I woke up on Wednesday morning and checked my phone. The moment I found out that Donald Tump was our next president, I started crying. Since then the tears have stopped, but the pain has not. We fought so hard against this and yet bigotry, hate, sexism, fear, homophobia, prejudice, self-interest, and racism won. Simply by being women we are seemingly underqualified to be the President of the United States and yet we know this isn't true. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is our President-Elect. I'm scared of what a Trump presidency will look like. I'm scared of what will happen to all of the Muslims and Latinos in our country. I'm scared of what will happen to all of the innocent people in the Middle East. I'm scared of what will happen to the world and US economies. I'm scared for all of the LGBTQ+ people. I'm scared for all of the people who are afraid to walk outside wearing a hijab. I'm scared for all of the people who are scared that they will be treated differently because of the color of their skin or what country their family is from. I'm scared for all of the people who are too scared to talk down the street with their partners. I'm scared that women will not be able to get the birth control medicines they need. I'm afraid that women, especially those who are carrying their rapist's baby, will not be able to get abortions. I'm scared for the boy stuck in a girl's body who is too scared to go get testosterone shots or who is afraid that soon they won't be able to get what they need to transition.
We have the ability to change things in America, this is the land of the free for crying out loud. We as a country need to stand together, put aside our differences and fight for what is right. We are a country of strong men and women who know how to fight (peacefully) for what is right. We know what is morally right and wrong. We must accept that Donald Trump is, indeed, the 45th president of the United States.
One of the things, among many, that has kept me from completely losing my faith in America is the "secret" Facebook page Pantsuit Nation. A family friend added me to the group on election day. This group of strong women (and men) has been my rock since Tuesday simply by posting their stories on the page. On election day, with about 2,000,000 members, these stories were mostly about why they were not voting for Trump. After the election, everyone was upset, but instead of spreading hate towards President-Elect Trump, or his supporters, these people are looking towards the future and what that will look like during a Trump presidency.
For all of those who are scared about what their lives will look like under a Trump presidency, I will stand with you. For my Muslim, latino, LGBTQ+, African-American, and female brothers and sister, I will be there for you. I will fight with you. I will fight for you.
And so, my brothers, sisters, and friends, I will leave you with my favorite tweet since Tuesday night: "May the election of Trump bring forth the fiercest, smartest, toughest generation of ass-kicking women this country could possibly imagine."
