The Cadre -

23 March 1999

News 5

Anti-Date Rape Posters Defaced on Campus

Obscenities, notes left on “NO means NO” material

By MELISSA DOUCETTE

Please note that the follow- ing article contains graphic language.

Posters with an anti- date rape message are being defaced at UPEI. The posters are only up in Main building. So far, at least one has been ripped down, and at least three have had obscenities written on them.

“If someone wants to write that, they should have the courage to sign their name. Coward- ice is the first ingredient of a rapist.”

Lyle Berhault, Rape Crisis Centre

The posters were first roduced in Ontario in 1991 y the Ontario Federation of

Students (OFS), and several years later became a national campaign of the Canadian Federation of Students, of which the OFS were mem- bers. The defacement of these posters is not a new occur- rence. One of the most vi- cious backlashes against the “NO means NO” posters hap- pened at Queen’s University in the early nineties, where lurid parodies of the posters appeared.

Each poster has a blank spot followed by the words “means no.” At UPEI, the comments “drive your cock in me,” “bone my dry cunt,” and “fuck my red asshole” have been written in black ine! in the <= area, in appears to

same hand. The defaced post-

ers have since been removed and re

: he vandalizing has students, communi ; and UPEI <ininianaien a raged.

“It’s a very immature response to a very serious is- sue.... Two-year olds do that. I don’t find it funny at all,” commented Nanette Gauthier, fifth-year Reli-

ious Studies major and omen’s Centre volunteer. The founding of the Wom- en’s Centre several years ago stems from a brutal rape that was alleged to take place on

campus.

Lyle Berhault, former Coordinator of the Rape Cri- sis Centre, also expressed her anger at the obscenities.

“It’s hard to respond to it because A oe oe ly ugly. It’s absolutely isgust - ing.” Berhault asserted. “It’s no secret that UPEI, as in any university, has that element

ideas Prey in the de- Stone . They think they are going to university for education, but

cation badly. Some minds are so closed that they’re wast- ing their time at university. It’s just sad,” she continued, and noted that the “NO means NO” poster is kept at the Crisis Centre.

erhault also ques- tioned a “he praffiel 18

nsible for the iti

left no identifying marks on their comments.

“If someone wants to write that, they should have the courage to sign their name. Copciins is the = ingredient of a rapist,” sai see “It really makes it clear how horri ng rape is

of mind it

— this is the ki comes from.”

Dr. John Crossley, Vice-President of Support for UPEI, added to the comments about the de- facement of the “NO means

NO” posters.

“It's stupid and offen- sive, but dong ictable behaviour,” said Crossley. tate oon eee

to “a of es

been left oe cae on

cluding typed notes that re-

act to some of the text of the

means | HAVE A BOY- FRIEND/GIRLFRIEND. Maybe later means MAYBE

LA

You've I’ve been drinking means YOU'VE/ I'VEB DRINKING.

I'm not sure means I'M NOT SURE.

You're not m wpe means YOU'RE NO ¥ TYPE.

If you mean NO, bet- ter to just say NO.”

The typed note has also elicited comments. Crossley calls the “NO means No” message, which has been used = many dif- ferent groups for years, a

Bin wna anaguy eros

He also referred to the

Anita Zaenker, Na- tional Women’s Commis- sioner for the Canadian Fed-

crs. “The No means No campaign was started as a way of educating people about date . One out of 6 women on Canadian cam- puses will experience sexualized violence. No means No sends the message to survivors that they have the right to say no however they can,” she commented. She further noted that women have the force of law behind the “NO means NO” . The Supreme Court of Canada recently over- turned a ruling where a man was acquitted of sexual as-

sault on the basis that the vic- tim had given “complied consent.”

prove her chances of avoid- ing a violent assault.”