I don't think I'm going to have any further problems, as it still takes all the courage I can summon to even talk to girls in the first place.

I would Never blame a guy for respectfully asking fr coffee or a date....altho your parking lot scenario is iffy at best! But if I say no thank you, anything beyond that is inappropriate, period. Women have been raised to worry about other's feelings and anyone who takes advantage of that is a nasty piece of work!

Men have to deal with the stigma of being wrong during the 11 seconds of fame. It is true (at least from my point of view at 50 years old). "Treat others that you yourself would be treated" no longer seems relevant because of the #metoo.

I think any man who's changed the way he interacts with women in the wake of Weinstein, Cosby, et al either doesn't understand the situation or is a piece of shit. However, I would try to be considerate when approaching a strange woman. It's understandable that anyone, especially a lone woman, would be on edge in the right (wrong) circumstances.

Did he ask you to GIVE him a cup of coffee, or to have one with you? If the former he may simply have had some bad experiences with people being threatened by (or just being rude to) a beggar. If the latter, maybe he was in the habit of approaching total strangers with no context with such offers and doesn't understand how that might be viewed with some suspicion. Either way he probably was socially inept and not entirely sure what he did wrong.

Since I don't see most men acting like the woman has a gun when introducing themselves, I conclude that this particular incident wasn't related to #metoo. In fact ... you say it was "at the time" when you were 30 or so, so it was probably before the #metoo phenomenon, right? I mean, that's less than a year old.

I am shy with this sort of thing and it's precisely because what you said. I'm afraid that if I do the wrong thing or say the wrong thing it will end badly for me.

I think society is undergoing a much needed paradigm shift in how men and women interact on several different levels. Until we get it worked out, things are likely to be kind of uncomfortable, and a bit awkward for a while.
Btw, Hollywood is not the only place with the problem. It has existed everywhere, for a very long time. The #MeToo movement has been a long time coming, and it's not going anywhere. There have been too many people (mostly male, but some female) who have been getting away with their bullshit antics for far too long. It's going to take a minute to sort through all this bs. Don't blame women for men not knowing how, or being too scared, to approach a woman. That is not a valid argument, it's an excuse for not being able to communicate clearly and with confidence. Approaching women isn't the problem, it has never been the problem.
If some men and women can't handle the changes happening, that's on them. Would you prefer going back to the Victorian-era practices of courtship? Btw, those only worked for the upper classes. Regular people still met and courted the same way they always had.

Men need to understand that keeping your hands to yourself and your junk in your pants is the best way to make a good impression.

Yes. It now seems best to have your attorney present before any romance commences