I remember a police woman coming into school to advise us girls on what we might do if a man was menacing us. She said to knee him in privates, if he's doubled up, you could then knee him in the face. Keep a key in your hand. Use your fingernails. If necessary, use them on his eyes. She said that a lot of women and girls might not go to this extreme as females tend not to want to hurt people. But she insisted that we must do everything possible to protect ourselves. Even if it's just scrathing his face before legging it - that would help identify him.
I often wonder if the police send someone to the corresponding boys school to give similar advice and also to advise them not to attack girls.
Incidentally, I was at an event at the weekend and had to go to the loo.
I heard someone enter the cubicle next to me. I was pretty sure that this was not a woman. They flushed the loo and exited the cubicle.
I left the cubicle that I was in. Low and behold, there is a bloke washing his hands at one of the two sinks. This was Pete rather than a Dave.
He turned and stared at me. No look of embarrassment. No look of shock. No look of confusion. But that look he gave me. It flicked a switch. I told him "This is the ladies toilet". He didn't acknowledge. So I told him again, a bit more firmly, "This is the ladies toilet".
He said. "I wondered why there were no stands for men". I kept my stance. Only then did he say sorry and scuttle off.
The pictures on the toilet doors are very clear. The male and female toilets are on opposite sides of a short corridor. Infact, the men's is slightly closer. I do not think that he made a mistake.
He was between me and the door. If he had become aggressive, I would have had no hesitation and kicked him in the balls.