• About Us
    • What Is Street Harassment?
    • Why Stopping Street Harassment Matters
    • Meet the Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Past Board Members
    • In The Media
  • Our Work
    • National Street Harassment Hotline
    • International Anti-Street Harassment Week
    • Blog Correspondents
      • Past SSH Correspondents
    • Safe Public Spaces Mentoring Program
    • Publications
    • National Studies
    • Campaigns against Companies
    • Washington, D.C. Activism
  • Our Books
  • Donate
  • Store

Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Harassment Stories
    • Blog Correspondents
    • Street Respect Stories
  • Help & Advice
    • National Street Harassment Hotline
    • Dealing With Harassers
      • Assertive Responses
      • Reporting Harassers
      • Bystander Responses
      • Creative Responses
    • What to Do Before or After Harassment
    • Street Harassment and the Law
  • Resources
    • Definitions
    • Statistics
    • Articles & Books
    • Anti-Harassment Groups & Campaigns
    • Male Allies
      • Educating Boys & Men
      • How to Talk to Women
      • Bystander Tips
    • Video Clips
    • Images & Flyers
  • Take Community Action
  • Contact

Archives for May 2016

USA: My Literary Introduction to Street Harassment

May 31, 2016 By Correspondent

Deborah D’Orazi, NY, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

VWoolfThe first time I remember reading about street harassment and recognizing it for what it was was in Virginia Woolf’s iconic essay, A Room of One’s Own, when I turned 17. In the essay, Woolf sets out on a momentous task to speak on women and literature and ends up writing about her journey searching for women in literature, women who write literature, and why women are not more prudently featured within the realm of literature since they are so often portrayed as the inspiration for what are deemed some of the greatest and most romantic written words in the English language. To her dismay, Woolf finds little evidence of women in literature (outside of the occasional female ruler or writer and the consistent muse or romantic interest—typically always written by men). She is then determined to journey and figure out why. Ultimately, she comes to a remarkably economic conclusion stating that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”. What is even more profound is that Woolf demonstrates that this economic necessity for a woman’s career and independence within the private sphere is not at all possible without uncompromised, safe access to the public sphere, or public spaces without harassment or the threat of it.

This subject is explored early on in Woolf’s essay when she is beginning to contemplate and research her ideas. While Woolf encounters the beginning of an idea on a walk and starts to chase it she is promptly interrupted when “instantly a man’s figure rose to intercept me”.  Woolf is instantly aware of the power dynamics. She is a woman visiting a man’s college, thus despite the space being open for her and others to walk in, she must remain on the gravel while male college members walk on the turf. She notes that this territorial power play did not actually physically harm her, but she did lose her thoughts and ideas that were so precious to her.

I am sure many would argue that this incident was not street harassment because it took place in a seemingly private space or that this incident was just a mere a sign of the times Virginia Woolf lived in. However, this indicates the importance of understanding the very definition of street harassment.

At Stop Street Harassment we use the following definition: “unwanted comments, gestures, and actions forced on a stranger in a public place without their consent and is directed at them because of their actual or perceived sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation.”

Virginia Woolf, who undoubtedly came from a very privileged background and lived a very privileged life, was still looked down up, criticized, and harassed because she was a woman taking up space within the public realm, where typically men dominated and still dominate today. As Woolf notes in her essay, “The only charge I could bring against the Fellows and Scholars of whatever the college might happen to be was that in the protection of their turf” which sent her ideas into oblivion.

Yet, how many ideas, leisure and social activities, or mere existences of women, racial and ethnic groups, religious minorities, LGBTQIA individuals, differently abled people, etc. have been disrupted because the public sphere is, in fact, not so public. It is important to note this intersectionality because women inhabit all of them and as women and other disenfranchised groups gain rights and visibility within the public sphere, harassment remains a constant. This constant serves as a reminder that people must remain within a social constructed role, no matter how much it inhibits or oppresses them. And it is often quite effective in limiting and changing where people travel geographically, whom they socialize with, and where a person may go for services. For example, if a girl is harassed on her way to school, depending on her individual situation, she may have to change her route, endure the harassment, or stop going to school all together. All of these situations create a legacy of trauma and undue economic burdens that disenfranchise an individual, community, and population. It is not at all uncommon for women to consider changing their routine or way they lived to avoid street harassment. As documented by a Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates survey from 2000 it was discovered that 84 percent of women would “consider changing their behavior to avoid street harassment.”  How much economic opportunity have women and other communities lost because of harassment? How much safety? Too much for my liking.

