Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Archives for March 2012

Thank You for Making International Anti-Street Harassment Week a Success!

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UPDATE: Here is a thorough report about the activities of Meet Us on the Street 2012.
Day 7 wrap-up of International Anti-Street Harassment Week is still to come….but before any more time passed, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated.

Thank you | merci | danke | muchas gracias | teşekkür ederim | Tashakor | शुक्रिया | hvala |  | شكرا

You helped make the first-ever week of awareness and collective activism against street harassment a success!

The Internet, the streets, the classrooms swelled with discussions, messages, stories, and reclamations of public spaces. I read numerous accounts of young women who said they were so glad to see a movement on this issue and how it made them feel no longer feeling alone and gave them the courage to stand up to harassers. They really touched me and I know their awareness of this issue was due to our collective efforts, our amplification of the issue to reach people outside our immediate networks and social bubbles.

Thank you for making all of this possible, for spreading the word, engaging your networks, blogging, creating posters, holding events, and speaking out. You made history…and from here, our efforts will continue to spread further.

I’m still working to collect/document everything that happened, but it is clear that this was truly a global effort with a big impact.

* There were over 100 co-sponsoring organizations and groups from 21 countries
* There was a fair amount of media coverage (a list in progress)
* You can view more than 250 photos of activism worldwide.

Here are just a few highlights of the week:

* UN Women listed the week of awareness on their calendar

* Women in Cities International in Canada launched a new publication called “Tackling Gender Exclusion,” based on the findings and experiences of the “Gender Inclusive Cities Program (GICP),” funded by the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women.

* Hollaback launched a bystander street harassment campaign

* A group of men and women in NYC created a 2 minute video about bystander responses men can have to men who harass women on the street. In the one week since its launch, it’s been viewed 45 times shy of 200,000!!

* Thousands of middle and high school students and college students across the USA participated in classroom and community discussions about street harassment

* Rallies on the issue of street harassment took place in Delhi, India; Philadelphia, PA, and New York City, NY

* Sidewalk chalking took place in Brussels, Belgium, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Maryland

* Film screenings took place in Turkey, Croatia, Canada; and numerous cities across the USA

* Creative action like street theater, monologues, art exhibits, handing out “red cards,” and mud art occurred in numerous cities worldwide

* The Women’s Media Center made their Wednesday #SheParty discussion about street harassment on Twitter. Visit Twitter and read through the #SheParty thread to see all the tweets about street harassment during the 2-hour online discussion

* The Pixel Project created a new section on its website about street harassment

* B Safe created a translation of Stop Street Harassment in Norwegian

* Breakthrough/Bell Bajao in India launched a be a hero bystander campaign

* Lots of online campaigns occurred, including several blogging series.

* Discussions and conversations about street harassment included many focused on the intersection of racism (in the USA) with sexism as well as homophobia/transphobia and how that impacts people’s sense of safety in public places. The week coincided with many rallies in the USA in protest of the killing of Trayvon Martin, a young African American man who was shot simply for “looking suspicious” while wearing a hoodie, walking home from a store with a bag of candy in his pocket. In Washington, DC, a huge rally in protest of the recent attacks on two gay men and a transwoman also happen to occur during the week. These are all inter-related issues and for many people, all forms of discrimination they face in public places. I hope these conversations continue.

Real-time updates about the week:

* Go back in time on the Stop Street Harassment blog for write-ups and blog round-ups about the activism that occurred each day.

* The Meet Us on the Street Facebook page has lots of updates you can check out from the week

* Read the hashtag #EndSHWeek and #streetharassment on Twitter to find lots of tweets about street harassment, sent throughout the week

Several groups involved in the week will send guest-blog posts about their action…so look for more updates on the week of action in the coming days. And otherwise, back to the regularly scheduled program of highlighting street harassment in the news and posting stories submitted worldwide. And the planning for next year begins soon…. :0

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Why men should NOT keep staring at women

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This is what some men think will happen to women if they are not stared at by men...they will wither. HA.

