Saturday, June 16, 2012
2:00pm
Grand Circus Park
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The first SlutWalk took place in Toronto in early 2011, after a police officer there stated that women should "stop dressing like sluts" to avoid being raped. The organizers of SlutWalk recognized that rather than being an isolated comment, that officer's words were a reflection of the widespread, systemic victim-blaming that exists in our culture. Less than half of rapes are ever reported, which is no surprise in a culture which shames, accuses, and torments rape victims rather than rapists. This silencing of victims allows sexual violence to continue without consequence. The purpose of SlutWalk is to take a stand and say "enough is enough;" it's time to stop blaming victims of sexual violence, shaming women for their sexuality, and enforcing strict gender roles for everyone.