A lot has changed, and a lot has progressed for women. And yet. Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre — when, in 1989, a man walked into the École Polytechnique in Montreal and proceeded to shoot 28 people in the name of “fighting feminism.” It is a moment in history that represents a whole lot about embedded misogyny and violence against women, and on this anniversary it is useful to remember that if this is a moment, it is a moment we are still very much living in.
The most direct parallel to shooter Marc Lépine’s actions that day 25 years ago is, of course, those horrifically similar actions of Elliot Rodger, who wrote a 137-page misogynist manifesto before killing six people and injuring thirteen in Isla Vista last May. Either of these instances alone would be unspeakable tragedies; that they extend so far past themselves and into our societies is endlessly heartbreaking. As Isha Aran put it for Jezebel:
These are not just attacks on feminists or feminism. They are attacks on women. Every goddamned day women are targeted for having the audacity to be a woman and are subjected to some violence as punishment. […] Feminism and its outrage aren’t meant to be pretty. They aren’t meant to be restrained, cleansed, or censored. And they are not meant to be forgotten.
We shouldn’t forget these things regardless of the day, but we should especially set time aside to remember it on anniversaries like these. Violence against women, after all, is still an undeniable presence in our everyday lives. As Elizabeth Hawksworth put it for The Huffington Post:
When we live in a world where feminism has done so much, but has so much further to go when it comes to including our sisters of colour, who are trans, who are gay, who are disabled; when I receive search terms and threats on my blog that state that they want to kill me, to kill women, for being feminists and speaking out for our rights; when one in five women will be sexually assaulted; when women in tech are overridden and ignored by men; and when simply being a woman in gaming means that men are ready to ignore your voice and send death threats because you pointed out misogyny in video games? What is the legacy left by the Montreal Massacre? Is it really going to be “never again” when it comes to hurting and killing women in the name of misogyny?
We have so far to go. Here are the women who lost their lives that day:
1. Geneviève Bergeron, 21, second year engineering student. She played the clarinet & sang in a professional choir. pic.twitter.com/lxjjjBeIBi
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
2. Hélène Colgan, 23, in her final year & planning to do a master’s degree in engineering. Had 3 job offers already. pic.twitter.com/Gbng4I9BS5
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
3. Nathalie Croteau, 23, another graduating student. Was planning a vacation in Cancun, Mexico with Hélène Colgan. pic.twitter.com/pa3CM9tCI9
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
4. Barbara Daigneault, 22, also graduating. Was a teaching assistant for her father, an engineering prof at UQAM. pic.twitter.com/zkPA4wHbEa
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
5. Anne-Marie Edward, 21, chemical engineering student. Loved skiing and diving, was always surrounded by friends. pic.twitter.com/vSDgQ2Gngm
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
6. Maud Haviernick, 29, metallurgical engineering student. Graduated from the environmental design program at UQAM. pic.twitter.com/mmsfW1RBHq
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
7. Maryse Laganière, 25, worked in the engineering school’s budget department. She had recently married. pic.twitter.com/MJ3tBl3bNM
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
8. Maryse Leclair, 23. Metallurgy student. Her body was found by her father, Montreal police officer Pierre Leclair. pic.twitter.com/F5bH6Fggf7
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
9. Anne-Marie Lemay, 22. Fourth year mechanical engineering student. pic.twitter.com/t1apa9O73E
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
10. Sonia Pelletier, 28. Killed the day before graduating w/a degree in mech engineering. Had 5 sisters & 2 brothers. pic.twitter.com/8yN4NSZD8k
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
11. Michèle Richard, 21. Second year metallurgical engineering student. Was presenting a paper when she was killed. pic.twitter.com/h5G3B4k7F5
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
12. Annie St-Arneault, 23. Mechanical engineering student. She hoped to someday marry her high school sweetheart. pic.twitter.com/Jo2LRcFcwU
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
13. Annie Turcotte, 20. First year student, lived w/her brother in a small Montreal apartment. Described as “gentle.” pic.twitter.com/3Z7hT4sdF7
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
14. Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz, 31. First year nursing student. Had just emigrated from Poland w/her husband in 1987 pic.twitter.com/nrzv5scTw3
— Anne Thériault (@anne_theriault) December 6, 2014
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