To Whom It May Concern,
On November 5, 2024, history repeated itself in the most tragic way. Once again, many of you placed your faith in a man who has proven himself unfit for leadership, whose legacy of chaos, deceit, and cruelty speaks louder than any of his empty promises. And now, the consequences of that decision will fall hardest on those already fighting to survive—queer people, women, marginalized communities, and yes, even the working-class white voters who believed his lies.
This isn’t just about politics. It’s about life and death, rights and oppression, freedom and tyranny. The power structures that brought us here—the patriarchy, systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, and the cult of personality—have enabled a tragedy. But you had a choice. You could have broken that cycle. Instead, you chose to perpetuate it.
History has shown us the terrors that emerge when leaders wield unchecked power to divide and harm. We’ve seen it in authoritarian regimes that stripped away rights, silenced dissent, and turned entire populations against each other. And yet, here we are again.
Let’s be clear: voting for Donald Trump is like watching The Hunger Games and rooting for President Snow. You chose a figurehead of a system that thrives on the suffering of others, a man who pits us against one another to maintain his own power. But unlike Katniss and the people of Panem, we don’t have a rebellion with a mockingjay symbol leading us out of this dystopia—at least not yet.
This election was not a choice between two evils. On one hand, we had one of the most qualified candidates in American history—a woman who has dedicated her life to public service, who has fought tirelessly for the rights of others, and who has proven her ability to lead in the most challenging circumstances. On the other hand, we had a man who has spent his entire life undermining those very principles, whose presidency and campaign were built on lies, cruelty, and self-interest.
And yet, you chose chaos over competence.
Consider the horrors of the Trump administration’s first term:
• The separation of children from their parents at the border, with no plan for reunification.
• The rollback of protections for queer people and women, from healthcare to workplace rights.
• The emboldening of white supremacists, culminating in acts of domestic terrorism.
• The mishandling of a global pandemic that cost hundreds of thousands of lives unnecessarily.
You lived through those years. You saw the pain and suffering they caused. And yet, you voted for it again.
Perhaps you believed his rhetoric. Perhaps you thought his bombast was refreshing. Or perhaps you felt the system was so broken that tearing it down entirely was worth the cost. But you failed to recognize the real cost: the lives and freedoms of those already on the margins.
When the next four years bring further attacks on human rights—when abortion is outlawed, when LGBTQ+ protections are dismantled, when people of color face even greater systemic violence—it won’t be an “I told you so” moment. It will be a tragedy, and you will be responsible.
You cannot say you didn’t know. The warning signs were everywhere, blaring in bright, unmistakable red. You ignored them because it was easier than confronting the truth.
History will judge this moment, and it will not be kind. It will remember that you had a choice between a leader who could have built something better and a demagogue who will burn it all down for his own gain. And you chose the latter.
But more importantly, the people whose lives are destroyed by this decision will not need history books to remember. They will carry the scars of your choice in real time, every day.
I hope one day you understand the enormity of what you’ve done. I hope one day you reflect on the terror you enabled and the lives you betrayed. Until then, the rest of us will be fighting—for our rights, for our communities, and for the future you tried to take away.
Sincerely,
Someone Who Refuses to Give Up
Gemma Ortwerth 
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