Women and men - dressed however they want, thank you - came out in force Sunday in Toronto to protest what they perceive as a callous attitude by the Toronto police regarding sexual assault.
Tongue-in-cheek and defiant in name, Slutwalk attracted about 1,000 people in Queen's Park and went off without a hitch, police said.
“It was very peaceful, and they got the message out that they wanted,” constable spokeswoman Wendy Drummond told CNN on Monday morning.
"We feel it was a huge success," Slutwalk organizer Sonya Barnett said in an e-mail to CNN. She said the crowd numbered closer to 4,000. "It was great to see that most people came out 'as they were,' not in the stereotypical idea of slut," she said. "Our definition is about attitude, not appearance. Just like sexual assault is not about appearance."
The demonstrators, some dressed in miniskirts and holding provocative slogans, clearly wanted to rouse Toronto residents and raise awareness about a very serious topic: sexual assault. In doing so, protesters staked their claim to take a derogatory term and wrestle it back.
"Just 'cause I'm a slut doesn't mean I want to be raped," said one female protester, according to CNN affiliate CTV.
"We should be beyond the myths of people ‘asking' or ‘deserving' to be assaulted due to their behaviour or appearance," Heather Jarvis, a movement co-founder, wrote to CTV.
The Slutwalk protest was organized in part in response to comments made in January by police Constable Michael Sanguinetti. Speaking to students at York University about community safety tips, Sanguinetti said, “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized,” according to media reports.
Faculty and students at the university had been on guard since a wave of sexual assaults on the campus in 2008. But the police officers' visit in January, part of a community awareness initiative, was overshadowed by the constable's widely reported remarks.
Students expressed outrage that it took Toronto police nearly a month to issue an apology, written by Sanguinetti and addressed to York students and staff. “These comments were entirely inappropriate and I can assure you, the officer understands that clearly," Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash said in media reports.
But by then, the anger had reached a boiling point.
Barnett, who left a comment on an article about the incident on the York University school newspaper’s website, called for a demonstration and linked a Facebook page. The page had more than 4,500 likes as of Monday morning.
On Monday, Drummond said Toronto police have continually addressed the issue since the January incident and are seeking to move on.
Barnett said this is not the end of Slutwalk.
"In looking to the future, we will be working on initiatives to continue spreading the word," she said. "As SlutWalk Toronto was initially conceived to be a one-time event, the response has been so incredible that we are considering this to be an annual event."
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whens this happening next year?
@ Ruffnutt, That's my boy
im going to wait at the end of the march in my camaro wearing my three-wolves t-shirt and dark sunglasses...
So that means I should be ready to interview them while your scoping , HEHE
Why don't you & ruffnutt just get a room already? It's obvious you don't like women.
Ok, maybe I'll walk around the forest in my Lady Gaga-like meat outfit and blame the bears when they devour me.
Exactly. Thank you.
@ Doub, Ya I say dont expect any respect if your going to show the goods.
Ah Ah Ah-Chooo
easy on the bear jokes for a bit.. we are all still in mourning..
Well it was a joke, but some definitely deserve it. I don't really consider someone who sits around on their computer all day to be a good moral compass. Sorry.
I had the day off from work, do you mind?
I'll bet they were walking bow-legged.
I know I'm a pest, but one more comment. I've tried several comments with the four letter 's' word in them and they don't load. Even though it's in the bleeping headline. Weird.
Just a thought Elepharntnutts , could-a hosed them down good.
nobody wants to take responsibility for their actions or the resulting consequences. i understand that dressing like a ho shouldnt warrant ANY disrespect. However, if your in a hos uniform then dont get mad when your treated like a ho. if i went out in a cop uniform and got mad at everyone calling me officer id look silly too..
Some people are saying "don't dress like that if you don't want to be assaulted". Um, how about the women coming home from the gym dressed in sweatpants and hoodies being assaulted. were they asking for it? how about kids who are told they need to put on makeup by pretty much every media they encounter in order to be beautiful who are assaulted by a gang of 20 year olds. How about women with disabilities that are unable to stop their aggressors? Apparently dressing like "their asking for it" can be pretty much be applied to anybody.
Just because a women wants to look nice does not mean its a free ticket to drug her drink or force her. These assaults happen, but we need to stop blaming the women or men it happens to and start blaming those who are sick enough to believe they can abuse them in this way. It needs to be taken seriously by the police so we can prevent it from happening to more people.
Thank you for your support. The movie "The Accused" with Jodie Foster from 1988 covered everything the above idiots have expounded on. You are correct. Every media outlet available advocates children dressing like 'hos' and then blame them when they do not understand the contradiction.
I hope that every one of those little boys in men's bodies have daughters and find out what it is like on that side of the line for raising children. If they continue with their disrespectful and objectifying beliefs and behaviours, their future children probably won't matter to them. All of these young women are someone's daughters, sisters, mothers, cousins, nieces, and friends. When did we forget that?
@Lola: (Nice name by the way) I think the point being made is that certain women heave their boobs out of their shirt and let their booty hang out then get upset when men talk to them. I've been at bars and been very respectful only to have the girl get furious that a guy dared to approach them. Lol And no I'm not unattractive either. It's a game being played where girls with daddy issues like treating guys like dirt, so they dress in a way that attracts as many men as possible in order to spread the hate more effectively. Of course nobody deserves to be physically assaulted, but some deserve it.
Whoa whoa whoa whoa. So correct me if i'm wrong but just because a woman might not want to sleep with you they deserve to get assaulted. Yeah anyone can be a jerk, women included, but you don't attack them for it.
also you're generalizing horrifically about women. You think just because you're "not unattractive" that women should give you a chance. I've gone out dressed up because I'm out with friends and we want to look nice, not necessarily wanting guys to come up to us. Sorry that some girls have treated you as "like dirt" but get over yourself. We don't all have "daddy issues" and we don't "play games" with men. that's just outrageous. You should probably think about it next time you go up to a girl at a bar who is dressed nice and she doesn't swoon at you're "not unattractive"ness and realize that maybe they just went out for a drink or to dance.
Only men without a higher education or drunks use the terms "daddy issues" and assume the position of a psychology major when they are shot down. Taking the incidents personally suggest that YOU have 'issues' that need to be addressed. When women are out with their friends they do not need to be hit on. If you are interested, apologize for iinterupting, give her a compliment, pass her your phone number and ask her to call you. DON'T HOLD YOUR BREATH. You just took a good chance on life with NO strings so don't take it personally.
@Mary Ann - "Pass her your phone number"? Bwa ha ha!!! Do you really think you're all that? If I ask for your number and you don't give it to me, I'm moving on to the next one. I'm not stupid enough to think you would actually call me!
Can't stop laughing!