 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
About Margaret Robinson
Academic Interests
I am a doctoral student at Regis College, at the University of Toronto. My area of specialization is sexual ethics.
My research interests include: sexual ethics, gender roles, relationship dynamics, religious prejudice (especially anti-Judaism), and class issues. My methodology is eclectic. I'm interested in postmodernism, feminism, queer theory, and critical theory.
I am currently writing my dissertation on the role of monogamy and polyamory in bisexual women’s identity. Between September and December of 2006 I surveyed forty women in the Toronto area about their bisexuality.
Academic History
- 1997 Honours B.A. in English and Religious Studies
Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Thesis: "Non-Heterosexual Liberation Theology." - 2001 M.A. in Theology
Saint Michael's University, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Thesis: "The Influence of Gender Construction on Catholic Approaches to Same-Sex Desire." - Ph.D. in Theology (ABD)
Saint Michael's University, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dissertation: "Turning Points in Identity: Bisexual Women Choosing Between Monogamous and Polyamorous Relationships."
Background
I
was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia , in 1973. I was raised in Sheet Harbour,
a small village (pop. 820) on the coast, 120km east of Halifax. For most
of those years we lived without running water or plumbing. My parents
were writers who encouraged reading and creativity.
I am a member of Generation X, and a third wave feminist. The year I turned sixteen also saw the fall of the Berlin Wall, the crash of the Exxon Valdez, tanks rolling over students in Tienanmen Square, and the Montreal Massacre. My first sexual education class included a discussion about AIDS. The year I came out as bisexual the World Health Organization removed “homosexual” from their list of diseases, Nelson Mandela was freed from prison, and the world wide web was invented. I can't take credit for any of that.
Most of my non-school time is spent with my partner, Mr. Pugh. We have two cats named Archie and Nero. In my spare time I write, paint, sew my own clothes, and try to change the world.
Activist Work
I am director and treasurer of the Toronto Bisexuality Education Project. TBEP is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to supporting the bisexual community in Toronto. In 2006 we organized and hosted the 9th International Conference on Bisexuality, Sexuality and Gender Diversity. We in 2007 we gave grants to the Toronto Bisexual Network and provided financial and practical assistance to organizing 10ICB.
Coming Out into Activism
I came out in Halifax in the early 1990s. My university didn't have a queer student group, so I joined the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth Project organized by Maura Donovan and run out the the Planned Parenthood office on Quinpool Road. This group had very few bisexual members, but they showed me how to be an activist. With the Youth Project I gave day seminars on homophobia and heterosexism at high schools and universities across the province and worked on Outline, a toll-free hotline for queer youth. I later vollunteered with Halifax Pride before moving to Toronto to pursue my Masters Degree.
Toronto Dyke March
Committee (1997-2001)
I was co-chair, first with Jenn Thiessen and then with Corinne McCrea.
Our committee created the first Dykeversity art show, and established
the march as welcoming of bisexual women and transpeople. We also wrote
a manual for producing a Dyke March. This manual has since helped to nurture
marches in other cities.
Pride Toronto
(1997-2001)
I advocated volunteer training on cultural competency, transsexual/ transgender
issues, and bisexuality. These are now part of the training process for
all volunteers. I also fought to get the City of Toronto to change its
Pride Week announcement to include bisexuals, transsexuals, and the transgendered.
Prior to 2001 the city announced only "Lesbian and Gay Pride Week." It
took a lot of work, but for one brief year Toronto had one of the most
inclusive Pride Week announcements in the world. Although the proclamation
has continued to be inclusive, other cities have since followed suit.
Bi Pride Planning (2000-2006)
I was a founding member of this committee, initially formed to address
issues of safety in the bisexual support groups at the 519 Church Street
Community Centre. The committee now plans social and political events
for bisexuals in Toronto throughout the year, but particularly during
Pride Week and Celebrate Bisexuality Day. They also oversee the running
of Bisexual Women of Toronto, theToronto
Bisexual Network, and Bisexual Men
of Toronto.
