This presentation looks at the global issue of sexual street harassment, especially of women and girls in light of the teachings of the Bahá'í Faith on the equality of women and men and the necessity of women sharing equally in public arenas and having access to public spaces—something harassment significantly impacts

1. Take Back Equality
What happens in our public spaces through the lens of the Bahá’í writings on gender equality

2. “You can kill me
as soon as you
like...
“...but you cannot stop the
emancipation of women.”
— Tahirih

3. Last Words of
Tahirih
✤ She spoke these words in 1852 on the
eve of her murder by Persian
authorities.
✤ Tahirih, also known as Zarrin-Taj
(Crown of Gold) and Qurrat’ul-Ayn
(Solace of the Eyes), was a poet and
devoted disciple of the Báb and later of
Bahá’u’lláh (the Forerunner and
Founder of the Bahá'í Faith,
respectively), who conferred on her the
name Tahirih (Pure One).
✤ She is regarded, even in the West, as
one of the mothers of the women’s
suffrage movement.

4. One-hundred sixty-two
years have passed. How
have we done?
✤In 1889, New Zealand became the first nation to
give women the right to vote.
✤Germany and the UK granted the right in 1918.
✤In the US, people argued that the Constitution
spoke of the equality of men, not men and women
and that women would vote as their husbands or
fathers voted, thereby affording married men or
men with grown daughters more than one vote.
The United States would not give women the right
to vote until 1920.
✤Sweden: 1921
✤France: 1944
✤India: 1947
✤Cayman Islands: 1967
✤Kuwait: 2005
✤Saudi Arabia has never granted women the right to
vote, though the king has slated 2015 to be the
year that right will be extended to them.

5. Women are still striving to achieve equality
in the workplace, in pay, in family life.
Alongside this struggle, another insidious
dynamic is unfolding.
Let me tell you some stories...
Where are we now?

6. Walking the dog
“I walk my dog around lake Merrit almost every day
because it is a beautiful walk in an otherwise urban
area. My experience has been that I cannot make it
around this three mile loop without a man making some
kind of comment to me. It has ranged from “hi beautiful”
to grunting noises to comments about my butt or asking
me if they can join me on my walk. I had a man step
into my path and stop right in front of me to pet my dog,
blocking my path and giving me no choice in the
interaction.
I get angry, scared and embarrassed by these
encounters, but above all I feel helpless and that is by
far the worst emotion for me. I feel like I have to put up
with this in order to walk my dog in a park near my
home. I now have to consider what I wear and what
time of day I go for a walk in an effort to achieve some
sort of anonymity.
Some people might think, what’s the big deal if a man
wants to tell you you’re attractive or ask you out. Here’s
the big deal, it’s unsolicited, unreciprocated and
unwanted attention. It can be scary, embarrassing
and menacing. Bottom line, I just want to walk my dog
in peace and feel safe.”

7. Eye Contact
“I was taking an hour-long walk and enjoying
the long overdue sunshine. It was a really
zen and beautiful moment for me. I got close
to a hawk that was on a low branch on my
college campus and thought about how much
I love animals because they generally don’t
bother people. I’d been honked at already by
three male drivers I’d mistakenly made eye
contact with. It startled me and made me
angry every time.
I was halfway back to my apartment when a
guy started revving up his motorcycle at the
sight of me. I rolled my eyes while crossing
the intersection and he yelled, “Tryin’ to get
raped?!” He continued yelling things at me
until the light changed. Blood was rushing
too loud in my ears for me or hear the rest.”

8. No place to be
“A man in a Lexus nearly rear-ended a BMW staring
blankly over his shoulder at me. Then, he scurried
into the U-turn lane and tried his luck. ... I furiously
waved him off, glaring, no mistake that I wanted
nothing to do with him. He passed by me, and, of
course, jumped right into the next U-turn lane (148th
is full of them). He passed by on the other side and
yelled out his window. I held up my hands like
“What!?” He got in the U-turn lane. Shouted at me
again (each time, I believe all he said was “Hey!!”).
I started to cry. He got in the U-turn lane.
I wondered if these men have, I don’t know, lives?
Places to be? Personalities? Suddenly I realized
that the most pathetic, degraded people were
these men who seemingly had no souls and no
morals and no concept of the damage that this
selfish, disgusting behavior causes to their
personhood. “

9. After describing the daily barrage
of harassment she experiences,
one young woman wrote:
“I have never understood why men yell at women from
their cars. What do they get from this obnoxious
behavior? I have been honked at, yelled at, sneered
at, propositioned, and gestured to by men from their
cars since middle school. It happens when I’m walking
on the street, waiting at the bus stop, and even once
when I was driving on the freeway. Several times I’ve
been harassed on public transit as well.
Sometimes when I talk about it with people they tell me
I should take it as a compliment or that it must mean
they found me attractive.
I DON’T CARE if you find me attractive. It does not
make me feel good when I am harassed. Men, if you
have ever participated in this behavior, why do you do
it? I am not going to give you my number. I am not
flattered or complimented when you hit on me from
your car. I am not going to smile at you. I noticed men
do it more often when they are with their friends. You
are not impressing me. You are not more of a man
because you harass women on the street. It is not cute.
It is not okay. I am not going to sleep with you.
(Expletive deleted), I am not going to give you the time
of day.”

