philadelphia Archives | Stop Street Harassment

Let Us Walk! Stickers Against Street Harassment

May 25, 2016 By HKearl

This is an excerpt from the Art of Growing Leaders 2015-16 Highlights, shared with their permission:

“The Art of Growing Leaders [in Philadelphia, PA] introduces young people ages 10-14 to multi-cultural rites of passage traditions, and provides them with creative leadership skills to help them discover their strengths and bring them to their communities. In the culminating project, students embarked on one specific creative social action project to improve their school/community.

Young women from Camp Sojourner, Girls’ Leadership Camp participated in ArtWell’s The Art of Growing Leaders and created this public guerilla art project to speak out against street harassment. Students designed stickers and gave them out and spoke with hundreds of people on April 30 at the Sojourner Truth Walk in West Philly, sparking important conversations. One parent told us this topic was not appropriate for her child, as she was too young and had not experienced harassment, only to be corrected by her daughter who told her mother that she was no stranger to being harassed. This led to a dialog and new awareness between this mother and her daughter. We are proud of these young women in creating such a powerful,
straightforward, and important project.“

USA: Maya Young and Transgender Homicides

February 25, 2016 By Correspondent

Kathleen Moyer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

Maya Young, a 25-year-old transgender woman of color, was stabbed to death in the Frankford section of Philadelphia late Saturday night. According to police, she was found lying in the street with multiple stab wounds to her chest and neck before being rushed to a nearby hospital, where she died 20 minutes later.

No arrests have been made in the case yet. The city is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer. People with tips can call 215-686-3334.

While investigators are still searching for a motive, the brutal murder of Young seems to reflect the murders of Keisha Jenkins and London Chanel – two transgender women of who were killed in Philadelphia last year. These murders are part of a pattern of increased transgender homicides across the United States. Statistics indicate that transgender homicide is becoming an epidemic, especially among women of color like Young, Jenkins, and Chanel.

In 2015, 23 transgender people were killed – the highest annual total since advocacy groups began keeping a record of transgender murder rates. Nineteen of those victims were transgender women of color. According to a 2013 report on LGBT hate violence by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, transgender women are the victims of 72% of LGBT homicides, and 89% of LGBT homicide victims are people of color.

Statistics also show that violence against transgender people is not limited to physical violence; over half of transgender individuals experience verbal street harassment. A report by SAVE Dade, an LGBT advocacy group, showed that 53% of transgender people surveyed experienced harassment and disrespect in public areas. These numbers show that transgender violence is a serious problem and it’s progressively getting worse.

We have to take a stand now more than ever. The motive in the case of Maya Young may still be unclear, but it is clear that this pattern of transgender violence is not coincidental. As the LGBT community and allies mourn the loss of Young, we need to remind society that no one’s gender is up for debate. An individual is whatever he/she identifies as and it’s no one’s place to object to that, because nobody knows how that individual thinks and feels.

No one deserves to be put through hell, verbally, mentally, or physically for simply being who they are. The transgender community deserves better; it’s our responsibility, as a society, to ensure that they receive better and to bring those who harm transgender individuals to justice. For Maya. For Keisha. For London. For every transgender person who has been victimized in the past, and those who will be victimized throughout this year.

Kathleen is a full-time graduate student studying professional and business communication. She plans initiatives to increase awareness of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other related issues through her university’s anti-sexual violence group, Explorers Against Sexual Violence.

USA: Harassment should not be an Intrinsic Part of Using Public Transportation

January 25, 2016 By Correspondent

Kathleen Moyer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

“Why don’t we get off the bus right here and go get something to eat?” said the man sitting next to me, who had been harassing me since he got on the bus.

