I was a PhD student and he is a postdoc. We were friends. At least, that is what I believed us to be. Until one day he expressed his romantic interest in me. I rejected his approach, saying that I am not interested. That day, I went home and received a text from the postdoc. He asked whether I know the concept of pity-sex, insinuating whether that could happen between him and I. I didn’t respond. I should have responded. I should have firmly stated that this is harassment. Although, I doubt whether that would have changed anything. From that day onwards, he continuously advanced on me. I dodged them constantly, trying to keep a professional relationship, which was costly for my mental health. His advancement continued for about half a year, until I started to date someone else. During that half a year, I decided to apply elsewhere. I still have that message where he texted me whether I am interested in pity-sex. I won’t delete it. It’s a piece of proof that I am not wrong, but that he is.
Signed By: I want to be heard.