I didn’t ask to be born a female. But I am, and I love being a woman. But in this world, that comes with consequences.

Sometimes I don’t think men could ever understand. When I park my car in a parking garage, I hold my keys tight in my hands. On edge, ready to use them as a weapon to defend myself.

When I was in my prime dating age, looking for love, I worried if the man I was meeting was kind. Or if he were to become angry, would I be safe? Always researching our planned location, to see what is around, who would be around, just in case of an emergency.

If I were to become pregnant, forcefully, would I have the appropriate healthcare services? And if I did, would I be treated with respect? Or looked at as slut who shouldn’t have worn a skirt as short as I did?

I was so excited to go to college and experience what most people called “the best years of their life”. I would go to parties, just as everyone did, but all of us girls were told “don’t walk home alone!” It’s so common that every girl knows it, but how sad is that? I can’t walk outside at night by myself because it was possible that a man, too drunk to think, could hurt me.

Men don’t often have to worry about being kidnapped. But it’s the first thing I think of when arriving in a place I am unfamiliar with.

I wish they could understand what it’s like. Constant worry of being hurt, kidnapped, raped, beat up. They think they do, but they don’t. And they never will.