Women, ‘Toxic Masculinity,’ and Gay Bars

Welcome. And feel free to not be groped against your will.

Jeremy Helligar
Sep 3, 2018 · 6 min read
Centuries before #MeToo, Pietro da Cartona depicted “toxic masculinity” in “The Rape of the Sabine Women”

What a difference two years can make. In May of 2014, I wrote the HuffPost essay “5 Simple Rules for Straight Women in Gay Bars.” I still stand by those guidelines, but thanks to an enlightening conversation in a straight-ish pub, I’m now relieved that, like gay men in big cities, women can…

Keep the story going. Sign up for an extra free read.

You've completed your member preview for this month, but when you sign up for a free Medium account, you get one more story.
Already have an account? Sign in

Jeremy Helligar

Written by

Brother. Son. Friend. Writer. Journalist. World Traveler. History-Obsessed Anxiety Survivor. Loner. Author of “Is It True What They Say About Black Men?”

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade