Nick Fuentes, the originator of "Your Body, My Choice," is described on THE DIVIDED STATES OF TRUMPFUCKISTAN as a "white supremacist, homophobe, Nazi, misogynist and general all-around a**hole." Fuentes is responsible for the phrase, "Your Body, My Choice," but he's not responsible for the notion that women belong to men — as a La-Z-Boy executive office chair, for example, belongs to the man who bought it.

Responsibility for the notion that women belong to men lies with … you didn't even have to guess it … Donald Trump.

One day after we found out that our next president would be Trump, phrases like "Your Body, My Choice" increased 4,600% across the Internet.

It's not just fat, 78-year-old men who want your body. Many Gen Z boys are now taking up the white supremacist, homophobe, Nazi, misogynist, a**hole banner. Cosmopolitan reports that boys born between 1997 and 2012 are parroting the phrase at school, at work, and on the street.

Imagine it (if you haven't heard it yet): a 12-year-old in your daughter's middle school snickering at her and telling her she's the equivalent of a piece of furniture.

A piece of furniture that a boy can carve a penis into.

Some are calling for rape squads

The connection between "Your Body, My Choice" and rape is not lost on Trump supporters, many of whom are enthusiastically calling for "rape squads." The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), found five such posts on X on November 7. One of these had 18,000 views.

Where would a "man" want to carve his penis into your daughter's mother (please, not the daughter)? In the kitchen, of course.

Evan Kilgore, a self-described "ambassador" for Turning Point USA, posted on X to his 100,000 followers: "Women, back to the kitchen."

Imagine it (if you haven't heard it yet): The "man of the house" reclines in his easy chair in the living room while the "little woman" prepares pork chops in the kitchen. He's hungry, but pork chops won't quite do it. So he swaggers into the kitchen, manhood in hand….

Progression of threats

If all this seems unreal, you should check out the following graph. It shows the progression of threats against women from Oct. 1 to Nov. 7. Note the explosion of threats at the right. These were posted on Nov. 6th and 7th.

Also, don't overlook the gray line above or its label, "repeal the 19th." The 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote. Without voting rights, we women have no power at all over any part of our bodies — or our lives.

What is to be our response, as women, to all this?

"My Foot, Your Ass" may be cute, but it's not a serious response.

I don't know what the serious, and effective, response is, but I do know:

• We can't just hate men. I have a man. He's wonderful. I'll bet many of you have, and love, a man, too (or if it's a woman you love, more power to you).
• We shouldn't hate Republicans. Oh, it's so hard not to hate Republicans. But they're not all liars and fiends. Many of them were just duped by Trump and right-wing "news" sources. Union workers were told that immigrants would take their jobs (unions don't let this happen). Vulnerable people were told that "illegals" were violent criminals (statistically, more violent crime is committed by U.S. citizens than by immigrants, documented or undocumented). People were led to believe that Democrats were to blame for high food prices (food prices are set by billionaire CEOs of large corporations, many of whom are Trump's friends. Presidents do not and cannot set food prices).
• It's healthier and happier not to hate. At all. Anybody.

Lacking a serious and effective response, I'll have to leave this page without one — unless you have one you'd like to add in the comments.

Ⓒ Katharine Valentino 2024 ✉ Get email when I publish