I’m a 27-year-old woman working with a 43-year-old man who honestly makes my skin crawl. I can’t tell if my reaction is just because I’m a lesbian or if he’s genuinely inappropriate toward women. He often makes comments about my body and asks intrusive, sexual questions, which already feels wrong. He’s said things like I must secretly enjoy being with men, that it’s a “waste” that I’m gay, and that I’d change my mind if I tried being with a man. A few times, he’s even told me I’ve turned him on, which is extremely uncomfortable and upsetting.
It’s reached a point where just being around him—or even hearing him talk—makes me feel physically sick, even when he’s not saying anything inappropriate in that moment. What worries me is that my strong dislike for him is starting to affect how I feel about other men in my life, even though they haven’t done anything wrong.