Last weekend, I attended SlutWalk DC.  This rally was part of a nationwide movement in response to a comment made by a police officer in Toronto claiming that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” SlutWalks aim to end the widespread shaming and blaming of survivors of sexual assault, rape and street harassment. There were all kinds of different people at SlutWalk DC, wearing all kinds of different outfits. And everyone looked really, really good.

Most of the speakers told the crowd (of about 2,500 people) their own personal stories of being a survivor. These stories made the atmosphere very personal, despite the fact that there were so many people there. Two men told their stories about being survivors of rape, helping bring awareness to the fact that it’s not just women who experience sexual violence. Because of these stories, and the fact that strangers were willing to open up to me about personal experiences, I felt very comfortable at SlutWalk. It was great to be in a space that was created to make us feel like we could wear whatever we wanted, but it really sucks that spaces like these are the exception to the norm.  In addition, my positive experience at SlutWalk is not universal. For more on this, see the analysis of SlutWalks at Colorlines.

I arrived at SlutWalk DC a little late. I got there during one of the many awesome speakers. She was giving the crowd a lesson in self-defense. She had everyone stand up in a firmly balanced position, put their hands in front of them, and yell “NO!” Then, she taught us a couple techniques, like how to hit an attacker in the nose or stomp on their feet. It felt great to be in a crowd of people punching the air, stomping on the ground and yelling at an imaginary attacker. This group felt ridiculously powerful.

For anyone who has interest in participating in this emerging movement, go to a SlutWalk! Click here to find out when it’s happening in your area.

By Alicia Dudziak

Yesterday, I participated in the Summer Celebration of Choice. This event, framed by pro-choice groups as a peaceful presence, is a response to the Summer of Mercy 2.0 organized by Operation Rescue. The Summer of Mercy is a nine-day protest of Dr. LeRoy Carhart’s clinic in Germantown, MD, with the goal of “destroying” Dr. Carhart and shutting down his clinic. I like actively opposing abortion clinic protests because they’re just one example of the many things that make abortion inaccessible to all kinds of women. Other barriers to access include cost, stigma, parental notification laws, and much more. Until access is a reality, “choice” means nothing.

One thing I noticed while talking to various feminist, socialist, and abortion rights activists at the Summer of Choice was a new dedication to directly confronting the stigma surrounding abortion. I had many conversations with people about the need for abortion stories to be told more often and in more public spaces. Multiple people told me their abortion stories during the gathering in Germantown. It would make a lot of sense for the abortion rights movement to begin utilizing storytelling as a method of gaining support. A recent study done by the Public Religion Research Institute found that people ages 18-29 are more likely to support abortion rights if they know someone who has had an abortion. Storytelling campaigns featuring individual experiences can help people recognize the complexities of certain issues and see beyond oversimplified claims such as “abortion is murder.” It has worked in advancing the goals of other movements; LGBTQ –rights activists and undocumented DREAM activists can attribute much of their success to their own storytelling campaigns.

During the Summer of Choice gathering, I actually forgot that the anti-choicers were down the street protesting the clinic. The atmosphere at the peaceful presence was full of discussion, networking and friendly debate. Situations like these are wonderful for exchanging ideas and building relationships between different people and groups. Thank you, Summer of Mercy 2.0, for giving us a space to organize for abortions rights!

The Summer of Celebration of Choice will continue through Monday, August 8. To register and learn more, visit www.summerofchoice.com.

By Alicia Dudziak