Young women are mobilizing against what has become a string of sexual harassment and sexually-violent statements against women during post-Flames game celebrations along the Red Mile this week.
The Pussy Cats Consent Awareness Team on the Red Mile will meet Thursday outside Western Canada High School to raise awareness around the issue and prevent further incidents where women have felt sexually-harrassed and physically-endangered by aggressive hockey fans.
Stasha Huntingford, who is organizing the gathering, says women and men will come together and “show our presence,” with signs, wearing paper cat ears, and starting a conversation about consent.
“We as a society need to decide what is acceptable, and this kind of behaviour is not acceptable.
“It’s a very masculine culture along the Red Mile. But we can celebrate hockey without being violent,” she said.
Saima Jamal, who will also be joining, said part of the effort is to prevent a repeat of some of the incidents that became common-place during the Flames 2004 Cup run, when the team reached the Stanley Cup final and thousands of fans converged onto the Red Mile, 17th Avenue S.W., to celebrate game nights.
On many occasions young women unclothed in public, at times at their own choosing, and at other times, saying they felt forced to by a chanting crowd.
“Shirts off for Kiprusoff,” became a popular slogan at the time, playing with the name of then Flames starting goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff.
This week, slogans like “Show Yer Cans for Monahan,” have been seen on posters, playing with the name of star forward Sean Monahan.
But Jamal says it’s critical that similar events not happen again.
“It’s about consent and protecting women who are on the Red Mile,” said Jamal.
“Last time, we had women going down there, and there was an expectation that they take their tops off.
“And if they did, if they felt pressured to, people would just touch them without their consent.”
Huntingford says up to 40 women have committed to come together Thursday in hopes of dozens more joining in, including men, to curb aggressive behaviour on the Red Mile.
Harassment of female TV reporters went viral in January 2014 when John Cain of Cincinnati, Ohio, posted a fake news clip of himself posing as a Fox News reporter.
On that clip the “reporter” doesn’t realize he is on the air and appears to be joking with his anchor about what he would do to a missing young woman if he found her and makes a vulgar reference and gesture.
After that video went viral, Cain created at least two other videos featuring fake live news reports in which a man roughly grabs the microphone from the female “reporter.”
Social media has also lit up in the last few days with several women tweeting that they’ve been victims of harassment and verbal assault.
Last week, a Global Calgary TV reporter was interrupted during a live stand up outside the Ship and Anchor Pub by a male passerby who shouts “F*** her right in the p****. Go, Flames, go.”
Other members of print and television media, including the Herald’s Erika Stark have since confirmed they too have heard the same slur.
People have shared their stories and tried to raise awareness via Twitter with the hashtag #saferedmile.
Calgary Police were not available to provide comment on the incidents Wednesday.
Anti-harassment team to hit Red Mile Thursday
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