My Grandmother's Journey

Much like COVID-19, political courage can be highly contagious.

DONOHARMBC

Decriminalization would allow sex workers to access health and safety regulation as well as support services.

People with mental illness and substance use disorders are more likely to die prematurely than the general population.

CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH

SYLVIA MACAHT RESEARCHER, BY US, FOR US PROJECT

Clothing stores have a sizing problem

Popular brands have still not diversified their sizing for mid and plus-sized people

SAIJE RUSIMOVICI // STAFF WRITER

Content warning: mentions of size and weight.

There’s nothing more frustrating than walking into a store filled with gorgeous clothes only to be absolutely traumatized by the fitting room experience. For women in particular, there seems to be a persistent notion that the size of our clothing defines us. It’s unfortunate that many brands still reflect the idea that smaller is better. For years, I tried to fit my size ten body into denim shorts, dresses, and trousers two or three sizes too small for me, all for the sake of seeing a smaller number when I got dressed in the morning. The designs of many popular brands are tailored to a specific body type — often tall, thin, and small-busted. Because of this, “standard” sizing can be perceived as reinforcing the notion that smaller is better. Clothing stores are excluding many women with their sizing, and should be taking on proactive initiatives to make their clothing lines more inclusive for all bodies.

Plus-size is defined as “a size of clothing for people who are larger than average.” According to Project Cece, a curator of over 200 sustainable ethical fashion brands, sustainable fashion is often not size inclusive because there is not enough demand to cover the costs of full lines of plus-size clothing. However, the “average” American woman is a size 16 — how can it be that the demand is not high enough to make more plus-size clothes? It’s baffling

EQUITABLE LEARNING

LGBTQIA2S+ students need the SOGI curriculum

The anti-queer response to SOGI means we need to do more to protect the curriculum

EDEN CHIPPERFIELD // NEWS WRITER

The topic of queerphobia has been increasingly present in the media lately, mainly due to increased drag bans and anti-trans laws occurring in the US. Unfortunately, our neighbours to the south are not the only culprits of increasing queerphobic propaganda, such as stripping away gender affirming care for trans minors. In British Columbia, an antiqueer agenda has risen dramatically, causing concern for the lives and well-being of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals residing in the province.

On March 25, 2023, an incident sparked outcry from the queer community and allies. A protest took place in Surrey challenging the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) curriculum taught in BC school districts. The SOGI curriculum teaches about different sexual and gender identities and educates students to create inclusive and safe spaces, such as gay-straight alliance clubs in schools.

The queer community has been attacked relentlessly for years. Yet, in 2023, it’s staggering how queer folks still have to fight for narrow-minded individuals and politicians to see their identities as valid. As with any social issue, the people most impacted by discriminatory rhetoric are those already

that ‘plus size’ has become its own niche even though it represents such a large portion of women.

Aritzia is not the only store that advertises clothing catered to a specific body type, save for the one or two performative Instagram shots of mid-sized women wearing non-fitted, casual fitness attire made of naturally stretchy materials. In 2017, plus-size model and actress Barbie Ferreira was featured in an Urban Outfitters campaign. However, at the time the store didn’t, and still doesn’t, have a plus-size clothing line. This sort of performative advertising works in favour of big brands wanting to showcase a commitment to size inclusivity without taking real action to do so.

For years, I wanted to be “an Aritzia girl,” decked out in the latest fashion trends like low-rise jeans and slim fitting leather pants. However, nearly every time I went into the store I left feeling terrible about myself. Even the largest dress on the rack wouldn’t zip up past my hips, and the medium-labelled sweaters clung to my body as if they were size XS. Similarly, Brandy Melville clothing is marked as “one size fits all,” which is far from the case. Even for petite girls, most small sizes don’t take proportions into consideration. Dresses and jeans marked as XXS can drag on the floor and leave gaping holes in the chest area, because they assume you’re shaped like an hourglass. Similarly, individuals who are petite yet curvy may struggle to find clothing tailored to their body type.