So, what should we do? Educate, advocate, organize, speak out, protest, create policy, listen, and support each other. Many people have experiences, some similar and some different, but recognizing the reasons for street harassment and the many forms it takes for different people and communities is important for an inclusive movement. It is a hard journey, but combating street harassment in its many forms as misogyny, racism, classism, homophobia, transphobia xenophobia, abelism, etc. is just as important as speaking out. So many have been harassed into silence, trauma, injury, hurt, and death in public spaces throughout countless years that it is important to note the many reasons why. Without this understanding and cooperation more people will be oppressed and more people will continue to be left out of public spaces and, consequently, public life.

Street harassment is a push back towards oppression and objectifying. Let us strive to make a world where people’s private and public lives can thrive and where people can have safe access to safe places and safe public and private lives. As Virginia Woolf wrote in another essay, “Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid”, “mental fight means thinking against the current, not with it” and we must continue fighting against the current in order to achieve justice and equality for everyone to use public spaces freely.

Deborah is a recent MSW graduate who also received certification from American University’s Women and Politics Institute and Rutgers’ Center on Violence Against Women and Children. In addition to social work, Deborah is looking to pursue an MPP/MPA and she is also extremely passionate about the arts (theater, writing, film, television, fine art, poetry, performance art), history, and Hamilton.

Share

Filed Under: correspondents, street harassment Tagged With: literature, Virginia Woolf

“I was completely humiliated and enraged”

May 30, 2016 By Contributor

I was recently in Nashville for the weekend with my mother. On our last day, shortly before we had to catch the last bus out of downtown before heading to the airport, I decided to run into one of the bars to buy a souvenir t-shirt. It was close to 90 degrees that day with full sun, so I chose to wear a shorter romper that I knew would keep me cool, and also that I felt comfortable and confident in.

When I walked into the bar, the middle-aged man who was playing on stage with his band stopped in the middle of the song to call out to me on the microphone in front of a fair-sized crowd. He leered and made demeaning and insulting comments to me about my appearance over the microphone, and then proceeded to announce to his audience that, since I wasn’t engaging with him, that I had “no personality,” which earned him some big laughs from the crowd. I turned around and left the bar, prompting him to again interrupt his set to harass me as I walked out of the door.

Needless to say, I was completely humiliated and enraged that he, and the rest of the crowd, saw humor in his unwarranted and hurtful comments. I find myself even more disgusted with the fact that we still live in a society where this is deemed acceptable behavior, so long as it’s in the name of humor.

Curiosity struck me later that night, and so I typed his name in on Google and to my surprise, found that he has not one, but two daughters who appear to be close to my age. This, the fact that this man who takes such pride in his misogynistic comments has two daughters of his own, is what I find to be the most appalling aspect to this story.

It’s unbelievably frustrating to me, who has been raised by strong women and men to have a strong sense of self and to treat others with compassion and empathy, to have found myself in this situation where I still feel powerless and violated. I’ve tried to consider the reason why my harasser, a relatively public figure, would choose to publicly humiliate and degrade me, but I can’t find any reason that would even remotely explain his behavior.

I’ve considered reaching out to him via social media, since I left in such a whirlwind before I could figure out something to say, but I haven’t been able to convince myself to do it. I’m hoping that it may give me closure, but I don’t want to risk the potential backlash if he doesn’t understand my complaint. Is there any advice someone may have for dealing with this situation?

– KG

Location: Broadway, Downtown Nashville, TN

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.

