Dear Mr. Trump,

After a video from 11 years ago broke news recently, in which you jokingly described blatant sexual assault of women, you issued a half-hearted apology, calling what you said no more than, "locker room talk." The thing is, Mr. Trump, I don't think you understand that what you said was, in fact, describing sexual assault and by dismissing it you are furthering the rape culture that already exists in society. Here is everything wrong with this "apology" you made.

"I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn't get there... And she was married..."

"You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful—I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait."

"And when you're a star, they let you do it... You can do anything."

"Grab them by the p---y."

In case you haven't heard, these are all things said by presidential nominee Donald Trump in a video recorded in 2005. What he is saying here is clearly describing sexual assault: grabbing and kissing women without their consent—justifying it by claiming that stars can do whatever they want and women will just "let you do it."

The thing is, this isn't exactly the first scandal for Mr. Trump, who has had an incredible number of women come forward accusing him of various types of sexual misconduct, including a rape accusation involving a 13-year-old girl. Until this video was released, however, the public and the media just sort of glossed over his prior actions, saying, "Oh that's just Trump. He's not politically correct and that's a good thing!" After many prominent Republicans went so far as to condemn their party's leader, Trump issued an apology, as politicians do. He wrote off his remarks as nothing more than "locker room talk," something that happens all the time and a simple "distraction" from the real issues facing our country.

Here's a "real issue" facing our country: the prevalence of rape and sexual assault of women. One in four college women in the United States will experience rape or sexual assault during their time at university. It doesn't stop at college either, with one in six women being raped at some point in their lives. All of this doesn't include the number of women experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace.

However, according to Trump, all of this is just a "distraction." This is the reality that women have to face every single day, one that surfaces in the form of fearing for our lives when we are walking to our cars at night, or worrying that the man we met on an online dating site/app is actually going to be a serial killer. This is the reality of being a woman in America, thanks to people like Trump and their non-existing concerns for our mental health and safety.

The underlying issue with this controversy is that Trump dismissing his words as "locker room talk" contributes to rape culture and makes men feel that they have the right to a women's body. Rape culture is the normalization of male sexual violence toward women and how there is a tendency to blame the victim.

When we ask "well what was the victim wearing?" in a rape case, that is rape culture at work. Usually, these things occur in smaller settings, though they have large impacts. But this is different. This is a man who could potentially become the President of the United States. This is a man with a whole lot of influence, and when we hear a man as rich and powerful as Trump talk about women in this way, it gives way for others to do so as well. The "Trump effect" has already begun to make its mark, with more and more people voicing their previously hidden feelings of racism and misogyny. Sometimes these voiced opinions become violent. No doubt Trump's newest array of comments are going to have an effect, and I do not want to see the ugly result.

Despite some severe backlash, many supporters continue to defend Trump and his comments. A popular response to his words is "that's just what boys do." Is it? Sure, when friends talk about people they are attracted to or interested in, some mildly obscene things might be said. I would like to think, however, that none of that includes clear descriptions of sexual assault. I have more faith in men than that. Even multiple professional athletes, men who get paid to spend time in locker rooms, have come out saying that is not the type of thing discussed there. Dismissing comments of assault as something "that boys do" is wrong in so many ways. Not only does it contribute to rape culture by normalizing male sexual aggression toward women, but it makes certain assumptions about gender as well.

There's another issue here that we aren't talking about, though: even when people condemn Trump for his comments, they do so because "that could be someone's wife, daughter or mother." What they're basically saying, even if unintentional, is that a woman's worth is directly related to her relationship with a man. Yes, any woman could be someone's wife, mother or daughter, but she is also a person.

As Tom Hanks said when asked about this controversy: "I'm not offended as a husband or father, I'm offended as a man." Anyone should be offended, not just because that could be your wife or mother, but because that is another human being, and that is not okay. It's that simple.

This isn't just an issue of politics, this is an issue of the rampant sexual assault of women.

So, Mr. Trump, while I appreciate your attempt at an apology, it's pretty clear that you only did that to appease voters, and I think we would all appreciate it if you owned up to your words and stopped degrading women at every opportunity.

Thanks.