Groped & Street Harassed Repeatedly While Out Around U Street: “I was NOT asking for it!”
How I dress does not mean ‘YES’: “I was NOT asking for it!”
Location: 14th & U, 16th & U, and 18th Street NW
Time: Late Night (12am-5am)
I was harassed multiple times tonight – once in a bar and twice on the street. Men repeatedly violated my space by touching me on my bare back (area not covered by my shirt), my butt and my chest. At the bar a group of men also threw crumpled up pieces of paper down my shirt.
The first encounter on the street, there was a very wide sidewalk, but the man about to pass me going the opposite direction came close enough to grab my butt while passing. When I verbally confronted him, he responds with a comment on my physical appearance. As if that made his behavior not only appropriate but warranted.
Walking another two blocks, a man standing on the sidewalk reached out and grabbed my chest as I was walking by him. Despite the extensive police presence on 18th Street, I felt extremely exposed and vulnerable given my prior experiences this evening.
I don’t believe I need to justify myself by describing what I was wearing or why I was walking in that area at that time. Neither of these factors indicate a woman is “asking for it.” But to dispel any misconceptions about when street harassment occurs, I was wearing a basic long sleeve black shirt that came up high in the front and draped in the back (exposed part of my back) with a casual white skirt, about mid-thigh length.
Emphases by CASS.
Submitted 7/14/13 by Anonymous.
Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault? Submit your story to help raise awareness about the pervasiveness and harmful effects of street harassment. All submissions are posted anonymously unless otherwise specified.
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If you need assistance in coping with public sexual harassment or assault, please contact the DC Rape Crisis Center (DCRCC) 24/7 crisis hotline at 202-333-RAPE (202-333-7279).
