STA, 8 March 2021 - Žiga Turk, an opinion leader who served as minister of education, science, culture and sport in the 2012-13 Janez Janša government, has been declared the winner of the Silver Thistle for the most sexist quote in the past year for his Twitter comment on rape.
"If sex is a mere recreation, then rape is no worse than a foul. If sex is not recreation, the basic premise of the progressive view on the issue established since 1968 falls," was the tweet, posted on 5 February, that won Turk the censure.
Ampak bistvo se mi zdi drugje. Če je seks samo rekreacija, potem posilsvo ni nič hujšega kot faul. Če pa seks ni rekreacija, pa pade temeljna premisa naprednega™ pogleda na to vprašanje, ki je uveljavljeno od 1968 dalje.
— Žiga Turk (@ZigaTurk) February 5, 2021
Out of 23 sexist statements shortlisted, Turk's won the most negative votes in an online vote between 19 February and 5 March involving 1,667 people. The winner was declared at the conclusion of the 22nd feminist and queer festival Red Dawns on Sunday, held online.
In explanation, the web portal Spol.si said the author of the most sexist statement believed the 1968 revolution turned rape into a sporting offence, as if to say that free choice about sexuality should be conditional on accepting the opinion of rape.
According to the portal, Turk's comment relativises sexual violence, which comes at a time when colleges in Slovenia are examining students' allegations about being sexually harassed by professors.
Izjava o Neži (če bi kdo predstavil obe strani):
— Žiga Turk (@ZigaTurk) March 8, 2021
Nagrada je nepoštena, nerazumna in nezaslužena. Utemeljitev ⬇️
He says it will be perfectly clear to anyone who has read his statement through to the end that he considers rape the worse crime.
He finds the award irrational because he has publicly supported the "only yes means yes" concept of the crime of rape and deems it outrageous because he believes the award is a punishment for his support for the incumbent government.
The Silver Thistle is awarded annually by the Red Dawns collective and the editorial board of spol.si in cooperation with the interested public.
