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Arts & Entertainment, Music

Kanye West’s ‘Jesus is King’ is both unexceptional and transcendent

by Joey Caplan on

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Kanye West may be a problematic, belligerent, and generally irritating person, but many consider him to be one of the most gifted artists of his generation. On Oct. 25, West finally released the long-awaited album Jesus is King, his ninth solo project, alongside a half-hour film by the same name. While his previous album, Ye, looked like the beginning of a decline for Kanye due to an uncharacteristic lack of innovation, Jesus is King is a refreshing, albeit imperfect album complemented by a film that reveals Kanye to be not just a talented rapper and producer, but a filmmaker as well.

West’s latest reflects the strengthening of his religious faith. The album starts out strong: “Every Hour” is performed entirely by The Sunday Service Choir, Kanye’s secretive gospel chorus, and is a delightfully upbeat track. “Follow God” and “Selah” perfectly blend the classic, adrenaline-charged beats Kanye is known for with gospel samples and original recordings. Other songs, including “Everything We Need” and “Hands On,” feel too jarring in their gospel-rap blend. 

However, where the album truly struggles is in its lyrics. West’s outlandish, taboo sense of humour shines through in his music. It’s what makes Kanye one of the most quotable rappers of all time. //Jesus is King// depicts West veering off the path of vulgarity and onto the path of God—to the detriment of his songwriting. This watered-down version of West would be completely acceptable if he replaced his usual crassness with nuanced lyricism, but each song features the same message: I love Jesus, and you should try it, too. 

The film Jesus is King does everything it can to make up for the album’s shortcomings, and inspires a complete reassessment of Kanye’s intentions. Kanye is known for making everything all about him, and while the album does not stray far from this tendency, the film constitutes a rare case of Kanye putting aside his self-centered attitude and creating a work dedicated to one man: Jesus. 

Jesus is King, the film, is a glorious, entrancing visual gospel performance set in a sleek, dreamlike structure—an abstract interpretation of heaven. The film features surprisingly few songs from the album, instead opting for either entirely gospel versions of the album’s tracks, original gospel songs, or covers of others’ songs. Jesus is King concludes with a beautiful, melancholic rendition of “Street Lights” from 808s and Heartbreaks, an ending that solidifies Jesus is King as a worthwhile piece of cinema and music.

Despite West missing the mark in some respects, Jesus is King deserves at least a few replays and is elevated far higher by its companion film. The project’s biggest success is the film, a magnificent celebration of Jesus rather than a celebration of Kanye’s love for Jesus. Jesus is King is the most cohesive project Kanye has put out in years, and though it lacks some trademark Kanye charm, the album is yet another successful musical innovation for Yeezy.

Science & Technology

HackMcGill event covers AI, smart cities, and internet privacy

by Zoe Karkossa on

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In the last few decades, technology has evolved at a staggering pace and has become so deeply enmeshed in everyday life that removing it would throw society into shambles. While new technologies are immensely important to modern society, there is little regulation to keep mega-corporations like Amazon and Facebook in check. HackMcGill’s recent talk “TechTalks: Ethics in Tech” addressed these issues.

 

“AI & Machine Learning,” presented by Valentine Goddard, CEO of the Artificial Intelligence Impact Alliance

Artificial intelligence (AI) is often seen as a threatening invention that will devastate jobs and privacy, but, as with most innovations, it can be put to good use. Goddard’s work focuses on using AI and related technologies  for social good. According to her, civil society organizations (CSOs), nonprofits working on issues such as human rights, social justice, and education access, can accomplish their goals much more effectively if they learn how to integrate AI. 

“You have data already, so here’s an opportunity to create positive social impact out of [those] data,” Goddard said. 

Potential positive applications of AI include University of Sherbrooke researcher Hélène Pigot’s work, which involves using AI monitoring systems to help the elderly stay safe in their homes. Further, Los Angeles-based project led by Milind Tambe identifies members of the homeless community who can best communicate information about AIDS to their peers. 

 

“Smart Cities,” presented by Stéphane Guidoin, director of the Urban Innovation Lab of the City of Montreal

Tech companies are increasingly shaping the economy, and Guidoin is concerned about how they are trying to shape cities as well. Sidewalk Labs Toronto recently presented the IDEA (Innovative Development and Economic Activation) district, an elegant, futuristic conceptual city design that features a staggering amount of data collection; from tracking pedestrian walking speed to widespread video surveillance, anything is fair game. 

