We can agree to disagree – I already have. If you choose not to, I’d ask that you kindly remove yourself from my space before spouting off any hateful language.

I am American. I am not happy with the recent turnout of this 2016 Presidential Election, concerning both candidate and supporters. We have seen a rapid decline in our nation recently, one which is terrifying to many “secondary” populations… LGBTQ, POC, Muslims, disabled folks, women… Sorry if I’ve missed a group, but I’m thinking about all of you nonetheless. As a woman with disabilities, I am with you and I am scared too. I cannot yet sort through these feelings of an America under the rule of Trump.

In this election, we saw the corruption of our government and our society both rear their ugly heads. We were cheated into two terrible candidates. Many of us did not–and still do not–like Hillary, maybe just as much as we disliked Trump, but we knew we had to settle on her. She was more qualified for the position, and many of her campaign promises meant the forward movement of our social justices, even if it meant a corrupted politician doing it. President as her title meant something entirely different than giving it to Trump. In the end, we all knew no one would be happy. We just didn’t expect this to happen.

You might not find Trump all that threatening. “He’s just talk.” I don’t necessarily find him a danger by himself. But that’s just the problem, isn’t it? Half of America sided with him. Not everyone who cast their ballot with his name meant to do so against the minorities in this country, but there is a large amount who did. They do not like gay communities wanting equality, they wanted to strip women of their right to vote, they want to deport more than just illegal immigrants. Don’t say it isn’t true. Trump has already set the United States back 60 years.

Hate crimes, violence, and sexual assault have all drastically increased in these past 48 hours, because “this is Trump’s country now.” Yes, yes, these crimes all existed prior to this man even being born, but they have INTENSIFIED since he was elected. If you deny it, you are arrogant. And yes, I will say I have seen crimes against Trump supporters on the rise too. Everyone who is targeting opposing political views at this point is an asshole. Stop. We are better than this. Trump being our President doesn’t give any of us the excuse or the right to act like his mouth depicts us to.

While nothing is set in stone just yet (because we have a chance to sway the electoral college and prevent this man from running our country), I say let’s accept right now, today, that Trump will be sworn in as the 45th U.S. President this upcoming January. Accepting it does not mean rolling belly up and shutting your mouth, letting the violence slide and just going with the flow. We can push against the current in so many ways. If you are not happy, I suggest you find the way which best suits you and DO IT, as long as you aren’t harming other peoples’ property or lives.

Some may protest, making their voices heard either on social media or while standing tall on our streets. To be seen. To let Trump look and see he is not wanted, and to let others look and see we are not afraid to exist.

Some may create, writing to escape this or to bring its face fully into light, making artwork to invoke emotion about this experience, or even videos and movies so that others can look and try to understand.

Some may do nothing. They are not bad people. This is how they can deal with the world right now, because this shit is freaking hard, and not everyone has the extra strength to fight this. We must step up for them.

All of us are in the same boat. Why rock the boat to fill it with water and drown everyone on board? Why purposely sink the ship? Why jump overboard? We need to plant our feet firmly and wait for the landfall. At times, it might feel like quicksand, like we may end up over our heads. It looks as though half of America is against us. Look at the big picture though: Half of America is with us.

It might be a terrible 4 years, or maybe everything will work out, but we cannot lose ourselves, and we cannot divide ourselves. We are better than those who voted for Trump just to suppress us. We are more intelligent. We do not need a bully to speak for us or give us power. We are Americans, all of us, and we are here to fight for the land of the free, the battered and broken, and we will survive this.