It takes a tremendous amount of cot takes a tremendous amount of courage and fortitude to run for office. The immense amount of time spent campaigning. The need to fundraise. Learning about the issues. Getting out and talking to people. Putting yourself and your beliefs out in the open for public scrutiny.

Most people are not willing to do this. Those who do demonstrate an uncommon love of their country, state, and region. For that they should be commended. No matter what political party they represent, the fact that they are willing to do the work and make the sacrifices running for office requires deserves our admiration, or at least our respect.

This year, a number of courageous and strong women stepped forward to run for office in our region. Among them was Doria Drost, a woman from Lynd who ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives in our district, District 16A.

Rather than treating her with respect, a number of folks responded to her with lewdness, contempt, and vulgarity. They could not even show her the respect simply owed to another human being. Their vile comments and disgusting behavior – which they exhibited on her campaign’s Facebook page — deserve to be called out publicly.

Some attacked her age. Many people complain today’s youth are lazy, don’t want to work, and have a sense of entitlement. Doria displays none of this. She worked her tail off on the campaign. She knows how to “work and work hard,” as my father says. Nevertheless, mean-spirited people would leave public comments about her youth on her campaign Facebook page. Comments like, “Are you old enough to vote?” left by one or “She is a kid, has no idea what she would do if elected,” by another. Another man posted, “Running for student council??” while another wrote, “I guess anyone can run regardless of any experience!” (As an aside, yes, that’s a strength of our democracy – anyone can run.)

Others made vile and appalling accusations. A man from Lynd wrote: “She is no Christian and is being led by Satan.” Another person echoed this, posting: “Doria is not honest…and has no moral compass. She is led by Satan.”

Still others demonstrated such disgusting sexism, it will take your breath away. They treated Doria like prey, harassing her in a public forum and making unwanted sexual advances. Men wrote things like, “U are a very beautiful woman” and “I liked your profile picture text me if you want to do something sometime, let me know if you do, ok.”

But the person who really took the cake with his vileness and abuse was the man from Minneota, who repeatedly posted public comments like “DREAM ON HOOKER, DREAM THE F** ON!!! THE DEMONRATS ARE DONE!!” and another one, “MINNESOTAS GONNA TURN RED!! DREAM ON HOOKER!”

Doria Drost is someone’s daughter. Someone’s grand-daughter. Someone’s niece, sister, friend. Would you treat your own daughter this way? Would you want ANYONE to treat your daughter or your sister in this way? It’s disgusting any woman — any human being — is subjected to this.

It’s time to take a good, hard look at ourselves. I’ve written before about disgusting behavior displayed while we staffed the Democratic-Farmer-Labor pop-up tent. This behavior was exhibited for no other apparent reason than we were Democrats. Doria experienced this for no other reason than she was a young, Democratic woman running for office.

You may not have treated Doria this way in a public forum, but what did you say about her at the dinner table? When you went out for coffee with friends? When you sat around a bonfire? If it wasn’t Doria, what did you say about one of the other young women running for office in this area including Shawna Marshall and Mindy Kimmel? What do you say about women in politics at all levels, including state and federal offices?

This behavior and attitudes are disgusting and must stop. Treating women this way is unacceptable. Treating young people this way is unacceptable. Treating human beings this way is unacceptable. So stop, just stop.

— Anita Gaul is chair of the Lyon County Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party