Quote from: Janet Lynn on July 01, 2008, 08:27:45 PM
Krystal,

We may be the 'weaker' sex, but we are the 'smarter' sex.  Ask yourself why you go where you go.  Is it the thrill of doing something dangerous or life threatening.  Try skydiving.  Are you just exploring the underbelly of society?  Rent the Saw movies.   Are you just curious about other lifestyles?  Go to the libary  or search the internet.  I do not go anyway that is questionable or poorly light, I stay away from gay bars and bars in general, unless I am with several friends.

Wherever you go remember. Stop, Look and Listen.  You are a target for some scumbag because you are a woman.

I am sorry but I do not agree about being armed.  More people are killed with their own weapons.  Mace, pepper spray or a spurt gun filled with indelible ink and ammonia or alcohol, Cant get you killed.  But it will allow you to run like the wind.

Go for the groin or eyes and run.

Janet

I kayak, MT bike and rock climb at the upper levels of these sports. Its not for thrills or to cheat death but to challenge myself. I feel like the internet or movies are not a adequate replacement for real life experience. I am just not a armchair warrior. We make choices in life everyday that carry some degree of risk, for instance driving to the store for a soda. Doing this places your life at risk since you might get in a wreck and die but we all do it anyway and thats a lot of risk for a very small reward. I am a very curious person I love to explore the world around me the knowledge and experience I have gained is well worth the risk I have taken. I simply refuse to live in fear of anything. This does not mean that I don't think things through or don't use common sense. For me its simply risk verses reward.
Janet I am not saying this to flame or be argumentative but to explain who I am and how I view my life.

I have been asking pretty much everyone I know both male and female basically the same question as I posted here. Not about transition but a more basic question( do you let your fears of what MIGHT happen stop you from doing what you want to do ). So far most of the country girls I have talked to seem more fearful of going places and doing things alone while the guys around here pretty much do as they like without a thought about personal safety. The people I know that live in the cities around here respond a bit differently. Both  male and female see them selfs as targets of criminals, but so far the females I have talked to seem to be more inclined to be comfortable doing things alone than us country girls at least in the day time. The few city guys I have asked about this have said that while they don't feel they are any more or less a target than anyone else they think about safety factors when deciding where to go and what to do. I guess this is just one of the downsides of living in the city. One thing everyone except the good old boys around here seem to agree on is that they don't feel safe out alone at night especially late at night. I have never given the night thing a lot of thought since I am a morning person and am rarely up past 10 or so even at home.
LOL More and more I find myself wondering why people do the things they do and how life experience, location, and world view influence the choices we make. Sometimes I  think I missed my calling in life and should have been a sociologist or anthropologist instead of a artist.
Krystal

Quote from: Krystal on July 02, 2008, 12:46:17 PM
I have been asking pretty much everyone I know both male and female basically the same question as I posted here. Not about transition but a more basic question( do you let your fears of what MIGHT happen stop you from doing what you want to do ). So far most of the country girls I have talked to seem more fearful of going places and doing things alone while the guys around here pretty much do as they like without a thought about personal safety. The people I know that live in the cities around here respond a bit differently. Both  male and female see them selfs as targets of criminals, but so far the females I have talked to seem to be more inclined to be comfortable doing things alone than us country girls at least in the day time. The few city guys I have asked about this have said that while they don't feel they are any more or less a target than anyone else they think about safety factors when deciding where to go and what to do. I guess this is just one of the downsides of living in the city. One thing everyone except the good old boys around here seem to agree on is that they don't feel safe out alone at night especially late at night.
Krystal

I noticed this when I moved to the midwest from California. There is far less crime here, yet the people are more scared. Go figure. Kids here are dropped off by the bus at their driveways. If they have to drop them at the end of the street, there is always parents waiting to drive them home. They never walk even in groups of children without a parent. This happens right through junior high.

Krystal,

I was just wondering, but please be careful.  I don't fear much ether but I do feel that I am more of a target as a woman.

You do things that I wouldn't, like rock climb. But I like to try skydiving 

Janet

Hi Janet
I would love to try skydiving myself but due to a back injury from a long fall when I was a teen that is one thing I can't try. I was able to see the "jump doctor" at a local army base a few years ago and he said with the injury I had the disk in my back could shift when the chute opens. Oh well can't do everything I guess. If you every do try skydiving please please please get us some pics.
*hugs*
Krystal

I absolutely changed things. I used to go for long walks on pleasant summer nights and I quickly found I no longer felt safe doing that post-transition. Also, I try to always make sure i won't be the last person leaving a place after dark. If I need to, I will ask another gal to wait and leave with me.

Another thing is, now I feel vulnerable if I walk into a place and it is all men there. I don't mean I think I'll be attacked....but they look you over, and there is just that whole male energy thing going on and I feel uncomfortable, and i think lots of women do.

Just recently I was walking past a house that was being roofed, and I looked up and these three guys were just standing there on the roof with their hammers in their hands, giving me the once over. I hate that, but what am I going to say? It comes with the territory now.

Reality is that I probably CAN'T physically protect myself anymore. Plus, I'm not about to trot out the old "oh yeah, why I oughta...". No no nooo, thats not what I came here for tyvm.

I'm in a new life, I love it, but like anything else it comes with trade-offs. Born women deal with personal safety issues all the time. And now, this born-again woman does, too.

Stealth