Please find below answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive. If you still have questions about The Window Sex Project Community Workshops, please email our Strategic Visioning Partner, Nia Austin-Edwards at anae@slmdances.com.
FAQs
Why is this called "Window Sex"? What does sex in a window have to do with street harassment?
Sydnie titled this work The Window Sex Project because she often feels like walking down the street is akin to being “window shopped” like a mannequin or other sexual object on display. When she has to bear unsolicited verbal harassment or worse, typically from men in public spaces, she feels reduced to her body parts, an object of their power, as opposed to a human being.
Why can't cisgender men attend the workshop?
The community workshops are intended to be a liberated and supportive space for women and genderqueer folks. The Window Sex Project creates space to center ourselves, particularly our bodies and our stories. It is an opportunity to affirm one another while sharing tools and resources.
SLMDances' performances of The Window Sex Project are the spaces intended for dialogue across genders. You are invited to the screening of one of our performances at 7:30PM. We ask audiences to witness the performance work and then engage in discussion informed by the stories shared. If you are interested in bringing us to your community to screen or perform the work in the future, please contact SLMDances.
If you are a cis-man who cares about gender equity, HERE ARE SOME RESOURCES to help stop street harassment.
What should I wear? What should I bring?
You should wear clothes that are comfortable and that you can move in! Make sure you have physical space to move: enough room to do a line dance in all directions or to lay on the floor in an X.
Most of all, you should bring an open mind, a willingness to meet new people, your stories and your questions.
Will this be a dance therapy session?
The workshop is not intended to be a dance therapy session, and we are not taking a therapeutic approach. Rather, we recognize the power of movement practice to reclaim some agency in response to the ways street harassment can make you feel powerless. Our bodies are the site of harassment, so it is imperative that we care for them and use them to respond to the violence toward them. Every time we have led these workshops, we see how necessary these spaces are.
What is the target age range for this event? I'm over 40 and I still get cat-called... and can I bring my teenage daughter?
The intended audience for the workshops is adults who may not have a community of peers with whom to discuss issues of gender justice. We ask you to respect the general notion that the space is for adults, as opposed to youth or elders. We ask that attendees be age 18+.
We realize that kids begin to experience gender-based harassment as early as 11 or 12 years old (or earlier!) and we also want them to be equipped to handle it. If you are interested in bringing us to your community to facilitate workshops specifically for teenagers, please contact SLMDances.
Why is the workshop FREE? It seems like you should sell tickets.
SLMDances values community and activism and it is important to us to make this space economically accessible for whomever needs it. We have generous support from our donors and partners to make this event possible.
Even with support, we want to be able to continue to do this work which we can only do with contributions from folks like you. Please consider making a recurring contribution HERE.
What if I can't attend? How do I stay connected to SLMDances to know what's next?
That's an easy fix! Sign up for our newsletter by entering your email address in the subscription box on the bottom of this page.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Contact Us directly.