21 Women Who Inspire Us To Make 2017 A Better Year

17. Jill Gutowitz

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: writers are critical in leading change, especially now, especially young writers who have an eager foot in the door. That’s Jill Gutowitz. Although she has numerous articles in publications like Cosmopolitan, Complex, and Teen Vogue, one Huffington Post piece stands out to me the most. This was published November 9, 2016, the day after the election. Titled “Mad, Marginalzed And Mistreated: How Wednesday Morning Feels,” Gutowitz rips at your heartstrings through a narrative of her experinces at a gay bar in West Hollywood when the shocking realization set in that Donald Trump would soon become our 45^th president.

"“This place we’ve spent countless nights in dancing, sweating, kissing, smoking, drinking, laughing, felt such joy in, built a community in, fell suddenly barren and silent. I looked around: black people, Muslims, disabled people, gay people, trans people, gogo dancers in speedos standing still, holding hands—we all just stared at each other. We were scared. ‘What’s going to happen to us?’ I overheard as I downed my third Stella Artois.”"

As gut-wrenching as it is to relive that night by reading her article again, I find myself with a sense of hope, a sense of community.

"“We have to fix this. Learn from this. Your white privilege has simultaneously won and expired. Use your voice. If you’re reading this and thinking, ‘suck it up,’ that means you have the privilege to be unaffected by this travesty and god do I envy you. It’s like Hillary said this morning in her courageous speech, ‘Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.’ Donald Trump is #NotMyPresident, but he is yours. Speak up.”"