Feminist Club hosted their annual Slut Walk in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This is the fourth year the event has taken place.
The walk on April 18 started at El Pomar center and ended at Roaring Fork. At the end of the walk, President of Feminist Club Alissa Beehler addressed the group. “We may be a small group, but we are big on this campus,” she said. “At UCCS, we try to recognize survivors of sexual assault, abuse and harassment, and give them spaces to speak up and talk about their experience and support others.”
Attendees held signs with slogans like “Keep your policies off my body.” Feminist Club members led the group in chants, including “No means no,” and “My body, my choice. My country, my voice.”
According to Bailey Parenteau, an officer of Feminist Club, demonstrations like the Slut Walk are important for raising awareness on campus. “What you’re wearing doesn’t justify sexual assault, and we want to let survivors know that we see them,” Parenteau said.
The walk was open to all participants, regardless of gender or dress. Beehler said that it is a common misconception that provocative outfits are required to attend. “The Slut Walk is about bodily autonomy and reclaiming that part of yourself,” she said.
Campus Sexual Violence Statistics from RAINN show that 13% of college students experience rape or sexual assault. For undergraduate students, 26.4% of women and 6.8% of men experience rape or sexual assault. These crimes often go unreported.
While the Slut Walk is intended to raise awareness amongst students, it is also meant “to show UCCS administration and campus that these survivors matter, and if assaults took place on campus, to invigorate some action,” Beehler said.
The concept of a Slut Walk originated in Toronto in 2011. According to NPR, the event started in protest after a Toronto police officer said that women looking to protect themselves from assault should “avoid dressing like sluts.”
Slut Walks have since become international protests, with demonstrations in Brazil, London and Sydney.
Resources are available on campus for reporting sexual assault and for finding support. The UCCS Wellness Center and UCCS Police offer services to address sexual assault and abuse.
Students begin the walk at El Pomar Plaza. Photo by Logan Cole.