11. This is a global
phenomenon.
But it’s especially virulent in the US and
Canada.

12. University of
Ottawa, 2014
The head of the school’s Student Federation became the
target of an online dialogue between five male students,
four of whom also held leadership positions in the student
body. From the CBC report:
The online conversation—a copy of which was obtained
by The Canadian Press—included references to sexual
activities some of the five individuals wrote they would
like to engage in with Roy ... as well as suggestions that
she suffered from sexually transmitted diseases.
“Someone punish her with their shaft,” wrote one of the
individuals at one point. “I do believe that with my
reputation I would destroy her,” wrote another.
After confronting a member of the conversation in
person, Roy said she received an emailed apology from
all five men which emphasized that their comments were
never actual threats against her. (emphasis mine)
“While it doesn’t change the inadmissible nature of our
comments, we wish to assure you we meant you no
harm,” the apology, written in French, read.

13. These stories are
part of the “rape
culture” debate.
Private “fun” between friends?
An innocent display of tasteless but
harmless humor?
Is this boys will be boys?
OR has the objectification of women and
violence—real or implied—become
insidiously normal?

14. These accounts are from
ihollaback.com. The
founders of Hollaback
describe it this way:
Hollaback is a movement to end street
harassment powered by a network of local
activists around the world. We work together
to better understand street harassment, to
ignite public conversations, and to develop
innovative strategies to ensure equal access
to public spaces.
... We envision a world where street
harassment is not tolerated and where we all
enjoy equal access to public spaces.

15. O Children of
Men!
Know ye not why We created you all from the
same dust? That no one should exalt himself
over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts
how ye were created. Since We have created
you all from one same substance it is
incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to
walk with the same feet, eat with the same
mouth and dwell in the same land, that from
your inmost being, by your deeds and actions,
the signs of oneness and the essence of
detachment may be made manifest...
—The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic no. 68

16. Why does street harassment happen?

17. What factors contribute to street
harassment?
1.History of male entitlement and sense of superiority.
2.Gendered social roles.
3.Women’s attempt to forge new, independent identities.
4.Moral ambiguity and cultural chaos.
5.A loss of human identity: “And be ye not like those who forget
God, and whom He hath therefore caused to forget their own
selves." (Bahá’u’lláh)

18. Harassment
Quiz: True/False
1.Street harassment is an exercise of free speech.
2.It’s an artifact of certain cultures—doesn’t happen here.
3.It’s only a harmless compliment / flirting.
4.It’s just normal behavior for males and unrealistic to expect
that to change.
5.Most women secretly enjoy catcalls, especially if the man is
attractive.
6.Harassment only happens to women who are dressed
invitingly.
7.It only happens to hot young women.
8.Anyone who complains about it is an ugly, man-hating, bra-
burning psychofeminazi who hates freedom/needs a
boyfriend/needs sex to loosen up.
9.As long as it’s not violent, it’s not harmful. (Sticks and
stones argument.)
10.It only happens when a woman has placed herself at
risk—at night, in alleys, etc.

19. All harassers are not the same.

20. Some motives
for harassment
✤ Desire for attention; mischief
✤ Sexual attraction; sincere desire
to compliment a woman
✤ Desire to intimidate, control or
exert power over the target
✤ Malice and the desire to inflict
mental, emotional or physical
harm—bullying
✤ Disenfranchisement and
powerlessness
✤ Mental disorder

21. Behaviors
✤ Whistling, catcalling
✤ Lip smacking, kissing noises
✤ Unsolicited “compliments”
✤ Sexual comments about body parts
✤ Sexual gestures
✤ Propositions for a date or sex for
purchase
✤ Touching, grabbing, molestation,
flashing, masturbating

22. How the target
feels...
✤ A sense of being watched; of
something wrong or “off”; dread
✤ Embarrassment; feeling sick;
dirty
✤ Impotence; helplessness
✤ Anger; frustration
✤ Sadness; depression
✤ Fear

23. What the target
does...
✤ Averts the eyes; head down; keeps
moving
✤ Freezes—deer in the headlights
✤ Answers questions; refuses attentions
BUT tries to remain polite and not offend.
✤ Goes home in tears—hides out
✤ Hollers back
✤ Avoidance: changes her habits, routes,
routines
✤ Reports to some authority

24. How harassers
respond...
✤ Puzzlement: “Why won’t you talk to
me?”
✤ Continued taunting; ignoring
woman’s discomfort or negative
response
✤ Laughter and taunting directed at
woman’s response
✤ Anger at rejection; name-calling;
shouting
✤ Verbal threats, intimidating
behavior, physical violence

