Our society is a fluid thing, which, ever changing, accepts and rejects different people everyday. As a part of this society, I am keenly aware that, while today I feel accepted, tomorrow, that may change.

Even though I’m only a teen, I have already learned that women have to fight harder for respect than men, and that there are still a lot of things out there that threaten women. Women still can feel insecure walking alone in the city, or taking public transport. Call me a coward, but I’ve yet to take the T alone. I’ve heard horror stories about women being felt up on trains, or flashed, and unwilling to face this, I avoid being alone in a public place whenever possible. Whenever I travel into Boston for the day, I always bring a few girl friends, or a boy. I understand that no matter how well I think I know an area, it’s always better to have backup. I’ll admit, I don’t like it when people yell out car windows at me. And yet, this happens on a weekly basis. I’m left with the feeling that men can do almost anything and because of this, I can’t really go anywhere alone. This isn’t true for my friends that are guys. They can wander anywhere alone, if they feel so inclined. It’s not a problem for them to walk across Boston unaccompanied. And yet, when I bring this issue up with them, some haven’t noticed that this was a problem. In my opinion, men need to learn self-defense, and men need to learn to respect us.

I think that discussion of these issues is the second step in solving them. The first step is to realize that problems exist. Continued discussion is very important, in my opinion, in solving problems. Maybe if men understood what it feels like to be yelled at out of windows, be it in fun or not, they would stop this immature behavior. The treatment of women is something that will continue to affect me throughout my life.

One more thing I'm pissed about: Why don't men understand anything about girl's cycles? Doesn't Health Class teach them anything? Honestly!