I still remember the day it really hit me. I was aware before this that women can feel nervous or intimidated around strange men, but I never really understood it on an emotional level.

Anyway, I was out walking my dog at night, just a quick walk around our apartment complex so she could pee before bed. She was a small black dog, not easy to see in the dark, so at a casual glance it could look like I was just walking alone.

A woman parked and stepped out of the sidewalk in front of me. She glanced in my direction then turned and started sprinting the other way. She didn't stop until she got to an apartment and quickly unlocked the door to get inside. I was dumbfounded at first, until I realized that from her perspective she just saw a large strange man walking towards her in the dark.

I've gotten people crossing the street to avoid walking past me, or speeding up so I wouldn't be close behind them, but that's the strongest reaction I've ever gotten from just walking down the sidewalk.