Women Cross DMZ, May 19-25 2015 By Gwyn Kirk

It was a thrill to be part of the international delegation to visit North Korea and cross the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ – a serious oxymoron, it’s highly militarized) separating North and South Korea. We were 30 women from 15 nations, together with a film crew directed by Deann Borshay Liem who is making a documentary, Crossings, about this trip.

As I checked in at San Francisco airport an airline worker said, “Pyongyang? That’s in Thailand, right?” When I said, “North Korea,” he frowned and asked, “What d’you want to go there for?” echoing the negative image so many outsiders have of that isolated country, officially called the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK). Read more….

Military Sexual Violence Beyond the U.S.

by Gwyn Kirk
Originally Posted on the Oregon WAND
August 22, 2013

I believe that no woman should be a victim of rape or sexual assault. So it’s been heartening, this summer, to see women speaking out about the epidemic of military sexual violence and demanding change. Their testimonies and official complaints, lawsuits against Pentagon top brass, media reports, Congressional hearings, and an award-winning documentary, The Invisible War, have all forced this issue into the spotlight.

Read more at http://www.oregonwand.org/blog