“For me, the main issue […] is collecting data in the public space,” Guidoin said. “The notion of consent more or less disappears.”

Toronto citizens were not consulted about the potential design. Guidoin states that there is currently a large democratic gap and no easy way to discuss these issues with the people most concerned. Unfortunately, there are not any laws that prevent private companies moving forward at full steam. 

 

“Security and Privacy,” presented by Allen Mendelsohn, internet law specialist and sessional lecturer at the McGill Faculty of Law

An expert on internet law, Mendelsohn’s life work will never be read—it’s hidden deep in those infamous terms and conditions that nobody reads. 

“You, by clicking that box, are assuming that that organization is being ethical in everything that they reveal in that privacy policy,” Mendelsohn said. “I can assure you [that] they are not.” 

Part of the reason for organizations’ lack of ethical behavior is the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the current Canadian legislation that governs data protection. Mendelsohn described the legislation as ‘toothless’ compared to the EU General Data Protection Regulation, which provides governments the power to fine non-compliant companies. For those interested in reading the next terms and conditions they see, Mendelsohn recommends to simply searching for ‘third party’ to see who else is getting the information the user is giving out. 

 

As private tech companies show no sign of stopping their expansion, moderator Karina Kesswewan, a lawyer who focuses on Indigenous rights, ended the talk by pointing out that it is dangerous to simply wait for companies to start regulating themselves or to assume that they will find it more profitable to behave ethically. 

“What if it’s not?” Kesswewan said. “What if we prove that not caring about ethics […] is more profitable?”

Art, Arts & Entertainment

Walls don’t talk, but archives do

by Ahmad El-Zammer on

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Few students are likely aware of the value and history of McGill’s extensive art collection. At a talk hosted by the McGill Library’s Rare & Special Collections, Osler, Art, and Archives (ROAAr), and The Friends of the McGill Library, the collection’s curator Gwendolyn Owens shed some light on the university’s visual arts collection at  “If Walls Could Talk: A Short History of McGill’s Art Collection” on Oct. 17.

“The visual arts collection has over 3,000 works of art, we’re on two campuses, plus the Gault Estate, [and] in 90 buildings,” Owens said. 

Hailing from every continent but Antartica, objects in the collection range from paintings to tapestries. Some works, Owens admits, might seem strange and out-of-place at a university. While historically significant portraits are a staple in university archives, one may wonder why McGill also has three naked men holding up a shell in front of the Arts Building—the goodwill fountain, also known as The Three Bares, by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. 

The sculpture had unlikely origins, unveiled in 1932 in an event marking the friendship between the US and Canada. The Three Bares, carved in Paris in 1913, never made it to the Washington D.C. hotel lobby for which it had been commissioned because the hotel was never built. Instead, the sculpture remained in a New York studio for years until a young graduate of the McGill Music School, Ellen Ballon, met Whitne and proposed the idea of giving the gift to McGill. The unveiling of the sculpture was no small event. In the presence of dignitaries from both countries, the Governor-General of Canada, the Earl of Bessborough accepted the gift from educator and New York Times editor John Finley, presenting the statue on behalf of the Americans.

 

The first major art donation to the university came in the 1960’s from construction magnate and McGill alumnus Sidney Dawes. His persistent efforts to create the ill-fated McGill Museum of Canadian Art are well-documented in the McGill Library’s journal Fontanus. Dawes’ wish never came to fruition, but his donation set up a foundational Canadian collection for McGill and was the catalyst for creating the arts committee responsible for the collection until Owens’ appointment in 2013.

Despite the art collection’s long history, stretching back to the 1870’s, Owens is McGill’s first full-time art director.  While researching the archives, she stumbled upon a letter written in 1946 by Principal Cyril James to Arthur Lismer, a famous painter who also taught sketching to McGill’s architecture students, requesting that he catalogue the university’s art collection. 

“I’m pretty sure Lismer declined the task as we don’t have a 1946 catalogue for the collection,” Owens said. “But more than that, [the letter demonstrated] that someone recognized as early as 1946 that [McGill had] a lot of art, and somebody should [create an archive].”

Owens also found evidence of exhibitions showcasing valuable art around campus until well into the 1950’s. Students could showcase paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Canada, for instance, like Tom Thomson’s Northern River

Ownes has been working with collectors and colleagues to expand the collection of Indigenous art, like Nadia Myre’s 2013 series Meditations on Red, which can be found on the main floor of the McLennan library. 

Though Arthur Lismer likely declined Cyril James’ request over half a century ago to catalogue McGill’s art collection, Owens and her team are now pursuing this long overdue and worthwhile task.