“No,” I responded immediately for what must have been the fifth consecutive time. When I looked out the grimy bus window at the surrounding area, I noticed there were no restaurants in clear sight and doubtfully wondered whether he really wanted me to get off the bus so he could take me somewhere to eat. Before he got off at his stop, he asked for my number. When I wouldn’t give it to him, he gave me his instead, leaning over me to make sure I was saving it in my phone. I guess he wanted to be sure that I had it, just in case I changed my mind and decided that his incessant remarks about my appearance were actually charming.

This was the first time that I experienced harassment on public transportation. Seeing as I live in a large city and don’t yet drive, I rely on public transportation often. Unfortunately, since that first incident, I’ve learned that harassment on public transportation is something that’s simply expected, especially if you’re a woman. Recently, I asked other frequent public transportation users I know about their experiences with harassment.

“The conversation started out normal, but then he started asking me uncomfortable questions,” one woman began. “He said that he had a wife that he didn’t live with anymore and some grown children, and asked if I’d like to come with him to a hotel for sexual interaction…I told him no thank you and how he should be loyal to his wife, but he kept insisting and told me he’d even pay me for my time, because in Russia, that’s what he used to do. He then put his hand on my thigh, and then I stood up and moved to another seat on the bus to get away from him.”

Another woman I spoke to shared an experience in which she was harassed by a clearly intoxicated man who should not have been on the bus in the first place. “I was on the bus leaving work…I started eating a hoagie and this drunk guy in the row next to me started moaning and making obscene gestures at me. Then he moved to the seat next to me and said ‘Do you want to play?’ and reached out to grab me. Before he could, I yelled ‘Get away from me!’ and luckily that was enough to make him run out of the bus before anything else could happen.”

Fortunately, this woman, as well as another woman I spoke to, was able to scare off her harasser. I assume that the harassers ran away in these instances because they were taken by surprise. After all, we’re taught to simply ignore harassers on buses and trains, because sadly, that’s usually the safest and easiest response. I believe that harassers know this and try to take advantage of it. That’s why they sometimes act in such a cowardly manner when their victims respond in a way that deviates from what they’ve come to expect. However, victims of harassment shouldn’t be solely responsible for addressing the issue.

Thankfully, some transit authorities have taken action to fight harassment, with Boston’s transit authority leading the way in 2008 and Chicago in 2009.

* Since 2012, Stop Street Harassment and Collective Action for Safes Spaces have worked on a campaign with the Washington, DC area transit authority that includes PSAs, an online reporting portal, and training for frontline employees.

* In 2014, the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority created a webpage through which victims of harassment would be able to anonymously report incidents and submit photo evidence.

* Transport for London launched a campaign called “Report it to stop it” in April of last year. As the name suggests, the goal of the campaign was to encourage more people to report instances of harassment.

* Also last fall, the French government launched a campaign in which public transportation lines were plastered with posters printed with sexual remarks typical of those frequently heard on public transport lines. The bottom of the posters say, “A woman’s life should not look like this.”

While these efforts are promising, the problem seems to still remain unaddressed in most areas, allowing harassment to continue to be seen as an intrinsic part of using public transportation. Perhaps public transportation companies know that most people who use their services do so because it’s their only method of transportation; the fact that these companies won’t lose customers could be a factor in them not prioritizing the issue. Perhaps local governments are not aware of how prevalent the problem is. No matter what is preventing the problem from being addressed, it must change immediately. No one should feel threatened anytime they travel via bus or train and unwanted sexual behavior should not be a normal part of someone’s daily commute.

As the posters in France say, a woman’s life should not look like this. No one’s life should look like this.

Street Harassment Weekly – Jan. 19-25

January 26, 2015 By BPurdy

Catcalling is More Sinister Than You Might Think – “Our research supports previous findings that the rampant sexual objectification of women, an act of sexual terrorism, can heighten women’s fears of incurring physical and sexual harm,” says lead author Dr. Laurel Watson, a psychology professor specializing in traumatology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

I Confronted Every Man Who Catcalled Me (And It Didn’t End Well) – “How can you explain to a stranger that a compliment makes us feel afraid? That words like “gorgeous” and “beautiful” sound like threats when we hear them whispered to us on an empty street late at night? That we feel uneasy, objectified and uncomfortable when you say this to us while we’re going about our normal routine, not asking to be judged on our appearance out loud? That this thing they do for fun is at the expense of our peace of mind?”

