I was just out of law school and happy to be the first woman attorney in a downtown law firm. I enjoyed being downtown and usually commuted by bus. Occasionally, I needed a car at work and to get affordable parking I walked from an area of town that was less desirable.

One early morning as I walked from my car something caught my attention and I saw a man a few feet away masturbating (and exposing himself) in a stairwell next to the sidewalk, staring at me. I was very shaken, but also scared. I’ve actually never discussed this experience with anyone.

I had other harassing experiences within the work environment of this job, which I left after a few years. The hostility I felt at work contributed to my insecurity and the sense that there was no one to talk with about issues like this.

Submitted by C.H.