Imagine this: you’ve had a really rough day in class, and all you’re excited about is to get home and relax. The only thing between you and that marathon of Law & Order: SVU is one short bus ride home. 
The bus isn’t too bad, except you forgot your headphones, a variety of body odors are abusing your nostrils and some guy you’re forced to sit across from is clearly gawking at you. 
“Thanks, dude,” you wish you could say aloud. “I really wanted to be eyeballed this entire bus ride back to my apartment.”
This particular situation is probably familiar to most of LSU’s female population.
Whether it’s being stared at on the bus, being accosted by an overeager classmate after class or even being called “baby” by the guy behind the counter at Starbucks, young women know all too well the uncomfortable feeling of being “checked out.”
Some people might say if we are never “allowed” to check out people we are attracted to, no one would ever get together, start dating or have sex. That’s not true. Relationships, whether romantic, platonic, or sexual, usually don’t start by checking someone out on public transit or over a counter in the Student Union.
Does that guy on the bus really think I’m going to respond to his inappropriate stares by asking for his number? 
Does the guy who asks me after every single class if I watch “Game of Thrones” think that he’s anywhere close to going on a date with me? 
Will the guy at Starbucks realize that I’m not his “baby,” and the only reason I’m talking to him is so I can get an iced latte?
I would be more understanding of this phenomenon of inappropriate flirting if it went both ways. Unfortunately, this is yet another issue that affects little to no men at all.
If I asked 100 straight guys how many times they’ve felt uncomfortable because a woman was checking them out, the numbers would be in the single digits. 
I bring up “straight” guys for a reason too. Straight men always go on about how they couldn’t possibly be friends with a gay man because, “Bro, what if he starts checking me out or tries to look at my junk?”
Maybe a short-hand rule for guys checking out girls should be, “Would you feel comfortable if a gay man was looking at you the way you insist on looking at me right now?”
While it’s not an outright crime to make eye contact with someone on the street because you find them attractive, it’s crucial to realize that you could be forcing that person’s sense of safety and security. 
I’m tired of flirtatious men thinking they have a right to make women uncomfortable and afraid for their safety. With the high rate of sexual assault among college students, it’s unfortunately likely that a prolonged stare on the night bus or at a party will lead to some unwarranted sexual behavior. 
Some will say that it’s outrageous to compare a casual “checking out” session to rape, and instead of freaking out about it, I should feel complimented. Gawking at me, catcalling me or “accidentally” bumping into me are not compliments I want from strangers. 
So, if you want the right to “check me out,” please allow me the right to think you’re a creep. 
SidneyRose Reynen is a 19-year-old film and media arts and art history sophomore from New Orleans. You can reach her on Twitter @sidneyrose_TDR.