New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand recently called for United States President Donald Trump to resign due to the “credible…numerous” allegations of sexual assault he is facing, and in response, he turned to tweeting sexual insinuations about her.
Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office “begging” for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 12, 2017
While it’s not explicitly stated what Trump means, the nuances of the language heavily suggest he’s talking about sexual favors. This serves to take attention away from the issue Senator Gillibrand brought up by demeaning and defaming her. Not only is this tactic childish, as is much of what Trump does, it’s deeply misogynistic. Although society views us as solely sexual beings, the minute a woman is sexual for her own needs she is called by a myriad of slurs which target her sexuality as a woman. That’s what Trump is doing here and, whether or not there is any truth to the insinuation, to attack a woman for being sexual outside of the wants of a man is an age-old ploy to immediately discredit the claims and views of the woman in the eyes of those she is talking to.
Trump’s misogyny has been no secret in the past, to act in such a way in response to a woman calling him out on the sexual assault allegations against him is wildly inappropriate and insensitive. The culture that Trump promotes when he acts this way is one wherein the blame is flipped onto the women who are victims of sexual assault rather than their assaulters because they were quote-unquote asking for it, which is a culture that reinforces the idea that women who accuse men, especially famous men, of sexual assault are overreacting, or regretted the sex, or just want attention.
This idea is especially dangerous because it makes women less able to come forward with allegations and be taken seriously, as well as allowing men who are perpetrators of sexual assault to continue with their actions without being held accountable.
Luckily, Senator Gillibrand refuses to be silenced. She says “[the tweet] is a part of the president’s effort at name calling and it’s not gonna silence me…it’s not gonna silence the women who have stood up against him directly and it’s not gonna silence the millions of women out there who have been speaking out every day since his inauguration about things they disagree with.”
In today’s political climate it’s important to never let those who would sooner see you submissive than hear you speak your mind silence you. It takes courage to do what Senator Gillibrand has done, and it takes courage to do what the women who are accusing Trump have done, and that courage should be applauded by all.
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