I was about 11 years old, I’m pretty tall so often people think I’m older than I actually am. I was minding my own business, just browsing through the book shelves. Then a boy around high school age comes up to me. He asks me several personal questions where I lived, my phone number, and where I went to school. He then commented on how, “it isn’t a woman’s place to be reading books.” I didn’t respond, I figured he might go away. Then he laughs in my face, grabs the book I was looking at out of my hands, throws it on the floor, and says “your a quiet one.” Then he started asking me out. I calmly explained that I was 11 year old and that I was lesbian. He laughed at me and kept asking me personal questions and making demeaning comments. I had enough and told him to go fuck off. He called me a bitch and walked away.
This next experience wasn’t as scary but still very offensive. As my mom would say I don’t “dress like a lady.” I also don’t cross my legs because then my legs wouldn’t fit under tables or desks. I’m also openly lesbian and go to a Catholic school. There’s this insufferable boy in my class who is extremely sexist. I had to work on a group project with him and he openly made fun of my sexuality, the way I dress, and the way I sit. I ignored it and we continued working. It was math, and I noticed a miscalculation on his part. I told him he was wrong and could prove it too. He laughed at me and said, “Girls aren’t good at math, go make me a sandwich.” I was trying really hard not to hit him. I decided I didn’t feel like getting in trouble. I just told the teacher that I did all the work, which was very true, and she failed him on the project.
