[Wamvan] SlutTALK Vancouver: The (Un)Conference - May 26

[Meenakshi Mannoe]

PLEASE POST WIDELY

Last year we were inspired by and acted in solidarity with SlutWalk
Toronto. Following comments made by a Toronto police officer that
“women should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be
victimized”, movements were made to end the blaming of victims of
sexual assaults. Participants across the globe marched in SlutWalks to
redirect blame to the perpetrators, not the victims.

This year SlutWalk Vancouver is hosting two events to facilitate
conversations one year after our march: Our slutTALK Clip-Hop night at
the Rio on May 15th, and the following event:

On SATURDAY, MAY 26TH from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the WISE Hall we'll
be holding a day of discussions and workshops and we'll be inviting
discussion about the "SlutWalk" name and whether it should be changed.

The event will be in an unconference format – What’s an unconference?
It’s a participant-driven conference where YOU decide the agenda.
Speakers from women’s groups will be invited to post their panel
topics on a board, and audience members will be invited to do the
same. You can prepare a proposed topic in advance, or you can come up
with a topic on the spot that you want to discuss with the group. The
audience gets to rearrange the agenda however they want, which means
you’ll get to hear about the topics that most interest you – and you
get to share your own expertise if you wish.

Speakers will include representatives from WAVAW, the BC Coalition of
People with Disabilities, the F Word Media Collective, the young
YouTube sensation Sarah MacLeod and hopefully you!

The discussion topics will range from the following open list:

•	Victim-blaming and how it plays out in peer responses to rape, in
institutional settings, etc.
•	Alternative responses to rape: changes we’d like to see happen
•	Male accountability
•	What consent looks like
•	Other strategies for activism and change
•	What SlutWalk and rape culture mean to different communities
•	Critiques of using the word “slut” in our movement – acknowledgement
of the issues of racism and sexism entwined with using the term, and
suggestions for improvement. This may lead up to a name change, and/or
to changes in the language of our mandate.

More topics are welcome and encouraged!

Bring your cash! Admission is by donation, and SlutWalk dresses,
shirts, buttons and baked goods will be on sale. All proceeds will
recover costs of organizing.