My freshman year of High School (2008), I’m... | power, privilege, and everyday life.

Text - Permalink

My freshman year of High School (2008), I’m sitting in my mandatory health class and the topic for the day is rape. My health teacher, a man in his sixties I believe, tells us that “No means no, although women don’t always mean what they say, so sometimes they say no when they really mean yes.” This teacher also specifically called me out on questions that I never raised my hand to answer –usually to do with personal anecdotes that I wasn’t interested in sharing - and once implied I looked thin enough to be anorexic (I have Celiac disease). I was the only girl in a class of males. Made me feel unsafe, exposed, angry.