A little bit about me:

I am 19.

I am a woman.

I am a Christian.

I am a student.

I am a Republican.

I am a Trump supporter.

Yes, when I cast my ballot November 8th, I penned in the bubble next to the name Donald Trump.

For a few days, I kept this to myself and quietly tried to defend him by saying, we need unity now and we need to give him a chance. I am not ashamed of my vote, but of my attempts to keep it a secret.

My opinion does not define me, nor should it affect the way people think of me. It is after all, simply an opinion. However, I should also not feel afraid to share my opinion with others as I have felt this past week.

My mind was made up that I would be voting for Trump back in May when it became clear that he would be the Republican nominee. As someone who loves politics and who has taken a Political Science course every semester of my college career, I can assure you that I was paying very close attention to the election from the beginning- I believe all of the festivities started around August 2015- and the decision I made was based on a lot of research. I mean if you have ever taken a Politics class, you know it doubles as a research course. No, my research did not include mainstream media. I think it should be common knowledge that the media does not always share facts, more often than not it shares opinion pieces using exaggerated stories in order to accomplish some sort of agenda. An unbiased source is hard to find but it will allow you to form your own opinions, so if possible I suggest putting in the time and effort. After learning about Donald Trump from extensive research, I felt certain that he was not only the most qualified leader for the job out of the choices we had but the right man for the job. A topic I am more than willing to discuss but another day. There is a far more pressing issue at hand.

I believed and still believe, that America is at a crossroad and we need to determine which way we are going to go from here.

Everywhere I look, I am surrounded by the hateful, racist, and demonic(yes, I would most definitely constitute telling an entire subset of people to go kill themselves because of who they voted for demonic) messages aimed at everyone who bubbled in the same bubble as I did. It is not okay to do this to anyone, anywhere, no matter what their race, gender, religion, or beliefs are. This hatred does nothing but promotes more hatred. Is hatred not the very thing these same people attacked President-Elect Trump for? If you do not support or like Trump, I understand that and that is perfectly okay. What is not okay is the malicious threats and actions against anyone with a different opinion than you yourself hold. Is that the kind of America or world you want to live in? One where when someone disagrees or does not get their way they then take that to the extreme and incite riots and provoke more dis-contempt in the world through their actions and words?

It is a sad day in America when I feel as though I cannot express my own opinion on something like our next President of the United States of America for fear of people judging me unfairly. Just because I support Trump does not mean I agree or support everything he has said or done. No, many of those things are indeed inexcusable. It is ironic how so many people are saying exactly how inexcusable the things he says and does are but they themselves turn around and do or say the same thing, just in a different way or context. Can you not see the hypocrisy in that?

What purpose does all this hatred have anyway? It cannot change the results of the election nor can it positively affect anything. There is only two things hatred is doing, invoking more hatred and further dividing our country at a time when we need to be coming together.

Hatred of all versions should never be tolerated and we should have learned that by now throughout the many eras of suppression and hatred. Hatred accomplishes nothing.

"We will seek common ground, not hostility. Partnership, and not conflict." - President-elect Donald Trump

It is time for ALL of us as Americans to take a step back. Take a step back and gather your own personal thoughts and beliefs. Ask yourself what kind of country do you want America to be. Learn about the government and the legislative process(especially the electoral college, the powers of a President, and the checks and balances system). Talk to others and learn from them and their beliefs. Then, ask yourself, what is the best way for America to become what you want it to become based on your knowledge and beliefs. I can guarantee you that the answer you will come up with will not be rioting and spreading hate. What we as Americans need more than ever in an effort to move forward is to knowledgeably and PEACEFULLY, help President-Elect Trump do what is best for the American people. that in itself is best for all of us.

Peaceful ways to do that:

Write to your Congresswoman or Congressman.

Write directly to the Trump administration.

Create peaceful protests or gatherings in regards to pieces of legislation or want or do not want to be passed.

Start a social media campaign(peacefully) advocating your issue.

Try to look at everything from all sides, not just one.

Exercise your civic duty as Americans and vote. That, more than anything, shows those in charge what the citizens are yearning for.

As George Washington said in his farewell address,

"The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty".

This is Our America and we are all in this together. We have a choice, we either unite and become stronger together with all of our voices and opinions being heard, or we further divide ourselves due to a lack of respect towards one another's opinions and beliefs. What kind of America do you choose?