny. No one likes washing flannys. Vou can tell by that strange lilting pilchard aroma they seem to imbue wearer with.

Know how to change a spare tyre. Once you actually locate it, and shit it seems in good nick too, you can crack open a stub cos you're three quarters there. Its chick-brawn and common sense.

1) Remoue your custom-sprayed purple metallic mags with the flat end of the lug wrench and loosen each lug nut two full turns before raising the car.

2) Follouj the jack instructions in the manual (they uary) to raise the car 6-8 centimetres from the ground. Keep absolutely euerything (especially bodyparts) from threat of crushing under car in case of Jack malfunction.

3) Remoue all the lug nuts, placing them inside your purple mags. Vou will not lose them there. That is the purpose of purple mags. Try spraying liJD-40 on difficult lugs.

4) Remoue crap wheel, a painful left toe kick should co-ordinate with a uocal calculation of how many trauel-minutes you'ue lost plus how stupid and hard a supposed to be flat tyre actually is to kick. Sprain-kick your other toe in further anger and for bodily symmetry.

5) Holding outer sides of tyre (not bottom or centre of rim), place spare onto the hub.

6) Replace lug nuts snuggly, not tight yet.

7) Lower car to ground and tighten nuts using alternate criss-cross pattern to ensure the rim is proplerly aligned to the hub.

8) Put all the shit and tools now spread out all ouer the road back in the car in approKimately the same places you found them.

9) Look at your greasy hands, transfer this blackness to your left cheek for authenticity and full bodily markation of the strangely satisfying (if sadly masculinely ualued) manual task you haue just performed.

IB) Haue a mechanic recheck the lugs, replace purple mag, and fiK spare as soon as possible.

Some Tips on Jump Starting UJhen you leaue the lights on at Dierdre's Fish Cafe at Apple Tree Creek, knowledge of jump starting will preuent a night of frost-bite and deep-fry, sleeping sitting up with your feet out both windows.

1) Own Jumper cables. If you don't euery man and his dog will want to hang out and jump start your car with you and the jump start process may too-often in such cases be conueniently unsuccessful, and they'll always liue conueniently close by with the e^act number of spare beds as the number of chicks in your car.

2) Two cars are necessary.

3) They must not be touching each other.

4) nil accessories on both cars should be turned off. e.g. headlights, radios, and all battery related doouy-lackers.

5) Handbrakes darl's, handbrakes.

6) Place one of the red cable clamps on the positiue(+) post of the dead battery and the other red clamp on the (+) of the good battery.

7) Connect one of the black jumper clamps to the (-) of the good battery, and the other to the engine of the stalled car. This is the 'ground' and should be as far away from the battery as possible with none of the cables in the way of any mouing engine parts.

8) Start the engine of the good car. Reu for a few seconds. Cross fingers.

9) Perhaps pray to whicheuer diuinity you so choose.

18) Start dodge engine.

11) Remoue all booster clamps in reuerse order of appplication.

Giue all participants a high fiue. Vou are Boette and Jessie Dukes of Hazard as you always suspected and the road is life and you know time.

P.S. Sorry for the references to male-changed-to-female road heroes but that funky Superfreak Barina girl, as well as Thelma and Louise giue me the shits. The latters still needing a good chug by Brad Pitt and a bit of gun toting at stupid fat truck driuers to claim any self-worth. UJhere's the glory in killing yourself anyway? Oh yes you showed them, dears, going ouer that cliff holding hands, you showed them. Tank girl I suppose Is slightly more appropriate. Or maybe Sigourney LLIeauer from those Rlien mouies combining strength with nurturing qualities. But she didn't driue an earthly uehicle though did she? Kylie when she was that mechanic is Neighbours was kinda cool, although she was pretty dodgy when it came to Jason.

Vou are Tank Girl then. Vou are all Tank Girls darlings. Tank Girls on bikes hopefully,

but failing that, Tank Girls in safe, and well-maintained cars.

%:::::>-

CriEEKY GODDESSES Institute of Mo<Jern Languages students may alrea(Jy know the vibrant Spanish teacher and artist, Anna Gonzalez. ^ She has been teaching Spanish language and fine art to enthusiastic students since 1988. While seven months pregnant, Anna, her husband and son relocated from Spain to Australia in 1982 after the attem'pted coup by General , , Tejero. After growing up in Spain's turbulent political cli­mate under th6 rule'of Fr'ancti's dictatorship, Anna has founcJ reconciliation and peace through creativity.

We spoke to Anna about iier amazing life, creative pursuits and the relief from the eyes of men that accompanies maturity.

"I always liked art, because my mother was a hobby artist and I always thought she was wonderful. I always suppressed my creativity, I think, because she was so good (although) she always encouraged me. I decided to become an artist when I came to Australia. I didn't want to learn English from people from overseas; it was very basic. I wanted something challenging so I decided to go to uni. I went to QCA and I didn't have a folio so the man said 'you have a month to prepare and then we'll give you a proper interview'. I went crazy, drawing my cat, my husband, everything. Obviously when I had the interview they saw a lot of colour in the way I was presenting my drawings. I looked back at some of them, they are very naive, very child-like.

"When I started painting my first work was very disturbing. At the time it just came out. It was like therapy. I was thinking all the time (about when) I was living in Spain under Franco's regime. 1 have seen

mother's birthday present

friends that were tortured or killed and I had members of my family imprisoned as political prisoners and all this sentiment was in me. My paintings came out in a very expressionistic style, but very strong.

"I remember I had an exhibition once in Brisbane and people thought I was the person who was looking after the paintings because these paintings had to be painted by a man they were so strong! For me it was very interesting and I played the game!

"People said 'I wouldn't put this in my lounge room' and ! agreed with them. Once I painted a painting that was almost 2 meters high; red with a young girl that was attacked by vultures. A few people responded; they felt threatened in a way and also because, thinking that a woman couldn't do these sort of things, It had to be a man, you know, a twisted mind to do something like that. They probably didn't know that women could have twisted minds too! For myself it was good. It was like a release of energy and 1 had to get rid of it. It was a very striking response (and) I pre­fer to have a response, even if it is negative, than to

CriEEKY GODDESSES not have anything at all.

"Depending on the medium I use, 1 show women in different ways. For example, in paintings I try to use my spiritual feelings, my inner self, and for me painting is very serious. In painting is my soul and it is myself as a woman. I like my women to have big hands, powerful, but also to be calm, serene and to be able to see the world like a goddess. The goddess, mother earth, is the way I see women in my paintings. But in my prints...I let my hair down! That is when I explore sexuality and to me sexuality is important as a woman. But it is a lot of fun and 1 explore that also with the cheeky women having fun and using the men.

"Every print has the same female character. It is unconsciously based on myself. 1 had a religious upbringing without my parents being religious, because Franco was in power. Everyone had to be Catholic; children had to go to church...all the religious dogma. To me (the prints) are a bit of a laugh at the absurdities they were telling us. For women in my time in Spain, you had to be straight in every way, you had to be a good girl, you had to have one boyfriend and marry that man. Now the Spanish

temperament in women is very strong... in Spain now women are very strong independent business women.

"1 am not the same person 1 was when I started painting because it has been a development throughout the years and I am mature in myself, my kids have grown up and I have a more calm life now and 1 think it is reflected

walking bubulina

in my paintings in a way and my prints and I don't have any inhibitions.

"It is great to go out and men don't say anything to you - that's good! The way men look at young women is different to the way men look at a woman in her fifties, it is totally different. Well, when it stops It means your tits aren't high enough -but it's great! This is the kind of

freedom that I feel \s good for women.

"This year 1 have been quite busy, teaching. I want to take some time for myself. I don't like to sell myself, I paint because I want and it's myself - it is like opening a book, and sometimes I don't like showing what I am thinking or what I am saying. But I am not rushing, 1 am enjoying what I am doing, not to please other people.

"I think if I had to define myself I would say that 1 am a happy person in the way that I am balancing what 1 want: my teaching, my social life because teaching for me is part of social life as well. I think 1 have everything, 1 consider myself very fortunate,! have a great family too - no don't put that! "

lun in fun out

eve's bite fi.roholl«id.>nz4*'-^

What is the real price of fashion? -jenSmttit

"I work 14^our^S<layj every jlii .oftf a'week. La?t w f e ^ ^ n e d %\Mi

^-wihonrmdX was wl^-my^ '"TiusB^d and twqMetifiiiren

worRer m-f giving me a Ij Jenny, a Iji Austraii# • ^ ^ • ^ ^ ! _ _ ,

• ^ ^ r - « ^

In Airalralia, over 300 000 -ierT^Tchtoeir-femilies Frk in exploitative condi-

fe^Jn order to manufac­ture garments made by

|ome of our most fashion­able labels, including Mooks, 26Red, Mambo, Stussy, Mossimo and Atelier. Women and chil­dren toil long hours and are often paid less than $2 for garments that retail at over $100. In order to keep prices down, companies outsource the making df garments to home-based workers so that they can cut down on paying over-

head|.Jike electricity, rept1|eJ^^tworkeJ?^^

4s4%SB-h0me^^sed^ workers fifelermed; are contractld-t^make gar­ments at Very low prices by unscrupulous organi­sations that are usually contractors for the com­panies that hold the licence to use the brand name. This means that some of the companies that are using home-baseel:workers may not feven Balise that the^ p-are^ddihq so. As—!? respohsible companiea they should make an effort to understand the chain of contractors that they are using and to stop exploitative prac­tices that may result from their cost-cutting measures. :; :::::

Because outworkers are often individuals and

families that ha^ -n j ^ i | immigrated to AustraliaT" Ihey^re not aware of their rights as^ployees. This means thatl^areLOpen to a great deal of exploita­tion, and because they do not work in a workplace and have no union to rep­resent them, they often / have to fight to get even ll^jpeagre wages they do

•* ^V^Jtr!^''

I t f ^ h t that if I kept working fprmytemployer; I would evehtu-^ly gli the money owed to me. I workejd hard for 3 months but never received any money". Mai, a homeworker in Australia.

Companies justify their cost-cutting by saying that they heed to survive in an Industry where major com-pahiies (like Nike) can easi-:ly move their operations Offshore and exploit work­ers in third world countries where the government does not have standards

for minimum wages and work conditions. Many have argued that to stop outsourcing would just mean that we would all stop buying the clothes made in Australia and turn to com­panies that can exploit third world workers and keep their prices down. This argument can be countered when you look at the huge profit margins that major companies make on gar­ments. In a Four Corners report that aired about 5 years ago Country Road (who have since stopped sing outworkers and haven't gone broke or moved any more of their operations off shore) was found to be making over 50% profit on garments even after wages and on­costs were accounted for. this sort of prof margin is not ui||lflal for;c ^ ^ companies.'""" ' --• ^ ' -•••A:

exploitation of outwork­ers by raising public attention around the issue and getting textile, clothing and footwear manufacturers to sign a code of practice saying that they won't use out­sourced labour that operates under exploita­tive conditions. Hundreds of companies have signed the code of practice and agreed to have their outsourcing operations regulated. Hundreds more have refused to sign the code of practice.

Fairwear can be found at: littp://vic.uca.org.au/fai rwear/main_page.htm

More information can also be found at the UQ Union's women's area.

^•-.ISi.>.. i»„, , ,»^

.'FainA eaf IS a group oryaSiseS!t0

Below is a small selection of the companies that have refused to sign the code of practice.

26 Red, Atelier, Bad Girl, Box Canyon, Biiiabong, Blazer, Blue Gum, John Cavlll, CK Clothing, Dachet, Diesel, Elle Clothing, Fiorelli, George Gross, Fletcher Jones, Esprit, Garfunkle, H20, Hang Ten, Harris Scarfe, Harry Who, Hilton Hosiery, Hilton Kayser, Impressions, Jay Jays, John Cavlll, Jump, Johnny Dexter, Kerry McGee, Laura Ashley, Kids Club, Leona Edminston, Nif Naf, Mambo, Marianna Hardwick, Mooks, Mossimo,Jane Lamerton, Nelson Leong, Nike, Oshkosh B'Gosh, Ozzie Cozzie, Perri Cutten, Politix, Portfolio, Preview, Puma, Quicksilver, R.M. Willfams, Rip Curl, Rita Louise, Rivers, Rockwell clothing, Scanlan & Theodore, Spalding Aust, Stubbies Clothing Co, Stussy, Supre, TNT, Weavers, Very Very, Yakka.

I urge you to write to these companies and lobby them to change their exploita­tive outsourcing practices. The Fairwear website has a more comprehensive list of the companies that have lefused to sign the code of practice. They also have form letters that you can use to send let­ters to the offending companies.

WOM'Eti •

I haue recently returned from louety (bloody freezing] Adelaide, and a week at nouisn, the network of Ulomen Students in Dustralia. Aside from adapting to a house uulth no heating and no hot uiater in the middle of minter, perfecting the art of sleeping upright on the forty-six hour train journey there and back, I haue learnt an auiful lot about feminism [and uncomfortable seating surfaces].