Share

Filed Under: Stories, street harassment

BASH Minneapolis

May 30, 2016 By HKearl

Twyla is a student at South High School in Minneapolis, MN. For her humanities finals she did a “ripple effect” project where she choose something that’s important to her and do something to make a difference about it. She chose sexual harassment in Minneapolis, MN. Her group and she created an informational website about how street harassment effects their community and ways to stop it.

BASH Minneapolis May 2016

Share

Filed Under: Activist Interviews, Resources, street harassment Tagged With: high school, minneapolis, Minnesota

Late May 2016 News Round-Up

May 30, 2016 By HKearl

Yahoo News, “These 3 Women Allegedly Stopped a Date Rape in Progress in California“

“‘Monica, Marla, and I were at FIG at the Fairmont for their delicious happy hour (‘Fig at 5.’ Treat yourself),’ one of the women, who goes by the name Sonia Ulrich on Facebook, posted. ‘I was going on about something and saw Monica staring behind and making a funny face. I stopped. ‘What’s going on?’ After a few second she said ‘That guy just put something in her drink.’

Ulrich wrote she had to ‘Warn her. Tell her to get up and leave this creep. Make him drink it. Something.’ So she lingered in the bathroom to meet the woman in question and said her date had dropped an unknown substance into her beverage, only for the woman to say the man who did it was her ‘best friend.’

The women informed the staff of the restaurant as well, triggering an uneasy wait of nearly 45 minutes for the Santa Monica Police Department to arrive.”

Refinery29, “Meet The Heroic Campaigners Making Cities Safer For Women“

“New research from ActionAid shows that 79% of women living in cities in India, 86% in Thailand, and 89% in Brazil have been subjected to harassment or violence in public. That’s why ActionAid have declared today, Friday the 20th of May, as International Safe Cities for Women Day.

While we might assume that women have it much better in the UK, in the research project interviewing 2,500 women, ActionAid found that 75% of British respondents had experienced some form of violence or harassment in cities. And while 36% of women in UK cities outside the capital feel at risk of harassment on public transport, this rises to 51% on London transport. New mayor Sadiq Khan identified the issue in his campaign, saying: “Women face specific challenges on our transport network that are not currently being addressed.” Citing the reports of sexual offences on London transport almost tripling in five years, he vowed: “As mayor I will take these problems seriously.”

Evening Standard, “Half of women feel at risk of harassment on London public transport“

“This ranges from 39 per cent experiencing name-calling to 54 per cent experiencing wolf-whistling.

Twenty three per cent said they had been victims of groping or unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature.

The findings were published by ActionAid as its ambassadors Imelda Staunton and Jodie Whittaker opened an exhibition at Marble Arch to highlight the plight of victims worldwide.

It found 36 per cent of women felt at risk of harassment on public transport in UK cities, rising to 51 per cent among the 128 London women who took part.”

Metro, “Tackling street harassment at the Clothespin can be the first step to Philly seriously addressing it“

“I normally wear headphones when I get off at the 15th and Market station – also known as the Clothespin – to avoid the hustle and bustle of the city. This week, I forgot them and was reminded of how much I was missing as a result.

Coming up the steps from the SEPTA station underground, I see a crowd of men hover around the entrance. Smoke can be seen surrounding the outskirts as a group of women are walking up. One by one, the men begin to catcall at them and each time the women try to avoid them like the plague.

One of the men proceeded to call them a bitch when none of the women responds. It was in that moment that I simply asked the men to “knock it off.” What followed were a few verbal homophobic jabs at my masculinity and physical intimidation. While this was going on, several other men just walked by.

The biggest disappointment is that this should have been their concern as well.”

Independent, “Iranian women cut their hair off and dress as men to avoid morality police“

“Women in Iran are cutting their hair short and dressing as men in a bid to bypass state ‘morality’ police who rigorously enforce penalties for not wearing a hijab.

A number of women have shared photos of themselves in public with their hair uncovered on Instagram and other social media.”

