Stop Street Harassment

Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming

Sexy in red…

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On Saturday, I was crossing a light right before it was changing to green, and right when I got to the other side a cab driver said either “Look at you, Sexy Dreads!” or “Look at you, sexy in red!” (I was wearing a red coat.) Regardless of what was said, I could definitely see him checking me out and it was gross. Of course he had to say this right before the light turned green so I didn’t have time to get a license plate number or cab number.

The second incident happened today when I was coming back from lunch. A man stopped right in front of my tracks and said “All this chocolate…why no smile?” or something stupid like that. Then he says “That’s it!” as if I gave him a smile as he wanted, when in actuality I walked past him and ignored him and whatever expression on my face was that of befuddlement and annoyance.

Compared to what I’ve been through recently, Incident #2 is benign, but annoying nonetheless. Why do these men think that intruding on a random woman’s day is cool? It’s not cool, it’s aggravating as hell!

– Tired of Being Harassed

Location: #1, Arlington, VA and #2, M Street, Washington, DC

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Yuppie Harasser – Power Play

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Today, a 20 to 30-something white male in a business suit harassed me near the corner of 14th and T Streets NW in Washington DC at about 9 A.M. He was clearly going to work and was in a hurry. The man decided to cut the corner and walk in front of me and my dog. At the same time, my dog saw a bird behind the man and walked towards the man. I stopped my dog, but my dog’s first reaction to walk towards the man caused the man to have to pause. Apparently stopping was too much of an inconvenience for the man. He glared at me and came closer to me. I apologized for my dog and told him I was working on the dog’s behavior around birds. Then, the man kept walking the other way, towards his destination, and after he was about 10 steps away, he yelled back at me at the top of his lungs, “There’s something else you can do. Control your dog!”

First I felt humiliated but then I felt angry, helpless, and disgusted. There was nothing I could do to tell him that his behavior was inappropriate and infuriating. I also became very aware of the power differential between us. He’s a male and I’m a female. He was wearing a business suit (a sign of his higher class status) and I was wearing workout clothes which did not necessarily reveal anything about my class status. I thought for a split second that if I were a male in a business suit I would have followed after him and told him that he was a coward for yelling at me while he walked away. I was shaky and unsteady on the inside. Then, I tried to focus on my dog. My dog had sat down politely and was waiting for my next cue. I thought about how I wanted to enjoy the nice morning and spring air with my dog and didn’t want the harasser to ruin my morning. I took some deep breaths, tried to acknowledge my anger and move on. I suppose I partially succeeded for the r est of my walk, but I am still feel angry enough that I immediately came home and looked for this website to share my story.

– E

Location: 14th and T Streets NW in Washington DC

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I am not walking sex

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I am sexually harassed on a daily basis. Thinking the problem is me, I have tried to change to make it stop. I’ve smiled at my harassers, I’ve ignored them, I’ve flipped them off, I’ve thought up all sorts of female-positive responses, I’ve walked innumerable different routes home hoping to avoid them. I’ve tried wearing sweatshirts and Carhartts, wearing sunglasses, wearing my headphones.

The men catcall, whistle, shout, hiss, clap, honk, squeal their tires, tap their feet, and snap. They say damn, shit, ho, bitch, beautiful, gorgeous, tits, ass, fuck, have my babies, marry me, come home with me, suck my cock, nice dress, why don’t you smile?

Don’t worry, the remarks aren’t disproportionately generated by a certain race, class, or occupation. White, wealthy, smelly, blue-collar, Black, well-dressed, homeless, Mexican, educated, good-looking, old, immigrant, dirty, young, walking, biking, driving, sitting. No matter who the man appears to be or what his status, he assumes that degrading, sexist comments about my body are acceptable.

Now, some analysis. After all this being ‘done to’, I’m ready to take action. Notice all the derogatory phrases these men think up are male-positive and involve the male invading or being in the active position? Like I said before, I’ve tried turning that language around by saying things like, “Lick me where I pee” or using the word “cunt” in response and have found these responses useless, frustrating. Along the way, I’ve reclaimed words, I’ve manipulated their meanings in my head, even discovered some great history behind the words but all within the realm of action that my harassers define. I’m tired of being responsive, defensive, pensive. It is time for an offensive.

– Anonymous

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“I want to be your bicycle seat”

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I had locked up my bike at one of my city’s busiest intersections to go shopping. As I was unlocking it and getting ready to ride off, with people bustling all around, a man in the back of an SUV told me I looked sexy in my helmet (obviously being sarcastic and insulting). He then told me that he wished he were my bicycle seat. URGH! Disgusting. I tried to play it cool and address him directly, but all I could think of as he drove off was how I wished I had had some awesome, witty comment to shut him down. I was so amazed as how willingly some guys make complete idiots of themselves.

This made me realize that regardless of what you are wearing, or what you are doing, if you are female you are ALWAYS a potential target for street harassment. What made me even more angry was knowing that had my male partner been there, that guy would never have said anything (just like how some guy wouldn’t have tried to grab my ass on the subway escalator had I been with a male friend / partner or not alone).

I know that what I experience is nothing compared to what many women experience, and yet I still get really pissed off. Street harassment has to stop.

– FJ

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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They like to humiliate women in the street

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l want to post about my street harassment here in New York, NY, Manhattan Uptown, Spanish population.

l have been harass[ed] for more than 5 year, from strangers in public places. A lot of men [in] this community usually attack the women verbally with verbal abuse, some mak[e] negative comments about women. honking or whistling, they like to humiliate the women in the street. They never show their faces because they are no[t] real man. They think they have the right to insult the women just because they have a prejudge or discriminate against women.

– Anonymous

Location: Uptown NYC

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.

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