I would encourage any women interested to get in early next year and go along and see for themselues exactly what it is like. How, for all of us who won't be going, because we are: not motiuated to, unable to go, not interested, or [God forbid!] male, here is my edited uersion of euents.

noUISfl this year was a talkfest with groups of speakers from uarious and diuerse perspectlues gluing their uiews and sharing their experiences in relation to feminism, f) lot of these speakers had a lot of sad things to say about the rampant injustice that is still at large in the world. R lot ofthe speakers also had uery empowering things to say, and that Is what it was all about.

nt the end of each group of speakers there is a discussion time, which is where the fun begins, nfler the first session, I found myself urgently in search of spiky body adornments to wear about my person. Ulhat I hadn't realised about piercings was that they keep certain aggressiue separatists from collecting blood from your jugular with their teeth when you profess to hauing an actual opinion, nnd if you just happen to be wearing a spiky dog collar to accessorize your outfit, then so much the better.

Rot that discussion is a bad thing, you just haue to preface anything you say with the term " i haue no analysis". This translates into -

" I h a u f i 111 formed opinion and am uery ""^^" V l ^ ^ ^ M ^ ^ but from what I'ue beard and exf f lMlBf f l t f l k this, and Tm hoping not

b u R. K a y e to get s l l l m in flames for It by the next speaker". Sitting in the first ROUISfl discussion

^ S session, I realised that 1, Indeed, had no analysis.

I made a few friends while phobically positioned under the coffee um counter, (It's surprising how many people were hiding under there!) then ventured out to sample the workshops on offer. These couered many diuerse topics, ranging from belly dancing to queer rights. It was a mind expanding experience, and one that I would heartily recommend. I would also recommend our passiue-aggressiue terrorist actiuity on the ndeladian buses to anyone who has a gripe with the Brisbane City Council.

On one euening ofthe conference, thirty nouiSR delegates boarded a bus and proceeded to sing and strum their guitar for the entire thirty minute driue to the city. The bus driver was getting more than a little edgy by the end ofthe trip, not to mention the other passengers who had the temerity to attempt to board the bus and couldn't figure out what they were in the middle of. During the course of the journey they were swiftly conuerted to far left Labour politics, and/or socialism, to saue their own skins andjaclfy the ominous rumblings of the nouisn mob.

fl march down one ofthe quite some time] was org Land Rights and native Ti This march then turned In ofSydneysidersasaresuli flboriginal Land Rights Rlai euentually got our chants uni Corner In Rdelaide, and waue lot of ground and convinced o

in s t r e e t s l y l M ^ i s t o p p I n g traffic for ed to increase awareness of Rboriginal Issues with regard to uranium mining, march of protest against the treatment

e Olympics, and then back to an gain. It was a little confusing, but we

led. Uie also laid flowers at Genocide ew placards. The march covered a

ers that they should a) do something about it flSfiP and b ) l ^ mohawk In sympathy. [I know I will.)

nOUISn also taught me a lot of new alR^grestlng words. These are:

Fascist!: Ulorks particularly well when sa l ' ^Joure t te ' s - l i ke frequency in major department store queues, p i m i n formal evening wear will edge away, you will get served quicker:

Capitalist pig!: Rnyone who partidpates in the departmenT system, or supports ft by being in the queue.

The word can be combined with the word aboue, and. . an interesting response In Commonwealth Bank employeli;

Dichotomy: nn 'us or them' situation, black or white. lUl|t occurs when you start saying the aboue words in the departmelitore cue or a bank. IS

m m m Th|l|triarchy: a group of amorphous men controlling soSty^ t i i l i l tes into a system of oppression inuoluing the famj^unit to oppress women and some men. Thought by many feminiMo be the root oif all euiL ^?|

Capitalism: a system of work for profit, where the many work to provide profits for the few elite 'bosses'. Thought by other feminists to be the roots of oppression, as opposed to patriarchy. For an interesting after dinner discussion, try saying: "I don't believe that capitalism is the root of the oppression of women, I believe that It stems from patriarchy." [Or uicej^a.) Vou will soon find yourself embr(|ied in an interesting, if t^^ted discussion between thfUcialist feminfts and the radical feii^sts in the room.

f Post structuralism: fl s ^ o l of thought that points out the exlj structure in society, \M a dichotomy, and moves beyond that si

within themselves, as somewhere along a in their rfftight, Ulithout having to belong to]

lie setoniually, 1 don't think dichofomic is fdenoihe post structuralist sailin the m

,;the beauty of Pq^tmgpUsmfc l ln t h e | p 111 s o r ^ i ^ M ^ P i r and just sMI'lsm' m e ' it a M d statement!) m

m ( f l t f l ^ n i ? : I have used the principles of postructural languagffn transcending the herteronormative and ethnocentric confines of t K

greatest impact of nouisn has been as mpe. I no longer feel as if I have^ow to

qulm^tep forward for someone r ^ p in a d world, wh i^ uiomen compete with eadWher for I no longer feel that my role in life is t o ^ mother,

r to wear short skirts. Rfler a weekwtiberated, inment, it has been quite a d l s c o n ^ ^ experience to

come bock to Bri^ne where there are a c t u ^ t t s who behave in a Iqdlftusl&ssyWoner, and lots of fema0lno simper up to this behavjourlid a l lMhem to get a w a ^ ^ m l . It doesn't have to be this fay, people!

my fragile psyche has been to help me realise just how amusing our society is. It has given me a different perspective on life and mainstream culture. It has given me an opportunity to exercise my sense of humour when the boy in front of me in a line barges in front of me, or when a business man makes me uncomfortable by mentally undressing me with his eyes. It gives me a giggle when I hear fellow women complain about how their boyfriends treat them, or how they are responsible for other's actions. These are also sad indictments ofthe qualities lacking from our culture, (such as true equality] but I realise that I don't have to participate or allow this kind of behaviour. Rs the first speaker ofthe conference said, a venerable women in her fifties, the feminist movement has lost the use ofthe term "women's liberation". ROUISR has been a liberating experience in every sense of the word.

ft friend of mine summed it up for me on the second day of the conference. Rt the end ofthe day feminism is about respect. Healing, humanism, and love of self and others. Refusing to oppress others or to be oppressed. Standing up for ourselves and others who are unable to help themselves. Fundamentally, respect begins with yourself. Respect yourself, respect others, and together we can make the world a better place. (Or at least And it heartily amusing!)

RESEARCH YOUR FUTURE IN THE WEST Centre for Water Research Travel Scholarships

Are you considering postgraduate study in water and the environment and want to explore your own future?

Are you studying engineering, science, or mathematics and hope to complete your degree in the next 1-2 years?

Tin UNiviRsriY 1)1 Wf.VIIRN AUMRAllA

I, the major effect of ROUISR upon

The Centre for Water Research at The University of Western Australia offers you an exciting opportunity to travel to Perth, meet with staff and students and participate in activities which expose you to options for research in the areas of: biological particle dynannics, coastal oceanography, contaminant dynamics, ecological modelling, environmental fluid dynamics, geophysical fluid dynamics, surface hydrology, sub-surface hydrology, hydrogeology and hydrobiology.

Successful candidates will receive full return airfare to Perth, accommodation and a living allowance for 1 week. Vacation employment is also an option.

To apply send cv, with the name and address of your Head of Department as a referee, certified academic transcript, and letter outlining your research interests. Australian or New Zealand citizenship required.

Head of Department, Centre for Water Research The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6907 _ Fax(08)9380 1015 ^

For further information, contacl: Professor Sivapatan (08) 9380 2320

email: sivapalan@cwr.iiwa.edu.au websltD: vMW.cwr.uwa.edu.au

Life begins a|l over again in the summer. I fervently believe that. I also haven't seer\ a summer, a proper summer, for a couple of years and I don't know when I'll see one ogain. Does that sound cryptic? I don't mean it to. I love spring too. When I think of spring I think of wpking up early in the morning, early lik%6am, and seemg br ht sunlight outside and suddenly having a f^^^(^^^M^9^ holida>|s are oiftiing. Eyen^^fei^er leaving

' " ^ #nthe;e^|?hour^« of spring mornifigs. Spring e windowrtifai*'^^Br^!^t^j5!uest,

school, tftat feelingjj makes mel

thft Mai ees my Monkees Session]

pring makes flower blossoms, if e is assot

Ummer. AAy

j ^ ^ ^ A | | p central p reo^^on . Tfe m

'jif':^'

Ihq sens| over itomSIs male to much,|he K n ^ w i ^ T see waniea, wnai sne^Den^/r^q^paiieisai^rrf^mj^ormT^ Sunday«pR|iin9v^hi|iiw iier pmk hair frQ.P'he^M#«)f W l W l i | ^ ^ ^ % plotted the girl revolUti^ft|fMake over the ivohld. C^#;least'thi|li|i*evolffl»5y;o takeover New

^::;^dmmers agt I want^^*^^^^'--"'^'*'^^ ' - them out fn

fant % c r y j ^ what's been lost dilktfen, 5PiE?y'*^^^^s at the progre^siof^^t have

jee fn

•hat4uSin^^ revolution, off again. An

front of iwiike a desk of cards suddenly c^al/hodfl^

been nia^ T>ie: ^ p

^

je potential that Igcarf ray, keep breathir^^spi

Uf e bcgihsM ovjBr again jri the s u m m e m B ^ ^ il |^l to wait fol^the summer If I don't wantw

cardigafeares meditatively at her cwPlitj^SI ^ ...ihaii'Qimthepink

iTing her M^rtiuture.

w i S i i J ^ * " ' ^m^twss-'^ -

MarlzzG O'Keefe

so GOOD TKNGS ABOUT eCNG A LESBIAN The following Is a party compilation intended as humorous repartee - any offense taken, for reasons political, religious, moral or other, will be ignored.

I ) your girlfriend 2) breasts (hers and >0urs) 3) you know you're bloody great 4) you instantly double your

wardrobe 5) the cute waitress at the

coffee shop 6 ) buying underwear together

7 ) kd long

8) multiple Orgasms 9) other lesbians 1 0 ) l is ten ing to 'dykes on

mics'

I I ) go fish 12) genevieve turner 13) ferrmo nazis

14) the toilet seat stays down (& women don't usually miss)

15) soft necks to kiss - no stubble rash

1 6 ) andrea dworkin

the sex 17) - i t had to be said

18) lesbian separatists 19) playing pool 20) synchronised periods

(and PMT'O 21) sista funk 22) sister hood 23) dykes on bikes

— Malcolm McCouat, Ph.D. — Annerley Counselling Centre

Roadblocks to Successful Completion of a Ph.D.? Tho PhD. or Masters research process can (cc! worrying, lonely or dilficiilt.

ham beginning to end. Some common obslades could be-

1- You may feel cril cised. expto'led. or neglocled by your supeivisor(s). or cJopim.niont. or other aspects ol Iheso re!a(.onships may be a problem

2 Tho'C may be a particularly troublesome issue or process in Itio research ivhich is Imrd lo grasp clearly

3 Your purposes and motivation rjiay have shifted or changed.

A. Anxieties and doubts aboul your own capacity and abilities can surface.

5. Son:e aspect of the research may touch feelings and personal issues which need to lie expbred. but this may be hard to clarify and/or to do.

6. The finishing process, though great, may produce difficut and uoexpccted bloCKs ond anxeles.

7. Issues in your personal Iile may affect your work.

I spent 30 yea's until 1998, 27 of them at University ol Oueenslairt. as n Social Work acadom-r I have also

worked as a ccunsellor in private practice lor over 15 years I am very experienced as a postgraduate research supervisor and in ttio administrative and organisational context ol postgraduate research. I think I'm also an expert in Ihe process required lo foster a studcnl's own creativity and lo remove obstacles to its expression in a researcli context. I'm ol'oring a lee for service consultatkjn lo sludents who are striking some hurdles in the..' work al whatever staQo and who think i; may bo useful to talk with someone independent ofthe University conlexl. yet a;so familiar w.lh,{.

Malcoln rvtcCouat, Ph.D. Annerley Counselling Centre

515 Logan Road. StonesCorner, Qld, 4120

Telephone: (07) 3397 1739 Fax: (07) 3847 8966

e-ma:l: cmmccoual®elsa.nel,au

24) "when night i s f a l l i n g "

25) women's only yogc

26) other women don't blame

everything on 'your liomorjes'

27) carol j . adams (author of "sexual po l i t i cs of

meat" - i f you haven't read i t , you should!)

