When a Man Attacks — I Have the Right to Fight Back: Embracing the Skills to Value Protection over Politeness

This article is about my first experience learning self-defense. It was empowering to take control of my safety and feel confident to protect myself should I find myself in a vulnerable situation. When questioned by police investigators after crime incidents, many women who did not “fight back” or try to protect themselves from perpetrators didn’t react because they didn’t want to be “impolite.”

This story is about claiming my control as a woman to feel safe, letting go of my resistance to be “impolite” when I’m faced with an uncomfortable situation, and embracing the right to fight back. Taking the workshop gave me the permission I needed to feel safe.

Published in Namaste Now. Here’s the free friend link.