All posts tagged: inspiration

Why News.com.au Misses the Mark on Caitlin Stasey’s New Website

I first heard about Caitlin Stasey’s new feminist website ‘herself.com‘ from news.com.au. The headline read ‘Why Caitlin Stasey’s new website misses the mark.’ Thoughts started racing through my mind as to what she could have possibly published that would make someone  so unimpressed by her actions.  My question was soon answered…nothing. Stasey (Neighbours, Tomorrow When the War Began), released a feminist website reclaiming the female body by posting interviews accompanied by nude photos of herself and other women. I think this is amazing! News.com.au writer Rebecca Sullivan certainly didn’t. In her article she writes: “Stasey’s noble aim — to give women back their bodies — has been lost here. By putting naked photos of yourself on a public platform, you are simply offering your body up to the world for scrutiny and judgment. You are complicity foregoing total ownership of your figure and inviting others to weigh in.” We are taught to be ashamed or embarrassed if our body doesn’t resemble the ideal figure marketed to us by advertisers. Billions of dollars are spent trying to …

Young Gay Man Wins WA Beginning Teacher of the Year Award

The LGBTI community has come a long way in recent years in terms of acceptance. Even so, we still hear stories of inequality worldwide which makes stories like this one all that more important to tell. Scott Sullivan is a young teacher originally from Perth, Western Australia. He’s passionate about his work, he’s committed to his students and because of this was awarded WA Beginning Teacher of the Year Award 2011. He also identifies as an openly gay man. I asked Scott some questions about his teaching career, his experiences and winning this award in the hope of inspiring not just LGBTI youth, but all youth worldwide. How do you identify yourself to the people around you in terms of your sexual orientation? I consider myself as gay. I came out to my family when I was 16 and have been quite comfortable in acknowledging my sexual orientation since then. In terms of school, I am out to all of my co-workers, however my students do not know. Are there any learning experiences you had …