The younger French president, his older wife and… Amy Hood. Quelle difference?

(This column originally appeared in the Halifax Examiner on May 15, 2017 .) One of the many fascinating, if beside le larger point storylines to emerge from the recent French presidential election is the one about the relationship between that country’s new president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Brigitte — more specifically about the gender-bending, […]

Dal’s dentistry scandal: one more footnote in a seismic social and gender transformation

For me, the most intriguing section of Friday’s 65-page “Report from the Restorative Justice Process at the Dalhousie University Faculty of Dentistry” is the one that documents the evolution of the now-infamous “Class of DDS 2015 Gentlemen” group. The Facebook group caused a scandal and resulted in the suspension of 13 male students after sexist […]

Should Dal dentistry student be suspended … or thanked?

The irony is we might not know to be outraged if not for a man many of us are outraged at. We have a complicated relationship with those who blow whistles on bad behaviour: think Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning… and, now, Ryan Millet. Millet, a 29-year-old fourth-year Dalhousie University dental student, was one of 13 […]

2014: The year the conversation changed

I followed last week’s news stories about Dalhousie dental school with a mixture of oh-no shock and not-again recognition. The week began with revelations about a misnamed, misogynous Facebook group: “The Class of DDS 2015 Gentlemen.” Thirteen male graduating dental students had shared anti-women screeds, voted on which female classmate they’d most like to “hate […]