User:AnaSoc/Rock the Slut Vote

Rock the Slut Vote is a registered trademark that was issued on January 22, 2013 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to Susan MacMillan Emry. Emry, who lives in California, applied for the trademark to use as part of a public relations website to bring attention to legislation perceived as anti-women, to elect progressive candidates to political office, and to encourage women to register and to vote. The name originated from a remark made by conservative commentator, Rush Limbaugh, who called Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" after she testified in favor of contraceptives at a Congressional hearing in February, 2012. Emry reports that "she chose to brand the site with the derogatory term in an effort to take it back and turn it into a rallying cry."

The stated mission of the website "is to fight the GOP effort to bully, subjugate and silence women. We will wrest the power from the word slut and help women get informed, get involved, get registered and vote."

The website plays on a satirical act by stand-up comedian Jeff Foxworthy, listing "22 reasons why you might be a slut," and allows users to register to vote. Emry and another spokesperson, Kimberley A. Johnson, report receiving criticism about the website and its name from both left and right. Emry states that some of the harshest criticisms have come from the political right.

Emry regularly blogs about women's political issues, and also co-wrote a book entitled Rock the Slut Vote: American Edition: Navigating the Republican War on Women with Candace Foy. The book was published in 2012 with a foreword by feminist satirist Soraya Chemaly. A Huffington Post article notes that profits from the book go to Planned Parenthood, an international organization that provides education and other reproductive health services. A Facebook site entitled "Rock the Slut Vote" was created on March 5, 2012. There are nearly 90,000 people who follow the Facebook site.

Categories
Category:Third-wave feminism