Over the course of this week, I went back and forth with writing this article. I knew what I wanted to say, but I didn’t know how to say it. Above all, however, I didn’t want people to simply read this article and develop an opinion about me, but hoped that people would base their opinions on what they previously have known about me. I didn’t want my view on this election, and what has happened since, to affect the relationships I have and cherish with my friends, family, or acquaintances. I have, however, decided to let my view be known in the only way I know how—writing about it. With that in mind, all I ask is that you read this article until the very end, and read it with an open mind. Please, do no jump to conclusions about me or my character, until you have had the chance to meet me in person and develop a personal connection with me.

To begin, I will lay it all out there.I am not a Trump supporter.I am not a Clinton supporter, nor was I a Sanders supporter.I did, however, vote for Donald Trump.As I did so, I looked down at the first ballet I would ever fill out, sicker with myself for voting the way I did than I could ever put into words.However, I couldn’t even imagine voting for Clinton, much less going through with it on election day.

Now, before you become disgusted with me, I would like you to remember the agreement we made—by continuing to read, you promised me that you would read until the very end.

I did not vote for Trump.Although I did fill in the circle next to his name, I was not voting for the things Trump supposedly stood for.I was part of what I believe to be a large chunk of Trump voters—I voted for Trump purely because of who he wasn’t.He wasn’t Hilary Clinton, and because of that, he earned my vote.I didn’t vote for Trump—I voted for the candidate who would best support my political thoughts as president.With Clinton, I knew what I would get if she were President, and the things she believed in and fought for were things very different from the things I would like a president to fight for.I knew that with Hilary Clinton, the very things I disagreed with when President Obama created them would be continued for at least another four years.By voting for Trump, I voted for the changes that I wished to see in the things that Obama passed and instituted.

I would like it to be known that I have heard the horror stories of hate, racism, and sexism that have popped up since Wednesday morning.I do not agree with any of these people.I do not think that a wall should be built, that every immigrant should be deported, or that Muslims should all be treated as terrorists.I do not think that women should have to suffer through sexist remarks or inappropriate touching.I believe that, in certain situations, abortion is a necessary evil.

However, to say that every Trump voter is deplorable—which, to clear up any misunderstanding, means to be “shockingly bad in quality” or “deserving of strong condemnation”—is a slap in the face to average Conservatives who viewed Trump as their only option.The vast majority of us do not believe in the KKK, we don’t believe in a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and we don’t believe that all Muslims are terrorists.What we do believe in is the fact that it was time for a change in our government, and we worked with the options we were given.

I like to believe that I am speaking for the majority of Trump voters when I say that we will not target others because of their ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, nor will we stand by when we see this be done by others.I am not a racist, sexist, white supremacist, and to be labeled as such is one of the most upsetting things that can be said to me.

Above all, however, although I did vote for Trump, that does not make me any less accepting of my LGBTQ+ friends.It does not make me any less accepting of Hispanics or Muslims.It does not make me any less of a human than I was prior to last Tuesday, when my character drastically changed in the minds of others.And to be labeled as “deplorable” simply because I didn’t vote the way others expected me to has made me lose faith in the people of our country.The fact that Trump won our election is not what makes me sad for the state of our nation—what makes me sad for the state of our nation is that people can no longer exercise their right to vote without suffering the consequences from their friends and family.