Some more thoughts on sexual harassment in Pokémon:

1. too often women are spoken FOR. In December 2018, i was dealing with unwanted sexual harassment online. It was shared in PTCG Hell (a group i was not in) and i was completely left out of the conversation about my own sexual harassment.

I had to even make a video to take back control of the conversation. Think about how you can lift the voices of women instead of speaking for them. Often times, we become passengers in the conversation instead of the drivers.

2. On a similar vibe, LISTEN. After opening up to a TCG player in a conversation about sexual harassment, this is the response i received.

They later acknowledged the importance of talking about it but This energy makes us scared to even open up in private. This is why i said a few months ago that y’all don’t even get to hear our worst stories.

3. There is no boogie man to eradicate. There seems to be this idea that once we’ve ostracized the most recent abuser, the job is done. And then the next time it comes back into the conversation people ask, “again?”. Well, of course again.

People who sexually harass and abuse women often don’t just start there. Casual sexism is often displayed at local events and most people brush it off as “harmless” or say things like, “oh he didn’t mean it that way”. Call it out.

When I worked at a card shop, a friend told me that he shut down a conversation between other customers about my body. I know that conversation wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last. But shut those conversations down when you’re witness to them.

The “boogie man” is inherent biases and behaviors that have gone unchecked. Be the person who checks them.

4. Take the term “clout chasing” out of any conversation about women speaking out. I’m not gonna explain this one. Just stop.

On a final note, yeah. I’ve experienced sexual abuse in the Pokémon community. I’ve told my stories about harassment, microaggressions, and sexism. I’m not ready to tell this one. But just head the advice above as best you can

And for those of you who already do these things, thank you. It’s not unnoticed.