December 6: Women, Men, Violence
Twenty–five years ago on December 6, 1989, a man, whose name you probably know, walked into the École Polytechnique in Montreal and shot to death fourteen women. He wounded fourteen more women and four men. He deliberately targeted the women, saying feminists had ruined his life.
Since that day there have been commemorations and controversies, coalitions for gun control, push back against that. Arguments about individual responsibility, societal responsibility. Whether mental illness was the root cause, or a broken and violent family life, or a society that denigrates women, or a society that denigrates outsiders. Whether men hate women, whether women blame men, whether any of us can live together in this world.
Perhaps one way to start, is to remember the names of the people who died. To remember the women and men who were wounded and damaged and changed forever by what happened to them. People like Lt. Pierre Leclair of the Montreal police, who found one of the first victims and identified her. She was Maryse Leclair, a fourth-year metallurgy student, and she was his daughter.
Plaque on the exterior wall of École Polytechnique Wikimedia Commons
Perhaps another way is to remember how many more have died because of sexual violence or domestic violence or gun violence since that day in 1989.
And still another way is to read and learn the ways others have tried to respond to those events and that tragedy. A short list:
Books:
Aftermath : the mother of Marc Lépine tells the story of her life before and after the Montreal massacre by Monique Lépine
December 6 : from the Montreal massacre to gun control : the inside story by Heidi Rathjen
Intimate personal violence in Canada by Anastasia Bake
Male peer support and violence against women : the history and verification of a theory by Walter S, DeKeseredy
Misogyny : the world's oldest prejudice by Jack Holland
The Montreal massacre : a story of membership categorization analysis by Peter Eglin
Rage and resistance : a theological reflection on the Montreal Massacre by Theresa M. O'Donovan
Sexual assault in Canada : law, legal practice, and women's activism Elizabeth A. Sheehy eBook
Video:
Heidi Rathjen: from tragedy to triumph
Web:
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women–Ontario Women's Directorate
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women–Status of Women Canada
Kaz Andrew: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
9 thoughts on “December 6: Women, Men, Violence”
My o my. that was my birthday. I was in grad school. I was writing a paper for a class which took place in the same sort of auditorium. It was a horrible day in class the next day. Each December 6, my birthday, I take time to remember what might have been. All those bright lights snuffed out. As I grow older, they do not.
Thanks for pulling this together. You should add (it’s in your collection) Remembering Women Murdered by Men which is about some of the many women’s monuments in Canada.
Wow powerful stuff. Thank you for that post Katherine. December 6th always seems to sneak up on me and this is a great tribute.
Sadly, a beautiful tribute. Thank you, Katherine.
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Yes, thanks Jemo. Here’s the link: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM132040&R=132040
The time to act and speak out when abuse, violence or even shoddy, disrepectful behaviour is aimed at you, as a woman, is always and hopefully immediately in the face of it, and safely. But especially when you are young and can afford physically, mentally, emotionally financially and spiritually to counter and address it. Responding to the heap of crap females put up with over our lifetime is tiring, demoralizing, isolating and ultimately in some cases, deadly. You cannot have privilege without some responsibility, really. Young women cannot think that someone else is going to fight for women’s rights (that’s maternity leave, sick leave when your child is sick, bereavement leave, better pay for the same job that a man does; education, housing and employment without harassment; abortion when necessary) without being a spokesperson at some time or other. A culture that does not allow a woman to walk ahead of a man and let her speak freely and think different thoughts and hold separate beliefs than their religious or boy’s club mentality, and patriarchs, husbands and brothers or mothers is a culture that denies the true existence of females as equal persons under the sun and law. This may be in Canada! Over the years I spoke back about being called a bitch for telling a man that he couldn’t cut ahead of me in a line; fat and ugly, by a skinny gay boy, when I am of normal size and cute; criticized for being smart, by dumb guys. The list is endless. Accept the burden of accountability for what gains you are given (that have been won by the rough work of feminists for decades and yes millenia) or you will see your rights eroded by those who want an unfair share of power. Take care, watch out. A crone.
It’s interesting that your list of rights won by feminists includes “abortion when necessary”.
Slightly over half the unborn children killed by abortion are female. I’ve often wondered what the actual use of feminism is when it fails to protect actual human females.
How was the sex determined? Unscrupulous use of technology / amniocentesis by misogynist individuals / groups with cultural bias to only have male offspring. Like Joe using the internet to backlash feminist advances. Feminists ask for change, we’re not a police or paramilitary group enforcing laws. Duh.