Women’s Waves - A podcast by Vancouver Rape Relief

Episode 26

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:44:28 -0800

In this episode, we talk with our long-time ally, Québécoise radical-feminist lesbian organizer Diane Matte. In this conversation (which we hope is the first of a few), we hear from Diane about her upbringing, as the personal is political, and her feminist activism in the 80s and the 90s.

Episode 25

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 15:59:29 -0700

In this episode we speak with Beaver, Canadian lesbian de-transitioner, whose journey led her to re-identify with womanhood, and become a feminist activist.

Episode 24

Fri, 09 May 2025 18:23:33 -0700

In this episode, we hear from our lesbian feminist allies, Susan and
Renate, about their personal and political journeys to create and
maintain for more than three decades, the independent publishing
house, Spinifex.

Episode 23

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 13:20:46 -0700

In this episode we hear from Cenen Bagon from the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers and Caregivers Rights (CDWCR) about the herstory of her group, the campaigns to improve employment conditions, and immigration status of foreign care workers in Canada, and her own life as an activist.

Episode 22

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 12:08:34 -0800

In this episode we talk with Kyungjin Oh from the Korea Women's Associations United (KWAU) about women's oppression and feminist resistance in South Korea.

Episode 21

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 11:04:08 -0800

In this episode we talk with our member Laurel about this year's conviction of a Winnipeg man who murdered four indigenous women and recall some of the outrageous failures in the case of Pickton, a British Columbia man who confessed to murdering 49 women from the downtown eastside of Vancouver. We will also hear from Carolyn Jerome who was part of the “militant mothers” and their 1971 fight against the Canadian National Railway.

Episode 20

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 15:19:39 -0700

In this episode we talk with Héma Sibi, the advocacy coordinator at CAP International, about the recent ruling of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the French law that criminalizes buying sexual services, and with our member Laurel, about Canadian police sexual misconduct.

Episode 19

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 12:12:46 -0700

In this episode we talk with our member, Sonam, on some of the ways patriarchy manifests itself in South Asian communities, and with UK based Lesbian second-wave feminist Lynn Alderson about consciousness raising, women's groups as a radical act and women only spaces as crucial for women's resistance.

Episode 18

Tue, 28 May 2024 14:31:05 -0700

In this episode we discuss federal and provincial measures to combat some aspects of pornography and hear from UK based Lesbian feminist-activist Liane about the Cardiff’s Lesbian visibility march.

Episode 17

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 12:07:57 -0700

In this episode we touch on the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women position paper on the definition of “women”, discuss how men prey on women’s economic vulnerability and the federal bills for Guaranteed Livable Basic Income, review the documentary Hidden Letters and listen to Nehanda’s song "I am a Woman".

Episode 16

Sat, 30 Mar 2024 09:08:06 -0700

In this episode we discuss femicide cases in Canada and in Brazil and review the Women’s Equality Coalition submission on prostitution to the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls.

Guaranteed Livable Income : BC Women’s Alliance in Conversation with Evelyn Forget & Hannah Owczar

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 18:38:58 -0800

For International Women's Day 2022, we hand the mic to our sisters at the BC Women's Alliance, a coalition of women calling for a guaranteed livable income in Canada.

Here is their interview with Evelyn Forget and Hannah Owczar, authors of the new book Radical Trust : Basic Income for Complicated Lives.

http://bcwomensalliance.ca/index.html

Pornography Harms Women - Part 2

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 15:21:12 -0700

Part 2 of our two part series called "Pornography Harms Women"

Interview with Izabella Forzani from the Brazilian group Recuse A Clicar, which stands for "Refuse to Click" in English. The group does public education around the impact of pornography on women and is calling for men and women to stop watching pornography.

Women's Waves is produced in Vancouver (Canada) by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.

Pornography Harms Women - Part 1

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 15:19:14 -0700

Part 1 of our two part series called "Pornography Harms Women"

Working on the frontlines has informed us on how women are impacted by pornography. Our collective member Sophia Hladik shares Vancouver Rape Relief's demands with regards to MindGeek, and revenge porn, before her interview with Meghan Donevan from the Sweden based organization Talita, who supports women exiting the porn industry.

Women's Waves is produced in Vancouver, Canada, by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.

Lesbian Visibility

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 18:07:08 -0700

April 26th 2021 is Lesbian Visibility Day. For the occasion, we interviewed Liane Timmermann from Get the L Out UK and Natalie Wlock from the Vancouver Lesbian Collective. The episode ends with a poem by lesbian feminist poet Chrystos.

Poetry Reading by Chrystos

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 12:19:43 -0800

Poetry reading by the indigenous lesbian feminist poet Chrystos.
Recorded on Dec 5th 2020, as part of our annual Montreal Massacre Memorial.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Women

Sun, 13 Sep 2020 11:57:19 -0700

COVID-19 did not create the struggles women are currently facing, but highlighted and exasperated their existing struggles. On this episode, 3 feminists groups share the barriers women faced during the pandemic, from the perspective of women in prison, women working in the domestic and caregiving field, as well as women escaping male violence.
This episode features:
- Julie Diesta and Lotis Caluza from the Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers' and Caregivers' Rights
- Alia Perini and Candice Pilgrim from Strength in Sisterhood (Advocates for incarcerated women)
- Sonam Khangura and Hilla Kerner from Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter

This episode is produced in Vancouver, Canada, by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter

Inside a Feminist Self Defence Workshop

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 08:43:36 -0700

How do women keep themselves safe? What happens when women use their power in an active way and not as passive beauty ornaments? On this episode, we invite you inside our free feminist self defence workshop.