Science & Technology

Sex and longevity at the Trottier Public Science Symposium

by Ella Fitzhugh on

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The 2019 Trottier Public Science Symposium, hosted by the Office for Science and Society from Oct. 22 – 23,  addressed the unavoidable process of aging in a presentation titled “Longing for Longevity.” The second night featured keynote speakers Joe Schwarcz, director of the office, and psychosexual therapist and author Ruth Westheimer. 

In his opening remarks, Tomlinson Professor of Chemistry Bruce Lennox shared the symposium’s mandate. 

“The Trottier Symposium […] has proven to be a key element in the promotion of science and science communication […] to the public [….] This is the 20th year [for] the office for Science and Society, something that’s really quite a landmark in public science outreach in the world,” Lennox said. “The office, of course, has a national and international presence in its mission […] to separate sense from nonsense on the scientific stage.”

According to Schwarcz, there is a long history of nonsensical claims in scientific research about longevity. From believing that urine is a source of longevity to encouraging the so-called rejuvenating practice of ‘lying with young women,’ there is no shortage of ridiculous methods in history.

“This sort of silly science now has hard roots to it, but it goes beyond that,” Schwarcz said. “Today, researchers are looking at telomeres, […] the end of the chromosomes, […] and every time a cell divides, there is a disturbance of the end of the chromosome, and the belief is that if somehow you could prevent that you could slow down aging [….] In 2009, a nobel prize was awarded for this kind of research [done by] Jack Szostak, […] a McGill graduate.”

In his presentation, Schwarcz acknowledged that the ‘cure for aging’ remains unknown. 

“No, we’re not going to cheat death [.…] You don’t get out of life alive, but the idea is to put off death to the very last minute,” Schwarcz said.

Schwarcz also noted the connection between sexuality and mortality by referring to a recent British study that showed sex can slow aging. 

Beyond her experience as a sex therapist, Westheimer has lived around the world. She was born in Germany and escaped to Switzerland during the Holocaust, where she continued to live for 10 years.

 “If you would have told me, the child of orthodox Jewish parents, that I would talk about orgasms at McGill University, I would have said ‘you must be crazy,’” Westheimer said. “The one thing I knew […] is that I had to do something to [justify] that I am alive while one [and a half] million […] Jewish children were killed.”

Westheimer emphasized the importance of proper and well-rounded sexual education. 

“In today’s world, we don’t have the luxury not to be sex educated,” Westheimer said. “We have to do sex education. Girls [and] women menstruate at an earlier and earlier age [….] We do have to tell girls and boys about menstruation [….] We do have to talk about nocturnal emission, [and] about wet dreams.”

 Dr. Ruth believes the roots of sexual illiteracy come from psychologist Sigmund Freud’s influence in academia. 

“Sigmund Freud should’ve taken a course with me,” Westhiemer said. “He did us women a tremendous disservice, because he said as if sex was only for […] men and that there was nothing in it for women.” 

The celebration and de-stigmatization of female sexuality is a central theme in Westheimer’s work. She also advocates for the education of sex beyond traditional methods and the acceptance of diverse types of sexual relationships. 

“The whole issue of sexual satisfaction […] doesn’t have to be a penis inside a vagina [….] It doesn’t have to be the way it used to be when they were younger, so people should adjust to that [….] If there is a problem, I’m all for going for a few sessions to a sex therapist.” 

Westheimer left a piece of advice to young and old people in the audience alike. 

“Make sure that you are sexually literate, that you know what is changing [in the world], and that you do know to go for help if there is a question,” Westheimer said. 

Basketball, Martlets, Sports

Martlets win with electrifying late-game heroics

by Adam Burton on

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The Martlet basketball team (4–4) defeated the visiting Acadia University Axewomen (1–2) on Nov. 22 by a resounding final score of 79–67. Despite strong defensive efforts from Acadia in the second half, the Martlets rallied to secure the win for a boisterous crowd.

The first quarter saw McGill take a 23–16 lead over Acadia. Fifth-year guard Gladys Hakizimana led the way with a quick eight points on three-for-three shooting, disheartening the Axewomen. The Martlets’ defensive efforts were also strong, playing with a tenacity that forced four turnovers and limited the options for Acadia’s post-centric offence.

In the second quarter, the Martlets furthered their lead with a more rebound-oriented offence. Fifth-year centre Sirah Diarra led these efforts, posting her second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and all four of the team’s blocks. The Martlets tallied 45 against the Axewomen’s 35 by the end of the half.