I used to feel so ashamed to ask for a bigger size, so I would buy something off the rack and hoped that somehow I would become smaller by the time I had to wear it. It’s not only that sizes are limited — many articles of clothing are labelled as a size large but comparable to another brand’s small. By what standard is the clothing we wear true to size?

Brands that don't offer inclusive clothing sizing options reinforce a culture that deems smaller is better. It’s nice to see that more clothing brands have become committed to diversifying sizing such as Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle, and Joe Fresh, as well as smaller fashion brands like Girlfriend Collective, that are making strides in diversifying the fashion industry. But there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to create fashionable, sustainable, and well-fitting clothing for all bodies.

and racialized queer folks. In a world where progress and new ways of thinking have been celebrated and introduced into schools, workplaces and communities, the resistance to accept this change is consistently based on far-cry claims of LGBTQIA2S+ people grooming children. The same people making these claims ignore religious organizations or groups like the Boy Scouts of America involved in scandals of leaders grooming young children, when these are the exact ideals they argue against.

Schools have added curricula like SOGI to better educate the young people of today and show them that the feelings they may experience at a young age are valid. SOGI not only helps questioning individuals find a term for what they identify as, but helps build better-educated and accepting members of society who will soon pass the torch on to the next generation. This curriculum is educating allies of the LGBTQIA2S+ community on how to support their fellow queer peers and create a safer and more inclusive environment by teaching them about pronoun usage, different types of gender and sexual orientations, and having conversations about diversity. SOGI being attacked because of the education it provides to young minds not only damages the

mental health of queer and questioning individuals but also spreads misinformation like the grooming rhetoric into the consciences of young people that may affect how they treat members of the community.

It’s unfortunate to see how, once again, positive change is being pushed back and rejected due to religious rightwinged political opinions and a general lack of education regarding these topics. I applaud the teachers discussing these subjects in class and moving forward with the SOGI curriculum to educate and provide awareness around a community of people who are increasingly attacked based on their identity. Parents who are raising their kids to be antiqueer are failing their children by not being open-minded or accepting, and creating a toxic environment for schools and society in general. Allies need to ensure they are being educated properly on these topics, and that means listening to their queer friends and peers to further understand how to support them and raise awareness regarding LGBTQIA2S+ stories and calls for action. Queerness is never going to cease to exist, so you might as well jump on board and begin to accept that our communities are evolving for the better. As Sasha Colby, winner of RuPaul's Drag Race season 15, stated in her historic winning speech: “We’re not going anywhere.”

PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

It’s baffling that ‘plus-size’ has become its own niche even though it represents such a large portion of women.

PHOTO: IURII KRASILNIKOV / iStock

Large-scale fishing has serious ethical implications

A look at fish farms in BC

NERCYA KALINO // PEAK ASSOCIATE

Fish farming has complicated impacts on the environment. Most of us don’t have the slightest idea what processes fish go through before they land on our plates. When you learn what happens behind the scenes in the fishing industry, it becomes harder to see eating fish as appetizing. Over the years, the practice of open-net cage farming has been an ongoing concern between Indigenous peoples and the Canadian government; the government has been urged to abide by restrictions on farms along the BC coast. In 2018, Pacific Wild released a statement about the farm operations in the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw Nation territory. They said the fish farms located in that territory were “operating without free, prior, and informed consent of the nation, violating the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.” This has been a progressing problem for a long time, and it’s only one of many violations in the industry.

Ethical farming of any kind of meat is crucial to the future of sustainable eating. Fish are no exception. With open-net cage farming, wild fish are exposed to chemicals, parasites, and fecal infestation from waste in the ocean and crowded living conditions. Living Oceans stated that, in “BC alone, salmon farms produce the same amount of waste as a city of half a million people,” and fish farms are the “perfect environment for disease transmission,” which can easily spread to wild fish and negatively impact local populations.

