Kissing is cool or whatever, and there’s probably some Valentine’s Day stuff going on in Ottawa for people who are into that kind of thing. But those whose deepest, truest, most abiding love is of gender equality will also have an opportunity to celebrate their love this Valentine’s Day. Planned Parenthood Ottawa has organized a Feminist History Walking Tour of Ottawa to share the stories of some of our city’s lesser-known feminist heroes.
The tour addresses the complexities of the struggles around gender equality, touching on topics including the campaign for the legalization of contraception, the history of abortion services in Ottawa, trans women’s campaign to access gender-affirming health care, and the movement to fight for justice for missing and murdered indigenous women.
Tour organizer Luna Allison notes, “Lots of laws have been created for the equality of cisgender women, but even those haven’t done much to change our day-to-day realities. If you move beyond the protection of cisgender people and push for inclusive gender equality for everyone, including transfeminine, transmasculine and non-binary folks, there are even fewer people on-side with making social and legal reforms.”
Attendees will learn about women like Dorothea Palmer, who helped lead the charge for the decriminalization of contraception in the 1930s, and Michelle Josef, a musician and activist who challenged the government of Ontario’s refusal to pay for gender reassignment surgery (GRS).
Luna Allison sees the tour as a way to inspire feminists to continue to push for much-needed reforms: “Feminist human rights is a massive, multi-faceted project, and we need to celebrate our victories and the work that’s being done. We have lots of heroes to cheer for. They deserve our praise and gratitude for the work they’ve done.”
The tour is funded by the Girls Action Foundation, and is organized in partnership with Indigenous Walks and Walking With Our Sisters Ottawa. The tour was planned with the help of members of Planned Parenthood Ottawa’s Insight Theatre program, a public education theatre program where students create a show about sexual health and present it to their peers. Allison, who facilitates the program, found that many of the youth identified as feminists and wanted to know more about feminist history, particularly the type of history that isn’t necessarily enshrined in history books.
The tour is free. Attendees will meet at the northeast corner of Bank and Sparks on Saturday, February 14th, at 2pm. The organizers are striving to make the route as accessible as possible, given the snow, by avoiding stairs and crossing at places where there are curb cuts. There will also be an accessibility vehicle that attendees can travel in. For more information, see the event’s Facebook page.
