Privilege - Don't know what you got 'til it is gone

I had just finished a workshop preparing for the Trans* World Cafe. I walked outside the building and was about to start walking to my car when I stopped in a panic.

It was 5pm in the city and my car was parked in a small alleyway. I was scared. Would anything happen when I got to my car? Would I be followed? Would I be talked to by a stranger and say something they "disapproved" of and then be attacked by them?

These thoughts and feelings would never have occurred before my public expression of femininity. I, like the majority of feminine people, have become a potential target for gender-based violence.

I never thought about male privilege before. Now, I am reminded day by day how much feminine people have to face and think about just to keep themselves safe.