1. I’m a woman.
Nothing excited me more than Hillary Clinton becoming the first woman president. I mean, it was “Herstory!”, and living in a country where women have been placed second to men for most of history this was going to be a big deal. I woke up on election day happy and excited but still a little nervous. Hillary may not have been perfect, no presidential candidate ever has, but she was a woman and I took great pride in the fact that having a woman president was a possibility. Watching Trump take this election , in my opinion, is a loss for women everywhere. I was beyond prepared to have a woman break stereotypes and be able to show everyone that has ever undermined a woman because they believed they were less capable of anything, whats up. The amount of women I have seen within my community support a man who blatantly treats women like objects and dismiss his crude and disgusting comments about women by calling them “locker room talk” is quite beyond me. Hearing young girls state that they don’t need someone to “protect their gender” but their “borders” meanwhile women are being paid 77 cents to every dollar a man makes and being told what they can and cannot do with their own bodies repulses me. I expected Trump votes from the trump supporting frat boys or the rich self entitled fuckboys , but not from women.
2. I’m Hispanic.
I can’t say being a minority and living in the United States was ever a walk in the park. The amount of ignorance I have encountered from people the eighteen years I have been alive will NOT get better with our new “president”. It’s hard for me to understand how someone so hateful is going to make anything better for the minorities of this country. When he talks about deporting “the illegals”, as if immigrants weren’t human, and building a “wall” because “the illegals” are dangerous and a threat to this country , I feel offended because its hits home. Although both of my parents were able to immigrate to this country legally, there are many who cannot. It’s hard to fathom that if my life were a little different I could have been the type of person that I have witnessed first hand and works hard everyday to make their lives better in a country that is now led by a president that bullies and ostracizes them.
(P.S., Trump, you’re a bad hombre and YOU should get out.)
3. I’m a Millennial.
I was so proud to see young people come together throughout the election and address the important social issues such as racism, sexism, and homophobia that are taking place in our country. Wash U was lucky enough to hold one of the debates and the days leading up to it our campus was filled with vibrant millennials being involved and excited to participate in this election. I grew up in an environment where most people accepted each other and helped those who couldn’t help themselves. Seeing people my age preaching backward ideals and being hateful on social media is hurtful. I have never seen people become so selfish and self involved in standing up for someone who promotes such hatred. I lived a year where we took so many steps forward towards a kinder more equal society, and now I feel as if making any more progress will be extremely difficult. Before this week I truly felt that the young people of this country were making progress towards improving the parts of our community that have been holding us back, but after this election that feeling has diminished a little bit and I hope that people can come together to keep moving forward.
4. I’m Concerned.
With all of this being said, i’m very concerned. I’m concerned for the women of this country. I’m concerned for my peers in the LGBTQ+ community who have maid such great gains in the past couple of years. I’m concerned for all the people who have left their own countries , not because they wanted to but because they HAD to , and now feel unwelcome in “ the land of the free”. I’m concerned because our president is a loud, hateful, and rude bully who enjoys grabbing women “ by the pu**y” and is now in charge of our nuclear codes and economy. Most of all, i’m concerned that there were enough people in this country that agreed with this man and that the United States I thought I lived in is not what I thought it was.