Archives for 2011

“You can come home with me any time!”

July 21, 2011 By HKearl

I was on my way home from an informational meeting/potluck for a trap-neuter-release program for local feral cats, carrying a plastic bag with a container of leftover vegan chili, walking down the sidewalk minding my own business. A man in a pickup truck pulls over momentarily and yells out the window, “You can come home with me any time!”

I gave him an angry look and flipped him off as he drove away. He turned into the alley just a few yards in front of me though, and I was kind of afraid he was going to go around the block and try to fuck with me again. Luckily he didn’t, cause I probably would have gotten in a shouting match with him.

– Anonymous

Location: Midtown, Detroit, MI

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“What hurts me the most is when I see teen girls having to deal with it”

July 20, 2011 By Contributor

I am a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. Being American I honestly had never received harassment as a woman until I came to Morocco. The harassment is the worst in the small towns. In bigger cities where people are more educated and have things to do the harassment isn’t quite so bad. But daily in my own town men on street corners stare as me as I walk by, try to rouse me with, “Hello, how are you” in several languages, or say things in Arabic that I am told I am lucky not to understand.

My best technique is to ignore it, but it doesn’t mean I don’t hear it. Sometimes I listen to my head phones when I walk so I can block out all the comments entirely. In such a conservative and religious country men are treating women like they are nothing more than sexual objects. I know how lucky I am that I only have to deal with this a few more months. What hurts me the most is when I see teen girls having to deal with it. Girls that will have to deal with this their entire life starting as such an innocent young age.

– A.R.C.

Location: many cities in Morocco

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“What if he touches me?”

July 19, 2011 By Contributor

Just for a change to my normal workwear (and, in part, because my favourite work trousers are in the wash), I left this house this morning wearing a dress. Nothing outrageous, just a red and black print jersey long-sleeved shift dress that comes to just above the knee, with thick black tights and burgundy mary janes.

First step out of my door and someone leers at me. I ignore it – they’re only looking. At least they didn’t whistle or make that horrible kissy noise.

I get to the crossing at the end of the street. A man comes to stand beside me, and falls into step as I cross the road. “This is a new look for you, innit?” he says, conversationally. I glance at him. He’s a tall black guy with a shaved head and several gold teeth, probably in his 40s. He looks vaguely familiar, someone I see around the neighbourhood to nod to but as far as I know we’ve never spoken.

“I like it,” he continues, “You look nice.” I mumble a non-committal “Thanks” and keep walking.

He’s still alongside me. I’m feeling a bit on my guard now. Very rapidly I run over scenarios in my mind. It’s 8.30 a.m. and I’ve not slept well. My reflexes may not be at their best, and I’m in heels so probably couldn’t run. What if he touches me? There’s plenty of people around. Will anyone intervene if he doesn’t leave me alone? Maybe not.

He carries on. “You used to always wear a lot of black. I like this better. I fancy you now. You look really nice.”

I cringe inwardly, and I’m glad that I’m across the road and can reasonably make the excuse that I have to run for my train to get away from him. I wonder if he has any idea how creepy that sounded. Has he been watching me? How often? Does he know where I live? Maybe I should start carrying an attack alarm again, and double-lock the door at night.

By the time I get onto the train I’m furious. How DARE he pass judgement on my appearance like that? How DARE he make me feel unsafe walking down my own street?

I’m still fuming.

– Karen

Location: SW2 3BU, London

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Harasser uses sexually violent language in front of cop, cop laughs.

July 18, 2011 By Contributor

Last Thursday evening around 5:30 pm, I was involved in a fender bender. Once the policeman arrived on the scene, he asked me and the male I accidentally hit move our cars from the busy intersection to the gas station about 30 feet from the scene.

As I am pulling into the gas station parking lot, I see a truck full of four redneck men eyeing me. While I felt extremely uncomfortable with their stares, I believed they wouldn’t say anything outright because a policeman was on the scene.

However, this is not what happened. As I am walking over to the police car to deliver him my license, registration and insurance card the truck full of misogynists drive about ten feet in front of me and the cop and start to yell at me, while making jacking off hand gestures to me. As they are driving off one yells, “HEY BABY I WANT YOU TO CHOKE ON MY DICK!”

And see, I am actually getting my Masters in Women’s Studies at a local Women’s College, so you would think I would have known what to say to the truck of shit heads, but I was so embarrassed and shocked that I didn’t know what to do.

