Quick hit: International Anti-Street Harassment Day

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Holly Kearl over at Stop Street Harassment has declared that March 20, the first day of spring for those of us in the northern half of the world, will be the first annual International Anti-Street Harassment Day. She writes:

Street harassment occurs year-round, but, without fail, each spring the warmer weather and longer daylight hours bring an increase in street harassment. With spring, we see more men congregating in public places, sitting on porches or door stoops, lingering at bus stops or street corners, and driving with their windows down. Too many of these men think it’s okay to whistle, hoot, holler, follow, and grab the girls and women they see. During spring, Mardi Gras, Spring Break, festivals and parades are all used as excuses for harassing women.

On March 20,you can do something to challenge street harassment and its social acceptability and to let everyone know that street harassment is not okay. Take part in anti-street harassment activities on the same day as women and men all over the country. Let’s remind everyone that spring is no excuse for harassing women.

Kearl has a handy list of ideas for what you might do to get that message across – everything from tweeting about harassment to organizing a rally (personally, I recommend building up the muscles around your middle fingers so you can whip them out at any time, perhaps in combination with a snappy, sassy retort). Spring is less than a month away, thank goodness, but that means you have less than one month to get ready, people!

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