The dominance from the Martlets, however, did not last. Acadia came out in the second half with a rejuvenated defence that forced the Martlets to take ill-advised, off-balance, and contested shots toward the end of the shot clock. Their strong defence worked, and the Martlets only managed 10 points in the third quarter, all from three-pointers and free throws, with the Axewomen well on their way to tying the game. 

“The girls they had were much bigger than me, and played really physical,” Diarra said. “I needed to play stronger.”

The game did not look good for the Martlets going into the fourth quarter. Only two points ahead of the Axewomen at 55–53, the Martlets had no momentum and seemingly few solutions for Acadia’s physical defence. The crowd sat on the edge of their seats as the Axewomen chipped closer and closer to breaking the Martlet’s lead. However, the closest they came was a 63–63 tie with 4:45 left in the quarter. 

Hakizimana ultimately came to the rescue: She buried three soul-crushing threes to close out the game, rallying the team and inspiring chants of “defence” from the crowd. 

“The fact that she made that big shot, it really set the tone for other players to play better too,” Diarra said.

McGill closed out the game with sharp-shooting, going 53.3 per cent from the field, tallying a game high 24 points for the fourth quarter to reach a season-high 79 points and claim the victory over Acadia, 79–67. The late game heroics made for an electrifying experience for those in attendance and bodes well for the season to come.

“I’m excited to start the season, to see what the competition is like,” Diarra said. “I know there’s been a lot of additions to other teams, and I’m feeling really good about our season.” 

 

Moment of the Game

Midway through the fourth quarter, fifth-year guard Gladys Hakizimana hit a deep three to break the 63-63 tie. The shot rallied the team to go on a 16-point scoring run in the last five minutes of the game to close out the win.

Quotable

“I think my favourite part of being on the team is just being with the girls. Every time we step out on the court, we’re like family, I love them so much.” – Fourth-year centre Sirah Diarra on team dynamics.

Stat Corner

The Martlets shot away Acadia’s chance at winning with an incredibly efficient 46.6 per cent from the field and 45.8 per cent from behind the arc. 

Editorial, Opinion

It was the landlord, with the lead pipe, in the moldy basement

by The McGill Tribune Editorial Board on

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Finding housing in Montreal can be a harrowing experience for students who are not properly informed about their tenant rights. For this reason, many students find themselves in illegal renting agreements, a scenario that can lead to serious problems such as costly repairs which should have been covered by their landlord. Both the city of Montreal and McGill must offer resources for student tenants to inform and advocate for themselves.

On Oct. 23, the City of Montreal provided an excellent example of the ways such problems could manifest. Mayor Valérie Plante announced that the city will begin the process of forcing roughly 24,000 property owners, including landlords, to replace their lead water pipes. In the past, Montreal allowed homeowners to replace lead pipes at their own discretion. However, in light of an expanded awareness regarding the dangers of lead poisoning and revised standards about what constitutes safe levels of lead particulates, the city will now finance the replacement of lead pipes for homeowners, and allow them to pay back the cost over a 15-year period. The city’s decision to take the issue of lead poisoning into its own hands should be commended, and Plante has correctly framed this process as an issue of public health. 

On the city’s website, an interactive map that displays the entirety of Montreal is available; however, the website is exclusively in French, which limits accessibility to anglophone communities. If people search by address, they can click on their residence or apartment building to see the probability that its pipes are lead-based. While this map marks McGill residences as unlikely to contain lead, this is not a guarantee. McGill has the responsibility to inform the student body about their rights and obligations as tenants in Montreal, as well as assuring students that the water they consume on campus, and in residences, is uncontaminated. In addition, Montreal’s municipality has a responsibility to make sure everyone in the city has the same level of accessibility to information regarding public health issues.

This type of scenario, one which involves ambiguity about whose responsibility it is to make costly repairs, poses an issue for student tenants. Tenant rights in Quebec are robust but students must also be  informed and understand those rights. One resource McGill students have is McGill’s student housing website that breaks down both tenant and landlord rights and obligations.

The power dynamic between a landlord and tenant can make it extremely difficult for residents to advocate for themselves, even if they are informed about their housing rights. Racialized tenants are particularly vulnerable, since racial and social discrimination is a prevalent issue in Montreal. Further, international students who may speak English or French as a second language face additional challenges when it comes to navigating illegal or unjust behaviour from landlords. 