Last year, the Globe & Mail in Toronto, Canada, published a nice piece about International Anti-Street Harassment Day. One year later, during International Anti-Street Harassment Week, I’m very disappointed to say that they published a terrible piece written by a 58-year-old man about how wonderful it is to stare at the body parts of young women he acknowledges to be the age of his daughter, and how it’s a good thing that men like him do this.

From beginning to end, the tone of the article irked me. The entitlement. The male gaze. The age gap was plain creepy and disgusting.

No, there is nothing wrong with people looking at each other, but there is something wrong with objectifying other people and believing their purpose is to be attractive, for you. Young women are going to work, going to meet friends, going to classes, you know, doing things that people do, people who have pursuits and interests and are not just ornaments to be stared at.

I would suggest that men NOT keep staring at women, despite what the author argues. It will make us feel more comfortable in public places if we are not constantly being sized-up in a sexual way by men. Plus, added bonus, we will have time to solve problems like world hunger if we do not have to spend our time looking for escape routes and memorizing what people look like for future police reports because we’re not sure if the creep staring at us intends to try to follow us, grab us, or assault us. I often hear women say that the men who just stare at them are more scary/unnerving than the ones who yell stuff but move on because of this very reason. You don’t know what they’re plotting as they stare.

at The F Word Feminist Media Collective wrote a great piece about the article yesterday:

“…Much of the piece is dedicated to pornified descriptions of female bodies. That, in and of itself, could and should have (in my humble opinion) led the editors to question the usefulness and/or necessity of publishing the piece. The lack of thought, research, and analysis which fills in the empty spaces in between descriptions of Brown’s favorite 20 year old body parts should have been the second clue.

It’s not that Brown wasn’t able to find folks who agree with his thesis, which I summarize as such: “It is not only biologically natural for me to objectify much younger women, but they actually like it.” He does find men and even women to help ease the little guilt, shame, and uncertainty he may have around his fetishization of the female body. His male friends are, unsurprisingly, just like him. They support his hopeful thesis that says: “this is not only right and natural, but good.”

For example:

[Y] holds up his BlackBerry. “I don’t see what’s wrong with it. In a world where, thanks to this thing, I am only two clicks away from double penetration and other forms of pornographic nastiness, the act of merely looking at a girl who is naturally pretty – I mean, we should celebrate that.”

Another friend takes it further. Acting as though the objectification is a compliment:

“Beautiful women are like flowers,” W interjects. “They turn to the sun. But if they don’t receive a certain amount of attention, they wither.”

Oh dude. You are so right. If you don’t stare at my ass I will actually die.

As if the flower analogy wasn’t enough to signal red flags with “Women are not human beings, they are pretty things that exist for me to look at” written all over them, the idea that women will wither and die if old dudes stop objectifying them really solidifies the deep misogyny of these kinds of arguments and beliefs….

Though Brown claims that the intent of his article is to “investigat[e] the famous male gaze,” he has zero understanding of it. The male gaze is a concept which was explored initially within feminist film theory and has since extended into an explanation and analysis of the objectifying, disempowering male gaze. So when a 58 year old man decides that a 20 year old woman is a beautiful flower which exists in order for him to look at, he dehumanizes her. And, as many of us know already, dehumanizing a human being is a dangerous thing. It means we no longer need to treat said human being with respect. A body part is just a body part, not a whole, complex being with thoughts and feelings.

One of the most minor consequences of the male gaze is that, and I will speak from personal experience here, a lifetime of being looked at makes you feel as though your self-worth is largely dependent on your ability to be desired by men. This is not a good thing. It is something many women fight at every turn. Yet we still internalize that male gaze. This means that many women see themselves through male eyes. We also believe, to a certain extent, that we exist for your viewing pleasure. Should women really have to fight to believe that their value exists outside your desire?

I won’t speak for any other woman aside from myself at this point, but “Hi, Ian Brown! I am a woman and I don’t want you to look at my ass. It doesn’t feel flattering, it feels creepy. It makes me feel self-conscious and it makes me not want to leave my house. I may be too old for you at 32 (gross!), but many old men stare at me regardless. I hate it. It makes me want to punch them. So stop. Please. I guarantee your penis will survive.”

