After video surfaced earlier this month where U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump boasted that he can kiss any woman he wants and “grab ‘em by the pussy,” a movement called Pussy Grabs Back has been fighting back.
An unofficial Toronto chapter was formed last week by several members of the band Rhythms of Resistance. On October 24 at 6 pm, they’ll hold a protest outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower at the corner of Bay and Adelaide.
Pussy Grabs Back Toronto was inspired by similar protests outside Trump towers in the U.S., as well as the hashtag #PussyGrabsBack on social media, which has been used to rally against rape culture and send messages of support to survivors of sexual violence. Ahead of the final presidential debate on October 19, approximately 1000 people protested outside a Trump Tower in Manhattan. They held signs that read “Pussy Grabs Back.” Some wore vagina costumes.
“We decided to do this to stand in solidarity with them, but also because there’s going to be a direct impact on Canadian women if there is a Trump presidency,” says Kelsy Vivash, a 29-year-old PhD student at the University of Toronto, who is a member of Rhythms of Resistance. “It’s important to provide a space to talk about what that impact might be, and also to open up a space to talk about sexual violence and rape culture that is being perpetuated and validated by somebody like Donald Trump.”
This isn’t the first time Toronto residents have protested Trump and the downtown high-rise that bears his name. In 2015, after the presidential candidate called Mexican immigrants drug dealers, criminals and rapists, UNITE HERE Local 75 workers organized a rally – which includes staff at the hotel – featured a mariachi band playing outside.
Last December, city councillor Josh Matlow called for the removal of Trump’s name from the building after Trump’s campaign went on an anti-Muslim, anti-immigration tirade. Matlow sent a request to Talon International Inc., the owners of the 68-storey hotel and condo development, saying, “I think it’s fair to ask them to consider changing the name so that we don’t have one of the largest and most prominent buildings in the downtown core named after one of the most infamous bigots in the world.”
Since then, Trump’s platform for spewing offensive, hateful remarks has only gotten bigger, his microphone louder.
“I think when these statements come from a position of power, it really has the potential to strengthen the language around rape culture that exists in Canada,” adds Vivash.
According to Vivash, rape culture takes on many forms. She describes Tinder-dates gone wrong and awkward conversations at family dinners as examples of where language that promotes sexual violence and gender inequality permeates.
“Right now, we’ve got this Professor [Jordan] Peterson at U of T making videos online about how he refuses to use proper pronouns for trans and non-binary people,” she adds. “Trump’s remarks aren’t exactly the same thing but they’re definitely closely related. This sort of speech exists in Canada, and there’s a rape problem here, too.”
Vivash acknowledges that even the name Pussy Grabs Back might be offensive to trans and non-binary people, but she promises that the event is open to everyone.
“We’re really just trying to echo the language that Trump used and to stand in solidarity with the movement that exists in the U.S,” she says. “It’s sort of a metaphorical pussy, if you will. We’d love to hear from trans people, non-binary people, queer people, people who identify as women, anybody who would like to speak.”
The group will begin by handing out leaflets and speaking to people gathered about sexual violence and statistics in Canada. At 7 pm, speakers including Mandi Gray, Jassie Justice and Ellie Ade Kur will address the crowd. Protest attendees will also have a chance to step up to the mic, if they want. Additionally, attendees are encouraged to bring posters, noisemakers and lights to the event.