Yes, even my own boyfriend is like this sometimes. Good men don’t want to be perceived as perverts, misogynists, etc and these days people love to jump on men and find their faults when there is none. If they wore a shirt with sexy cartoon girls on it, they must be a sexist pig (google the poor guy who had to cry and apologize). So, many good men today are walking around eggshells.

Men would avoid touching me in any way in professional settings. It’s like I have some bubble around me and they are making gestures around it. I am sure this requires a conscious effort on their part. When you want someone’s attention (we wear headphones when we are coding), you pat on their shoulder. They don’t do that to me. Instead they make gestures until I see them. Not that I like my personal space being invaded but this is a bit unnecessary if you ask me.

They won’t make sexual innuendos when I’m there. Little did they know I love sexual innuendos. I want to be treated equally and many men, who have known me for a while, would do that after getting to know where I stand on these issues. Men I’ve just met would be more guarded.

Men need to protect their image l since their default image is “bad” now. They don’t know if I’m the kind of the person who would make equal treatment into a sexual harassment case. So, I completely understand where their guarded behavior is coming from. I feel sorry for men sometimes. Wherever I go I am very unlikely to be perceived as threatening or a sexist. I can’t imagine having to go on defensive mode all the time.