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Weekly Round Up March 28, 2010

March 28, 2010 By HKearl

Stories:

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

On this blog, a woman in Dawson Creek, BC, Canada tells how an older man stalked her for years when she was a teenager, a woman in Edmonton, AB, Canada, had a man follow her for several blocks before demanding she go out with him, a woman in Bogor, Indonesia, shares how men harass her while she wears a veil, a woman in France talks about the numerous times men harassed her during a few hours period last Saturday, a woman in Washington, DC, shares how men gawked at her and then pretended they thought she was ugly after she said “Ew” to them, a woman in Virginia was harassed on her way to work on the bus by a very vulgar harasser, and a woman in Washington, DC, was harassed on her way to buy coffee.
On HollaBack NYC a man shares how he and his female friend were photographed by a creepy guy on the subway and another woman yells at a bold harasser and gives advice to women on what they can do to report harassers.
On HollaBack DC! a man harassed a woman about her hair as she waited for the bus and another woman and her friend are harassed by a man masturbating near them while they chatted on a park bench.
On HollaBack Chicago a woman tells how a man propositioned her while she was riding her bicycle at 7 a.m.!

In the News:

Arlington (VA) County police issued a warning because 11 incidents of indecent exposure have been reported on a bike trail across the last two months.
UK’s Hackney Post features the new anti-street harassment campaign in the UK.
In the Washington City Paper, Amanda Hess answers the question “But how do I know if I’m a street harasser?”

Announcements:

The submission deadline for an anthology on Queering Sexual Violence is extended until May 1, 2010.
The Safe Delhi Campaign is looking for volunteers and interns.
Blank Noise in India is looking for new logo submissions
RightRides/New Yorkers for Safe Transit is hiring
If you’re interested in becoming a RightRides driving team volunteer, email volunteer@rightrides.org – orientations will be occuring throughout April.
HollaBack NYC is looking for volunteers with various skill sets to help them take their work to the next level.
Share why you “Holla Back” for the HollaBack NYC website.

Upcoming Events:

If you’re in the Washington, DC, area, HollaBack DC! is hosting or participating in several events across the next few weeks, check out the info on their site.
Sign up for Washington, DC, based Defend Yourself’s annual class on dealing with street harassers, being held on May 22.

Resource of the Week:

The Safe Delhi Campaign – working to make cities safe for women

Weekly Round Up March 21, 2010

March 21, 2010 By HKearl

Stories:

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

On this blog, a woman in Los Angeles is arrested after she sprays mace at an aggressive harasser (!), a woman in Georgetown, DC, tells a harasser to stop and he tells her she can’t tell him what to do, a woman in Georgetown, DC, gets an apology from a harasser, and a woman in NYC is harassed by a group of teenagers on the subway on St. Patrick’s Day.
On HollaBack NYC, a woman helps get a pervert at a diner kicked out, a group of women harass another woman using race-based slurs, a woman photographs a creepy guy on the train, and a group of men harass a woman from their car as she walks home in Brooklyn.
On HollaBack DC, a woman is grabbed by a man on a subway escalator, a guy threatens to walk a woman home, a man yells out to a woman from his car and then curses at her when she doesn’t thank him for the “compliment,” another woman gets into a dialogue with a harasser after he calls her sweetheart, and another man tells a woman he has condoms and all he wants is one night with her.
Street harassment stories on other blogs: “Rape Culture Hurts Everyone,” on Feminuity, “Street Harassment [in Morocco],” on Studying Abroad, and “Dear Creepers,” on Stories from the Realm.

In the News:

My Republica reported on street harassment in Nepal.
A man was arrested under suspicious of assaulting two transwomen in NYC with a metal pole.
Toronto’s The Globe and Mail printed an article entitled “Guys, catcalls are never cool” (I’m quoted in it).
Numerous news sources and blogs reported on research by Stephanie Chaudoir and Diane Quinn of the University of Connecticut that revealed that based on how women who are harassed feel, men who harass women in public give all men a bad name.

Announcements:

HollaBack NYC is looking for volunteers with various skill sets to help them take their work to the next level.
Share why you “Holla Back” for the HollaBack NYC website.

Events:

Resource of the Week:

Todd Denny’s book Unexpected Allies: Men Who Stop Rape

“Guys, catcalls are never cool”

March 19, 2010 By HKearl

Micah Toub wrote a thoughtful, great article on street harassment for Toronto’s The Globe and Mail called “Guys, catcalls are never cool.” He discusses how women feel about street harassment and some of the reasons why men do it. His conclusion for how men can flirt without being a harasser:

“The thing I was thinking after these conversations, is that a smile – even if underneath it lies a more carnivorous urge – can at least be interpreted by its receiver any way she wants. Or ignored. So in the same way that women have attempted to take back the street, I’d suggest that the good men out there take back the street flirt, by starting again from square one.

When it comes to expressing springtime desires, less is definitely more.”

I chatted with Micah last week and was very pleased by the quotes he included from me. A few times in the past I’ve been misquoted in articles and was not in this one. I also love the quotes from Dr. Michael Kimmel. I find that he always has interesting information on masculinity issues.

What are your thoughts? What constitutes acceptable flirting and unacceptable harassment?

Metal Pole Attack

March 18, 2010 By HKearl

Disgusting. Via Metro Weekly:

“The Metropolitan Police Department arrested a man suspected of assaulting two transgender individuals, also described as members of the Latino LGBT community, shortly after the incident on Saturday, March 13…

“The investigation further revealed that the suspect attacked the complainants because of their gender identity,” Mejia says in the report, adding that the suspect was charged with bias-related assault with a dangerous weapon…

Joe Montoni, co-chair of Gays and Lesbians Opposing Violence (GLOV), said the incident confirms what GLOV has been hearing from activists within the Latino community.

“[V]iolence against transgender people in that area is on the rise,” Montoni said in an e-mail to Metro Weekly responding to reports of the Petworth neighborhood attack.

“I urge all members of the trans community to report any incidence of harassment or assault and to be vigilant in their personal safety.”

Kelly Pickard, GLOV’s other co-chair, says this recent incident “underscores the concerns we have expressed from the outset about the reorganization of the GLLU regarding the need for open communication with community groups like GLOV.”

GLOV is hosting a meet and greet with MPD officers trained in services provided by the city’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) on Thursday, March 25.”

Harassed in Nepal

March 16, 2010 By HKearl

Mini bus in Nepal — Image from My Republica

My Republica has an interesting/infuriating article about how common an experience street harassment is for teenagers and young women in Nepal. An excerpt:

“Twenty-year-old Dolma Choden remembers how one day she came across this one guy who, at first, seemed pretty decent.

“He was a normal-looking guy -the kind you meet every day on the road. He sat beside me on the microbus and the fifteen minutes next to him were the scariest moments of my whole life,” says Dolma.

Choden remembers how at first he talked to her and slowly put his hands across her shoulder and then began to caress her back.

“I asked him to move away but the microbus was too crowded. He even took out a ring he was wearing and forced me to wear it,” Dolma recalls.

Dolma then asked the microbus to stop and walked down. She says she walked for the next forty minutes but did not have the guts to get on another vehicle. She did not even have courage to lodge a complaint to the police.”

My Republica published an article about the high rates of harassment on public transportation last year. It’s very frustrating to hear about the commonality of street harassment throughout the world. When will girls and women be safe and have equal access to public spaces?

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