SlutWalk marched through D.C. on Saturday as one of many recent marches organized by women to raise awareness and reduce the blame put by society on victims of sexual abuse.
Women and men gathered at Lafayette Square and processed down 15th Street to the Washington Monument. Some marchers woreonly in a bra, several painted “Slut” across their chests, others carried signs declaring “My Dress is Not a Yes” and “Even Sluts Have a Right to Say ‘No’.” All conveyed the same message: Consent is not granted by the way a woman dresses or acts, and victims are never responsible for sexual violence committed against them.
SlutWalk D.C. defines its principle goal as onethat “specifically aims to challenge ‘rape culture’ which excuses sexual violence through messaging such as ‘Don’t Get Raped’ – instead the message should be ‘Don’t Rape!’”
SlutWalk D.C. follows a series of marches that began with a small movement in Toronto in April, after a Toronto police officer who suggested that women could better protect themselves by not dressing “like a slut.”
Since Toronto, SlutWalk has not only taken Chicago, Austin, Philadelphia and Seattle by storm, but also gone international with marches in Brisbane, Australia and London, England.
For more information about SlutWalk, its principles and its history, visit slutwalkdc.org
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- slutwalkdc.org
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- dcslutwalk.org
