HollabackUK

Thursday, 26 November 2009

Train tosser

Hi, I'm Celia - I wanted to let you know about my experience today. I'm 33 and dress normally, pretty cpnservatively actually. I was at Victoria today and when getting off the train had to jump the gap between the train and platform. A man, around my age was waiting to get on. He said 'yeah, baby, jump! Aaaaallllllriiiiiighhhht, mmmmhmmm!! Work it!'

What a loser!

Sent by Celia

Thursday, 5 November 2009

Groped in the lift

I get stared at and comments made to me by men. I don't encourage them. I was in the lift at a train station on Monday evening. A man keeps looking at me, I concentrate on staring at the doors. There were a couple of other people in the lift. The doors opened and he brushed past me, touching my bum. He said quietly into my ear 'You like cock'. I yelled 'That man just groped me!'. No-one turned round or responded. I told the man at the barriers. He said 'Well, he's gone now', and shrugged.

Sent by Kath

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

Review on how public authorities respond to rape complaints

Harriet Harman, Minister for Women and Equality, Home Secretary Alan Johnson and Solicitor General Vera Baird today announced a review into how rape complaints are handled from when a rape is first disclosed until the court reaches a verdict.

Read more on the review.

Free personal safety training for women 14 -21 in London

The London Centre for Personal Safety offers free personal safety and self-defence training, with focus on sexual assault prevention. View their website to find out more and apply.

Bugged on the bus

This happened just now! I was getting onto the bus to work and a man waved me in front of him. I smiled in thanks and he came and sat next to me. He kept staring at me and finally said 'Baby you smell soooo fine'. Eww. I got my phone out to get his picture but he got up as it was his stop. He then mouthed 'I'm watching you' as the bus went past. So creepy!

Sent by Aiysha

Monday, 2 November 2009

Offered money by harasser

In the part of London I used to live in, I literally couldn't leave my home without getting some level of harassment, ranging from the 'Hey baby' to the obscene. Here are two of the most memorable incidents:

I was going to the supermarket one evening and stopped at a cash point. There was a small queue and whilst I was waiting, a man in his early twenties stopped and asked me whether I would go home with him. Obviously, I said no and looked away. After asking me another two times and being rebuffed, he then offered me £100 to go home with him. I think he finally went away after the third time and I had said I would call the police if he didn't leave me alone. Women should be able to stand at a cash point without being treated like an object that can be bought. He would have been wrong whatever I had been wearing, but just for the record, I was wearing a long skirt and a baggy jumper - not exactly 'provocative'.

The second incident was one afternoon in summer and I was walking to the bus stop. A car slowed down next to me and the man driving shouted 'nice legs' at me. Not the nastiest piece of harassment but it made me uncomfortable and I ignored him. I realised that he was driving slowly next to me and then he shouted 'I'd like to have those legs over my shoulders'. That angered me and I shouted 'F*** off!' at him and I got a lot of abuse in return but thankfully he sped off. I realise my response wasn't necessarily the most sensible or helpful response but it was the best I could come up with at the time.

My most recent experience was just yesterday after leaving Paddington station. As I was crossing the road a man old enough to be my father made kissing noises at me as we passed each other.

The more this happens and the more Hollaback blogs I read, the more angry I get that so many men seem to think that it's acceptable to treat women as objects there just for their amusement and that they get away with it. I'm always going to be responding to these idiots from now on.

Sent by Fran

Friday, 30 October 2009

Hassled buying a poppy

Hi, thank you for the site, it is reassuring to know it's not just me that feels tangry about street harassment.

On my lunch break yesterday I stopped to donate some money to a man selling poppies. I spoke to him fot a bit and as I walked off a man said 'Hello darling'. I ignored this and he said 'It seems you have to be selling poppies to chat up a young lady'. I carried on going and he yelled 'stuck up b****'. Charming.

Sent by Elaine

Hollaback - FAQS

Question: Are you a bunch of crazed feminazis who hate men?

Answer: Actually, HollaBack is a collective comprised of men and women who believe in building communities where everyone feels comfortable, safe, and respected. Many people, particularly men, are unaware of the frequency and severity of disrespect and intimidation that numerous folks, especially women, experience in public spaces on a daily basis. HollaBack aims to expose and combat street harassment as well as provide an empowering forum in this struggle.

