Dear Female Trump Supporters,
By now I’m assuming you’ve seen the infamous tape of him discussing women with Billy Bush, so I’m not going to beat a dead horse by quoting it here. (If you haven’t seen the video you can check it out here.) By now I’m assuming you’ve been made aware of the allegations against him for sexual assault by numerous women, and quite honestly, the growing list of accusations is entirely too long to place here anyway. (You can see a full list of accusations here.)
But let’s talk about how Trump’s campaign has handled these allegations. At a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said of one woman accusing him of sexual assault: “Take a look. Look at her. Look at her words. And tell me what you think. I don’t think so.” I can see how you could feel comfortable voting for this man. He would never sexually assault a(n unattractive) woman.
As more and more women came forward to accuse Donald Trump of similar sexual assaults or harassment, Trump said at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, “As you have seen, I am a victim of one of the greatest political smear campaigns in the history of our country.” If a man accused of sexual assault playing victim and claiming defamation of character sounds familiar to you, that’s because it should. When multiple women came forward accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault, he also claimed they were lying and cried defamation of character. Donald Trump is certainly not the first man to react to allegations of sexual assault this way, and because of the women continuing to support him, he won’t be the last. By standing for Trump’s comments towards victims of sexual assault, you are perpetuating the idea that most rape or sexual assault victims can’t be trusted and are just trying to ruin a man’s life.
While Trump has certainly (and rightfully so) lost support over the sexual assault allegations, many women continue to stand with him and deny the validity of the allegations he faces. Like many important issues this election cycle, they took to Twitter to discuss this, tagging tweets #WomenWhoVoteTrump.
I will tell you what #WomenWhoVoteTrump don’t like. We don’t like women who lie and make false accusations. We don’t need the “woman card.”
— Deplorable Dr. Diane (@elmorephd) October 14, 2016
Remember what I said about perpetuating the idea that most rape or sexual assault victims can’t be trusted? And the “woman card” she speaks of is, of course, The Official “Woman Card” for sale on Hillary Clinton’s website shop.
Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, had emailed a map showing the United States if only men voted in order to rally more support for his father. The map has since been reposted to multiple social media platforms:
And here’s if just dudes voted. pic.twitter.com/HjqJzIVwc4
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) October 11, 2016
Trump supporters’ proposal on how to make this map a reality? Easy! Just repeal the 19th Amendment! With men and even women tweeting their support for repealing the amendment that gave women the right to vote, the hashtag #Repealthe19th soon got hijacked by users appalled at the hashtag and criticizing its creation in the first place. But the truth still remains that it was created by Trump supporters that genuinely believed women should no longer have the right to vote. To women that support these types of ideas: I want you to know that your vote as a woman will always be important. In order to support a presidential candidate you believe in, you should never have to give up your rights as an American citizen.
I’m not going to condemn you for “voting against your gender” or tell you it is “anti-Feminist” to not vote for Hillary Clinton because honestly, I believe neither are true. To vote for Hillary Clinton simply because she is a woman is as ridiculous as voting for Donald Trump because he is a man. Don’t want to vote for Hillary Clinton? Fine. I understand. But don’t think your only other option is to vote for Trump. Consider voting third party or writing a candidate in. (You can check to see qualifications for writing in a candidate in your state here.) Don’t let your vote go to a candidate who mocks women’s issues such as sexual assault, and don’t let your vote go to a party that would repeal your very right to vote if it meant victory for their candidate.
