This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at JCU chapter.

Whether you stand beside the liberals, rise with the conservatives, or find yourself caught somewhere in between, feminism is a movement both men and women can advocate for. In its simplest form, feminism promotes the equality of the sexes and genders, both in the political and social spheres of life. Come 2016 when the voting booths welcome themselves to you and the polls be taken, remember that Donald Trump is not a feminist. In fact, he is the antithesis of such a crusade. One may ask why the support of gender equality be so substantial for a campaign or why it may trump over the economic side of politics. Although it is not explicit in presidential elections, one must consider character when contemplating a candidate, just as a business owner might when appointing raises and positions. When ruling over a superpower functioning as the United States, where the Right Wing time and time again spout misogynistic comments, a candidate with the character to adhere for feminism is an absolute necessity for equality.

The first thing we must answer is the most crucial in fighting misogyny: What does Congress look like? Every two years, voters elect the four hundred and thirty five individuals that complete the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate. Within these groups, a whooping seventy five percent of the House is run by white males, while seventy nine percent of the Senate is also controlled by white males. However, these Caucasian men make up merely thirty two percent of the American population (Follmer). How then do they entirely command the House and the Senate? It’s simple: by reaping the benefits of sexism by being not only white, but male, too. In twenty first century America, four states still have never even delivered a woman to Washington, in a nation where a tad over fifty percent of its population includes women. Within this data, only seventeen percent of women administer congressional positions within the House and the Senate (Follmer). This low representation strips women of their voice in politics, economics, and social issues, where they must be heard in order to breakdown the sexism running rampant through the political compass. How much longer must men make the decision of birth control and abortion, must discuss the validity of Planned Parenthood? No longer. A majority of feminist philosophies believe that these issues must be discussed by those who behave with them, meaning women should confront women’s issues. Let us not overturn the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade, which granted women the right to terminate their pregnancies, as it was found to support the fourth amendment right to privacy.

In regards to Planned Parents, according to CNN politics, Trump claimed that “organization should ‘absolutely’ lose all federal funding. [Trump] did stick to his position that the ‘abortion aspect of Planned Parenthood should not absolutely should not be funded’” when speaking to conservative radio talkshow host Hugh Hewitt. However, Trump seemed to forget that Planned Parenthood does not use federal dollars to fund its abortion services, as federal law dictates abortion should not be funded by federal money (Diamond). One must ask why Trump would want to eliminate a service he does not even use. Answer: misogyny. Plain and simple. With its numerous health centers, Planned Parenthood has made birth control available to a larger audience, in turn contracting the numbers of necessary abortions. During the presidential debates of August 6, 2015, Trump asserted that he is “prolife. And if you look at the question, I was in business. They asked me a question as to prolife or choice. And I said if you let it run, that I hate the concept of abortion. I hate the concept of abortion. And then since then, I’ve very much evolved…I am very, very proud to say that I am prolife” (Magness). Let us not forget that only three percent of Planned Parenthood services include abortions (Robertson). Mr. Trump, why then limit the expansion of birth control, in turn leading to more abortion? Plainly, it doesn’t add up. On Twitter, Planned Parenthood launched the hashtag #birthcontrolhelpedme to allow individuals to contribute their stories on birth control. With the benefits birth control provides and the way Planned Parenthood provides such benefits, how can one find the need to shorten the organization’s range of helpfulness? Ultimately, it would be detrimental to the women (and men!) of the United States, portioning only a small selection of how Trump distresses feminism.

I would like to dive back into to the question of why the United States needs feminism. One thing even I have faced as a woman, is the negative sermons of women (and feminism) by other genders amongst the American people. The belittling of women within the public eye strips women of their voice and leaves them with little to no representation and support, as well as giving them a sense of “double consciousness.” This means that women will begin to look negatively at themselves, in turn ruining what little confidence society allows women to have. In turn, spitting out degrading comments towards women leads to the marginalization and exploitation. Trump is one known famously for his sexist, misogynist behaviors and remarks. For example, Trump blatantly called Ariana Huffington (one of the founders of the Huffington post) “unattractive,” and mocked her divorce with former spouse Michael Huffington (Bolton) as if her outward appearance influences her writing in anyway.

Coming from a man who supposedly loves women, one would expect him to be completely comfortable around breasts. However, this was proven to be the antagonistic quality of his character. During a lawsuit over a “failed property project in Florida,” when lawyer Elizabeth Beck asked for a break, Trump and his team objected and wanted the proceedings to continue. Beck needed to feed her three-month old daughter and pulled her breast pump out to prove it. In an outburst ‘not disputed by either side,’ Trump said: ‘You’re disgusting’ walked out of the room and ended proceedings for the day” (Bolton). Following such an egregious statement come a herd of even more, in particular, his humiliation towards Rosie O’Donnell. His tirade went as follows: “Rosie O’Donnell is disgusting — both inside and out. If you take a look at her, she’s a slob. How does she even get on television? If I were running The View, I’d fire Rosie. I’d look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, ‘Rosie, you’re fired.’ We’re all a little chubby but Rosie’s just worse than most of us. But it’s not the chubbiness — Rosie is a very unattractive person, both inside and out” (Barbato). How is O’Donnell’s character in anyway connected to her weight? Not only is this the true face of sexism, but fatshaming as well. Again, this hurts feminism in its attack against looks over skill, appearance over experience, etc.

Another topic that must be mentioned is Donald Trump’s promotion of rape culture. What is rape culture? Well, Marshall University refers to it as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.” When the Pentagon released a report regarding sexual assault within the American military, staggering numbers of unreported assaults were presented. First, this is victim blaming. Second, it is acceptance of such an issue. Instead of presenting a concerned facade, Trump addresses his ignorance by saying that such a result is to be expected. As if rape and assault should ever be expected. This hurts women (and all rape/assault victims in general), and again impairs feminism.

Trump is not the one to vote for if you support the equality of all genders, or if you support quality in general. Please take these misogynistic points into account when entering the polls in 2016, and allow the data to speak for itself. Do not allow women to be prejudiced against, rape to be dismissed, and for the injustice against feminism to prevail. As a nation and as one body, we must band together to avoid backtracking the progress the feminist movement has made since the 1960’s. I advise you to reflect on your beliefs of equality and justice. Whether you are leftwinged or rightwinged, Trump will smash feminism between his palms and step upon the face of equality. Let us truly make America great again.

Donald Trump and Feminism

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