The Triggering Of A Nation: 45’s Sexual Assault Proclamation

orange 45 finger

By Sahar Abdulaziz

The Pus**y Grabbing Commander-In-Chief has officially proclaimed April as National Sexual Assault and Prevention Month:

“At the heart of our country is the emphatic belief that every person has unique and infinite value. We dedicate each April to raising awareness about sexual abuse and recommitting ourselves to fighting it. Women, children, and men have inherent dignity that should never be violated.” Donald Trump

How’s it working for ya America?! – that one of the biggest and least empathetic sexual offenders has announced that we, the American public, should all be aware that folks like him not only exist but are free to boast about their depravity, and attack vulnerability at will? For survivors, his vacuous claim endorsing an “inherent dignity” to women, children and men falls flat at best.

The Molester-In-Chief goes on to say that, “Prevention means reducing the prevalence of sexual violence on our streets, in our homes, and in our schools and institutions. Recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of changing social norms that accept or allow indifference to sexual violence.”

Do buses count? What should we do about grown men who find it utterly hilarious to banter back and forth using highly problematic sexual discourse on a bus, talking about f**king a woman just because they are in a position of power? Who then goes on to judge and objectify a woman’s body and get slap happy with the idea that he has the right to use her body at whim— who calls their accusers nothing but liars and attention whores?

Trump's official announcement of Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month is insulting. He viscerally triggers millions. Stay furious. pic.twitter.com/qdzKESyMlG

— Still Too Female (@schemaly) April 1, 2017

This Hypocrite-in-Chief goes on to declare that, “There is tremendous work to be done. Together, we can and must protect our loved ones, families, campuses, and communities from the devastating and pervasive effects of sexual assault. In the face of sexual violence, we must commit to providing meaningful support and services for victims and survivors in the United States and around the world.”

This statement coming from practically anyone else would not elicit the trail of bile currently traveling the length of my throat, but the fact is, it did come from him. So, now I have to ask, how do we, as a nation, as parents, teachers, law enforcement, counselors and advocates begin to protect our loved ones from the onslaught of sexual assault, especially when a self-proclaimed misogynistic, sexual predator, who equates his verbal barrage of insults with “locker talk” and holds the highest and most powerful seat in the free world is free to make these proclamations? What message does that send to victims and survivors? How do we reconcile deed with words when speaking to our youth? To our sons and daughters? To those most vulnerable and hurting?

This so-called announcement is insulting precisely because of its source. It is a trigger of mega proportions for all those who have had to survive through the nightmares and painful memories caused by sexual assault and abuse. It is an unmeasurable affront that this person, this criminal, in particular, can– with a straight face, feel that he can in any way ignore his culpability or add anything positive to the conversation when he represents the exact antithesis of everything this month fights tooth and nail to oppose and eradicate.

To then be lectured by this sexual predator in his claims that he supports the merits of sexual assault education and prevention is a duplicitous declaration that goes beyond mere irony. It is an absolute and unfathomable violence. It is yet another form of re-victimization and a painful reminder that survivors of sexual assault are at the mercy of those who use their power and control to enforce and promote fear and do so without hesitancy, shame, or remorse. It is ironic that this man is not making his proclamation from a jail cell.

Sahar Abdulaziz

2016 Monroe County Image Awards winner for Community Written Expression, Abdulaziz is the author of five books, –But You LOOK Just Fine, As One Door Closes, The Broken Half, Secrets That Find Us, and her children’s book, The Dino Flu. Abdulaziz covers a wide-range of hard-hitting topics using her writing, and voice to advocate for the underrepresented, the disenfranchised and maligned. Her multidimensional characters have been described as having “substance and soul,” while demonstrating that those who have suffered abuse are not victims, but survivors.