When Flirting Turns to Fear: The Silent Threat of Saying No

I don’t feel safe when men flirt with me. I don’t feel safe walking home alone. I don’t feel safe existing in a body that men think belongs to them. And the truth is, sometimes I don’t feel like living—not because I want to die, but because I’m terrified someone else will take that choice from me. This piece is rage. It’s fear. It’s survival. It’s me, unfiltered.

— Trinity Barnette