Winterfest is a widespread event hosted by the city to chase away the winter blues
From Feb. 2 to 20, Hamilton is holding its annual Winterfest. This event is being hosted in partnership with Cobalt Connects, a company focused on promoting arts and culture in Hamilton in an effort to bring over 60 fun activities, including exhibitions to sports games, to the city.
Hamilton Winterfest originally started in the 1970s as a small community event organized by volunteers. Over the years, it has grown into a larger production and this year, the Winterfest Hub, where the some of the events will be run, will be located on the rooftop of Jackson Square. The Hub will be decorated with light installations, art and performances.
Jeremy Freiburger, who has been a producer of Winterfest for the past five years, is also a McMaster University alumnus. After his undergraduate studies, he attended the American Music and Dramatic Arts Academy in New York before returning to McMaster again and working at the Conservatory and the Hamilton Arts Council.
He has made a significant impact on the city’s arts and cultural scene as well through his work founding Cobalt Connect. Through Cobalt Connect, he and his team later created the Cotton Factory, a creative studio space for local artists and events. Cobalt Connect has also been a co-producer of Winterfest in recent years.
As producer, Freiburger’s role consists of supporting community organizations with whatever they need, including marketing, finance management and grant writing. Freiburger explained Winterfest stands out from other big festivals the city hosts because of how widespread it is.
“[Winterfest] is a festival that is across the city, so unlike things like Supercrawl or Festival of Friends that are in one site, we've got about 70 events that are in Dundas, Stoney Creek, up on the mountain down by the water . . . They're literally across the city,” said Freiburger.
So even if you don’t want to make the trek downtown, it is highly likely that there could be multiple events happening nearby or even right in your neighbourhood.
The art being exhibited this year at the Hub includes everything from curated pieces such as sculptures, to art installations in partnership with the Royal Botannical Gardens. Freiburger is excited about the art they’ve commissioned and to introduce new artists and unique works they’ve created this year. He hopes everyone who visits the festival walks away having had a good time and getting exposure to seeing a different, artistic side of the city.
“I hope [attendees] walk away with a great sense of optimism about downtown . . . People from across the city have an idea in their mind of what downtown [looks like] and I think events like this can help change that mindset. So I hope people walk away feeling really excited,” he said.
“I hope [attendees] walk away with a great sense of optimism about downtown . . . People from across the city have an idea in their mind of what downtown [looks like] and I think events like this can help change that mindset. So I hope people walk away feeling really excited."
Jeremy Freiburger, producer of Winterfest
Freiburger wants students to know they’ve organized Winterfest this year for them to enjoy as well. With events like free concerts, dance classes, skating and more, the festival considered various events to include activities everyone could appreciate. Winterfest can be a great opportunity to spend time with loved ones while participating in fun activities made to help you appreciate the season.
Celebrate Valentine's Day with a night of theatrical shows and live music
On Feb. 10, the Gritty City Theatre Company held their first-ever fundraiser event, Gritty City Steels your Heart, at the Spice Factory in downtown Hamilton.
The Gritty City Theatre Company was founded in 2019 by Melissa Murray-Mutch and Jason Thompson. They wanted to explore race, class and all things theatrical in their productions and foster community and family through their spaces.
“We have a great group of people that are working with us and they want to do it and I started to think of our theatre company as a home – we want it to be a home for people,” said Murray-Mutch.
The purpose of the Feb. 10 fundraiser was to bring awareness to their company, thank the cast of their last Fringe digital exclusive performance and celebrate Valentine’s Day with the rest of the community.
The evening of the Gritty City Steels your Heart event was filled with live music by arttheboy, a Hamilton-based artist and filmmaker; a live band performance by Badnew, a local punk band by Lola Medina and brothers Jack & Ben Caunter performing the “Hammered 2.0” soundtrack and an art exhibit and market organized by Jessika and Natasha Reddy. There were also performances from the Canadian Slavery Project, directed by Melissa Murray-Mutch and screenings of “Hammered” and “Hammered 2.0”, directed by John-Riley O'Handley and Lucy Reddy respectively. There was also food, drinks and raffles offered at the event.
Murray-Mutch hoped attendees would learn more about the Gritty City family, their hidden talent and continue to support their work. She also hoped that this event will attract more artists to collaborate with them in future projects.
