"He's still too young"

For you

Those last two words weren't said out loud, but they were heavily implied with her coy smile and head nod towards me. 

A pedophile.

Again.

Someone took it upon themselves to call me, a gay man, a pedo simply because they don't "agree" with my "lifestyle". 

I was at the open gym for a local little tots gym class.  I go every week because my kiddo can run through the place like a wild woman and not hurt herself.  It's awesome. 

She was wearing her rainbow Love Wins shirt, which I'm learning is a huge, HUGE political statement around here. 

Political baby is political

We had already had an interesting interaction when we first walked in.  A man nodded, I said hey.  He looked at her loves win shirt and promptly left the gym area, leaving his kid to play but sitting outside.  He indicated to his friend that it was because we were in there.  He obviously didn't want to catch the gay cooties. 

Then my friend had an interaction with the woman who I quoted in the title. 

"Oh your daughter is so cute."
"She's not mine, she's my friend's."

"He and his wife are so lucky to have a cute kid!"
"He and his husband."

That was all it took apparently.  She stopped talking to my friend. 

She then implied I was a pedophile.  Simply because I casually asked a woman how old her son was.  He had achieved an amazing feat of climbing over the rock wall and sliding down on his own.  I was impressed!  And also really curious how old he was. 

After the mother told me how old he was, bigot lady spoke her words and implied her implications.  I ignored her.  My goal is to not get banned from awesome places my kid loves.  So I casually told my kid that this was her 2 minutes warning.

It was more like 30 seconds.  I needed to leave.  I had to get out of there.  It was no longer safe for me to be in that same room as the woman who thought I was a pedo, least I touch someone and she demand I be arrested. 

She loves this place

So I left.  And then I shook the whole way home.  Partly from embarrassment, partly from rage, partly from sadness.  I now had a reason to check the gym before letting my kid play there.  That woman made it unsafe for me because I knew she would be believed over me, every time, no matter what.  My childcare credentials meant nothing next to her swearing she saw me touch a child inappropriately.  All of my education credits and classes meant nothing next to being accused of touching a child. 

Because too many people still think gay men are pedophiles.

It is 2017... why are we still having to have this conversation?  Why are we still having to fight this battle?  Why am I still having to fear taking my kid to child centered places because of women like this?

Oh, in case you were wondering, like I was, the little boy is 2.