A man by the name of Scott Beierle shot six people in a yoga study in Tallahassee, Florida on Nov. 2. 

He was a “self-identified misogynist,” according to the Huffington Post. Two women were killed as a result — Dr. Nancy Van Vessem and Maura Binkley. 

Beierle’s reasoning behind opening fire on the yoga was: “those who engage in treachery will ultimately be the victims of it,” according to a video by Beierle titled “The Rebirth of my Misogynism.” 

The most disturbing fact about Beierle is that he identified himself as an “incel,” which stands for “involuntary celibate.” Men who cannot get women to have sexual relations with them identify as such and actively blame the women who drove them to identifying as an “incel.”

Sadly, this is not the first time the U.S. has seen an “incel” fire back at women who have refused sexual relations with them. This ideology is dangerous to women and women’s rights. 

The Los Angeles Times investigated those who were followers and fans of Rodgers, creating a fan club for “incels” that bonded on their equal hatred for women and who advocated for violence against them, according to the LA Times.

As a result of this online group, Alek Minassin was accused of driving into a crowd of people in Toronto, Canada, after mentioning that the “incel rebellion” had begun, and hailed Rodger for being a “Supreme Gentleman.” 

This glorification of sexually-frustrated men that seek revenge on women using their rights to control their own body does not just stop when the computer turns off, but stems to the government we live under in the U.S. It comes right out of the Oval Office as President Donald Trump is spending his afternoons pinching for legislature that will eventually make it harder for women to receive adequate care when it comes to abortions. 

He has been moving to “limit access to birth control and abortion and bolstering abstinence-only sex education,” according to pbs.org.

“When I ran for office, I pledged to stand for life,” Trump said. Although forgetting that while standing for life, he’s putting millions of women’s health in jeopardy with this newfound need to control women’s healthcare. 

Forgetting about abortions for a second, let’s understand that Trump is effectively trying to overthrow Title X which “serves about 4 million low-income people, mainly women… [and] could affect women’s access to long-acting contraceptives, such as implants and IUDs,” according to pbs.org. 

I’m fundamentally aware that a lot of anti-abortion legislature stems from religious beliefs, but since when did Trump overthrow the separation of church and state as well? 

If Trump continues to play roulette with women’s livelihoods, more than their healthcare could be at risk, noting how Trump finds it ok to joke around about sexual assault and the like in his congressional speeches and on Twitter, noting obvious mimicking of Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault testimony. 

This is why today is an important marker for the safety of women’s rights. I sure hope you voted, Raiders.  

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