The ‘time has come’ for another SlutWalk

Organizers of a march against sexual violence say it has evolved over the past year to focus on policy changes rather than public protest.

SlutWalk began in early 2011, after a Toronto police officer told a group of university students that women should “avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”

The comments launched a series of rallies across the country, including several in Seattle, where women chanted, “No more hate, no more violence. We are sluts we won’t be silenced.”

Hundreds of men and women are expected to join a SlutWalk in Seattle Sunday, which will begin at Occidental Park and culminate in a rally at Westlake Park.

Event Director Samuel Schimmel said SlutWalk has become the “new movement against institutionalized sexual violence.”

“The time really has come for another feminist movement, and one that specifically focuses on the issues of victim-blaming and slut-shaming,” he said.

Schimmel said SlutWalk Seattle has fine-tuned its message and focused on proposed legislative changes, including improved and expedited prosecution of rapists.

“We’re more focused about our message now,” he said. We’ve had a lot of time to grow the movement and to connect with the community.”

Schimmel said participants in Sunday’s march are encouraged to dress in the attire they were wearing when they experienced any sort of sexual violence.

The event will begin at 12:00 p.m.