This is quite concerning. Mass farming has been an inevitability of the fish industry, and it contributes to many people’s livelihoods — but it shouldn’t exist without extreme caution and regulations. The BC government recently

ChatGPT is a threat to writing integrity at SFU

Unclear classroom regulations makes ChatGPT a popular tool for plagiarism

VICTOR TRAN // PEAK ASSOCIATE

The use of AI for essay writing has become increasingly popular after OpenAI released ChatGPT — a powerful AI program capable of providing essay writing services to students. While these services promise to save time and effort, they also raise concerns about academic integrity and the potential for AI-generated misinformation. As ChatGPT offers different opportunities and threats in university settings, SFU has to consider both sides of the coin. The growing threat ChatGPT poses to academic integrity means SFU must take steps to regulate its use in essay writing.

ChatGPT is an advanced artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI. It works by processing vast amounts of textual data to generate human-like language patterns and respond to prompts. The model can generate coherent and grammatically correct sentences, paragraphs, and even fulllength essays based on a given prompt or topic. It has been trained using material from various sources, including books, articles, and websites, giving it the ability to understand a wide range of topics. Additionally, it can be fine-tuned towards specific tasks or domains to further improve user experiences.

There are no universal guidelines or regulations at SFU regarding the use of AI in essay writing, and different professors have taken different approaches. This is mainly due to blurred lines between AI assistance and plagiarism. Ethical questions arise; where do we draw the line between getting help formulating a research question and academic dishonesty? Is it okay to use ChatGPT to check for errors and

examined the issue of rights violations on Indigenous territories. In 2022, they released a statement concerning sustainable aquaculture to embrace reconciliation with Indigenous communities, protect jobs, and respect wild salmon. There was a new policy made about open-net cage farming effective this coming June. The policy will only grant tenure renewals for open-net cage farms operators who ensure “their operations will not adversely impact wild salmon stocks” and agreements with Indigenous peoples. This is a good sign.

But fish farming is a complex issue in terms of ethics and economies. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs wrote about the history of fish farming and how it’s impacted their community; farms often invade burial islands sacred to Indigenous people. On top of that, “those nations on whose waters these fish farms are located experience immediate and destructive impacts.” Some of these impacts include the “destruction of traditional harvesting grounds, and the poisoning of water and marine resources.”

There are a few actions consumers can take to avoid contributing to harms caused by mass fish farming. Many brands display the Ocean Wise symbol on their packaging to indicate ethically farmed fish, but it’s also important to research individual brands to ensure their ethicality. It can also help to reduce your consumption of larger fish species like salmon and halibut in favour of small species like sardines and mackerel. Samantha Renshaw, “Science Lead at Ocean Wise,” also stressed the importance of supporting small and family-run fisheries. The next time you find yourself with fish on your plate, ask yourself how it got there, what it was exposed to, and what that means to you.

readability? Some professors have embraced AI-generated content and even incorporated it into their curriculum, while others have prohibited its use altogether.

Where do we draw the line between getting help formulating a research question and academic dishonesty?

ChatGPT can produce complete essays based on simple prompts, which may tempt some students to plagiarize. Additionally, it outputs text in an authoritative tone, which may lead some to believe that all information from the bot is accurate. However, its data set is limited and may present false data or misinformation. Furthermore, the program is a for-profit tool that actively gathers data from users who input information. While ChatGPT is free to use, it’s unclear how OpenAI will use the data that users input. By using and

agreeing to ChatGPT policies, users consent to have their personal data, including essays, stored and sold by OpenAI, which presents ethical issues with privacy.

Additionally, ChatGPT’s development depends on exploited human labor — workers in Kenya were paid less than $2 per hour to read and label disturbing content so it could be removed from ChatGPT’s output. SFU needs to raise awareness for these issues by explicitly promoting their academic policy or prohibiting AI use in course syllabi. There are also counters to ChatGPT. GPTZero claims to distinguish human and computer-generated text with a high degree of accuracy. Meanwhile, other plagiarism tools like Turnitin offer their own AI-detection tools. OpenAI is also exploring watermarking technology to indicate when a document has been generated by the software.

