‘Grab America By The P*ssy’ shirts normalize rape culture in Trump’s America

After old footage of now President-elect Donald Trump casually stating that wealthy men such as himself could “do anything” to women (i.e., “grab ’em by the p*ssy” without their consent) and get away with it, many were justifiably outraged not only at his depraved language, but also his inability to own up to promoting and practically admitting to sexual assault.

Trump failed to acknowledge that the nonconsensual grabbing of women by the genitals, regardless of the man’s socioeconomic status, constitutes sexual assault, and many were concerned about the message this sent to his male supporters and society at large about the permissibility of rape culture.

Now that Trump has won and he and his supporters continue to dismiss the episode as mere everyday “locker room talk” while he also continues to shame and attack the many women who have accused him of some form of sexual abuse, the fears of activists about the future of our nation’s dialogue around sexual assault remain unassuaged. All the more so with the growing popularity of a collection of pro-Trump T-shirts that read “Grab America by the Pussy,” which, to many activists, serve to normalize sexual assault.

Grabbing someone’s genitals without consent is no casual, laughable affair to be glorified. The fact that this has become a sort of catchy slogan among Trump supporters raises serious concerns about mainstream perceptions of consent and violations of it, and it is certainly concerning to see patriotism associated with sexual assault and degrading women.

The election of Trump has raised serious concerns for women’s rights, given his opposition to their right to choose, his fundamental misunderstanding of the gender wage gap and maternity leave, and his ignorance about sexual assault. The use of his power to attack and degrade the women who dared to speak out and accuse him of sexually abusing them only highlights why so many victims of assault across the nation keep silent about their experiences, rather than be shamed, blamed, and attacked by men in positions of power.

But to the sellers of the shirt, this is all apparently just one big joke. The shirt’s online description reads:

He’s done it again. The Donald grabbed America by the pu$$y this election, now you can too with this hilarious political tee! This laugh out loud Spencer’s exclusive shirt is perfect for reminding everyone that Trump’s in charge.

Unsettlingly enough, as of Monday, the shirt is sold out on Spencer’s online store.

Featured image via Twitter

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