SlutWalks Highlight Need To Blame Rapists, Not Victims

Posted by | May 6, 2011 11:52 | Filed under: Top Stories


A Toronto policeman flippantly said that women shouldn’t dress like “sluts” to avoid being raped, and now women and men are protesting by dressing to bring attention to “slut-shaming,” the attempt to shame women who express their sexuality.

Some women and men who protest dress in nothing more remarkable than jeans and T-shirts, while others wear provocative or revealing outfits to bring attention to “slut-shaming,” or shaming women for being sexual, and the treatment of sexual assault victims.

“It was taking the blame off the rapist and on the victim,” said Nicole Sullivan, 21, a student at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and an organizer of the SlutWalk planned Saturday in that city. “So we are using these efforts to reclaim the word `slut.'”

The officer, Constable Michael Sanguinetti,  eventually apologized for the remark that was made at a safety forum at York University.

The rallies typically end with speakers and workshops on stopping sexual violence and calling on law enforcement agencies not to blame victims after sexual assaults.

In San Francisco, SlutWalk organizers want to make their protest a family event.

“Singles, couples, parents, sisters, brothers, children, friends,” the SlutWalk SF BAY Facebook page announces. “Come walk or roll or strut or holler or stomp with us.”

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Copyright 2011 Liberaland
By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.

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