While the street harassment usually centers around women because we experience it and are usually impacted by it the most, some men experience street harassment and violence too. In our 2014 nationally representative study, 25% of men said they’d experienced it, with a disproportionate number of them identifying as LGBQT. While most said other men harassed them, there were some who said the perpetrators were women. This recent news story in Washington, DC, is an example of what that can look like:
“Ayanna Marie Knight, 22, of Las Vegas, was charged with third-degree sexual abuse, police said late Tuesday, explaining that an “observant pedestrian” alerted them of Knight’s location. Police are still looking for the second woman.
Video released Monday by the Metropolitan Police Department shows the man waiting in a checkout line at a gas station on the 1700 block of New York Avenue NE about 4 p.m. Oct. 7 when a woman in front of him begins to dance and rub her body against him. A second woman, dressed in red, follows the man and appears to grope him repeatedly.
According to a police report, the women “used force and grabbed (the victim’s) groin and buttocks multiple times in a very aggressive manner without his permission and without his consent.”
The victim told News4 he was humiliated by the attack. “I was assaulted sexually,” he said, asking that his name be withheld. “I felt 100 percent violated. I felt really humiliated also, because when someone is just grabbing your body parts without your permission, no matter who it is, that’s just a violation completely.”
The man said he tried to back away, but the woman continued to advance. “As they were grabbing me, it wasn’t like they were grabbing pants or anything like that,” he said.
The victim asked two cashiers at the gas station to call police, but they “just sat there,” he said. Frustrated, he walked outside and started dialing the number himself. He said he tried to get into his car, but the women grabbed his arm and in an effort to prevent him from leaving. He broke free, walked into the gas station’s car wash and called police. The women eventually left, he said.”
Groping, assault, and sexual harassment are never okay. Everyone should be treated with respect and should be asked for consent before anyone does anything physical (even for a hug). I hope he will be okay.
