I don't know how to say this, but I'm going to try. [View all]

I don’t like the word “triggered.” I think it has been so overused that it has lost its impact and meaning.

However, after watching today’s hearing with Pete Hegseth and having a few hours to think about what happened there, I am deeply triggered right now. And I’m certain I am not alone.

I have known men like Pete Hegseth my entire adult life, entitled pretty boys who never learned where the boundaries were or how to respect other people.

I know I am not alone in having quit a job because of sexual harassment and a toxic (another overused word, sorry) environment caused by men with misogynistic and sexist attitudes toward women.

This entire scenario unfolding before us, with Trump and his depraved view of the world at the top, is sickening and frightening.

You want to know what is even more sickening than the unserious members of the “good old boys” club? Women like Joni Ernst. What a spectacular fraud. She has never stood up for victims of sexual assault. She didn’t even show up for Dr. Blasey-Ford’s hearing. She refused to meet with the woman who accused Hegseth of rape. She failed to ask meaningful questions today.

I can not bear to think about what the next four years are going to bring, for women in the military and for women who are federal employees, especially those working in Washington D.C.