25. Contributing Factors
The issue is complicated by history, culture, and our own moral chaos and loss of identity.

26. Cultural Chaos
Competing messages cancel each other out.
✤ “Highly individualistic societies” in which “the
maturity and responsibilities of adulthood are
deferred in pursuit of a license that a socially
prolonged adolescence grants”. (Quoted
material from a message of the Universal
House of Justice—the global guiding body of
the Bahá’i world community).
✤ Men’s, women’s and pop culture magazines—
Cosmo, Playboy, etc.
✤ The Women’s movement collides with male
expectations
✤ Media, movies, sit-coms, dramas
✤ Mayhem in Advertising

27. “The world of humanity is
possessed of two wings:
the male and the female.
So long as these two wings are not equivalent in
strength, the bird will not fly. Until womankind
reaches the same degree as man, until she
enjoys the same arena of activity, extraordinary
attainment for humanity will not be realized;
humanity cannot wing its way to heights of real
attainment. When the two wings or parts become
equivalent in strength, enjoying the same
prerogatives, the flight of man will be
exceedingly lofty and extraordinary. Therefore,
woman must receive the same education as man
and all inequality be adjusted. Thus, imbued with
the same virtues as man, rising through all the
degrees of human attainment, women will
become the peers of men, and until this equality
is established, true progress and attainment for
the human race will not be facilitated.”
— “The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada
in 1912”, p. 375, emphasis mine)

28. But...
How can we work toward
that equality?

29. Solutions?
Hollaback — Global Outreach

30. Solutions?
Viral video — #YesAllWomen: NYC actress walks 10 hrs to study street harassment, gets over 100 catcalls

31. Solutions?
Turn Around: One film
maker’s response

32. What is the Healthy Masculinity Action Project?
The Healthy Masculinity Action Project (HMAP) is a national grassroots initiative to build a new
generation of male leaders who will model non-violent, emotionally healthy masculinity and serve as
positive change makers in society – helping to take their communities from awareness to action.
Everyday men, women, and teens nationwide are all driving HMAP. Project leader: Men Can Stop
Rape. Partners: National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, Men Stopping
Violence, Coach for America, Women of Color Network, and A CALL TO MEN. Hollaback! is
among the promoters.

33. NOT a Solution ...
“On the August 28 edition of Fox News’ Outnumbered, hosts highlighted a New York Post
opinion article that suggested women “deal with” “flattering” catcalls. Co-host Kimberly
Guilfoyle defended street harassment saying, “let men be men,” and, “look, men are going
to be that way. What can you do?” Guest host and Fox contributor Arthur Aidala reenacted
his personal signature “move” – aiming a slow round of applause at women on the street,
which one host said she’d find flattering.” — Media Matters

34. What can we do?
Two types of efforts—long-term and short-term.

35. What if you’re
the target?
✤ Assess the situation; let the response fit the
level of harassment
✤ Be direct; don’t apologize; say “Stop doing X”.
✤ Don’t lose your temper!
✤ If you confront: use strong body language;
make eye contact; speak in a strong, clear
voice;
✤ Do something unexpected—remember, it’s
about control
✤ Get someplace safe or with someone safe
✤ Report to an authority or tell someone in your
support network

36. What if you witness
harassment?
Margaret has a suggestion …

37. From the House
of Justice
“Equality between men and women does
not, indeed physiologically it cannot,
mean identity of functions. In some things
women excel men, for others men are
better fitted than women, while in very
many things the difference of sex is of no
effect at all. The differences of function
are most apparent in family life. The
capacity for motherhood has many far-
reaching implications which are
recognized in Bahá’í Law. For example,
when it is not possible to educate all
one’s children, daughters receive
preference over sons, as mothers are the
first educators of the next generation.”
(24 July 1975 to an individual believer)

38. From the House
of Justice
“The primary question to be resolved is how
the present world, with its entrenched
pattern of conflict, can change to a world in
which harmony and co-operation will
prevail.
“World order can be founded only on an
unshakable consciousness of the oneness
of mankind, a spiritual truth which all the
human sciences confirm... Recognition of
this truth requires abandonment of
prejudice—prejudice of every kind—race,
class, colour, creed, nation, sex, degree of
material civilization, everything which
enables people to consider themselves
superior to others.”
(October 1985 to the Peoples of the World)

39. From the House
of Justice
“You are quite right in stating that men and
women have basic and distinct qualities.
The solution provided in the teachings of
Bahá’u’lláh is not, as you correctly observe,
for men to become women, and for women
to become men. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave us the
key to the problem when He taught that the
qualities and functions of men and women
“complement” each other. He further
elucidated this point when He said that the
“new age” will be “an age in which the
masculine and feminine elements of
civilization will be more properly balanced.”
(22 April 1981 to an individual believer,
emphasis mine)

40. Bahá’u’lláh wrote:
“It is the bounden duty of parents to rear
their children to be staunch in faith …
For every praiseworthy deed is born out
of the light of religion, and lacking this
supreme bestowal the child will not turn
away from any evil, nor will he draw nigh
unto any good.”
— published in “Bahá’í Education, a
compilation”

41. Thank you!