Closing Time
Piya revisits highlights from Out in the Open stories that illuminate what the show set out to accomplish
After four years on the air, Out in the Open is coming to a close. For its final edition, Piya revisits highlights from some of the stories that illuminate what the show set out to accomplish.
Here are the full stories behind the highlights in this week's episode...
When someone you care about is accused of sexual misconduct, how should you respond?
In November 2017, top Irish theatre director Michael Colgan was accused of sexual harassment, bullying and inappropriate touching, over many years. Emer O'Toole used to work at his theatre. She speaks with Piya about balancing her belief in the accusations with the fact that she has fond memories of a man she adored.
'It's a sense that I had a right to take what I felt was needed'
In 1996, Tom Stranger raped his then-girlfriend Thordis Elva when they were both teenagers. 10 years later, she confronted him. He owned up to committing sexual assault. Piya speaks with Tom about the night of the assault and what ideas lead someone to not obtain sexual consent.
Back in the 1980s, Ted Quewezance of the Keeseekoose First Nation spoke out about the sexual abuse he suffered as a young boy at residential school, long before we began a national conversation about truth and reconciliation. He tells Piya about the process of breaking silence to himself, his family, his community, the country... and the backlash he faced along the way.
Doctor feels unable to voice abortion views at work, in community
A doctor who we've agreed not to name says she's personally against abortion, partially because of her faith, and does not to offer such services as an OBGYN. But she also says abortion services are central to women's health and believes in the right to obtain them. As she tells Piya, she rarely talks about either of these stances - her faith at work or her support of abortion services among her faith community - because of the stigma she feels her beliefs hold in their respective contexts.
'I am protecting them from whiteness': Why this mom chose to take her kids out of public school
Akilah Richards was concerned about structural racism she saw in public education, which echoed her own experiences growing up as a Black girl. So, she made the decision to pull her kids out of school. Akilah tells Piya why she chose to leave the system behind instead of trying to change it from within.
'We're invisible and disposable': A bathroom cleaner asks for respect from the people he serves
Leo Alejandria worked as a bathroom cleaner in Vancouver for more than 20 years. He tells Piya about feeling "invisible and disposable" in his job… and shares his message for all people who use public bathrooms.
Fighting hate with friendship — one Exalted Cyclops at a time
Daryl Davis is a Black blues musician. He's befriended hundreds of Ku Klux Klan members, many of whom have since changed their views on the supremacy of the white race. And he's got dozens of robes and hoods in his closet to prove it. Piya speaks with Daryl about his success.
'I'd lost my humanity': How this woman forgave her father's killer
On a summer Sunday in 1979, Anne Marie Hagan's father was killed with an axe right in front of her. Fuelled by loyalty to her late dad, Hagan held on to her anger and self pity for 17 years. She tells Piya how a face-to-face meeting with the man who killed her father allowed her to make space for a second, new kind of loyalty.
'They have become the new religion': Esther Perel says we expect too much from relationships
Renowned psychotherapist and podcaster Esther Perel says the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives. Piya speaks with her about why connection is so important, why we're so bad at it, and how we can do better... both within couples and across social and political divides.