Sometimes being a fan of comics as an AFAB person is a fucking prison fr. This post will probably be long and rambly and Iām sorry but I just realized how angry I actually am about this.
My hair is currently very long. I cut it to my shoulders about once a year bc it grows so fast, but I havenāt done it yet. I really, really struggle to take care of it myself because I am disabled, and I canāt hold my arms up long enough to brush it without getting sick. I hate asking for help with basic things and struggle to remember when Iām not leaving the house, so it often gets matted. The night before last night, my mom braided it for me to keep this from happening, in two braids, because I hate sleeping on a thick braid.
Yesterday, I needed to go to the comic book store, and the braids had held up fine, so I left them.
I was digging through a long box of batman back issues, and I glanced at my phone to cross reference the list of issues I am looking for. I am guessing another costumer, a man, saw me do this and it annoyed him. Instead of saying excuse me, or tapping my shoulder (which I would rather not be touched at all, but that wouldāve been leagues better than what he did do) he grabbed one of my braids and gently tugged it. I thought it got caught on something, so I went to flip it over my shoulder, and thatās when I realized it was in his hand. He very irritatedly asked if he could dig through the box instead/first, because he was in a hurry.
I wish I could say I yelled at him for touching me, or refused to move, but quite honestly I just fled. I wouldāve just left the store, and quite honestly almost did, but I didnāt want to leave the comics I had already grabbed for someone to put away, so I got in line to check out at the opposite end of the store. Iām really glad I did, because the interaction with the cashier was very reassuring.
He asked me if I was okay, as I was on the verge of tears. (I know everyone that works there, and I talk to this man nearly every time I come in) since the man had fled and was no longer in the store (without buying anything, mind you) I told him what happened. He was extremely angry on my behalf, and told me that they keep the safety and comfort of their female costumers as a top priority and if anything like that ever happened again, to tell him immediately, even if I needed to walk right up to the counter and interrupt a transaction. This really helped me not lose this safe place, because honestly I know it to be true, and itās the *reason* that this store is my regular store. I have never been talked down to/ treated like an idiot OR creeped on by employees or costumers in there, which I have been in multiple other stores in the area, so I believe that they donāt have tolerance for that kind of behavior.
But Iām still just really bothered it happened, even though it wasnāt the shopās fault. I was the ONLY woman in the store at the time, so it felt pretty targeted, too. And Iām just. Idk. Really annoyed. That this can happened even in the shop I have never been bothered in.
