I have never been raped, never been sexually abused.

[Quantess]

I have experienced daily sexual street harrassment, when I lived in the Mission District of San Francisco. This is a cultural thing, or it must be, and we just can't talk about it? I was irritated every day, as I walked to my apartment and to the bus stop.

[Gormy Cuss]

1. Why can't we talk about it?

In fact, we need to talk more about it.

[BreakfastClub]

2. People don't want you to talk about street harrassment because

it is seen by some as a male right in this country to make sexually inappropriate comments to women and to degrade them publicly. Others see it as no big deal and claim women are just being sensitive. I've seen men become infuriated that the topic has even been mentioned. The harassers and their apologists will say just about anything to excuse and minimize the behavior. I see the harassment as a symptom of a larger issue of sexism and misogyny. I suspect that the worse the sexism of a culture, the worse women are sexually harassed in the streets.

I started getting harassed at 13 years old, and it continues to this day when I'm out alone. They don't do it when my husband is with me. I do wonder sometimes, is this a law enforcement issue? Is street harassment so common that cops can't adequately handle the problem, or perhaps they can't do anything about it legally? Maybe it is seen as such a minor nuisance by our society that it is simply unimportant. Maybe women should call 911 every single time they are harassed in the streets. Maybe that would change things. That's something I'm going to have to think about and mull over some more.

We have huge problems in this country with sexism and the harassment of girls and women, but when anyone says anything, it becomes a debate, which is just odd. What is there to debate? But that's what happens every single time the issue comes up. I bet if you brought it up in the general discussion, it might even get debated on the DU, which is just sad.

[Novara]

3. Whatsamatter, baby, can't take a compliment?

Have you ever gotten that response when you reacted negatively? I have.

It's not a law enforcement issue; it's a societal issue. It's a respect issue. It speaks to men's entitlement. Men feel entitled to view women as sexual objects for their enjoyment. So they can stare, harass, and hassle women as much as they like because to them we exist for their enjoyment. This starts with shit like "boys will be boys." And the only way it will change is if parents, teachers, and the community refuse to buy into gender-stereotyped behaviors as a given - from when boys are young. If a little boy learns early on that his behavior is excused with a sigh and "boys will be boys," what do you think he'll grow up like? Little girls who act out are disciplined at far greater rates than little boys who act out. Hello?

Someone posted an article here the other day that toys are more gender-stereotyped and separated now than decades ago. We're playing into the differences rather than emphasizing that hey, little boys and little girls are equals. Maybe if we quit making toys pink and blue parents and kids may learn to break out of the sexism box. And learning about "the other" is the best road to respecting "the other."