In light of recent events, as a country, we have become divided. We are broken. We need fixing. This divide has been long standing, looming over us for a long time. We have tried to fix it before, but we have only patched it, and now, it has completely broken in two.
It seems as though everyone you talk to has one of two viewpoints politically. It was either Hillary or Trump. While there are a few third party exceptions, we knew from the beginning that this was the reality, and as the election grew closer, the divide grew larger.
Speaking to you as a woman who voted in support of Hillary, I can see where you may read into this letter wrong, but I am not here to judge you. I am not here to yell at you. I am not here to harm you in any way with my words.
I will not say that I accept your views. I will not say that I understand why you voted for a man like Donald Trump. I will not say that I will support him. I will, however, say that we are broken, divided, in need of repair. We can no longer distance ourselves from our peers because of a decision that cannot be changed.
I speak to you on behalf of Hillary supporters to tell you how we feel and to help you see where we stand so that we can come together as a nation and fix what we have broken over the years. While all might not share my sentiments, I do know a large amount feel the same way I do.
We are not angry, we are upset. We are not vengeful, we are scared. We are not full of hate, we are full of love. We feel invalidated, hurt, alone. We feel as though a majority of this country does not respect our rights as women, as minorities and as LGBTQ+ community members.
Though our political views might be different, we can agree that our votes were placed in the common belief that our country needs fixing. Through this we have created a divide unlike any other, but we all voted the way we did for a reason.
I cannot sit here, writing to you, as though I support the decision that was made, because I do not; WE do not. If I had, my vote would have been different. The reality of the situation is that this man will be the next president of the United States. I can sit here and write to you, try to appeal to your inner humanity, try to tell you that this man will be bad for our country, and try to reason with you, but in the end, my words cannot change what happened.
This is, however, not a message of defeat. This is not my standing down and allowing you to tell me my viewpoints are wrong. I will accept your beliefs, but I will not surrender mine.
We will continue to stand for what we believe in. We will continue to fight for change. We will continue to fight for the rights of the oppressed, for minorities, women and the LGBTQ+ community. We will not stand for vengeance, but we will stand for freedom. We will stand for our rights. We will stand for what we believe is right, because after all, wouldn’t you have done the same?