28) isis 29) nipple piercings 30) shaved heads 31) lesbianism is not a crime at any age* 32) double newstart* 33) your girlfriend won't 'know better' and try to

take over when you are fixing the plumbing 34) xena the warrior princess - love her or hate her 35) surf camp

36) knowing what a cTitoris is 37) knowing what to do with i t

38 ) ruby f r u i t jungle

39) most women think you are more important than the

rugby

40 ) you can wear funny t - s h i r t s with slogans on

them l ike ' i 'm not a lesbian but my g i r l f r i end i s '

and 'nobody knows i 'm a lesbian'

4 1 ) the f i r s t g i r l you ever kissed

42 ) women reach thei r sexual peak la ter

43 ) women on average l i ve longer

44) ani di franco 45) you can both admire the lead women role in a

movi e/play/musi cal 46) you can both play at being the lead women role in

a movie/play/musical 47) the sex - did we already mention that? 48) gii^s can be really nice friends (When

they are not patriarchal c^ppressDrs) 49) fruit 50) lesbianism!

* the only good things about being invisible under the low

TO^ic The word 'cosmetic' derives from the

Greek kosmos meaning 'adornment', 'order' or 'universe - the Greeks believed that the universe is an ordered place md therefore beautiful. However, they also believed that

'beauty is terror' (at least the dionysiocs did); couple this with chaos theory and

both cosmetics and the universe reveal o few black holes...

* 10% of the total cost of the average toiletry/cosmetic goes to raw materals;

chemical dyes, detergents, perfumes, sol­vents, etc. The rest goes to research,

packaging, advertising, labour and profit

* The Allergy, Sensitivity and Environmental Health Assodation of Qld

believes that chronic;(leJow;dose^ wer an extended period of time) jnhdtdtidh of per­

fumes can lead to sensitisatlon in people, rendering them with systemic symptoms as

a result of constant exposure.

* studies by the Anderson laboratories In Vermont showed chronic exposure to

colognes and other perfumes (air freshener, fabric softener, etc) resulted

in respiratory (asthma-like reactions, eye, nose and/or throat Irritation) and CNS

(dizziness, confusion, fdtigue, incoordination) symptoms

* a cosmetic manufacturer may. use virtually any raw moterial;(pthcr than a

few prohibited compounds) and uselt |;);''^|J^§'•< ''••'".•\~ •

•? ^K-

a preservative under'icei*tdtri conditions,-

Siobhan Thakur

Chemicals Okay, so here arc some of the chemicals that may be m your makeup and their side effects. Remember* always read the label.'!

ISodium Laurel Sulfate -used In neory all detergents -has be^n known to cause skin rashes, eye irritations and loss of hair (that's great, because it's in most shampoos).

2 Triethanotamine YTEA) -often used in cosmetics to adjust the pH -can cause allergic reactions including eye problems, dryness of hair and skin and may be toxic over a long period

-TEA is related to Diethanolamine (DEA) which has been linked to cancer in lab Sflidies; No^oiiclusive evidence is yet available to sHow that it causes cancer in humans (this Js akin to the use of sqpchqrihe in artificial sweeteners, which has beert proved to cause cancer in lab rats)

g | v and many DEA-related products are used § 5 1 ; ,'" cosmetics, constituting 1-5% of a

product's formulation. DEA-related l rpducts Include cocamide DEA, cocamide iME^, TEA - Lauryl sulfate, and TEA.

3. Alpha - hydroyy Acids (A^As) -used Ihyso-called 'skin peelers' -the FDA has received complaints regarding

^.r allergic reactions and skin irritations after I ' 4 ;:using products cointaining AHAs

> if|i''"' ''4rVitamins \ M ^X-i js^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ forfbu if you eat them, ' ^ ^ S ^ ^ & i ^ ' t las never bein proven that skin can

nourished by applying a vitamin to its pface. However, it is .widely accepted

..^

that sufficient Vitamin E (listed on ingredients as Tocopherol) will preserve

the fatty components in cosmetic creams and prevent them from going

off-colour and smelling bad. So perhaps vitamins can at least make your makeup

look good. Vitamin E has also been impli­cated in producing a delayed allergic con­tact dermatitis and allergic hives. Viimmy!

5. Human Placenta (no joke.) -Placental materials were first used in

cosmetics in the 1940s. They were supposed to provide beneficial hormonal

effects eg stimulating tissue growth and removing wrinkles. (No one seemed to have

pointed out to those prodigies at the pond's institute thai; boibies emerge with wrinkled skin....) Thesef iclalms wpiild have

made the products contairiihg them drugs, and not cosmetics. So t fe companies

involved then claimed to'have^extracted the hormones from their placental ingredients and that the rernaining

placenta raw material was merely a protein source. Mmmm, placenta and three veg....

ft Amniotic Fluid (from a cow or ox) -Promoted for benefits similar to those of

placent -has limited use in moisturisers, hair lotions, scalp treatments and

shampoos.

7. Collagen rfrom youn^ cows) -collagen is the protein substance found in

connective tissue, In cosmetics it has a moisturising effect; it is not water soluble,

but it holds water.

*^

SWJ-^^^

-The FDA says there ts no evidence to show that collagen can penetrate skin and have an effect below the surface.

8. Cerebrosides/ceramides - (from cattle, oxen or swine brain cells)

-cerebrosides are a type of glycolipid produced in the deepest layer of the skin. They form a protective coating and as skin cells move up towards the surface layers they change to ceramides, a membrane network between cells that provides moisture and suppleness

-Industry cosmetic scientists (now there's an aspiration for you) claim that produced In the deepest layer of the skin. They form Q protective coating and as skin cells move up towards the surface layers they change to ceramides, a mem been provided to back these swine-killing claims up.

I f that's not enough to make you think before you dive into the coloured goo, take note that after opening (and often before) cosmetics ore breeding grounds for moulds, fungi, and pathogenic organisms. But if you want your 'skin deep' to be pancake delicious, go forth and slather...

References: *Snydan, C. The Extraordinarty Chemistry of Ordinary Things (1995)

John Wiley and Sons inc. USA *http://www.aseqid.org.au/chemical/tnjury _issues_paper.htiT^ *http://www.ijc.org/boards/sab/policy.

'html * http://www.aubreyorganics.com *http'.//www.rm.cf san.fda.gov/~dms/cos_t

ac.html

•££0 INTERVIEW WITH PROJECT CO-ORDINATOR CLARE APELT • SEMPER STAR REPORTER MARIZZA 0 KEEFE

"Seeds - Self Employment Enterprise Development Scheme is a project that Connect Youth Action developed. It first ran in 1997. At that time, people in the youth sector were grasping for solutions for youth unemployment and meaningful employment for young people, especially artistic young people. Because I suppose the federal government was getting harder both on giving young people unemployment benefits and the conditions under

which they would give it. So youth workers people were trying to fmd innovative ways of creating some real opportunities for young people.

"The whole idea about Seeds is for young people to be trained in skills relating to creating their own employment. Seeds 97 was more general, the current Seeds is arts focused and the idea for it was developed further after the experience ofthe first Seeds. Connect got money to run Seeds again, and they were talking to Helen Schwenke who runs the Inner Brisbane Community Learning Association, which is a registered training organisation. They decided to collaborate. Helen's organisation would supply a curriculum and Connect's responsibility was co­ordination, and the support structure that was successful in the previous Seeds. So the participants are spending two days a week doing the course and half a day with me. What we've been doing in our time is writing a grant application, workshops on tax and GST, and self empower­ment and positive self development stuff.

"The course that the participants of the current Seeds are doing is a Certificate 3 in Business New Enterprise Formation and it has 5 modules. It's oflTicially a 26 week long course and it's an action learning process, which means that the facilitators are not there to spoon-feed the participants. A lot of the assessment is made on process -

the participants being there and working through problems together as a group - there's lots of focus on group work. They learn a lot about business and writing and presenting their business plan, but in ways that are relevant to them. Because they're young artists the form of them presenting their business plan will be through a showcase arts fair at the Powerhouse in September, hopefully. The idea is to have each person present their product or idea in a way that they can invite their prospective employers or clients to come view it. That's the culminating event at the end.

"Projects like Seeds are important. Important because young artists in this society are already marginalised and their training is very patchy..an accountant is very well trained... it's very clear how an accounting student will go from their course into work. In the arts industry, training is very loose, this course has the potential to offer some really concrete skills in how to take your idea of being an artist in this society and making it work financially. And also taking it seriously in terms of those business concepts in relation to your art, how to write a business plan and how to look at finances and marketing.

"The federal government has set up the New Enterprise Initiative Scheme (NEIS). If you have an idea for creating a new business or enterprise, you can go to Centrelink, say "I want to create my own business, I want to apply for NEIS" and you get referred to a NEIS provider. And then you have an interview and if they think it's a viable idea, they then allow you into the course. You do a six week full time course developing your business plans, really hard­core, fast paced, and it's very dry, it's very very formal about the business. Then at the end of that six weeks you hand that business plan into a really high powered business panel and they say viable or not viable. If it's viable you

El'o JNTERyiEW WITH PROJECT.CO-ORDINATOR C L A R E APELT • S E M P ^ STAR REPORTER MARIZZA 0 : ' K E E F E ,

then have 12 months supported time to set it up - you still get your benefit and you're encouraged to make money on top of that. So the government's paying you your wage basically while you set up a business. So it's their way of nurturing small business.

"But often young artists, or artists with whatever medium they're working in who have a business idea, don't general­ly fit into that structure. Their ideas aren't seen as viable necessarily, unless you're doing something like web page design or a more commercial orientation of art. So I think the potential of this course is that it could one day become a formally accepted course, so that young artists or artistical­ly orientated people can go to Centrelink and say "I want to start my own business, I want to be self employed" and they go alright, do you want to go to NEIS or do you want to go to Seeds. Or Seeds could be the step before NEIS. The Seeds course is much more developmental, it's six months semi-fulltime, you can condense it to a three months fulltime thing, there's more time for teasing out your idea - researching, so that you could then take what you've created and then go into the NEIS scheme and then have that 12 months support. So that's the real importance in terms ofthe industry perspective.

"In more of a philosophical importance, there is a real importance because society doesn't accept art as a viable sort of career, there's a lot of low self esteem that young people generally, and young artists particularly, suiTer from. And this is a way of encouraging proactive skill sharing and networking and support. Because the other part of Seeds is setting a support network - a weekly group meeting to talk about their experiences and connecting with other things, and also set themselves up with a mentor, encouraging them to say this is my idea, this is a good idea, well 1 really

admire such and such in the field, I'm going to get into contact with that person and see if I can develop a mentor relationship with them. And the government at the moment is sort of acknowledging that need, they've fund­ed a mentor program through Youth Arts Queensland, but it's a once a year thing and there's not much money really in it. It's great that they're doing it, but in terms ofthe number of young people out there, there's just so little.

"Connect has always been a very amazing group of proac­tive young people. It's really grassroots. Connect Youth Action and Flamingo House and Nature's Children and Reverse Garbage are all part ofthe same really sort of hardcore grassroots community in West End. People could argue that differently, but just from living in West End and seeing how Flamingo House was a hub of proactive community development -skill sharing, taking action, learning ways of solving problems from skills that you have and the community that you're in, instead of depending on the government system. That's why it's really exciting that Connect are still going."

SHAPSTON SERVICE CENtRE

Quality Service ^nB Repairs.

All makes and models ENGINE & GEARBOX •

OVERHAULS, FRONT & REAR SUSPENSION AND CLUTCH, . BRAkE AND^TEERING

Pejwnal Attention and Satisfaction Assured

CNR BURKE & ELLIOTT ST WOOLLOONGAB^BA Q. 4 1 0 2

P H : 3 3 9 1 4324 FAX: 3391 4412

From here to C e l e b r J t U 8pm

" T h e G o l d c o a s t " The words sent an electric Mexican wave down my spine. The voice coming down the line continued: "It's ridicu­lous. They're having them in Mildura and Wagga Wagga, but not Brisbane." So the accessibility of cable TV ends when the Foxtel man avon-ladies your doorstep. Fine.

"What time's your exam?"

"One -thirty. They start at nine. We leave at six and get out of there by eleven."

Our Semper Poster Girl (aka bubblegirl) was finally putting her abilities to the test. Ine foundation stones of break-dancing, knife-selling and a short film role as an Italian lesbian sex goddess shouldced a cairn whose shape spelled its destination: V. It took about ten minutes* to call Storme Hathaway at her ranch and relay our mission: provide company, cigarettes and an atmospheric IQ of over 100 to our auditioning amigo. It seemed like a simple task.

9'30Cllfl' A tragically teased blonde

leaps from the hairdressers queue. Apparently

ecstatic to be "reunited" with the occupants

of Storme's VeeDub - "Hey!!!!" she screams in

our faces "I knew that you funky girls were

coming here too! I'm that car you crashed into

out the front!!! Great to see you! You know

you made my day!!" Thalia becomes our new

buddy. Despite our constant queries about

where to get some speed, she insists that her

vivaciousness is simply a personality trait.

8am 13/6/00 Two hours sleep doesn't fee! like enough to warrant proper brain function but somehow Bubblegirl is navigat­

ing our way towards the pink towers and plastic promenades, two hours late but looking awfully stylish.

Storme has gotten in earlier and is waiting for us ("Hurry," she had called down the phone," I'm scared") at

the ominously-named Playroom.

