If you've been following this year's presidential election, odds are you've also heard about all of the ridiculous things that have been said and done both by and within Donald Trump's campaign, which included the "Repeal the 19th Amendment" hashtag that has started to circulate on social media platforms.
In case you didn't know, the 19th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States was ratified in 1920 and gave American women the right to vote, stating "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
So, Trump supporters are advocating for the 19th Amendment to be repealed. Why, you ask? Because they believe that women are a threat to Trump's chances of winning the election; if women can't vote, Trump will surely take the Oval because of the amount of support he has from male voters. Trump supporters who are perpetuating this hashtag, therefore, also believe that the only reason why Hillary has so much support is because she is a woman and "women stick together."
As a woman, I can safely say that, that is just not the case. Sure, some people, and particularly women, may be voting for Hillary because she is a woman, but that is sexist; that's like if someone voted for President Obama just because of the color of his skin. If a candidate's race, gender or any other inherent traits and characteristics are determining factors to your decision, you're doing it wrong.
Anyway, I know that some people will say that the "Repeal the 19th Amendment" hashtag is simply a joke, but I'd strongly argue that it's not. Joking about revoking the rights of women is very telling about the current state of gender issues in this country. Women having rights is such a "bizarre" and "unnecessary" concept that people are actually joking about getting rid of them. Anyone who agrees with this sick trend is showing their true colors as a misogynist and/or sexist, and it's not just men.
Female twitter user Lilo313 said, "I would gladly waive my right to vote to solidify the win! #TrumpPence2016 #NeverHillary."
Terrifying, right? This woman is willing to forfeit her rights to ensure Hillary doesn't get elected into office so Trump, the misogynist Cheeto who "grabs women by the pussy" does. Wow. Just... wow.
When I first read about this hashtag, I honestly couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't believe that some people, and particularly men, strongly agreed with it. I know that sexism is still very much alive in modern-day society, but to see it in action like that to the point where there's a direct attack to women's Constitutional Rights was shocking.
A candidate is reflected by his/her voters, and the majority of Trump supporters are #sexists.
