Today I received a powerful email from a regular Stop Street Harassment reader and she agreed to let me post it:
“I loved today’s posting on the website detailing exactly how and why street harassment limits women’s peace of mind and restricts their freedom.
I am CONSTANTLY trying to explain to people (admittedly, mostly males) exactly why it’s not just a matter of passing, inappropriate comments that we should just ignore or let roll off our backs. So many people don’t seem to understand that the effects of street harassment are multiple, permeate many layers of a woman’s psyche, make her uncomfortable enough (for a variety of reasons) to change her lifestyle and live in a constant state of mild discomfort.
But: Today’s posting captured it so perfectly!! So much better than I’ve ever been able to articulate it.
After being harassed 3 times within the past 24 hours (yep, Spring is definitely here!), I decided to take today’s posting, put it into a Word document and alter it a bit, and turn it into a 5×7 leaflet, copies of which I’m going to keep in my purse to hand out to men who find it necessary to communicate their sexual thoughts to me. It’s going to be a social experiment, but I’m very curious to see the effect it has.
In fact I think I’ll go back to the construction site corner where I was harassed an hour ago and hand one out to the 2 men who were leering and making sounds at me.
Anyway, as always, thanks for what you do. It gives me an outlet and a sense of solidarity which I desperately needed prior to finding your website.
I’m interested to hear how the men respond to the leaflets!
One of the most important messages we can share is that street harassment isn’t trivial, a minor annoyance, a compliment or women’s fault. It’s an equality issue, a human rights issue, and a matter of dignity.
Please share the link or the leaflet about why street harassment matters with your networks, friends, and family, so everyone can understand the bigger picture. Sometimes it takes knowing that information before people – including me – are spurred to take action.