In terms of AI and learning opportunities, ChatGPT provides benefits and drawbacks. Ultimately, the onus is on SFU to help students learn about this technology responsibly and ethically: SFU could organize live demonstrations of ChatGPT to help students understand how ChatGPT can assist and limit their learning. While there are no universal guidelines regarding the use of AI in essay writing, SFU needs to take steps to regulate its use.

PHOTO: Emiliano Vittoriosi / Unsplash

ETHICAL AI LEARNING

PHOTO: Fredrik Öhlander / Unsplash

The next time you find yourself with fish on your plate, ask yourself how it got there, what it was exposed to, and what that means to you.

Manufacturing the Threat exposes how policing upholds power in Canada

The documentary follows a Muslim couple from Surrey who were infiltrated and radicalized by national security agents

Content warning: mentions of Islamophobia, colonialism, and racism.

Canada’s façade of tolerance and freedom is stripped away in a new documentary called Manufacturing the Threat . It’s the first feature-length documentary that explores the infiltration of marginalized communities by agent provocateurs, revealing the dark underbelly of the Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS). It premiered on May 6 as part of DOXA Documentary Film Festival screenings, and it’s a must-see for understanding how colonial power is upheld in Canada.

The film’s director, Amy Miller, has been making documentaries “in the spirit of justice” since 2008, and they have been screened at over 100 festivals around the world. Inspired by educational theorist Paulo Freire, Miller believes in “popular education as a way for transformative change,” she told The Peak . “[Freire] came up with this idea that if you can connect the dots for people in terms of structural inequalities in our life, they can build collective power and transform society.”

The documentary investigates the case of Ana Korody and Omar Nuttall, a couple from Surrey who were targeted by CSIS agents after converting to Islam. They spoke on how their vulnerable mental states and life circumstances were taken advantage of in radicalizing and coercing them to plot a bomb on Canada Day. They were told that according to Islam, they were predestined to commit this act and had no free will, which Korody explained and later learned is

not accurate according to Muslim teachings. They were arrested in 2013, and in 2022 sued the RCMP. Hearing about their experiences, which must have taken a lot of bravery to share, was chilling.

I think we need to go a step backwards and say ‘what does national security even mean in 2023?’

AMY MILLER DIRECTOR, MANUFACTURING THE THREAT

“We often hear the claim that the way to counter racism in national security agencies is to diversify them,” Azeezah Kanji, a legal academic with a specialty in Islamic law stated in the documentary. “To the contrary, the presence of Muslim officers is used to further extend the arm of securitization and the reach of these agencies into vulnerable Muslim communities and families.”

Manufacturing the Threat points out how the CSIS exists to “justify its own existence.” The film demonstrates Canada’s largely undocumented history of infiltrating and undermining marginalized communities to uphold

colonial control, which was inspired by the book Produire La Menace by Alex Popovic. From the RCMP’s roots in colonizing Indigenous land to vilifying and surveilling Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11, Miller hopes the film shows people how “othering happens in a collective way through things like policing.”

Miller explained information on the CSIS’ operations are not widely known or available. “It is so difficult to be able to have the proper conversations that we’re just navigating in the fog,” she said. “Something we really should be discussing more is: why is it so difficult to get this information, why does Canada like to present itself as this beacon of democracy, and why is our access to information so difficult and filled with so many trickwires to stop us from having that access?”

Miller argues that security threats like climate change are largely ignored, and other “manufactured” threats are used as distractions. “To me, it’s not homeless people in Vancouver that’s the crisis around what makes people feel safe, it’s affordable housing,” she added. “I think we need to go a step backwards and say ‘what does national security even mean in 2023?’” In our current institution, it’s often those who defy the “status quo” who are made into an enemy.

