Trump’s presidential victory had completely caused permanent damage among families divided in terms of their political views and stances.
Gayle McCormick, 73 years old, separated from her husband of 22 years after a major political dispute had made her realize that they are not the same people anymore.
McCormick, who’s a retired California prison guard was aghast when her husband revealed during a dinner with friends that he voted for Trump.
McCormick told Reuters, "I felt like I had been fooling myself. It opened up areas between us I had not faced before. I realized how far I had gone in my life to accept things I would have never accepted when I was younger."
McCormick told PEOPLE, “I was in shock. It was the breaking point. The Trump issue was the catalyst. It took us many, many months to make this decision. We went to counseling and saw a priest. This wasn’t a snap decision.”
McCormick said that she was really surprised to find out that her husband voted for Trump, knowing that she's a progressive Democrat.
She added, “We are just too different. It had more to do with the fact that I had not been true to myself for so long and that I had not stood up for myself for so long. I need to recapture myself. It’s hard and not an easy thing. I love him and I want him to be happy.”
McCormick responded from all the hate that he received from the news of her separation:
“I have received an alarming amount of hate mail from people who either did not read the entire article or who simply missed the point altogether. A wise political science professor, former Auschwitz prisoner, told me to "beware of the true believers.
“I feel that many of the Trump supporters fall into that category. They believe I left my husband because of political dissent, rather than a re-examination of my betrayal of my fundamental character.
“The "if you're not with us, you're against us" mentality is destroying hope for negotiation and unity. I do not think calling me profane names was a good way to cause me to change. Pity is what I feel for those whose vocabulary is so small that filth is all they can utter.
“I am free to be me. I am grateful to have been born in the United States of America and I'm not going anywhere. Peace, love, and don't give up the faith.”
McCormick’s decision was based on what she ultimately saw herself as. Her husband being a Trump supporter was only a part, albeit a huge and influential one, of what really made her open her eyes and look through herself.
