When I was about 10 years old, my best friend and I were walking back home, talking and holding hands, as children do, when I spotted my grandma looking at us through the window. When my friend and I parted ways, my grandma ushered me inside and told me that “I shouldn’t hold hands with her in public because people might mistake us as lesbians and hate-crime us.” That was the last time I’ve ever held anyone’s hand publicly. I wish family members would realise that the things they say to children will stick with them forever.