Women on the Line

On this episode of Women on the Line, we hear from Emily Stephenson, an educator and social-emotional learning specialist based in Thailand working at the intersection of education and mental health.Emily talks to us about creating safe, inclusive spaces for students, challenging systems that prioritise compliance and conformity at the expense of belonging and student wellbeing, her experience working with and supporting neurodiverse students across cultures, and the systemic failings of schooling structures around the world.

In this special live-recorded episode of Women on the Line, we broadcast from the streets of Naarm/Melbourne during the mass protest against the visit of Israeli president Isaac Herzog. This episode captures the voices of protesters, organisers, and community members who situate Herzog’s visit within the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Australia’s complicity through diplomatic, military, economic and political alignment. We hear speeches from Nour Salman, Tasnim Sammak and an interview with Students for Palestine organiser Renee.

On this week's episode we speak to Titaua Porcher, Associate Professor in French and Francophone Pacific literatures at the University of French Polynesia, about how writers, poets and playwrights in Te Ao Maohi/French Polynesia have grappled with the impacts of France's nuclear weapons testing in the region through literature. As a playwright herself, Titaua also discusses the important role of literature in providing different perspectives on history and people, countering stereotypes such as the ‘post card’ view of French Polynesia.

On this episode of Women on the Line we listen to snippets from a panel discussion about the new research released by the Racial Profiling Data Monitoring Project. We hear from:Dr Tamar Hopkins, a Researcher on Racial ProfilingSabrina Adem, a Community organiserLauren Caufield, Advocacy coordinator at Beyond Survival, Flat OutBee Charika, Rising Red Lantern and VixenDr Tasnim Sammak, Palestinian activist and organiserThe panel was moderated by Idil Ali, a community organiser.The panel was held on Monday 1 December at the Institute for Postcolonial Studies in Narrm.

On this episode of Women on the Line we speak with Sharvari, a theatre historian from India currently teaching at University of Chicago, about her first book project, Performances of Posterity: Theater, Archives and Cultural Regulation in Modern India. Sharvari talks to us about her research, the historical erasure of caste and gender in theatre, the impermanence of researching performance, the linguistic complexities of Indian theatre, and the changing nature of resistance and oppression through art.

This week on the program we examine the distressing news that Queensland’s LNP State Government has doubled down on their ban on young people seeking access to gender affirming care.The ban on accessing puberty blockers and hormone treatment for new adolescent patients in the public health system was initially put in place in January this year, and on October 28 was immediately reinstated by the Queensland State Government after being overturned in a Supreme Court Challenge brought by the mother of a trans child.We speak with Brianna Hammond, President of QTrans, and Piper Valkyrie from Magandjin People's Pride to understand the context of the ban, its impact on young people trying to access gender affirming care and what the response has been so far from the trans and gender diverse community and their allies.You can donate to Project 491 to help facilitate access to care for the young people shut out of the Queensland Public Health system.You can also sign the petition to reinstate care for trans young people.If today's episode has been distressing for you or someone you care about you can reach out to QLife for support.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that the following program contains references to colonial violence. If you need to speak to someone about the issues covered in the show, you can contact:13 YARN on 13 92 76 - a dedicated 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesYarning Safe'n'Strong on 1800 959 563 - a free and confidential 24-hour counselling service for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander PeoplesOn this week’s episode we bring you audio from the ‘Cry for Truth and Justice’ rally that took place on Sunday 19th October in Djilang/Geelong on the lands of the Wadawurrung people. Organised by Be Tru, a group of First Nations Peoples and non-Indigenous members, this rally and march aimed to unite the community in declaring a firm NO to racism, and coincided with other anti-racism protests that took place across the state. Today we’re going to hear from Corrina Eccles, Julie Saylor-Briggs, Aunty Annie Nicholson, Aunty Wendy Brabham and Irith Williams.Thank you to Amy Ciara from 3CR's Kill Your Lawn and Kick Your Fence for the recordings.

On this episode of Women on the Line we chat with Huong Truong and Lily Vu about their upcoming workshop for ViệtSpeak as well as the importance of Vietnamese language, bilingual education, language diversity and community organising tactics. Huong Truong is a grassroots organiser and former Greens MP. Lily Vu is part of the ViệtSpeak Committee. The workshop will be held on Sunday 26 October in Footscray. All are welcome to attend. RSVP here.