Entries from November 2009
November 25, 2009 · 1 Comment
Although I am verbally and sometimes physically harassed literally every time I walk to and from the DC metro to my work place, the most recent incident was the most disturbing.
Waiting in the metro station for my train, i heard a male voice saying “Hey sweetie” over and over again while I read a book, and then was approached by a very tall male who proceeded to “praise” me with what he must have considered “compliments” about my appearance. He asked a series of questions, very aggressively, so I felt pressured to comply and answer, though I lied about my name and where i was headed, where I lived, etc., and did not feel comfortable telling him, I’m a lesbian, I have a long-term partner, because those sounds like excuses with the potential to infuriate. He grabbed my hand and wrote his number on it, pressing so hard it cut my skin, and proceeded to ask about me calling him, demanding details about this future call.
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Categories: Metro
Tagged: Metro, street harassment
Photo by Steve & Jemma Copley via flickr
While walking to Dupont with two colleagues – S, a woman, and K, a man – a gaggle of various express buses blocked the path across H Street NW from 14th Street. My colleagues and I, attempting to hold a conversation and navigate the crowded intersection, became caught up in the confusion and I, in particular, was not as aware of my surroundings as I would normally be.
It was at that moment that I felt a vague tickling sensation towards the bottom of my butt – too close to my crotch for comfort. At first, I thought perhaps I had backed up into someone or that one of my friends was playing a joke on me, both poor ideas since I had only been moving forward and the friends I was traveling with were from work and not nearly close enough to me to be so physical. Quickly dismissing those scenarios, I spun around to see a haggard man with few teeth in tattered grey clothing snickering at me. Suddenly, I felt dirty.
Then I lost it. I can’t remember exactly what I said in my rage, but I know I told him to “never fucking touch me again,” that what he did “was harassment,” and called him some variety of “fucker” name on several occasions. The man just made kissy-faces at me and laughed before staggering off to the other side of 14th Street.
“Yeah, go ahead and fucking laugh,” I shouted after him, sounding angry but feeling weak and defeated.
If anything good came out of this whole situation, it was that I discovered how much other people are disturbed by harassment, too. A lady near me asked what happened and responded with “That’s disgusting” when I explained. A man, also standing nearby, muttered something about “belting that guy.” S and K also asked me if I was ok several times on our way to Dupont. Receiving sympathetic responses from bystanders instead of apathy was heartening.
Still, I was violated by a stranger and I feel disgusting. Melodramatic as it sounds, it’s almost enough to make me not want to be touched by anyone for a long time.
Submitted by @sweetpearacer, aka Obie on 11/20/2009
Location: 14th & H St NW
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.
Categories: 14th
Tagged: Bystander, street harassment, touching
Photo by DraconianRain via flickr
Last night I was waiting for my bus when some guy told me “Hey baby, can I be your umbrella?” I was too dumbfounded to give any type of response except to completely ignore him. I wish I had a quicker reaction and smacked him with my actual umbrella.
What bothered me about this is that he continued walking as he made this comment. It was as if he’s conditioned to say whatever crap he can think of to random women and doesn’t care how or if the women react. It’s really annoying.
Submitted by Anonymous on 11/20/2009
Location: M Street and Wisconsin, Georgetown
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.
Categories: Buses · Georgetown
Tagged: Bus Stop, street harassment
This week was Transgender Awareness Week and today is the 11th Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor all of those who have been killed due to anti-transgender hate. One thing we’ve learned from talking to the transgender community is that gender-based public sexual harassment is a major problem in the DC metro that receives little attention and can lead to very violent and serious crimes.
In honor of this week and today, we want to shine a light on the gender-based sexual harassment that our fellow transgender folks are experiencing on a daily basis in our community.
One of our first stories was about a trans man who was harassed because of his apparent lack of gender identity and conformity and brutally attacked outside of a club by two lesbian women.
Here is another story we received about a trans woman who was harassed on the bus by male and female teens while the bus driver ignored it.
Over the summer two trans women where brutally and one fatally attacked in board daylight in NW DC.
In 2009, 12 transgender individuals were murdered in DC.
According to this report:
The latest, and most reliable, statistics on anti-LGBT violence reveal that it is still a major factor facing the transgender community.
According to a 2008 report from the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), anti-transgender bias is reported crimes is holding steady, in fact, it has increased 12 percent over the previous year.
The murder rate for LGBT Americans as a whole stands at the highest it has been since 1999. There were 29 related such murders reported last year.
When asked why the rate of violence has continued to surge, Sharon Stapel, NCAVP executive director, complained, “We have set up a culture that explicitly sanctions violence against LGBT people. When we have a federal government that says it’s OK to discriminate against people because of sexual orientation or gender identity, we shouldn’t be surprised when violence occurs because there is no protection against it.”
