Two weeks ago I read The Husband Stitch, and it totally broke something in me.

When men said certain things to me, like challenged my experiences, or told me how I should be, or started a pointless argument with me, I used to have the anger to throw it back at them, or I'd just ignore it in entirety.

And now I've found that I don't have the energy for it.

Like someone interrupted a conversation I had last week to tell me my definition of a tensor was wrong.
And I sighed and carried on as if nothing happened.

And today a man told me that I wasn't living my life correctly. So I've stopped talking to him.

It's like when someone does that to me now, it hurts.

And before, it was frustrating but it didn't hurt, it was just annoying. Like
"Why don't _you_ BELIEVE that I know what I mean?"

And now it feels more like a tiny stab because I know it's not just me, it's nothing to do with me. It's just culture. The men doing it aren't bad people, they're just in a toxic culture that encourages that kind of behaviour.

fuck's the point, right?

@edensaesthetic its so aggravating, particularly when I've had to deal with roommates and my work knowing that no matter what I say, what some dude has to say takes precedence

And as a trans person, cis people tend to prefer to only listen to cis people

Its one of those things that the main thing that is in your power is to be able to recognize the pattern and themes