On Tuesday, I stood in line for over two hours to vote and I was ecstatic to do so. Voting for the first female president had been the dream for so long, two hours was nothing compared to finally uprooting the patriarchy. I had listened to months worth of Sam Sanders and Ron Elving reassuring me in their incredibly steadfast bipartisan tones that this election would turn out okay. I believed that this was it.
Tuesday night, I watched, shell-shocked, absolutely devestated as the numbers came in. Today, I was numb. The city streets were quieter, even the bus passengers were more somber than usual for public transportation. A gloom fell over the city.
As a white, cisgendered female from the Midwest, I feel disgusted with my privilege going forward in this "presidency." While equal-pay, reproductive rights, paid maternity leave, and so much else is as at stake for women, I still cannot help but feel incredible empathy and sadness for those who will have their true safety and livelihood affected.
Friends who are LGBTQ, Muslim, Jewish, Latino, immigrants, or otherwise seriously fearing for their futures, I stand with you. I realize I can never truly understand how you must feel, but I hope you can accept my small, dramatic social media pledge. Please know you are loved and valued in this country.