Freedom of speech?
How about freedom of the streets?
You’re free to get your dick sucked
So how am I not free to breathe?
All your “Hey babys!” are leaving me weak in the knees.
But it’s not in a good way
It’s not how you want
Because cat calls in general
Just feel like taunts
When you yell from your car
Or whistle in the street
What you’re really saying is:
“This place is for me.”
Women and girls treated like property
And your attitude towards us leaves our souls in poverty.
Everyday we face you
Everyday we hate you
Everyday we wish
We wish
We wish we could erase you!
Ok maybe not you, that’s taking it too far
But your ideas and your sexism spewed from afar.
Do you get it now, how unsafe we feel?
Street harassment is hate and your hatred is real.
So what can you do, how can you help?
Speak up!
Speak out!
Tell your boys how it felt
To know that your words
About sexy and hot
Make us feel like victims
When that’s something we’re not.
Sexism kills
In more ways than one
So stop street harassment
‘Cause this shit ain’t fun.
Related articles
- Stop street harassment with your cell phone? The latest City 2.0 award winner shows how (ted.com)
- How Egyptians are fighting harassment in the streets (guardian.co.uk)
- Harassment shackles women (thehindu.com)
- Vigilantes In Egypt Are Capturing And Spray Painting Sexual Harassers In The Streets (thegloss.com)
- [link] The Daily Mail claims that “we” secretly love street harassment (feimineach.com)
Feminist Activism 
February 15th, 2015 at 01:46
[…] Ode to Street Harassers (feministactivism.com) […]
January 10th, 2014 at 18:48
[…] a month from now through April I and other activist writers will contribute to the discussion of street harassment in our corners of the world and ways we can work together to stop it. I will still be writing here […]
April 8th, 2013 at 17:50
[…] Assault Awareness Month and Abortion Wellbeing Month, an overlap that is very personal to me. I have been harassed on the street more times than I can count. I am a survivor of sexual assault, rape and childhood […]
January 19th, 2013 at 20:14
I once complained of my fears of this to a (male) psychiatrist and he asked me…”How long have you felt that men watch you and that they are out to get you?” I was trying to explain my feminism and ended up with a diagnosis of paranoia and narcissistic personality.
January 19th, 2013 at 16:53
[…] Ode to Street Harassers (feministactivism.com) […]
January 18th, 2013 at 14:44
[…] Ode to Street Harassers (feministactivism.com) […]
January 11th, 2013 at 14:08
[…] Ode to Street Harassers (feministactivism.com) […]
January 7th, 2013 at 16:49
Reblogged this on Charlotte Desire and commented:
I experience the same so many times … Awesome poem on this subject.
January 6th, 2013 at 18:45
This was definitely on point! I liked this.