Hundreds of prominent women have come forward in the past year to speak out against sexual harassment and sexual abuse, sparking the #MeToo movement and encouraging women everywhere to stand against such behavior.
Beginning with complaints last year by dozens of actresses against prominent Hollywood movie director Harry Weinstein and coming to a head with nearly 200 women and girls testifying against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar for ongoing sexual abuse, the movement has gained strength with each new case.
And prominent men are finally answering to their crimes.
But one man who has escaped any accountability whatsoever – the president of the United States.
Donald J. Trump has had more than his fair share of sexual assault accusations, with 19 women coming forward and calling for Trump to be held accountable for sexual misconduct.
While the highly publicized Weinstein and Nassar cases are horrific on their own, they have done something much larger than find justice for just the victims involved.
They have “sparked a public conversation, taking down powerful sex offenders everywhere,” according to The Atlantic.
However, in the midst of this conversation, where is the president’s input?
Despite multiple calls for him to be held accountable to his own actions via social media, press coverage and in public conversation, the president has denied everything and no follow-up has been conducted.
CNN reported that “a group of women who have publicly accused President Donald Trump of sexual harassment and assault detailed their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by the businessman-turned-politician,” and the only response from the president was a tweet: “Nothing ever happened with any of these women. Totally made up nonsense to steal the election. Nobody has more respect for women than me!”
In addition, the president’s infamous “Grab them by the…” comment on an Access Hollywood video that came out during the 2016 campaign shows the president’s general view on women – which is clearly different than his tweets claiming respect for women.
From Hollywood celebrities like Ke$ha, to Olympic athletes such as Gabby Douglas, or just the victim next door, many individuals daily are faced with the horrors of being subject to sexual assault.
If the president of the United States is not held accountable for the serious accusations against him – and is allowed to brush them off as a political tactic just to “steal the election” with no regard to the women speaking out – the act of sexual assault becomes trivialized and even condoned among the leaders of our country.
Trump standing in the shadows of silence during this dark and widespread time not only sends a message to the victims of these widely publicized cases or victims of any sexual abuse, but also to the perpetrators, that this kind of behavior is OK.
by Daisy Rhoad
CougarBuzz 