I went to a women's shelter once. I was homeless and had just been raped. Turns out it's impossible to get un-homeless in two weeks with no credit history and no money. Who knew?

During my time there, two women mocked me for being a lesbian. I was so upset that I rode off on a broken bike and broke my arm. Another woman accused me of stealing. The shelter kicked out another woman for revealing the location to her friend.

I'm sure people have good experiences and shelters save lives. But the idea that a shelter is going to actually change a woman's life, like give her the means and resources to gain independence, is nonsense. Two weeks when you're traumatized and exhausted is no time at all.

And being surrounded by people who are also traumatized and conditioned to turn on each other as women is a recipe for bullying.