9ll5aifl' After being lost in all the worst possible places (think Gold Coast shopping centre with escala­

tors that only go upwards), we arrive, breathless, at V headquarters. Storme's in a dark corner, only her silver

sparkles giving her away as she huddles clutching an "admit one" ticket I see the fear in her eyes as we

approach; she catches sight of us and instantly her demeanour changes - "Robin!! Thank fuck you're here -

this placc.it's..."

"...desperate - sorry"

"I'm fine, I brough: Juno with me, but I lost her at the hairdressers tent..." Juno Keystrokes - style woman number one and aJ round nice girl - Storme's offsider and partner in all things debaucherous. Thank god she's here,

"It'll be ok, we can still get her back." We rush to the back of the Playroom, narrowly rescuing Juno from the hands of a bald guy with a can of hair spray on an obvious mission to "go forth and tease". Once we regroup the vote is unanimous: we're c early the most stylish people here, and somehow - although it may not actually mean that much - this realisation reassures us all.

'actual time took much longer

S0 |WS7s75 Tz/yfT im VD/^aouSKJEiS

l5 Sl^CLV l\ fefswf^LiTi TK/i^rr.

y,33am. We've got our ticket, number 176, it's early in the day and already I feel weary. Looking around I guess

that there is maybe five-hundred people here, the line outside had stretched all the way down the street and into the

undercover carpark. People have been here since five this morning. There are a heap of kids in vinyl anc a petting zoois

worth of fake fur. Every twenty minutes a group of ten Is called upstairs to the interview room, clutching their cds and

promo shots. It reminds me of a 'young talent time' instore.

There are people walking around in Channel V tee-shirts, nciting the kids to be "out there" - makes me wonder how

much this job really does pay, A camera crew is randomly pulling auditioners from the crowd and making them do

whacky shit. Careful not to make eye-contact with anyone, we slink down the stairs - this is the Gold Coast, surely we

can find susni this early in the morning.

y.jUam. Regaled by wasabi and tofu, we head back inside. It's dark, and we feci desperate. Bubblegirl, as our pre­

cious charge, is deposited in a safe corner with Juno to protect her. Our main priority Is to keep her sare - regardless of

what happens to the rest o* us. She Is lamenting the fact the Semper budget doesn't cover off-campus "recreational"

relief - for her nerves, you know...

Storme and I stumble into the strobed wilderness. It's like slow motion, she holds my gaze for just half a second, and for

that Instant I know. We mouth in unison: "POPSTARS"

more than ever I realise that at the heart of tragically hip lies tragic, and in the middle of V there is a depression. There Is

no escape in this place. I look around hastily, all the cubicles arc out of toilet paper (forgivable in a crowded nightclub,

inexcusable In this place), I am beginning :o panic. Glance at my watch. The exam back in Brisbane has already begun,

we made our choice and now 1 have to stick it out. There has got to be a way, there has got to be reason, there has got

to be something here that isn't surreal.

Zpmi We find Cute Boy.

All day Storme and I have been randomly selecting people from the crowd and hammering them - trying to make sense

of this place. We flash our press passes, my fearless mistress of the word pulls out her pad and pen with a glint of

mockery In her eyes, I casually place my hand on my camera, shifting my left shoulder and glancing to the side. If you

say Semper Floreat Magazine really really fast and don't mention UQ and don't mention student, you can get away with

it. By the time the afternoon sets In and the vodka settles in our bellies, we have spoken to roughly half the room. Most

of those being female, most of those reviewing Macy, and most of those being a little suspicious of us. The boys are bor­

ing. Either rock-wannabe's reviewing their own demo cd, grungy hippie feral types who seem a little dazzled by the

array of lights and smoke machines or super-cool brainless bores.

Then, as I said, we find Cute Boy.

He walks by, shaggy hairdo, sneakers, cheeky grin. Storme and Juno collapse in giggles. He approaches. I know I have to

remain calm - if this day is going to be fucked at least I can console myself with a little mindless flirtation. "I wanna

give him a lift back to Brisbane!!!" Storme cries "I don't care is he doesn't fuckin' live there - he can come and stay at

my place, then I'll drive him any place he wants!" Juno's cheeks are getting flushed and she can't manage a single sylla­

ble expect "urmoph!!!!". Bubblegirl is oblivious to it all -1 think she has reached a deeply mediative state, either that or

her brain's fogged over. I can't help myself - we collapse Into a mess of shrieks. Cute Boy walks away in disgust and we

are left heart-broken. "Well, he was wearing a Ripcurl shirt - he can't have been that specsh" "Maybe it was the first

thing he found on his floor" "More than likely he waiting for his girlfriend - you know that tall sexy blonde chic who's

going to end up with the V job" 'That sux" "I still wanna take him home!" "Well. If you weren't such a twittering mess

you could have" "Yeah, how come you can talk t:o losers but not uber cool dudes you're sure you'll actually like" "But I

do

lUam' A nightclub full of kids with an average age of 21, nothing to drink but Red Bull and only

The Prodigy playing over the loudspeakers. Two guys start to "stool surf.

lU*x5atfl^ I have summoned the courage to go and talk to the amazing girl with the long black dreadlocks and the african eyes. I'm sure she has seen us looking at her and wondered at our interest and camera flashes. On our way over we are captivated by some bright lights and pretty colours; dazzled, we walk right Into a girl who has attached about fifty cds to her dress. People around her are murmuring things like 'look, britney's on her bum'. We ask her what cd she's reviewing, Macy Gray, We move on.

lU.jUCllfll The black girl with the african eyes is also doing Macy Gray. We move on.

llCtm* Sentimentality overcomes us in this oh-so-foreign place as we contin­ue to bump Into people from "back home" ("what the fuck are you doing here????!") Juno brings us rapidly back to reality by pointing out that we live only an hour away. The shock propels us back down the stairs and in search of a beer.

ll,30Qmi Call back to Semper HQ; we've found Vodka.

IZami Frenzied debate ensues as to whether glitter can be overdone, whatev­er did happen to Docs and if a 40% exam which the assignment hadn't been done for is worth going back to Brisbane for. Juno is undecided, Storme's affirmative on all counts and I only care about whether 1 should go to the autobank NOW or after another vodica. We decide to stay. I mean we've already spent fm hours in this god-forsaken place. If the neon hasn't gotten to us already, maybe we're immune. Storme clinches it: "Dammit girls, we don't give up! We haven't given up smoking and we're not going to quit this!" She then begins to loudly search for the toilet, crumples Into tears and passionately declares her fondness for us all. Fuck, can't take her anywhere. Bubblegirl pulls out the latest copy of FHM: tears disperse as we mindfessly giggle over penlses. A surefire cure for an attack ofthe sobs.

il

fl

Ipm' Somehow we have to get back up to Channel V. Apart from Juno's knee graze, we arrive unscathed. Still hours to go. With a bellyful of vodka Bubblegirl was confident about her decision to stick it out, however her first step down the hair-product infused corridor brings back her fears. She breaks into a sweat (We tell her we'll write delicate perspiration) We head for the toilets - always a refuge for the weary. Arrghhh: chyx - more hairspray -pouting and practising their poses in front of the mirror. Now ditz sooo well..." "You guys made me pee my pants!" "Fuckin' what??" "I can't hack you girlie girls" "FUCKEN' GIRL

POWER!!!" "yeah " It went on and on, until Cute Boy finally left altogether and we WAY lost our chance. Damn, Apparently Storme circled the block three times before she made it to the highway, forlornly calling his name and stopping every 200 metres to give him the chance to emerge from his hiding place.

3,05pmi After venturing out to speak with the freaks, Bubblegirl is more and more

confident of how she fits in to it all (or ratner, how she doesn't fit in). Chatting to a girl in

skin tight fake snakeskin, she realises just how serious some of these people are. Scary seri­

ous. "I'm in a boy band and I'm a musician" serious. Swapping spiels is apparently not cool;

while Bubblegirl may have been more than happy to divulge the secrets of her audition plan,

others were not open to it at all. Like the girl In the knee-high yellow socks who refused to

share any of her (no doubt profound) thoughts on Whitney Houston with us. Then she found

the girl who was really into "local Brisbane"music: she'd never heard of 4ZZZ.

But once she rr\tt the girl dressed h ar) afro wig (it could've been cool until she said "yeah,

just like Macy") who was number 340 because she'd stayed home that morning to practise,

Bubblegirl was sure in herself. Not so sure what Channel V was really after in its talent

search, but sure that if it wasn't her she would not be disappointed 'cause it would mean one

of "them".

IF yoo SPtY ^m95^

^u05\^T, Voo CAM

T''30pm'Our number is finally called. Our pin-up girl takes a deep breath, manages to

look se^ne and hyped at the same time, and disappears up the stairs. It was worth the wait -

Bubblegirl is In the last group to be called. The sparkle In her eye is enough to fill the whole

room, I'm the only one who notices though. I lose myself for fifteen minutes dreaming about

the girl whose presence has complimented my lifestyle In the same way racing stripes compli­

ment tracksult tops. Ahh. Come back to reality as the kids around us start to riot We have been

here for nearly eight hours, along witn a heap of other kids who are now furious that auditions

have closed. Now come the tears, the stamping of spice-girl-heeled feet and the serious pout­

ing looks, and with them the last minute frenzy of photo-ops. Beck comes on over the loud­

speakers - Juno looks lovesick and we start to talk about dating boys with cute accents. The

pressure is off, 1 light my 50th cigarette for the day and lean back on my stool. Despite the

mayhem around us, I feel more stylish and more with It than I have before. It's like I have been

through a life changing experience and learnt new lessons, new skills and new attitudes. This

Is complete shit, 'cause nothing has been gained except a bottle of Channel V bubbles.

Spending the day with my chic posse in a not too pleasant situation has empowered me more

than a cheap store full of two dollar glitter pots.

Storme has a killer hangover.

5pmi Back from her dazzling TV experience (where she was somehow expected to

impress that fuckwit Maynai-d F# Crabbes) Bubblegirl is eager to get the fuck out of this

town. We leap down the stairs into the Gold Coast playground. We are exhausted. Juno and

Storme have gone beyond speech - they desperately cling to each other and can only com­

municate through a series of hugging motions and waning smiles. We leave them to sigh

over their parking ticket and try to find the highway. I slump into the passenger seat The cit/

is lighting up, we leave the women in white capri's and gold shoes, crank up the stereo and

roll another cigarette for the road.

I wind down my windows and open my mouth to the rushing cold air. Bubblegirl glances over

- a smirk on her face. "We're fucked" "Yeah" I nod "But we're not that fucked". I grin at the

exit signs whizzing past, slip the chemial brothers' into the cd player and relax as the bass

swirls, singing the only words that have made sense all day: "it doesn't mat - ter"

To be a being In the world is to have some sort of body. Both action and thought require the

existence of a physical being, whatever minimallstic shapes, forms or functions it takes. In

this way, our experience of being in the world involves a grand and unique juxtaposition of

subjectivity with objectivity of self.

Reductlonistic approaches to the question of 'being* have simplistically approached the nature

ofthe relationship of mind with body by presuming a perfect separation of one from the other - of Intention from action. Such theories

locate sensibility and rationality in the soul or mind and temporality, irrationality, chaos and

Imperfection at the sight ofthe body. But this imaginary boundary Is just that, imaginary, and

convenient only for purposes of false simplification. Moreover, such a divide has tended to create a

culture which devalues the essential roles of our bodies In our intelligent interpretation of

existence and experience.

Greater difficulties must be surmounted by women in order to revive this healthy relationship of mind

to body. Even in our current environment of significant sexual and political freedoms, our

capitalist consumerist culture more readily objectifies and devalues women's bodies for the purposes of profit This culture aides the further

destruction of a woman's relationship to her body, and indeed constructs in the first ptac^%e body' as s0me distincf and separate dtmensioh^f being.

which nriuit either be accepteiiorlljected, Apili^llllng ti||rrili|iJfrbod>r dialecttiin a healthy^

s invdl^^a call to arms citlijlll lismsofauthoriti^

nmrn waylilieed not •'•<v'S^"t;>ii

Pk.'^'y,

M'' -^ :0A

• » : .

W'

We do need to be able to critically identify the reasons for moments of psychic discomfort within the physical space that we occupy, and have benefited by the scholarly contributions and political activism of feminists across all disciplines. But many of us have also learnt practical body-esteem skills from those blissed-up in their own life experiences - those friends and public faces happy to rant on about sex and deep-fry and cool water on the skin while miraculously doing so within the little Imperfect idiosyncratic vessels of incomplete knowledge and imperfect skin that they are. The chickie on the dancefloor flailing her arms freely in her own little space never needed Heiddeger to tell her the philosophical value of a good boogie. Yourlittle sister never needed Naomi Wolf to eat cake successfully.

