Elect Leaders Who Won’t Move Us Backwards

Veronica MarquezTHE SANTA CLARAOctober 13, 2016

“Grab them by the (expletive). You can do anything.” I would have never fathomed that these would be the words of our next potential President of the United States. Yet, here we are, less than a month away from election day with Donald Trump as the Republican nominee. The Washington Post’s leaked video of Trump speaking to Billy Bush in 2005 has garnered mass attention, appalling many with its lewd content. Trump’s words are not only sexist, but seem to describe incidents of sexual assault with him as the perpetrator. He describes instances in which he touched women’s genitalia, kissed them without consent and pursued married women. In Trump’s apology, he avoided responsibility by calling it “locker room talk” and argued that compared to Bill Clinton’s sexual assault allegations, what Trump described in the leaked video were “just words.” Trump has a long standing history of misogyny, sexism and harassment and as a female college student, I cannot stand for this. His attempts to trivialize the incident prove why this man is unfit to be our next president. Trump’s sexist actions along with his positive polling reveals that these sexist sentiments are shared by many. This is not simply an issue of one man’s prejudice, but a systemic issue that perpetuates the oppression of women. Earlier this year, Brock Turner served only three months in jail for raping a woman. College students, particularly women, were reminded of the dangers that we face in our daily lives as well as the flawed judicial and political system that allowed this to happen. Despite the great strides that have been made toward gender equality, we are nowhere near done. I should not be worried about making less money than my co-worker because he is a man. I should not have to fear a man in power using his position of authority to sexually harass or assault me. I should not fear reporting such crimes and receiving no justice for speaking out like Brock Turner’s victim. In times such as these, we should be able to look to our president and have confidence that they are leading us in the right direction. This would be impossible if our president, himself, is a large part of the problem.Throughout his campaign. Trump has engaged in inflammatory rhetoric that is not only aimed against women, but Mexicans, Muslims, African Americans, people with disabilities and many other marginalized groups. He is the epitome of what is wrong with America. In lieu of Trump’s hate speech, many have argued that the result is “The Trump Effect.” Teachers have reported more bullying in schools, drawing conclusions that Trump’s hate speech is the cause. With the recent acts of vandalism that have occurred on our campus, it is clear that this university is not exempt from this effect. In the past two weeks, the 43 students memorial was vandalized, anti-gay slurs were written on fourth floor of Casa Italiana and a swastika was drawn in blood in the elevator of the RLC. This is not to say that hate crimes and acts of discrimination did not occur prior to this election. Rather, “The Trump Effect” has given individuals the license to act hatefully even on our campus. These acts of hate should not be taken lightly and they should not be ignored by those individuals that do not identify with the communities that were directly attacked. Any act of hate on a Santa Clara student should be seen as an attack on the entire student body. We must work together to address the issues within the Santa Clara University institution. Apart from this, however, we must vote to elect politicians that will work towards ending the institutional barriers that oppress marginalized communities. If there is a time to abandon loyalty to a particular political party it is now. Republicans and Democrats alike should be able to agree that we need to elect someone who will lead us towards equality, not the other way around. Many prominent members of the Republican party, such as John McCain, Paul Ryan and George W. Bush have publicly announced that they will not be supporting Trump. While Trump has alienated and belittled women and communities of color, Hillary Clinton has been an advocate for these same communities. Specifically, given the current discussion surrounding certain women’s rights, such as reproductive rights and the funding of Planned Parenthood, we need a president that will ensure we do not move backwards. For many of us, November will be the first time that we can vote in a presidential election. With Trump and Clinton as the frontrunners, it is not simply choosing the lesser of two evils, as I have heard many people say. It is choosing between a man who will continue to pose a threat to the most vulnerable and a woman that will work on behalf of those same people. Veronica Marquez is a sophmore communication and ethnic studies major Articles in the Opinion section represent the views of the individual authors only and not the views of The Santa Clara or Santa Clara University