I can’t help but shake as I write this article. All day, I have been unsure of how to feel or how to act. At first I was angry; my veins filled with a fiery passion to destroy the events that had taken place. This quickly turned into panic as I realized the depths of the situation I was forced into. Soon, I was upset, holding back tears as I thought of all the people who are affected by the actions of others. Finally, I landed on fear; for myself, my friends, my family, and every other person in this country that is in the same passion I am in. This fear gave way to a begrudging acceptance of the events that took place on November 8th. Half my country voted for a man who is sexist, islamophobic, against POC, anti LGBT, and an all-around bigot. Half my country had voted against me.
It’s hard to describe exactly how I am feeling. As stated in the previous paragraph, I have been in a state of fluctuation all day. Mostly I am appalled and flabbergasted at the results of the 2016 election. No matter how I think about it I simply cannot understand how such a man could be elected. There are many things that I can write about; multiple groups of people who are scared and whose voices deserve to be heard. I, however, can only speak for one group: the females affected by the election of Donald Trump. I am among the millions of woman currently mourning Hillary Clinton's loss, and yes, I do mean mourning. Last night, any hope I had for a society of equality was killed for the next four years.
I wish you could understand how it feels to be told that half your country doesn’t care about you. I wish you could experience how willing they are to ignore your rights. Many people in this country do, and they voted against Trump. Those who don’t voted for a man who has no love for anyone who does not look like him. Mostly I wish you could understand what it’s like to watch a map of your country lighting up to show all the people who secretly are against you. Trump has no love for women; he has made that perfectly clear in the numerous news clips and videos shared over the last year. The only thing he loves about them are their bodies, and that’s strictly in the sense of judging every aspect of them.
I no longer feel safe in this country. Hillary may have won the popular vote, but not by enough to justify how the people feel. The fact of the matter is Trump represents a wall for woman. By winning his behavior towards woman is justified, because clearly he can act that way and still succeed in America. Everything he stands for in regards to women is against them. He doesn’t believe we have a right to our bodies, he views us a sex objects, he doesn’t believe we belong in the workplace or the military, and he believes that no really means yes. All of these values are going to be passed onto younger generations, and that is probably the worst of it. I’m fortunate to be old enough that I understand my self-worth, but younger girls are watching this and thinking it's okay for a man to treat me that way. Young boys are watching and learning that is the way to treat women.
Trump's election is going to cause problems for generations to come. It is our job to come together and fight against him in any way possible. Join grassroots movements, write to your senators and congressmen telling them how you feel, participate in protests. Show the world and this country that women and minorities do matter. If we all come together in solidarity, we can make a difference. Unfortunately, we can’t go back and change who won the election, but we can fight against the values he stands for. This country will come out on the other side of these 4 years just fine, as long as citizens make the effort to support those he aims to oppress. I am a woman in this country, and I have been voted against, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stand idly by and let them erase me from the narrative.
