Gender Equality: Would You Vote For Trump If He Was a Woman?

Would You Vote For Trump If He Was a Woman?
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Dave Kaup / Reuters

I was chatting with a man I just met when the topic of politics came up. “I’ll be voting for Hillary,” he informed me confidently. I cocked my head, intrigued. “Why is that?” I inquired.

“Because she’s a woman, and I think it would be interesting,” he answered, just as confidently.

I took a harsh gulp of water to avoid choking on my food. Luckily, it was very dim in the restaurant, so he didn’t see the look of disbelief in my face. After subtly recovering, I switched the conversation to the dish I was eating.

I was stunned, not because he wanted to vote for Hillary, but because of the reasoning behind it. There was no mention of policies or stances on issues, but merely her gender.

Now, that being said, this piece is not to bash Hillary and promote other candidates, or vice versa. It’s to point out one of the flaws of our voters: voting based on superficial reasons. If the aforementioned man explained to me that he wanted to vote for Hillary because of her policies that align with his beliefs, I would have more respect for his decision, regardless if I disagreed or not.

Merely voting for a candidate based solely on their surface won’t aid you if you oppose their stance. Don’t get me wrong; my ovaries are rejoicing over the fact that a woman has finally made her way to potentially rule the country. Does that mean I will be voting for her based on her gender? Not in the least. I need to see if what the candidate promotes aligns with me, not so much as a woman, but as a person of the country I live in.

Think of it like this ― would you vote for Hillary if she was a man? Or what if Trump was a woman? Ladies, if you are pushing for Hillary, is it for the right reasons, or because fate merely placed her into this world without a Y chromosome?

For further conviction, consider this: years ago, I witnessed voters stating they wanted to vote for Obama in hopes that his race would create equality between minorities and whites. Sadly, this was not the case and the number of blacks killed by white authoritative figures only seems to increase.

Alas, it does not have to be so cut and dry between Trump and Clinton: don’t feel as if you have to vote for the “lesser evil” (a common phrase I’ve heard throughout the duration of this election) or not vote at all because you don’t agree with either candidate. Potential independent candidates or third parties could be a choice as well. Want more insight? Check out the Libertarian Presidential Town Hall tonight on CNN.

Watch the news, do your research, and think. Jumping the gun on your ballot when you only have one chance to vote won’t help our nation, much less you. The old adage still rings true: make your vote count.

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