SlutWalk Vancouver - that's their name, and they're sticking to it.
Organizers of the 2012 SlutWalk held an online poll recently, surveying people on the possibility of changing the march's controversial name, but respondents voted to stick with the original.
The march started last year in Toronto in response to comments made by Const. Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto police officer who said women should "avoid dressing like sluts" if they don't want to be sexually assaulted. The comments sparked outrage among women, and rallies spread across Canada and to other parts of the world.
But the name SlutWalk has been plagued with a controversy all its own.
According to Burnaby resident Sophia Salazar, the march's moniker has been criticized "by local media and groups" and has also come under fire in an open letter from black women.
"As black women, we do not have the privilege or the space to call ourselves 'slut' without validating the already historically entrenched ideology and recurring messages about what and who the black woman is," the letter reads.
"Locally, some have pointed out that aboriginal women face this same problem of racial privilege," said Salazar, one of the march's key organizers. "The name 'SlutWalk' can also fail to represent disabled women who are often desexualized, yet at risk of sexual violence."
Yet the name SlutWalk prevailed in online voting, which wrapped up last Friday.
SlutWalk garnered 188 votes, while the closest runner up was "Yes Means Yes" at 138 votes.
"I feel that claiming the word 'slut' makes it into something positive: a recognition and celebration of sexual autonomy," said Salazar. "The name SlutWalk challenges our assumptions: If all types of women can be raped, sexually assaulted and called 'sluts', then the logic of blaming the victim fails."
This year's SlutWalk will be on Saturday, June 30 at 2 p.m. at the Vancouver Art Gallery. There will be speakers at the art gallery, followed by a brief march downtown. For more information, go to slutwalkvancouver.com.
