Donald Trump obviously does not hold treating women with respect to be one of his guiding principles. The evidence for this is overwhelming. He has publicly called the women in his life all manner of derogatory phrases. He was caught on tape speaking about sleeping with a woman he knew to be married, while he himself was still married. His excuse was that he simply could not help himself.

Donald Trump does not like women.

Donald Trump does not respect women.

Donald Trump does not believe women deserve respect in any way, shape, or form. You live in a fantasy land if you believe otherwise. Every time you defend this man and his actions on this point, you are telling the women in your life they should be fine with being treated the way Donald Trump treats women. Every time you do not condemn his actions, you are telling the mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters in your life you are complacent with someone treating them the way Donald Trump treats women.

If you think respect for women is one of your moral values, but you are not condemning this man and what he is saying, respect for women is not one of your values. If you claim that respect for women is one of your guiding principles but you are still voting for this man come November, you don’t truly respect women. If you are allowing people in your presence to agree with anything this man says in regards to women, you do not hold respect for women to be one of your moral standards.

Calling something a “value” implies you felt something to be a part of your principles or standards of behavior. A moral value is a guiding principle to how you live your life. Not condemning the outrageous behavior of Donald Trump automatically says you do not hold respect for women to be one of your guiding principles. If who Donald Trump is as a human being does not concern you, you are automatically not allowed to say respect for women is one of your guiding principles. If your values are being tested or questioned and you change your mind, they were never a value. Believe you me, your principles and values are currently being tested this election.

Making excuses for this man’s words, does not excuse his behavior. Trying to explain away his comments will not explain away who he is. He has shown himself to be a dangerous man far too often for him to be anything other than exactly what he has shown himself to be. The media is powerful and can make a lie look like the truth. But even the media can’t doctor decades of evidence retroactively, up to and including his own twitter account. He is indefensible.

If you would like to support Donald Trump, then that is fine. This is a democracy after all. You are entitled to your own opinion. All I would ask is that you don’t try and say you actually care about women or women’s issues. Supporting a man like Donald Trump makes it quite clear you do not care about women. Lying about supporting women only makes it harder in the long run.

If you would like to think you can remain silent during this election or if you think you do not have to take sides, then I would like to remind you of what that implies. Silence is not a declaration of neutrality. Silence is siding with the oppressors. Silence is siding with injustice. Silence is choosing the side you would not have chosen otherwise. Not choosing a side is choosing a side.

I know what side I’m on this election cycle. Do you?