When I moved from Lexington, KY, a mid-sized college town, to Portland, OR I noticed a marked difference in the amount of street harassment I faced. It didn't hit me for a while but I remember one day suddenly realizing that I didn't have quite as much tension, waiting for it to happen at any moment. This isn't to say that harassment never happened. It was just a bit different. Most frequently I was getting the comments or the person following me on public transit, which I hadn't used until moving here. There was almost never someone driving or walking down the street who made inappropriate gestures or comments. Then, about a year and a half ago, I started running. For whatever reason, this was the ticket. I have had men literally bark at me (like dogs) out of car windows. It's scarier when it happens after dark, but mostly it just makes me feel angry and sad. (And makes my mile split faster temporarily.) I admit that this one has been stewing for a while, but I haven't made it public in any way yet. So, here it is.
ericamerylthomas [at] gmail [dot] com