On Friday, we learned what Donald Trump truly thinks of women. In a leaked video, he claims that he can get away with whatever he wants — that as a star, he can “grab [women] by the pussy” with no consequences. Whether he realizes it or not — and it’s clear to me that he doesn’t — he is describing and bragging about sexual assault. In the debate last night, we watched him again dismiss this disgusting video as “locker-room talk.” But women know better. Misogyny has consequences that can be life or death. There is a direct connection between comments like Trump's and the reason that my ex-husband attempted to shoot and kill me when I tried to leave him. Seven years ago, I finally got the nerve to leave my abusive husband. After a particularly nasty assault, I went to the police and got a protective order against him, hoping that would help keep my infant daughter and me safe.
My husband believed that if he couldn’t have me, no one should. It’s that ownership of women — of our bodies, our minds — that ties directly back to Trump’s lewd comments and a culture of misogyny.
I flipped the switch and found my ex standing in the doorway with a shotgun pointed at me. I ran out the door as he fired at me.
I was disappointed that not even one minute of the debate was spent specifically discussing how the laws must change to better protect victims of domestic violence from the threat of gun violence.