The Sweet Spot: SlutWalk, Slut Debate, Slut Activism, and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

​
"I want to stand up for what's right," said Jessica "Jane Doe" Gonzales. At the SlutWalk rally this past Saturday, Gonzales was also there to tell her story about being a victim of gang rape: She was assaulted by her high school football team while unconscious. At the trial the clothing she wore, the fact that she was intoxicated, and her social network photos were all used against her. The perpetrators were not convicted.

Michael Short

Ginger also spoke at SlutWalk. Go Ginger! -Eds

​Despite the tragedy of her story, Gonzales' courage in speaking out inspired tears and wild applause, because protesting sexual violence is what SlutWalk is actually about, despite the provocative presentation. And SlutWalk has become very popular, but not everyone is a fan.

Women Against Rape, for example, did not respond to the offer from SlutWalk organizers to donate the proceeds from this weekend's event to the organization. Various writers have condemned the march because they feel that the use of the term "slut" demeans the message of feminism.

Michal Short

​Rebecca Traister wrote in the New York Times magazine:

"I wanted to love SlutWalks, the viral protest movement that began this spring after a Toronto police officer told a group of college women that if they hoped to escape sexual assault, they should avoid dressing like 'sluts.' In angry response, young women (and men) have marched in more than 70 cities around the world, often dressed in bras, halter tops, and garter belts. But at a moment when questions of sex and power, blame and credibility, and gender and justice are so ubiquitous and so urgent, I have mostly felt irritation that stripping down to skivvies and calling ourselves sluts is passing for keen retort."

She makes a fair point. But after the march, I understood just how vital the slut focus is. I've been to many a feminist protest rally in my time, and a lot of them, though important, have the quality of preaching to the converted. Their effectiveness in bringing the issues to a larger audience is often limited.

SlutWalk, on the other hand, certainly got people's attention. There were almost as many men marching as women, and and many different communities were in evidence. And it was fun. Fun? Oh yes. There was laughter and dancing and a sense of rejoicing among the marchers, even as the serious issues of human rights and domestic abuse were discussed.

Michael Short

Sister T'Ain't A Virgin of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

​So one march won't cure all the problems we still face with violence and discrimination, but as Sister T'aint A Virgin put it, "SlutWalk is a fantastic start to a movement that needs to happen. We need a movement that supports sex positivity, sexual safety, and sexual freedom." Indeed we do. And I think this here ball just got rollin' towards a slut solidarity that might change the world for the better.

The Sweet Spot is a blog column about alternative sexuality by Ginger Murray who is also the editor of Whore! magazine. Check back next week for more. Header photo by Anton Bielousov