No to the photo op

If Ivanka Trump invited me to a feminist event she was hosting at the White House would I feel flattered and hop right along? Hell no. I’m not the only one.

The Washington Post is now reporting that eight anti-trafficking organizations have decided not to attend an Ivanka-planned White House event on Friday ostensibly dedicated to combatting human trafficking, citing the administration’s inhumane policies. The event is centered around a new federal law that designates trafficking as a felony offense.

“We have such a chasm between rhetoric and reality. I don’t think any of us have the desire to be a part of a photo op,” said Martina Vandenberg of the Human Trafficking Legal Center, one of the organizations set to boycott the occasion.

Saying no isn’t necessarily a boycott, it can be just saying no.

The Post further reports that several of the groups focused specifically on the Trump administration’s stance on T visas, which are designed to allow trafficking victims entry into the United States.

“During that time, they are unable to work and unable to get medical care. We are talking about years where people are just stuck,” one victim explained of the lengthened process.

Once again, we see the Trump administration pretending to be an ally to a marginalized and abused demographic when a closer look reveals them to be an enemy. This president wants to use human trafficking as an excuse to impose his draconian immigration laws by saying his wall and stricter treatment of migrants will prevent trafficking when the reality is that most trafficking victims enter the country with valid papers. By twisting the reality of the problem to suit his own xenophobic agenda, Trump is doing grave damage to victims.

And Princess Dress-up Doll is just the decoration on that shit cake.

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