Anon, F
My first kiss was stolen against my will. I went to a show with my friends, and were meeting up with a friend of them (who was the performer). I think I was around 18 at the time. We were watching the show then I got called up to be the assistant. I was already nervous and I didn’t want to go, but ended up giving in because the crowd was getting jeery and my friends were egging me on. I figure.. what’s the worse that can happen? It’s just a show, and I have a whole audience watching me. Nothing bad can happen, surely! But then the worse DID happen. The performer begins his magic trick and towards the end he asks me to kiss his cheek to ‘complete’ the trick. I *really* didn’t want to do this as it was making me feel uncomfortable, but what can I do? I have this audience watching me, my friends watching me, and the performer basically saying “it’ll be fine, I promise”. But just as I kiss his check, he turns his face towards me so that I end up kissing his mouth. I was completely humiliated. The audience roars with laughter, a few wolf whistles ensue, too. This guy assumed my sexuality and my being single (I’m ace). He assumed my intentions and what I was comfortable with, expecting me to decline because society clearly gives women the space to do so without harassment. I don’t hold any negative feelings towards the guy; he’s just a pawn. At the end of the day, both he and I played our parts in society: the roles that are expected of us. All I can do now is be more aware of situations like this and call them out.