Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming
I passed a homeless man on the street, and he said to me, “That’s all right, I don’t want money from a fat girl like you.”
– anonymous
Location: Boston, MA
Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.
As I crossed the street in my neighbourhood last winter, someone hollered out their car window, “Maybe if you weren’t so fat, it wouldn’t take you so long to get across the street.”
– anonymous
Location: New York City, Upper West Side
Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.
I was harassed at the entrance to my house. This is the second time in three days.
– anonymous
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.
Since moving from Edmonton to Vancouver, I am astounded by how polite strangers are here. I have been here almost a year and have only experienced street harassment twice, both very mild incidents. Often, I will be walking down the street and I’ll see a group of young men approach. I will feel wary, because I’m used to harassment from groups of young men. As they pass me on the street, one of them will say ‘hi’ and then they keep walking.
Before I moved here, I had become desensitized to street harassment. I had given up on telling people about my weekly, often daily, experiences with harassment, because they’d always make it sound like my fault. “What were you wearing?” “What did you expect to happen?” “You’re so flirtatious, of course they felt they could say that to you.” “Why were you walking alone after dark?”
When I moved here, I experienced for the first time since puberty, how nice it is to walk around alone in public with nobody bothering me. That was when I started to feel really angry about street harassment. Every woman deserves to be respected in public and we should never settle for anything less.
– Margaret
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.
A block from home, I’m alone on a corner, reading a book, waiting for the light to change and some douche tries to strike up a conversation with me. He asks me what I’m doing. It’s an awkward question, and he’s obviously leering at me and trying to get my attention. I answer as shortly and politely as possible and go back to reading. Nothing in my speech or body language says “Talk to me!” but none the less he continues to try.
“I was just asking cause you looked so pretty reading.”
Did I ask for your opinion? Does my business casual outfit make me look like a hooker or something? Seriously dude, WTF?
All I could think to say was “Sorry” as I turned towards home, but in retrospect I wish I’d told him to fuck off.
Feeling flustered, uncomfortable, and slightly violated, I finally got home, locked all the doors, and made sure my roommates were home. I felt gross for the rest of the day. I just wanted to finish my goddamn book, ass hole.
– anonymous
Location: Redmond, WA
Share your street harassment story today and help raise awareness about the problem. Include your location and it will be added to the Street Harassment Map.