by Christine Ko
The constant barrage of misogynist remarks made from presidential nominee Donald Trump became too much for me to bear. From saying women should only be young and beautiful to telling a female contestant on “The Apprentice” that it would be a pretty sight to see her on her knees, I was hurt. But the most hurtful words that have come out of Donald Trump’s mouth took me back to one of my darkest hours. Mr. Trump was caught on tape saying, “You can do anything,” to a woman when you’re a star, including kissing and groping.
When I heard this, my mind immediately took me back to when I was a victim of sexual assault on a college campus. I remember my perpetrator leaving me and saying, “What’s wrong? It’s not like I raped you…” The man who violated me did not understand that what he did was wrong. He did not understand that I have the right to say “NO.” He did not understand that what he did was indeed rape and a crime. In the same way, Mr. Trump did not understand that kissing and grabbing a woman without her consent is a crime. I was expecting a radical backlash from the Republican Party after the video was leaked, but his supporters simply called it “locker room talk.” They did their best to downplay his heinous words. I felt as if they were trying to downplay my experience along with the experiences of every woman who has ever suffered from sexual assault, as well. I was devastated.
But this election is not about me and what I have endured. This election is about the 162 million women in the U.S. and the kind of future we can build for our daughters. It is obvious that Donald Trump does not understand the struggles women have to go through each and every day. In the same respect, Joe Heck, the Republican candidate for Nevada Senate, does not have a clue either. Joe Heck’s son Joseph Heck III has repeatedly made misogynistic remarks online mirroring the same rhetoric of Trump. His son congratulated comedian Bill Cosby on potentially having raped 35 women by saying, “Up there with the best of them, good for you Billy.”
Furthermore, in Congress, Heck voted ten times to defund Planned Parenthood, which treats 22,000 women in Nevada annually for routine visits including cancer screening. He even threatened to shut down Congress over this issue. Heck also said he completely trusts Trump to have his finger on the nuclear button. There seems to be too many blurred lines for Joe Heck.
However, the future does not need to look so bleak. There are hope and compassion in this election, and it comes from two powerful women – Hillary Clinton and Catherine Cortez Masto. Hillary Clinton’s track record on women’s rights is unparalleled and Democratic candidate for Nevada’s Senate seat Catherine Cortez Masto has continued to fight for women for years.
There are no clearer choices for president and senator than these two women. I am voting for these women because I know they will remind me of my authority as a woman, protect my rights, and give me freedom to choose what is best for me. Women can stop rape culture. Women can stop policing over female bodies. Women can stop Trump.
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