The Unbearable Horror of Being Propositioned

I don't think most men would make it, if they were women.

There's been an interesting discussion on the internets about why it is that Larry Craig is guilty of a horrible, horrible offense against humanity, while it remains perfectly okay for men to harangue women anywhere and everywhere. After all, while it probably wouldn't make me 100 percent comfortable to be propositioned in a men's room, it doubtless doesn't make women 100 percent comfortable to be propositioned in a bar...or a playground...or a grocery store...or a bank...or while walking to work....

Now, I'm not advocating we eliminate the ability of people to express an interest in the opposite sex, until and unless it crosses a line. Indeed, I'm a longtime advocate of encouraging women to be as forward about their interest in men as they want to be.

But from the reaction to the Craig affair, I can only conclude that my fellow men would view such a development with abject horror. Why, they might get propositioned by women who they don't desire! They might get hit on at inopportune times, like when they just want to go out to grab a drink at the bar! They might actually be approached by (gasp!) men! Oh noes!

The fact that all of this is something that women simply accept as a matter of course -- well, that's not to be mentioned.

I suppose it's okay to say that a restroom is an inappropriate place to make a date, because people generally don't go to the restroom to be propositioned. But why should a restaurant be different? If Larry Craig standing outside a stall is criminal, what about defenestrated getting the tongue waggle while riding her bike?

I agree that sex in public places is wrong. But Larry Craig didn't engage in that conduct. And while being hit on in a public place may be discomfiting, Craig didn't do anything that millions of men aren't doing as we speak.

Well, he did do two things: he was gay, and he hit on a man. If he'd been straight and hitting on a woman, his behavior would have been considered tolerable, and in some circles, laudable. The men freaking out that they could someday be propositioned by someone may want to consider that carefully.