Saturday, January 27, 2007

I live in Winnipeg and this incident happened to me about a week and a half before Christmas. At the time, I was shopping at the United Army Surplus store on the corner of Portage and Memorial. I was leaning against a display-case counter top when a man walking by rubbed up against my back.
It seemed pretty intentional because of the duration and force of the "rub up", also because when I turned around to look at him, he laughed in my face.
All I had the nerve to do at the time was to stare at him in disbelief. I think, with my ongoing stare, I may have conveyed my urge to maim, because when he turned to look at me again on his way out the door, his smug smile dropped into a surprised and uncomfortable look.
I was so humiliated and angry afterwards. I even considered calling the police with a report that I had been sexually harassed, but after thinking about about it and realizing that nothing worthwhile would come of it, I felt even more angry. This dickface knew that he could get away with his actions because it was insidious; he didn't jump me, rape me or beat me up (thank god!).
So what can you do? I was by myself, I don't own a cell phone, let alone a camera-phone and I wasn't carrying a real camera. That's why I'm so happy that there's a site like Hollaback Canada ...for women to get a chance to vent about being treated like crap and made to feel unsafe and violated. My next large purchase will be a camera phone for the sole purpose of recording and posting the next asshole who wrongs me.

posted anonymously