In casting my vote for president for the first time, I proudly chose a candidate I believed would champion the lives and rights of everyone in the country. Vice President Kamala Harris, with her commitment to reproductive rights, environmental protection and the support of LGBTQ+ and minority communities, embodied the leadership our society so desperately needs. It is astonishing to me thatvoters chose a convicted felon and a man with serious allegations of misconduct, over a qualified woman. The profound paradox is that every person has been brought into this world by a woman, yet America remains averse to the idea of entrusting true power to one. This resistance, deeply rooted in misogyny, casts a shadow over the promise of real progress. I am nothing but appalled and hurt.
Trump’s political journey is a striking reflection of America’s biases. In 2016, he defeated Hillary Clinton, a candidate of remarkable experience and intellect. People rallied behind Trump in 2016 despite his divisive rhetoric and incendiary claims because, to many, the idea of a female president was somehow more unsettling than a man with openly controversial views.
Yet in 2020, Joe Biden was seen as a credible alternative to Trump. America’s issue has never been Trump’s qualifications, it is the ingrained aversion to seeing a woman in the highest seat of power.
Harris entered this election with an impressive resume. Her years of experience as a United States Senator, Attorney General of California, and Vice President, show an extensive record of public service, leadership and policy expertise. Despite her qualifications, she lost to Donald Trump—a man with neither her political acumen nor her communication skills. The only discernible reason for this disparity is a society unwilling to accept a powerful woman at the helm. Harris’s loss underscores that in America, merit and experience can be easily overshadowed by gender bias.
If Harris were a man, I believe this election would have played out very differently. Her qualifications would have been celebrated rather than scrutinized, her dedication to public service recognized as strength. . In every debate, speech and policy proposal, her capabilities would have been evaluated on their own merit, free from the hyper magnified lens reserved for female leaders. A male candidate with her level of experience would likely have been seen as a natural, even inevitable, choice for president—a successor in the long line of powerful men leading the nation. But because she is a woman, Harris faced a higher hurdle, one laced with doubts about her strength and her suitability for the role. This double standard continues to rob America of true progress, stifling the leadership we claim to value, but only when it comes from men.
Time and time again, we watch qualified, visionary women rise to the occasion, only to be beaten down not by their shortcomings but by the bias and misogyny woven into the fabric of our society. In electing Trump over Harris, the message could not be more glaring—this country would rather hand the reins to a man with an indefensible track record than a woman who has devoted her life to public service and justice. America’s unwillingness to see women as equals in leadership roles reveals a profound, shameful hatred for female authority. Until this changes, we will remain trapped in a cycle of inequality, forever denying ourselves the progress and balance we so desperately need.
Editor-in-Chief: Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia McCrackin, Managing Editor: Jordan DelFiugo, Opinion Editor: Dakota Duran, Scene Editor: Elina Graham
