Feminism for All, a campus organization fighting for intersectional equity, is hosting the 2022 Slut Walk on Friday, Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m. The event starts in the Hunt and Van Antwerp residence hall lobby to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence.

The Slut Walk at NMU intends to raise awareness of these acts of violence happening all around us, said Sarah Pilto, Feminism for All co-president.

“It raises awareness for things that I think we turn a blind eye to because they happen so often,” Pilto said. “There is a statement of when you see something so often, you just become blind to it. You don’t see it anymore”

According to National Public Radio, the first Slut Walk was held in 2011 in Toronto, Canada, following comments made by a Toronto police officer suggesting that people can avoid sexual assault by not “dressing like sluts.” 

This sparked movements across the continent, including marches at Northern Michigan University for the last decade, said Ali Deutsch, Feminism for All co-president.

“The purpose of the walk is to give people a space to be themselves and speak their truth, even as raw as that may be for them,” Deutsch said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to come out and show support to friends, acquaintances or anyone on campus who may have been through something.”

According to the University of Arizona Women and Gender Resource Center, Slut Walks are rallies, marches, protests and movements “aimed to make visible the prevalence of victim-blaming, rape-culture, street harassment, and sexual violence.”

Pilto added that the Slut Walk and intersectional feminism involves any acts that are non-consensual or intend to harm such as catcalling, male circumcision and fat-phobia.

“For me, it means taking back my body from anybody who has made comments about it or made me feel less than because of what my body looks like, or what I’m wearing, or anybody who has ever taken something away from me, and that’s kind of the energy that we try to put forward,” Pilto said.

The Slut Walk provides a space for survivors to be heard and take back what was taken from them, Pilto said.

“The marching portion is about raising awareness and it’s a call to action saying, ‘hey, here we are, we are real, and we aren’t just some statistic on a piece of paper, we are real human beings,’” said Pilto.

For Deutsch, this march sparks the conversation of not judging people based on their characteristics or sexual history.

“This walk is … encouraging treating people with the respect that they deserve and not judging people based off of what they wear, how many sexual partners they’ve had or some other statistic that really doesn’t make up who they are as a person,” Deutsch said.

Following the march, students will have the opportunity to give speeches at the Wildcat Statue outside Jamrich Hall at 5:45 p.m. In the case of rain, speeches will be moved inside of Jamrich Hall outside of room 1100.

Staff from the NMU Title IX office, NMU Counseling and Consultation Services and Marquette Women’s Center will be in attendance for anyone at the march who needs support, Deutsch said.

“People will be sharing personal stories about things that have happened to them related to this topic, which can sometimes be upsetting for other people who may have gone through something similar,” Deutsch said. “So, we will have people on site to help with any issues that may arise.” 

Regardless of gender identification, Pilto said non-consensual acts of violence can affect anyone, thus the Slut Walk, as well as Feminism for All, is a safe space for everyone.

“It’s about equity for all people, no matter race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, mental health,” Pilto said. “With that comes common issues faced amongst groups, and one of those is sexual assault and domestic violence, which affects a lot of cisgender women as well as transgender and non-binary people and it affects men as well.”

Deutsch said she encourages anyone regardless of how they identify to join in the march.

“You don’t have to identify as female, you don’t have to be part of the LGBTQ+ community, you can just come and support,” Deutsch said. “It’s a really great event for everyone to come to and it’s a great opportunity for everyone to learn.”

Deutsch said events like the Slut Walk are important in working towards removing the power of words.

“It helps us to understand why words like ‘slut’ are harmful, and it allows us to reclaim that word, and also ourselves after having been through really hard and traumatic experiences,” Deutsch said. 

For Pilto, the Slut Walk is about supporting survivors of non-consensual acts and creating a community around it.

“It denounces sexual assault, domestic violence, any non-consensual act, and says that those things are not welcome here,” Pilto said. “They are not welcome at NMU and they are not welcome in the Marquette area.”