Draw The Line is a province wide campaign committed to ending sexual violence against women. It’s an unfortunate reality that women on a daily basis are sexually violated and this kind of behaviour has to end. Now.
Peterborough local Kristal Jones is organizing an evening called, Drawing the Line: A Night of Comedy, Satire and Music. On Friday February 6 at 6:30, join Jones and a wonderfully talented group of people at The Venue to talk about violence against women.
“Draw the Line came to my attention when I visited the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre in regards to a previous situation, and I really liked the idea of it and the message to end sexual violence against women and in general,” says Jones. “The way they go about that is by challenging every consumers’ role in rape culture.” Draw the Line is about encouraging people to speak up, whether that be when you hear a friend make an inappropriate joke, or being aware of where you are spending your money and what that company may represent.”
The event is being held in support of the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre (KSAC) featuring Peterborough comedians, musicians, and poets. The event will be promoting the Draw the Line campaign with proceeds going to KSAC. The idea for the event came from a series of unfortunate events. “I was in a situation where I was sexually harassed online, and I decided that was where I was going to be drawing my line. I decided that I wasn’t going to let it end in a negative way… I was going to take all the fuss and dirt and use it to make a change and offer some sort of solution,” says Jones.
The performers of the evening include Ms. Kristal Jones herself, comedians Sean Quinlan, Zara Syed, Anne Shebib, Hannah Hogan, and Jeff Curtis, with a feature set by members of a local improv group, The Citiots, Ray Henderson, Luke Foster, and Daniel Smith. Musical talent by Will Alexander, Kathleen Kendrick, James Higgins, and the duo of Alex Pendergast and Jacques Graveline. And to round the evening off as a trilogy of creativity, there will be spoken word poets Jayson Down and Wes Ryan performing some of their original poetry.
“This event where we are mixing awareness with comedy and music, we are designing a night out, could be a great date night, great girls night, and we are throwing in talks about rape culture. It’s a heavy, heavy subject matter but there is a difference between having a light, safe, welcoming environment to talk about it, and making fun of it,” explains Jones.
Performances will be shaped with the cause of the event in mind, so there will be coarse language and mature subject matter. Because this is a welcoming and safe environment for anyone and everyone, there will be a social worker present at the event for anyone who may need support throughout the evening, in case anyone feels triggered. Triggering subject matter may be dealt with, so this event is 16+ and those under the age of 18 are encouraged to come with a support system.
“This is a place where people who care to learn about Draw the Line can get together and have information readily available,” says Jones. There will be information and reference tools that will be available and handed out throughout the evening. There will be a photo booth at the event, that will run by donation, where people will be able to go and write their own Draw the Line statement or choose a statement that they might want to integrate into their own lives. Then their photo will be uploaded at a later date. Along with the photo booth there will be a silent auction and giveaways. For people who order a ticket to support the cause but are unable to attend the event, there will be a special online give away.
“If we can get organized and come together, we will realize that we don’t have to be afraid. That a bunch of little whispers make a really loud roar if you can get together at events like this and make a statement. Put your dollar towards something that supports bettering the community and is giving back to you. If you are going to come out to our event, we are going to make you laugh, we are going to challenge you, and we are going to give you resources and tools. We are not going to tell you what to do or how to think, but we are going to challenge the way you have been thinking and acting,” says Jones.
Tickets for the event Friday February 6 are available at The Venue, The Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, and through Kristal Jones who can be contacted by email at kdmjones87@gmail.com. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.
