BDSM MEDIA NEWS!!!!
17 may 2012
'Political' SlutWalk misses the point, says rape survivor.
Source: www.brisbanetimes.com.au. - Brisbane Times - Australia
AUSTRALIA - BRISBANE - Brisbane's SlutWalk has been criticised by a former participant and rape survivor for becoming too politicised and losing its core values.
Organisers have defended their involvement with the Sex Party and their decision to allow a BDSM mistress to speak at the event after it was labelled offensive to rape survivors. BDSM combines bondage and dominance with elements of sadomasochism.
Rape survivor Kathleen McLeod said, although she had no problem with BDSM, she did not believe SlutWalk was the right forum for it and its inclusion could make other rape survivors uncomfortable.
Last year, Ms McLeod marched in the Brisbane SlutWalk, which was part of a global movement aimed at ending slut shaming and the blaming of rape victims based on how they were dressed at the time of the assault.
Ms McLeod said she was uncomfortable with the amount of Sex Party branding at the event and did not believe it was the right place to be promoting sex positivity, a movement which embraced sexuality with almost no limits.
"I think the overall message needs to be 'combat rape culture, end victim naming and shaming and teach healthy consent'," she said.
"My issue with them having speakers from the kink community or the Sex Party is they are promoting sex positivity, which I personally have no problem with, but a lot of survivors of rape are at different stages.
"A lot of survivors whether they were raped 10 years ago or last week are at different stages of sex and for some even thinking about sex is really deeply uncomfortable for them.
"So forcing a sex positivity on a crowd I think is problematic, it's not speaking to an overall message of empathy and empowerment."
Brisbane's second SlutWalk will take place on Saturday, with supporters marching from King George Square to Queens Park.
Ms McLeod said the worldwide conversation about rape culture SlutWalk had promoted was "incredible" and it was important to stay focused on the core values of teaching consent and erasing misogyny.
"This year they have invited, I understand she is a survivor too, but a BDSM mistress to speak and I support her story as a survivor and whatever she has to say, but the BDSM community still contains misogyny and violence and promoting that to a crowd, many of who will be survivors, is very uncomfortable and actually quite offensive," she said.
"I don't think it's helpful, I think we can teach consent to all communities and that's what we need to be focusing on in schools, society, in the messages we give in the media."
Brisbane SlutWalk organiser Tiara Shafiq said they were using the Sex Party's public liability insurance to be able to host the rally and, although there would be a Sex Party speaker, there would also be others speaking at the rally.
The Sex Party and BDSM speakers will be joined by representatives from a sex worker advocacy group and the Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivors Centre.
Ms Shafiq said not allowing certain people to speak at the event was contradictory to the inclusive values SlutWalk was supposed to promote.
"It's a collective of different backgrounds and there is an after party at Spring Hill, which will be open mic and anyone can speak about their survival story," she said.
"The (BDSM mistress) is a professional dominatrix but also has a lot to say about surviving (rape), it's not just limited to BDSM.
"One of the core values of SlutWalk is to be inclusive, especially of people that are marginalised.
"I feel if we don't include specific different backgrounds than we are marginalising people.
"I don't see the logic in excluding."
