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Street Signs in Canada and the USA

April 21, 2015 By HKearl

Innovative street signs went up in Toronto, New York City and Philadelphia during International Anti-Street Harassment Week last week.

Toronto (via blogTO):

4.17.15 Torontoi“A new public art project in Kensington Market kindly asks catcallers to STFU. Dubbed the The Street Talk Project, the artistic intervention involves street signs that admonish sexual harassment on Toronto streets and that support equal rights for women and trans* people.

“Using humour and subversive advertising, The Street Talk Project [brings] attention to the ways in which public space is navigated differently by different people,” reads the organizers’ description of the project. It also addresses “how sexism is felt viscerally on a day-to-day basis” and promotes “solidarity for the safety of women and trans* people.”

The project debuted yesterday and also involves an exhibition at Whippersnapper Gallery. There are seven signs in total, which have been installed around the Market. The idea was to place them in a highly trafficked area to generate as much discussion as possible.”

New York City and Philadelphia (via my article at Feministing.com):

4.13.15 Feminist Apparel and Pussy Division signs NYC Philly“Members of Feminist Apparel and Pussy Division put up 25 street signs against catcalling in Philadelphia and New York City. They worked with a street sign manufacturer to produce them and released them specifically for International Anti-Street Harassment Week.  Their goal was to create ‘further dialogue surrounding the issue of street harassment,’ Alan Martofel, production coordinator for Feminist Apparel, told me.

Since it is a form of guerrilla activism, they did not gain permission from the city to post the signs and they are unsure how long they will be up. But they say that already they are having an impact.

One of the members of Pussy Division, a group based in Philadelphia who has done other street art activism, such as posting “stop rape” stickers and spray painting anti-harassment messages on sidewalks around the city, told me, ‘We’ve had so much positive feedback. A lot of people will share harassment that just happened to them and say they are happy to see the sign and feel less alone.’

For her, the goals of the project are to spread the message that street harassment is an important issue everywhere and to help survivors. ‘We would like people who deal with street harassment every day to look at it and feel validated about their feelings of really hating going through it and feeling objectified.’ She continued, ‘We are taught — especially women — that this is part of life and that we should deal with it and be happy about it. But we’re not happy about it. It’s important for harassed people to hear from other people who are on the same page as them.’

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Filed Under: anti-street harassment week, Resources, street harassment Tagged With: street signs

Street Harassment Round Up – April 12

April 12, 2009 By HKearl

I’m trying something new now that the volume of street harassment stories and activism is increasing: a periodic round up of recent street harassment stories and activism initiatives from my online allies.

Stories:

The new Holla Back DC is in full swing and posted several stories this week, including “The Gauntlet of Sexual Harassment.” A woman shares how, now that the weather is warmer, she’s been getting harassed daily on her walking commute.

Via Gothamist
Via Gothamist

Holla Back NYC reports about a horrifying story where two young women who refused the advances of a Brooklyn man in a pizza shop one late night were savagely beaten by him. He fractured the jaw of one woman as she tried to call the police and he hit the other woman so much that her eyes were swollen shut and she’ll have to have reconstructive surgery. The police were able to track down the perp via his restaurant credit-card receipts and he turned himself in last Wednesday. He’s been charged with two counts of felony assault but he’s since been released on $5,000 bail – what?! That’s it? And now he’s out and about, able to beat up other women…or the same women again… great.

Activism:

Holla Back Asheville (NC) launched so if you live in that area, send them your street harassment stories. They held an event called Hey Baby this past Friday. A write-up about the event is forthcoming. Welcome HB Asheville!

Blank Noise in India is engaging in a new project “Make a Sign” and encourages everyone to make a street sign about street harassment. The deadline is May 17, 2009, and all images will be included in their flickr account and three will be tested out in public. What a great idea! Check out their blog to learn more and participate.

Holla Back Toronto was featured in McClungs magazine last week. Read the article “Ain’t no hollaback girl.” Congrats HB Tononto!

And if you’re in the DC area, don’t forget that next Saturday, April 18, is Defend Yourself’s street harassment-focused self defense class.

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Filed Under: hollaback, street harassment Tagged With: asheville, Blank Noise, brooklyn, catcalling, defend yourself, Dzemal Kolenovic, flickr, holla back, McClungs, new york, self defense class, street signs, tony's pizzeria, toronto

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