When I was 21 years old, I went to live for a year in Mexico as part of a cultural exchange. Once I took a bus to a small town and as soon as I got off the bus an older man, maybe 50ish, starting following me and saying rude things to me and looking around to make sure everyone heard him. He was feeling proud of himself. I thought he would stop after a while if he got no reaction from me but he didn’t. Eventually I’d had enough. I stopped on the street, turned around, looked at him and screamed as loudly as I could (in Spanish) ‘LEAVE ME ALONE!’

Everyone saw and heard and he was so embarrassed he slunk away. I felt great!

Optional: What’s one way you think we can make public places safer for everyone?

Raise awareness of what’s going on.

– Frances

Location: A small village in Mexico

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Lately the weather in California has been very hot so of course I wouldn’t go out of the house in a wool sweater. Instead I went out in a tank top. As soon as school was over, I immediately walked home so I could quickly get back to my cool home. I was a block away from my home where I see two young teens. They were already looking at me and I got a very uneasy feeling. I took out my phone and called my sister who was already home. While the phone was ringing I could hear the to boys trying to get my attention. One seemed to be laughing while the other tried to call me over as if I were a dog. My sister eventually answered and I asked her to come out of the house because I was being harassed. She hung up the phone and from a distance I saw her waiting for me at the front door.

I could still hear the boy yelling at me. Only this time he began to say, “Hey bitch!” over and over just because I wouldn’t turn and look at him. I felt so disgusted and angry. I tried to calm myself down to not start crying because of the frustration I felt. I found it so unfair the way they were treating me. I don’t deserve to be harassed. I was not “asking for it” because of the way I dressed. NO ONE (male, female, lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, etc.) DESERVES TO BE HARASSED OR WORRY IF THEIR OUTFIT IS “TOO REVEALING”.

– Anonymous

Location: California

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Throughout my stay in Morocco I wore a black hijab and an abaya and not a single day passed without men leering at me, whispering comments like ‘beautiful’ as they walked past me, being followed or even being touched whilst in crowded places. It made me feel so disgusting and filthy.

The worst incident was when I was not even outside my own house and a guy decided it was OK to start winking at me and make gestures just because I made eye contact with him when I was looking out of the window. It made me feel so angry that I wasn’t even safe inside my own house, let alone walking outside, regardless of who I was with.

– Anonymous

Location: Morocco

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It happened when I was 13 in a town bus and the guard brutally hit me. I have seen such things done by the same guard.

Optional: Do you have any suggestions for dealing with harassers and/or ending street harassment in general?

Never justify harassment and never bring up reasons but solutions.

– Anonymous

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See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.

I was walking two blocks home from the grocery store and a guy rides past me on his bicycle and slaps my ass. All I could think to yell was “Get the f**k out of here!”

No one on the street said anything.

– Anonymous

Location: 16th and East Colfax, Denver, CO

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See the book 50 Stories about Stopping Street Harassers for more idea.