“[We] want to attract more artists as well. We want people who want to work with us, and we want to let people know that we are [a] driving force in the community as well. Even though we're small, we’re mighty,” said Murray-Mutch.
Most of all, she hopes attendees will have an enjoyable time at the event.
“We want to do quality work, but we want to make it fun for everybody. We want people to come there and just have a great time,” she said.
“We want to do quality work, but we want to make it fun for everybody. We want people to come there and just have a great time."
Melissa Murray-Mutch, Founder of Gritty City Theatre Company
Moving forward, Gritty City plans on starting a new community theatre project and collaborating more with local artists. Additionally, they hope to continue to produce more showings for larger audiences while exploring new genres.
The toxicity of beauty culture is harmful as it provides unrealistic body standards that may cause us to long for an appearance which will forever be unattainable naturally
Media is a major influence on most young adults today, with the rise of TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and other social media apps influencing our culture and shaping how we live and act today. From models to instagram, social media influencers pose and give unrealistic expectations for anyone to see, particularly young teens.
Beauty advertisements specifically, within the makeup industry have shown to portray their makeup as a realistic filter and that if you use it, it will blur your pores to provide you with smooth and flawless skin, just like those filters online.
However, many celebrities have had cosmetic plastic surgery such as breast and lip augmentation, Botox and more, done to their body and portray themselves in the media in a specific way. This is where young adults try to convince themselves they are not naturally pretty as the celebrities shown online, when social media is just simply perpetuating this false reality.
Although many individuals today strive to achieve a flawless look which is naturally unattainable, everyone does have their own little flaw which makes them, them or is simply something we all deal with as it is human. For example, pores and textured skin, it’s natural, because that's what skin is.
Although photoshooping does happen a lot with celebrities and their jobs, it can still be something they do not stand for themselves, as Jameela Jamil, a British Indian celebrity, criticized magazines for filtering her face to make it more appealing to Caucasian audiences.
Cosmetic companies take advantage of these insecurities to make products like blurring primers that teenagers are attracted to. Don't get me wrong, makeup can be used by people to feel confident and beautiful and that's more than okay. However brands that falsely advertise makeup products in their campaigns are very problematic, especially to teenagers.
Mass media has invented new tools to further manipulate young teenagers and adults. Editing can be seen as just a mere feature to add brightness or contrast to photos. However using it to change your body structure and complexion to be more airbrush is toxic to young adults.
For example, Facetune is a photo editing app known to retouch your face and body which has gone viral over the last few years. Some people use this app just because of boredom or to test how far they can edit themselves before it becomes noticeable, yet as you continue to do it so often it gets addictive and toxic to you and your mental health.
To get more featuring tools, there is a VIP subscription for $71.99/year. Within a few seconds you can edit yourself, change your skin tone and curve out your body to look just like Kim Kardashian if you wanted.
As people keep editing themselves, one can get used to your edited self, so, eventually when you look in the mirror, it's like you’re seeing a whole different person and you feel ashamed that you don't look like the edited version of yourself. It can become so dangerous with these constant false perpetuations as again as again, ththey are not true, it also does not mean you are not ey are not true utiful.
The western beauty standard has been a great representation throughout years in the beauty industry of making only one specific group of woman feel good. This standard consists of features of white slim women with pouty lips, small waist, and a toned body to imply that, that body and face type is what is called ‘beautiful’.
These beauty standards are all throughout western media, whether displayed on magazines or billboards.
All body types are beautiful; however, our society would say that skinnier women are more attractive than larger women, when that is simply not the case.
Women everywhere are beautiful in their own way, but this standard has not only made women but teenagers not appreciate their own image. This has led to many individuals receiving treatments and surgeries, and the rise of it over the past few years has been immense. Plastic surgery only makes you feel better about the way that you look because society tells you how you should want to look. I strongly disagree that an individual should get plastic surgery if they were only influenced by social media or some kind of celebrity.
Cosmetic companies take advantage of these insecurities to make products like blurring primers that teenagers are attracted to. Don't get me wrong, makeup can be used by people to feel confident and beautiful and that's more than okay. However, brands that falsely advertise makeup products in their campaigns are very problematic, especially to teenagers.
Celebrities and influencers are known to be influential, and to even some idols, as there are many young adolescents who look up to and dream to be when they're grown up.
