by Rachel Lamb, executive editor

After 18 months, the presidential election is finally over. An election that has been defined by fear has ended with a sharp divide of celebration and immense anger, coupled with an ongoing fear of what the next four years will hold. The reaction to the election results have been quick and intense. People are extremely upset, perhaps more upset than after any election result in the past 100 years.  Yet why are people upset? Are these protests legitimate, or should people give the next president a chance, leaving the past 18 months behind as we move into the tenure of the 45^th president of the United States?

Trump has been a different candidate than any before in American history.  His hateful rhetoric has shocked and deeply insulted millions of people across the country.  He has taken immigration policy to new extremes and openly attacked minority groups.  He has been accused on multiple accounts of sexual assault and has called women dogs.

Many of Trump’s more controversial statements have been widely reported in the press.  However, the actions of Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, have been less widely reported.  Pence, the former governor of Indiana, sent a message of hate directed at numerous groups, particularly the LGBT+ community.  In Pence’s Indiana, it was a felony, with a punishment of up to 18 months in prison, to lie on a marriage license, and a gay couple must lie on the form because there was only space for a man and women. He also stated that AIDS funding should be taken away and diverted to gay conversion therapy, a practice harshly condemned by activists across the country.

Such hateful rhetoric is hard to forget and even more difficult to forgive. And with the announcement of Trump’s presidency, millions of people feel personally scared and attacked if not by Trump, but then by some (not all) of Trump supporters. Since Trump’s win, there has been an uptake in racist attacks. Muslim women have been attacked and had their Hijab’s pulled off, and people across the country have been targeted and deeply insulted.  Swastikas have been drawn on Jewish students’ doors, and at the University of Pennsylvania, many African-American students were added to a racist Group-Me that gave lynching dates and spouted racist attacks.

Yet despite the widespread hate, it is more important now than ever to reach out to people who are different and move past the isolated bubbles many people have managed to enclose themselves in. Both Clinton and Trump supporters have legitimate pain and fear that needs to be addressed. It leads people who oppose Trump into a conflicting area, people need to reach out and try to understand people with drastically opposing views, and at the same time stand up against and acknowledge the pain Trump has caused. They are contradictory ideas, but both are equally important to build a country where love trumps hate.