On June 16, with an 85-13 vote, the Senate passed the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. This act not only increased the military budget for the 2017 fiscal year to $602 billion dollars, but it also included a provision that allows for the indefinite detainment and ultimate incarceration of American citizens without access to due process or right to a trial. This act also includes a clause that calls for all women born on or after January 1, 2018, to be mandated to register for Selective Service. Meaning that women aged 18-25 born after January 1, 2018, are required by the federal government to sign up for the draft and if called to fight for their country, will serve alongside men.

I think it's great that the Senate believes that every American, despite gender, has the capability to be drafted for war. The fact that men and women are able to see the same combat is astounding. Thousands of women fought for the right to be able to serve their country. For me, the only issue is that millions of men and women are still fighting for equality in the United States of America, the same country that they are mandated to fight for. I have no problem with the military or women serving in the armed forces. I am grateful for the millions of men and women that put their lives on the line, both in the past and currently in the present, in order for me to live a fulfilling life in the United States. How can one be forced to fight for a country that doesn’t uphold equality for all citizens, despite race, creed, sexual orientation, class and gender?

The LGBTQ, African American, Asian American, American Indian among other communities in the United States still face discrimination both in the workplace and in the civil sector. As a woman of color, I face a double marginalization in the workplace. I will never earn the same salary as my white counterparts but I will also not earn the same salary because I am a woman. The fact that there is still a wage discrimination gap in the United States is appalling. It’s 2016. As a young woman in the United States, pursuing a bachelor’s degree, I can only hope to earn approximately 79 percent of what my male counterparts earn and that would be only if I was a white female. According to the American Association of University Women (AAAUW), each state has it’s own personal wage gap between men and women and people of color and whites. In California, the wage gap between men and women is a whopping 84 percent. Men get paid 84 percent more than women in the state of California, for the same level and severity of work. As a descendant of a long line of strong Guamanian (Chamorro) women, I have always been taught that hard work, dedication and resilience will pay off. No matter the situation or the circumstances, I will always prevail if I give 110 percent effort. Based on 2014 statistics from the AAAUW, I can only hope to earn 88 percent of what a white male earns and only 54 percent of what a white woman earns.

This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. If we were all free, wouldn’t it make sense for that wage gap to disappear? So, correct me if I’m wrong, but are the women that will be drafted for war really seeking and fighting for equality and freedom? That’s what America is supposed to stand for. Equality, justice and freedom for all. When will the Senate pass a federal bill that acknowledges all the hard work, dedication, blood, sweat, and tears that their citizens put into bettering themselves in this country? When will the inequality in America stop?