DEAR ABBY: I’m a married woman in my 50s with two adult children and one grandchild. I work as a nurse. I wear my hair short because I have thick, unruly hair.
One day, at a supermarket, I was walking down the aisles looking for my husband. A man and his wife had a young daughter about 6 years old with them. He called me a slang word for lesbian. I ignored him and continued walking. He looked annoyed that his word didn’t bother me. (I am not a confrontational person.)
When I got home, I was thinking about the incident. It bothered me that he was teaching his young daughter that it’s OK to call people names.
When I see or meet people, I notice if they are kind and show manners. I don’t think about whether they’re gay or not.
Was I right to ignore him and walk away?
SHORT-HAIRED IN TEXAS
DEAR SHORT-HAIRED: You were absolutely right to keep walking. There was nothing to be gained by trying to educate an ignorant homophobe who appears to have been trying to start a fight.
The best reaction you could have given was the one you did — which was to prevent him getting a rise out of you. But I’m sorry you didn’t inform your husband when it happened.
[Note from me: what good would it have done to tell her husband?!]
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