I originally posted this, late inaugural eve. In light of the false Bee movie plagiarism diary, may I re-post about something Trump truly did? I am still surprised that so little has been said about this. Since today is the women's march, I thought I would clean it up and repost it. In the televised speech on inaugural eve, he did 3 behaviors that qualify as sexual harassment, according to the government web site below. He called his trusted Kelly Ann to the stage and then, made her look like a “little girl” instead of a professional. He tried to put his arm around her and draw her in. She held her ground but you could see the tug of war. So, while he tried, it didn't happen. And yes, she stood up to him by refusing his mauling. She shouldn't have had to struggle at all. It was demoralizing to watch because he's her boss. He referred to her as being less afraid than her male counter parts, but it sounded a little too much like “she's a woman, and she's not afraid”, similar sounding to...”for a girl, to be fearless in this way, is truly amazing!” And finally, the one that hurt the most was his comment as she left the stage. Trump uttered these words....“Thank you baby”.
In that moment, for me, it was as if the world I knew, of empowerment and healing, crumbled. Yes, it's crumbled in regard to racism and sexism both, and I am loud in reference to both social issues, but I have seen more outspokenness around the racism. The president of the USA just referred to his employee as “baby”, in front of everyone. Rachael Maddow, quoted the positive parts of his speech to Kelly Ann but did not address the comment or behavior. It's wrong. We can't just let it slide. I am so afraid this behavior will become normalized. So on the day of this Woman's March, I decided to re-post this diary.
The most invalidating part about this, for me, was and is the silence. See, I am a survivor of sexual trauma. A gang rape when I was 12 years old in a small town. For me, this kind of behavior is no joke or punch line. These behaviors are the only explanation for my story. My story is about blatant sexism. Sexism is what caused my wounds. A group of white boys ranging in age, from 11 to 16, from a surburban subdivision, conspired with another older troubled girl in the neighborhood. The heart of my assault wasn't the rape, it was how this small town treated me afterward. Male teachers made passes and said inappropriate things. (There was at least one good one who I have blogged about, I do give credit where it's due). Both girls and boys, teachers and parents belittled me. They blamed me. They treated me as if I had been the “bad” one. And predators, like Trump, took advantage of my shame, my discredited spirit when and where they could. I have to speak. He should be sanctioned or admonished or something. Yes, he will attack back, but the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.
