I went to sleep the night of the 2016 Presidential Election full of hope. Hope that we as a nation we would have shattered the glass ceiling, hope that we would have set this country onto her feet again, dusted her off so that she may strut her stuff. Instead what I feel is fear. Fear mixed with equal parts of shame and dread. Fear of what same future holds, shame at what some of my country people did, and what the Electoral College did, and dread at what those actions will bring.

I am a woman who came of age in the 80’s, when the first generation of “Yuppie” Women were told we could do and be anything we wanted to be. We could work, have families, children, powerful careers. In short, Have it ALL!!. Or we could forego the family for a career if that was what we chose, there was no shame or judgement. We could clear our won path and make our own way. Roe v. Wade was part of that great shift, women had full control over our bodies, we could make reproductive decisions, we had access to birth control, money and in some ways power. Roe v. Wade has been slowly whittled away, state by state, as the Religious Right believes that abortion is a Religious and a Political decision not a personal or a medical one.

In the past decade my friends in the LGBT community have fought their own battles. Battles to love their own way, to end discrimination in the workplace, to adopt children as a couple. to marry and have that marriage validated and recognized in every state in the union if the relocate. Finally on July 26, 2015 that became the law of the land. LGBT couples rushed to marry in every state that had denied them the right before. As a resident of Massachusetts LGBT couples had enjoyed that right for many years, but if they relocated there was no guarantee their marriage would be recognized in another state. A fact that I find both reprehensible and sad. Who you love is not a choice, it is biology, pure and simple.

I have tried to be upbeat and positive and not mourn the choice of this election, and wait to see how things have played out. As President Elect Trump has announced 2 of his cabinet members that positivity and patience has begun to wane. Trump has announced his Chief Strategist-Stephen Bannon. A man who is best known as a White Nationalist, an unabashed Anti-Semite and a racist, he also has has published writings that are very hateful to American Core Values. He is the one who scares me the most, who espouses my fear the most. He reflects everything that I didn’t want about a Trump Presidency. A man who believes it is his way or no way. A man who has more in common with Rush Limbaugh than any Political Moderate. This announcement was followed with his Chief of Staff as Reince Preibus. The current RNC Chairman, is the appointee who is trying to calm us all down. He is the peacemaker, not that I see any peace on the horizon in this presidency.

I am trying not to be an alarmist, I really am, I am trying to let things play out, honestly I am. I was raised to listen to all points of view before you jump to any conclusions. But my point of view is this: the amount of hate and discontent that has been bubbling just below the surface in this country has finally found a voice. It found a voice in the form of an Old White Millionaire that promised to Restore Jobs, Deport Immigrants, and Make America like it used to be in the Ozzie and Harriet Days. I happen to be of the mindset that things in the 50’s were neither glorious nor wonderful and those days aren’t gonna be so great.

So in that notion I am not gonna mourn this election, or protest the results because neither will any good. I am gonna find the best outlet I can and I am gonna fight. I am gonna fight for the continuation of Roe v. Wade, fight for my friends in the LGBT community and fight to keep the idea of Affordable Care alive. We need all need access to Health Care, not just the ones that can afford the best care, everyone does. No one should be forced to choose between medication or rent. I was raised to stand up for what i believe in, and these are things that I believe in. No one will tell me different, and I dare you to debate me. Bring it on!!!