School put up a “Safe Space” stickers.
Healthcare providers have “Safe Space” stickers.
LGBTQ bars and coffeehouse are “Safe Spaces”
But are “Safe Spaces” really safe?
Back when I was first started to going to a support group I had to contact them because the meeting location was secret. One time three young men invaded the safe space and started harassing us.
I am not saying that we should avoid LGBTQ activities or gatherings but what I am saying is be aware of your surroundings which is a good idea for everything that we do, sometimes we get complacent.
When I was working I was in charge a safety for the factory so I had a lot of training when they added the new hat for me but I did learn something, when I walk into a new space I look around for the emergency exits which is a good habit to get into in this day of age.
When you are leaving a LGBTQ bar in a strange neighborhood ask the bouncer to keep an eye on you as you walk back to your car. At a bar in Hartford their patrons were being harassed by the neighborhood kids so the bar hired a security guard and it was nice to see him there when I left the bar.
One time when I was leaving a the safe space of a LGBTQ event at the Connecticut Science Center. But at eleven at night when the event was getting over I had to walk back to the parking garage and walk right by a sports bar patio next to the sidewalk. I was standing there dreading the walk, a group of lesbians came out and one of them saw me standing there and asked if everything was alright. I said that I didn’t like walking by the group of drunken young men, one of them put her arm in my arm and we crossed the street and walked by the patio. Sure enough the cat calls began… “Hey girls, come on in and have a drink with us.” and they saw that we were lesbians started with the foul language. I would have hated going by them by myself. I have now found a parking garage closer to the Science Center.
To paraphrase Smokey the Bear… remember only you can prevent danger. Learn what every women knows “be aware of your surroundings.” Yeah, it is paranoid but it may keep you alive.
Healthcare providers have “Safe Space” stickers.
LGBTQ bars and coffeehouse are “Safe Spaces”
But are “Safe Spaces” really safe?
LGBT gym forced to permanently close its doors after months of harassment by far-right hate groupThe problem with safe spaces is that the haters know where they are and the safe spaces become the focus of the haters.
An inclusive LGBT+ gym in Canada has been forced to permanently close after being subjected to months of online harassment and doxxing by a far-right hate group.
Pink News UK
By Lilly Wakefield
February 15, 2020
The gym closed temporarily in September, 2019, for the safety of its members and staff after the online abuse began.
The gym was targeted by a group which at the time went by the name Patriot Pride Canada Wide, although it has since renamed itself Defend Canada.
Defend Canada described the founder of the LGBT+ gym as a “far left Extremist [who] has opened up a training compound for domestic terrorists.”
On its website it published the names and social media profiles of Queerflex staff, as well as the address of the gym, and wrote: “You can run but you can’t hide.”
Back when I was first started to going to a support group I had to contact them because the meeting location was secret. One time three young men invaded the safe space and started harassing us.
I am not saying that we should avoid LGBTQ activities or gatherings but what I am saying is be aware of your surroundings which is a good idea for everything that we do, sometimes we get complacent.
When I was working I was in charge a safety for the factory so I had a lot of training when they added the new hat for me but I did learn something, when I walk into a new space I look around for the emergency exits which is a good habit to get into in this day of age.
When you are leaving a LGBTQ bar in a strange neighborhood ask the bouncer to keep an eye on you as you walk back to your car. At a bar in Hartford their patrons were being harassed by the neighborhood kids so the bar hired a security guard and it was nice to see him there when I left the bar.
One time when I was leaving a the safe space of a LGBTQ event at the Connecticut Science Center. But at eleven at night when the event was getting over I had to walk back to the parking garage and walk right by a sports bar patio next to the sidewalk. I was standing there dreading the walk, a group of lesbians came out and one of them saw me standing there and asked if everything was alright. I said that I didn’t like walking by the group of drunken young men, one of them put her arm in my arm and we crossed the street and walked by the patio. Sure enough the cat calls began… “Hey girls, come on in and have a drink with us.” and they saw that we were lesbians started with the foul language. I would have hated going by them by myself. I have now found a parking garage closer to the Science Center.
To paraphrase Smokey the Bear… remember only you can prevent danger. Learn what every women knows “be aware of your surroundings.” Yeah, it is paranoid but it may keep you alive.
So sad that your group had to close because of the hate group.
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