The fact that men believe women exist for their viewing pleasure IS A PROBLEM. It doesn’t matter how much men like it. I should be able to leave my house without feeling watched…

I’d like to be able to go to the beach without feeling as though I am on display, being judged, being sized up. I’d like to walk down the street in a dress without feeling like some 60 year old dude is fucking me with his eyes. It’s gross, not flattering. I don’t need the gaze of a 60 year old man to validate my existence. All that gaze does is make me hate 60 year old men.

I am not your right. No woman is. No matter how beautiful she is. You have no right to her. She is more than just body parts. Allow me to confirm what I assume was the fear which led you to write this piece, Ian Brown, you are a perv. Stop staring at us. We have the ability to exist without your eyes on our asses.”

If you want to write to the Globe & Mail to protest this article, please do (info via Hollaback Ottawa):

letters@globeandmail.com
Executive editor (Jill Borra): jborra@globeandmail.com
Editor of the “Life” section (Rasha Mourtada): rmourtada@globeandmail.com

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Anti-sexual harassment law finalized in Saudi Arabia

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Image via Arabian Business

The Shura Council in Saudi Arabia has finalized the draft of an anti-sexual harassment law that they started working on in December. Before the law can become legislation, it must be approved by the 150-member Shura Council within 30 days. Then it will go to ruler King Abdullah, who has the ultimate say.

Via The Saudi Gazette:

“The law classifies harassment violations and imposes penalties ranging from warnings and reprimands to fines, lashes and jail, Dr. Fadil was quoted by Al-Eqtisadiya Arabic newspaper as saying.

Dr. Fadil also said that the Council suggested that emirates of regions be responsible for enforcing the law; however, this suggestion is being revised and the Council will appoint another body to discover violations and enforce the law.

“We need such law in the light of the fact that women labor force has increased. Besides, directives allowing young men to enter malls have been issued recently. The law will fight any form of sexual harassment and put an end to it.”

The law regulates mixed environments where men and women interact whether in workplaces, malls or other places and protects freedoms safeguarded by Islam, Dr. Fadil pointed out.”

All of this sounds fine, better in some respects than what we have in the United States since public spaces are included i the law. In the United States, our sexual harassment laws are restricted to schools that receive federal funds and to workplaces.

But then, this part of the article threw me off:

“The law calls for separating men and women in workplaces including public facilities such as recreational areas, restrooms etc.”

Wait, so they are going to further gender segregate people? Is this one step forward, two steps back?

What do people who are familiar with Saudi culture and laws think about this proposed law?

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“Actually that’s not okay because what you just said is harassment.”

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I just got home from an evening out with friends, but on my way out to my car is where this story starts.

I’m wearing jeans, sneakers, and a sleeved v-neck top. As I approach my car I see that I have a parking ticket, and so does a guy (We’ll call him DB) who decides to come up to me to “help.” When I found this spot, I was being flagged in by one of the guys that stands around and does that kind of thing, tipped him a couple bucks, and went to where I was going.

So anyway, the same guy who flagged me in walks by as DB is saying something to me, and I just asked the guy, “Hey man why didn’t you tell me I had to pay to park here, I tipped you…Never mind, I should have read the signs anyhow..”

When I said that I had tipped the man who flagged me in, this is where DB starts in:

Him: “Do I get a tip?”

Me: “No, what for?”

Him: “No, I mean I wanna see those tips.” pointing at my breasts

Me: “What?”

Him: “Just the tip?”

Me: “Um, no.”

I stop a moment and then decide to say, “Actually that’s not okay because what you just said is harassment.”

Him: “Woah no it’s not I was just flirting!”

Me: “No, that’s not flirting, because you just made me into a sexual object and that is not okay.”

He went on to say that we could have this “argument” and that he would win because he was “really good with words” and that he has “slept with women all his life”. He said he was from Massachusetts, came down for X Factor and they “really liked him”. He said he was trying to help and then he decided to flirt with me, but that he could have just come up and said I was hot.

I said “That still would have been harassment – just because I am a woman alone on the street doesn’t mean you can talk to me like that.” At which point he said, “Well if that’s how you’re going to look at this then I can’t win…”

I said, “That’s how I’m looking at it.” And finally got into my car and left.

– Anonymous

Location: Austin, Texas

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