A top ten spot on the iTunes comedy podcast charts is not the only achievement of Krystyna Hutchinson and Corinne Fisher of Guys We Fucked: The Anti-Slut Shaming Podcast (GWF). The duo also achieved the highest number of ticket sales for both of their live podcast recordings at 2016’s Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Greeting long lines of avid listeners, Hutchinson and Fisher, also known as the comedic duo Sorry About Last Night, talked relationships, sexual boundaries and preferences, and past sexual experiences with fellow comics Ms. Pat and Big Jay Oakerson at each of their respective recordings.

Through GWF, Hutchinson and Fisher aim to challenge the limits placed on sexuality by interviewing fellow comics, professionals in the world of sex and sexual health, and, yes, guys they’ve slept with. Leaving no topic in the realm of sex unexplored, the duo record candid and humourous conversations in what began as an attempt to address slut-shaming and liberate women in their sexual endeavours.

“The podcast started as very much what the title would imply,” Fisher explained. “Us interviewing guys we fucked, learning about ourselves through people who we have shared intimate experiences with, and trying to knock down the stigma of the promiscuous woman.”

Since its foundation in 2013, GWF has garnered a following of over half a million subscribers on Soundcloud, inspiring their growing audience to explore and discuss their sexuality more openly with friends and partners. 

“I love how the podcast is growing and morphing into something so much larger than we ever could have predicted,” Hutchinson said. “I was shocked, at first, by the positive impact GWF has had on women and men, but now that we’ve been doing the show for over two years, I see the lack of honest and impactful conversations around sexuality.” 

Every GWF podcast episode opens with Hutchinson and Fisher recalling their past weeks to one another, in what sounds like two good friends chatting over coffee. Before cutting to their interview with the week’s guest, Hutchinson and Fisher respond to several listeners’ emails, often giving advice in matters of sex and relationships. By openly discussing sex and sexuality with their guests, their listeners, and each other, Hutchinson and Fisher break down the stigma associated with sex and sexual freedom. 

While Hutchinson and Fisher cover a broad range of topics relating to sexuality in the podcast, one theme that comes up frequently on GWF is sexual assault. The comedy duo views discussion of sexual assault as an important first step in addressing rape culture and stigma that survivors of sexual assault face. Hutchinson revealed how commonly listeners ran into problems due to a lack of educational resources on these topics. 

 “How do you know you were raped if you don’t know what rape is? We’ve received several emails [from listeners] with the subject line, ‘Was I Raped?’ That breaks my fucking heart,” she said.

Hutchinson and Fisher’s weekly question-and-answer sessions have also helped bring attention to institutions in cases of sexual assault. After reading one listener’s story of her sexual assault by an Airbnb host in August 2016, Airbnb then banned the perpetrator from hosting. Additionally, by sharing a listener from Edmonton’s story of sexual harassment on the ice as the only girl on an all-male hockey team in June 2016, the duo called attention to Hockey Alberta’s lack of a formal sexual harassment policy and lack of action to protect the survivor.

As is the case with Hockey Alberta, many university campuses across North America also lack a formal sexual assault policy. McGill is no different, with some of the most recent news being the failure of McGill administration to adopt the Sexual Assault Policy Working Group's proposed policy on sexual assault. To Hutchinson and Fisher, institutional neglect of sexual assault cases on university campuses plays a large role in perpetuating rape culture among student bodies. 

“Administrators play a huge part in a student’s chances of being sexually assaulted,” Hutchinson said. “They prioritize their reputation over justice. If colleges are not properly punishing students who have been found guilty of sexual harassment, what kind of message does that send?”

While also sending a message of acceptance toward sexual assault, failing to implement an institutional sexual assault policy places members of any institutional body in danger.

“Society doesn't really have a responsibility to keep us safe,” Fisher said. A school or a hockey league, however, do. And this is the difference. For organizations and institutions to continue to be successful, they must keep the people who make up the organizations and institutions safe, otherwise they will ultimately crumble.” 

While the pro-survivor, sex-positive messages of GWF are particularly relevant on North American campuses, their audience and impact reaches far beyond. Inspiring listeners to speak openly about sex and sexual assault, Hutchinson and Fisher chip away at rape culture one episode at a time.

To listen to Guys We Fucked: The Anti-Slut Shaming Podcast, visit their soundcloud or Hutchinson and Fisher’s website. 

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Guys We Fucked occupied the number eight spot on the iTunes comedy podcast charts. In fact, they currently occupy the tenth spot on the iTunes comedy podcast charts. The Tribune regrets this error.