I recently experienced my worst level of street harrassment yet. I was sitting at a bus stop waiting for a bus that I seriously needed to catch; and this big, macho guy starts hitting on me from across the street and then comes over and keeps hitting on me even more.
Then, when the bus starts arriving (and I’m thinking “Thank God–I’m safe now!”) he says he doesn’t want me to catch this bus because he wants me to spend more time with him; and even though I get up to hail the bus and the bus stops slowing down when it sees me; this jerk who’s been verbally harrassing me actually WAVES the BUS BY! Worst of all, the bus driver pays attention to him and not to me, clearly assuming that this man has the right to speak for me. I run after the bus screaming for it, but it just keeps right on going. I keep on going too, just to get away from that jerk–I am not going to go back and endure more sexual harrassment while waiting for another bus. I hope he realizes that his sexual advances are backfiring, but perhaps he just wants to take pleasure in making vulnerable women’s lives painful.
I see a cop car shortly afterward and thought about reporting the behavior; but even if the cop were willing to do something about it, I am a tiny woman and I have to walk these unsafe streets everywhere I go, because I don’t own a car right now; and so I can’t afford to get on the bad side of the macho men who rule them.
-Anonymous
Location: Washington, D.C.
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Concealed Weapon says
Report the bus driver to the boss.
beckie says
great idea concealed Weapon. I am so sorry this happened to you. I am beyond outraged by your story!!!!