About seven weeks ago, I was riding in an Uber in Bozeman, Montana, overlooking fields and mountains while my female driver happily chatted about upcoming developments. presidential election. More specifically, he was extolling its virtues. Donald Trump And what a wonderful man he was.

Should I say something?I was curious?

After eight years of trying to convince Americans of Trump’s evils – I’m starting with my 2016 PEOPLE article followed by numerous follow-up articles and interviews – I was exhausted. What more can I say? Forget about it.

I was in Montana for an interview an eight-time Oscar-nominated actress She is known for portraying strong, courageous women, including her role as the US vice president, and is still basking in the excitement of the weeks leading up to the DNC, which the VP attended. Kamala Harris He kicked his ass. And where passionate Michelle Obama He stood up and made the following call to the country:Do something!”

But I was sure nothing could be done in the red state of Montana. Nothing I could say would have any effect.

Until…

“So…the women who say Trump got them,” the driver continued angrily as we stopped at a red light. “They were all lying! Fox’s Maria Bartiromo said so.”

Effing Fox NewsI swore in my mind. I wondered if this woman knew these things. Had a debt of $787.5 million For spreading false statements after the 2020 election.

I leaned forward in my seat.

“Really?” I said, looking at him through the rearview mirror. “Well, one of those women is sitting in your backseat right now.”

He looked up in surprise. Our eyes locked.

For the next 10 minutes, I described my harrowing experience at Mar-a-Lago in 2005, when I went to interview Trump and his wife for PEOPLE about their first wedding anniversary. I told him that after Melania went upstairs, he took me into a room, pushed me against the wall, and stood over me and forcefully kissed me. I told him how many times I pushed him away and the ugly things he said to me.

And finally, I described how, when I arrived for my pre-arranged massage appointment at the Mar-a-Lago spa the next morning, the “wonderful guy” shocked the massage therapist by showing up expecting to find me naked on the table. only.

By the time we arrived in the parking lot of the local Super-8, I had converted my stubborn Trumpist driver. He could see that I was telling the truth, and more importantly, it impressed him.

“You convinced me,” he said, shaking my hand before driving away. “I’m not voting for him”

If miracles exist, I thought, I just witnessed one.

Why a miracle? Because for nearly a decade it has been nearly impossible to change the faith and vote of a certain type of voter—the kind enmeshed in the right-wing propaganda woven into the Trump cult. The other women and I had little success doing this, and now with Donald’s third challenge for the Oval Office, we were gun-shy and battle-weary.

By “other women” I mean the nearly dozen women I am friends with almost 50 (including two) new ones Those who have recently gone public with their personal stories of Trump’s sexual harassment of them. To our little support group “weird sorority sisterhood.” We are a unique community that no one wants to be a member of, but for which each of us is extremely grateful.

Since Trump won his first presidential bid in 2016, we have implored the country not to elect a serial looter to the White House. Last year, I testified in court For E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against him and the jury. Found Trump responsible for sexually harassing and defaming herordering him to pay the total amount $88.3 million in damage between two jurisdictions.

All the while, sorority women were harassed, received death threats, and branded as political operatives and liars by Trump and his supporters. (Last week, I received this love note from a Bible college graduate living in the pivotal, swing state of Pennsylvania: “You are a lying piece of trash.”)

We are none of the above. The sorority house includes this writer, a yoga teacher, a makeup artist, an actress, an event producer, a radio show host, a college administrator, and an abuse advocate. We are mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters trying to make a living, do our duty, stay calm, and carry on.

A few of us recently broke out of battle-weary mode and made videos warning the country about what Trump’s second term will look like for women — a dystopia, The Handmaid’s Tale nightmare.

We hosted an emotional meeting last week. “Survivors Against Trump” Zoom with other sexual assault survivors and advocates. The hour of sharing stories left us emotionally raw, but proud to have followed Michelle Obama’s inspiring DNC directive.

“It’s time for us to stand up for what we know in our hearts to be right!” he said.

We are trying. God knows we’re still trying here.

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Conservative women across the country are denouncing Trump; some because they know me, but I hope it’s not just them.

The women of America — me, my new sister, and tens of millions of other women I don’t know — are making our voices heard loud and clear all the way to the White House.

Our message is this: After two and a half centuries of men ruling this country, it is time for women to take responsibility.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to: rainn.org.