TW / Sexual assault
I hope the people who accuse me of being anti-male, sexist, paranoid, etc read all the sexual assault stories by survivors online and understand why I'm highly selective or take a very long time to trust or get close with a male even as friends.

It's easy to say that not all men are bad, especially when you're a man yourself. It doesn't give you fear when you insist that it's okay to go out with you or exchange numbers although we knew each other online for a week or two but it does give me fear.

I have my own close male friends whom I hangout with and talk to without boundaries but these are people I've known for a long time, mutuals whom my female friends know and feel comfortable with and people whom I could trust and have never given me those "bad instincts"

Apart from my close friends, I can't bring myself to quickly trust other males. It'll take time. If protecting myself is bitchy to you, it speaks more about yourself. You're not willing to put yourself in women's shoes to understand our concerns because it doesn't affect you.