However, many celebrities have had cosmetic plastic surgery such as breast and lip augmentation, Botox and more, done to their body and portray themselves in the media in a specific way. This is where young adults try to convince themselves they are not naturally pretty as the celebrities shown online, when social media is just simply perpetuating this false reality.
What's taking these filters to a new level is not just comparing yourself to these celebrities, but also comparing your authentic self against a false representation of them and more importantly you. It is important that you never believe anything on social media and focus on doing acts and practices of self-love. When you realize this, you can come to see your own beauty without the influence of social media.
Citizens advocating against the $12.3 million police budget increase disrupted a budget feedback session at City Hall on Feb. 6
A budget feedback session at city hall was shut down on Feb. 6, following disruptions from a sit-in protest against a proposed 2023 police budget.
The Hamilton Police Services proposed a 6.71 per cent, or $12.3 million, increase to their budget, for a total $195.8 million. Police Chief Frank Bergen said the increase is necessary to keep pace with the growing population and rising crime severity in Hamilton.
Discussions of the HPS budget, which makes up approximately 18.5 per cent of Hamilton's total spending, prompted local advocacy groups to call for diverting the money that would go towards the budget increase to other resources in Hamilton.
The Hamilton Encampment Support Network, a volunteer organization that supports unhoused Hamiltonians, organized a protest outside City Hall on the day of the budget feedback session.
During the session, protestors filled the chamber’s gallery and protested the proposed increases to the police budget.
Ward 9 Councillor Brad Clark, the general issues committee chair, adjourned the meeting after an hour of the sit-in until protestors left.
Before the session was adjourned, numerous delegates spoke to the councillors about why they should reject the budget increase. The delegates proposed the budget be allocated to other services such as addressing affordable housing, mental health and addiction resources and food insecurity.
Before the session was adjourned, numerous delegates spoke to the councillors about why they should reject the budget increase. The delegates proposed the budget be allocated to other services such as addressing affordable housing, mental health and addiction resources and food insecurity.
Since the protests, Ward 3 councillor Nrinder Nann has publicly opposed the proposal, citing concerns about the budget.
Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson, who represents the McMaster University area, viewed the event as an attempt to bully city councillors, calling the protest undemocratic.
“What we witnessed last night was an unacceptable attempt to bully members of #HamOnt City Council. In previous Council I spoke out when members of Council attempted to bully staff & members of public. This undemocratic act denied the opportunity for many delegates to be heard,” said Wilson in a tweet on Feb. 7.
Mayor Andrea Harworth echoed similar remarks, stating that disrupting a peaceful discussion impeded respectful dialogue.
HESN responded to their criticisms, explaining that playing by the rules was not enough to address the ongoing issues.
“The community came out last night to flip the script – we can't keep coming to your table, to your council chambers, and playing by your exact rule book, while our neighbours keep dying,” said HESN in a statement on Instagram on Feb. 7.
Moving forward, city council can choose to reject the budget or appeal the final decision to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. If the council rejects the proposal, a new budget will be proposed by the police services board.
However, city solicitor Lisa Shields told councillors during a general issues committee meeting on Feb. 7 that city has never rejected the police budget.
However, city solicitor Lisa Shields told councillors during a general issues committee meeting on Feb. 7 that city has never rejected the police budget.
This is an ongoing story.
The intersections between love, sex, health and the facets of our identities
Intersectionality is an inevitable result of the fact that people’s identities are multidimensional. A term coined by law professor and advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality reflects how different aspects of who we are — from race to gender, sexual orientation to religion and disability to socioeconomic status — influence our lived experiences. In recognition of this fact and to honour these stories, we have asked our communities to share how identities intersect and shape our unique encounters with love, sex and health in this year’s Sex and the Steel City.
Growing up in a rather conservative South Korean household, I rarely engaged in conversations around love, sex and health, particularly mental health, with my family. I recall talking my mom about what I learned during health class in elementary school. The look of alarm and shock on her face when I said the word, masturbation, in front of her for the first time forbid me from saying it again so openly. In another instance when I was visiting family in South Korea, my dad shot me a sharp, disapproving frown at my spaghetti strap tank top. I remember a wave shame took over as he told me to go change into something more appropriate for a young girl.
