I do not think this election panned out how anyone expected. I went to bed seeing that Trump was in the lead, but was by my parents that it was still too early to tell. I woke up around 4 a.m. and saw about a dozen texts on my phone. "oh my god." "Are you seeing this" "I can't believe it". That's when the pit in my stomach formed. That's when I knew we would not be seeing the first female president be elected this time around. I truly do not believe this is the end of the world, as so many of my fellow Americans do. Instead of focusing on the outcome, I want to dive into why this election was still so important for the race to equal rights.

I have been more than proud to call myself a feminist ever since I was first introduced to the term. It fueled me because who the hell doesn't want equal rights? The idea that women do not get paid as much as men makes my blood boil, and the notion that my body can be controlled by a man who probably hasn't seen a vagina since his birth makes me want to scream. Hillary gets a lot of negative press, the emails, the scandals, etc. etc. Understandably, that's going to make some people, apparently a majority, be very weary of supporting her. For a while I, supported Hillary because she represented my social views. At some point I, would even say "For me, she's the lesser of two evils." Something a majority of Americans unfortunately say during elections. However, debates came around and I started doing more research on her.

I fucking love her. I had tears in my eyes when she spoke about women's rights during the debates. She was never scared of voicing her opinions, and Donald's antics never made her waver. Not once. To me, Hillary Clinton is a rock that the ocean waves keep beating, keep trying to push, but she will not budge a bit. She is exactly the type of fearless, strong-willed, take no shit woman I aspire to be one day. And sure she's a 'lil sneaky -- but aren't we all?

So this election didn't pan out they way we all thought, and it hurts my heart to hear from friends how afraid they are for this country. However, I am still proud to call myself an American, as I'm sure Clinton is too. Hillary may not go down as the first female president, but she has paved the way for us in the same way Susan B. Anthony did almost a century ago. Women's rights are human rights, and if this election proved anything, it's that we still have a battle to fight. But that doesn't mean America isn't great, we are still a work in progress. This country is full of intellectual and passionate people who's voices we will hear rise above all of the hate and bigotry that is being spread from both sides at the moment.

Hillary, it has been an honor to shatter glass ceilings with you. This most certainly won't be the last time we hear from you, and I look forward to your 2020 campaign (I mean, let's be serious lol). We are stronger together, Trump supporters, Hillary supporters, Stein and Johnson lovers (all 5 of you). This is not the time for us to divide up. Love and cherish your neighbor. Then we can form a rock that won't even teeter when they ocean waves come crashing on us.

We will continue to work, strive, and push towards a progressive and positive future.

Thank you, Hillary. I had the time of my life moving mountains with you. Progress does not end here.

#staynasty