Victim of Eve-Teasing, Teenager Kills Self – “A family member of the victim said, “We had gone to the police and complained about the incident. They did not take appropriate action against the guilty, which led to the girl’s death.””

SHE Teams Power Fight Against Eve-Teasing– ““We have constituted 100 such teams where police personnel in plainclothes mix with the crowd outside colleges, popular hangouts, cinemas and in public transport. They go armed with a small hidden camera that records the goings-on as they happen.” Sometimes, women police personnel themselves end up as “victims” and the entire act is caught on camera. The eve-teasers are immediately taken to the police station where his family is called in and he is let off with a warning and a petty fine.”

Ain’t No Hollaback Girl – Men And Women Speak Out Against Street Harassment Through Hollaback!NOLA– “Hollaback, which started in New York, is a non-profit movement that aims to end street harassment. Hollaback branches exist in 25 countries and 84 cities. The city of New Orleans was finally added to the list last December. According to Hollaback’s mission statement, street harassment is a form of sexual harassment that takes place in public spaces. They claim that at its core, street harassment is a power dynamic that constantly reminds historically subordinated groups of their vulnerability to assault in public places.”

Students Enact Skits About Violence Against Women – “Concerns about violence against girls and security of school students were highlighted in a unique drama competition on Sunday. Students’ groups from 15 schools performed on issues like eve teasing, addiction, sexual abuse of girls, adolescence and crime against women. The competition was part of ‘Nirbhay Vidyarthi Abhiyaan’-an initiative taken up by the Pune police to create awareness about crimes against students. A total of 116 schools in the city had registered for the drama competition. Eighty-five schools came up with performances and 15 were selected for the finals.”

Video: When Men Accidentally CatCall Their Own Mothers – “Often in trying to get men to understand how awful street harassment is, we use rhetorical techniques like “Would you talk to your mother like that?” But thanks to a project by Everlast, the men in this video really did catcall their mothers. The results are exactly as epic as you’d expect.”

Wearing Her “Whorepants” – How One Runner Turned Getting Harassed Into a Movement– “A year ago, I wrote a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer about female runner harassment. I didn’t offer safety tips. Instead, I called for us to take the blame off women who were harassed and hoisting it on to the people doing the harassing. To prove that point, I wrote about what had happened to me when I wore a pair of purple below-the-knee Nike capris, which I’d bought for $10 at the Nike outlet in Atlantic City. Reaction was swift and fierce.”

Are Women Traveling Into a Safer 2015? – “Every 51 minutes, a woman faces harassment or assault in India’s public spaces, according to a 2011 report by the National Crime Records Bureau. Staggering numbers of reported and unreported cases of violence and harassment make transportation difficult and dangerous for women and girls, especially after dark. So should safety issues simply keep women and girls indoors—or does their vulnerability in public spaces highlight a desperate need for gender considerations in designing and planning public transport?”

USA: Harassment on Two Wheels

January 28, 2014 By Correspondent

Katie Monroe, Philadelphia, PA, USA, SSH Blog Correspondent

11.7.13 Philadelphia City Council Hearing - Street Harassment 8 — Katie Monroe testifying at the City Council Hearing

On November 7th, Hollaback! Philly organized the second-ever City Council Hearing on Street Harassment. Stop Street Harassment’s Holly Kearl attended the event and documented it thoroughly.

