Pregnant New York Woman Awards Man For Giving Up His Seat

A pregnant New York woman decided to award a man with a trophy for giving up his seat to her on the Subway last month. To most, this might seem like a common gesture, which normally wouldn’t get anything past a “thank you.” But for Yvonne Lin, it clearly meant the world considering within the span of being pregnant twice, this is the first time a man has ever offered her a seat.

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According to NBC New York, the 38-year-old designer awarded Ricky Barksdale with a golden statue with the phrase “#1 DECENT DUDE.” Lin claims during her pregnancies, women have always offered up their seats to her on public transportation, with the exception of men. Additionally, the statue also has the words,”First Man to Offer Subway Seat to Pregnant Woman Throughout Two Pregnancies” engraved on it.

When Lin noticed the awful trend during her first pregnancy, she made the trophy and carried it around with her in case she found a man who would give her a seat. “I’m a designer so I tend to have wacky ideas,” Lin noted of her experiment. “I was standing for three stops before he noticed.” Reportedly, she was on her way home with a two-hour commute ahead.

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Lin recalls Barksdale being “adorably sweet and embarrassed” when she gave him the trophy. He said Lin just laughed at the sentiment, because usually things like this are out of the ordinary. Given the experience, Barksdale has a pivotal message for all men: “If you see an elderly, disabled or pregnant person give them your seat.”

“He is the closest thing to a real life superhero,” Lin said. Barksdale, who is a U.S. Army veteran, stunt actor and father of two, took to Instagram to commemorate his new accolade.