It’s been a very interesting couple of weeks, and I need to get something off my chest. When I step out of my house, I am not inviting men to comment, whistle or touch me. Yet this is what happens (all the time!) And it’s not just me... The more I embrace my own truth and accept myself, the less tolerance I have for the incessant degrading behavior from pathetic self entitled examples of men. A few weeks ago, I embarked on an overnight long haul flight from Perth to Doha. I was travelling alone, and placed in a middle seat in between two men. The man to my left, (seat 30A) felt within his rights to begin touching my leg and inner thigh whilst I slept! This man was lucky I did not break his knuckles as I elbowed his hand onto his side of the armrest. The abuser casually turned to face the window and pretended to be asleep for the duration of the flight. I cannot tell you how many times I have replayed this experience over in my head, in a mixture of shock, fear and violation, thanking the universe that I had not knocked myself out with sleeping tablets, or the events could have spiraled further. With over six hours left on the flight, I sat afraid in my designated seat, unsure what to do, what my rights were as a passenger, and how I was going to keep myself safe for a three hour transfer in Doha and then another six and a half our flight to Edinburgh. I reached across for my buzzer and nervously waited for a flight attendant. “Excuse me?” I whispered, “I would like to move seats please as this man to my left keeps touching me.” The flight attendant barely flinched, informing me that the flight was very busy, but she would look to see if there are any spare seats. Five or ten minutes went past, though it felt much longer and she returned to advise that the plane was at capacity, and there were no available seats, but I should notify the staff if it happened again…HAPPENED AGAIN? I was expected to sit there and risk my wellbeing? What the fuck? Gratefully, the man to my right woke up as the attendant stood over him, and he offered to exchange seats with me for the duration of the flight. I made it safely to my destination, but my anxiety built over the week thinking about my return flight home and my safety as a woman travelling alone in general. I began googling ‘sexual abuse on planes’ and disturbingly this type of offence is extremely common with lone women on overnight flights. Apparently, it needs to be radioed whilst in flight by the pilot to the airport at the destination for any investigation to take place. So because I whispered politely to be moved, and didn’t rant and rave about being abused on a plane full of passengers, this creep gets away with his sleazy antics, and I now have a duty to share that knowledge as far and wide as I can! I the weeks that followed, I have been cat called by a man in a van as I walked through my hometown, approached on the internet for a threesome, and by a random who just liked the look of my facebook profile pic, and finally, today at the beach I walked past the café holding hands with my son, and an elderly man whistled at me like I was a dog. I refuse to raise my sons believing it is ok to treat women this way. I have had enough! Just because you have eyes and hands and a penis does not give you the right to sexualize me in any way shape or form. And just because I have a vulva does not mean I am vulnerable to the point of mistaking your disrespect and arrogance for charm or feeling pretty or acceptable enough in the eyes of a twisted patriarchal society. To all the abusers past and present, fuck you! Approach me at your own risk. Better yet, why not practice being a loving, caring, decent human being? To all the good men out there, thank you. I love you. Please continue to lead by example, raise good men for our daughters and speak up for yourselves and for women when we need it most. And to all my sisters, lets continue to rise up in all our wildness, empowered by the truth that we embody the Goddess and together or alone we are unfuckwithable. And so it is. With love.
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AuthorLaura E. Gillett was born and raised on the Northeast coast of Fife, Scotland. A natural born psychic medium, she relocated to Western Australia with her family as a young teen, where she began to develop her deep calling into understanding spirituality. Now a mother to three children, Laura navigates parenting alongside operating her holistic therapy business, and creatively documenting her understanding of spiritual process and healing. Archives
December 2017
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