Ever since I was old enough to understand what sexual assault was, I pretty much only heard stories of women’s voices being swept under the rug, especially when it came to the White House — starting with President Bill Clinton and the iconic blue dress that Monica Lewinsky wore when they allegedly had sex. I was born after this happened, but regardless, I always wondered why the former president continuously denied that anything gone on between him and Monica.
Flash forward to today, and we have the worst kind of issue in the White House — a president who not only denies having ever sexually harassed a woman, but who also refuses to listen to any woman who is trying to report having been sexually harassed or assaulted.
This is evident in Trump’s policies as well. Perhaps the clearest example is when Trump reversed an Obama-era order that prohibits companies from settling sexual harassment cases internally. This is a clear indication that Trump is trying to silence women. From saying that “grabbing ‘em by the p***y” is just “locker-room talk” to being rude to women on Twitter, Trump has proven that he is clearly not standing by women in this time — but we knew all of that.
What we don’t know is why the White House feels the need to cover up sexual assault and harassment. Malala Yousafzai, one of my role models, once said, “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back,” and although she was referring to the disparity between the education of men and women, I think it holds true for this topic as well. Women make up half of our population, but instead of actually listening to their stories and believing what they say, we are clearly still living in a patriarchal time where a man’s side of the story is viewed as superior to a woman’s.
With Trump in office, it is especially important to address these issues. On Jan. 21 of this year, I experienced the most empowering moment of my life so far — the Women’s March. While I did not participate in the one in Washington, I still felt like all of the women in the United States — who believe their rights are just as important as men’s rights, and all the men who believe this too — were marching along with me. I felt so powerful — as if my voice truly was being heard.
The president did not think the march would have made any real change. However, it did ensue change in our nation. It allowed us to all become more aware of today’s issues — issues which were very prevalent even before Trump took office. I, for one, didn’t really know the history of women’s rights, even though I call myself a feminist — but that day helped me learn. It’s extremely important that we stop fearing the power of women, and instead embrace it.
Listening to a woman talk about being assaulted or harassed can be both traumatizing and heart-wrenching, but it is important for us to talk about these stories, especially because of the effect they will have on future generations. The more women are forced to be silenced, the more we will be set back. It is not normal to just let these issues fester and never be solved.
How many more women will be silenced before we understand how important it is for women to be able to come forward and talk about sexual harassment?
