Here is my story. At the office, everyone was sharing weekend plans with their families. They turned to me, I shrugged and said, “I’m single, happy, and I plan to stay that way.” The smiles faded, and suddenly the chat went flat. Days later, I was stunned when HR called me to say there had been “concerns about my hostile attitude toward marriage and family.” I laughed because I thought it was a joke. Nope. Someone had actually filed a complaint saying I was “creating an uncomfortable environment” by dismissing family values.

Then HR hit me with this wild suggestion: maybe I should “apologize to the team for being dismissive.” I refused. I said, “I didn’t insult anyone, I just said I’m single. That’s it.”

Now some coworkers are giving me the cold shoulder, acting like I attacked their lifestyle choices. One of them started a rumor that I’m bitter because I got divorced and lost custody of my kids, which is completely made up.

So now I’m sitting here wondering if I should actually apologize just to smooth things over, or if I should keep standing my ground. Like, is it not okay to say I’m single and not sugarcoat it? Why can’t I be happy if I don’t have anyone beside me?