Over the course of this election, I have developed a hatred for Donald Trump. This man has said countless racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic things over the course of this election, the pinnacle being his bragging about sexual assault and his ability to "grab [women] by the p***y" simply because he is famous. On Wednesday morning at 3:00 am, that same man was voted President of the United States of America. I had gone to sleep about 3 hours beforehand when Trump won Florida and Ohio, and the announcers on CNN said that the last Democratic candidate to win without those two states was JFK. I cried myself to sleep. I then woke up at about 6:20 am and feverishly checked my CNN app; I proceeded to start my day by crying because a misogynistic, homophobic, racist bigot is going to be my president next year. I realized in that moment that America had failed me as a woman.
It has failed all those people who are not white, straight, Christian males. America has failed me because it has decided that a man with a loud mouth and no experience in politics is better- more qualified- than a woman with over 30 years of experience. This is the ultimate version of what happens in so many workplaces across the country, and it further exemplifies that America is deeply rooted in misogyny. What hurts me the most is that I know women across the country, including myself, are discouraged by this. We have been called "bossy" or "bitchy" when men would have been described as “outspoken” or “taking control of the situation." We know that we were not chosen for a position merely because a man also applied for it, even if he was underqualified. I understand he is now our president, and I will respect that, but I will never champion him.
With this in mind, I have good news for every young woman out there: the future is still female. In January there will be a record number of women of color serving in Congress: 38. We are breaking glass ceilings across the country, even if we didn't break the highest and hardest on Tuesday. To all of you reading this- we will have a female president, and I am hoping it will be very soon. It could be someone who just finished their hard-earned law degree, one of our senators, Michelle Obama (please), or even you or me. Lastly, Secretary Clinton, thank you for being our voice, my voice. I'll never forget this election for as long as I live, and you'll always be my inspiration to not only lead but also to spread love.
