SlutWalk marches to Montreal

For a detailed look at the history and international impact of SlutWalks, read this explainer from OpenFile Vancouver

On Sunday May 29th, when Montreal joins the growing number of cities that have hosted SlutWalks, organizers intend to educate attendees on more than a person’s right to wear what they wish.

“The difference between Toronto and Montreal is that we wanted to use all the visibility around the SlutWalk to address many other issues,” said the general director of Stella, Émilie Laliberté, referencing the city that hosted the first SlutWalk in April. As in Toronto, organizers hope to re-appropriate the term ”slut” and protest the unfortunate tendency to suggest the victims of sexual assault are somehow to blame for the crimes committed against them, she said.

“But we also wanted to address whorephobia, transphobia, homophobia, and of course, violence against the native community.” More than 500 aboriginal women are missing or are presumed murdered in Canada, Laliberté noted.

The walk is being co-organized by Stella and Glam Gam, a burlesque group and production company that often incorporates themes of homophobia and transphobia into its performances. According to Michael McCarthy, a founding member of Glam Gam, it doesn’t matter who the victim is, the SlutWalk acts as a reminder that everybody has the right to safety.

“[People are] aware of the levels of discrimination there are, and people are also fighting to be safe in their bodies,” he said. “They don’t want to be violated.” For instance, sex workers have the right to refuse services to a customer, he said.

While Stella focuses on the safety of sex workers in particular, other organizations throughout the city are also dedicated to helping sexual assault victims, as well as being engaged in prevention programs. One of these is the Sexual Assault Center of McGill Students Society, which includes a help line and drop-in centre, and provides workshops to students and the community at large. The SlutWalk is timely for some of the volunteers there, as the McGill Ghetto was the site of four assaults on women during the month of April.

After the assaults, school officials “sent out this very odd list of ways that women should try to protect themselves in the streets,” said centre volunteer Corey Gulkin. “Don’t walk alone, don’t wear headphones at night, etc… We have issues with responses such as those.” Gulkin compares that attitude to blaming the victim, saying it wrongly sends a message that “the way to prevent sexual assault is the survivor’s responsibility, rather than the perpetrator’s responsibility not to assault someone in the street.”

In January, Toronto Constable Michael Sanguinetti told students "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized". He set off the SlutWalk phenomenon and demonstrated that police officers could be out of touch with rape prevention. That’s why Stella offers courses to police cadets in how to approach victims of sexual assault, no matter who the victim is.

“We also address the importance of taking the complaint of any sex worker who has been raped or assaulted or who suffered from violence,” said Laliberté. “Often when we go to train a class of future police, when they see the words ‘sex work’ or ‘transsexual,’ some of them laugh. That’s why it’s important to continue the education.”