“Women are property” sign on Texas State University campus goes viral after Trump win

A poster reading “Women are property” at Texas State University went viral, a day after Donald Trump won the election.

Photos of two men holding controversial signs on the San Marcos campus were shared online, with counter-protests apparently taking place around them.

The signs read: “Women are property,” “Gay sex is sin,” “Types of property: women, slaves, animals, cars, land, etc. 'Death'.”

None of the men holding the signs are affiliated with Texas State University, a spokesman told CBS Austin reporter Jahmal Kennedy.

The statement reads: “Texas State University (TXST)’s highest priority is the safety of our students, staff and faculty at all times. As a public institution, TXST supports the First Amendment and is required by state law to uphold freedom of speech in public areas on our campus, even though such statements may understandably offend some members of our campus community.

“We have established policies and protocols that allow individuals to safely engage in expressive activities on University property, conducted within institutional regulations.”

“The incident at the San Marcos campus today (Thursday) was instigated by individuals with a TXST affiliation.”

When Newsweek I contacted Texas State University via email for further comment and pointed to an Instagram post from the university's president, Dr. Kelly Damphousse.

He wrote: “I think this will come across as a little harsh, but it's just something that needs to be said. It hasn't been verified by anyone and it's not an official answer. It just comes from my heart – what hurts today.

“On Wednesday, at least two men not associated with TXST came to our campus. I saw pictures of the vile signs they were holding and I heard them saying offensive things to our students too.”

“Over the course of my 30-year career in higher education, I have experienced incidents like this on every campus I have served. Similar events occurred at other Texas campuses this week. I know how disturbing this must be. “It was for our students, their friends/family, our staff and our alumni who were in the Quad at the time or who later saw the images that I saw after the fact.”

He continued, “I hated to hear about what happened because I know this event certainly caused a variety of emotions among members of our Bobcat family, including fear, anxiety and anger. This particularly troubled me because nothing is more important to me than the health and safety of our faculty, staff and students.

“I continue to gather information from those who witnessed Wednesday’s incident. Later today, I will be sending an email to our campus community outlining what happened and how the university responded to the incident. I will also explain what the university has done (and will do). To ensure the safety of our campus, I just finished the second draft this morning.

Dr. Damphousse added: “I am very sad that this type of behavior has occurred on our campus because it is so contrary to the values ​​we hold at TXST – specifically, that we respect and value others and believe that all Bobcats belong.” Messages like those from these outsiders sow confusion, anger, mistrust, bitterness, fear and concern (none of which belongs on our campus). anything on our If you feel unsafe on any campus, please contact UPD to let me know. I'm here to help you.

Texas State University police stepped in to maintain order during the protest, CBS Austin reported.

Although there is nothing to suggest the protest is linked to Trump, it came a day after the president-elect was declared the winner of the 2024 US elections.

While Kamala Harris technically won with less support from women than her predecessors Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, social media is full of women angry about Trump's victory, according to CNN's analysis of election polls.

Thousands of people have posted on TikTok and X about their participation in the 4B Movement, a feminist protest movement that emerged in South Korea in 2019.

The 4B movement stipulates four “no’s”: no sex with men, no giving birth, no dating men, and no marriage with men. The words for the terms in Korean all begin with the prefix “bi,” which means “no,” Bustle reports.

Sex strikes, a form of protest more widespread and older than the 4B movement, have taken place in countries around the world, including Colombia, Kenya, Liberia, Italy, the Philippines, South Sudan and Togo.

Trump's rhetoric and his appointment of three Supreme Court justices failed Roe v. Wade in June 2022, which led to nationwide abortion bans, have contributed to 4B supporters feeling that gender inequality is a major problem.

Infamously, while talking about women, Trump also said he could “grab them by the pussy” in a leaked Access Hollywood interview with Billy Bush in 2005.

Newsweek Trump's team emailed for comment.