Wolf whistling - a hate crime ??

K&K, it shcoks me that some posters don't seem to have read some of the comments on this thread and keep banging on about sexist abuse. Nobody is saying that sexist abuse shouldn't be tackled, they are just saying that they don't think everything that is being called sexist abuse is so.

Some people don't seem to do nuance.

Several people have already done the moving on bit you mention, trisher. Several people have commented on its not being just about wolf-whistling. However, the article does say that wolf-whistling is included in what are called hate crimes.

"Uninvited sexual advances and unwanted verbal contact with a woman, including catcalling or wolf-whistling in the street, are to be recorded as a hate crimes in a new effort to tackle sexist abuse."

Some of us are arguing that wolf-whistling is not, by definition, misogynistic or sexist abuse, as is the Times article I posted. It depends. Like most other things, this is not a simple right or wrong, black or white issue.

What other moving on did you mean?

Well said Trisher

It really does shock me that so many women on this thread firstly haven't read the actual article and are very much ok minimising the sexual insults from men on women.

Granny2016 I'm sorry for your personal experience, I myself have been physically assaulted and also had my home burgled took pretty much everything I owned and my brand new car - but this is completely unrelated to this being termed a hate crime.

Nottingham City Council are ridiculously pc.

I have been here for over 40 years so have first hand knowledge of council tax waste .
Each year they host an awards ceremony in 'celebration' of work done for the for the LGBT community.They even fly the bl**dy rainbow flag from the mast.
Wolf whistle as a hate crime is just typical of this right on council.

The police do not have resources for any extra work.

I had a call on St Pancras station from Nottingham police who were INSIDE my home.
An invalid neighbour phoned them as men were trying my doors,and again 20 minutes later to report them walking down the road with my computor.It took a further 20 minutes for them to arrive from a station 10 minutes drive away.
My door was in pieces, my daughters wedding dress for the following week was spoilt,my house was a jumble.
Appallingly, timings on the official incident report had been entered to show a quick response.
Needless to say a formal complaint followed.
It is quite usual to report an incident and be allocated a crime number over the telephone,as no one is available to visit.

It is silly and embarrassing to wolf whistle,but a hate crime...goodness me.

If you read the article it isn't about just wolf whistles, in posting it as such the OP has misrepresented what was being proposed. What I am trying to do is to show what is happening today, not what happened in the past which seems to be all GNs can discuss. "Ooo I loved being whistled at," neither helps with the situation as it is today nor answers what do we do about groups of young men who are being offensive to young women? Wouldn't it be good if we could move the discussion on?

When I was 24 (in 1972!) I went out from the office where I was working, to get sandwiches for colleagues. I was wolf whistled at, even though seven months pregnant. I looked up to the roof where the whistle came from and promptly fell down a hole!!!!!!! Oh boy, did I feel silly!!!!! I was so shaken up I had to go home!!!

Aged 16, I had to walk past a group of lads everyday on my way to work. They whistled, I blushed.
And here I am, 42 years later, still happily married to the ringleader, who still whistles at me on occasion (another customer for Specsavers)!!

I d love to be wolf whistled I remember when it did used to happen i felt very 'appreciated' Neither a hate crime nor any kind of crime its a valid way to say 'ummm you look ok' As an older lady I miss it I dont even here youngsters getting whistled any more

When DH and I lived in Cornwall when we were first married many moons ago, people in shops, men and women often called us 'my lover'! It was just a friendly warm cornish expression and absolutely no harm or disrespect was meant by it. I don't expect you'd hear it these days, as sadly the PC brigade would be horrified!!

I haven't read any comments saying it's okay for men to harass women, trisher. Some of us don't regard a wolf-whistle as harassment but have also said that lewd remarks, depending on how lewd and a few other things (like one's ability to walk away or answer back in kind) could sometimes by classed as harassment.

It seems to me the world is going a bit mad. No wolf whistles? They are now a crime? A friend of mine said yesterday that she was wolf whistled about a week ago - ''And I loved it!''was her reply.

It's not a hate crime , that's just ridiculous. However I've always disliked it and found it embarassing and disrespectful. I am very glad that I'm too old to receive them now.

Goodness with all the very unhappy things happening in this world at the moment a harmless wolf whistle I'd be grateful for ☺️

Many years ago I wolf whistled (spontaneously) at a man out running in purple shorts. He was extraordinarily pleased.

This does seem rather an over reaction. 'When I was a girl' - many years ago now - we had a manager in the office who was a Geordie. I love that accent - gentle and almost musical - and as he was about the age of a father to all of us young girls he usually ended a sentence with 'pet' - again a comment that I find kindly and warm. He got pulled up about that by one particularly snappy woman and looked stunned and hurt. I think these people do the cause of female equality no good at all as they are petty and unreasonable, and if you can't walk past a building site and cope with a few wolf whistles that's pretty sad. 'Lewd comments no - but a cheeky appreciation of a pretty woman shouldn't be an offence!

I was very upset when my teenage daughter got her first wolf-whistle as I was with her and I thought they were whistling at me. Any female who doesn't like being whistled at can give the offender a good telling-off without involving the police. Personally, I always found it encouraging and appreciative!

In my youth I found it to be embarrassing and it was usually followed by a load of jeers and innuendoes.

It is, at best disrespectful!

It is never ok to harass anyone, certainly not young vulnerable girls. It is up to everyone to be aware and step up, should they witness it, try to diffuse a difficult situation. If the men are really being offensive, get away from the situation and report it to the police, perhaps a caution would be enough. I hate the way offensive swear words are used in everyday speech one, I switched off a show I like last night on tv, as they peppered the whole show, on channel 4, with the f word.

I note that most of the people posting do so with the advantage of distance and age. For all those who have said it is OK for men to harass women what if it was your daughter being targeted and subjected not just to whistling, because it doesn't seem to stop there these days, but a barrage of unrepeatable comments from a group of young men. What would you advise these young women to do? Because I am unable to offer my DS's girlfriend anything really except comfort and concern. It isn't always the same men, it is in different areas of London and it is regular. It seems to be part of a culture of thinking of young women as easy targets when the are alone. It is scary and it is unacceptable, but how can we tackle it?

It's unlikely it will ever happen to me again and, over the years when it did, I can't say I was offended.

However, I do remember when I was a child if about ten, I was waiting at a bus stop after swimming and a truck went past me and the guys all started whistling and calling out to me. It may have been a refuse truck, I can't remember, but I do remember thinking they were out of order with me being just a child.
I suppose what I'm saying is that it is certainly not always an appropriate thing to do.

Strange, but that memory has never left me. It was not something I felt able to express to anyone at the time. This would have been around 1961.
Not a hate crime, just bored guys who were not the brightest. It has always been thus.

Isn't this just one local (female) police chief? Probably blonde.

Totally ridiculous and pandering to the `victim` mentality culture . I used to love getting whistled at , a distant memory now . Women are just as bad for sexualising men , we are not little mice anymore being victimised by big bad men .

I think that when I was young the wolf whistle was all you got. Just that. But lewd remarks can be offensive and didn't seem to be part of 60s culture. I'm fine with the wolf whistle and maybe the odd " Hello Darlin'", but sexually explicit remarks should not be allowed. Although as one hears the constant use of the F word and the c%%t word, I can't see what the law can do about it.

Oh dear, if only that was all we would have to worry about. I tell you what is hurtful, when someone wolf whistles you from the back, then when they see the front, you see the look of horror on their faces. I can't resist saying "got yer".

Don't think it has been eradicated from all workplaces radicalnan. I used to follow "everyday sexism" on Twitter and there were many examples of workplaces in which, for instance, remarks about "tits" were happening.