On December 6, 1989, a gunman walked into Montreal’s École Polytechnique, interrupted classes, asked the men to leave and began to shoot the women in classes. Fourteen women were killed; dozens more were injured. The gunman believed that ‘feminists’ had ‘ruined his life. Since 1989, that date has marked a day of remembrance and a National Day of Commemoration and Action on Violence Against Women.
Though it would be simplistic and probably wrong to suggest that violence and threats against women, whether physical or sexual, has increased this past year, it has been a year marked by some particularly high-profile instances of violence against women, whether it be Jian Ghomeshi, Bill Cosby, the legions behind Gamergate, the unnamed gang who tormented and sexually abused Rehateh Parsons, or the hundreds of missing or murdered indigenous women in Canada. (Perhaps we as a society are becoming more incensed by these events, which is mildly encouraging.) Personally, it’s also a year in which I discovered an author I’d worked with in the past was also an abuser. So, late on December 5, I had an idea. This is what I posted on Twitter the morning of December 6:
25 years ago, 14 women were killed for being women. I thought I should honour them somehow. All I know how to do is (kind of) draw. (1/2)
So I stayed up all night & drew them. And figured it would also help me remember all 14 of their names. #Dec6 (2/2)
Geneviève Bergeron, civil engineering student. #Dec6
Hélène Colgan, mechanical engineering student. #Dec6
Nathalie Croteau, mechanical engineering student. #Dec6
Barbara Daigneault, mechanical engineering student. #Dec6
Anne-Marie Edward, chemical engineering student. #Dec6
Maud Haviernick, materials engineering student. #Dec6
Maryse Laganière, budget clerk in the finance department. #Dec6
Maryse Leclair, materials engineering student. #Dec6
Anne-Marie Lemay, mechanical engineering student. #Dec6
Sonia Pelletier, mechanical engineering student. #Dec6
Michèle Richard, materials engineering student. #Dec6
Annie St-Arneault, mechanical engineering student. #Dec6
Annie Turcotte, materials engineering student. #Dec6
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, nursing student. #Dec6
I’d apologize for clogging your feed, but it’s important that we (men, esp.) remember them & try to stop it from happening over & over.
I didn’t know what I was doing. To be honest, I hesitated posting the illustrations. I thought they were kind of trite, and the illustrations weren’t that good, and that my illustration style was too comic-booky. Worse, I thought the concept itself was kind of odd, or maybe weirdly (and inadvertently) self-aggrandizing. But I posted it anyway, and the response was great. So many people who I really respect and admire seemed to think it was a really fitting tribute and remembrance. I was more than a bit taken aback: I don’t think I’ve ever drawn anything that has meant as much to people. As I said to the Huffington Post, I’ve noticed that the simple act of drawing someone can really have an impact. It confirms that person’s existence. And that’s what I wanted to do.
Still, while I’m really heartened by people sharing and posting it, even seeing it on Medium and the CBC’s blog, I feel a bit sheepish about it all. There are so many other people doing way more to prevent violence against women and working to end misogyny. I just drew fourteen pictures. But if it helps people remember and makes men think about how they act and how their fellow men act, and do everything they can to end the culture of gendered violence, then I’ll be really happy.
