thoughts on the brisbane slutwalk

I attended the Brisbane Slutwalk on the 28th of May. I attended in support and solidarity of my peers, male and female. The turn out at the Brisbane event was very large. Over 2000 people rsvped on Facebook, and although I don’t believe that many people came, the crowd was huge. We walked the streets, holding signs, chanting slogans. A friend mentioned that a woman, who was walking by with her shopping, read a sign, started crying and joined in the walk.

There have been definite concerns about the problematic nature of the walks – I really don’t dispute that at all. There are issues with ableism, race, privilege and gender. Much smarter people than I have brought up their concerns with the walks. Others have brought up the issue of reclaiming the word ‘slut’; they think it should be stricken from vocabulary all together. I don’t entirely disagree, I am not comfortable with the use of the word and the connotations it involves, but I also recognise that people have the right to call themselves what they wish to call themselves.

I hope the message the walks were trying to achieve aren’t lost. I hope people continue to campaign and educate against sexual violence. I hope people are taught how to respect one another, regardless of how they are dressed and who they are.

Adelaide’s Slutwalk will be taking place on June 11. Click here for event details.

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