By Kendra Corbin, SSH Intern
Sexual harassment in bars is a terrible obstacle for many women just looking for a night out with the girls. At least, that’s what I’ve been told. To be honest, I can’t speak from personal experience about the sexual harassment that occurs specifically in bars. My personality falls more along the lines of, “Let’s binge-watch Netflix together this weekend” rather than, “Let’s go out to a bar this weekend.” While I might lack first-hand experience with sexual harassment in bars, I understand that it regularly happens to countless women and LGBQT individuals. Whether walking down a street or having some drinks in a local bar, all people deserve to feel safe in any public space.
Hollaback London‘s new campaign intends to make that happen. The fellow anti-street harassment organization recently launched the Good Night Out campaign. This campaign’s goal is to keep nights safe and fun by eliminating sexual harassment in bars and clubs. Hollaback London will be providing training for staff members, resources, and posters to participating venues. The strategically-placed posters will emphasize that sexual harassment will NOT be tolerated. The posters declare:
We want you to have a good night out. If something or someone makes you feel uncomfortable, no matter how minor it seems, you can report it to any member of our staff and they will work with you to make sure it doesn’t have to ruin your night.
Participating establishments will sign a pledge vowing to make their environments safe and welcoming for all. Hollaback London encourages patrons to tweet to @hollabackLDN about their experiences using the hashtag #goodnightout. This campaign is a wonderful step to making London’s nightlife harassment-free.
A similar project, Safe Bars, exists in Washington D.C. Safe Bars is supported by Collection Action for Safe Spaces and the self-defense organization Defend Yourself. This project works directly with local nightlight venues to provide safety training for the staff, increase awareness of sexual harassment, and promote safety for all customers.
It is common knowledge that sexually aggressive behavior is prevalent in bars, hence the necessity for the aforementioned projects. However, a new study found that alcohol is not the sole factor to blame for sexually aggressive behavior in bars. Rather, it found that male aggressors intentionally target inebriated women. If you need an example of what constitutes sexually aggressive behavior, Jezebel featured an article on ABC’s new series Mixology. A short trailer shows the male characters hunting for drunk women at a bar. The normalcy of their behavior (and the fact that it’s meant to be funny) is repulsive. While the show is fictional, their behavior is not. This is why campaigns such as Good Night Out and Safe Bars exist.
Overall, every person has the basic right to safety in all public spaces. Alcohol has the ability to coexist with a fun, healthy environment as long as patrons and staff members respect one another. These great organizations and campaigns will continue to ensure that nights out are fun and safe for everyone.
Kendra Corbin is senior at Shenandoah University. She is majoring in Mass Communications and minoring in Women’s Studies.