NYT Live, “ISIS is fining women $10 for showing their eyes“

“Women, a group that’s especially abused by the terror extremists (a fact that hasn’t prevented the group from somehow having a strange allure with some Western women), have been subjected to some of the new taxes and fines. For instance, ISIS will fine women $10 for showing their eyes. Women who wear a cloak that’s too tight will be hit with a $25 fine, and not wearing socks or gloves will cost them $30 in fines.”

News Australia, “Why this man will never catcall another woman after living in Thailand“

“HAVING travelled around Thailand for the past few years, 28-year-old Australian Dylan* has plenty of amusing stories from his travels; many of which include him being followed and propositioned by gay men.

Surprisingly, he says it’s something that has taught him a lot about the experiences of women.

“In Australia, it’s kind of unusual for a guy to have these experiences, but it’s pretty normal in Australian culture for guys to do that [to women],” he said…

“I now understand why, in Australia, if I look at a girl and smile they often just look away. I used to think, ‘that girl is so bitchy, just give me a smile, it’s not that hard,’” he admits.

“But now I realise, she’s probably had 10 guys smile at her before me, and ask for her number or tell her she’s sexy; so when I smile she thinks, ‘Oh here we go again’.

“I’m sort of grateful for the experiences I’ve had, because I can really sympathise with girls now.”

Mini IOL, “Gender activists take on SA taxi drivers“

“Members of the NGO ActionAid South Africa spoke to taxi drivers, staged two street theatre performances and painted a mural on the inside of the taxi rank….
 
Matshidiso Mofokeng, a member of community-based LGBTI group Vosloo Activators, said women and those who identify as LGBTI face similar challenges when using public transport.
 
“As women, we face so many challenges because we live in a patriarchal society,” Mofokeng said. “As a black lesbian who uses public transport, you find that taxi drivers are very homophobic. Today we are here to say enough is enough of gender-based violence.”

TeleSur, “Mexico City Ridiculed for Sexual Harassment Fight With Whistles“

In light of a surge in street harassment and sexual assaults against women, Miguel Mancera, head of the government of Mexico City, announced that his administration will distribute whistles to women to alert bystanders and police of a possible threat.

The proposal quickly became the subject of ridicule on social media. The hashtag #ElPitoDeMancera became a trending topic. In Spanish, “pito” has a double meaning, suggesting a double entendre.”

Quartz, “Just call the rapist ‘brother’ or use this whistle: The ridiculous ways powerful men globally suggest women fight rape“

“Aside from being ludicrous, those kinds of policies ignore the heart of the problem, which is that sexual harassment and assault are learned behaviors, says Holly Kearl, founder of non-profit Stop Street Harassment. Officials should focus on educating school children that such conduct is not OK, and stop the portrayal of women as sexual objects in the media, Kearl says.”

The Star, “Sheffield branch of Woman’s Equality Party launches Safer Streets campaign“

“Sheffield branch founder member Charlie Barker said: “Following on from the #WEcount campaign, which started in London, it was very clear that street harassment was an issue our members and the public wanted us to tackle.

“WE believes that equality is an issue that effects everyone, regardless of gender and this is reflected in the growing number of male and female members and supporters across the country.

“The Sheffield branch of WE currently hosts around 100 members and 300 registered supporters, who’ve been working hard to put together our Safer Streets campaign.”

Georgia State University, “African-American Girls in High-Risk Neighborhoods Experience Threats and Objectification, Study Finds“

“The girls described witnessing marital aggression, experiencing physical and sexual abuse at the hands of adult family members and facing peer aggression, such as bullying, teasing and physical encounters. They reported feeling unsafe inside and outside their home, as well as participating in risk-taking behaviors that elevate the probability of harm. They frequently described early sexual experiences (occurring prior to age 14), being pressured for sex by older boys and watching pornography with boys.”

