Please. Don’t.

What issues do young women face? What a strange question. Why even bother with that question? I carry keys in between my fingers at night. I know where all the exits are. I am aware of other women’s body language when men are approaching. I take the time to realize the ratio of men to women in a bar as soon as I walk in. I don’t think about these things, I just do them because they are ingrained. Because I have been approached too many times, touched too many times, and talked to in ways that are so disrespectful those men have been thrown out without me saying a word. So what issues do young women face? Well let me count the ways. And how about I let you do the research. Maybe talk to the women in your life. Ask for stories. Ask about encounters. Ask about how they stay on the phone as they walk home at night just to feel safer. I would not want to give my answer because my story is very dark. I will say if you are concerned, as in you want to make a difference, do the work. Do the research. Get involved. Do not come to me. Because I have no patience left for these kinds of questions.