The climate is bleak for women. I say this as I read yet another news article in which presidential candidate Donald Trump is revealed to have sexually harassed and assaulted multitudes of women including underage girls. Every four years there is mild drama or scandals revealed about candidates, which often lead to speculation, however the truth of Trump's allegations against him are so plain that I find it shocking he and his misguided followers can continue to refute evidence. Let's be honest, the truth is in the actual video footage.
Throughout my life I have been aware of the way women are treated as lesser than, but I personally did not experience gender discrimination so blatantly. Then this man became a candidate for president. A man who could be and unfortunately already seems to be a symbol of our country in the eyes of other nations. A man who appropriates rape culture, who tells thousands of people through his actions and lack of apologies that it is okay to sexually assault women, to treat them as inferior, and to subject them as objects of mere sexual gratification. His actions insult me - they more than insult me they infuriate me, because he has made me along with all women in the United States victims of his misogyny. Perhaps it was naive of me to assume that he would be considered a joke by everyone but considering the rise of rape culture in the United States I should have seen it as no surprise that a man like this could gain a mass following.
What disturbs me most is that those who are voting for him are fathers, sons, brothers, and even women themselves. And I ask one question...Why? The truth is I know that no answer these people could give would make me understand their thought processes, we are simply too different and yet we are all within the same country and choosing who to vote for based on the same media. I never thought that the first presidential election I would vote in would have such an indescribable weight on the future of our country. All elections are important, don't get me wrong, but this one is imperative for the lives of women.
The one silver lining is this: the other candidate is qualified, has political savvy, has the backing of the Obamas, and let's not forget is a woman. Hillary Clinton, though often looked at through a speculative lens, is our hope for the future. She will not leave me fearing for my safety because I am female, and she will not diminish my gender. I am proud to be voting for the first female president, I just never thought that the context would be because the other candidate is a threat to my own life.
What I say in this brief piece may not be original, or the first time you've heard these concerns, but it is the truth of the present, and it is how I feel sitting here as I write this with hope and concern for my future. Regardless of political affiliations, or personal doubts, take into consideration the future of the women in your life before voting this November.