Question: OK, but what exactly is street harassment?

Answer: Street harassment is a form of sexual harassment that takes place in public spaces. At its core is a power dynamic that constantly reminds historically subordinated groups (women and LGBTQ folks, for example) of their vulnerability to assault in public spaces. Further, it reinforces the ubiquitous sexual objectification of these groups in everyday life.

At HollaBackUK, we believe that what specifically counts as street harassment is determined by those who experience it. While there is always the classic, “Hey baby, nice tits” there are so many other forms that go unnoted. If you feel like you have been harassed, holla back!

Question: But aren’t you worried that your site will fuel the latent vindictiveness within women and LGBTQ-identified folks across the country, leading to a massive witch-hunt and rampant Soviet-style denunciations of countless innocents?

Answer: No.

Question: I heard something about your position on antiracism. What’s that about, and what does it have to do with street harassment?

Answer: Replacing sexism with racism is not a proper holla back. Due in part to prevalent stereotypes of men of color as sexual predators or predisposed to violence, HollaBackUK asks that contributors do not discuss the race of harassers or include other racialized commentary. If you feel that race is important to your story, please make sure its relevance is explained clearly and constructively in your post.

Question: But isn’t your idea of “street harassment” just belittling another person’s culture?

Answer: Street harassers occupy the full spectrum of class, race, and ethnicity. Sexual harassment, and street harassment specifically, is resisted around the world. To condense another’s culture into vague assumptions about who and what they are is to generalise dangerously about a wide range of experiences and perspectives.

Question: Confronting street harassers can be dangerous. What about safety issues?

Answer: While everyone is vulnerable to stranger rape and sexual assault, studies show that those who are aware of their surroundings, walk with confidence and, if harassed, respond assertively, are less vulnerable. Nevertheless, direct confrontations with street harassers may prove extremely dangerous, particularly alone or in unpopulated spaces. While it is each individual’s right to decide when, how, and if to Holla Back, do keep issues of safety in mind. Upon deciding to photograph a harasser, you may consider doing so substantially after the initial encounter and from a distance, ensuring the harasser is unaware of your actions.

Question: I am a man who was recently sexually objectified by a woman on the street. I think this is reverse harassment. Why won’t you post my story?

Answer: While a woman making unsolicited sexual remarks to a man is certainly conceivable, the power dynamics of such an encounter are very different in a society where women comprise a historically subordinated group. HollaBackUK is a project dedicated to combating a particular form of violence that designates subordinated groups (such as women and LGBTQ folks, for example) as targets in public spaces or otherwise vulnerable to unsolicited, nonconsensual encounters with strangers. It is thus not a forum for reporting other unpleasantries.

Question: Isn’t street harassment the price you pay for living in a city?

Answer: No, local taxes are the price you pay for living in a city. We would love to see some portion of our local taxes go towards preventing street harassment, but alas, they don’t.

In fact, street harassment is not confined to urban areas. It occurs in shopping malls, cars, parking lots, public parks, airplanes, fast-food restaurants, gas stations, churches, and numerous other public spaces.

Question: So let’s say a man sees a woman he thinks is attractive and tells her so. Are you saying that makes him a harasser?

Answer: Some do not find comments such as “Hello, beautiful” or “Hey, gorgeous” offensive. Many do. Others may find them intimidating, intrusive, or just an annoying pain in the ass. Keep in mind that many women experience unsolicited comments, as well as violent verbal assault, from men in public spaces on a regular basis. Rather than deliberating the “gray areas” of street harassment, treat everyone you encounter with respect.

Question: If you show off your breasts, shouldn’t you expect some compliments?

Answer: Sure, expect them, but don’t accept them! Just because it happens doesn’t mean it’s okay. A compliment is not a compliment if it makes the recipient feel bad.

Question: Sure, but if “the harasser” were hot, wouldn’t you like it?

Answer: This has nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with power.

Question: You’re just a bunch of prudes, then?

Answer: Like we said, this has nothing to do with sex, and everything to do with power.