So... there's a campaign to end sexual Harassment on the street... Do I think they will succeed? Well, I heard a someone say once that "It does no good for the antelope to rule against eating meat, unless the lion agrees." So, I don't think they will succeed, but I DO think that any attempt to make this world we live in a better place for EVERYONE is a cause worth fighting for.
So, let's help make the world safe for women on the street. Support this cause. Click on the words below to go to the original article.
Emily May is Leading a Movement to End Public Sexual Harassment | Classy Achievements
Hollaback!’s “I’ve got your back” Campaign from Emily May on Vimeo.
Emily May launched the website Hollaback! to help victims of street harassment fight back through reporting and sending photos of their harassers. After thousands of people participated and dozens of news articles reporting the phenomena, she turned the website into a full fledged nonprofit organization and a movement to end street harassment worldwide.
Like most women and LGBTQ individuals, I have been struggling with street harassment for my whole adult life. Five years ago I began a Facebook album of photos I took of my harassers – and after I posted dozens of pictures, a friend connected me with Emily May of Hollaback! At the time, it was just a website meant to connect folks who had been targeted by street harassment, with an option to upload a picture of the perpetrator (a really empowering power switch).
Last year, Emily became my hero by quitting her job to run Hollaback! as a real nonprofit. Nearly every woman in the world has experienced street harassment, and it’s a realm of sexual violence that has been assumed and accepted for too long. The greatest obstacle is simply explaining that letting aggressive, straight men own the street (i.e. they can yell at women, cat call them, judge them, and scream obscenities at them when they don’t respond) sets the stage for groping, assault and rape. Emily has done an amazing job explaining this, raising enough money to get the organization off the ground, and advocating for the women and LGBTQ communities impacted by this problem around the world (there are now dozens of chapters, many overseas!).
She is also on the forefront of using technology for social change. Emily and Hollaback! are not just running an amazing interactive website now – they’re running training programs, doing a ton of public speaking, and reaching out to communities all over the world to help make the streets safe for anyone to walk confidently. They have a current campaign called “I’ve got your back”, which is raising money to do PSA’s, education, and support for bystanders to assist someone being targeted for harassment. The long term vision is that our daughters, and their daughters, can be in public without fearing or experiencing a stranger’s hostility and sexual harassment.
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