It is obvious that extensive feminist cultural criticism has granted many women the power to be satisfied witri|iieir perfectly different physical selves. However, the final step intit) a less transient mood of boch|satisfaction|5 made with the recognition t|iat our own||plness is essentially embodied. Fiiill acceptanp ofibur physicality comes, then, from acceSs to our senses. A realisation ofthe degree our subject-selves are Inescapably attached to ^Ur surroundings. We discover we love pumpkin. Or marshmallows. Love rollerblading, or not Or massages. Or silence. Or half-shaven legs. Or unburnt skin. Or a v i i l^S^ base note through the rlt^ag^here i s ' n P » ^ • ^rugglejnvolvecljij, bodl|ma|#br theM:^ ^m-cbnsciouslyleml^^ suiect-lpcause « i l i e s n ' t Just accept h e r i j ^ a l l t y v s h ^ e p e n d ^ ^ f b r all tlj^e things,iJi isi3r^^| val id^tonlSl of the 5lkin that slie Is.

v:.t-,f^'^3^;H^,i^^

n our world of magazines - our world of styled bodies, painted faces and glossy images, where it is cool, almost fashionable,

to be gay, bfack, pregnant, tattooed, pierced, even vegetarian, one last taboo still remains entrenched. I t is the taboo of being FAT.

I f you jiggle, wobble or squish in the wrong way you will be scorned. I f you happen to be a face m the media who does this you will be publicly told how crap you look and that you really suck as a person for looking like you do.

Women who have thighs and hips are banned from wearing certain types of clothes. They are told by men AHb other women that "honey, a big girl like you shouldn't really wear that". Fashion stores discriminate against women by not making the sizes big enough, in effect telling women that if they aren't a certain size they really shouldn't be buying these clothes. Magazines only ever include women over a size 12 when they are being INCLUSIVE and having a special edition for fatties. Because fat women are different, not normal, they have sanitised magazines, and sanitised areas in which to buy clothes. Have you ever noticed that you have to cross to the F/\T section of Myer or Target, which they \ove fo call names like "options" and "versatile" - Like the fat clothes have to be ir\ a separate section so they don't contaminate the skinny people's clothes. Why can't fat

clothes live on the same rack? They are all made in the same Asian sweat­shop for the same multinational!.

Success is another area which divides up women and discriminates one group from another. Fat women are constantly being told that because they can't handle their weight, they are unsuccessful and all the other achievements they have had in their lives are lost by the wayside. Whereas, skinny women are told that they are beautiful and that in itself is a success. Weightloss junkies, who have "shed the kilos" thanks to Jenny Craig teaching them successfully how to deprive their bodies and starve themselves, are always advertised as the success story - what bullshit!

I f it is so unhealthy for women to gain weight, then why doesn't the sports industry support inclusive environments for women to participate in, instead of feeling inadequate and once again a failure. I f gyms are meant to be size friendly then why don't they focus on people feeling healthier as opposed to people counting kilos. Why don't they sell gym clothes in a wider variety of sizes? bo you now how hard it is to buy a leotard in size 22? I guess this is another way of ensuring that FAT people don't get to participate in

fitness, and that they will always stay fat so we can continue to tell them how unsuccessful they areW Thanks UQ Sport! In dating, dance parties and clubs.

why are FAT women automatically seen as a "dressed up bessie out for a root". Why is it always assumed that they are the tag along to their skinnier friends? Why is it that they are assumed to be sexually "easy" or inept! Why is it that women who identify as being straight are four times more likely to have (or had) an eating issue/disorder than those women who identify as lesbian!!!

I f people now are so embarrassed when someone makes a racist slur, why do they laugh when someone yells, "get outta the way FATSO" when you cross the street? Why do guys still buy stickers for their cars that say (my favourite) "NO FAT CHICKS ALLOWED", and drive around with other guys laughing at it? Why, if we are so supportive of having diversity in the arts did Camryn Manheim (a fat activist and actor) have to dedicate her golden globe "to all the fat girls out there"?

Our world blatantly and continually discriminates against fat people and fat women especially, and we con­stantly sit by and let it happen. I will not let it happen any longer., you will accept me, all of me. Stand up and speak out against this!

And for the man in the bar who said "I'd rather fuck a fat chick than a skinny one, because she wouldn't get it as much and would put in more effort to please me". I say FUCK YOU MATE and I'm glad I threw my drink at you!!.

Ageism in the Lesbian Community

Most women would like to think that other women are perfect, This is especially true in the lesbian community. However, the lesbian com­munity faces a major discrimination problem - ageism. When most people hear the word "ageism", they think of elderly people. That's fair enough. Ageism does apply to the old. What most people don't realise is that age-based discrimination can also apply to the young (just look at youth wages for a prime example). It is this sort of ageism that is rife in the lesbian community.

The most prominent form of ageism in the lesbian community is dis­crimination against young women who are not yet 18. This discrimina­tion may take the form of exclusion (from community events which are held in licensed premises), denial of access to services (for example, not being allowed to join a coming out group while underage), or even simple personal discrimination (when an older person ignores or refuses to interact with a younger one). This causes young lesbians to be isolated from their community. Many will be in the process of com­ing out or searching for answers about themselves at this time, and denying them access to the information that many desperately need is not particularly helpful.

Ageism can cause poor self-esteem, and the isolation it causes may con­tribute to loneliness, confusion and the high suicide rate of queer youth. Why, then, does it occur? There are three main causes.

The first is the perception that there aren't many underage lesbians around. This is actually untrue. Due to more positive representations of queer people in the media, and access to information on the Internet, lesbians are coming out at progressively younger ages. I myself only recently turned 18, and I know at least twenty other les­bians who are underage, the youngest of whom is only 11.

The second problem is that of the law. In Queensland, it is still possible

to be arrested and charged for corrupting a minor if you provide information of any kind about same-sex relationships to people who are underage.

Many queer organisations are reluctant, for this reason, to get involved with young people. However, heroin use is also illegal, yet there are several government-funded organisations in the commu­nity which provide support to heroin users. Hiding behind an unjust law is no excuse for ageism.

The third and most hidden problem is internalised homophobia. Many older women will refuse to have a relationship (or even a friendship) with a younger woman because they either fear labelling as a paedophile, or fear that they are corrupting an inno­cent young straight person (who might later revert to being straight). It is actually shown that the incidence of paedophilia in the queer community is statistically smaller than in the straight community, and in the straight community, a 20-year old man with a 16-year old woman is not an uncommon sight. Why should it be demonised among lesbians? It's also commonly believed that sexual orientation is determined at or near birth, so it's impossible to "convert" someone straight to being a lesbian.

The issues surrounding ageism in the lesbian community are large, but not insurmountable. I believe that education is the key to change. The unjust laws, which prevent young women from being educated about their sexuality, should be changed to prevent the escalation of the current tragic situation. It's time to stop hiding behind the law and your own fears, and open the doors to young women. We too are part of the lesbian community.

-jeneration

TRANSFER INK 2 tablespoons (10mls) of sopa powder or

scrapings (not detergent) 1/4 cup (60ml) hot water 1 tablespoon (5mls) turpentine

Dissolve the soap powder with the hot water in a bowl. Add the turpentine then pour into a small screv /top jar. Brush over a picture (from a comic book or magazine - use moixture for pictures on glossy paper), wait for 10 seconds and place a sheet of paper over it. Rub the back with a spoon. The picture can be transferred onto t-shirts/paper etc and can usually be transferred more than once.

2 cups warm water 1 cup soap flakes Food colouring

Whisk together and run through fingers

« i i

)0 UG H 2 cups plain flour 1 cup salt 2 tablespoons cooking oil approx 1 cup water Food colouring

Mix together and roll into shape.

BUBBLE MIXTURE 1 cup dishwashing liquid 1/4 cup glyerine (from the chemist, it

makes the bubbles last longer) 3 cups of water

Mix together and go get bubbling

• J * - , •J.f'r^

' %ihe^ L*, t

Goddess Worship This Is a hard article to write, as I'm sure I'm likely to receive a backlash from various feminists claiming my pagan beliefs weaken the women's movement. When you leave the realm of political dialogue in search of spiritual insight it is easy for others fluent in theory to corrupt and manipulate your message. My answer to those who feel I have no basis to call myself a feminist is to point out the patriarchal practice of valuing knowledge over 'wisdom' and allow me an opinion grounded in emotion. 1 understand the political dangers of moving to a mystical identi­fication with the natural world, as it by no way diminishes the political problem of gender relations and present destruction of the environment, but there is an empowering force in spirituality that has not been appreciated by western political activists trapped in a politics limited to material demands. I don't pre­scribe that women abandon their struggle for personal and political freedom for a candle and incense sticks, but see it more as a grounding point from which to source strength. "Whatever we do, our spirituality should be grounded in action" (Starhawk, 1990 p 85).

In order to defend myself and the spirituality I find sacred I've turned to history and the current role of patriarchy in creating the modern scientific, industrial and military systems that are threatening the planet. Before the

scientific revolution changed the view of nature from a living organism 'mother earth' into a life­less machine which could be manipulated and

exploited, the female image was suffused with spirituality, women's fertility and sexu­

ality embodied in the image of the Goddess. The emergence of judaeo-Christianity fur­

thered the dominance of men over women, sky god over earth goddess, and the distinctive holistic and intuitive form of reasoning was replaced with

linear cerebral forms of knowing. (Henderson, 1988). When looking back at the power religious fundamentalism

has had on women's oppression it appears to me a natural progression to reclaim the older forms of wisdom and

earth based consciousness which patriarchy has sought to obliterate.

'All of us have entered life through the body of a woman. It is the first act of magic' (Arisika Razak, 1990 p 168). I am

a Goddess worshipper, and for as long as I can remember found an awe-inspiring beauty in nature. 1 find tremendous value

in the expression of identity through songs, performance art, poems, and rituals which work to celebrate our relationship with the earth, the moon, the seasons, day night,

life death rebirth. I meditate, go for walks, like to surround myself in wilderness and look for

magic within the man made worlds. Believing only in the laws of nature, that is cycles of cause and

effect, allowed me to develop an understanding of our interconnectedness in a web of energy that flows through all things. This perspective holds us individually responsi­ble for each other and the planet.

I don't believe it is abandoning reason to get in touch with our inner selves or spirit to break down the boundaries between the nature-culture dualism that patri­archy has created.

I also believe women will never share an equal basis with men by joining them in the nature-hating world they have created. There is an understandable danger in reasserting the 'naturalness' of women's mothering role and therefore Goddess worship, especially to feminists who have seen motherhood as something that limits and constrains women. But I want liberation from sex-roles and patriarchal institutions that define motherhood e.g. exclusive caring, not a rebel­lion against my nature as a woman. I argue as Razak does that we must rescue the 'womanist' symbolism of birth from the male symbolism of rape in our relationship with the natural world. (Melior 1992,p 68). If we teach our­selves to revere what is feminine, the image of the earth mother will evoke the reverence that is Earth's due.

An ancient earth based conscious­ness may enable a halt to destructive practices that threaten our planet by looking at things differently and operating on a basis of feelings rather than demonstrable truths. 'What I do know is that whether the universe has a centre of consciousness or not, the sight of a field of flowers in the colour purple,the rainbow must be enough to stop us from destroying all that is and wants to be'. (Carol Christ, 1990- P ^9)-

envision another world that heals the one­sided destructive world that male dominance

has created, lying in the repressed knowledge and experience of women.

When I began placing knowledge in a wider context and experiencing an expan­sion of reality through a mystical interac­

tion with nature, I ruly began to feel a strengthening of spirit and as Petra Kelly puts it a 'belief in my own strength 'as woman'. We as life

affirming creative forces have the power to affect energy and bring about change.

Lorna

References

Christ, Carol 1990. 'Rethinking Theology and Nature' in Irene

Diamond and Gloria Feman Orenstein (eds) Reweavins the World. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco.

Henderson, Hazel. 1988 The Politicd ol the Solar Age. Knowledge Systems Inc, New York.

Melior, Mary. 1992. Breakins the Boundaries. Virago Press, London.

Starhawk. 1990 'Power, Authority and Mystery: Eco femi­nism and Earth-based Sprituality' in Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Orenstein (eds) Reweavins ^^^ World. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco

l^*«*aigfat. ^,T^r^ SKtitf

http://wishu\verehere.va.coni.au

This is a site with free po.stcards that you can e-mail to your friends. The on line cards were developed in a series of workshops held throughout Queensland, in conjunction with community groups and other organisations. A digitarts initiative, the project received fimding from Arts Queensland. The aim ofthe project was to present an honest or personal view of one's own suburb.

Check it out and see if your locale is represented.

wishawerehere iove ya brisbane

fuzzy logic ioystnre mauis

metatart simply lifeless

microwaves Pi party

art far the masses grrrnwl

w ishuwerehere

i^

iY

Brand spankin' new 'tarts http://digitarts.va.com.au/

Yep, Ms Violetta has re-vamped the digitarts site and it looks awesome! New links and access to their collective works. Really user friendly and clean design makes this site a true delight, (ha ha I got poetry in Semper)!