The Guardian, “#SayHerName: why Kimberlé Crenshaw is fighting for forgotten women“

“When she speaks at public meetings, Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw has a trick. She asks everyone to stand up until they hear an unfamiliar name. She then reads the names of unarmed black men and boys whose deaths ignited the Black Lives Matter movement; names such as Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin. Her audience are informed and interested in civil rights so “virtually no one will sit down”, Crenshaw says approvingly. “Then I say the names of Natasha McKenna, Tanisha Anderson, Michelle Cusseaux, Aura Rosser, Maya Hall. By the time I get to the third name, almost everyone has sat down. By the fifth, the only people standing are those working on our campaign.”

The campaign, #SayHerName, was created to raise awareness about the number of women and girls that are killed by law enforcement officers. For Crenshaw – who coined the term “intersectionality” in the 1980s to describe the way different forms of discrimination overlap and compound each other – it is a brutal illustration of how racism and sexism play out on black women’s bodies.”

Huffington Post, “DC Metro Rape Highlights Why Women Are Always Aware of Rape“

“What it does mean is that girls’ socialization is significantly pegged to cultivated rape and rape myths, in ways that boys’ are not and that that socialization has far-reaching inhibitory social effects. For example, in the wake of this DC rape, chances are that the parents of girls are being far more restrictive about their using public transportation than the parents of boys, especially straight boys. Boys, even if they are not taught to restrict themselves, or subject to evergreen risks, are actually made more vulnerable as a result. This is one of the ways that patriarchy backfires on men.

If people abhor rape and would like to make the world a safer place in general, a good simple first step is listening to women when they say that street harassment is a problem.”

Verily, “This Research Reveals the Real Side Effects of Sexting, Harassment, and Self-Objectification“

Orenstein’s book adds more shocking stats to the mix. “I interviewed more than seventy young women between the ages of 15 and 20,” Orenstein explains, and later adds, “Fully half of the girls had experienced something along a spectrum of coercion to rape…. Only two had previously told another adult what had happened.”

Huffington Post, “What I Wish Men Knew About That Creepy Guy At Starbucks“

“None of these incidents are the worst things that have ever happened, by any means. But put together, they’re indicative of a culture that allows men to feel entitled to women’s bodies. One that leads to men attacking, and even killing women for rejecting them.

Here’s the thing: Women know with no uncertainty that a pass from a powerful man is never just that, a direction to “smile” from a stranger is never just that, and that eyes following us down a sidewalk could become more than just that in a moment. Starbucks man was no exception. He was the rule.”

The Daily Northwestern, “Anxiety Abroad: Students call for better resources navigating sexual harassment, mental health issues on study abroad programs“

Revelist, “12 women reveal the good, bad and downright kickass ways they respond to street harassment“

Share

Filed Under: News stories, street harassment

“Don’t look at her, she is ugly as hell”

May 29, 2016 By Contributor

I decided to go to my public library and as I was on my computer minding my own business there were two guys who looked between the ages of 17 and 19. One sat next to me and he kept glancing at me and I felt nervous and uncomfortable. Next to him was his friend who said, “Don’t look at her, she is ugly as hell.”

So hearing that really pissed me off and I ignored it because I knew if I would have responded the way I was thinking about responding, physically, I would have been arrested and charged. I told the librarian as soon as my session ended and she went and talked to them and I feel like they should have been thrown out the library because I don’t know these bastards and they just randomly sat next to me and began harassing me for no reason. I have never spoken a word to either of them, but they felt they had to comment on my appearance. I felt angry, powerless, and disturbed because I honestly felt like fighting both of them. The sad part is that I am put in the position where I can’t safely defend myself.

– Anonymous

Location: Troy, NY

Share your street harassment story for the blog.
See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.

Share

Filed Under: Stories, street harassment

Next Page »

Share Your Story

Share your street harassment story for the blog. Donate Now

From the Blog

  • #MeToo 2024 Study Released Today
  • Join International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2022
  • Giving Tuesday – Fund the Hotline
  • Thank You – International Anti-Street Harassment Week 2021
  • Share Your Story – Safecity and Catcalls Collaboration

Buy the Book

  • Contact
  • Events
  • Join Us
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2025 Stop Street Harassment · Website Design by Sarah Marie Lacy