To the editor:

Pete Hegseth has made it clear he believes women have no place in the military. Recently, he expressed  agreement with an evangelical religious extremist, Doug Wilson. Wilson and Hegseth state women should not have the right to vote. These men theorize that males should always be the head of the household and should cast their vote on behalf of the family. This white Christian nationalist view asserts, though there are over 200 Christian denominations throughout the U.S., this is the correct interpretation of the Bible. This sort of extremist thinking is more closely linked to our government than ever before.

In states all over the country, GOP politicians are pushing for age of consent laws to be lowered.

Women’s voting rights are already under attack with the SAVE Act. It’s being marketed as preventing voter fraud, even though voting fraud is virtually nonexistent. The Brennan Center reports voter fraud at approximately .0003%. The legislation requires that any name change from birth must be supported by expensive documentation, such as a passport. This disproportionately disenfranchises married women and is essentially a poll tax.

The last time a poll tax existed in the United States was before the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. 

Americans often like to call out religious extremism when it happens in other countries, but what about when it’s happening here in America? 

Katie Dorschner,

New Ulm