Teen shames 'creepy' uncles for hitting on her; family calls her an 'anti-straight feminist.' AITA?

Teen shames her creepy uncle for hitting on teen girls in their family and her parents demand she apologizes to him.

Leather_Throat7968 writes:

I (F19) am currently on a massive family cruise with over two dozen relatives, a mix of close and extended family. This trip was supposed to be a fun getaway, but it turned sour after a karaoke night that blew up, and now I’m at odds with much of my family.

After karaoke, one of my uncles, who I've barely interacted with over the years, got extremely drunk. In front of a group that included my teenage cousins, he made a comment about me, saying, “Isn’t she a hot piece of a%^?” and followed it up with a lewd gesture.

Some of my cousins, mostly the teenage boys, laughed along with his joke. This uncle has always been popular among the younger male relatives because he's the "cool guy" who talks openly about girls, hook ups, parties, and other adult stuff, making him somewhat of an idol to them.

Feeling violated and upset, I turned to Instagram to vent. I posted about the incident without naming names but made it clear that I found his behavior creepy and unacceptable. I thought my friends and perhaps empathetic family members would support me, but the backlash was immediate and intense.

My parents are livid with me. They argue that in today's feminist, #MeToo era, it's incredibly hard to be a man and that my actions contribute to what they perceive as anti-straight discrimination. They've demanded that I apologize to my uncle and take down the post, claiming I've embarrassed the family and made a mountain out of a molehill.

The reaction from the rest of my family has been mixed, but notably, my teenage male cousins on my dad’s side who think the uncle is so cool have been making my life hell day and night, mocking me, calling me a “feminist b^@#h,” trying to trip me at the buffet and at the pool, throwing pool noodles at me.

Their parents (my dad’s other brother and sister) refuse to do anything about it. My parents say I should apologize to them for what I did.

Here are the top comments from the post:

Used_Mark7911 says:

NTA (Not the A^#&ole) - your whole family is disgusting. This includes your truly awful parents who think it’s OK for your uncle to do that to you and for the rest of your family to bully you. Your parents should be truly ashamed. This is trash behavior.

Real_Kaleidoscope_66 says:

Don’t apologize. This behavior is not normal. They are related to you they shouldn’t even be thinking about you that way. ESPECIALLY an adult.

ImaginedByNell says:

NTA. The creepy uncle is an issue but the real issue is lack of support from your parents. If it had been my father, someone would have been thrown overboard. The fact they aren't actively protecting you from the bullying and abuse is beyond alarming.

If I were in your situation I would gather a bag of essentials- including my passport and plane ticket home- and when the ship hits the next port I would disembark and head directly to the nearest airport to trade in my ticket for the next flight home. By the time they realize you aren't on the ship it will already be moving to the next port.

differentkindofmom says:

NTA. Ask your father (in front of your mother) why he feels it's okay for a relative of yours to talk like that about you, then ask him if it is because he feels that way about some of your cousins? If he feels that it is disgusting when turned on him, then let him know that he needs to stand up for you. Watch how quickly he changes his attitude.

What do you think? Should OP have done anything different?