STA, 4 March 2020 - Actor Bojan Emeršič has won the Silver Thistle for the most sexist statement of 2019 with his statement for the daily Delo that he disliked the "excessive emancipation" of women because it affected erotics.
The Silver Thistle was conferred on Tuesday evening by web portal Spol.si and the organisers of the feminist and queer festival Red Dawns.
A brief history of the award can be found here
Emeršič made the statement for Delo's weekend supplement and this January: "I don't like the excessive emancipation of the last 15 years, women fighting for your rights, which you already have. This affects erotics, which is not right, because men and women are different. Man has always been a hunter but is now losing his primary role."
According to the organisers, the statement shows a lack of understanding of both gender equality and women's struggle for equal opportunities, and implies that the battle for women's rights poses a direct threat to men's experiencing of sexuality.
The statement was picked among 33 statements in an on-line voting in which 1,217 people took part.
Emeršič was shortlisted for another statement, in which he argued that sleazy jokes should not be considered sexual harassment.
Several prominent persons were among those shortlisted for the dishonourable title, including President Borut Pahor, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec, Culture Minister Zoran Poznič, head of the Social Democrats deputy group Matjaž Han, philosopher Slavoj Žižek, several journalists and the Chamber of Trade Crafts and Small Business (OZS).
Pahor, who won the Silver Thistle in 2016, for shouting "Let's get it on, babe" at a high school graduation parade in May 2015, this time made it to the list with his Instagram post: "Špela took a photo of me curiously looking out of my hotel window in Bern where binoculars were available. At first I indeed admired the Eiger, 3970 m, but then I was drawn to an attractive female athlete who was stretching at a nearby stadium."
The most sexist statement of 2018 was made by children's doctor and psychotherapist Viljem Ščuka equalising sex and rape. "Mass rapes of girls (schoolmates) are not possible if girls are against. Both participants are responsible for sexual intercourse because it takes place with both being fully conscious ..." Ščuka said.
