Put yourself in these shoes.

This is not my story, it belongs to someone else. Please take the time to read it thoroughly and picture it in your mind. Imagine it’s you doing the narrating. Or me.

“A few weeks ago, I was on my way back from a long, hard run through Manhattan. I had had a really shitty day, and while the run had been hard, I was hoping that it would send some welcome endorphins pumping through my body. I stood on the subway, sweaty but pleased with myself, with my usual cool-down music piping loudly through my headphones. As I stood there, I became aware that the woman standing next to me was speaking to me.

But it is an “everyone issue.”

Lately I’ve been hearing increasing commentary about Slutwalk and the problem of the victim-blaming it addresses not being an “everyone” issue, that it’s an issue only for women. Or only for women, transgender and two-spirited people, which I take to mean only those who might look like women. The issue is certainly not one for cis-men (those born with male physiology who have a male gender identity), go the comments.

Does dressing like a slut increase victim potential?

(originally published 2011 Feb 22 on Facebook)

Recently, a Toronto cop addressing a group of law students said that women could avoid being targeted for sexual assault by not “dressing like sluts.” His words met with some heated reaction, and as of this writing the Toronto Police Service has had no official response to what the officer has said; they say, however, they’ll be looking into it.

This underscores a major issue in law-enforcement and the relationship of police with the public. Keep in mind, this was an officer chosen to speak to the public, not a random conversation overheard at a private function, taken out of