Someone very close to me had to file a restraining order today against a former colleague who has been stalking & harassing her. Her employer had previously disciplined *her* for ‘reacting poorly’ when the guy literally chased her at work. The employer called to apologize to her,

which is good and the right thing to do. But all this is another reminder of the astonishingly high threshold of male aggression that we just expect women to live with.

Women are often told that a certain man is not being creepy, he is 'just awkward.' But in my experience, women are extraordinarily good at telling the difference between creepy and awkward, and many women are extraordinarily kind to and patient with men who are actually awkward.

The police did not take this seriously at first and she had to go to a women's center to get help on how to file the order. She has a great support network and could hire a lawyer if needed. Can't imagine how difficult this would be if a woman didn't have those resources.