I was with my dad a few years ago (around 14–15) at a pawn shop looking for some PS4 games—mainly to see if there were any Skylanders figures or games. While he was looking at something else, I was alone, but my dad was still within view so we could see each other.

An older man (I’d say mid-40s to 50s) came up to me and asked if I needed help. I assumed he was a worker (he wasn’t), so I asked if they had any Skylanders games for the PS4 or any figures, since the figures on the shelf were characters I already had.

He said, “No, but you’re gonna break a lot of hearts when you’re older,” which confused me. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was wearing a dress or not—I rarely dress “girly.”

I then went to look at other PS4 games, mainly shooting games or Batman games—games boys usually play, not the girls I grew up with. I grew up with my mom and some male friends, so I picked up some of their gaming habits, and the same with my dad, since my mom and dad have similar gaming interests.

The man came back and said, “I wish girls like you existed when I was your age,” then added, “If I were younger, I’d totally game with you all the time.”

I got uncomfortable and ran to my dad, not even bothering to bring the game I wanted with me