Laura Bates: Stop "Everyday Sexism"!
Boris Johnson had never heard of Laura Bates when he said at a conference in early July that women were enrolling at the university to find a husband. The misogynistic comment by the Mayor of London was promptly documented on the Internet - on the website of Laura Bates. On the Twitter account of her "Everyday Sexism Project" against sexism, academics made fun of Johnson. One wrote: "Oh, I did not find any man, can I get my tuition now?"
"One guy reached up to my breasts - in broad daylight, too shocked to scream."
By the end of her studies, Bates believed that men and women are equal today. Then she worked as an actress and endured on the set sayings like "Pull up your T-shirt". She was silent, too, as she grabbed a man in a crotch in a bus. But eventually it was enough for her, and she struggled with her website. That was nine months before the Internet campaign "outcry" against sexual harassment was launched in Germany. Immediately, hundreds of women followed Bates's call and shared their experiences: "One guy reached up to my breasts - in broad daylight, too shocked to scream."
What started as an offer for women to talk about everyday sexism is now used as a political forum in 16 countries. Laura Bates received emails from women from Brazil, France or Germany asking if they could launch a version of the project in their country. Their Twitter account has about 90,000 followers, and Facebook took on their request pages with misogynist content from the network.
The 26-year-old, now a sought-after activist, speaks at school or with politicians about feminist values, recently she was at a conference of the Council of Europe in Amsterdam. She is heard - and always comes across incomprehension. When she is asked on a talk show, for example, "Do we still need feminism?", She countered: "It's about issues such as parental equality, equal salaries and rape and sexual harassment - and there's a lot more to it."
A recent London study proves her right: According to the fear of sexual harassment is considered the biggest problem in public transport, attacks are almost never reported. Currently, the London police is working with results from the sexism project: 5000 reviews she has evaluated, 2000 police officers were advised by Laura Bates for their missions - also based on the votes from their Twitter account.
