“Anti-rape” Products Normalize Sexual Assault And Bleed Women Dry
The only winners are the merchants
I had a rare late night out last week. A trip to the theatre in London saw me racing for a late train and arriving at my station at 11.26 pm. It’s under a mile to my house from there and a lovely walk — in daylight. Despite no rain and the scent of a summer night in England, the walk conjured up black and white horror movies as it’s a quiet, wooded road. Taxi it was.
Although grateful for a ride home at that time, the £8 (US$10+) fare took my breath away. (The driver had the grace to say, “I know, I’m sorry”, and refused a tip.)
In a taxi ride a few weeks earlier, I apologised to the driver for the short length of the ride and explained I didn’t feel safe walking in the dark. I think he was trying to empathize, but telling me that I was “not really safe anywhere, even in a taxi” didn’t quite cut it — mainly because he was right. I was willing to pay the price for not being assaulted on a dark walk home, but what do I do if the ride home isn’t safe either? How much more do I have to pay for my safety?
