Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“What we wish construction workers would really say”

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By Liza Donnelly

I’ve been following prolific, funny, and smart cartoonist Liza Donnelly on twitter for a while now. You can find her work regularly in The New Yorker and on Women’s Enews. Her cartoons have been published in many other impressive publications and she is the author of several books.

A few months ago I asked her if she’d created any cartoons about street harassment. She told me that yes, there is one in her newly released book, When Do They Serve the Wine? The Folly, Flexibility, and Fun of Being a Woman. I read it this week – it’s fantastic – and Liza gave me her permission to post the above street harassment cartoon on my blog for you all to enjoy.

Via e-mail, Liza explained why she created this cartoon:

“First of all, the construction worker scene is such a cliche scenario for sexism, so I wanted to use it somehow in a cartoon.  I decided to simply flip it to show what some of us women would rather hear. At the same time making fun of our positions as women and what we want to hear.  As I have gotten older now, I don’t get looked at on the street as I used to, which is liberating…but also I find myself strangely wondering what’s wrong with me if I don’t get looks or sexual chides. Then I remember that I am ‘old’ (I’m only 55!).”

Thanks, Liza, for ensuring that women’s experiences and perspectives are found in the male-dominated cartooning world and thank you in particular for showing that the catcall-type street harassment women experience is not truly a compliment and is not what we want to hear. Be sure to check out Liza’s work and her latest book! Oh, and follow her on twitter, @LizaDonnelly.

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Weekly Round Up: October 17, 2010

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Story Submissions Recap:

I accept street harassment submissions from anywhere in the world. Share your story!

In the News, On the Blogs:

Announcements:

Upcoming Events:

10 Tweets from the Week:

  • jonubian: I don’t think most people understand how terrorizing street harassment can be.
  • mjbyars @DesiSanchez we need more of that from women. Embarrassing harassers is one way for women to send a loud message about #streetharassment.
  • jennpozner Walking to meet w/ Emily of @ihollaback. Think her aura’s working:1st time in ages no #streetharassment in 10blocks so far.
  • thekateblack To the guy who tried to grab my tits on the Bedford L platform: Eat the third rail, you miserable piece of shit. #streetharassment #NYC
  • HollabackPGH we <3 @bikepgh, who are working to make the streets safer for people who ride bikes. we want that too!
  • ElizabethOwens This is a belated entry from last weekend, but the girls in my program and I did some awesome hollabacks at street harassment. #effoff
  • euonymy Street harassment: really fucking unpleasant.
  • happiestrotteen on a more sombre note, i was a victim of (sexual) street harassment in kilburn today (just 1 incident of hundreds, thousands in my life)
  • nazzynasir At what century of your twisted pathetic brain would a married woman like me ever respond to a catcall whistle? Want to die isit?
  • hymnforrachel another friendly reminder: guys, girls don’t like with when you catcall at them..well, any self-respecting girl.
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This is how change happens – NYC hearing on street harassment

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Elizabeth Mendez Berry recently wrote an op-ed about street harassment (and mentions my book, Stop Street Harassment). It was published in El Diario, the largest Spanish language newspaper in the country. People in power read op-eds and people in power read hers.

Because of her op-ed, the NYC Council’s Committee on Women’s Issues is holding a hearing on “Street Harassment of Women and Girls.”

The hearing will take place on Thursday, October 28 at 1 p.m. in the 14th floor committee room at 250 Broadway. I will be one of the people testifying about the problem of street harassment, along with RightRides, HollaBack, and Girls for Gender Equity. This is my first time testifying at a hearing and I’m very excited!

The hearing is open to the public, so I encourage anyone who can come to do so. This is an amazing opportunity for us to tell people in power what it’s really like out there for women. So if you can, please show your support and solidarity for this issue and attend. Let’s pressure the government into taking action and creating change. We deserve the right to be safe and to have equal access to public spaces!

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Weekly Round Up: October 10, 2010

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Story Submissions Recap:

I accept street harassment submissions from anywhere in the world. Share your story!

In the News, On the Blogs:

Announcements:

Upcoming Events:

10 Tweets from the Week:

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My new hero: Lisa Robinson

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As much as I talk, write, and think about street harassment, I admit that I can still get stunned into silence by harassers. I really admire all the women and male allies who’ve shared stories on my blog about times they’ve confronted harassers. And I also really admire Lisa Robinson.

Robinson, her husband, and their five-year-old son were on the train, returning home from a day trip to Cardiff (Wales) where they had celebrated the son’s birthday. There were about 30 drunk Cardiff football (soccer) fans on the train with them (when I studied abroad in England, I had that experience in Manchester and did my best to become invisible).

The men were harassing a female passenger on a train platform. When Robinson told them to stop, they began yelling seixst and obscene comments at her.

Robinson pulled the red handle to stop the train. She informed the conductor about the harassment and asked that he call the police. The conductor did nothing and started the train back up.

Already her actions are impressive – standing up for other women, standing up for herself and reporting the harassers. But this is where her actions go above and beyond.

Undeterred by the train conductor’s indifference, Robinson and her family got off the train at their stop and again asked that something be done about the rowdy men. The train conductor refused again.

She decided to do something more. She stood in the tracks! She would not move until the police were called.

From the BBC:

Ms Robinson said: “I slithered down off the platform on to the track.

“I wanted to protect both my husband and my child and I wanted this behaviour to stop.

“Some of the fans got off the train and took pictures of me with mobile phones and continued to abuse me.

“This is my community, this is my village. We’re not going to be bullied and certainly for women and families, they should be able to travel on the train in peace and quiet and go about their business without being bullied like that.”

The police were eventually called, and the service was terminated.

Wayne David, Labour MP for Caerphilly, called the “apparent inactivity” of Arriva Trains Wales and British Transport Police “unacceptable” and said he would be in touch with them about the incident.

“No member of the public should be subject to abuse of this kind and it must never happen again,” he added.

British Transport Police said: “BTP officers attended Ystrad Mynach railway station after a report that a woman had been verbally abused by a group of football fans after she challenged their behaviour on board the train.

“BTP does not tolerate anti-social behaviour of any nature on the railway network and will do everything it can to identify offenders and bring them to justice.”

Peter Northcott, head of stations at Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We take all complaints very seriously and I personally contacted Mr and Mrs Robinson on the day of this incident.

“A full investigation is taking place with the British Transport Police.”

It’s sad that the the harassers and the train conductor would not stop or do anything when she asked until she risked her life on the tracks and stopped the train. But she got their attention and got them to do something. And that is how change happens.

Thank you Lisa Robinson!

 

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