I was walking down the sidewalk and a man started trying to engage me and get my attention as I approached him. I avoided eye contact and kept walking past him. Angered that I ignored him, he shouted, “fat ass bitch!” as I passed. In my experiences of street harassment, this type of encounter has been the most common — ignoring the person angers them, which results in a heightened barrage of abusive language.

Submitted on 7/13/12 by “CE”

If you experience or have experienced sexual harassment on the DC Metro system:
Please consider reporting to Metro Transit Police; www.wmata.com/harassment, on Twitter at @WMATAharassment, or 202-962-2121.

Do you have a personal experience with gender-based public sexual harassment or assault? Submit your story to help raise awareness about the pervasiveness and harmful effects of street harassment. All submissions are posted anonymously unless otherwise specified.