Sexual harassment…the public transport kind.
So today I left work and was on my way home around 5.30 after having been since up 5am and I was tired. And I had a big suitcase with me because I had my computer which had been in technical support. I was standing in the pushchair/wheelchair section of the bus as it was free and I needed the space.
The bus wasn’t particularly busy, there was plenty of space to move around. A shorter guy was standing behind me and bumped into me a couple of times when the bus lurched forwards. And then it happens again, but not with his whole body more focused on his crotch area against my leg and it became more of a rub than a bump. At one point people had to get off the bus and he got very close to me, put his foot right next to mine and was against my leg for what felt far too long and the amount of space on the bus did not warrant such an invasion of personal space.
So I turned around to him and said ‘do you mind?’ and he just went ‘er… Sorry’ he had a heavy foreign accent and was clearly trying to feign lack of understanding of the English language. So I replied with ‘you’ve been rubbing yourself against me and it’s quite disgusting’ and he replied with the same answer still not moving away from me. So I went further and said ‘what you’re doing borders on harassment and there are two words: personal and space, and you clearly don’t understand them’ at which point he moved.
I looked around and an older gentleman and lady were staring, the gentleman gave the guy a dirty look but the woman was staring at me. And for some horrible reason I feel like she was judging me like I was in the wrong and it saddens me that a guy can harass a girl and still people’s thoughts turn to ‘well it must be her fault’
Right now I feel slightly sick, violated, angry and like I want to cry.
