Photo: getty
Whatever this thing is we've got going here feels gooooooood.
By Kim Hays — Written on Nov 07, 2016
The 90-year-old woman who died just days after casting her ballot for the first woman president.
The Baby Boomer who recounted wearing pantsuits as she was sexually harassed in her workplace.
The woman who recalled being told she was too pretty to be a doctor.
The mentally challenged man who told his brother, after voting, that Trump reminded him of all the bullies who picked on him during school.
The “Southern Gentleman” repping for those guys south of the Mason-Dixon line who get a bad rap.
The mixed race couples. The gay and lesbian couples.
The parents of adopted Latino and Asian children. The single moms and dads.
The parents of trans, gender-fluid and questioning children.
Nasty, nasty women and the people who love them.
These are just a few of the people I’ve fallen in love with in Pantsuit Nation, a magical utopia of Hillary Clinton supporters, a group whose only rule is “go high!”
Started just two weeks ago, the secret Facebook group has swelled (only by word of mouth) to 2 million members. It was started a way to encourage voters to wear pantsuits to the polls to show their support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
"[Pantsuit Nation] is not a place to convince anyone how great she is. It’s a place to celebrate how great she is," is how founder Libby Chamberlain described it to Mashable.
A friend catapulted me into this virtual love fest/pep rally Friday night, and since then I’ve been addicted to the inspirational stories and photos being shared there. (Thanks, Suzanne!)
I had been sinking slowly into a funk as news reports kept coming in that the presidential race was a virtual tie … and that even legendary presidential picker Nate Silver was giving Republican candidate Donald Trump a 35 percent chance of winning.
And seeing a man get beaten at Trump rally for holding a "Republicans against Trump" sign and another man wearing a T-shirt that says "Rope. Tree. Journalist." didn't help my mood any.
I was scared. No. I was petrified that hate would win. I was making plans for taking my activism to new levels — and how to explain to my kids — should Trump take the election.
But these stories on Pantsuit Nation — heartfelt, brutally honest and from every corner of the country — have lifted me from my funk, given me courage to stand up for my beliefs, and hope to know that everything will be OK.
These are the stories changed everything for me.
They got me up off my butt to cast my vote early (and dress in red, white and blue, no less) — and to force my children to stand in line with me for half hour so they could be part of history.
You, the teen who texted her mom: “Mom, we MUST go buy pantsuits!” you did it.
You, the Georgia woman whose husband has NO idea you're voting the opposite of him (and your entire family), you did it.
You, the 10-year-old who looked in the mirror and said “Wow, I look like the president,” you did it.
The young woman with Down Syndrome casting her first ever vote, you did it.
The Muslim woman, a daughter of immigrants, canvassing alone in Iowa, you did it.
YOU are the America that I believe, in my heart, that we live in. You are the America I love. Even we lose, we are the winners.
And if this is Hillary Clinton’s version of America: DEAL. ME. IN.