Developing a healthy relationship and mindset around love, sex and health took a long time, especially as I learned to accept our differences and overcome my family’s cultural views and biases around these conversations. It probably wasn’t until my senior years of high school when I began to speak more vulnerably about my experiences with these topics. It was all due to the friends, teachers and communities that taught me not be afraid to speak up and made me feel validated.
This is why spaces like Sex and the Steel City where people can freely and openly share stories and deliberate on these so-called taboo topics are important. This year’s theme, intersectionality, was inspired in part by my upbringing and experiences but also in recognition of the fact many others also understand how different systems of oppression and aspects of identity affect how we view relationships, sexuality and well-being.
This issue is home to intimate, perhaps what many may consider controversial, special stories. I want to thank everyone, including the Silhouette staff, who contributed their perspective, artwork and narratives to create this wonderful issue. I’m honoured and grateful for the folks who entrusted me and gave me permission to share their thoughts and experiences with the rest of the McMaster community.
To you, dear reader, I hope this issue can serve as a space to explore, (un)learn and reimagine what love, sex and health can look and feel like. There aren’t enough pages in this issue to capture all the different stories of intersectionality and love and I acknowledge there are missing voices in this issue. However, I hope you find and resonate with at least one memorable artwork, image, article, sentence or word while reading this issue — I hope we made an impact on you. Additionally, if you see a gap in the missing pages that you can fill;, it’s also not too late to contribute to us.
The Student Wellness Center strives to make sure students can be their healthiest selves possible.
The Student Wellness Centre is the best place to go on campus for anything regarding health and wellness, with their variety of services ranging from mental health counselling to medical care.
An integral part of the SWC are the health promoters who work hard to ensure that students have access to the resources they need to be their healthiest selves.
One of these health promoters is Madison Behr. Working with students has been a rewarding experience for Behr. Her primary role consists of focusing on sexual health and substance abuse programming. This role has allowed a lot of creativity and cooperation with other departments, giving her the opportunity to interact with others. She explained some of her favourite people to work with are the work-study students and the volunteer with the Wellness Outreach Teams.
Working with students has been a rewarding experience for Behr. Her primary role consists of focusing on sexual health and substance abuse programming. This role has allowed a lot of creativity and cooperation with other departments, giving her the opportunity to interact with others.
Behr described the various tasks with her role, including meeting with students and departments to organize and host events, interacting with students on campus and creating health promotion campaigns.
Recently, the SWC has launched the #SexTalkTuesday campaign on social media to answer questions from students about sexual health and their Free Flow program, which gives out free menstrual products to students. Along with these programs, the SWC also has drop-in programs which hand out free condoms and lubes for students to practice safe sex.
Behr aspires for students to find the SWC to be a safe and accommodating space to go when they need any type of health support.
“I hope students will walk away knowing that they are cared for and that there are people on campus who are here to help if they are ever in need . . .[and] that there is a safe space for them at the SWC where they can feel comfortable and welcomed,” she said.
“I hope students will walk away knowing that they are cared for and that there are people on campus who are here to help if they are ever in need . . .[and] that there is a safe space for them at the SWC where they can feel comfortable and welcomed,”
Madison Behr, SWC Health Promoter
Behr also wanted to ensure students know to come to the SWC to access any services they need, especially for sexual health. The Wellness Lounge are also available as a free space for students to use. This space is also the base where health promoters operate if students wish to contact them.
The SWC is a great place to visit for any student’s health needs. Behr and her team at SWC want students to take advantage of the free resources and services they offer. If any students find themselves in need of health advice and assistance, the SWC health promoters hope that their organization is the first thing to come to mind, while doing their best to help make university life easier with their programs and initiatives.
Gender Remix, a new workbook by Mela Swayze, approaches the topic of gender in an inquisitive and supportive manner
Gender is a complex aspect of one’s identity, leading people to great lengths of self-discovery. The complexity of such an identity can be daunting and often hard to navigate. The work of Mela Swayze, a consultant, educator and writer of Gender Remix, aims to help people better understand and connect with their gender identity.
Swayze released Gender Remix as a workbook for those who identify as trans, non-binary or gender diverse. The goal of the workbook was to help guide those who are looking into their own identity, whether that be with a coach or a therapist or alone. In December all of the proceeds from the book went to Speqtrum Hamilton, an organization that supports queer youth in Hamilton.
