This is part of the series “Street Respect. “Street respect” is the term for respectful, polite, and consensual interactions that happen between strangers in public spaces. It’s the opposite of “street harassment.” Share your street respect story and show the kind of interactions you’d like to have in public in place of street harassment.
My friend and I, both in our late 50s/early 60s were hiking at Stone Mountain Georgia. I was wearing my “Stop the War on Women” button (and thanks to Georgia Dems for that).
A gentleman of our age group noticed it as he hiked near us, and asked if he could talk with us. With a small amount of trepidation (not fear) we agreed. He was curious about what the button meant, and we had a fairly free-ranging and cordial conversation.
One place that we differed sharply was that he felt that girls needed to be made more aware of the dangers they face. I countered that we are made aware ALL OUR LIVES, and that I felt boys needed to be made aware of their responsibilities in these matters.
We didn’t agree on everything, but it was a respectful and benign discussion.
If I’d been hiking alone, I’d probably not have entered into conversation *sigh*
– Laura Grace
Location: Stone Mountain Park, Georgia
