Q&A

“Rock The Slut Vote” Founder: I Was Shocked “To Find Myself Labeled A ‘Slut’”

The NRA, NOW, the Animal Rights Party… there’s a political action group for just about every demographic. And now, there’s one for sluts.

Known as “Rock The Slut Vote,” this new group aims to propel women voters into the booth on election day. And while its name has shades of Limbaugh to it, the Rock The Slut Vote casts a wide net for women’s rights – and not just where contraception is concerned.

In the short time that Rock The Slut Vote has existed, it’s been dismissed as “typical liberal angst” — and it’s been celebrated as the latest weapon against the War on Women. Regardless, it’s garnered a following of a few thousand members and RTSV shows no signs of slowing down. But is RTSV just for the left – or do sluts of all stripes fit in?

For answers, we turned to Susan McMillan Emry, a 56-year-old mom and businesswoman who was shocked to discover she now fit the “slut” label – and decided to do something about it.

The Jane Dough: Was there a catalyzing moment that pushed you to launch?

Susan McMillan Emry: It wasn’t so much a moment as the cumulative effect of four events: The Komen Foundation’s politically motivated defunding of Planned Parenthood; the onslaught of state legislation (more than 1,000 pieces of legislation in less than a year) all targeting women’s rights in some way — reproductive rights, equal pay, affordable health care, voter suppression, and more; Rush Limbaugh’s despicable and unwarranted attack on Sandra Fluke for daring to speak about contraceptive issues for college women; and a Huffington Post article on March 2nd, titled “Getting Out The Slut Vote in 2012.”

I was overwhelmed with a compelling need to speak out against the attacks on women.

TJD: Tell us a bit about your inspiration for the RTSV movement.

SME: Humor and satire were my inspiration. I hoped to grab women’s attention, to highlight breaking news, and to mobilize women to go forth, raise hell and rock the slut vote! To do that we need to mobilize the 7 million women who are not registered to vote and the 13 million women who are registered but didn’t vote in 2008. If we can share a rueful laugh along the way, all the better.

TJD: Did it surprise you to see women’s reproductive rights and contraception become such a central issue in this election? In a way it kind of feels like a lot of the conversation came out of nowhere.

SME: It didn’t surprise me — shocked me! I am 56 years old and I remember the fight for women’s rights from the ’60s and ’70s. While the debate about Roe v. Wade has never stopped, these new assaults are simply stunning. And while it may feel like it came from nowhere, it is obviously well-orchestrated and timed by those on the Right. In state after state, the GOP has marched in lockstep to control women’s choices far beyond the question of abortion. All this while GOP pundits insist the war on women is no more real than a war on caterpillars!

TJD: We’ve noticed a lot of interesting grassroots groups employing the word slut to a positive effect (for example, Sluts Across America).What do you think is propelling this phenomenon? Is it all the Limbaugh effect or something larger?

SME: It’s something much larger. Women are smart. When Limbaugh used that shameful tactic so publicly and so coarsely to attack a student who simply dared to speak up for insurance coverage for birth control, the entire nation sat up and took notice. These are our daughters, our granddaughters, our sisters, and our friends caught in the cross-hairs now. Rush made it public and he made it personal. He and others on the Right tried to apply the word “slut” to all but a very narrow band of women. That’s what RTSV’s “You Might Be a Slut” list points out. [See partial list to the right.]

No one is more surprised than I was to find myself labeled a “slut.” I’m a 56-year-old businesswoman who has been happily married for 38 years. I was a stay-at-home mom whenever I could be as we raised our son and daughter. I’m a taxpayer who believes those taxes should help provide a safety net for those in need. While I’ve always been politically aware and supported candidates of my choice, I’ve never been an activist until now.

I have to clarify that women are not asking people to pay for them to have sex. The GOP is using that twist as a rallying cry and it is wrong at its very premise. This war is a bold and blatant attempt to legislate morality. If not, then why ignore the fact that contraception is the best way to reduce abortions?

We should be a nation of free choice, free to disagree, free to vote, free to be Americans. We must not be ruled by the politics and the policies of fear and prejudice and repression.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

TAGS: rock the slut vote | susan mcmillan emry

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