SlutWalk 2011 by Rebekah Hakkenberg

On April 2, 2011, the first annual SlutWalk was held in Toronto. The walk was a direct response to Constable Michael Sanguinetti's comments earlier this year at York University that to prevent being raped "women should avoid dressing like sluts." Toronto Police Services has a long history of mishandling rape cases and inadequate understanding of rape culture and working with survivors. Sanguinetti's victim-blaming comment was the final straw. The organizers of the SlutWalk state in their press release:

"As the city’s major protective service, the Toronto Police have perpetuated the myth and stereotype of ‘the slut’, and in doing so have failed us. With sexual assault already a significantly under-reported crime, survivors have now been given even less of a reason to go to the Police, for fear that they could be blamed. Being assaulted isn’t about what you wear; it’s not even about sex; but using a pejorative term to rationalize inexcusable behaviour creates an environment in which it’s okay to blame the victim."

Starting out at Queen's Park, up to 3000 supporters walked east on College towards their destination. It was in front of Toronto Police Headquarters where speakers such as Jane Doe, and Michael Kaufmann addressed the crowd, speaking out against the misogynistic and racist attitudes about rape that run rampant within the Toronto police force and society at large. It seems to have been a successful start to a global movement, with satellite SlutWalks now planned in cities as far away as Adelaide, Australia.

Photos: Rebekah Hakkenberg

Rebekah Hakkenberg takes lots of pictures and occasionally writes about feminism, music, art, and other stuff. She is also the co-creator of Once Again, To Zelda, which is where an earlier version of this post originally appeared.