A Letter From A Straight, White Male: I'm Sorry

I woke up last Wednesday morning and looked at my phone. The first notification read: Donald Trump to win enough Electoral Votes for U.S. presidency.

I put my phone back down. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I wanted to go to the gym and workout my frustration. I wanted to get back in bed and call-out of work. I wanted to do anything else but accept this current reality. So I started to write.

I watched the cursor blink at the top of the blank page, questioning what it was that I wanted to write about. I stared back at it unsure. The only thing I felt like writing was “I’m sorry.” I thought we were better than this.

To the women I know, all of my female friends (who are most of them) and my female loved ones, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that the majority of the country you live in didn’t care about the chauvinistic, abusive language. I’m sorry that they didn’t care about the toxic masculinity and misogyny. I’m sorry that they didn’t care about your right to have a say in what happens to your bodies. I’m sorry that, for the 45th time, a man holds the highest office despite how qualified the woman was.

To the people I know and love who belong to the LGBTQ community, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that the man who held a rainbow flag with his name poorly written on it in Sharpie is masquerading as your “champion.” Especially when his Number Two believes that you can be “converted.” I’m sorry that the argument over what fucking bathroom you have to use is only going to get worse. I’m sorry.

To my friends whose skin is black, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that your President thinks you “come from the inner cities” and thinks “you already have nothing to lose.” I’m sorry that he believes that the solution to your problems is “law and order.” I’m sorry that the first Black American to be the president of the United States of America was replaced by a white man who thinks that $1 million is a “small loan.”

To any Latina or Latino who may believe that this is no longer their America, I’m sorry. You make America great. Inclusion is what makes America great. My family came here as immigrants, albeit a long time ago. You don’t belong here any less just because the decade is different. I’m sorry if the man in the ill-fitting suit makes you believe differently. He’s wrong.

To those of the Muslim faith, I’m sorry. You are not “a Muslim.” You are not “a terrorist.” You are an American. You are faithful. You are good. I’m sorry that we forgot that the First Amendment doesn’t just protect our right to say mean things to each other. I’m sorry that we started to assume the worst. I think it’s because we’re scared. That’s not an excuse. The actions of a minority shouldn’t speak for a quarter of the world’s population and I’m sorry that we think they do.

Look, it may be odd that I’m apologizing on behalf of half the country ― I didn’t vote for him. But I don’t know what else to do. I won’t look for a way out or brush up on how to become a Canadian citizen. I will continue to take a stand on what I believe in. We’ve made a lot of progress over the last eight years. It was progress that we fought hard for. We’re just going to have to keep fighting.

Here’s the thing though: When I checked my phone this morning, I felt one very odd realization... things will not change for me. As a straight, white, male, this doesn’t affect me like it affects you. And that’s shitty.

And I’m sorry.

This post originally appeared on Thread Lightly.