Before you check your calendar, yes, it is still A. But like conspiracy theories about the birth certificates of black presidents, some mistaken ideas take a long time to die. And the idea that rape victims are to blame for the violence perpetrated against them is one of the oldest most enduring on this planet.
The Canadian cop who uttered those words unleashed a shit storm, and not just because he found himself subject to a professional standards inquiry. And SlutWalk Toronto was born. Women took to the streets on April 3, some of them dressed quite provocatively, others holding signs of protest. It seems that women everywhere have had enough. On July 2, SlutWalk comes to Denver, thanks to two young women who read about the event and its origins and decided that something had to be done.
What was she wearing? Was she drunk? Was she walking alone at night? After all, they would never get drunk and pass out at a frat house. They would never walk home alone at 1 a. They would never dress like that.
But there are others who seem to side with the rapist, coming up with reasons to excuse his violent and criminal actions while holding the victim accountable. Do these people identify and sympathize with the rapist? Or do they hold onto archaic notions about women, sexuality and rape? Perhaps both. One SlutWalk organizer, a rape survivor, described how the fact that she owned a vibrator was used against her, as if the act of getting herself off and enjoying her own body somehow meant that she deserved to be assaulted.
/c4/53/c45326d4324a1f46cfef080179bc59dcc0828952 "Whores in Boulder")
If you own more than one vibrator, does that mean you deserve to be gang-raped? This attitude is nothing less than misogyny.
