
John Waters at the Toronto Underground Cinema with me and my husband Antonio Ramirez-Ortega.My friend Pepper called me in a panic the other day to tell me a frightening story. The previous evening she’d been walking alone to an all-night supermarket, when suddenly she became aware that someone was running up behind her. Before she could turn around, whoever it was slapped her on the ass as hard as he could and took off back the same way he came. Now, Pepper is a very hardy person who’s lived through a lot of impossible predicaments—I was her roommate once for several years, for example—so it’s not easy to rustle her feathers. She’s also quite brave. I recall fondly how she would insert herself as a human shield from time to time between myself and various homophobic Mohawks or skinheads after I’d been mincing in the pit at the local hardcore show. But this incident vexed her terribly. Why would someone do such a thing? Is it some sort of fetish? Should it be considered assault, sexual assault, or just bad manners?
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