Will my sisters forgive me for straying? Am I traitor to believe that men aren’t monsters? Our society has been built on the idea that all men are bad, and risks to avoid as we don’t need them. None of us had fathers, we were all produced in labs.

Now I’ve encountered something new visiting the big city. A feeling that is foreign, I feel it deep inside my stomach. I catch myself intrigued, perhaps infatuated by these attractive men walking the streets. This one guy in particular has my eyes locked in. He is very attentive, scanning behind and next to him. He notices me staring and shoots a wink that sends my heart in overdrive. Attached to his hand grips a little girl, probably 5 or 6 years old. She must feel so safe in her father’s reach. She laughs with ice cream dripping down the corners of her mouth and looks up at him with adoration.

There is something I am attracted to about his masculinity. Strong yet gentle. My society has tried so hard to show strength under our socially viewed gentle nature for women. Why doesn’t the same go for men? Why didn’t we support their gentle nature hidden by hard masculinity? Women can be just as bad as men.

It was at this point I realized that the problem isn’t men, and its not women. It’s people who want to dictate your desires projected by their own shitty experiences. My concern now is that the women will see me as a traitor and turn on me. I am not their enemy, I simply disagree with them. I hope they can see that.