It was with horror but not surprise that I heard about women being assaulted on the Bay Run- two incidents of indecent assault and one of a man exposing himself in a period of two weeks. This type of news makes women think twice about exercising on the Bay Run, no matter how fast they may be. Women of course should be able walk anywhere at any time without fearing for their safety. But with these threats still lurking in the background in 2018, this seems almost unattainable. Still squashed down by the aggression of some angry male.
What makes a male want to overpower another person at any time, but on the Bay Run such a seemingly peaceful place where people are happily fulfilling their exercise regime. Was this unknown person disturbed by his inability to complete the circuit and wanted to take it out on someone else? A loner who felt an urgent need to overpower someone? Apparently, men who rape tend to believe more strongly in myths about rape, such as
- A man must have sex to prove his masculinity
- When women say no to sex, they really mean yes, so men should ignore women’s refusals
They are also more likely to engage in fantasies about coercive sex. Compared with other men, rapists drink more heavily, begin having sexual experiences earlier, and are more likely to have been physically or sexually abused as children. This particular perpetrator operating on the Lilyfield side of Iron Cove has been described as having prominent front teeth, and tattoos on his right shoulder and forearm. How scary a giant tattooed rabbit on our stomping ground!
Us sportsters must not be stopped because of this rampant aggressor. We need to continue our walks, our runs, our chats, our rides and our fun. We must be on the lookout for any aberration from the norm, any strange sounds and have our cameras and phones ready to take action. This person can not impede our path. We have fought for our rights before and we will not let this coward change our exercise regime. Remember we are strong and women, especially us sportsters and wanna be sportsters, are on the move!