Content warning: text contains fantasies of non-consential sex.
Men are simply too dangerous. No matter what information comes to light on harassment, misogyny and even rape, things only seem to get worse. I hoped that #metoo was a turning point, I helped edit Everyday Sexism into a best-selling book which detailed the ways women experience the male gaze and male oppression. It has become clear to me that this wasn't a turning point at all, it was the tip of an iceberg. As one of the leading gender studies researchers I've come across a lot of cutting edge studies that seem to show that the gender binary should melt away entirely. Without that change, humanity will surely destroy itself with masculine energy driving us towards division and war. It was in this context that I was approached in the autumn of 2022 by a team of biochemists who had created a pill that completely neutralises toxic masculinity. I was sceptical, of course, but curious. I visited their laboratories in San Bernardino and saw some of the male subjects who had been selected from local prisons for sex crimes against women. They used to be violent criminals, now they sat, painted portraits of each other, gardened the verges in front of the laboratories and generally acted as fine specimens of what men should be.
These were criminals, of course, so their treatment raises no concerns among the general populace. However, men are on a spectrum which includes many who should be on this drug even if they haven't been convicted of any crime. This will be controversial and a secret group of the researchers knew this when they contacted me with an intriguing plan. Start adding this drug in small quantities into school dinners and university canteen lunches to raise a generation of boys and men who respect women and adhere to an ideal and harmless man. If successful, the drug can be expanded to drinking water. I was selected to follow the test subjects in a local university and document changes in behaviour.
That brings us to the present day when I had just returned from a visit to the university to document sexism before the drug was introduced. I asked woman and, of course, I discovered it was rampant. Cases were everywhere and well documented in university records. Cat-calling, unwanted advances and stalking were the main surface issues. Dig deeper and you have sexual assaults and rape, especially after students have been drinking. This gave me an idea for the pilot study - add the drug into the beer served at the student union.
On the night of the study I sat in the corner of the large student bar. I'd dressed in a way that would attract male attention to see if, with the drug in circulation, I could finally go about the bar without my outfit being a source of harassment. I put on short-shorts and a low-cut top. I tied up my hair and felt a definite sense of power and beauty. The bar was packed that evening, it was a warm September day and the outdoor terrace was buzzing with men and women who were between 18 and 21. The drinking was well underway and the beer was flowing and with it our special drug that I hoped would protect women tonight. I didn't feel out of place, despite being 28 years old I've always been told that I look younger.
Sitting on my own had attracted a fair number of men. Some of them were polite and respectful but others were rather rude and threatening.
"How are you this evening, love?" Asked one young man with a short haircut and a nose ring. He had pleasant eyes but a nasty personality.
"Why are you on your own? Did your mates abandon you?" He grinned.
I looked at him sourly until he left and watched with pleasure as he ordered a beer and gulped it down.
He would be my first test subject.
I walked over to him and asked him his name. He looked thrilled that I was talking to him. I metaphorically held my nose a bit because it was only going to encourage him to harass more women in future. Hopefully the glass in his hand would put an end to his nasty jokes.
He told me his name was Ryan and he offered to buy me a drink, I asked him for a Diet Coke.
"How do you like the beer?" I asked knowingly.
"It's a bit shit here... wanna go somewhere else?"
Very clever. I wasn't about to go with him. I redirected the conversation.
"What do you think about women?"
His eyes danced from my breasts to my face.
"You ask a lot of questions" He finally replied.
"They're troublesome but worth the trouble."
He finished his beer and turned to order another. I intervened before he could.