This gxiy knows ever> tiling! w WW. askj eeves. com

Anyone who has ever tired to do a search the anally retentive >' or'-' wa>' will love askjeeves. Just type in a question using the words you would normally use in ever>'day conversation. Hit 'ask' and Jeeves will provide you with a whole bunch of links to sites

that will help answer your question. This site is awesome for peop'.e new to the net as well as tired old cynics like myself. An excellent friend in times of need, however, he couldn't answer my question 'wliatever happened to Guru Adrian', can you?

-^/^v /

a "

Flash flash ww\v.kiok.net/features/ottergirl/index.html

kick is a great design site witli lots of great links. This particular URL is for Ottergirl, an animation they featured in one of their previous issues. The colours are dreamy, as is the stor\'. The images are so gorgeous, you just want to lick them! An excellent site for anyone \vho appreciates good design or who would like to produce their own flash animation. Ver>' inspiring.

Deadly sins and otlier tilings http://fingertips.newdamage.coni

Ace e-zine with beautiful images. Lots of different things to look at, back issues, heaps of contributors etc. Highly textural art that vou rarely see on the web.

Supercute! http://home.earthlink.net/~bombpopusa/cute.html

This Is a cool website encompassing all ofthe remarkable talents of Amencan Independent cartoonist, Fawn Gehweiler. Her style is super cute in an anime kind of way. There are lots of secret places to see and fun things to do so set aside a bit of time to have a complete look. There is a quiz and even the chance to buy sparkly stickers and glittery stuff. Yay!

FeMini$t T0ur 0f Bi*i$bane Carmen and Ellen jumped aboard the Feminist Tour of Brisbane, to find out more about funky feminist women, helpful women's services and great feminist landmarks.

The Women's Bookshop 15 Gladstone Road, Highgate Hill.

What belter way lo brush up on the latest feminist writings than al a shop carrying books on any topic by and about women and owned by women? The Women's Bookshop is a must-see! Just be sure you check its opening hours (your enthusiastic, femi­nist rcponers thought it would be a great idea to visit on a Monday - the one day it is closed!).

The Women's Bookshop holds Coffee in the Courtyard (writers, presenters, speakers) on the third Saturday ofthe month at 1 lam. They have also recently acquired a new space ne.xt door to use for the showing of women's art and craftwork. You can also hire the space courses and work­shops (ph 3844 6650).

Women's Infolink 56 Mary Street, the City.

Women's Infolink is the information and community service ofthe Queensland Government's Office of Women's Policy. It has heaps of books, journals, pamphlets, reports and other publications you can check out and, in some cases, borrow. There are computers for word processing and internet use - all provided free of charge. There are free conference facilities which your non-profit group can access for meetings, as well as a referral service. If you need to gel in contacl with a particular service

regarding sexual harassment at work, abuse at home or help with your lax and finances, Women's Infolink can head you in ihe right direction. Women's Infolink's Freecall number is 1800 177 577. Their internet site is www.qldwoman.qld.gov.au. They have so much information, you need to

drop by!

Regatta Hotel Toowong Next slop on the Feminist Tour of Brisbane is the Regatta Hotel in Toowong for a celebratory beer lo commemorate the protesters Merle Thornton and Ro Bogner. In 1965, the two women chained themselves lo the bar after being refused service. They were promptly arrested for their protest against the exclusion of women from public bars (ever wondered why there was a Ladies' Lounge?).

Emma Miller Statue King George Square

Who better to get down and funky with than Emma Miller in King George Square. This tireless suffragette and campaigner hangs out with Sir Charles Lilley (one of Queensland's early Premiers) and Steele Rudd (of "Dad and Dave" fame). If a rally in Brisbane does not start at King George Square, then chances arc, you'll be starling at Emma Miller Place (which is unfortunately often referred to as the Roma Street Forum).

Some other important numbers and stuff:

Brisbane Sexual Health Clinic: ph 3227 Eating Disorders Association of Qld: ph 3352 Women's Health Qld-wide infoline: ph 3839 Supporting Mother's and Children hostel; ph 3841 Women's House: ph 3844 Women's Legal Service: ph 1800 Association of Non-English Speaking Background Women of Qld; ph 3846 Migrant Women's Emergency Support Service: ph 3846 Older Women's Network: ph 3236 Women in Small Business: ph 5547 Women Lawyers Association of Qld; ph 3226 Zig Zag Young Women's Resource Centre Inc: ph 3843 Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivor's Support Centre: ph 3391 After Hours Sexual Assault Crisis Line: ph 3000 Immigrant Women's Support Service: ph 3846 Murrigunyah For Indigenous Women: ph 3290 W.Wild For Women with Learning Disablities: ph 3262 Domestic Violence Telephone Service for refuge referral: ph 1800

7091 6900 9988 0718 4008 677 278 3189 3490 1399 5561 6333 1823 0004 0000 5400 4254 9877 811 811

Children by Choice Windsor

An information, counselling and referral service, Children by Choice believes in providing women with all their options when

faced with an unplanned pregnancy so they can make a truly infonned decision. Counselling is provided by telephone or face-to-face. They have information kits and a library which you can access by making an appointment and can boiTow from if you are a member. They also work in the community by providing health, welfare and community workers with accurate information about women's pregnancy options. Children by Choice is run by volun­teers and paid employees and is funded by the Stale Labor govern­ment through a pre-election promise, as funding had been cut by the previous Coalition government.

For information, counselling or referral, or if you just want to get involved in the fight lo legalise abortion, you can call Children by Choice on 3357 5 570 (admin), 3357 5377 (counselling) or if you're outside Brisbane, freecall 1800 177 725.

UQ Women's Collective The Union Building, upstairs in the Women's Room.

This is the peak decision-making body ofthe Women's Rights area ofthe student union. You can come along to Women's Collective on Tuesdays at Ipm and gel involved. You can use the room al any time for a rest, a chat, a cup of lea or coffee, or just to hang out with other women and talk about your day, your life, your studies, or your plan of how best lo smash the Patriarchy. Any woman can gel involved in this friendly area and the room has a beautiful, big, comfy couch!

1. Do not make any sudden mouements

2. nod your head In rapid agreement to anything that is said, no matter hom ludicrous, scary, or smacking of socialistic overtones. (Hot euen If you don't understand half the mords^used.j

3. Do not challenge the alpha male 'l female / comrade by either engaging In extended eye contact, aggressiue body posti^ring, or thinking for yourself. , \ , ,

• • •

4. CaUeuerybody comrade with a straight face, and refer to 'our glorious forefa thers 'a lot.

5. Buy their newspaper, twice If necessary.

6. make placating hand gestures and small clicking sounds with your tongue. This will calm them.

7. Do not confess to eating at IDcDonalds, buying brand name clothing, or In fact admit to using money to pur chase anything at all. Say Instead that you refuse to participate In the dominant oppressive patriarcho-capl talist dichotomic regime, all your clothing has been scauenged from the 'white supremlst pigs' and they are merely props for the coming revolution anyway.

8. Refer to the 'coming revolution' a lot. Helps If you crack your knuckles aggressively whilst saying this.

9. Referto your working class backgroundearly in the conversation, if you rnii IttJIlMIMIH IJIJIIIItllM!!

to cop it in the neck in 'the coming revolution'.

10. Rside from buying their newspaper, DO DOT give them any money. There are bounds to how far intimidation can be allowed to go.

^

11. Do not, under any circumstances, ask them to explain the difference between their faction and another, seemingly identical unless you haue brought with you tea, bickies, and a heavy duty flack Jacket.

12. Be prepared to run.

socialist, and join us in our fight to free the oppress ivorhers from the capitalist bosses who exploit them.

Re-education sessions will be held on (insert time and place that Resistance meets?).

s J» J c^ c J :ici* by mc tash

The original "old spice"...one of Australia's first writers-who happens to be a female and a mother of two kids (who happen to be spraying already). Her nine year old

daughter STAR sometimes comes home from school upset that she's misunderstood while her peers are idol­

ising the Backstreet Boys, STAR'S favourite band is the Beastie Boys- she's already seen them live.

Kids look at her weird when she said she had a mad weekend watching breakdancing. And if mummy goes

out painting with the girls on the weekend, don't let Star hear or she'll be begging to be brought along so she too

can represent. SPICE aka Sha-B was Australia's first noted female emcee who

represented in Countdown and Rolling Stone magazines in the 80s and supported Ice T in 1988.

She had a song "hardcore love" on Australia's first hip hop compilation "Down By Law" in 1 987. She is still influ­

encing the latest generation of female emcees. (TREY on the Mother Tongues compilation gives Spice props on

her "Feline Forces" song - the title taken from an old Spice song aptly named "Female Forces".) Shortly after,

her mother passed away leaving her with nothing positive to rap about anymore so she gave up and decided to

concentrate on graffiti.

Nowadays she can be found working with youth around the westside of Sydney and co-running her company

"Basic Equipment" with partner Unique. She also designed the logo for "JEWEL" the Sydney

clothing company aimed specifically at bgirls run by bgirl DENA.

With current interest in Aussie female emcees I thought it would be interesting to interview Australia's first!

WHAT DO YOU WRITE? Kandy, Spice and a few less known tags on the side.

WHAT CREWS HAVE YOU REPRESENTED? Kosmic Krew, MP's, TDF, TFP, currently IBS,

WHEN DID YOU START WRITING GRAFITTl? It's hard to pinpoint a date, but I think I did my first piece around 1985.

HOW OLD ARE YOU? 27 years old.

HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR PARTNER UNIQUE? [aka Sereck from Aussie hip hop group CELSIUS and the now defunct DEF WISH CAST.] I knew of him by his pieces, but we officially met at a party overJcee's. Unique, aka Sereck, was living on the streets at the time. I helped him out, we became good friends and the rest is history.

DOES HE GET CUT WHEN YOU DON'T PIT HIM UP ON YOUR PIECES? Only when he's feeling insecure....

...I HEARD YOU GOT HIM INTO GRAFITTl? That's as bad as the rumour stating that if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be involved in the hip hop scene. I've noticed that since I've been involved with Sereck, my identity within the culture doesn't exist anymore.

It really pisses me off when new schoolers I i plus 1 like to incorporate symbols from ancient civilisa-

automatically presume that a girl couldn't have ' ^ tions. I'm a freak for Egyptian artefacts, Mayan sun gods

represented longer. and Asian cultures.

WHAT GOT YOU INTO HIP HOP? I remember watching various film clips and movies like

Xanadu etc (now I know everyone's laughing) that had

guys boogalooing (locking) in it. 1 was attracted to this

because I was a dancer with the British Ballet

Organisation. Lucky for me, breaking let me be both the

dancer and the tomboy. As for graf, my brother was one

of the first Sydney writers. He and Ski discovered

Lavender Bay yards. Old crews like Masters of Disaster,

Digitz, Zulu artists, and Cosmic kids were my biggest

influence. At that time we were just breakers who hap­

pened to put up our crew name, then Subway art came

out and had us going crazy, we now ( my mum had me

do this cos I was such a tomboy) were writers who just

happened to break.

(QE) HAVE YOU EVER HIT TRAINS?

Yeah, I bombed. When I hit yards/ layups, it was usually

during the day, I found it more beneficial for me to waste

a whole train than to do just 1 panel. It was more about

bombing back then, panelling was just a bonus...a big

bonus. I don't believe you can call yourself a writer

unless you have hit a train, whether it be insides or out,

on more than one occasion. Nowadays it's all about how many panels you've done.

::r33i:-'.:!S33

HOW MANY PIECES HAVE YOU DONE?

I honestly wouldn't know. I wish I had photos of every­

thing I did, instead of everyone racking paint, someone

should have thought of getting a camera.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE?

Funky publics. I try to add movement to my pieces,

WHO HAVE YOU PAINTED WITH? Severe, Jeno, Tudor, QE, Jcee, Teen, Jerk, Skae, Higher,

Bee, Afera, Alexis, Brick, Atome, Jasy, Rson

SWR, Blame, Unique, Odie, Rosa, Poser, Nude, Dephy,

Chez, Hams and the list goes on

HOW MANY BGIRLS DO YOU KNOW?

I only remember 2 other Bgirls besides myself. There

were lots of writers^ Shaz, Denny, Rhythm & Rhyme (the

first chicks to piece the lines), Joish, D-one, Jade, Jewel,

Shy 1, Rosa,J-one (Girl Style Crew) Phee, Fade, Alexis,

Bee, Cherry, Moiz, Monique, Slammer, Peblez, Secret &

Surprise, Devine, Scandle, Lace, Dash, Lulu, Humor...I'm

sure there's a few I've forgotten...Currently representing

the hip hop culture in Sydney= Moiz, Afera, Lotus,

Trey, Chez, Musk, Thorn, Lady Muse, Maya, Phoenix &

Tare...

WILL YOU EVER BLESS THE MIC FOR US AGAIN?!

