Semper Floreat is the University of Queensland Union's free & independent student newspaper.
If you’ve been in online feminist circles, chances are you’ve come across the acronym “TERF”. But what exactly does it mean, and what makes you one? TERF stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist, which is often used synonymously with gender-critical feminism, as those who identify as gender-critical usually reject the label TERF. They essentially mean the […]
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Australian women earn nearly $30,000 less than men per year. They perform 8 hours more housework per week. A study showed 80% of women struggle with low self-esteem. The increase in the cost of living prevents women from leaving abusive relationships, worsened by a lack of public housing and social spending. For all the misery […]
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Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag has been critically acclaimed for its emotional depth, witty humour, and cultural impact. But it is the monologue made by Dame Kristin Scott Thomas during the show that has stuck out as a poignant statement on womanhood. Her speech naturally evokes the question: does my womanhood doom me to a life of […]
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When it happened, I refused to believe it was true. He had been a friend of mine. He had come into a room knowing I was in a vulnerable, drunk, half-naked position. He entered the room with the intention of harming me. Raping me. And he succeeded. I tried to fight him off. After a […]
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At the end of February, Andrew and Tristan Tate fled Romania, into the warm embrace of the Trump Administration. Despite having been held under a travel ban – facing rape, human trafficking and money laundering charges for over two years, this was lifted in a blink of an eye. When asked if this ban was […]
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As I turned four, my parents had to acknowledge the inevitable – and I was gifted my very first Barbie doll. Pink, sparkles, dresses, glitter, horses, ballgowns – you name it, and I had it. My precious father could have craved nothing more than to anticipate my first motorcross competition win or my first recorded […]
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Stoicism has seen a surge in popularity on social media. This philosophy was first developed by the Hellenistic Greeks, adopted by the Romans with Marcus Aurelius as one of the most well-known stoics. With stoicism’s popularity high amongst early 20th century Christian theologians, is it any wonder that this philosophy that was embraced by many […]
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In 19th century Queensland, the age of consent was twelve. Upon marriage, women lost what little autonomy they had. They were often forced to resign, and the law prevented them from owning property or investments, obtaining divorces easily, or retaining custody of their children. There were no laws against marital rape or domestic violence. Women’s […]
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Patricia Clarke’s Bold Types recounts the journey of women journalists in their struggle for gender equality in Australia from 1860 to the end of World War II. Clarke argues that there has been a historical misrepresentation of the instrumental role women played within journalism (Clarke 2022). The prevailing thought is that the press, like most […]
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In Studio Morra, Naples, 1974, there was a table with seventy-two objects. These objects varied from instruments of pleasure to instruments of pain, such as a rose, lipstick, a knife, and a gun with a bullet. Standing at the centre of this performative art piece was Marina Abramović, a Serbian conceptual and performance artist who […]
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