More than 1,500 participants staged Toronto’s first “SlutWalk” Sunday to protest a police officer’s use of the word "slut" when warning that dressing provocatively sometimes encourages sexual assault.
Const. Michael Sanguinetti later apologized for his remarks to a York University-Osgoode Law School class in January, but protesters set up a website and rallied to condemn the long-held attitude towards women’s way of dressing.
Marchers carried signs from Queen’s Park to Toronto Police headquarters on College St. which were festooned with such declarations as "Clothing is an option, rape is not” and "It’s not about sex, it’s about ethics.” Most wore casual clothes, but others were more flamboyant, ranging from one young woman in a white wedding dress to several wearing net stockings and see-through garb.
Before the peaceful 90-minute march and rally, which ended at 3:15 p.m., co-founder Sonya Barnett told the crowd “sexual assault is a crime of power.
“Slut shaming needs to be addressed,” said the York University undergraduate student. “We’re calling on protective services to eliminate this mindset.
“The victim of sexual assault is never at fault,” Barnett said.
Police accompanied the marchers and guarded the entrance to their headquarters, where Const. Wendy Drummond distributed copies of a two-page memo in which the force emphasized its improved training of officers to help rape victims.
“Our actions and behaviour must never cause doubt or bring discredit to the reputation of the service," it said.
The memo said Const. Sanguinetti’s remarks “were completely unacceptable and did not reflect” police training.
Slutwalk 2011
Awesome
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Originally Posted by rage2
