Toula Drimonis
National Observer
Montreal, QC, Canada
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Past articles by Toula:
I’m so damn tired of debating abortion rights…
I’m tired of watching strangers and friends alike sharing their deeply personal abortion stories just so they can convince strangers, whose opinions and input should be utterly irrelevant to their day-to-day lives, that they are entitled to their own reproductive decisions about their own bodies and their own futures. → Read More
Proposed sexual assault court in Quebec long overdue
In a powerful display of bipartisan female solidarity, representatives of Quebec’s four major political parties are advocating establishment of a court that could re-establish faith in the legal system for sexual assault victims. → Read More
Sex work: time to end the stigma and the condescending narratives
Recognizing that sex workers are capable of agency and independence in their actions is major... Their voices are often silenced, in favour of a condescending, disrespectful narrative that portrays them as either victims or criminals, writes Toula Drimonis → Read More
If far-right white nationalists are congratulating you, Mr. Legault, time to reassess your politics
Many Quebecers worry that the newly-elected Quebec government's policies will affect social cohesion, paint immigrants as an unwanted and undesirable threat, and marginalize some people. → Read More
Were voters swayed after the first Quebec debate? Pas tellement
While all four engaged in some heated debates, the occasional jovial ribbing, and even managed to get some vital points across occasionally amid the cacophonous yelling, one would be hard pressed to see how anything that took place Thursday night would necessarily change the opinion of undecided voters. I suspect that all it did was validate the choices of those who have already decided which… → Read More
Is this Quebec's most uninspired election ever?
By all means, it should be an interesting campaign, yet the promises — from all parties, not just the Liberals — are so milquetoast, nearly 40 per cent of Quebecers remain undecided about who to vote for in October. → Read More
Quebec election campaign is going to be short and ugly
An added element in the Oct. 1 election is that for the first time in a long time, the topic of Quebec sovereignty won't be a primary voting issue, writes Toula Drimonis. All parties have declared their intent not to make it a point of contention — even the PQ. → Read More
Social Media Is A Toxic Mess. It Should Be On The Companies To Fix It.
The Alex Jones case has only demonstrated the gravity of the problem. → Read More
Like SLĀV, Kanata is a missed opportunity for Robert Lepage
"You cannot, no matter how educated you think you are, tell our stories without us. That is just not possible. You need us to provide the context, the pain, the suffering, the texture. Without that you’re left with a vapid production that continues to perpetuate stereotypes and ignores our very existence today.” - Steve Bonspiel → Read More
Comic Judah Friedlander slams Hollywood
Obviously, when I reached the 30 Rock star on the phone, we talked about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Hollywood and sexism. → Read More
Why these Montrealers are saying no to U.S. travel right now
"At this point, the only thing I can do to protest Trump is to not spend a penny in the U.S., so I won't be crossing the border until the immigration issue is resolved, and maybe even until he is out of office." - Virginia Champoux → Read More
SLAV: Montreal Jazz Festival faces consequences, not censorship, over cancelled show
I’ve seen mainstream Quebec columnists who enjoy platforms and media exposure writers of colour can only dream of call the decision by the Montreal Jazz Festival to cancel the show “intellectual terrorism”, “an attack on freedom of speech”, "emotional tyranny", “cultural Apartheid”, “a blow to artistic freedom”, “fascism” and “censorship". Are you listening to yourselves? → Read More
Montreal aims to increase safety for women at festivals, but more can be done
“I think we need to go beyond just the festival scene if we want to be truly progressive - the nightlife scene also deals with those issues. We need to take responsibility as a community to change this culture of entitlement to women's bodies." - Melanie Doucet → Read More
Montrealers should be proud of their new animal control laws
The familiar clop-clop-clop of horses carrying tourists around Old Montreal has long been a familiar sound to locals and visitors, and a tradition for centuries. According to animal rights advocates, however, the calèches are an antiquated and often inhumane industry. → Read More
Not all heroes wear bras: students fight for the right not to wear one
Students at an an all-girls private school in Montreal have launched a petition to make bras optional after a student was told she should be wearing one. → Read More
‘Happy endings’ not part of the job
The incident of Claudia Cavaliere, a young registered massage therapist who had a male client masturbate in front of her and then was dissuaded from filing a report by a Montreal police officer because “happy endings are part of the business," is indicative of how sexual harassment and sexual violence are too often treated as “necessary evils” that women should simply tolerate. → Read More
Get Serious About Online Misogyny Before More Women Are Killed
Sexism has always been terrifying. The Toronto attack turned it into terrorism. → Read More
Did American Right-Wing Trolls Radicalize The Quebec Mosque Shooter?
The sentencing hearing for the man who killed 6 people last year has exposed his penchant for American right-wing propaganda. → Read More
Bissonnette was a far-right internet junkie whose addiction turned him into a killer
Is it really such a surprise that when you feed a troubled mind a steady diet of far-right media junk food, the end-result will be a fearful, angry, suspicious person who looks to violence as a solution? → Read More
Hijabs and turbans should be allowed in Montreal police uniforms
Is it possible for Quebecers opposed to the hijab to understand that a woman can be completely modern, independent, a progressive thinker, and able to conduct herself professionally, while still choosing to wear a headscarf? → Read More