Sluts Across America

As the campaign for the American Presidency ramps up, feminist groups are doing everything possible to keep the “War on Women” meme alive.

While the Republican party was choosing a candidate to run against President Obama, candidates and some Republican legislators at the national and state levels were promising and working to limit access to abortion and birth control for American women. In the middle of this highly-charged atmosphere, conservative radio provocateur Rush Limbaugh referred to a women speaking out for birth control coverage in health insurance as a “slut”.

This has sparked a number of backlashes to reclaim the word “slut” as an identity of power. And this is one of them. It invites women from across the United States (and a few elsewhere) to proclaim their sluttishness and literally put their presence on the map by adding a “slut” icon (taken from the iconic reclining nude female silhouette seen on so many truckers’ mud flaps).

From their “about” page:

Birth control is under attack in the United States.

Conservative members of our government and society have launched what is essentially a war on reproductive rights. They have made attempt after attempt to limit the availability of essential services to women, men, and families who need access to them to live healthy, productive lives.

They have also repeatedly made judgment calls on those of us who do choose to use birth control—calling our morals and values into question and referring to us as sluts, whores, and other derogatory names—without even trying to understand that the use of birth control represents an awareness of our individual responsibility to do whatever we can to protect our health, and to ensure that the children we bring into this world are born into families who have the resources and ability to take care of them.

“Sluts Across America” is the collective voice of the women and men in this country who use or support birth control, and are sick of being judged because of our desire to be responsible and safe about our sexual health. If protecting ourselves makes us sluts, then it’s time to redefine what “slut” actually means.

And there are many who have. What can I say? It’s a slutty world out there. And thank god for that.