“Gender remix is a workbook that [is] designed for people who are trans, non-binary, gender diverse or otherwise exploring their gender. . . It has resources exercises [and] writing prompts, so it's definitely designed for those who like self-reflection [and] those who like a good journal prompt,”
Mela Swayze, Consultant, educator and writer of Gender Remix
The workbook has a journal-like design to encourage self-reflection. It goes chapter by chapter to communicate the idea of gender as something that isn’t so binary. The book is also accessible and compatible with assistive devices.
Swayze believes initiatives like Gender Remix are a way to give structure at a time when someone may be overwhelmed. Though it may not be for everyone, they found that many of their own clients discovered solace in quite a few of the included information within the workbook. Additionally, they hope that with workbooks like this, more people will see that they aren’t alone in this realm of self-discovery.
“For some people who might be at the beginning of exploring their gender identity, it can be a lot to digest and a lot to process. . . Having a bit of structure to guide you in bite sized pieces helps people to digest and process a little more easily,” said Swayze.
The process of creating the workbook was based heavily on the work Swayze has done with their own clients and through workshops. To them, it was important to have the workbook be from lived experiences of many people rather than having their own set of rules dictate the journey.
They found that over the course of their work, folks exploring their gender had similar overarching topics. These topics became focuses in the workbook, with an emphasis on self-reflecting rather simply being told how one should feel.
“The work with trans and gender diverse clients definitely informed the creation of the workbook rather than vice versa,” said Swayze.
The response from the community has been very encouraging. They’ve had coaches, therapists and organizations all commend the workbook and actively use it in their own practice. Swayze also noted someone in Colorado Springs purchased the workbook, following the shooting that occurred in a 2SLGBTQI+ club in the area. They found it to be very meaningful that the workbook could support people in moments of crisis.
Every person is entitled to their own story. Swayze believes understandings one’s gender identity is an important aspect to receiving and being open to experiencing love. Ultimately, by having one’s own support system through self-exploration, it can encourage self-acceptance and love. It isn’t telling others that makes the difference, but feeling as though they have the option if they feel comfortable doing so.
“It's a lot easier to receive love when we are being our true selves in the world, whatever that is and whatever that means to you. It doesn't mean necessarily that you're the type of person who wants to shout your identity from a rooftop, but even small disclosures to a partner or a close friend or a queer chosen family can be really meaningful,”
Mela Swayze, Consultant, educator and writer of Gender Remix
Gender identity is something that varies for every single person, sometimes without support the journey to find oneself can become daunting. Though everyone occupies gender differently, Swayze introduces a stepping stone that can support someone who is learning more about themselves. The hope is that by understanding and accepting the nuances of gender identity, people can feel safer in their own bodies.
The urgent need to address the ongoing discrimination, hate and violence against sex workers
Jelena Vermilion, executive director of Sex Workers’ Action Program (SWAP) Hamilton, works to take an active stance against the negative treatment that sex workers face. As a sex worker of 10 years, she understands the complexity of sex work and how easily people are stigmatized for partaking in it. This year her work is being recognized as a 2023 Young Women's Christian Association of Canada Women of Distinction nominee.
SWAP was created as a place where people could come together as a community in a safe space. The space on Barton Street educates people on topics such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, an HIV prevention medication. The organization partake in advocacy for the positive treatment of people within the sex industry by speaking at conferences and leading workshops for businesses and organizations in Hamilton. SWAP at its core aims to support sex workers and every challenge they may entail — whether that be through education or direct action.
“I think having a space is mostly about combating stigma, providing a space of solace for people who are in the sex industry to come to rest with us and particularly for street by sex workers who maybe don't have access to shelter,”
Jelena Vermilion, Executive director of SWAP
As one of 25 groups in Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform, they are challenging the current laws surrounding sex work in Canada. It’s on the basis that current laws violate a sex worker's rights to life, liberty and security. This violation can be observed in laws that criminalize communication pertaining to the sale of sex, which directly affects sex workers. Ultimately, the goal is to give sex workers the same liberties as other workers.
“There's not really an opportunity of equal advantage or an equal foundation that people who are in the sex trade can have as business people. When we're talking about accessing legal services [or] higher education . . . there's so much stigma that permeates society,” said Vermilion.
The response from the Hamilton community to SWAP’s physical space has been both positive and negative. Those who have supported SWAP feel like neighbours who look after one another. On the other hand there have been multiple people who haven’t been very approving of SWAP either intentionally or from a degree of misunderstanding. Vermilion noted there was even an instance when people who did not support the organization shooed away those trying to use SWAP resources.
