Gender and Sexuality, Hallie Greenberg

When I was reading “Walking After Midnight: Women, Sex, and Public Space” I was instantly reminded of a conversation I had with my Mom over Fall break. The conversation began as we were talking about Occupy Wall St. and my experience at the protest. My Mom is a bit of a worry wart, and was concerned about the possibility of someone having a gun at the protest. She kept saying that “protests are dangerous”, trying to make me think that the actions of a protester may be more dangerous than those of the police.

By the end of the conversation, we had moved on to the subject of gender. Earlier, I had mentioned that I go on runs in the trails behind Bard. My Mom’s reaction to this and my experience at Occupy Wall St. was that I needed to be “more scared”, whether I am protesting on the streets or running in the woods. She believes, and I do too to a certain extent, that women cannot trust all men. I do take the fact that I am a woman into consideration when I enter a public space. I understand the risk of being taken advantage of by any person, male or female. I try not to be scared of this though. Instead, I think it is important to take into consideration how I am dressed or how I should act in a particular space to protect myself. As a woman, I do think it is important to be aware and cautious, but I do not think being “scared” is a productive way to experience the city.