Yes, that's what infuriates me. I'm lucky in my experiences. Which is to say that, as well as the usual litany of verbal abuse, threatening behaviour, groping and probable narrow escapes through the years, the only genuinely scary physical assaults I've experienced were being held down by a boy one one occasion, and a man on another.
The first was in an isolated area, just me and the boy. We were only about 14, I think. The second was as a young adult, in a deafening night club, with seething crowds literally inches away.
And each time, I was utterly helpless. I struggled, of course, but no one was there to help - or notice - and really there was nothing I could do about it but wait for his decision about what would happen next.
One interesting thing is that I'd been entirely aware of male strength before these experiences - arm-wrestling at school, play-fighting with uni friends etc. But it was only the actual experience of it being used against me, in a way that could escalate any way the aggressor chose despite my resistance - that opened my eyes to what it really means for women.
For me, it's very clear indeed that mixed sex spaces are an assault on women's equality. It's so simple, FFS! The moment a woman is in an enclosed space with a man, he has the power. He almost certainly won't use it, but if he wants to, he can - and all she can do is trust that he won't.
For a particularly idealistic earlier poster, to be very explicit: whatever she does - whatever loud, space-taking approach she takes to his presence - it's still up to him what happens next.
That isn't equality.
And yes, that disparity can't be avoided in a multitude of situations - it's biology, and life. We live with it. But in a world in which men commit 98% of sexual assaults and 1 in 4(?) women have likely had a far worse experience than my own above, in spaces where women are at increased risk and may feel vulnerable - legitimately terrified, in a significant minority of cases - we have a responsibility to mitigate against it.
The pedantry of the bland NAMALT and "not all women feel that way" responses speaks for itself. I mean, come on. Not all women feel that way? You don't say! I thought the title was intended to apply to literally every one of billions!
It's so embarrassingly obvious, it's hard to read as anything but provocative. It's very different indeed to a more thoughtful, "I don't mind, but I understand some women may," or even "I think generalisations like that are unhelpful when 'terrified' doesn't apply to all of us." These are easy to respect and understand.
Anything else, in a thread with this title, and the daily news packed with abused and suffering women, is an indication of considerable privilege or a surprising lack of empathy.