Some Blame Secret Service's Hiring Of Women Post Trump Attack - They're Wrong, Again

The phrase that is doing the questionable rounds is DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion. As usual, the questions are galore on the skill and capabilities of the women security force that rushed and thrust their bodies forward to shield Trump. The so-called "wokeification" of the workplace is being criticised and discussed as employers strive to diversify their hiring practices beyond white men. 

Yet Again, They Blame The Women For Their Own Shortcomings

This isn’t what is desired, also it is common knowledge of how Trump raises his fist during speeches as he indirectly endorses violence. Sadly with this incident, there is no sombre reflection on how far violence is becoming a part and parcel of America. What remains disturbing yet not surprising is the quick response to criticise the women's security services. 

There should not be any women in the Secret Service. These are supposed to be the very best, and none of the very best at this job are women.

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— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) July 14, 2024

Quoting Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service Communications to NBC News; “It is an insult to the women of our agency to imply that they are unqualified based on gender.” 

Now, amidst security failings and Trump's shooting attempt, Kimberly Cheatle - the Secret Service director - is facing scrutiny and was served a subpoena for her testimony in Congress regarding the incident. Cheatle, who is the second woman to lead this agency after Julia Pierson, is now facing a backlash as some right-wingers are calling her candidacy for the role inappropriate and forced due to DEI policy.  

Female Agents Being Blamed After Trump Attack Stresses Need For More Women In Security Forces 

We are witnessing a world which is on the cusp of a third world war. At the beginning of April 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine displaced more than 10 million, killing thousands, including civilians, women and children.  In the same way, more armed conflicts were part of our news feed every day in Gaza, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan and Yemen. While some were civil wars, others were acts of aggression by one country over another. 

What remained common was the disproportionate risk of death, displacement, violence, and exploitation inflicted on women. Military forces from Russia were sent with Viagra to rape Ukrainian women. This isn’t all, Iran saw the deaths of the men who supported the women’s liberation movement. In spite of this huge increase in crime against women. The victimhood picture painted is only detrimental towards women in today’s time and age. Women, to date, remain the least represented in decisions on peace and security. 

According to the Council Of Foreign Affairs between 1992 and 2019, women constituted on average, 13 percent of negotiators, 6 percent of mediators, and 6 percent of signatories in peace processes around the world. This is despite the glaring evidence of a positive correlation between gender equality and a lower propensity for conflict between and within states. 

One can’t ignore how women in peacekeeping and security roles often have easier access to marginalised populations and are able to garner the required intelligence gathering as well as evidence building. Acknowledging women’s critical role in the peace and security agenda, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a landmark declaration in 2000 that affirmed women’s position in conflict prevention and resolution, in post-conflict reconstruction and humanitarian response, and in peace negotiations and peacekeeping. Therefore, the questions raised against DEI in America are again another pushback towards the inclusion of women in all spheres of work and thereby holding powerful positions in government and society. 

Women, for long, have been viewed as people who need to be protected, but now it is high time for the lens that must shift to gender equality with a wholesome approach towards inclusion in all sectors.

India has recently started to include women in combat roles. Looking at powerful women who have challenged these stereotypes is a shining example of Dr Seema Rao who has had a long dalliance with the limits of human endurance. For 25 years of her career, she has been India’s first and only female commando trainer. Dr Seema likes to take the pre-defined meridians of gender roles and stereotypes and challenge them with one shot of her AK-47. Dr Seema has been moulding men in the Indian Army for two decades now. 

Such "baseless assertions only undermine the professionalism, dedication and expertise" of women within all spheres of the workforce. We hope the future has more women leading combat roles, government policymakers and in important positions so that the world for the future generation will have more empathy and compassion towards society at large. 

Views expressed are the author's own. 

Mohua Chinappa is a poet, and author and runs two podcasts, The Mohua Show and The Literature Lounge. She is also part of a London-based award-winning non-profit think tank called Bridge India.