How Do We Respond?

When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining—another beautiful fall day.  For a few moments I could almost hope that last night was just a bad dream.  Then my husband turned on the radio.  Hillary Clinton had conceded and Donald Trump will be our new President.

How can this be?  How did this happen?  A foul-mouthed, narcissistic, xenophobic, and totally unqualified candidate beat the most qualified candidate in the history of the United States?  What will happen to our country?

My first reaction was despair.  Do we really have that many citizens who are so hateful or so apathetic towards other people that they could vote for this man?  My heart breaks for the marginalized people in this country.  I have many friends in the LGBT community and I see their pain and fear reflected in their Facebook posts.  Other people are panicked about losing their health insurance.  What will my Muslim friends have to face?  How about refugees and other immigrants?  There is no sympathy for the homeless from Trump and his supporters.  And there is a video of Trump making fun of a disabled man.

As a woman I am bitterly disappointed that Hillary Clinton , a very qualified candidate, will not be our first woman president.  Instead we have a man who shows no respect for women; he mocks us, objectifies us, and he has even been accused of sexual assault.  The night before the election a Facebook friend added me to the “secret” group Pantsuit Nation.  Someone even started a group for Idaho women.  Women shared their stories and posted photos of themselves voting with their daughters or their mothers.  We have been through so much and have waited so long to be more than second class citizens.  Women posed in their pantsuits, a sign of solidarity not only with Hillary but with other women.  We are holding each other up.

Today I attended an event of unity for people of faith, organized by my interfaith group.  This was not easy because I underwent major surgery just 5 days ago.  However, I really wanted to be there.  This was planned weeks ago and we had hoped for a different election outcome.  We gathered in our Capitol rotunda while clergy led us with reflections, prayer, and music.  I witnessed many hugs and tears.

Is unity possible?  I don’t know.  Our nation is deeply divided.  The side promoting inclusivity lost.  It seems like the haters won.  Will they really want to work together when much of Trump’s rhetoric was about excluding people?  Hillary Clinton said we need to give him a chance to lead.  Time will tell.

For me, this is not a time to wring my hands in despair.  I will refrain from angry words and hate towards those with whom I disagree.  But I will not be silent.  I will continue to stand on the side of justice because that is where my God calls me to be.  I will work for the protection of all of God’s creation—the Earth and all living things.  I will take the hands of my gay and transgender brothers and sisters, my Muslim friends, homeless neighbors, and immigrants and I will walk with them.  I sincerely hope that these election results will inspire others to have the courage to stand up.  We must move forward together in love.  It’s the only way.