No- suburban Philadelphia. I really don’t think women were very empowered- even adults- back in the 60s to do much about stuff like this.
I’m so sorry to read all these stories. I agree @mathmom; the experience seems to be (sadly) quite common.
When I was about 25 and commuting from New Jersey to NYC for my job, I made the mistake of taking a window seat on a commuter train. A guy sat next to me and proceeded to – er – enjoy himself under the newspaper on his lap, culminating in a mess that somehow (deliberately?) ended up on my dress. He then got up and changed seats.
I have never sat in a window seat on a train again, even if it meant standing for hours. Because yuck.
^^^ 
You win the gross award!!!
I’m so sorry to hear this and the other previously posted stories… I never would have imagined!.
I have never had anything like the stories above happen to me, but I do know a number of women who have had similar experiences - and none of them felt empowered to do or say anything at the time. The closest I got to this sort of thing was the first OB I went to - he said a lot of very creepy things, including something about taking extra stitches … oh, and when he did a breast exam, he said he was going to feel my b**bies (but the exam itself was not out of the ordinary, thankfully). I found another OB and asked for my records. The office manager asked why I was leaving, and I did not have the guts to be honest. I simply told her that I didn’t think it was a good fit.
So have we found a way to empower our daughters and sons to speak up should these things happen to them?
I know that the next time I see D, I am going to find a way to discuss this. Not sure that I can have this convo over the phone. S has already figured out that some of my discussions with him come from topics that appear on CC. (!)
Wow, this conversation brought back a memory that I haven’t thought about in forever. In 8th grade my Spanish teacher drove me home after Spanish club. I can’t remember why. He started touching me on the leg and saying inappropriate things too me. I begged my mother to let me drop Spanish. I didn’t tell her what happened but just mentioned that I found him creepy. She allowed me to drop and in hindsight she probably suspected that something happened but of course we never talked about it. I had to start back at Spanish 1 in high school but it was worth it.
When I was a teenager I had a creepy OB experience, got trapped in a window seat by a flasher (who luckily only flashed!), and had my breasts grabbed by a summer art teacher. I never thought I was withholding this information from my daughters but now I will tell them all the details and also what I wish I had done. Forewarned is forearmed.
Isn’t there some kind of rule that a doctor can’t be alone in the exam room with a female patient? At my OB’s office at least there was always a nurse there.
I have had 2 flasher experiences. The first one happened when I was in elementary school. The guy was parked on the street where we walked by to go to school. I told my mom, who called the principal, who called the police, who took my report, and they caught the idiot parked in the same location a few days later.
The second happened when I was in HS. A guy stopped me as I was walking down the street, pretending to ask for directions. When I realized what he was doing behind the wheel of his car, my dry sense of humor kicked in (not sure how, but it did) and I said " Oh my- that looks terrible. Is there something wrong with that? Have you seen a doctor about that?" He got a strange look on his face and drove off.
It’s incredible how reading these experiences can bring up memories! In college, I had to go to the student health center because of a sinus infection. I was alone in the exam room and after checking my sinuses and writing a prescription, the doctor announced he was also going to give me a Pap smear and breast exam. I told him that was unnecessary, I had already gotten my annual from my gynecologist. He insisted that he should still do a breast exam to make sure I was doing my self checks correctly. I told him I was late for class and ran out of there. When I shared my experience with other girls in the dorm, quite a few agreed Dr. X was “creepy”. Not one of us ever complained or reported him.
About 6 years ago I was driving home from work on the interstate, but in stop and go traffic. I looked over at the vehicle next to me and a guy was “doing his thing” behind the wheel and making sure I saw it! I slammed on my brakes to get behind him and get the license number, but he peeled off and exited. I did call the police, but I didn’t have much information. Ugh.
@mommdc - my creepy OB experience was in 1980 or 81. I don’t think that rule was in place then. There was no nurse present for me at the time.
“Isn’t there some kind of rule that a doctor can’t be alone in the exam room with a female patient? At my OB’s office at least there was always a nurse there.”
This is a relatively new thing probably based on malpractice and other insurance/legal reasons because of the type of incidents discussed here. My personal preference these days is to use a female doctor.
And we talk about rape culture in this country and whether or not it is “a thing”. All these types of things speak to the objectification of women, how common this is that most of us can recount at least one if not multiple instances of inappropriate touches. And then there are the multitude of inappropriate comments that are so numerous we could all probably fill up a book each with them! Comments that we’ve been subjected to since a fairly young age.
Sometimes I think American prudishness about our bodies/sexuality in general is counterproductive. Most of us were raised to be so uptight about things like our bodies and sexuality that we are embarrassed to speak out for ourselves when something like the events described in this thread happen. We feel shame about it and try to hide it from even those who love us and want to protect us. We weren’t raised to be empowered and to be proud of ourselves, our bodies. It’s a pretty weird culture and one that continues to empower men and allow an environment whereby they get away with such behavior the vast majority of the time.
It makes me really angry.
Or perhaps find a physician (at least for primary care purposes) who is straight same gender or L/G other gender, if that type of thing is of concern?
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/ama-wire/post/medical-specialties-vary-gender indicates that, among medical residents, about 85% in obstetrics/gynecology are female, as are 58% in family medicine. However, 54% in internal medicine are male.
What I have noticed on the physician directories of some of the larger medical groups around here is that most primary care physicians accepting new patients are female.
Back to the airlines: Why do the airlines charge extra for an unaccompanied minor if they don’t provide any extra services?
This flight was only half full. So the flight attendants weren’t busy serving drinks? Was there turbulence and all had to remain seated?
As far as public transportation, a few months ago a survey came out about why people don’t want to ride the bus in L. A. Some 30% of women said they’d seen lewd acts, exposure, masturbation etc. while riding the bus. What is wrong with people?
From my experience, I believe that the rule only applies to a male doctor and a female patient and only applies to the time when an exam or procedure involving physical contact is taking place.
My female primary care physician never asks a second person to come into the examining room, at least with me (a female patient). I don’t know whether she does it with a male patient.
My male gynecologist asks a female staff member to come into the room while he does pelvic exams/Pap smears but not while interviewing the patient or giving instructions.
I find that all my doctors- male or female- have a 2nd person in the room during an exam. It’s simply best practice for many reasons.
“Why do the airlines charge extra for an unaccompanied minor if they don’t provide any extra services?”
They do provide extra services. Here’s AA’s policy:
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/specialAssistance/unaccompanied-minors.jsp
“Our unaccompanied minor service is to ensure your child is boarded onto the aircraft, introduced to the flight attendant, chaperoned during connections and released to the appropriate person at their destination.”
When I worked for an MD many years ago, I was always present during an exam, but unfortunately I think that it was more a protection for the Dr than the patient. I guess it doesn’t really matter as everyone was protected.