I have often been harassed on public transport. Once I was sitting with my friend in the metro when a couple sat near us. Suddenly one of them said to me: ”You have a nice camera. You got it with my tax money.” We were puzzled; how do you respond to something like that?
Another time I was taking a bus to a gig with a Finnish friend of mine. Another passenger, an older man, looked at me angrily. When he was about to get out, he gave me the finger. My friend asked me, “Who was that for?” I answered, “For whom do you think it was?” My friend kept on talking about the incident the whole day, and it was really bothering them. That’s when I realised how used I had become to these situations. I said to my friend “You witnessed this once. Imagine you were me and had to go through that more often.”
I’m used to having to defend myself or my friends alone. When a fellow passenger joins in to help, I’m always surprised. I’m like wow; that person didn’t have to stand up for me, but they did it anyway. It’s a really positive feeling knowing that there are people who are willing to help.