Feminists of OU hold Slut Walk

“Feminism is not a dirty word,” said Natalie Noland, president of the Feminists of OU.

Noland and her executive board coordinated a march called the Slut Walk, which was held at Oakland University on Sept. 29 at 3 p.m.

The Slut Walk was a “protest of marchers devoted to ending rape culture,” according to the event’s GrizzOrgs page.

“Too many women are called too many names based on their clothing, their behavior, and their number of sexual partners,” the event page said. “We are reclaiming the word ‘slut.’”

About 15 people attended, walking through the dreary fall weather and carrying signs in protest of rape culture and victim blaming.

“Sexual assault still happens in the rain,” one protester in the group said as it started sprinkling.

Some of the phrases included on the posters were:

• “Slut and proud”
• “Don’t ask what I was wearing, ask what he was doing!”
• “‘No’ doesn’t mean ‘convince me'”
• “Friends don’t let friends blame victims. End rape culture.”
• “‘No’ means ‘no’ every time”

Noland explained that the concept of a slut walk was not her idea, and that slut walks are put on nationwide. This was just the first one to be hosted at OU.

The event started at the Elliott Clock Tower, and the group moved around campus over every major path. They stopped at major landmarks on campus, such as the University Drive entrance and the Grizz statue, and posed for photos with their signs.

Bystanders turned to see what the group was marching for, and some cheered the group on.

“I support you!” someone in the Oakland Center cheered.

“Go girls!” another cheered.

Early in the walk, one bystander joined in and asked questions to one of the marchers. Members of the group explained what rape culture is, what feminism is, and why they were having the march in the first place.

The event was streamed via Facebook Live, which allowed people to locate and join up with the march even if they were at a different area of campus.

Kate Hubbell, vice president of the Feminists of OU, said there was very little backlash about the event.

“I heard some people talking about it in a derogatory way in a class,” she said.

Once Hubbell went over and explained what the walk was and what it was for, she said they were much more understanding.

The Feminists of OU plan to host one big event per semester alongside multiple smaller ones. One of their events earlier in the semester involved tabling in the OC and asking students what a world without sexual assault would be like.