An open letter to voters from a survivor of sexual assault

On June 6, 2013, I was walking home, right past the public library, when a stranger grabbed me on the sidewalk and assaulted me.

I think most people would agree that that’s unacceptable. That it’s a violation, and that it’s against the law. But somehow, Donald Trump isn’t on “most people’s” page. When I listened to his comments about women today, I didn’t just hear lewd or disgusting “locker room banter.” What I heard was a set of step-by-step instructions for someone to commit sexual assault.

One in five women, including me, are victims of sexual assault. Look around the room — look at your sisters and your friends and your daughters and your cousins, at women sitting on the bus, at women walking on the sidewalk — and ask yourself if you want to elect a president who says the things Donald Trump does about women and girls.

No? Me neither.

So let’s stand up against him, and against this constant stream of objectifying, misogynistic, hateful, disgusting commentary. Let’s register to vote, and let’s go to the polls. Let’s make phone calls, knock on doors, and organize our neighbors. Let’s stop Donald Trump, and let’s elect Hillary Clinton the first woman president of the United States.

When the police asked my attacker why he did what he did, he said that it was because I had smiled at him at the crosswalk. When Trump says, “You can do anything” to women, people listen. Words matter. But so do elections. Let’s make this one count.

Register to vote: iwillvote.com
Sign up to volunteer: hrc.io/va-volunteer