An intersectional analysis of sexual violence policies, responses, and prevention efforts at Ontario universities Emily M. Colpitts A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate program in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies York University Toronto, Ontario August 2019 © Emily Colpitts, 2019 Abstract In the context of public scrutiny, heightened media attention, and the introduction of provincial legislation on campus sexual violence, Canadian post-secondary institutions are facing unprecedented pressure to respond. This dissertation critically analyzes how sexual violence is being conceptualized in post-secondary institutions’ policies, responses, and prevention efforts. Specifically, the dissertation engages with the qualitative findings emerging from discourse analysis of post-secondary institutions’ sexual violence policies and interviews with 31 stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff involved in efforts to prevent and address sexual violence at three Ontario universities and members of community anti-violence organizations. The project is grounded in an intersectional analysis of sexual violence, which de- centres the ‘ideal’ survivor and challenges the dominant depoliticized framing of sexual violence as an interpersonal issue by revealing its structural dimensions and its intersections with systems of oppression. While a number of Ontario universities reference intersectionality in their sexual violence policies, this project examines the extent to which this translates into practice in their responses and prevention efforts and the myriad ways that contemporary neoliberal institutional cultures and the broader political climate limit the possibility of implementing intersectional approaches to campus sexual violence. Drawing on Sara Ahmed’s (2014) concept of non- performativity, the dissertation concludes that these sexual violence policies may serve to publicly signal institutions’ commitment to addressing sexual violence and construct them as ‘progressive’ for simply referencing intersectionality without necessarily transforming the ways in which sexual violence is institutionally embedded. Failing to ground efforts to prevent and address sexual violence at Canadian universities in an intersectional analysis that addresses its underlying social and structural dimensions may not only limit their effectiveness but also risks reproducing marginalization and systems of oppression by valorizing particular experiences of violence while obscuring others. ii Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without all of the support that I received along the way. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisory committee. Alison Crosby, you have been the best supervisor that I could have hoped for. Thank you for challenging me to think more critically about this research and my relationship to it, for believing that I could actually finish this in four years and everything that you have done to make that happen, and for always making time for me. To Bobby Noble and David Murray, thank you for sticking with me throughout the many iterations of this project. My work has really benefitted from your sustained engagement and I appreciate all of the time and care that you have invested in helping me to see this through. Special thanks to Enakshi Dua for helping me navigate the complexities of doing critical research in institutional settings and to Carrie Rentschler and Sonia Lawrence for your interest in my work and for serving on my PhD defence committee. To the staff in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, thank you for all of your support over the last four years. I would also like to thank my classmates for all of the ways that our conversations have shaped my work and for all of the fun that we have had along the way. Outside of the university, I would like to thank the staff and volunteers at Toronto Rape Crisis Centre for always being deeply critical of this research in the most productive ways. I have learned so much about the possibilities and challenges of radical anti-violence organizing and I am grateful for the time that you have invested in teaching me and for the sense of community that you have fostered. To my family and friends, thank you for sustaining me throughout this work. None of this would have been possible without you. iii Finally, I would like to thank my research participants for the work that you are all doing to prevent and address violence on your campuses and in your communities. In the current political context, I have found the past year to be a particularly difficult time to be doing anti- violence work and I am so grateful for your passion and commitment and all of the ways that you have inspired me. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with me. I hope that I have done them justice. * This dissertation was made possible with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Elia Scholars Program. iv Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………. ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………... iii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………... v Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 1 Personal investments………………………………………………………………. 3 The current project…………………………………………………………………. 6 Notes on terminology and language……………………………………………….. 9 Study significance…………………………………………………………………. 12 Chapter outline…………………………………………………………………….. 14 Chapter 1: Theorizing sexual violence…………………………………………………….. 19 Intersectional analyses of sexual violence…………………………………………. 20 Radical feminist perspectives on sexual violence…………………………………. 29 Neoliberalism and sexual violence………………………………………………… 43 Conceptualizing policy as non-performative………………………………………. 46 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 49 Chapter 2: Towards an intersectional methodology……………………………………….. 51 Research methodology…………………………………………………………….. 51 Ethics: Considerations and challenges…………………………………………….. 55 The selected institutions…………………………………………………………… 60 Research methods………………………………………………………………….. 62 Research challenges………………………………………………………………... 69 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 70 Chapter 3: Contextualizing contemporary responses to sexual violence at Canadian post- secondary institutions…………………………………………………………………….... 72 Prevalence research………………………………………………………………… 73 Student anti-violence activism: A brief overview…………………………………. 83 Social and mainstream media……………………………………………………… 87 Legislation and government initiatives……………………………………………. 93 The neoliberal corporatization of Canadian universities…………………………... 104 Backlash: The rise of the alt-right and men’s rights activism on campus…………. 107 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 115 Chapter 4: Sexual violence policies at Ontario universities and the politics of non- performativity........................................................................................................................ 119 Policymaking and the politics of consultation……………………………………... 120 Conceptualizing sexual violence…………………………………………………… 128 The utility and effectiveness of sexual violence policies………………………….. 136 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 140 v Chapter 5: Institutional responses to sexual violence……………………………………… 143 Support for survivors of sexual violence…………………………………………... 144 Formal reporting processes………………………………………………………… 157 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 166 Chapter 6: Prevalent approaches to preventing sexual violence on campus …………….... 168 Online training modules and information workshops……………………………… 169 Consent and awareness-raising campaigns………………………………………… 171 Bystander intervention training……………………………………………………. 177 Critical masculinities efforts……………………………………………………….. 186 Women’s resistance training……………………………………………………….. 192 Orientation strategies………………………………………………………………. 199 Heightened security as prevention………………………………………………..... 204 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 208 Chapter 7: The challenges and complexities of preventing campus sexual violence…….... 210 Overarching challenges and considerations………………………………………... 211 Participation………………………………………………………………... 211 Facilitation…………………………………………………………………. 215 Resources and sustainability………………………………………………. 219 Broader political context…………………………………………………... 225 The challenges of prevention from an intersectional analysis........... ……………... 227 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 234 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………. 236 Summary and key findings……………………………………………………….... 236 Significance………………………………………………………………………… 244 Limitations…………………………………………………………………………. 246 Implications for future research……………………………………………………. 247 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………. 248 Works cited……………………………………………………………………………….... 250 Appendices………………………………………………………………………………….280 Appendix A: List of abbreviations…………………………………………………. 280 Appendix B: Public universities in Ontario………………………………………... 283 Appendix C: Sample interview guide.……………………………………………... 285 vi Introduction Campus sexual violence is hardly a new phenomenon; in fact, research suggests that the prevalence of sexual violence at post-secondary institutions has remained static over the past thirty years (Senn et al., 2014). There is also a long history of student activism and community organizing in response to campus sexual violence. However, in the past 5 to 10 years it has been framed by mainstream media (Mathieu