Check out the full list of documentaries showing this year at DOXA on their website, doxa2023.eventive.org/ films. Find out more about Amy Miller, her campaigns, and documentaries on her website, amymiller.info.

PETRA CHASE // ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

PHOTO: Courtesy of DOXA

The Book Nook: Five books to add to your summer reading list

Memoirs, poetry, and thrillers hand-picked by an avid reader

Written by Saije Rusimovici

The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On

by Franny Choi

Reading poetry in a shaded area with a cool drink in hand — what could be a better way to start the summer? Franny Choi is a novelist and poet with a variety of thought-provoking fiction and non-fiction under her belt. The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On is perfect for reflecting on the colossal issues in our world today in small doses of lyrical poetry. Re-reading lines and stopping to soak up and sit with the

From Scratch

by Tembi Locke

Tembi Locke is an “actor, producer, and screenwriter” who made her debut as an author in 2019 with this heartwrenching memoir. From Scratch is a compilation of Locke’s life experiences, including interracial and intercultural marriage, and grief. A Texas native, Locke travels to Florence, Italy as an international college student. Upon meeting chef Saro Gullo, her life changes drastically. After moving to LA with her after

Bad Cree

by Jessica Johns

The cover’s bold illustration of a spooky forest against a flaming orange sky drew me to pick up this book, and the thrilling narrative kept me on edge to the very end. Indigenous author, Jessica Johns, crafts a unique, supernatural read that will give you chills. The horror novel follows a young Cree woman experiencing terrifying dreams of dead crows. What’s even scarier is the fact that she now sees crows everywhere — as if they’re following her. These dreams surface memories from

Cold Case BC

by Eve Lazarus

Calling all true crime fans! I never knew how many unsolved cases there were in BC until I read this book. Eve Lazarus is an exceptional storyteller who transports readers to the time periods where crimes were committed, unpacking evidence, motives, and suspects as engaging as a true crime podcast. Her writing is detailed yet easy to comprehend, avoiding

Finding Me

by Viola Davis

This is hands-down one of the best books I’ve ever read. Award-winning actress, Viola Davis, walks readers through her life’s journey of poverty, professional rejection, and what it was like growing up as a Black woman in an industry built for white actors. Davis leaves nothing unfiltered, including stories about abuse in her family home, discrimination at school, and

All books in this list are available to purchase online from the Massy Books website.

difficult emotions that arise allows for new insight each time. For instance, “Good Morning America” reflects on the ongoing and repeating tragedies of a colonial state, and the grief and horror that follows. Covering topics like the pandemic, refugee crises, and race, Choi offers a glimpse of hope in the face of these crises. I recommend listening to the audiobook, which is narrated by Choi!

several months of long distance, the couple navigate seeking the approval of their in-laws, cultural differences, adopting their daughter, and their biggest fight of all — cancer. The book speaks to your senses with flashbacks to hot summers in Sicily, the bustling streets of LA, and scrumptious culinary experiences in lively Florence. Ultimately, this memoir encapsulates what it means to be human and experience grief and love.

the night of her sister’s death. Soon enough, the dreams start to infiltrate her waking life, offering more and more details about what really happened the night her sister died. Fearfully navigating through her grief, Mackenzie returns to the rural Alberta community where she grew up and is forced to face the truth and confront the messages in her dreams. Bad Cree brings you along a young girl’s personal mystery to uncover hidden truths about family, violence, and the land that she grew up on.

legal jargon and centering the focus around the victims, their families, and the communities. The reader is able to form their own theories about some of BC’s most baffling cold cases. As a criminology minor, summer is my favourite time of year to take a break from academic reading and pick up a new read that relates to the intriguing history of crime in BC.

working through mental health issues including depression. Her story of self-discovery, determination, and perseverance begins with facing the traumas of her childhood and young adulthood in order to understand how these experiences have shaped her into the woman she is today.

