The creators of Victims_Voices in Quebec must have sensed the change in the winds of social justice when they created an anonymous Instagram account where victims of physical, psychological and sexual abuse could tell their stories, find support, and demand accountability. It caught on in the wider culture, sprouting groups in each city of Quebec, fanning out to other geographical areas as well as genres (cinema, LGBTQ, academia, and yes, even circus).

ups in each city of Quebec, fanning out to other geographical areas as well as genres (cinema, LGBTQ, academia, and yes, even circus). When the first Instagram post was published in July of 2020 on Victims_Voices_Circus, there was already a format. No full names would be used to describe the perpetrator, and the victims themselves would remain anonymous. Trigger warnings for each post image describe the nature of the abuse to avoid reactivating trauma for those reading the details. These trigger warnings themselves are a striking list: power abuse, sexual harassment, extortion, sexual assault, intimidation, attempted rape, rape, physical assault, death threat. Echoing Voices  These heart-breaking stories document not only the types of abuse of power that are occurring in the circus sector but also the widespread prevalence of abuses. B...