Community conversation
Female students were reacting to rape jokes by male students and sexist social media posts by male students. The protesters were demanding an end to sexual abuse and advocating compulsory education in schools about sexual consent. The organisers of the protest were surprised to encounter a negative backlash from some students. Some were threatened with violence and accused of being ‘radical’ because they had spoken out. Mia and other protest organisers fielded negative comments via social media, with one person stating that ‘feminism is a type of cancer’. They were not deterred and the protest was attended by hundreds of supporters.