Statement by National NOW President Kim Villanueva
The misogynist, power-mad, dysfunctional Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, reached a new low today with his wave of the hand dismissal of women in the military.
At the mandatory assembly he held for all his top officers, he announced new orders to implement the “highest male standards” in military training.
“I don’t want my son serving alongside troops who are out of shape or in combat units with females who can’t meet the same combat arms physical standards as men,” he said.
“If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it.”
Women have heard that kind of patronizing misogyny all our lives. Pete Hegseth has made it his personal mission to instill those twisted views in what he calls a “warrior ethos” fueled not by values, but grievance.
Last week, Secretary Hegseth abolished the nearly century-old Pentagon panel designed to encourage women in the military. As long as he stays in office, Pete Hegseth undermines the contributions of women in the military and makes it harder for dedicated service members to stay in a force that disrespects them and the people they serve with and admire.
So be it. It is what it is. Pete Hegseth must resign.