‘Harassment’ isn’t always as clear-cut as it seems
PEOPLE discussing inappropriate touching and harassment raised these experiences:
At the crowded coffee shop a young lady with a short dress stepped back with her coffee where two businessmen stood slightly side-on, one had folders in his hand, the lady stepped back onto the folders that went firmly between her legs – simultaneously the two men stepped forward to be served and a young man moved forward taking their place. The lady turned with raised eyebrows and a big smile said “Hi” and gave him her phone number, she could have taken serious offence.
In overcrowded trains and lifts, you stand with your arms and hands by your side (not above your head), more people crowd in and everyone has tight body contact, you feel the body of the lady behind pressing hard against yours, one lady with big boobs is side on with one boob either side of your arm/body, her belly and pubic mound is hard against your arm/ hand; a huge ‘fattie’ has seriously moulded around you on the other side where you feel huge bulges around your arm and hand; the person in front has their bum hard against you, someone is wearing perfume that is burning your nose and you are going to sneeze.
You instinctively try to cover your mouth with your hand, you try to raise your hands and as you do the lady is pushed forward pressing her pubic mound further into you hand, you are trying to extract your other hand from the rolls of fat against you, to do so you have to bend your elbow backwards which encounters the anatomy of those behind, you fail to raise your hands and sneeze with your mouth closed.
Depending on what sex you are determines whether you were “inappropriately” touching or were touched.
Many wear shoulder bags that in trains/lifts/crowds get pushed into inappropriate areas of those around you, was it a hand or object that “goosed” you?
At a dance as more dancers took the floor the crowd had to step back, those in front standing with hands clasped behind them quickly stepped back and their hands made firm genital contact with those behind, some embarrassed, some laughed, one very offended claiming it was deliberate and screamed abuse. They were told by friends to-get-overit, it was accidental.
Maybe courts hearing such matters should read these words and identify real-life situations. G J MAY, FORESTDALE