Definitely in the future when I'M ready.

EIGHT SUPERCOOL CHICK ALBUMS FROM THE NINETIES YOU

MIGHT HAVE MISSED... f Kate Scott. y)

aJHj-<ivh^>^-

K R I S T E N H E R S H HIPS ' 94 AND M A K E R S( AD Shock

Though composed simply of raw acoustic strums, snaking cello lines

and barely-there percussion, Hips and Makers is nevertheless quite a

r'f UR S I 1 D E \( M e a n w h i

ADVENTURE I e V i r g i n 1998 3

New York threepiece Furslide may be dominated by boys, but

Adventure is unquestionably a chick record. Guitarist, lyricist and

vocalist Jennifer Turner (one time guitarist for Natalie Merchant)

dishes out her barbed lyrics and tingling guitar lines with

exhausting determination, leading her lackeys through pockets of

white noise, periods of threatening calm, smatterings of prog-

rock, spontaneous eruptions, psychedelic melodrama, and her own

articulate neurosis. From the ethereal swoon of Lovesong to the

almighty rock swagger of Skinny Girl, Adventure is a stunning and

audacious debut. The sound of a premenstrual Alice in Wonderland

in therapy.

challenging listen, the then-Throwing

Muse Kristen Hersh using this solo set to exorcise personal demons

through unbound delivery and a visceral lyrical bend. Opening with the

stunning Michael Stipe duet Your Ghost, Hips and Makers' darkly

melodious ventures are never less then captivating, from the voracious

Banshee yowl of A Loon to the sweet piano recital lull of Beestung. At

fifteen tracks Hips and Makers is horughly draining, but deliciously so.

ME SHELL NDEGEOCELLO PLANTATION LULLABIES

Maverick Warner ,993 VANESSA D A OU ZIP L E S S

K r a s n o w MCA •994

LANTATLON LULLAB

"There's no such thing as alternative hiphop, because the only

known alternative to hiphop is dead silence" reads the manifesto

on the inside sleeve of Plantation Lullabies, asserting Me'shell

Nedgecello's strength of speech and seting the tone for an album

of eloquent protest. Simultaneously chilled-out and fired-up,

this hiphop/funk/R&B/jazz

hybrid railed against

colonisation,racism and the

white beauty myth ("amidst

the cover girls and Clairoi ads/

makin' no mistake what's white

is right ") while plowing a

deeply sensual groove. Best

moment? Undoubtably the

sing-song taunt of

If That's Your Boyfriend

(He Wasn't LastNight)

Vanessa Daou and husband/producer Peter Daou emerged from New

York's underground In the early '90s to make a series of pseudo-

tribute albums, paying homage to Betty Page, Billie Holiday, John

Coltrane, and on Zipless, Erica Jong. Smoky acid jazz & vaporous

rhythms shroud Jong's lascivious prose, with Vanessa switching

between steamy spoken word and song,

and Jong slipping in briefly to read

her own work. Soft, smooth, and

incredibly sexy, Zipless reads like

your under-the-bed-book stash and

sounds divine. "This is the long tunnc

of wanting you/Its walls are lined

with remembered kisses/wet and red

as the inside of your mouth/full and

juicy as your probing tongue," urges

the opening track. (Now does that

count as poetry?)

jjiiimj

5«V\

P J H A R V E Y I S T H I S '998

D E S i R E ? ( i s l a n d p o l y g r a m

xve:ifiii

Ravaged of body and mind, PJ Harvey's latest outing

is a brutal as it is beautiful a skeletal electronic frame cloaked

in gnarled blues riffs, brittle distortion, mechanical grind

and speaker-defying bass. Angeline, Joy, Elise, Leah and Catherine are the women of Is This

Desire, five exquisite characters doomed by their own bleak circumstance, Harvey's first and third-person narrative only

raising above a whisper to scream. Though near-unlistnable at times (Joy, for instance) beauty manages to fight through the

cracks of Is This Desire like blood fighting through dried skin. Though criminally neglected, Is This Desire is vital for any PJ

aficionado.

'^TORI A M O S B O Y S FOR PELE ( E a s t W e s t W a r n e r I 1996

KO ST A RS WITH Gran

A d

K R 0

K L A S S I C S F e

y a 1 11a he e n

1996

Severing her personal and professional relationship with longtime producer Eric Rosse, Tori Amos set out on her own for 1996's Boys for Pele, crafting an obtuse, ambitious, erratic and almost lyrically impenetrable work (even by her standards) of freakish and frightening beauty. Armand Van Helden snatched up Professional Widow and made it a dancefloor staple while the album was briskly dismissed, but Pele - recorded in a church largely on harpsichord -contains some of the most piquant and dangerous music of Tori's career. "I've shaved every place where you've been, boy" she snarls brokenly on Blood Roses, while sampled and looped sound of a dried cowpat being ripped from the ground is used as the beat for Profession Widow (take that Courtney!). Amos is yet to match its cracked vitality.

r "The fireflies were circling, the cicadas were singing and magic was in the air" the night Luscious Jackson's Vivian Trimble and Jill Cunniff conceived the Kostars, an acoustic

side-project of woozy summer warmth. Embellished sparingly with Moogs, Casios, accordian and piano, Klassics with a K saw the girl's sweetly malleable strums and dulcet

harmonies meet for songs of red umbrellas, cowboys, and life on the road. "Mama never said it would be easy/ But she never told me it would be so hard," they sing on Mama Never Said, their voices wafting in like smoke off a campfjre. Laidback and lovely.

f&S'l^

T H E C L O U D S T H U N D E R H E A D ^ P o l y f r a m ,993

I can't think of any Australian band of the '90s featuring not one but two female singer/ songwriters, and this alone sets the Clouds' guitarist Jodi Phillis and bassist Trish Young

apart. However, it's the sheer quality of their guitar-pop tunes and gorgeous vocal harmonies that really make them unique.Taking in the carnai strut of Bower of Bliss, the ethereal grandeur of Ghost of Love Returned, the frenetic, wistful pop of Alchemy's Dead and the whimsical " ' ^ ^ K i . '#^" harmonies of Kitten, 1993's Thunderhead's wide stylistic range is unified by the truly superb arrangements and the unpredictable beauty of Phillis and Young's cascading harmonies. Thunderhead remains the Clouds' finest work, an album whose myriad delights shine brighter with each listen.

ciouos

UNION PAGES Union President's Report. SWOTVAC is here to stay! If you were on campus in the first week of classes, you may have been one of the 4400 students who signed the Union's petition to save Swotvac. Only a week before, the University had informed us that they wanted to cut Swotvac from 5 days to 3 days. We were outraged at this proposition, as were the thousands of students who signed the petition. At Academic Board the following week, your student reps presented the petition and our arguments for retaining the 5 day Swotvac. Amazingly, Academic Board agreed with us and resolved to keep the full 5 day Swotvac. This is an excellent victory for students; and shows what we can accomplish when we get active on an issue.On that note; Sign tKelbus fares petition! By now many of ypu will have noticed that you can no longer buy weeklY,and monthly bus tickets. So many students relied on these ,ticicets for cheap public transport, and it .. really is outrageous that the Council has taken them away at a time when we poor students are faced with the GST and the associated rise in living costs. Along with the Union's co-environment officer, Rachael, and the President and Welfare Officer of OUT, 1 went to a meeting with the Acting Lord Mayor to discuss this issue. Basically her reasons for removing the tickets were that they cost too much for the Council, but she said that they are willing to review the issue depending on the level of stu­dent anger. This is a clear call toius all to get active!! If you haven't already sighed the peti­tion, come up to the Union and do' o, and watch

, ouf for a public action in the next few weeks. We cari win this one too if we put up a strong fight! Otlier stufftjudgiiii by the queues at lunch timVl^ seems.as though every student on cam> / pus has trieid the new Union^Noodie Bar and Ice ] Creamery.' if you are yet to savour their delights,

/journey over to the Union complex^and you won't be / \ f

te/o

/

students who have joined us for semester 2. The Union is here to help you and represent you, so come and visit us, or look us up on the web: www.uqu.uq.edu.au. Sarah McBratney

Queer Sexuality Officer's Report The Queer Families Fund is ever hungry and even though we are continually raising money the task seem to become ever harder. So if you can think of ways to raise money or you have some spare money to give for a worthy cause please contact either of the Q ueer Sexuality Officers, Matt and Kristine, or the Women's Officer, Jen, at the Union. The Queer Collective sent fourteen dele­gates to Queer Collaborations, a NUS conference organised over the holidays. This is with much thanks to Matthew, who worked extremely hard to organise for so many UQ people to attend! The conference is designed so that Queer stu­dents ali over Australia can come together and discuss issues that affect their lives and i;orrn resolutions about how to proceed with the student Queer movement. The pjenaries that. were given reflect the diversity irithe Queer community. Several of the plenarj^concerned/^' Queer identities, such as the Bears, jajgay maie P '

di^^poj^ted. Finally; welcome .fo all the new.

subcultural grouping that celebrates large male bodies of the Grizzly Adams type. Two of| the seminars dealt with/transgender issues, th ^ -first of these dealt with the trials%perienced by transgender youth and the isolation t hat is typical for them. One of the more controversial seminars dealt With the construction of gfen ei; and the problems that this can cause for the ; inclusion of people whose gender identities are contested by others, i.e. the inclusion of transgendered wo men in women' s space. Plenaries were also conducted on issues surrounding activism and several collectives gave details of successful actions that they had undertaken. This is the sort of thifig that is \ inspirational to other Queer Collectives! Follpwihg Queer Collaborations inlathurst, , many women went on to Adelaide for NOWSA, the riational conference' for women^swdents. '' Queer issues were prominent there ^Is^, with a plenary session devoted to discussingitnkrole of wornen in the Queer movement. Some w omefi believed that lone plenary session was not I

i enough to address issues relevant to Queer jiji Women, so a workshop was held for further/ jj discussion. The content of the workshop w is mainly regarding lesbian women. Attertipf were made to include issues of bisexua lity and transgenderism, but this proved difficult. There was a significant level of iransphobia being expressed by some women, so it was decided that another workshop would be held the following day to discuss the role of transgender women in the women' liberation movement. The outcomes of this workshop were the development of resolutions suggesting that transgender women be \yelcomed at NOWSA and that transphobia be addressed whenever it occurred at NOWSA. Another outcome was the decision by Kristine to give a plenary on Friday morning on this topic. The speech given by Kristine has been published in this, the Women's edition of Semper. Kristine

Education officer's Report ) ' Some things of interest that happened over the sei^ester break National Education Conference

^'During the holidayis, myself and a handful of other UQ students gathered with students from all over Australia in Canberra to attend the National Educatic h Conference. Organised by the National Union of Stiidents, this year's conference was themed "Fighting for the Future". With workshops on topics like the history of the student movement, women's and queer involvement in education, the ,, corporatisation of education and academic restructuring in universities;: This year's conference also set the direction of NUS' education campaign for the remainder of the, year. The conference decided to focus on a liv­able allowance for students as its key '' campaign, Ther"e are also really cool t-shirts from thetonference available for $5 each. They have a picture of astroboy and the slogan 'Tighting for the Future 2000". If ahyone would like one,

\please let me know. David Kemp file: llso dur­ing the holidays, Corporate Universit/Week 2opo took place. It Is quit^,worrying that the Education Minister and the Education Department does not seem at all concern by the, proliferation of corporate

/, V.

education providers in Australia. There are now 86 private higher education providers in Australia with about 3.4 per cent of the total stu­dent load. The largest number of these are in-house trainers for industry (like QANTAS College Online) or theological colleges. While there a number of logical reasons for private universities to exist, there seems to little concern about the quality of education that these institutions provide and the quality of the sector overall. Buried away in the material that the Education Department churns out was a paper on Social and Demographic change and its implication for education funding. This paper suggested that population pressures and an aging population would constrain spending on education. With the education sector as a whole under-funded, the Department has offered no solution and seemed content to watch education funding continue to be slashed. Arts Degrees: Some of you may followed the debate in the media over the past couple weeks over the value of Arts degrees, Andrew Norton, director at the

right-wing think tank, Centre for Independent Studies and former AdviSer to David Kemp, sug­gested that Arts were worthless and that fees shoiild be introduce^ f(k higher education. It was pleasing to see the Dean of Arts at UQ, Alan Rix, enter the fray with sorne rather soft arguments over the value of Arts degree yet completing fail to mention that he is trying to strip much of the value and prestige of the UQ Arts degree. ALP Education Policy: The ALP released their draft policy platform to be decided on at their National Conference at the end of July. Of particular con­cern in their education policy was no commitment to abolishing up-front fees, no com­mitment to lowering HECS and only a gradual lowering of the age of independence for Youth Allowance. There is also only vague refer­ences to increased funding and says nothing of the needs of matiire-aged students. You can always trust the Labor party to pretend to care about students.

