International copycat protests scheduled throughout Canada, USA, United Kingdom and Australia
Sex-positive activists in Toronto accomplished an extraordinary feat. In six weeks, they organized an international protest against the Canadian policeman who used the slur, ‘slut,’ to blame a victim for her assault. The two-hour walk on April 4, 2011 was peaceful and attended by an estimated crowd of 3000 women and men. Similar events scheduled across Canada, the United States and Australia, with New York the site of the next SlutWalk march on April 9, 2011. These efforts are aimed towards women and their supporters who believe that how a woman dresses is not an invitation to commit an assault. Reframing how women’s sexuality is judged vis-à-vis men’s is part of a larger response against restrictions placed upon female sexual sovereignty, feminists have long argued.
SlutWalk Toronto formed rapidly in response to a policeman’s slur used to blame a female victim for her assault earlier this year. On January 24th, 2011, a representative of the Toronto Police gave shocking insight into the Force’s view of sexual assault by stating: “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized”. Outraged by these comments, for which the officer later apologized, the organizers – including Sonya JF Barnett, Heather Jarvis, Alyssa Teekah, Jeanette Janzen, and Erika Jane Scholz – partnered with several organizations committed to reframing political and police accountability, and advancing gender equality.
Reframing the narrative regarding ‘slut shaming’ has taken center-stage, sex-positive feminists insist.
“Historically, the term ‘slut’ has carried a predominantly negative connotation. Aimed at those who are sexually promiscuous, be it for work or pleasure, it has primarily been women who have suffered under the burden of this label. And whether dished out as a serious indictment of one’s character or merely as a flippant insult, the intent behind the word is always to wound, so we’re taking it back. “Slut” is being re-appropriated.”
“We are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result. Being in charge of our sexual lives should not mean that we are opening ourselves to an expectation of violence.”
Theirs is not the first effort to reframe the meaning of ‘Slut.’ That goes to Dossie Easton, whose groundbreaking book, The Ethical Slut (1997), drafted a new narrative for this centuries-old moniker.
“A slut is a person who has taken control of their sexuality and has sex with whomever they choose, regardless of religious or social pressures or conventions to conform to a straight-laced monogamous lifestyle committed to one partner for life. The term has been "taken back" to express the rejection of the concept that government, society, or religion may judge or control one's personal liberties, and the right to control one's own sexuality.” (source)
Men, children and even pets were a noticeable minority supporting Toronto's SlutWalk on April 4, 2011.
Studies further demonstrate that when women are empowered with regards to their reproductive rights, they don't choose more children: They choose MORE for the children they have. Better education, nutrition, opportunity and safety are natural artifacts of women deciding their sexual fates. Women’s empowerment is also strongly connected to the viability of a culture’s civilization.
Support and international media coverage for SlutWalk have been intense with many additional protests planned throughout the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia throughout April, May and June, including the April 9, 2011 SlutWalk in New York City, and a London March on April 10, 2011. For more information on scheduled international SlutWalks, visit their website.
Tinamarie writes for several websites that focus on love and relationships. You can find her at www.tinamariebernard.com, twitter and Facebook, or send her a private message at modernlovemuse @ yahoo dot com. ©2010-2011 Tinamarie Bernard; PARTIAL reposts only permitted with link back to original article.
Comments