I had to go to a meeting today, as my skin is clear I put some makeup on & headed out of the door, the meeting was close to the main shopping area but I failed to take into account that to get there I had to skirt the edge of one of the rougher areas of Bristol.

I've walked every street of this town throughout my life so my feet tend to go on autopilot whilst my mind wanders, as I was passing this rougher area I heard a shout that could have only been meant for me "Check out the face on him, I'd love to smash that face in!", this came from a group of very drunk men sitting on a street corner (maybe 7 or so). I don't know which one said it but I could clearly hear his mates egging him on & some commenting that they'd help.
If I'd crossed the road in fear it would have encouraged them & one word or glance would have been all the excuse they needed to start so I kept walking & acted like they weren't there.
I had to pass within a few feet of them & even though I didn't show it I really needed a shower & some new knickers by then.

When I got to the next street I dived into a shop & brought a pack of ciggies, unfortunately today was the first day of quitting but my nerves were shot to hell at that point, I was still shaking when I went in for my meeting.
I'm going to report it to the police tomorrow but can't identify a single one of them as I didn't dare look over at them for fear of setting them off.

Please don't make the same mistake I did today, some areas that have always been safe for you may no longer be safe whilst transitioning, think about where you're walking & stay safe

Best wishes

Jayne

I've seen plenty of cautionary tales such as this one & yet I got complacent & careless.
I've been in many rough situations over the last few years but have never been scared like today as in the past I had friends around me, if things had gone badly today then I would have been in a very serious situation.
I've had hassle off of drunk a coupe of times before, both times I put them in their place but this time my spidey sense was tingling like mad to shut the hell up & keep walking.

I was being over ambitious with the quitting smoking as i'm seeing the doctor in 2 days for nicotine replacement stuff, I woke up this morning & thought I could do it on willpower alone, how stupid

The next time you go for a walk, you need to walk with Jesus ...

His name is Jesus

I walked out the door of my old apartment when I was just starting my RLE and didn't even make it a block before this beggar came up to me.  Took him a little while to clock me but when he did, things got ugly fast.  He started graphically describing how he'd like to molest me and I told him I wasn't interested and high tailed it outta there.

Granted I didn't live in a great part of town at the time.  Still, good idea to be careful out there even when close to home.

Good luck with the ciggs!

The best bit of self defence is not to be there.Is there an alternative route you can take? I avoid my towns war zones .If you get in a fight with a drunk and you are sober you will win as you have a huge advantage.If outnumbered and you can't get away back into a shop doorway and fight them off one at a time.Kicking the ->-bleeped-<- out of someone in front of his mates will make these cowards run most of the time.A bunch of keys put between the fingers makes for a handy knuckleduster,I also carry Mr Pointy a tail comb.Take your bus and taxi fare with you,also remember verbal threats especially from drunks rarely happen.Sorry you had a horrible experience.

Well done for keeping yourself safe.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is to just get the hell out of there. It sounds like your instincts were right on this one. I used to work in the dodgiest part of Bristol: just off Portland Square of all places. Every single day was a nightmare in which I wondered whether I'd make it back home that night.

Stay safe.

Ms O'Brien, I can't wait till the day I get my Poopie back, he's a Labraman (Labrador/doberman) he looks like a skinny Labrador that forgot to stop growing.
When he meets people he looks 100% Lab, full of joy & warm greetings, when he gets in a fight with other dogs however he's 100% Doberman.
Me & my ex had an argument once that almost became a physical fight, the dog dived between us & growled, i'm in no doubt that should anyone threaten me in his presence then they'd see his teeth bared & back away.
I miss my Poopie.

Big Kim, Your first line sum things up perfectly, i've never had to be concerned where I walked in Bristol but in future I shall plan alternate routes to avoid certain areas & allow extra time.

FTMDiaries, Funnily enough my appointment was a side street off of Portland Square & the incident was about a minutes walk away in Wade Street

Quote from: Jayne on February 19, 2013, 11:24:02 AM
FTMDiaries, Funnily enough my appointment was a side street off of Portland Square & the incident was about a minutes walk away in Wade Street

Heh, when I read your OP I immediately thought of that particular neck of the woods.

Isn't it weird that the scariest part of Bristol is right next door to the most eclectic, vibrant part? How just going one street in the wrong direction can get you into serious trouble.

The irony isn't lost on me, the street this happened in is one road away from both the police station & the LGBT area.

I considered doing a U-turn back to the police station but I firmly believe they would have taken that action as a sign of fear, they were looking for any excuse to start trouble & I suspect the main thing that averted that was me showing no fear in continuing on my original course

Hey im from ware massachusetts and if you feel like you in danger and my car gets fixed ill go with you to these meeting im ex army and ex semi pro  football player. I know titles dont mean anything but if i can help it you dont mess with the susans or mtf/ftm community. So if you'd like ill keep you updated on my car and my work schedule.

Quote from: Ali83 on February 20, 2013, 03:41:23 AM
Hey im from ware massachusetts and if you feel like you in danger and my car gets fixed ill go with you to these meeting im ex army and ex semi pro  football player. I know titles dont mean anything but if i can help it you dont mess with the susans or mtf/ftm community. So if you'd like ill keep you updated on my car and my work schedule.

Thank you for the kind offer but i'm in Bristol UK not Bristol USA, I know petrol is cheap over there but it would still cost an arm & a leg.
Some friends have said many times over the last 2 years that if I feel in danger then one call & they'd have someone running every red light to get to me asap, it's good to know you have people who will rush to your defence but when it comes to emotional stuff they go to pieces.