COMMENTARY

by Susan De Rosa

Give the Feminist Press the
Support it Deserves!

by Susan De Rosa

Feminist media advocate women's rights and social justice they deserve our support. Women's news and views are still rarely covered in the mainstream media, and then all too often from an anti-feminist, sensational perspective. For example, the treatment of the Mary Beth Whitehead ("Baby M") case which contributed fundamentally to public anti-woman sentiment by giving the birth mother the ironic monicker, "surrogate" mother. The feminist press, on the other hand, is an indispensable educational, networking, and archival tool which assures that women's voices are heard and that our history is not lost.

When the two most highly visible feminist magazines in Canada, Horizons and La Vie en Rose, closed their doors recently, concern was voiced for the future of feminist periodical publishing in this country. Although the demise of these two magazines does not necessarily mean desperate times for Canadian feminist media, we must take heed.

As general interest, feminist magazines with allure, Horizons and La Vie en Rose used news-stand sales to develop a broadly based readership and much needed advertising. Advertising in feminist magazines is limited because ads 42 considered discriminatory cannot be accepted and advertisers rarely buy in any space controversial magazines. Both Herizons and La Vie en Rose were aesthetically enviable and commercially competitive, but also expensive to produce. Production costs were too high to be raised from the feminist community. How, then, can we offer the feminist press the purport it needs?

Some magazines receive support from popular or women's groups or from their home-base institution (often a university) or are subsidized through government programs. But magazines are carefully scrutinized by funding sources, properly concerned with their own constituencies. Earlier this year, the Secretary of State Women's Program was unable to fund the 1987 Feminist Periodicals Conference because the agenda, which incorporated networking and technical sessions, also focused on race, class and lesbian politics, perspectives essential to feminist communications.

The conference had to be postponed. It is through vocal pressure from those who believe that the feminist movement is a place where tax dollars are justifiably spent that the government will adequately and consistently fund the feminist press. As advocates of social change, we must convince those responsible for our institutions to adopt policies which favour feminist material over that which is prejudicial to women. We must assure the maintenance of an independent voice.

Many of us are aware of the accessibility of pornography in prisons but how much thought has been given to how little that is anti-sexist is available in prisons. Also, when our university libraries stock multiple copies of Playboy (on microfilm, no less) this misuse of resources, usually limited to begin with, reduces student access to resources positive to women.

As individuals and associations we can support feminist media by subscribing, buying advertising, donating and through sponsorship. With approximately 40 periodicals and hundreds of newsletters, Canadian feminism has a vibrant voice. Perhaps the void caused by the demise of Horizons and La Vie en Rose, despite the presence of a dynamic women's movement, demonstrates the vital role that women's media play. Let us contribute to the feminist press and assure that our voices continue to be heard. Susan De Rosa is a feminist communications consultant who was coordinator of the 1985 Feminist Periodicals Conference, and who has been a member of CCLOW for the past three years.