Harry Potter and the cauldron of STIs...

That headline doesn't quite capture all the cheekiness, humour, irreverence and tongue-twisting (at times!) facts overload (but in a GOOD way) of an Insight Theatre *show*.  

You must attend one to get their infectious (ouch!) jokes and insightful moments.  I won't give away any punchlines; suffice to say JK Rowling's penchant for quirky names is amply explored in the naughty bits... err, skits about Sexually Transmitted Infections.  Hilarious, inspired and clever! 

The lively and talented writers/performers are adolescents who work with Planned Parenthood Ottawa staff to produce this amusing and informative show.

Last evening I spoke with Catherine Macnab and Lauren Dobson-Hughes who are respectively director and board president.  Insight Theatre is a gem in a crown of multi-faceted education and community outreach programs. We spoke about advocacy, the challenges of reproductive justice issues, pro-choice and The March for Lies, since the event is one that DJ! mines shamelessly for its unintended humour.  

Since hundreds and hundreds of Catholic Schools students who are bussed to Ottawa for the March wander about downtown Ottawa afterwards, volunteers wearing PPO shirts show up to give out information packets with its own PPO branded condoms in the ByWard Market, on Elgin Street and around Parliament Hill. 

The range of programs offered by PPO can be found here.

Unfortunately there are no videos posted yet from this year's repertoire, but here's a golden oldie from 2013:

To book a performance: all the information.

No more Contempt & bullying.

Last month Jamie Hubley committed suicide. He was a 15-year-old student in Kanata who eloquently expressed himself online — he had a Tumblr blog, a YouTube presence, a Twitter feed — where he often talked often of his loneliness as a gay teenager.

His supportive family, who loved and accepted him whole-heartedly, released a statement that confirmed that their son had been bullied at school - a lot.

When Stevie Spiteful and his Contempt Party politicians got their Hard-On Crime Bill all fluffed up, holding bullies accountable for their actions was ^NOT a concern.

Attacking & bullying their opponents is a big part of the Con strategy for holding on to power.

Nor are they bothered by shrieeeking, religious fundamentalist zygote zealots who physically abuse their children, many of whom then direct their fury and wretchedness towards their peers.

In last Saturday's Globe & Mail, there was a thought-provoking article about lesbian families. (The author tried to make the trite template fit recent findings about children by lesbian parents. FAIL)

A series of studies in Canada and elsewhere over the past decade has found that the children of lesbians aren't just well-adjusted – they excel. On average, kids with two moms seem to be more confident and less aggressive than those raised by a mom and a dad. They are open-minded, affectionate and less susceptible to anxiety and depression. [...]

Children with same-sex parents are undoubtedly bullied. A recent survey by the legal rights group Equality for Gays And Lesbians Everywhere found that 37 per cent of these teens reported verbal harassment, and 27 per cent reported physical harassment.[...]

“It shouldn't be on our children's backs to change the culture,” says [LGBT Family Coalition of Montreal] executive director, Mona Greenbaum. “It's up to the professionals that work with our kids.”

Dr Gabor Maté has observed that ...

"the rise in bullying, ADHD and other mental disorders in American children are the result of current societal conditions - a disconnected society and "the loss of nurturing, non-stressed parenting." He asserts that nurturing adults are necessary for healthy brain development.

Indeed. I wonder what pro-active endeavours Jamie Hubley's high school teachers have undertaken since his death, to stop bullying and to prevent other teen suicides.

Un grand merci to Niles who provided a name to the scourge of christian fundamentalist child abuse.