Broken

Wednesday, November 9, 2016
6:00pm Central European Time

Last night was one of the worst of my life.  I am nearly certain that the United States of America's decision to elect Donald Trump as President is the most important world event of my lifetime.  I am honestly terrified of what the next four years in the United States--the land of the brave, the home of the free--will bring.  The sadness, devastation, and betrayal I feel is almost unfathomable. 

I cannot understand how so many Americans can support a man whose campaign and actions are founded on hate, bigotry, fear, and ignorance.  As my grandmother said this morning, what a black day this is for the world.

Watching Hillary Clinton's concession speech, I began to cry.  God, it was beautiful.  It shattered me, because it showed me what a stunning president the United States could have had.  When she spoke of the ideal that all people--women, men, immigrants, LGBT people, people with disabilities--deserve the exact same opportunities and the exact same chance to achieve their dreams, I mourned the choice that America made.  When she said that she was honored to be the champion of young women, I felt that she was speaking directly to me.  Her speech gave me hope in humanity, that all people have good in them that they will harness to make the world better, regardless of this election's poor outcome.

Thank you so much for being my champion, Hillary.