There are vigils happening all around the world tonight. In Washington, DC, it is happening at Metropolitan Community Church, 474 Ridge Street NW, at 6:30 PM. The closest is Mt. Vernon Square/7th St Conv Ctr (Green/Yellow). Go to http://tinyurl.com/ybcvyuu for more information. If you live in NoVA, there is one happening in Fairfax at MCC of Northern Virginia, located at 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax, VA 22030. It starts at 6:30PM. For more information, contact RevEmmaChattin@gmail.com.
Categories: LGBTQ
Tagged: killings, transgender, vigil
Photo via rox sm via flickr
This morning this guy sidled up beside me right as I was reaching the top of the escalator leaving the metro station. Then he blatantly grabbed my ass. I shoved him to the other side of the escalator and he kind of tripped onto the concrete and then ran away. The idiots handing out the examiner and the express just said “oohhhhhh” like someone was getting sent to the principal’s office. I would have reported him but he had already run away. Must be his strategy to watch girls’ asses all the way to the top of the escalator and then grab them so he can run away quickly. Ridiculous.
Submitted by Anonymous on 11/19/2009
Location: Dupont Circle
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.
Categories: Dupont Circle · Metro
Tagged: Escalator, Metro
November 19, 2009 · 1 Comment
It looks like NYC beat us, again. Can you imagine a world when the DC Council takes time to hear our complaints about WMATA, MPD collects and shares the number of sexual harassment and assaults that happen on the Metro, and figure out substantive ways to address the problem? [pause] [pause] Yeah. Neither can we. But, that won’t stop us from trying to do that, like our friends are doing in NYC. From what we know though HBDC!, sexual harassment is the #1 quality of life offense on our public transportation so we hope that DC council members and WMATA employees read this article from the New Times City Room Blog (and listen to this song while reading it).
The peak times in which women report sexual harassment or assaults on the subways are the late morning rush, roughly 8 to 10 a.m., followed by the early afternoon rush, 4 to 6 p.m.
One stretch of the subways — the crowded Nos. 4, 5 and 6 lines between Grand Central Terminal and Union Station — is a particular source of complaints.
And the average age of the men arrested for sexual offenses on the subways is 39.
These facts emerged on Thursday during a joint City Council hearing at which three committees — on transportation, women’s issues and public safety — summoned officials from the Police Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to discuss a pervasive problem that strikes a chord with many subway riders, who say they have been ogled, groped, flashed, harassed and even attacked.
Keep reading article.
P.S. A hearty thank you to everyone who alerted us to this article. We love that you all make sure we are always in the loop. Holler!
Categories: Activists
Tagged: DC Council Members, HollabackNYC, Metro, nyc, sexual harassment, WMATA
Photo by obo-bobolina via flickr
I was riding home on the blue line and chatting with the person sitting behind me, but he got up to leave at L’Enfant. The guy who got on at that stop and sat down behind me immediately reached up and groped the back of my neck – dragged his fingertips and palms across my skin. I turned around and said the first thing that came to my mind: “No, none of that, you!” He smirked and sat back, but didn’t do anything else. I watched his reflection in the windows across from me to be sure, but I didn’t want to get up and admit that he’d spooked me. When I got off at my station a few stops later, he was hunched down with his headphones on and the brim of his Redskins hat pulled over his eyes. I was hoping he’d at least glare at me or something as I left, but it meant so little to him that he didn’t even notice as I left. Goddamnit, that’s frustrating. I just came home and scrubbed my neck.
Submitted by Anonymous on 11/17/2009
Location: Between L’Enfant and Federal Center SW
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment you would like to submit? Just click here and fill out the online submission form. All submissions are posted anonymously unless you specify.
Categories: Federal Center · L'Enfant · Metro
Tagged: groping, Metro, neck, street harassment
Photo via daniel.sound via flickr
The other night I was walking down L & 21st street with my friend. It was about 11 pm and we had just come from dessert, both of us dressed for a night of hanging out and doing pretty much nothing. Then, out of no where, a black SUV pulls up right beside us and rolls downt he window. The car was full of about 5 guys, in their late 20’s/early 30’s, hollering to us. “Hey baby, I’ve got some room on my lap”, “why don’t you girls just come over here and show us a good time”, among other comments. We began to speed up and grabbed each others arms. Then, as we sped up, the car continued to follow us. I got so sick of it, after about a block, that I turned their direction and yelled “Shut up!” at the top of my lungs. I just stood there for a second and they stoped talking. Then they drove off as fast as they possibly could, as my firend and I gave them the finger. I was repulsed but proud of myself.
Categories: Foggy Bottom
Tagged: car, Catcalling, street harassment
