I was hopeful up until the last minute on Tuesday night because I honestly thought “there is no way that man will be our next President.” But here we are. I would say the people have spoken, but the people’s choice was to elect the first woman president and because of the way our country’s election process works, over half of our country is left heartbroken, disgusted and terrified.

Let me just get this out of the way. THIS IS NOT ABOUT POLITICS. I have not been in tears this week because a Republican candidate won the election.

I am devastated because a man who openly calls Mexicans rapists, who thinks he can grab women by the pussy, who wants to ban refugees from our country, and take away a woman’s right to choose will now be the face representing America to the free world (and that’s the short list).

To all the Trump supporters out there who think Clinton supporters need to “accept their loss and stop whining”, fighting for human rights is not whining and this is only the beginning.

I am proud to be part of a family that I know will stand up and fight if and when Trump tries to take away a group’s rights, whether we are in that group or not. I am proud to have friends who will use this pain we have been feeling as a reason to get more involved in politics than we ever have, because we truly are the future of this country.

I am not going to disown anyone because they voted for Trump, but it does make me sick to my stomach to know that people I dearly love and respect support him. No they are not racists and sexists, and no they are not bad people. But they voted for someone who is. And they voted for someone whom all the racists and sexists in America voted for and that makes me sad.

Four days later, after long conversations with my mom and after reading the first angry and then inspiring words of others, I am starting to get my emotions under control. I am sure I haven’t shed my last tears over this, but right now I choose hope over sadness, I choose strength over defeat, and I choose love over hate.

To the Hispanics, the Muslims, the African Americans, the Jews, my fellow women, and the LGBTQ community, I will never stop fighting for you. And we always will be stronger together.