This woman live-tweeted her experience after being groped on a plane and it’s not okay
When getting on a plane for a flight, hopefully one of the last things you’d expect to happen would be for you to be inappropriately touched or groped in any way. You’d think that, because planes are quite cramped, you’d respect what limited personal space people have, right? Well, as this woman found out, that isn’t always the case.
Ariana Lenarsky was casually minding her own business on a flight some guy seriously invaded her personal space.
In a string of tweets, Lenarsky explains how she felt someone grab and stroke her leg as she was walking down the aisle of a plane. She says that she informed the flight attendants about the incident but learned that they had already been told about the man as other women had also complained. As the plane was already in the air it was too late for said passenger to be removed from the flight, she asked what was going to be done about him.
Some guy grabbed & stroked my calf (??) as I walked by on the plane, so I took his picture. Not gonna post it, but I hope he's freaked out.
— Ariana Lenarsky (@aardvarsk) October 23, 2016
They told the captain and are filing a report with the airline. Local authorities will meet the plane when we land.
— Ariana Lenarsky (@aardvarsk) October 23, 2016
Explaining how the experience was like a “Choose Your Own Adventure for how to deal with harassment,” Lenarsky debated about whether she should share the picture of the guy in social media, saying that the experience had left her “depressed.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKxcR93gIFV
After landing, the man was met by police, while her and another woman gave a statement.
He tried to kiss the other woman. She doesn't want to press charges bc since it happened in the sky, the FBI would have to get involved.
— Ariana Lenarsky (@aardvarsk) October 23, 2016
Shockingly, Lenarsky, who is a writer and performer based in Los Angeles, was told that if she wanted to press charges she’d have to pay for a flight back to Austin as it fell under the Austin PD’s jurisdiction. Conflicted, she asked the police what they were going to do.
"Police said they would 'give him a talking to' & 'it's not the crime of the century.' True! I'm going to tweet his picture now since it's nbd," she wrote on Twitter.
Police said they would "give him a talking to"& "it's not the crime of the century." True! I'm going to tweet his picture now since it's nbd
— Ariana Lenarsky (@aardvarsk) October 23, 2016
Lenarsky then shared the picture she took of the passenger.
You can't grab women on a plane, guy. You can't do it. Hope you get the help you need. pic.twitter.com/5A5nGqdx87
— Ariana Lenarsky (@aardvarsk) October 23, 2016
The picture, which has at the time of writing been shared over 8000 times, sparked a string of supportive tweets.
This is an artistic rendering of him: 💩
— Mara Wilson (@MaraWilson) October 23, 2016
SNAKE ON A FUCKING PLANE
— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) October 23, 2016
on a plane is awful because where can you go? Glad the staff did something, even if it didn't amount to much
— Caryn Rose (@carynrose) October 23, 2016
false false
"That was exhausting ridiculous, and embarrassing," Lenarsky wrote on Twitter. "Thank you for the support. I will probably formulate more thoughts about it this week."
That was exhausting, ridiculous, and embarrassing. Thank you for the support. I will probably formulate more thoughts about it this week.
— Ariana Lenarsky (@aardvarsk) October 23, 2016
Stories like Lenarsky’s highlight the ongoing problem surrounding rape culture and only further the discussions going on surrounding sexual assault and violence.
According to the anti-sexual assault organization RAINN, every two minutes an American is sexually assaulted. In fact, one out of every six American women has been the victim of attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFxTsQ1DWvk
While it might be seen as controversial to some to share the picture of her alleged groper, Lenarsky’s actions are completely understandable, especially considering the lacklustre response the allegations of sexual assault often get from authorities.
In fact, following the recent comments by and allegations against Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, many women have taken to social media to share their deeply personal stories of assault with each other in solidarity along with the hashtag #notokay.
Similarly, the First Lady Michelle Obama recently gave a rousing speech about the current political rhetoric surrounding the treatment of women and the effect that it has on society.
We hope that Ariana Lenarsky is okay following her ordeal. It’s literally never okay to inappropriately grab anyone. We hope that as discussions around sexual assault continue we’ll see fewer instances of it.
