A Rant Against Street Harassers and Cat Callers

I feel strongly about street harassment. It’s something that has really changed the way I got about my life. It’s carved out spaces in the world that feel safe to me and spaces that do not. It’s in large part the reason I started volunteering as a sexual assault response worker, and the reason I’m working at a women’s centre now.

It’s not fair that I feel threatened when walking alone at night. Those streets are as much mine as they are anyone else’s. I hate being cat called from porches, cars, from across the street. I hate being asked if I want a ride. I hate being called any number of names that aren’t mine (hey “baby”, “sexy”, “girl”). I hate that I’m often hedging my bets and asking myself questions like “should I cross the street?” and “can I outrun this guy?” I hate having to pre-plan how I’m going to get home at night, from a place that’s just a 10 minute walk from where I live.

I hated it when I was harassed while walking down Earl St., Johnston St. and Princess St. in Kingston. I hated it when I was harassed while walking down Fort St. in Victoria. And now I hate it when I’m harassed while walking down 100 St. in Fort St. John.

Last night while walking home in the dark, a man in a vehicle followed me half a block and asked if I wanted a ride. I said “no thanks”. He kept following and asked me if I was sure. I said “yes”. During this short exchange I frantically took stock of the number of people inside the car, whether he showed signs of getting out, whether I thought I’d be able to outrun him, who else was around, what businesses were still open nearby, which houses still had lights on, what side streets I had available. He drove away. I walked home, and felt more threatened with every car I passed on the way.

When I got home, I took a moment to think about how unsafe I had felt. I decided to call the non-emergency police line to let them know. I described what had happened and they said that without a licence plate number, there was nothing they could really do. I told them that I didn’t expect anything different, but that I wanted to let them know about my experience anyway. For a moment I felt stupid for not looking at the license plate number. And then I realized that that was ridiculous – it’s not my fault that I was thinking about seven other things because some asshole threatened me on the street.

In any case, I’ve decided to commit to reporting every case of street harassment I experience from now on. Regardless of whether I have a license plate number or a good description, I feel that it’s worth reporting every time.

Because if people were fined for street harassment half as much as what I’ve been fined for parking in Victoria, the world would be a better place.

Sharon