Thalia Monteiro Parr | Harassment is not protest

Last Monday, Oct. 3, I was viciously harassed on Penn Campus because of my gender identity and sexual orientation. My assaulter was “Evangelista,” one of the Christian preachers who was with Pastor Aden outside of Van Pelt Library. I have filed a harassment claim with the Penn Police, and I strongly encourage other students who have been harassed by these preachers to do the same. The Penn Police may be able to help protect us from this hate speech, but unless more people come forward, they can’t do anything.

What could they do? According to the detective I worked with at the Penn Police department, a harassment claim could result in the district attorney issuing a stay-away order, also called a restraining order. This could effectively ban the offender from our campus, since stay-away orders often require the perpetrator to stay 500 feet away the victim’s home, place of employment and school at all times. But even if your harassment claim isn’t accepted, the police will keep it on record (strengthening future cases), and your harasser will be informed of your complaint via a cease-and-desist letter. If Aden et al. start getting enough of these, it may convince them to tone down their hate speech.

Let me make something clear: I am not an opponent of free speech. To be sure, Pastor Aden and his associates have the right to speak their minds on Locust Walk, a public space. But there is a big difference between preaching to a crowd and directly attacking individuals — which is exactly what they have done to me and others. “Evangelista” is not allowed to get in my face and scream, “God gave you a penis!” “Don’t cut it off!” and other obscenities for minutes on end. This is harassment. It is harassment according to Penn’s code of conduct; it is harassment according to the law in the state of Pennsylvania; and harassment is not protected by the First Amendment.

Please also realize that Pastor Aden, the apparent leader of the group, has harassed people in our community before, both on and off campus. Friends of mine who participated in the March to End Rape Culture told me he was there yelling at the women present that they wouldn’t be raped if they didn’t dress like whores. He was also at a recent All Access concert, where he told my roommate to “Put on some real clothes, faggot.” When Aden et al. last left our campus, they promised, “We’ll be back.” I say we take action before that happens.

Unfortunately, my case is unlikely to move forward because the detective was unable to find the real name and address of the woman who harassed me. On the other hand, the police do know the name and address of Pastor Aden. College sophomore Zahraa Mohammed, who was harassed by Aden on that same day, plans to file a complaint, but there is no guarantee anything will come of that either. So please, if you have been harassed by Aden, “Evangelista” or “JK,” take the time to file a police report with the Penn Police department. The more claims against them, the stronger each one will be.

Even if you haven’t been harassed, you can still help. If you see “Evangelista” or “JK” on our campus, call the Penn Police and let them know there is a harassment complaint against them. This will allow the police to interview them to get their names and addresses. In addition, if you see them preaching, don’t just stand there and watch. Challenge them, make noise to drown them out and video tape them.

While it may be entertaining to stand around listening to these preachers scream about the Bible, some of their words are incredibly hurtful. I personally feel less safe on campus as long as their crimes are tolerated. I don’t know how long it will be before I can walk past Van Pelt again without worrying if I will have to confront hate speech, and I walk by there almost every day. I’m sure I’m not the only person in our community who feels this way after Monday’s events, and I think we’d all breathe a sigh of relief if someone — anyone — can get Aden and his associates off our campus.

Thalia Monteiro Parr is a first year Ph.D. candidate in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World program at Penn. She studies ancient foodways and is interested in bringing archaeological research to bear on modern social and political issues.

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