This episode features:
- Jennifer Kirkey, Instructor at Wenlido West
- Gay Ferguson, Instructor at Wenlido West
- Sonam Khangura, Vancouver Rape Relief
- Catharine Daalton, Vancouver Rape Relief

Women's Waves is produced in Vancouver, Canada, by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.

Dominique Christina : Words Make Worlds

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:59:53 -0700

Dominique Christina is an award-winning poet, author, educator, and activist. She holds poetry slam titles including US National Poetry Slam Champion and Women of the World Slam Champion. Her work is greatly influenced by her family's legacy in the Civil Rights Movement and by the idea that words make worlds.

This podcast is an excerpt from Dominique’s workshop at Vancouver Rape Relief’s event for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women in 2018.

Women's Waves is produced in Vancouver, Canada, by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.

Sisterhood in the Transition House

Tue, 12 May 2020 13:42:58 -0700

In Canada, as in many other parts in the world, women first operated rape crisis centres and transition houses in the mid 70's as part of the second wave of the feminist movement.

The collective of Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter has been operating a rape crisis centre since 1973 and a transition house since 1981.

In April 2009, we invited women who stayed in our own transition house, and in the second stage housing of Monroe House and Safe Choice, to share their experience of using these houses to get free from violent men.

Women's Waves is produced in Vancouver (Canada) by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.

Interview with e nina jay

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 10:55:44 -0700

In this interview, "black, lesbian, womanist, feminist, poet and survivor" e nina jay tells us how working at a rape crisis center brought her to poetry, how she survives rape and incest, why women-only space is important and how she challenges racism in the feminist movement.

Women's Waves is produced in Vancouver (Canada) by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.

The Fight for Abortion Rights Around the World, Part 2 - Carol Downer

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 18:07:31 -0800

This is part 2 of a two part series on reproductive rights. In this episode we speak with Carol Downer, the woman responsible for leading the reproductive self-help movement in the 1970s.

The Fight for Abortion Rights Around the World, Part 1

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 12:57:30 -0700

Feminists understand that at the root, having control over our own bodies is an important step in working towards the full liberation of women. We reached out to some of the bold women who are fighting for abortion access around the world, for the women of their country.

This episode features:
- Gabriela Rondon, ANIS (Brazil)
- Joanne Neary, Abortion Rights Campaign (Ireland)
- Emma Campbell, Alliance For Choice (Northern Ireland)

This is part one of a two part series on reproductive rights.
In part two, we speak with the inspiring Carol Downer, the woman responsible for leading the reproductive self-help movement in the 1970s.

Dispelling Prostitution Myths

Tue, 28 May 2019 10:18:51 -0700

All around the world, feminist abolitionists are committed to put an end to prostitution. At the 3rd World Congress Against the Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls in Germany last April, we asked women from different abolitionist groups to dispel prostitution myths.

This episode features:
Sarah Benson, Ruhama (Ireland)
Valerie Pelletier, La CLES (Canada)
Ghada Jabour, Kafa (Lebanon)
Esohe Aghatise, Iroko Onlus (Italy)
Claire Quidet, Mouvement du Nid (France)
Cherie Jimenez, Eva Center (United-States)
Paula Cepeda, Iniciativa Pro Equidad De Género (Columbia)
Mickey Meji, KWANELE (South Africa)

Women’s Waves is produced by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

What Women’s Groups are Doing to Abolish Prostitution

Sun, 21 Apr 2019 21:13:34 -0700

On this episode, we’re travelling to Mainz, Germany, where the 3rd World Congress Against the Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls took place early April 2019. It was hosted by CAP International, the Coalition for the Abolition of Prostitution. Ashani and Sophia, collective members at Vancouver Rape Relief, attended the congress and met with feminists from all around the world. They interviewed women from different abolitionist groups about prostitution laws in their country as well as their work for the abolition of prostitution.

This episode features :
Sarah Benson, Ruhama (Ireland)
Valerie Pelletier, La CLES (Canada)
Ghada Jabour, Kafa (Lebanon)
Esohe Aghatise, Iroko Onlus (Italy)
Claire Quidet, Mouvement du Nid (France)
Cherie Jimenez, Eva Center (United-States)

Women’s Waves is produced by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter, in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Montreal Massacre Memorial, Dec 2018

Sat, 16 Feb 2019 09:27:29 -0800

Every year, Vancouver Rape Relief hosts its annual Montreal Massacre Memorial, a day of remembrance of the tragic events of Dec 6th 1989 at École Polytechnique in Montréal, where Marc Lépine entered the engineering school with a gun and killed 14 women because he hated feminists.

At the 2018 edition last december, we invited local women to participate in a workshop on how to create a feminist podcast. We asked women some questions about their life as a women, and here’s is what they had to say.

This podcast is produced by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter.