This one might be unusual, but there’s a man who lingers outside the mall, who asks me for a date, out of the blue, with no previous eye contact or “welcoming signal” from me of any kind, each and every time I go to the area he lingers in. I say no, and he departs.
So why do I consider it harassment? Because I can’t escape being targeted by him, because he doesn’t care what I happen to be doing (as long as I am alone) and because I think one “no” should be enough. But when I brought it up to others, they had nothing but sympathy for the man, and told me his actions were “natural.”
Really? I’m sorry, but don’t I get a right to privately eat my lunch/text on my phone/stare off into space/do anything I wish without being “zeroed in on” by a man I’ve repeatedly rejected and never asked to approach me in the first place?
– Erika W
Location: Cambridge, MA
Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more ideas