I was invited to testify from my position as a feminist bicycle advocate in Philly. In 2013, I founded the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia’s Women Bike PHL program, which provides rides, workshops, and social events to help Philadelphia women get the skills and community support they need to start riding a bicycle. Last fall, I also started working for Gearing Up, a Philly nonprofit that gives women in transition from incarceration, addiction, and/or abuse the opportunity to ride a bicycle for exercise, transportation, and personal growth. If there are two topics in this world I care about, they are bicycles and gender equality. At the City Council hearing in November, my testimony (watch it here or read it here) focused on my personal experiences as a woman bicyclist in Philadelphia, and also drew from the experiences of some of the women bicyclists I’ve met through my work.

Conversations about street harassment often focus on the experiences of pedestrians. However, as more and more people start to use bicycles for transportation, especially in cities, I think it’s important to bring the experiences of bicyclists into conversations about street harassment as well. Similarly, perspectives from women — including their experiences being harassed while riding — tend not to be at the forefront of the bicycling advocacy movement. This also needs to change. (I’m working on it.)

In my testimony in November, I spoke about how riding a bicycle can feel like an escape from the gender-based street harassment that plagues me as a pedestrian. I ride my bike through neighborhoods where I wouldn’t feel safe walking. I’m moving too fast to be forced to respond to harassment — even if someone calls out to me from the sidewalk, I can often just ignore it and pedal on. Biking is door-to-door transportation that eliminates the periods of waiting at the bus stop, or walking to the subway, where street harassment is such a constant threat. Biking for transportation, to me and to many other women in Philadelphia, can be profoundly liberating.

But there’s a flipside — and I spoke about this in my testimony, too. In reality, biking isn’t actually a magical escape-button from harassment. The harassment doesn’t go away. It just changes. When I get on my bike, I might feel safer from men walking on the sidewalk — but men and women driving cars pose a whole new threat.

When I asked the Women Bike PHL Facebook forum for stories about being harassed while riding their bikes, the stories I got were mostly not gender-based. (Some were, of course — e.g. men calling out “I wish I were that bike seat”). More often, though, the stories were about harassment based on transportation mode — women were being harassed because they were riding a bike, not necessarily because they were women. Women frequently spoke about aggressive drivers honking, trying to run them off the road, and yelling at them for taking up lane space to which the motorists thought they had exclusive rights. (Guess what? They don’t. But it’s pretty hard to argue with someone commanding a two-ton piece of metal.)

These experiences certainly aren’t unique to female cyclists. Unfortunately, every biker I know has had terrifying experiences with aggressive drivers these while riding on city streets. For women, though, it can feel like a double bind: if you leave your house, there’s no escape from harassment of some kind — whether you’re on two feet or two wheels.

I find both bike-based harassment and gender-based harassment completely unacceptable, and I am actively working to fight both of them. However, while they can sometimes occur simultaneously, it’s important to maintain a distinction between them. Yes, both are fundamentally based in power imbalances, and it is tempting to draw a clean analogy between “car privilege” and “male privilege.” But as feminist bike advocate and writer Elly Blue thoughtfully explores in a recent piece, Is Bicycling A Civil Rights Issue?, they’re not the same. After all, I don’t choose to be a female-bodied person when I’m walking down the street. I do choose to get on my bicycle.

What’s the takeaway? I’m not sure yet. I am interested in whether anyone is doing more formal research on the distinctions between, and intersections among, different forms of street harassment. (My “data” is merely anecdotal, however powerful the anecdotes may be!) I certainly think that harassment of bicyclists by motorists is a form of street harassment. It makes people who are lawfully using public space feel unsafe, and efforts to fight it should be under the umbrella of the anti-street-harassment movement. At the same time, bike-based harassment is different from gender-based harassment (experienced, as we know, in all modes of transportation) in fundamental ways, and we can’t lose sight of that, either.

Katie Monroe founded the Women Bike PHL campaign at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and she works at the Philly nonprofit Gearing Up, which gives some of Philadelphia’s most marginalized women – those in transition from incarceration, addiction, and/or abuse – the opportunity to ride bicycles for exercise, transportation, and personal growth. Follow her on Twitter, @cmon_roe.