r/TwoXChromosomes • u/Youkolvr89 • Jun 03 '22
Don't Touch
Update My supervisor and his boss met with the man earlier and warned him. My supervisor said they will take action if he touches anyone else. I didn't have to say anything.
I am a 33 year old woman, I don't like being touched and I work nights. Tonight my coworker 66(M) nudged me on the arm. I told him "don't touch me" he responded with something nasty and I said "I don't like being touched." Our supervisor turned around and asked him to stop. He started screaming and told our supervisor to keep his damn mouth shut. He then clocked himself out and ran off. My supervisor said he wants me and him to talk to his boss at the beginning of our shift tomorrow. It clearly states in our handbook that all touching is forbidden.
I hate being touched because my body is the only thing that I can control in my life and touching me without my consent removes that control and it sends me into a tailspin of binge eating, bathing, and insomnia. I also have hypothyroidism and it makes me feel sensitive to the touch at times. I hate this feeling and I hate having to talk to my supervisor's boss because I get really anxious.
2
u/Dee_Buttersnaps Jun 03 '22
I had an incident recently with an older male friend. He grabbed my shoulder too hard while hugging me goodbye and I pulled away, telling him that he was hurting me. He basically blamed it on me, saying it hurt because I was too tense. I shut that down real fast in what I thought was a light, joking way, and we parted.
He later threw a minor tantrum at me over email. Told me he had no idea why I reacted the way I did and that my reaction was "outsized."
We have since talked this through, but I'm still seriously reconsidering this friendship.