It Doesn’t Matter Which Political Party Women In Alabama
Belong To
By Lynda Kirkpatrick,
Marion County Democratic Party Chair
SDEC District 17, Alabama Democratic Party
There is a special kind of betrayal, a cleaver-sized knife in the back, for the
women of Alabama who thought maybe, finally, with a female governor we
would get somewhere. The insulting remarks that we have heard from
Trump about grabbing women by the genitalia and Roy Moore’s allegation
of a sexual assault fell on the deaf ears of women in Alabama who in spite of
being personally insulted voted for both of them. Our own governor
supported both of these men and failed to stand in support of her own
gender against the vulgar and disgusting display of degradation of women
everywhere.
Governor Ivey is not the only leader of Alabama who has cast stones
at women. House of Representatives Robert Aderholt has never voted in
favor of a bill to benefit the women in Alabama. He has sent his message
loud and clear to young women in Alabama that women are not deserving
of equal pay, equal rights, or even protection from domestic violence.
What can we expect from Katie Britt? She has made it clear that she is not
offended by Trump’s vulgarity. Britt blames Obamacare for the closing of
rural hospitals when in fact, our hospitals closed because Ivey refused the
expansion of Medicaid.
We all stand on the same shoulders of brave women before us who risked
their lives, and some who lost their lives, to ensure that women in the future
would have a right to vote for themselves in elections that determine their
rights as an American citizen.
It comes down to taking off the political coat of arms and facing the reality
that it doesn’t matter which political party a woman is affiliated within
Alabama. We are all being discriminated against, regardless of political
party, color, financial status, religion, or sexual preference. All you have to
be is a woman. Period. Women in Alabama have been gagged and
silenced for over 25 years. We have no representation in what laws are
passed or the quality of our lives.
Maya Angelo said that yes, she was a feminist, and that she had been a
woman for a long time, and it would be stupid not to be on her own side.
You cannot be on your own side and vote for a candidate who is voting
against you.
When women go to the polls they have a choice to make. They can vote
for themselves or against themselves. They can choose to have a voice in
their lives and the lives of their daughters and granddaughters. It has
nothing to do with party politics. It is about speaking out against
discrimination against women, ending the wage gap, and treating women
with respect in the workplace for equal pay and opportunity.
When we cast our vote we are hiring someone to work for us in our
government. It’s our tax dollars that pay their salary. Why would a woman
hire someone to go to Washington and vote against her for being treated as
an equal human being with the same constitutional rights as men? Women
in Alabama, vote for yourself. Women have to show Ivey, Aderholt,
Tuberville, Britt, and all the candidates that are against you that you are not
giving them the job to discriminate against you any longer.