26. That’s the number of women who have come forward with sexual assault allegations against Donald Trump – the US president. 

   And while these 26 women have given themselves over to the mercy of news outlets in an attempt to make their voices heard, the number of stories outlining their claims is small, and even smaller are updates on investigations of Trump. 

   The severity of these claims have little to do with who they are against. No matter your views on the current president, these claims are more about the women. 

   It is about how accusations like this have become so frequent that society has become numb towards them. How these women are only 26 out of thousands…

   Thousands of women who have tried to share their story before them…

   Thousands that will try to share after…

   Thousands that did not or will not share it at all. 

   The real severity of these claims is shown in how there are women afraid to come forward because they have seen what happens to those who do.

   The 26 women with accusations against the president view their names on articles titled “A Running List Of The Women Who’ve Accused Donald Trump Of Sexual Misconduct” (huffingtonpost) like their trauma is a game and people are betting on how many people it takes for claims to be taken seriously. 

   Articles like this are no criticisms of the publications themselves but on how society views these issues. 

   “A Running List” — 

   Like they know there will be more accusations made. 

   Maybe not against Donald Trump, but more nonetheless. 

   Statements made by more women, men, and non-binary people. 

   And maybe not all of them will be true. But all of them deserve a fair and thorough investigation. Because even if only one one claims is true, that person deserves justice. Because the entire group of those who have suffered will revel in that one victory.