Courtesy of Ecco

Courtesy of Simon & Schuster

Courtesy of Doubleday

Courtesy of Doubleday

Courtesy of HarperOne

ILLUSTRATION: Emily Xu / The Peak

NEED TO KNOW, NEED TO GO

Plan ahead to support artists this summer!

INDIGENOUS ARTISANS MARKET

June 10, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Bill Reid Gallery

639 Hornby St, Vancouver

Support local Indigenous artists at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art’s trademark event. A walk away from SFU’s Vancouver campus, the event will feature art from “a variety of mediums, including weaving, carving, jewelry-making, beading, painting, and printmaking.” And while you’re there, check out their current exhibits: Bright Futures and Matriarchs Seen and Unseen, as well as the permanent SFU Bill Reid Collection of the Haida artist and sculptor. Look out for more information on their website on individual vendors, as they will be announced soon! Find more information about accessibility on their “Accessibility” page.

BOTTLED LIGHTNING ALBUM LAUNCH

May 30, doors open at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m.

The Fox Cabaret 2321 Main St, Vancouver

Tawahum, a Łutsel kʼe Dene and Plains Cree poet and musical artist, released their long-awaited album, Bottled Lightning, on March 5. This debut hip-hop album is full of nimble, powerful spoken word and rap about their arrest over their land protection work battling the front lines of the Trans Mountain pipeline, “a project that is both a violation to Indigenous rights and our climate.” They’ll be joined at the Fox Cabaret with album collaborators: Kimmortal, Khingz, HK Higher Knowledge, and Adrian Avendaño on the drums. There will also be performances from Ḱesugwilakw and Dani Lion. Tickets are $15 and you can contact Tawahum on Instagram at @tawahum for discount codes, as “no one [will be] turned away for lack of funds.”

KARITON ART GALLERY: CHROMATIC DREAMSCAPES AND SOLITUDE

Chromatic Dreamscapes runs until May 27 and Solitude runs until June 30

Kariton Art Gallery 2387 Ware Street, Abbotsford

The Kariton Art Gallery has two exciting exhibits on display currently. Chromatic Dreamscapes compiles “a whimsical alphabet series by Glenna Lundberg, bold colours and patterns by Amelia Ilnicki, and the dreamy surrealism of Jacqueline Stuerzl.” Solitude features the work of Adele Fussi, a senior and Indigenous artist who discovered a love for painting during the start of the pandemic. Fussi “claims it must be her Cree heritage that inspires her to paint the majestic Coastal and Rocky Mountains.” Both exhibits are also available online. You can also purchase the artists’ works and visit the online gift shop at the gallery’s website!

PHOTO: Bill Reid Gallery

IMAGE: Thunderbird Galaxy

IMAGE: Abbotsford Arts Council

Dear Peakie

Dear Peakie, Mother’s Day just passed, and my bio mom is frustrated that I also sent a card and flowers to Taylor Swift. How do I explain that while she will always be my mom, Taylor Swift will never stop being MOTHER to all the Swifties and me?

Sincerely, STREAM THE MIDNIGHTS ALBUM NOW

Dear Peakie, I was wearing headphones on the SkyTrain and forgot to get off at Production Way-University. I couldn’t hear the voice saying “last stop” over the medieval folk rock I was listening to. Where is the train taking me? Will I ever be able to escape? Am I trapped forever (hopefully not because my playlist only has 368 songs . . .)? Please help me.

Sincerely, Lost In Both Song and Metro Vancouver

Dear Peakie,

Ever since the first season of Glee, I always knew I was destined to express myself through song. However, my physics professor disagrees. He has asked me to stop suddenly bursting into song during his lectures and said it was “inappropriate” for me to recreate the Montero music video in class. However, I disagree because that is my process as an artist, and I’m not doing the lap dance part, just the part with the pink wig. How do I get my professor to respect my talent?

Sincerely,

Rachel Berry is My Idol

SUDOKU