I do not talk about my sexual assault. I have spent the past year burying it, and, for a while, had convinced myself that it didn't even happen. I chalked it up to an overreaction on my end, feeling guilty for even thinking that what I experienced was in fact an assault, since there are countless other people my age who had far more traumatic experiences. I don't even like using the term "victim" for myself, but I am learning to embrace my feelings more openly to allow myself the opportunity to repair. I have dealt with it in my own way and have felt pretty OK with it, all things considered. However, in light of the election and our new president, the feelings from my experience have made their way back into my mind.

While following the election this past year, I imagined my assault would influence my decisions regarding prospective legislation for prosecuting rapists or preventive, educational measures to be implemented among college campuses. Never did I imagine that my perspective would be employed because the Republican nominee, the man who is now our president, has been recorded making crude and grotesque comments about groping and assaulting women, and carries with him an aura of misogyny and entitlement.

After experiencing an assault, it is common to feel fear and distrust. I found it difficult to find peace within my fear due to the manner in which sexual assault cases are so conveniently swept under the rug. It is almost unbearable to imagine how these cases will be treated in the next four years. I do not want to live in a nation that thrives on fear. I do not want to raise children in a world where not only is sexual assault brushed aside, but those who choose to forcefully take something from another individual, something they can never get back, can rise to a position of power.

Electing this man into office does not just mean the disenfranchisement of millions of people of color. It does not just mean the prospective reversal of multiple measures protecting the reproductive rights of women. It does not just mean the dissolution of legislation protecting the rights of the LGBTQ+ population. We as a nation have entered a state of fear. The disunity, the divisiveness, and the hatred spewing from the mouths of those who echo the sentiments of our president elect will do more damage than any one man could do alone. The issue cannot simply be equated to Clinton versus Trump; the issue arises from the majority of population who chose hatred and vitriol in the presence of equality.

I am stunned, saddened, and concerned with the result of this election. To live in a nation where rape culture is endorsed by its elected official is mind-blowing. It is truly a scary time to be an American.