I looked at the cop and said, “Aren’t you going to do anything??!” and he just laughed and said he had to fill out too much paper work because of the wreak. HE JUST LAUGHED AND DID NOTHING.

I was in shock.

Everyone in the gas station lot was looking at me. I was no longer looked at as a human, but as an object. Because of my vagina, I deserved to be degraded.

The only thing that even mildly helped is that the male I hit said, “Please forgive my gender. We are a bunch of dumbasses.”

I am catcalled at least twice a week in Roanoke, VA, and no one does anything about it. I ask the animals to stop and it just makes them take it further. I’ve even had firemen at the local fire department catcall me.

I’m angry and upset because the Cop, who stands for what is just and whose job is to protect others, did nothing. Even worse, he laughed like it was no idea. Men have no concept of what it is like to be objectified by males. I literally black-out and have to “reboot” when I’m catcalled.

Does that make sense?

I feel hunted and no one does anything to defend me. It baffles me to know that men can objectify women in broad fucking daylight, in front of a police officer and nothing is done.

I’m at a loss for words.

– Logan Lambert

Location: Roanoke, VA

Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem.
Find suggestions for what YOU can do about this human rights issue.

Street Harassment Snapshot: July 17, 2011

July 17, 2011 By HKearl

Read stories, news articles, blog posts, and tweets about street harassment from the past week and find relevant announcements and upcoming street harassment events.

Street Harassment Stories:

Share your story! You can read new street harassment stories on the Web from the past week at:

Stop Street Harassment Blog

Street Harassment in the News, on the Blogs:

* The Hairpin, “Snappy Things to Yell Back at Construction Workers“

* India Today, “Bhopal girls organize ‘slut walk‘”

* The Times of India, “Special teams to combat eve-teasing“

* Al Jazeera English, “Afghan women fight back against harassment“

* MSNBC, “Afghan women rally, turning men red-faced with anger“

* Women’s Views on News, “Afghan women march against street harassment – today“

* Relando Thompkins, “It’s Not a Compliment, It’s Harassment“

* Bangalore Mirror, “Mapping city’s mean streets“

* Clutch, “Ladies, Sometimes We All We Got“

* Daijiworld.com, “Students Protest Against Private Bus Operators, Allege Harassment of Girls“

* Tentacles of doom, “Rape, privilege, and stupidity“

* Al Masry Al Youm, “The Sexual Harassment File: Foreign women in Egypt and harassment“

* Al Masry Al Youm, “The Sexual Harassment File: Men overlooked“

* Feministing Community, “What do Slut Walks have to do with street harassment?“

* Feministing, “Afghan women fight for safe streets“

Announcements:

New:

* Do you have a stare that can turn #streetharassers to stone? Then participate in the Medusa Gaze Project! http://tinyurl.com/6fhh3tz

Reminders/On-Going:

* Sign Mend the Gap’s petition to address subway harassment in Delhi, India

* College students, enter the Hollaback essay contest, entries due August 1.

* Are you in Egypt? Use HarassMap to report your street harassers

* Have an iPhone? Download the Hollaback iPhone app that lets you report street harassers

10 Tweets from the Week:

1. neversent Is today National Street Harassment Day and no one told me?

2. jmcgivering Afghan women just staged first protest against harassment in the street – from insults to sexual assault. Even when wearing burqa.

3. femmeniste Seriously, have ya never seen a pretty lady before? Must you gasp and say “Damn.” GAWD. #StreetHarassment #KeepItToYourself

4. tanyasnarks Creepy dude following me down the street told me he wanted to eat me- in French and English. Double points for dual language harassment?

5. RobynAnnie Prefers White Sox to Cubs based solely on the level of street harassment I’ve incurred from each type of fan.

6. DeeshaPhilyaw Just experienced street harassment while walking w/MiniMe (12). “Mom, is that guy drunk?” “No, he’s just an idiot w/a sense of entitlement.”

7. musingvirtual Does anyone else think it’s weird when people bring God into street compliments and harassment? God didn’t pick out my outfit. #hollaback

8. ryssiebee: I want to write a book about street harassment called “Fuck You” and then…just flash the cover.

9. Leacyyy Whenever guys catcall me I pretend I’m deaf. Not working so well on the car of guys slowly following me. Oh jersey city

10. sassmasterdeane Street harassment is The Worst. I always feel like a sucker if I smile but a bitch if I don’t. #cantwin

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