GTG-04 | N's Story | SPB 2015

GTG asked: What is the main message of your story? 

My story highlights issues around gender violence in groups and attitudes to women’s civic activism and women in politics. My main message is to show the relationship within the activist groups and the attitude toward women within those groups. I wanted to tell my own story and share my experience of being devalued as a political subject. 

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away? 

I would like to tell them that they are important in themselves, and not in the context of their value in the eyes of male activists. They can do what they think is necessary and not just listen to what is said about them because this can be complete nonsense ... Women need to know their thoughts and feelings matter ... Feelings and emotions are valuable, not something to be kept inside, we have to share them. These problems are systematic and they happen to many women -- we have to talk about these problems so they do not repeat in the future. 

GTG-03 | I's Story | NYC 2015

GTG asked: Why did you make this story?

Because (catcalling) is a big issue for me ... people do not see it as an issue they think people should be able to talk however they want. Some people are like, “Oh, it’s really nice I like it.” But I find it annoying. I don’t want to feel it’s a common thing for someone to be able to yell at me or harass me for no reason, it’s crazy. 

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away? 

I want young women to take away the fact that you don’t have to put up with (catcalling). It’s not, “Oh, it’s OK just guys being guys.” No! They should not be doing that in the first place, and they should be respecting you as a human being and not making you feel uncomfortable.

GTG-02 | M's Story | SPB 2015

GTG asked: What is your main point in the story?

The experience that I have of violence that you do not see, that physically does not affect you, but it affects you in really subtle ways like the things that you think when you are just walking home. The question that I asked at the end (of the story), I feel like when people hear this question women would say, “Yeah, I feel the same way.” Or, “Yeah, I think the same” or something like this. Maybe not those expressions, but kind of this feeling, and I feel men can’t relate to this at all. If you ask men, what do they think when they walk home, it does not enter their minds that there is some kind of anxiety that you and me go through everyday. You think how not to get hurt when you go home. This is something that men can’t relate to because they are men and they feel safer in their everyday life. It shows how much violence is around all women, and inside their head. They wait for this violence, they get prepared for it, even though it is not there they struggle even if there is no actual danger.

GTG asked: What would you like young women to take away? 

Although many women can relate, I don’t want them to. This is something that is in our lives and should not be there. Why can’t we just walk home and think of different things whatever they are rather than thinking how you can get home safely? There are so many things you can think about not just that you need to hold your phone and you need to have your keys, or I forgot to buy pepper spray or how do I use it? I want to live in a society where I do not have to think about these things. So I just want to say that OK, even if you think this is not the way you should think, let’s change the society together so that it’s not acceptable, this kind of everyday violence that gets in your head – it’s not acceptable we need a safer world for every human being.

GTG-01 | Z's Story | NYC 2015

GTG asked: What is the main point of your story

The main point of my story is to tackle the whole catcalling issue of women facing harassment while trying to go about their life walking down the street. I’m certainly not the only woman this has happened to, and this is certainly not the only time this has happened to me. I think this is something we talk about a lot but we never see resolution. 

GTG asked: What do you want young women to take away? 

I want women to take away the sense that they are not alone, that this is definitely something that happens to women from all walks of like, from all over the country, from all over the world. It could happen to any of us but I think not just for women for everyone, if you see someone who is clearly uncomfortable you should step up. I address it in the story where there are tons of people around and nobody says anything, so they are kind of these disengaged by-standers. 

GTG asked about the subject matter and Z's experience making the story: 

Z thoughtfully replied, "I found it difficult to not address what I was wearing because it has been so ingrained that we should only wear certain things. I felt like I needed to address that, but no, I should be able to wear anything and not have that be an issue."