Nineteen Years Gone
It's been long enough, now, since the Montreal Massacre of 1989, that young women are enrolled in colleges and universities who weren't even born when those fourteen women studying engineering at l'École Polytechnique were gunned down by a bitter, vengeful anti-feminist man who blamed them for his own shortcomings in life.
I remember as a grad student, hearing of the shooting spree, feeling my heart freeze as the details emerged of the horrific carnage. I was well aware that I lived in a society where anti-feminism was an accepted norm and violence against women was all too easily excused or overlooked: just a few months before, Queen's University had seen a guerilla backlash against the "No means No" campaign by some men in residences: "No means 'Kick her in the teeth'" and "No means 'Down on your knees, bitch.'" The administration failed to react against this until a group of women students forced the issue.
It's been a long time since 1989. Sadly, it's not been nearly long enough to erase the bitter realities of misogyny and anti-feminism that still permeate our world.
I remember as a grad student, hearing of the shooting spree, feeling my heart freeze as the details emerged of the horrific carnage. I was well aware that I lived in a society where anti-feminism was an accepted norm and violence against women was all too easily excused or overlooked: just a few months before, Queen's University had seen a guerilla backlash against the "No means No" campaign by some men in residences: "No means 'Kick her in the teeth'" and "No means 'Down on your knees, bitch.'" The administration failed to react against this until a group of women students forced the issue.
It's been a long time since 1989. Sadly, it's not been nearly long enough to erase the bitter realities of misogyny and anti-feminism that still permeate our world.