Soon after having an honest conversation about sex with a male friend of hers last year, she started hearing him whispering “dirty slut” or “I know you want it” to her in math class.
This year another male friend repeatedly tried to touch her armpit hair and asked if her boyfriend licked it.
The 17-year-old New York City student said she felt very uncomfortable during these encounters but didn’t tell her teachers because she wasn’t sure if it was a big deal and she was worried that it would ruin her friendships. While she is a leader of her school’s “women’s empowerment” class, she asked not to be named to protect her online privacy.
Situations like this are what Know Your IX, based in Washington, D.C., and New York City, is trying to address by taking its advocacy and awareness campaign into high schools.
Launched in 2013 to publicize gender-based discrimination law on college campuses, the organization is now seeking to make sure teens know about the law, which in addition to protecting gender equity in team sports opportunities also guarantees them a learning environment safe from assault and harassment.
[For more of this story, written by Sammy Norrito, go to http://womensenews.org/2016/06...g-into-high-schools/]
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