Left voices, unfiltered, unedited, Ungagged.
Our main picture (above): “Her name was Quelly da Silva.” Renata Peron and the struggle of trans visibility in Brazil. Renata Peron It’s no surprise that the LGBTI+ community has a hard time in Brazil, but after the election of Jair Bolsonaro an openly homophobic and transphobic individual things took a turn for the worse. […]
The theme for this episode of the left political podcast Ungagged, introduced by Neil Anderson, is a quote: In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act George Orwell. Um. Possibly. And of course, this being Ungagged, our contributors have interpreted that in lots of different ways. Debra Torrance’s piece, Infectious Intolerance, […]
The Ungagged collective interpret the theme “Barricades on the Bridge of Hope” from a variety of left political perspectives.
“All men are trash”She tweets, in her rageAs yet more news showsLife for women’s a cage. “Not all men,” you object,Because you’re a nice guyAnd anyway 99%of rape accusations are lies. “We don’t hate women!Don’t we have mothers?”They yell at the victims,Instead of checking their brothers. I don’t need you telling meI shouldn’t be madDouble […]
I remember being in high school and having to wear a skirt. You could wear colottes or a pinafore, but not trousers. No matter how smart. It was infuriating. Fast forward twenty years and still, society wants to enforce fashion ideals on women. Women in the media, in sport and in general. Stop it, really […]
I’ve always found hero worship odd. I’ve never had rock n roll/pop heroes, religious heroes or political heroes. Back in1979, friends of mine flocked to Knock, Dublin and other places to see John Paul 2. Although I was 13,and not from the community the Pope came to speak to, I saw a spotlight on […]
One in Five disability rights organisation in Scotland have written to Starbucks CEO, Kevin Johnson. International organisations representing over 500,000 disabled people have supported the letter. Ungagged are pleased to be included. The campaigners have challenged Starbucks to invest in the research and development of a new straw that will satisfy environmentalists and disabled people. Jamie Szymkowiak […]
Language is a powerful tool, not least because of how subliminal it can be. The societal gaps that exist between peoples is reflected in our use of language, often so subconsciously that it can be difficult to notice the rifts we create with our words. For example, there are many terms to describe immigrants (and […]
“We live in the age of the refugee, the age of the exile” Ariel Dorfman This is a story told to me by a remarkable student. She attends my Philosophy classes and the classes I teach. Gabriela Inostroza de Gatica is very Latin, the native blood of South America flows in her veins. She is […]
Ungagged asked me to write a piece around the latest row on women’s representation in the Yes movement. The story arose after Rhiannon Spear questioned whether any women would be asked to speak at a demonstration and has re-ignited the debate around “manels” – all male panels – and whether it is damaging to […]