Reddit can be a strange place sometimes, especially with the misconceptions I see floating around. One of the common fears I keep hearing on this side of the internet is the belief that simply approaching a woman could get you arrested for sexual harassment. However, I’ve never seen a scenario where that actually happens. There are no laws prohibiting people from approaching others. So, where is this idea coming from?

Police officers are supposed to investigate allegations and claims before they have enough evidence that a crime has likely occurred. However, most police officers are reluctant to put you in a cell for something like that anyway. They don’t arrest people without cause, and the act of approaching someone—on its own—is perfectly legal. While it might be socially frowned upon or have personal consequences, it’s not something that leads to legal repercussions unless it crosses into harassment.

Sexual harassment, by definition, involves persistent or repeated behavior that is unwanted and intrusive. It's usually something more serious, like stalking or continuously bothering someone. The worst legal outcome in most situations would be a restraining order, not an arrest. Even in cases where someone is arrested without clear evidence, it’s typically a “he said, she said” situation, which makes it difficult to prove anything substantial. I’m no lawyer, but as I understand it, that's how it works.

At worst, approaching a woman with romantic intent might lead to social consequences, like being asked not to return to the place where it happened. I've heard of men losing gym memberships over accusations of harassment or losing their jobs after complaints were made to HR. One story I remember from TwoX involving a guy who kept asking out women at a mall, some of whom happened to be minors. Although he walked away (weird, but somewhat respectfully) without continuing the conversation, the OP reported him to mall security, and he was banned from the mall for a year. These situations are unfortunate, but they rarely result in legal consequences unless boundaries are pushed further. I don't think I need to explain to you how that would occur.

TLDR: Unless you are a hothead with a huge ego and escalate when confronted, you are not going to jail for approaching someone. At worst, you are not going to be returning to the place where it happened. Approaching someone with romantic interest is not inherently illegal and even when it is, a lot of things will occur before they put you behind bars for prolonged periods. You should be more concerned about having the "abusive girlfriend" than the random Karen reporting you for reaching out to her outside of work.