However, the violence didn’t surprise Vermilion as the sex industry is heavily stigmatized. She shared the story of a 46-year-old sex worker who had been violently assaulted in an alleyway in Hamilton. The woman had been beaten up to such an extent, that she had to relearn how to walk after the attack. SWAP had come together to raise $9,000 for her and held a vigil to draw attention to the injustice.
“The idea that their work is less valuable and therefore their lives are less viable, it's reflected in the violence against sex workers,”
Jelena Vermilion, Executive director of SWAP
Some of the violence against sex workers can be attributed to the fact people don’t fully understand the scope of sex work. Blinded by ‘whorephobia’, the pervasive fear and hate towards sex workers, they don’t see the gifts sex work can provide—everything from company and comfort to a sense of belonging—which can be invaluable to folks who don’t feel fulfilled in these aspects of their lives. Vermilion shared how easily some people simply just crave the company of another person, whether that be in a sexual or non-sexual manner.
“In essence, sex work is love . . . At the end of the day, the clients who are coming to see sex workers, often I say, they're lonely, you know, they're not getting what they need at home or they're not getting what they need in their own lives — day to day in their private lives. And so they seek the services of a sex worker to cuddle, to have conversations with, to be listened to, to be witnessed, to be heard,” said Vermilion.
The life of a sex worker is threatened every day through the legislation that surrounds their existence. Despite this, they continue to work and challenge the stigmas present. Vermilion is one of the many people who work to destigmatize sex work and hopes the government and people of Canada support the work.
Although Canada provides its citizens and permanent residents with access to healthcare, there are disparities between the quality care provided to racialized and non-racialized groups
Canadian citizens and permanent residents are privileged to receive accessible healthcare under the country’s universal healthcare system. The ease of access to care through family doctors or walk in clinics, links society and healthcare in a way that allows individuals to receive surgeries, medical tests and treatments when sick for no upfront cost.
Although we receive many crucial benefits in medical care compared to other countries in the world, our healthcare system is far from perfect. When viewing the social aspect of our healthcare system, I strongly believe there is a lack of compassion and consideration toward patients of colour, which results in racial inequality for indiviudals accessing the health care system.
The racial inequality in Canada's healthcare system in particular has created distress and barriers for many of the population.
Historically, clinical research has been conducted on males of European descent. Thus, our medical knowledge is largely derived from a distinct population.
As taught by Dr. Verónica G. Rodriguez Moncalvo in Research Methods in The Life Sciences (LifeSci 2A03), to generalize the results obtained from a research study, the sample must be representative of the population.
However, the healthcare system does not seem to acknowledge this rule since the results obtained from a specific sample are applied to the general population.
This is also a prime example of racial inequality in Canada's healthcare system. The racial disparities experienced within medicine stem from the lack of knowledge of how various health issues present themselves in differing groups.
For example, South Asians are at a higher risk of developing a detrimental cardiovascular disease than their White Caucasian counterparts. However, this was only recently brought into public knowledge due to the lack of data on the correlation between South Asians and cardiovascular disease.
For example, South Asians are at a higher risk of developing a detrimental cardiovascular disease than their White Caucasian counterparts. However, this was only recently brought into public knowledge due to the lack of data on the correlation between South Asians and cardiovascular disease.
Racial inequality in our healthcare system leads to racial disparities, ultimately creating a divide between patients of colour and the medical system. Now, you may be thinking, "What does this have to do with patient advocacy?" Well, the issues discussed are all connected through their lack of advocacy for the rights of patients of colour.
Patient advocacy exists to correct these social injustices and beyond. Although health advocacy is a profession within Canada, I believe that anyone can practice patient advocacy. For example, if you had visited someone in medical care, you might have engaged with this practice.
It can be challenging to navigate the healthcare system due to low socioeconomic status or language barriers along with being racialized, for exmaple. In addition, the lack of education concerning health issues of racialized groups creates more difficulty in receiving medical care.
On a simpler scale, patient advocates are individuals who take on the responsibility of voicing patient concerns. For example, racial inequality requires patient advocacy because when these issues arise, it more often than not takes a family member to advocate for the patient's rights.
