Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Six Ways My Dad is an Activist

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My book launch event in 2010. This is how supportive my dad is -- the event was on a weeknight in DC and my dad left work in NYC early, drove 4 hours down to DC, attended the event, and then drove all the way back home so he could go to work the next day. I had a book launch event in NYC the next week that he also attended...he wanted to be at the DC one too to support me at my very first book talk. My mom attended both too.

Happy Father’s Day to men working to make the world a better place!

Happy Father’s Day in particular to my dad who is a great ally and anti-street harassment activists. Here are six examples of his efforts.

1 – When I secured the Stop Street Harassment book contract in 2009, my dad, Alan Kearl, spent dozens of hours line-editing the entire manuscript by hand, twice.  It was truly a labor of love and his advice helped make the book stronger. Last fall, he helped me buy the rights to the paperback edition so I could make the book more affordable/accessible.

2 – Online, my dad has written several posts for the male ally series on this blog and he regularly writes encouraging comments on stories people around the world submit to the blog.

3 – During this past year, he’s represented Stop Street Harassment at several events in New York City, including the Shine the Light on Domestic Violence event at Times Square.

4 – In 2011, I organized International Anti-Street Harassment Day and my dad and mom decided to participate by handing out 100 fliers about street harassment near a subway stop.

5 – In 2012, when I decided to turn the day into International Anti-Street Harassment Week, my dad dreamed bigger organized a rally against street harassment in New York City. Despite a busy work and personal life schedule, he organized over a dozen speakers and performers, including City Council Member Julissa Ferraras, and a crowd of 100 joined in to chant, cheer, and get energized to do something about street harassment. Everyone at the rally was inspired and encouraged by seeing a male ally and a father take such an active role in addressing the issue.

6 – Yesterday, I was in New York City with my family to celebrate an early Father’s Day. In the morning, a friend sent me a photo of a pro-street harassment construction sign in Princeton, NJ. When I told my parents, my dad wanted to drive the 90 minutes (each way) to try to find it and take pictures in person and figure out what company put up the sign. When that proved impractical because of the rest of our schedule, he did online sleuthing and figured out the company and wrote an email to them sharing his disappointment in the content (I’m working on a petition you can sign soon).

While my dad has always been supportive of my efforts, I love how he’s turned into an activist in his own right. I’m excited that we can grow together as activists when we travels to Cairo, Egypt, in July to meet with anti-street harassment members of the group HarassMap (and also sight see).

I hope my dad can be an example to other fathers about the power and importance of working with their children collaboratively to make the world a better place.

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Interview: Alan Kearl’s efforts to stop street harassment

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Alan Kearl with his wife Beckie Weinheimer (center) and daughters Mary Kearl (left) and Holly Kearl (right)

Fathers can be natural allies in ending street harassment. I’m lucky to have a wonderful father who is one, and he’s organizing action in New York City for International Anti-Street Harassment Week.

He agreed to do a quick interview about why he’s involved and what’s going on in NYC. We hope this will inspire other men, especially fathers, to become involved, too!

1. Stop Street Harassment (SSH): Why are you involved with International Anti-Street Harassment Week?

Alan Kearl (AK): I was involved in last year’s activities in New York City and when I learned that in one of the largest cities of the world and found that there were just a few efforts in such a big city, I decided that this year, I could help encourage, organize and facilitate a lot more activity.  New York City, a leader in so many facets of culture and life in the world, should be among the forefront of educating, speaking out and inspiring change that improves life for women and makes daily life safer for women.

2. SSH: What are you doing this year?

AK: Here in New York City, there are about 13 groups of activists who are working together to coordinate activities during International Anti-Street Harassment Week.  We are trying to have activities that engage, men and women of all ages and demographics in all five of the boroughs of New York. Confirmed events include a self-defense class for middle schoolers, a fabulous performance art event that will engage attendees in understanding the street harassment, educational workshops held in public school classrooms, a viral video of men talking to men about the consequences of street harassment, a brilliant new program that will offer bystanders a way to help victims and others.  Our efforts will culminate with a rally on Saturday, March 24th at which we’ll have several passionate, articulate speakers.

3. SSH: Why does speaking out on this issue matter to you?

AK: Why I’m speaking out on this issue — I have an amazing daughter who has exposed me to the fact that virtually every female, more than half of the world, is subject to harassment for no other reason than that they are female.  I have learned from her that this harassment causes all sorts of problems from obvious things like hurt, anxiety, fear, anger, and humiliation; to worse things like bodily and emotional injury; to changing habits, limiting activity and even moving and changing jobs.  This is a huge toll on more than half of the people in the world and it is sobering to think that this is caused by the other half of the world’s populations, males and to think that I’m a male.  I have come to know that I need to do something to make up for, curtail and hopefully stop the horrific acts intended or not, of the males of this world. I want the world to be a safe place for all females.

Update: Here is a video of both my parents talking about why they’re involved in International Anti-Street Harassment Week.


Alan Kearl is the proud father of three daughters and has been happily married to his sweetheart for the past 32 years. He lives in New York City and is the Chief Operating Officer of a cosmetics manufacturing company. Much of his adult life has been spent surrounded by women and involved in women’s issues.  He operates by the maxim that making the world a better place starts by being aware of, interested in and respectful of the very next person he encounters.

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