Dear Future President,

There are issues that have been residing in the United States since our founding fathers signed their names upon the Declaration of Independence. One of those matters includes sexism in America, which is what I am going to be discussing with you in this letter, as well as feminism. The definition of feminism is equality of the sexes and feminists are individuals who are pro-feminism activists. Although the definition of the word includes all genders, it is called feminism after the female gender because women are the ones needing the most help because they are being oppressed excessively, now and throughout our history. I believe there is sexism in America because of the wage gap between men and women, victim-blaming of rape and sexual harassment, and the abortion laws. I believe we need to change these things as a country.

One byproduct of sexism in America is the wage gap between men and women. According to infoplease.com, in 2013, white men were making 100% of their wage while black men made 75.1%, Hispanic men made 67.2%. White women made 78%, black women made 64%, and Hispanic women made 54%. Throughout the years, the percentages have risen and fall while the percentage of a white man's wage has stayed constant at 100%. This is not equality. Things need to change and they need to change now.

A second factor that shows there is sexism in America is the way rape and sexual harassment are treated. A female college student was assaulted and raped on the UNC campus. The college student, Delaney Robinson, did everything rape victims are "supposed" to do. Evidence was gathered since she took a rape kit, she spoke up right away about it, and worked with the police. Upon doing that, Robinson didn't realize she would have been treated like a suspect rather than a victim in the situation. Accusatory questions were shot her way by the police. "What was I wearing? What was I drinking? Did I lead him on? Do I often have one night stands?" were some of the questions she was asked. Robinson had been drinking that night, but that does not give anyone the right to take advantage of her. Delaney Robinson was a freshman at the college when she was raped and now she is a sophomore. Despite that, barely any consequences have come to Allen Artis, the boy who raped her, except the warrant that was issued for his arrest. Before that, he had been told "not to sweat it," and that's just what he did until Robinson decided to speak louder on the case. Situations like this happen every day, even to men. Male rape cases are greatly overlooked because they're "men" and should be able to defend themselves. Another reason why male rape victims are disregarded is because guys are supposed to like sex. Rape is not sex, sex is based on consent from all participating parties while rape is not consensual at all. Men get raped, and those cases are valid.

Besides rape and sexual harassment, there is another issue that has been challenging for women; abortion. Abortion itself is not the problem, but those who oppose it are. The concept of abortion is about a woman's choice and hers alone. In an episode of Planned Parenthood's new YouTube series Stories of Care. No Matter What., a woman gives her abortion story. Her and her boyfriend were in a new relationship together when she found out that she was pregnant. Both of them believed they weren't ready for a child so she went in for an appointment though she was still pretty emotionally unstable from the surprise of the pregnancy. The doctor took a look at her once and said, "Something that tells me that today is not the day. Go home, take a night to sleep on it and then reschedule." After having time to think on the matter, she decided to keep the baby. If it weren't for Planned Parenthood and the doctor, the child would not have been alive and the woman might not be alive either since without those options, she would have gone through some underground network to have an illegal abortion. Making abortion illegal does not make it stop, it just makes it more dangerous. This story is one of my personal favorites because it does not tell how getting abortion helped, but how Planned Parenthood helped her realize she was ready to become a mother. That is what Planned Parenthood is for, to help people choose the path that is best for them.

Women want to be on equal ground with men, not on their ground.  Some say that feminism is sexist against men, and in the past, it might have been. As of now, men are being included in feminism to promote equal rights. Pro-feminism is not anti-men. Centuries have passed of females being oppressed and weren't allowed to speak out. Well, now we are in a day and age where we can. Only fixing one of these issues will not do, I and thousands of others will never stay quiet until we get what is fair and just. Don't you want to be the president who leads this revolution that has been flourishing with every generation?