Sexist message on sheet sparks outrage
Police lay 462 charges over homecoming
WATERLOO — Jessica Vaca and her friends saw the offensive bedsheet hanging from a Regina Street house on Saturday.
They knew they weren’t going to that house.
“We ignore it and we don’t go to those places,” said Vaca, a secondyear biology student at Wilfrid Laurier University.
The banner read: “She called you daddy 4 18 years. Now it’s our turn.”
“You shouldn’t be allowed to hang that. It’s offensive to women,” said the 19-year-old.
Similar signs were seen at other off-campus houses this weekend as Laurier celebrated homecoming. A bedsheet banner at a house nearby read: “The only thing easier than Guelph girls is their football team.”
This year’s crowd reached a record 14,000 people gathered on Ezra Avenue, police said. There were 462 charges laid.
“Our officers responded to several calls during the unsanctioned event and witnessed many incidents that were both disrespectful and dangerous,” said Police Chief Bryan Larkin.
The Regina Street banner was shared widely on social media during homecoming, sparking outrage. University officials condemned the message, calling it “extremely offensive, inappropriate and plain stupid.” A Conestoga College student answered the door at the house on Monday. He said he lives in the house and was the one who put up the banner.