Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

“You’re not that pretty anyway”

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I was near my appointment time for an interview at CoStar, located at 1331 L St. NW, Washington, DC. A block away from the location, I walked in the wrong direction going north on 14th St NW. Unknown to me I passed a group of men in various work uniforms. One was a FedEx uniform. As I passed, I heard them mumbling in low tones and remarking that “I was pretty” and some laughter followed. I ignored them in order to stay focused on my interview.

I turned around when I realized I had gone in the wrong direction, and as I passed the group of men again I heard someone say, “Ma’am, do you need directions?” in a tone that echoed sexually harassing comments I had heard before. I kept walking. Then someone from the group said, “You’re not that pretty anyway.”

I then turned to the group and flipped my middle finger at them. They backed off and I went to my interview at CoStar. This interview came through an employment agency. Despite the harassing incident, I had a good interview with CoStar. I reported my interview experience to the employment agency and the agency found me to be a favorable candidate for this position. About an hour later, I received a call from the employment agency telling me that I was removed from consideration of this position because CoStar’s FedEx delivery person saw me at the interview. He reported that I flipped him off in response to his offensive remarks. I was told by the agency that although I would not be hired for the position I interviewed for, I would still be considered for other positions after checking the comfort level of her employees, though she implied that that comfort level would be low, leading me to believe that I would not receive future work from this agency.

– LMC

Location: 1331 L St. NW, Washington, DC

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

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FOX News is wrong about street harassment

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Via Media Matters

Funny… I just finished writing an article about street harassment and the media in which I made the case that mainstream media is largely shifting its coverage of street harassment from saying it’s a compliment to portraying it as a serious issue. Well, FOX News just made itself an outlier.

Via Media Matters:

“Fox News hosts defended the practice of catcalling, insisting women should “let men be men” and downplaying the harmful impact widespread street harassment has on women.

On the August 28 edition of Fox News’ Outnumbered, hosts highlighted a New York Post opinion article that suggested women “deal with” “flattering” catcalls. Co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle defended street harassment saying, “let men be men,” and, “look, men are going to be that way. What can you do?” Guest host and Fox contributor Arthur Aidala reenacted his personal signature “move” — aiming a slow round of applause at women on the street, which one host said she’d find flattering.”

I know FOX is kind of a ridiculous “news” source, but they do have a large viewership, so this disturbs me.

I feel like a broken record explaining why FOX is wrong. So I’ll just say this much:

1 – Street harassment is not a compliment or flattering. It’s disrespectful, it’s objectifying, it’s someone speaking about you without your consent in a public space.

2 – It’s also often scary or unsettling. Almost half of all women have experienced some kind of physically aggressive form of street harassment in public places in the USA and that can make seemingly “harmless” catcalls feel scary too… we don’t know when someone will escalate into something worse.

3 – Street harassment is not just men saying “hey baby” to a pretty woman. Street harassment is the manifestation of systems of oppression, be it sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ablism, racism, classism, etc. Anyone who is discriminated against in other arenas of life has probably been harassed on the street.

4 – Street harassment begins for most people when they’re teenagers. By adult harassers. How creepy is that?

5 – Sexual harassment/street harassment is NOT “natural” for men. It’s learned behavior. One obvious piece of proof is that many — maybe even most — men do NOT street harass.

It’s NOT a compliment.

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“You may not speak to women so disrespectfully and expect no consequence”

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While walking in NYC, I stopped to take a picture of wood work on a door. As I turned to leave, the uniformed doorman of the building told me I was blocking the door and had to leave. I actually thought he was kidding because I was leaving and there was no one else in the doorway or on the sidewalk at all. So I laughed, pointed this out, and took two steps away. That’s when he called me a bitch. I’ve never been called this name before — I am a middle-aged, elementary school teacher and this word is not in my expressive vocabulary. I turned back and he repeated himself. I moved closer to see the name on his tag and he told me his name was Patrick McKay, asked if I needed him to spell that for me and told me that he only had to be nice to the residents of the building.

He laughed at me and said, “Who are you going to complain to?” The answer, Mr. McKay, is anyone who will listen, including the management of your building the NYPD, the mayor’s office and any online source I can find. You may not speak to women so disrespectfully and expect no consequence.

– CBS

Location: The Greenwich Club Residents, NYC

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

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“What if they try to grab me?”

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It started this month and is on going. As I walk to work these two guys drive by and honk at me. Twice they have called out their window too. It makes me feel very unsafe. I am Trans*. I was assigned Female at birth but I don’t consider myself female. I even shaved all the hair off my head this past weekend and they are still honking as they drive by as I walk to work. It makes me feel so uncomfortable and unsafe. It makes me fear, what if they would drive by when I am walking home late at night. Would they just honk? What if they try to grab me? What if it escalates? I should be allowed to feel safe walking to and from work.

– Kris

Location: New Holland, Pennsylvania (walking to work)

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“I said HOHOHO AND I DON’T MEAN SANTA CLAUS”

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“Today I was followed into the downtown branch of the library by a 20-something excuse for a human being slinging hateful, sexist language at me. He started a few blocks away and got louder and louder until I entered the library and a male library employee physically blocked him by starting a conversation with me. He said: “”Ho. Ho. Ho. Hohoho and I don’t mean Santa Claus. I said HOHOHO AND I DON’T MEAN SANTA CLAUS. Hey bitch, you a fine bitch. Ho. Ho. Ho!  How much a hit? 500? You stuck up bitch. You an ugly ass bitch anyway. You can’t get none, see what I do? Make you feel insecure about yourself. Ho.”” On and on.

I ignored him, since he obviously was looking for attention. In retrospect I wish I had had pepper spray on me. I feel so discouraged that the people perpetuating the problem are the ones least likely to listen to me if I do engage. What could I have said that would have made him understand how angry, intimidated and disappointed his actions made me feel? He probably would have enjoyed knowing he had that effect on me. It feels hopeless.

– Anonymous

Location: Seattle/wa/USA central library 4th and Madison

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

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