My dad took me to a brothel when I was 16.

My dad and I are very close. I am his only child, and I couldn’t have asked for a better father. He raised me alone since I was two years old. He worked in order to finance my studies and therapy due to my condition. I am in my late 20s now, and looking back at it, I just wish I could tell him how much it hurt my feelings. Even though he is an amazing dad, he is very traditional and old-fashioned, and I can never tell him how I really felt.<br><br>When I was 16, my extended family used to tell my dad to take me to a brothel to “lose my virginity” to a sex worker. This used to be something normalized in my country back in the day. I was mortified, I didn’t want to do it, but I didn’t have a voice in my house back then.<br><br>My dad took me to the place, and he waited outside until I came back to him. I remember how heartbroken I felt, I cried in front of the sex worker. I didn’t want to be there, and she could tell. She was a very kind woman, and she tried to calm me down. She could see I was very scared and didn’t know what I was doing. She convinced me to go back home and forget it ever happened.<br><br>I never told my dad what really happened in the room; he thought I did it. It hurts my feelings to think that he didn’t care about my consent. Sadly, I think he wanted to satisfy his ego rather than think about me. It makes me sad to think about it, because he is my rock, and I know he loves me more than anything.<br><br>Edit to add: I am not comfortable enough to mention what condition I have, but therapy and treatment were necessary to improve my quality of life.