Uh, no. anything that has to do with protecting women (or minority groups) will never be enacted.

These are the moments that I am so grateful my 5'2" pixie of a daughter has been taking kickboxing and muay thai for like 7 years. Tiny, but an absolute powerhouse. I don't want her to compete, but I would love for her to one freaking give one of these guys a beat down.

Duh, the Paris metro stops like every 5-10 blocks. DC metro stops every 5 miles.

I got climate control but 1st floor. There's a couple antique heirloom furniture pieces (very heavy!) and I felt like that extra floor was a bit more of a deterrent, in case theft is an issue in these places! I have no idea!

Good to know. But my insurance won't cover anything in MD normally...

Aww, that is so sweet. We all misspeak sometimes, it is part of being human and I believe society has been much too aggressive in "cancelling" humans who do. I choose to believe that most humans are good and that having the courage to share thoughts with others will get us to a much better place faster than shaming.

Also! This is only my opinion, others may feel the opposite about those words. <3

I'm sorry, when I said gaslighting, I should have said, "it can be triggering and feel like gaslighting to those who historically have not been heard." Most gaslighting is not done with conscious intent, it's more like confirmation bias. Traumatized people's amygdalas are hyper-reactive and extra-sensitive, so when they hear, "It's going to be fine,", it often can arrive in their brains as, "You have not tried hard enough. You did everything wrong. Stop complaining, shut up and leave me alone." Sadly.

The good news is that if they manage to pull themselves out, they will slowly build up the "I can do this, I will be ok" muscle....Personally I was able to build it up once I got trauma-specialized therapist who acknowledged deeply that I got dealt a really bad hand and life really did suck bad. So now I know and try to share when I can. :-) Thanks for listening.

As a person who has gone through this and many other horrors, can I say that it is infuriating to hear, "You will be fine." No, many people do not end up "fine" and it is dismissive of very real and tangible problems with SURVIVAL. Me and my kids were in this situation for ten years and we were never "fine" and considering all the intense trauma, we will never be "fine". Maybe we'll get through it eventually, but I don't consider 3 cases of life long PTSD to be "fine".

Encouragement and kindness is one thing, but please be mindful of language that is dismissive of reality, It's gaslighting.

Do you have a health provider? I suggest going to Mary's Center and getting into see a general practitioner, get on the waitlist for a therapist, psychiatrist and social worker. Do the DBT group therapy (possible on a mobile phone or from library). They take Medicaid and will help you sign up for it.

It really just takes one visit to 1207 Taylor Street to get Medicaid, could not be easier. Nice and warm in there for the long wait, get there early to make sure you are seen the same day. Do you get TANF and EBT? Same place, all services with one application!

You are not alone. We understand. Focus on 1207 Taylor Street to get Medicaid, EBT, TANF. Just do that one thing. Then go to Mary's Center for a GP appointment, get into their system. Things will start to get a little better, bit by bit, but you need these allies.