Written submission from a member of the public (SPP0027)

I am a [job title] who works in the street theatre festival scene. When working in deep crowds doing intervention work wearing imerrsive costumes we get felt up by strangers in the public audience. At times when working on four legs I have found people have tried on numerous occassions that they have tried to insert fingers into our anus's. We are simply trying to do a job in a public space and would prefer if people didnt feel us up.

I am also a Transgender woman and have been felt up by several people in bars when they have wanted to know what I have in my knickers. I no longer wish to go to bars or be around drunk people at all now which is hard when I work in street theatre as bars and such after events are where I conduct business. Also as a Transgender person I am constantly asked questions about my gender and genitalia. This kind of conversation makes me uncomfortable and I see it has a form of verbal sexual haressement and it happens almost every time someone finds out I am trans. It is tiring and is  constant. It is getting less now that I pass better but this also adds to the pain of wanting to pass better and to conform to cisnormtivity. Its enough to make a transgender person to want to kill them selves.... Dont even get me started on the internet. This is just one conversation this week on Youtube this isnt being delt with by the reporting system

[web link with identifying details].

January 2018