Students should also know how to make use of alternative resources in navigating housing situations. One such resource is the Legal Information Clinic at McGill, which helps break down robust legal jargon for students. Additionally, websites like shouldyourent.com and groups like Chez Queer Montreal can help students and marginalized individuals find safe living spaces and landlords. 

For students who do find themselves in unlivable circumstances, whether it be due to the environment or their relationship with their landlord, it is crucial that McGill is able to offer them support and resources. Having temporary housing available is a crucial step that the Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) should take, especially in the case of international students who may have no other options if they are forced out of a living situation. SSMU should proceed with its Affordable Housing Committee, a project in collaboration with The Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant (UTILE). Collaborating with UTILE would be an effective way to provide accessible housing for students in need. 

The lead pipe replacement issue is an example of the ways in which rental relationships in Montreal can be challenging. It is imperative that the city offers the necessary resources, information, and support to its residents so that they may safely and comfortably advocate for themselves. Finally, McGill also has a moral obligation and professional responsibility to continue supporting student tenants. 

McGill, News, Private

AUS Legislative Council debates future of recording ban

by Ahmad El Zammar on

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On Oct. 16, the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) Legislative Council was close to undoing its recording ban, but ended up tabling the motion until the next meeting after some councillors raised concerns about student safety. Instituted during last semester’s debates about POLI 399, a summer exchange course in Israel, Article 10 of the Standing Rules of Council prohibits audio and/or visual recording by councillors or members of the gallery.

Legislative Council approved Article 10 during the Feb. 14 meeting, prior to discussing POLI 339. Some councillors echoed the concerns cited during that meeting, regarding their safety and that of gallery members.

Until Sept. 18, the ban included campus media, subject to a two-thirds majority vote; however, major campus media outlets now have a permanent exemption. 

“[We’re taking] that step further now, in the name of transparency and accountability [by] removing the ban altogether,” AUS President Jamal Tarrabain said.

While anyone would be able to record, Article 10 requires that recordings be ‘sonically comparable’ to what is heard by individuals at council meetings and must capture the full conversation without emphasis on certain individuals or the exclusion of others.

This amendment would be enforced by the publication of official AUS recordings, which will be released immediately following meetings.

A representative from the History Students’ Association (HSA) raised concerns over the possibility of official recordings being taken from the AUS website, selectively edited, and then republished elsewhere. Tarrabain explained that such issues are unlikely to occur.

“Honestly, I think that that’s stretching the realities of what will happen to an AUS Legislative Council recording,” Tarrabain said. “In the grand scheme of things, we’re kind of small fish. There was no issue with recording or any of that stuff prior to that one motion and that one debate. We had no issues with this whatsoever, and in previous years, there was never a recording ban in place.”

Canadian Studies Councillor Brent Jamsa explained that recordings can help the AUS be more transparent. 

“At the end of the day, we are elected officials,” Jamsa said. “We need to be held accountable. The minutes are comprehensive and amazing but audio just [helps to] really tell students what goes on here every day.” 

HSA councillor Dalton Ligett, however, warned against trivializing councillors’ safety concerns with VP Social Kim Yang agreeing, disclosing past incidents with stalking and harassment for things that she had said in council. 

“Individually, I have been attacked before for calls that I’ve made regarding investigations, especially ones regarding sexual assault,” Yang said. “Someone could say I still stand strongly by what I said in that recording on legislative council, it doesn’t make it any [worse] to be followed around by three men.”

Unable to reach a unique conclusion, the council agreed to table the motion for the next meeting so as to give themselves more time to look for precedents in other student bodies, namely the Student Society of McGill University, that would serve as a guide.

 “There could be other successful models that we could be emulating on campus,” Tarrabain said. 

Council will reconvene on Oct. 30, at 6:00 p.m.

Flashback

AUS President Jamal Tarrabain’s motion to repeal the recording ban saw two sides facing off at the latest legislative council. One side emphasized the primacy of students’ easy and open access to elected officials, with the other side primarily concerned with questions of students’ safety and how to prevent organizations with malicious intent from doctoring councillors’ remarks.

Sound Byte

“That looks like that bird potentially has feet, and the martlet is a flightless bird with no feet whatsoever, so perhaps the [History Students’ Association] wanted to make the assertion that […] that [their logo] isn’t 100 per cent a martlet but a martlet hybrid, perhaps,” — CSAUS councillor Brent Jamsa, commenting about the History Students’ Association successful motion to change their logo.

