street harassment Archives | Page 116 of 212

“Want some chocolate milk on the side?”

June 22, 2010 By Contributor

I have had to deal with harassment of all sorts ranging from leers to unwanted touching ever since I was a teenager and now at age 31 that has not changed. I used to have to take public transit and I was an intern at the hospital…I had to change my route from the hospital to the bus station due to this autoshop on the street where a bunch of guys would holler and say all sorts of rude and degrading things to me as I walked by. I can’t walk anywhere without having a car honk at me and some loser hanging out the passenger side asking me for my number. One memorable experience was when a guy asked me if I was married. When I replied in the affirmative he went on to ask me if I was married to a white or a black man. When I didn’t answer he said “Must be a white man…want some chocolate milk on the side?”

I even had one guy come and grab me roughly on the arm, demanding my name as I was getting into the car when my husband was picking me up! The nerve!

Recently I ran across that game that has been making the rounds at http://www.heybabygame.com and the feedback I have been seeing especially from the majority of males is very predictable. “Oh noes, how dare we find a woman attractive and compliment her!”

There is a difference between nice polite compliments and outright leering and making a woman uncomfortable. A big difference. It is a thin line to be sure, and too many men cross it.

It is about time that guys learn that this type of stuff is NOT okay. It is not welcome, it is not flattering. It is uncomfortable, degrading, and in many cases downright scary.

Thank you for this website.

– Tracy

Location: Albany, GA

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 man on a bike grabbed my ass

June 22, 2010 By Contributor

Tonight while walking home in my quiet well-lit neighborhood, a man on a bike grabbed my ass. As it was a narrow sidewalk and he had to squeeze past me, it took a minute to realize what had happened. He grabbed my ass! There was no doubt it had been intentional — he turned around and grinned at me. Twice. The entire time I was so surprised that all I could do was glare.

Even now I’m not sure what I should have done. Yelled at him? Made a scene? Ignored him?

– anonymous

Location: Washington, DC

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.

“Even as a man, I cringe at street harassment”

June 21, 2010 By Contributor

Even as a man, I cringe at street harassment. I can’t help but hear kissing noises or whoops or vocalized honks. There was one time years ago when I heard some street harassment going on, but my response was to turn to the harassers and make flirtatious gestures at them as if they were calling out to me. I think that was enough to silence them, at least for a moment.

– Mr. MRS

Location: New York, NY

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.

“What if he makes good on that threat?”

June 21, 2010 By Contributor

I was catching a bus home one night and some guy came on after me when I’d already sat down. I don’t like talking to total strangers (I have a bit of a social anxiety, especially around men) so I just smiled and nodded when he said, “Hi.” I kept smiling and nodding when he said, “How are you?” This was some stereotypical wankster, short and scrawny with rat-like features. They’re a dime a dozen in Cambridge (Ontario, Canada). Pissed that I wouldn’t answer him, he stalked off to sit at the back of the bus, muttering (as loud as possible, as contradictory as that sounds), “Bitch,” and then “All I wanted to do was stick my cock up your ass.”

So naturally was like BITCH NO YOU DI’IN’T, so I went and told the bus driver, who called security, and got him kicked off the bus and banned. A nice older gentleman at the front of the bus (where the bus driver had moved me for safety reasons) was kind enough to back me up.

I had a couple panic attacks afterward (one which resulted in a breakdown), but then I was fine. People kept saying, “I’m so proud of you!” but to me, it was just logic. All I could think was, “What if he makes good on that threat? What if he gets off at my stop and follows me home and tries to rape me?” I’d rather be “brave” and get his sorry ass kicked off the bus and be a “whiny bitch” and kick up a fuss about it than risk being assaulted.

– M. Hammond

Location: 55 St. Andrews bus, Ainslie Street Terminal – Cambridge, Ontario, 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.