Lift The Silence On Sexual Violence

I have an OpEd in today's National Post as a counterpoint to Barbara Kay's column that ran earlier this week. It's not about science, policy, or kissing. But it is about culture and matters very much:

Barbara Kay’s recent column touched on the relationship between sexual violence and the way women conduct themselves. While not the main target of her piece, she asserted that “women’s dress and behaviour [sets] parameters for the social barrier between men and women, and that women who dress modestly usually won’t be harassed by men.” This sounds an awful lot like blaming the victims, which is a difficult perspective to read as a target of sexual assault.

--further down the page--

The discomfort of talking about rape has been a significant obstacle that, as New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof explained, “has allowed the violence to continue.”... I do not judge the women who want to reclaim the word “slut,” just as I do not judge others seeking to distance themselves from the term. Language can be very powerful and I recognize that our social mores are shaped not only by culture, but also through individual experiences.

What I know for sure is that when women and men speak up for what they believe in, it benefits all of us. I’m not convinced that events like “SlutWalk” lead us to hypersexualization of our society, but I do believe that they encourage more people to acknowledge sexual violence. Perhaps as we become comfortable talking about rape, there will be less associated shame and marginalization. Ultimately, that is what has to change. And by lifting the silence, we move a bit closer to that end.

Go read my full "Counterpoint" and weigh in...