SlutWalk comes to Ann Arbor next weekend

By Kyle Feldscher Crime and courts reporter

Posted on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 : 1:30 p.m.

An international movement of people who wish to eradicate victim-blaming from conversations about sexual assault will be coming to Ann Arbor next weekend.

The Facebook page for the Ann Arbor SlutWalk event.

SlutWalk began earlier this year after a representative from the Toronto Police Service said “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized” by sexual predators, according to a Facebook event. Now, Ann Arbor will be getting its own SlutWalk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 22 on The Diag.

The goal of SlutWalk is to show the general public that blaming victims of sexual assault for the crimes committed against them is not OK, according to organizers.

“Being assaulted is not about what you wear; it’s not even about sex,” the notice for the event states. “But, using a pejorative term to rationalize inexcusable behavior creates an environment in which it’s okay to blame the victim.”

SlutWalk follows a string of sexual assaults that occurred throughout the summer in Ann Arbor. There have been seven possibly-related sexual assaults in the city since July, and police have received hundreds of tips related to the crimes.

SlutWalks have been held in in cities throughout the U.S. and Canada, including New York City, Boston, Washington D.C. and Ottawa, Ontario.

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