Unfortunately, due to the stress placed on our healthcare system, patients needs often get overlooked, even more so for racialized groups. Patient advocacy is crucial in resolving social inequalities experienced in the healthcare system because it is the most consistent. Advocates are with the patient throughout the healthcare system, ensuring that the patient receives the best care possible.
Unfortunately, due to the stress placed on our healthcare system, patients needs often get overlooked, even more so for racialized groups. Patient advocacy is crucial in resolving social inequalities experienced in the healthcare system because it is the most consistent.
Fortunately, medical students have understood the importance of patient advocacy through the pandemic. A collective of McMaster University medical students have advocated for creating an accessible paid sick leave program for Ontario workers during the pandemic.
This movement provided upcoming doctors with experiential evidence that patient advocacy is a necessity within the medical field. As society evolves, it is important for us to acknowledge that we all play a role in patient advocacy. Without it, the social injustices concerning racial inequalities occurring in medicine will prevail.
Julio Diaz is a Multimedia Assistant at the Silhouette.
The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.
Julio Diaz: I’m Julio Diaz. I’m a second-year health sciences student.
You’re a member of CANFAR. Can you tell us what that is?
CANFAR at McMaster [University] is a chapter of a larger organization called CANFAR. It stands for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research. We raise money for HIV/AIDS research through fundraisers. They also provide bursaries for [graduate students] who are doing research. With that comes a lot of advocacy. At the university level, we find different ways to educate people about what HIV is as a virus but also as a social phenomenon. Generally, to do that, we look more at how HIV presents itself in 2023 rather than where it began.
What do you do?
I am public relations for CANFAR. Art is very important to me; it’s a way that I teach people about HIV through a lens that I enjoy. That means making graphics for CANFAR like designing their logo and the website. I do that with another person, Izma. Our goal is to make sure that we present information about HIV to the public in a way that is accurate, well thought out and considerate of student identities.
Could you elaborate on the focus on the presence of HIV/AIDS in 2023 rather than its past?
The way I see it is what is happening now with HIV is different from what it was before. In the 1980s, it was a lot more stigmatized. It was more of an issue that people see with homosexual men, which really meant men who have sex with men. However, there were other demographics in the 1980s that were heavily affected by it like intravenous drug users and sex workers. As we get to 2023, we see that the people affected are very diverse . . . It's recognizing that other demographics have always existed and beginning to focus attention on them. It's about making sure that everyone gets the information that they need, knows the best ways to prevent the chance of transmission and steps to take if they are at risk.
As we get to 2023, we see that the people affected are very diverse . . . It's recognizing that other demographics have always existed and beginning to focus attention on them. It's about making sure that everyone gets the information that they need, knows the best ways to prevent the chance of transmission and steps to take if they are at risk.
Julio Diaz, Public Relations, CANFAR McMaster
What are the goals that CANFAR has for the future?
We want to get self-testing kits out to the hands of the people at the university. It's a part of a research study that CANFAR is involved with and it would make testing a lot more accessible. Literature that I've read shows that self-testing can reduce stigma, specifically in young men who have sex with men when it comes to HIV and in pursuing preventative measures like pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medication taken to prevent the spread of HIV. Right now, the other focus is on creating awesome events that people want to come to where we help spread accurate, up-to-date information about the virus. We're also going to continue hosting fundraisers and we have an upcoming research symposium which is a great opportunity to learn about where the research is now.
What inspired you to join CANFAR?
I was reading memoirs and educational literature about HIV and how it had impacted the queer community. It's a very large issue as queer people have been targeted violently and that still resonates today with homophobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination against the LGBTQ community. In reading about that, I knew that I wanted to get involved in some way at McMaster with HIV — that's when I found CANFAR. It's been a perfect fit for me in terms of fulfilling a lot of those desires I had when I was reading those memoirs and being emotionally impacted by the stories of gay men in their short time here.
What would you like to see in the future of CANFAR?
A change that I would love to see is to talk more about sex. It's still a huge mode of transmission, specifically sex between men. That is still a huge demographic impacted here . . . People are quick to think that this is an issue of the past. Because men who have sex with men, intravenous drug users and others are in the McMaster community, it's important to me that they know that this is still an issue that we need to be thinking about and take steps to protect ourselves. I just want to share what's out there so that people can take those steps. It's important to not dismiss the fact that, though we have made strides forward, it still impacts people here.
