An open letter to my Trump-voting neighbors

TL;DR - we have to learn to live with each other.

To the Trump voters of Minnesota, from someone on the other side:

I’m not making this post to attack you. There's been a lot of that going around, and while it might feel cathartic to make another rage post, it won't accomplish anything. You may have been called names based on how you voted before - I certainly have.

All I want to ask is for us to treat each other with compassion. There are over five and a half million people in our beautiful state, and we're closely divided on a lot of issues. We voted for Harris by a slim margin, and much to my disappointment, she lost the election. Now, we have to live with each other.

I don't know why you voted the way you did. Maybe it was frustration over an economy that, I agree, leaves plenty of people behind. Maybe it was concern about immigration policies you disagree with. If your vote was about bigotry or opposing abortion rights, I might hate your choice, but I can't hate you. I don't want to see you hurt or jailed. I don't think you're "the enemy within." I hope you feel the same about people who voted differently from you. The media, especially social media, want us to hate each other, but we don't have to do it.

I hope you’ll have some understanding why many people in our state and our country - especially your sisters, daughters, and other women in your life - are scared right now. Scared that they might lose their civil rights, scared that the environment we all live in will be hurt, scared that the harshest voices supporting Trump will be in charge. I know that some people on your side are glad about that fear, about “owning the libs.” But if you want us to be less divided as a country, please try to see us not as enemies, but as your fellow Minnesotans.

We care about ensuring our families can afford food and mortgage payments, just like you. Most of you care about keeping our lakes clean and our lands healthy, just like us. We care about keeping our neighborhoods safe, just like you. Most of you want same-sex couples to be able to marry, just like us. Where we have common ground, let's do something positive about it.

I’m not asking anyone here not to be angry or passionate about politics - I know I am, and I’ll continue to strongly oppose Trump’s policies and rhetoric. I’m not saying I want to be friends. But I don't want to hate you, and I don't want you to hate me. This is Minnesota. We're better than that.