We Have Nothing to Fear but Fear of a Locker Room Itself

I have always been terrified of snakes, bees and stepping on snails with bare feet. Like many people, I also avoid things like dark alleys, horror movies and clowns.

However, in the last few days, I have developed a new fear: locker rooms.

I never before considered that I should be afraid of locker rooms. I have been in many of them in my life. In fact, I entered the Arroyo High School girls locker room hundreds of times to change into a powder blue gym uniform so that I could go to P.E., or practice with the girls tennis team. Since my high school and college days, I’ve visited other locker rooms, too, when I’ve gone to the beach, public swimming pools, or joined a gym or health club.

I have very few specific memories about being in locker rooms, but that’s because the only reason I would ever enter one would be to change my clothes, and/or shower as quickly as possible. I wasn’t there to talk or chit chat. Although I don’t remember anything significant happening in a locker room, I guarantee that I was never traumatized in one.

Now I understand that’s because I have never been in a boys locker room. Recent events have indicated that boys do not chat, laugh and snap each other with rolled up towels when they are in a locker room. They are crude and disgusting and talk about sexually assaulting women as if it is their God given right and natural inheritance.

I wish I had known this sooner. I wouldn’t have wasted so much time worrying about stepping on snails. I would have been worried about walking too close to a boys locker room and overhearing “locker room talk,” which can include filthy boasts about grabbing women by their lady parts.

Thank goodness Donald Trump, in his now-infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, brought this terrible male ritual to light. Now women know the truth. We no longer have to guess what goes on behind the closed doors of boys locker rooms and we can act on it. We can speak up and make sure that every male on the planet knows this is NOT acceptable. We can refuse to believe that “boys will be boys” and demand respect. Most importantly, we can refuse to vote for a misogynist for President and hope that he never steps foot in a locker room again.

Wait. Donald Trump’s “locker room talk” was recorded on a bus.

Great. Now I’m afraid of busses.

***

photo credit: jepoirrier <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/57519914@N00/112132735″>Locker room with lonely lab coat</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>(license)</a>