In light of recent events, many of us have had a very difficult time coping with the election of Trump. We're all terrified, anxious, confused. Throughout the country, all of you are facing bigots who proudly show themselves after Tuesday night's results. Trump's America is not made for us. We are not meant to feel safe anymore.
Day one in Trump's America, I witnessed two of my friends cry because they were terrified for their futures. And I know I'm not the only one.
Day two in Trump's America, I witnessed a friendship fall apart because Trump's win meant that people could now openly hate others, and expect "you're not like the rest of them" to be a good enough excuse.
Day three in Trump's America, one of the sweetest girls I know was messaged by a Trump supporter, whom she'd never met. The message read "We are going to send you to Mexico."
Trump has yet to even take over the Oval Office, but his election is enough to make it socially acceptable for the empowered to hate the minorities. Every morning we stand up and pledge our allegiance to a flag meant to represent our freedom. Yet we woke up Wednesday morning and found that an overwhelming number of our fellow citizens had voted for a president that doesn't see us as equals. Those not endangered by Trump's administration attempt to comfort us with empty words, claiming "Trump isn't really homophobic. It was just meant to get voters." Trump's actions say the opposite.
I don't know what these next four years are going to bring about. None of us can quite separate the talk from the truth. But I do know one thing; we have to stick together. On November 8th, hate, fear, racism, homophobia and sexism won. From now on we have to get up each morning ready to fight, and ready to protect one another.
