Street Harrassment

[Corkey]

I'd like a definition of street harassment before I vote. Though I'm not a Transman, I am Transgendered so yes this difference is important to me.

[Nat]

this is just one definition I found - from stopstreetharrassment.org:

Street harassment is any action or comment between strangers in public places that is disrespectful, unwelcome, threatening and/or harassing and is motivated by gender. In countries like India and Bangladesh, it’s termed “eve teasing,” and in countries like Egypt, it’s called “public sexual harassment.” Street harassment is a human rights issue because it limits women’s ability to be in public as often or as comfortably as most men.

Types: It ranges from leers, whistles, honks, kissing noises, and non-sexually explicit evaluative comments, to more insulting and threatening behavior like vulgar gestures, sexually charged comments, flashing, and stalking, to illegal actions like public masturbation, sexual touching, assault, and murder.

Gender-based street harassment can intersect with racism, homophobia and transphobia, classism, and/or ableism (as explored in Chapter 3 of the Stop Street Harassment book) to create multi-layered harassment.

Age: Street harassment often begins around puberty. In a 2008 study of 811 women conducted by Stop Street Harassment, almost 1 in 4 women had experienced street harassment by age 12 (7th grade) and nearly 90% by age 19. While street harassment is most frequent for teenagers and women in their 20s, the chance of it happening never goes away and women in their 80s have shared stories.

[deedarino]

Originally Posted by Nat

this is just one definition I found - from stopstreetharrassment.org:

Street harassment is any action or comment between strangers in public places that is disrespectful, unwelcome, threatening and/or harassing and is motivated by gender. In countries like India and Bangladesh, it’s termed “eve teasing,” and in countries like Egypt, it’s called “public sexual harassment.” Street harassment is a human rights issue because it limits women’s ability to be in public as often or as comfortably as most men.

Types: It ranges from leers, whistles, honks, kissing noises, and non-sexually explicit evaluative comments, to more insulting and threatening behavior like vulgar gestures, sexually charged comments, flashing, and stalking, to illegal actions like public masturbation, sexual touching, assault, and murder.

Gender-based street harassment can intersect with racism, homophobia and transphobia, classism, and/or ableism (as explored in Chapter 3 of the Stop Street Harassment book) to create multi-layered harassment.

Age: Street harassment often begins around puberty. In a 2008 study of 811 women conducted by Stop Street Harassment, almost 1 in 4 women had experienced street harassment by age 12 (7th grade) and nearly 90% by age 19. While street harassment is most frequent for teenagers and women in their 20s, the chance of it happening never goes away and women in their 80s have shared stories.

Yes to most of the above.

[FishIV]

I took the poll to ask about harrassment related to gay bashing.

The answer is yes.......over and over again.

I have been beaten up many times, mostly by police officers (men and women). Also by straight men. The beatings are not just black eyes or scratches, but many broken bones, a gun to my head, dragged down the street and other such incidents.

I am strong and a survivor. The hardest part for me is seeing what it does to my family. They are afraid for me, and when incidents happen....they are consumed.

I do not like that who I am causes them so much worry, stress and sadness.

FishIV

[socialjustice_fsu]

In some ways I am reluctant posting here after reading the horrendous experiences some of you have been through. I have vacillated between anger and tears as I have reread these posts here.

The reason for the reluctance...my experiences have not even come close to some of what has been described. However, I wanted to share how my encounter with my first street harrassment happened. It will be commited to memory for life. I have never been much of a bar girl. Never drank much and would not know the correct way to hold a pool stick if my life depended on it. But I was a tough, young, feminist woman. I decided to stop by the only women's bar in town and just 'be.' It was the first time I had gotten up the nerve to go in there solo. Once I got a place at the bar - even over the music - you could hear the cars speeding by and hatred being verbally hurled toward the bar. I was taken aback by the so open way of this hatred...I danced some, yes, got some phone numbers, gave out my number, etc. When I walked to my car (I was driving a Triumph convertible and yes the top was down) someone had thrown maggot infested, gross, nasty garbage all over the interior of my car. I felt like I had stepped into a syfy scene. I went inside and told them what had happened. All of the butches jumped up to come out and help me clean this mess out. As one masculine woman leaned over the driver's side she looked up at me, stood up, and with her steely blue eyes locked on mine and both of her hands firmly on my shoulders she said, "Tamara, they thought you were one of us, a butch. We go through things like this almost daily just to be who we are." I will never forget that moment in time. I cried for hours.

To read these experiences (WMM, FishIV and all) it makes my heart hurt.
And to think we had hoped to be a kinder, gentler nation.

[Rockinonahigh]

I have had varing degrees of some kind of harrasment or the other over the years,some as little as looks that could stop a clock to down right hate filled comments.Once I went into a store by my house to get ciggies when I smoked.That night I was going to a party adn was dressed in leather pants and jacket with a sequined(sp)tux shirt,any way I went int o get my ciggies and theire was a line at the counter..I took my place in line to pay for them.It was like the parting of the red sea as everyone steped back then the guy at the counter told me how much they were,I paid for the ciggies and left
so as I left some guy said f-in bitch..I must have felt mighty shure of myself caouse I turned to him and said..Dont you ever forget it either!I then went to my car,camly lit up,then drove off.Next time I went in for anything I got an appologie from the owner for the comment made,I accepted his appologie and never had another problem from anyone about it.But,I have been turned down for jobs for being a butch,I have been fired forthe same reason after working at the place for over a year with a spotless record and glowing quarterlie reports when a new manager came on bord the buisness.When I have things like this happen I dont rollover and play dead but I know im a bigger person that they are,so I do my best to move on no mater how hard it is..Recantlya s tonight I had to deal with a bathroom issue at the pool hall,I walked into the room and went into a stall,the two 20 something kids snickered and one said to the other ..I wonder if she stands to pee?About that time one of my cronnies came in and herd the comment,she told them to growup and act like they had some sence and not plain hateful and stupid..needless to say they left quickly.

[Bad_boi]

I have been harassed but not for being trans so I voted no.

[Melissa]

Phew when I started thinking about it there have been multiple incidents from the general breast staring to being out right asked my bra size to having breasts "accidently" touched or brushed against. I also have found that men will be very inappropriate to waitresses. Some of the worse comments came when I worked as a waitress in a restaurant and also when I worked in a casino. Men seem to think that they have total freedom to make all sorts of comments.

During a street demo for gay rights a woman pulled up in her truck and told us we were all going to hell (she had a probably six or seven year old little girl in the truck with her). I have also been yelled at when entering a gay club from passersby on the street. I have been refused service in restaurants, too. I have also been verbally and physically attacked by family members. urgh. I don't really want to think about it.

I found it all humilitating, disgusting, and ugly. The highest number of incidences are based on my female gender but the most scary and hurtful were based on being gay.

Melissa