"Alright, Now What?" is a podcast from the Canadian Women’s Foundation. On the first Friday of every month, CKUT will air one new episode and two episodes from the archives where the CWF's experts and partners put an intersectional feminist lens on one topic or story we’ve all been hearing about … the issues and stories that just seem to keep resurfacing and make you wonder, “What’s this about?”, “Why is this still happening?”, and “How is it possible we haven’t fixed this yet?” They explore the systemic roots of these things and the strategies for change that will move us closer to the goal of gender justice.

Every 4th Friday of the month, 11am - Noon (EST)

February 2, 2024: Rainbow Organizations Facing Hate With Stephanie Jonsson / Gendered Digital Hate with Fallon Farinacci

The Canadian Women’s Foundation, in partnership with CKUT, is pleased to join you once a month to share episodes of our podcast, Alright, Now What, where experts and our partners put an intersectional feminist lens on one topic or story we’ve all been hearing about … the issues and stories that just seem to keep resurfacing and make you wonder, “What’s this about?”, “Why is this still happening?”, and “How is it possible we haven’t fixed this yet?” We explore the systemic roots of these things and the strategies for change that will move us closer to the goal of gender justice.

Today’s first episode: Rainbow Organizations Facing Hate With Stephanie Jonsson (21:06)

Organizations working on gender justice, feminist, and 2SLGBTQIA+ issues are subject to online attacks intended to delegitimize and devalue their efforts. Employees who deal with these attacks have little protection. Their mental health is impacted, and their time and resources are wasted. They’re likely to have to leave digital spaces rather than stay and contend with the onslaught. In this episode, we hear from Stephanie Jonsson, co-founder of the Ontario Digital Literacy and Access Network (ODLAN). She’s a Ph.D. Candidate in Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies at York University. ODLAN raises awareness and trains organizations on the significance of digital inclusion. It acknowledges that colonization and white supremacy created the social conditions that sustain inequality and marginalize queerness – even in digital spaces. The digital divide is part of this ongoing colonization, and digital access and safety for all cannot be achieved until Indigenous communities have full access to digital spaces. ODLAN stands firm in its conviction that digital safety and accessibility remain fundamental to the broader project of decolonization. ODLAN’s mission is to remove digital literacy and access barriers and it provides organizations with tools, knowledge, and training to develop digital inclusion strategies. Stephanie is dedicated to building projects that build the strength and resilience of Rainbow communities.

When you know how to respond to the signs of abuse, you can change the story.

If someone in your life told you they were experiencing abuse, would you know how to help?

There’s a lot of stigma and silence around gender-based violence in our society: too many people who experience abuse are shamed, silenced, and stigmatized, and too many people don’t feel they have the confidence or knowledge to support them.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can support a friend, family member, or colleague who is experiencing abuse, visit signalresponder.ca

Second episode: Gendered Digital Hate with Fallon Farinacci (29:05)

Research shows how people who harass and hate don’t always do it from a place of power. They often do it from a place of feeling powerless. It’s no excuse for hurting others. But what keeps us grounded? Caring community. If we all had more access to caring community – connections that uphold human rights and dignity and positively challenge us to do the same – experiences of hate, harassment, and abuse would not be so commonplace.

The Canadian Women’s Foundation spent the last few months delving into gendered digital hate and harassment with leading experts and content creators, releasing in-depth episodes every single week. We talk about the problem and what we can do to change it. We offer practical tips to help you in your digital life and we talk about what it means to “take back the tech” for all of us.

Social media influencer Fallon Farinacci (@fallonfarinacci) joins us for this episode. Fallon is Red River Métis and a child survivor, advocate, and speaker for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Fallon testified in the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, sharing her story of loss and trauma. Later, Fallon joined The National Family Advisory Circle, where she worked closely with other affected family members and the Commissioners for the National Inquiry. Fallon continues to share her family’s story and brings awareness to ongoing genocide Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit people face in hopes of bringing change across Turtle Island.

A note about content: this episode addresses gender-based violence and suicide.

Listen to the latest episodes of our Alright, Now What and our Signal for Help podcast produced with Media Girlfriends, wherever you get your podcast content. Our French Appel à l’aide podcast, produced by Zoé Gagnon-Paquin, is also live.

Listen to this show: Listen | Download