Dear Donald Trump,
I won’t call you Mr. Trump because formal titles are for people who have my respect, but I’ll save that for a different letter.
Throughout your campaign, I’ve gone from an amused college student to a terrified college graduate. When I first heard you were running for president—a reality TV star running for president?!—I immediately called my mom to inform her of the hilarious news. Soon after your campaign (somehow) gained speed and you gained popularity (again, how?!), I began to feel anxious. That’s an understatement. With the election now only around two weeks away, I’m completely terrified at what our country may become.
After experiencing the inauguration of our very first African American president when I was in middle school, I thought we were making some real progress! But then I heard about you. I’ve never watched any shows you’ve been on because I couldn’t stand to hear your voice or the way you degrade and judge others. I didn’t mind your popularity then because I thought it was just all for entertainment purposes. I never knew you were really the monster you portrayed yourself as on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
However, as terrifying and disturbing as your campaign has been, it’s really taught me something about the society and culture in which I live. Living in a small town in the South, I’ve always been around people like you—white privileged males and their supporting, submissive wives. I’ve dealt with sexism, racism, privilege and misogyny my entire life, but I was never truly aware it existed until I went to college and learned all about these things. Growing up, my father, an older white man just like you, always encouraged me to be a Republican. I’ve always been a daddy’s girl, and, always wanting to please him, I agreed with everything he said. Obviously he wasn’t as blunt or open about his political beliefs when I was a child, but I thought he was right about everything. Ignorance is bliss, right?
Wrong.
Your campaign speeches, leaked tapes and debates have all shown me just how horrible America and its people can be. After seeing how much your white, rich male privilege has let you get away with and how many followers it’s obtained for you, I now live in fear. I shouldn’t have to be afraid to live my life.
Because of you, I now realize that as an openly-pansexual white female, I’m not safe. Even though I come from a good family, I’m not safe. The guns that your party so deeply cares for can’t protect me from people like you. They could only protect me from the black men and women and the “criminal” immigrants that you and your party despise.
I now realize that I could be “grabbed by the p*ssy” at any moment. I could be raped, abused, accused, fat-shamed, judged and victim-shamed, and nothing would be done because people like you can get away with anything. However, that’s not your fault, is it? It really isn’t. You didn’t start this kind of culture in America. You didn't cause misogyny, sexism, racism, homophobia, rape culture or hatred, but you encourage it. Your words and actions encourage it.
As a 21-year-old who has been raped, subjected to an abusive relationship, fat-shamed, aggressively hit on and judged for being openly pansexual, I thank you for making me feel this fear and for showing me just how powerless I am. Thank you for showing me how a woman shouldn't be treated. Thank you for showing me how little you truly value anyone but yourself. Thank you for showing me the true nature of American culture and society. Thank you for showing me what we look like at our worst. Why am I thanking you? Because now I know what has to be done and how the society I live in must change. I hope it happens in my lifetime. You’ve sparked something deep inside me that I never knew existed, and I’ll do everything I can to turn this spark into a roaring blaze that will take down everything you and your party stand for. I hope you and every privileged white man are ready for the generation that will change the country for the better. We’ll actually make America great.
Sincerely,
A girl who’s grabbing you by the ballot box on November 8th (not the 28th)
P.S. If it were up to me, you would’ve been fired a long time ago.