Creative

Standing with First Nations Youth: A Protest in Solidarity

by Aidan Martin and Sarah Ford on

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The Canadian federal government has appealed a ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, that ordered them to pay reparations to First Nations children and their families who were separated by the child-welfare system. In response, on Oct. 19, Students’ Society of McGill University Indigenous Affairs Commissioner Tomas Jirousek and the Indigenous Student Alliance organized a protest in solidarity with the victims, calling on the government to improve on reconciliation.

“We don’t know when that next campaign will come, we don’t know how quickly we’ll need to mobilize and we don’t know which way we’ll need to call for allies. But I just hope that our non-Indigenous friends, again, are ready to listen to that call and ready to act and stand with us.” – Tomas Jirousek

Video by Aidan Martin and Sarah Ford

Features

Speak your truth

by Falah Rajput on

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When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden’s pregnancy made news in July last year, I was talking to a relative about how the former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was actually the world’s first elected head of government to give birth in office. While telling the story in Urdu, the language in which I usually talk to my family, I unconsciously switched to English to say the words “in office” to avoid the mental effort of searching for the right words to say in Urdu.

Women's hockey book
Hockey, Sports

In conversation with Denbeigh Whitmarsh

by Zoe Babad-Palmer on

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Third-year French Literature major and author Denbeigh Whitmarsh has always had strong opinions about women’s hockey.

Two summers ago, Whitmarsh’s great-aunt—and women’s hockey pioneer—Rhonda Leeman Taylor asked for help writing a memoir. Taylor organized the first Women’s Canadian National Hockey Tournament in 1982 and was the first woman to sit on the board of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.

“She knew it was special, what she was doing way back in the ’70s and ’80s,” Whitmarsh said. “She’s always wanted to write a memoir.”

Taylor and Whitmarsh self-published the memoir, titled Offside, on Oct. 5. The pair spent the summer of 2018 looking through a box of memorabilia with articles and photographs from Taylor’s time on the ice. Because Taylor suffers from focus problems due to a career-ending spinal injury in 2004, Whitmarsh wrote most of the book. 

“I made notes of everything and then organized those notes into chapter ideas,” Whitmarsh said. “I’d call my aunt, and she would tell me all these stories about what happened, and who was who, and how everything went down [….] Writing a book and publishing it in four months is quite a task, but […] we made it happen.”

With recent developments in women’s hockey, Whitmarsh believes that Offside was written at just the right time. 

“It’s a critical time for women in hockey currently, because of the media attention that is being received following the folding of the [Canadian Women’s Hockey League] and the creation of the [Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association] and the Dream Gap Tour,” Whitmarsh said. “[It’s] allowed us to start a widespread conversation about the discrimination that still exists at multiple levels, and what we need to do to move forward.”

Despite the fact that women’s hockey has been around for over 100 years, Whitmarsh found that there was often very little information to work with.

“I think the most challenging part [about writing the book] was that there was a lack of documentation for that era,” Whitmarsh said. “Being in History [at McGill], I was looking for everything to back up what [Taylor] said, […] but I couldn’t find anything. That […] itself [speaks] to the discrimination.”

As Whitmarsh researched the era, she found surprising stories about what women like her great-aunt faced. Worries that women might get breast cancer from getting hit in the breast with a puck had to be dispelled by studies. Dozens of girls, like Olympic runner Abby Hoffman, secretly played on boys’ teams and were kicked off and even taken to court when they were discovered.

These stories profoundly affected Whitmarsh as an athlete.

“I wanted to play hockey, I wanted to be a part of that, but I knew that I couldn’t because I was a girl,” Whitmarsh said. “It wasn’t until I was 12 that I started playing in a girls’ house league in Uxbridge, [Ontario] […] and I was like, ‘Oh, I can play hockey too. It’s not just for boys.’” 

Although Whitmarsh only plays the occasional pickup game of hockey nowadays, she is still heavily involved in athletics, running cross-country and track for McGill and training for triathlons in the summer. She knows that she will keep playing after she graduates next spring.

“I’m a sports person for life,” Whitmarsh said. “I think I would like to do some longer [triathlons], join another women’s hockey league when I can [….] I don’t know exactly what form it’s [going to] take yet, but I definitely want to continue in some way.” 

Whitmarsh, like her great-aunt and generations of female hockey players before her, found ways to continue to play the sport she loves despite the world telling her she that couldn’t. Her exploration of women’s hockey’s not-too-distant past strengthened her beliefs in equality and the importance of strong female role models. 

Offside is available in ebook and print forms on Amazon, at Chapters, and in other libraries and bookstores across Canada.

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