Herston Area Officef's Report Tlie'Hefston Refectory is being redeveloped by

the Union after many years of service. The architects selected for this refurbishment are Thompson Adsett Parners. The ultimate plan is to provide students and staff with a cafe style atmosphere where they can sit down over a good cup of coffee and chat. Currently the space is also used for student functions, so the new design will be multi-purpose in nature. Student input to the project has been vital from the out­set. A survey was designed by members of the University of Queensland Medical Society to determine what was required of the new space. This document has been used to assist the archi­tects in their planning. Stay tuned for updates on the project. The plans will be available at thcMedical Students Office, Herston in the near future.

Commom Rooms Part of the Hospital Areas port­folio is maintanence of common rooms in the Brisbane hospitals. HAC porovides tea, coffee, hot chocolate, coke machines, pool tables, microwaves etc. for the use of the students. Check the UQ UNION website under HOSPITAL AREAS COMMITTEE to see where the common rooms are for your hospital. This infor-::; mation will be available within theinext few : ' weeks. ;:

HAC SPONSORED STUDENT EVENTS | Med Revue BUM Stroker's DOCULA Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th August. 7.30 pm at the Schoneil Theatre Tickets are $io Med Ball A SPACE ODYSSEY 7pm, Saturday 19th August, Doomben Racecourse. $55 UQMS mebmers, $60 non-member (inc. GST) All tickets available at the Medical Students Office. Call 33655261 to pay by credit card. Serena Keating

Women's Rights Area Report. Welcome to semester two in the women's area. 1 love the idea of a women's area, i love that on campus there exists a group of strong, interest­ing women that are committed to ending the oppression of themselves and others. It's a great job being women's officer, but its also very hard, especially when you see how many people are blind to all the injustice that goes on around them and judge the world from their own little

niche and think that their experience mirrors exactly that of those around them. If you don't want to live like this and want to change things come along to women's collective (every Tuesday at ipm in the women's room) and get involved In some of the activities of the women's area. This semester we are focussing on a new cam­paign, launching a new workshop programme, hosting events to support those with body image and eating issues, taking part in Reclaim the Night and organising Blue Stocking/Women in Education Week. This is a great time to take part in the many activites that the women's area runs, so get up to the women's room, come along to Women's Collective and get involved! Workshops: This semester the women's area is running self defence courses, surfing and skating workshops, bike maintenance and women's jew-ellry making. These workshops all draw on the talents of great women within the Brisbane com­munity. Pick up a brochure from the women's room if you are interested in any of these work­shops.

Blue Stocking/Women in Education Week: ; this week highlights the acheivements of women within higher education, lets us reflect on how far we still have to come, and inspires us toward ways to realise women's full educational poten­tial. Reclaim the Night: Reclaim the Night takes place each year on the last Friday night in October. It is a rally that aims to raise public attention for women who suffer from violence within the com­munity, women whose voices are often not heard.The rally commemorates the first Reclaim the Night rally which took place in Manchester in the UK in 1978 when, after a series of violent attacks against women, the police advised women to stay indoors at night. Women and children instead took to the streets and demand­ed an end lo this violence and also their own fear. The Reclaim the Night collective is now meeting to organise this year's rally. If you would like to be involved please contact Jen in the women's area on 33772200 or jennifer.smithsmailbox.uq.edu.au

t of 1"%'"'.' J? 7

the women of NOWSA I am aware that I Will most likely face discrimination and persecution once my story has been told TThis will hurt me, but I would prefer this

from people makin^^^to maintaining a painful silence j™y.-.ing those who t r i e d # 4 p e ^ ^ identify as a lesbian I am not a political ^ e of transgender W^ffi^" lesbian, though being a lesbian certainly

e last day of NOWSA, some ^ l ^ ^ is a political thing. I acknowledge that I g plenary session and I took the opportunitv^Aave been attracted to women for as long

sr S?

ling and encourage people to discuss i t J ^ ^o come from it, and they did. Three mg

pPSmportant being a resolution that transgei that aftC _ . ,^^ ^ , . ^ shall be welco&edatall future NOWSA conferences. What folj^f l^ gave on that morning

Before 1 begin 1 want to acknowledge that from mine I would describe thejy^w

ei ber and I don't feel any '^nj believe that my

0ni$ rock-solid and that ll to question my

io define me as other-_ fcirsionths however, I ^^w§4op\» are questioning

)r transgendertp^!^^^,,,. am speaking today because the role of transgender women in the women's liberation movement and at NOWSA needs to be addressed along with transphobia.

SI:lilM®Si^ . . ^ ¥••

Originally Robin, a transgender woman from our women's and Queer collectives at UQ was going to speak today, but due to unforeseen circumstances she was unable to attend the conference. 1 sought her permission to speak in her place in to day's plenary session and she offered me her support and encouragement. Robin showed courage, along with other transgender women who are here, in deciding to come to NOWSA, I am aware of a number of transgender women, including my partner, who decided not to come to NOWSA this year as they didn't know if they would be welcome or safe here. This is a question that needs to be answered. How can we who are not

tatlve of all transgeridier women's lives. The information is mainly anecdotal and has been gathered through conversations with transgendered friends. I will discuss common alities 1 have found in these women's lives so that you will get a ; - ^ broader picture of what is happening. 1 would like to address the western concept that there are only two genders. Who says you have to be male or female? Many people do not identify as either. Who says you have to undergo hormone therapy or surgery? By not conforming to this system they

•face widespread oppression. Western society sees gender and sex as dichotomies, but really they are continu-

transgendered define the identity of these urns. What I want to know is if you are a .: • women as something other than how they

see themselves? How can we make '- decisions that will impact on their lives

without consulting with them? How are / transgendered .women going to be able to

state their case to the rest of us if we don't provide them with a safe and welcoming forum in which to do so?i believe that transgender wtMijerfihould

separa tist what's your policy on intergen-dered people?? There are five basic terms I would like to define for you. 'Transgender' was originally used to describe someone who lives full time as the gender opposite to that indicated by their anatomy. 'Transsexual' was used to describe someone who traverses the boundary ofjhe sex they were assigned at

be included in »WSA.Toi | f trammukrmmmm^ have the

.. ,b|8hS-]M|Jly through "surgery. These nvo ,r> t^fit^^iwtbw lined pretty much inter-

ppnguage and c lass^^ou^l? , ,„_ women who live with|cli?afeilSies?pr v ide ntifyia[s3lesbian or bJswriial b.matter

g^ss ions we m ^ e , r mmi, we need to^Mlte As stipport each other inthose

P l g l l ; . NOWSA is a good place for this type of organising to start. The information I will offer regarding what life Is like for transgender women is by no means comprehensive or represen-

"" J'S\ -" jf V' "%.- -»V

trSiissexual, and vice versa. There has alsS l il>aiff acknowledgement of the existence of 'bigendered' people, who live half the time as one gender and half as another, identifying as both male and female. An 'intergender' person does not identify as male or female. An Mntersexed' person is someone who has a condition usually related to a chromosomal anomaly

that causes amUgmas body types, sometimes intersex people identify strongly as one gender. Others may iden­tify as intergendered. 1 want to biiefly talk about the types of oppression expert-enced by transgender women. They face sexism much the same as the rest of us. AH the usual stuff about being whistled at;] in the street, groped in pubs, treated like they can't cope with certain tasks without the assistance of a man, and that they should walk, talk, behave and dress in a certain way. For transgender women, the sexism gets a little more interesting when some deviations inhow women are expected to be upset the patr iarchy and throw in a few challenges to our society that, if acknowledged, have potential ben­efits for all women.

Keeping women in the home where they cannot communicate with other women and therefore not autonomously organise to fight their oppression has been a favourite ploy of the patriarchy. If women make up half the human population and it Is possible to isolate them from each other, then imagine how isolated trans- gender people feel. When trying to find their place in the women's movement, , ., .iansgender women often feel isolated as tjiere are so few women who can iffipathise with their struggle. Without

, being able to conununicate and organise with other trarfejjender women they are unable to fight'their oppression by other women in the v bmen's liberation move­ment. So often transgender women are sitnply left with' no one to talk to,

The NOWSA environment is certainly no exception to this. Transgender women

J- ' V i ^

ri" •^-^m

j " % < -

' -*• ^'^w

'•r-

face sexism in relation to class, the sound you are a tranhy in Au stralia. This clinic of their voices, and society's ideas about offers a compreherisive service to assist

' how a woman should be, to name a few people to transition, with the basic stuff areas. Class oppressio%occurs at an ecor ^ , like hormones and psychiatrists right

through to surgery. Most transgendered people end up there eventually for sur­gery. Trouble is, the Mortash concept of gender is a bit fucked.

incredibly expensiye^¥nd out of reach for ' people in the lower socio-economic ' groups. Prior to surgery however are the

required private psychiatric consultations and ongoing hormone treatments. There is a suicide rate of 42% among the trans­gendered community and much of this is attributable to people's in a bility to attain their ideal state of being, along . with the discrimination and isolation they

If a transgender woma n jste^JjMt^^ jeans and no makfei^tpMi^lwl] she's ,v

obviously no i s^pSi^ iS lSe te woman and to:^|iiff M i c « ? i | wearing dresses ana'paiml|it,hej

support of the rest of the women's move­ment, she has no strength to fight these attitudes. Transgender women need and deserve our support as much as any other woman fighting her oppression as a mem­ber of a minority.

1 want to conclude by pointing out that the women at this conference bring with them a diversity of experiences from a

>jersity of backgrounds and philoso-l^h^s, Transgender women are just anoth-

W^i *„?Sa'

t.i>§:

ISwTyp of women amongst us who can

i^fmake valuable contribution to NOWSA i;^d the women's liberation movement. As

Women who are born with Mt "si their brains wouldn't stand for th^'crap/..; ;artidipate;in this conference and to But, quite a few transgender women con->" autonomously organise with other

are forced to endure. This is not to say it-^ cede to the oppressive Monash philosophy women. They should also have tl e right is impossible to transition without much ^ and fake the dress-wearing;S,tuff,because to feel safe in this environ^lenj:,,as should

they so badly want their siiti^ry/Why Isit ^ their friends and ' ' ? that women born with female genitals can supporters. Unfortunately this has not be as butch as we like and still be called been the case at NOWSA 2000. women even if we are seen as deviant, but transgendered women have to con- I hope that what I have said today will

"-form to gender stereotypes to be accept- stimulate discussion of the issue of trans-ed as women? ' ".ifvoehder women's involvement in NOWSA

^ ''' Sfjd'jyojttien's autonomous organising gen-

money. It has been done by many a des­perate person in the interest of saving their own lives. The sound of a person's voice has social definitions attached to it, and these are often linked to gender. The attempts by our society to make women conform appear in a variety of places. Women's voices differ greatly in range,

but it is expected that we will have higher' ^ At .QCs I came across two women. speaking erally/I^wcfuld love to see some resolu-voices. If you sing bass or tenor you are ^ in a very ignorant t>ansphobic way and I tions oh' this topic come from this confer

i ?hot welcome in many choirs because ' ^ •' 'was quite distressed by it Wien l|r -' ' ir^4, ence. Thankyou for your time and atten-I^Stvp^en should apparently only sing alto

if :"iO^sopranp. Voice recognition techno

Jhese:;are thirigSJtl^^^plransg loBi^Ife^uscd;to,''l^^^^pc^ can-

iiSttify witii t h f e e ^ ^ ^ i ^ r h e isi^endeif^ GUnici^ placelto gb if

•I - t . f ' ' ' ' •• J? ' ; * . '•• r ^ ••••• - • "1 r ll V i f,-' 1 iitiK^ ,1 • I I- I'-tiT r mn ;j^^i»iS]iiJu<i'u!!w)Wiau^^

but I understood why If she took on board every transphobic comment or inci­dent she came across, she wouldn't sur­vive. Without being able to link with other transgender women and without the

'^m^i

The next issae of semper is all aboat

The deadline is: t(Sp'ite®ibajr 1

Send yoap contribcitions to aq,5emper@hotniail.con) -or visit fjs dov\ nstains of the union complex (bring a packed lunch )

OBTAIN PERMANENT RESIDENCY IN AUSTRALIA

WHEN YOU GET YOUR DEGREE. Major changes to Australian Immigration Laws last year will allow

International Students to become permanent residents. • If you have an Australian degree or diploma, • Special Student rates are available,

you are no longer required to have relevant Book an assessment. work experience. • Griffiths & Company are Australia's

• There is a limited quota - don't miss your chance. Premier Immigration Company.

Ph: (07) 3257 2272

Griffiths & Company Level 3, K Tower

Cnr Wickham & Ballow Streets

Fortitude Valley

Brisbane Q 4006 Australia REGISTERED MIGRATION

AGENT 81661

Ph: (07) 3257 2272

Fax: (07) 32571714

Email: damian@powerup.com.au

Website: www.griffiths.com.au

Griffiths & Company are established IVIigration Attorneys with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, New Delhi, Durban, Johannesburg, Harare, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Singapore,