SHARE YOUR STORY.
GET SUPPORT.
END HARASSMENT.
We’re all in this together.
There’s a lot of work to be done and we need your help.
What you can do:
SHARE:Share your story, share this site, share the Safe Streets resources. We’re all about sharing! Sexual harassment and violence of any kind thrive on silence, so the more we’re talking about it and sharing our voices, the faster we can end harassment.
Why share? The more info we have, the bigger the difference we can make. Public and street harassment is hugely under-reported so the more data we get about the types of harassment going on in our community, the more we can work with policy-makers, law enforcement, and service agencies to create solutions and support people who experience public harassment. So share your story and tell your friends to share theirs!
GET SUPPORT: Experiencing violence of any kind can be traumatic. Gender and bias-based violence like public harassment can be particularly vicious because there are so few avenues of support or legal intervention. Whether you’ve been harassed one time or one hundred times, it’s important for you to know that you’re not alone and that help is available.
- Resources: Check out our list of local and national resources about street and public harassment, support for LGBTQ youth and adults, sexual and relationship violence, and more. Don’t see a resource that should be there? Contact us!
END HARASSMENT: There’s so much that each of us can do help end public harassment and make communities safer for everyone, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.
Here are some ideas!
- VOLUNTEER: connect with a local LGBTQ organization like Wingspan, support anti-sexual violence programming at SACASA, or share your time with any number of local/national organizations.
- BE OUR FRIEND: ‘like’ us on Facebook and spread the word!
- TALK ABOUT IT: The more you talk about it and make a fuss, the less ‘invisible’ public and street harassment become. Write letters to the editor, tell your stories, teach kids about appropriate and respectful behavior, start a blog. Whatever you can do to bring much-needed attention to the issue is great. Once we get people to really talk about harassment, then we can talk about ending harassment.
- EDUCATE YOURSELF, EDUCATE OTHERS: Take a workshop on creating safe spaces for LGBTQ individuals, youth, and people of all backgrounds. Read the books and media in the resources section. Create a PSA or documentary. The possibilities are endless!
- CALL OUT HARASSERS: There are a lot of different ways to call out harassers and people who excuse harassment. Sharing your story is one way, so is checking in with the harasser, making a report, or offering support to someone who has experienced harassment.
Whether you experience harassment or see someone else experience it, there’s no overall “best” way to respond to every harasser in every circumstance. Safety should always be your top priority, and we at Safe Streets never advocate responding with violence since this can often escalate situations, and make the harassment or violence worse.
– Responding To Harassers: a range of ideas on ways to call
out harassers and responses, compiled from Holly Kearl’s Stop
Street Harassment blog and Hollaback!
safestreetsaz.wordpress.com 