I’ve seen a lot of people asking questions about the Women’s March on Washington, on Los Angeles, and on cities all over the world, including Antarctica. Most of the questions are about the purpose of the march that took place on January 21st, 2017, just one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Perhaps some of the confusion comes from people looking for one single message, or one single cause. If so, they’re search is much too narrow — there were many issues that were represented at the march. What started as a “Women’s March” became so much more.
FYI — I do not expect to get all of these right, and fully complete. So please, if any one of these issues is one you feel passionately about, I invite you to comment and provide more information (either side of the issue, provided you are debating and providing facts, not calling people names and linking clear misinformation). Alternative Facts will not be tolerated here.
Why did we march? Why was it a day after the Inauguration? Was it really about Donald Trump?
Yes, a large part of it was about Donald Trump. But it goes deeper than that. It’s about the rhetoric and agenda of the Republican congress as well. Yesterday was Day 1 of the new administration. What better day to let the new administration know that people are paying attention to what is going on, and what issues are important to us?
But nothing has happened yet. Why not give him a chance?
It isn’t about what HAS happened. It is about what has been promised, what has been suggested, and what is starting to happen.
If you were able to attend, you witnessed first-hand the myriad of issues that were addressed and important to all of the people in attendance. For those who weren’t able to attend, here are some of the issues:
Planned Parenthood – The Republican Congress has been trying to defund PP for years, giving the reason that they provide abortions, which they don’t want to pay for. The fact is that about 3% of Planned Parenthoods services are for abortion, and none of those services are paid for by Federal Funds, as it is already illegal. Defunding PP would leave women in poverty stricken neighborhoods with no critical care, as PP is often the only provider in the area that they have access to.
Women’s Right to Choose — This is an ongoing battle, and is certainly not a new issue. Mike Pence has promised to overturn Roe v Wade, with the expectation that they will be able to appoint new, more conservative judges to the Supreme Court. Women’s Rights includes the right for women to choose whether or not they want to have a baby. Let’s not get into the more difficult late-term abortion discussion here. This issue alone is quite sensitive, and can become the topic of a completely separate thread. There were many who noted that Pro-Life groups were not included.
My take on the exclusion of Pro-Life groups: The goal for the March was to focus on Women’s Rights (and ergo “Human Rights”). While I completely get that the Pro-Life movement believes that Human Rights includes the rights of the unborn, there was also an overall goal of a peaceful march. Pro-Life, or specifically, Anti-Abortion, is a very volatile issue, which would likely have resulted in a great deal of ugliness. The two groups are simply not compatible, as the Pro-Life movement’s primary goal ultimately requires control over what a woman does with her body. This is counter to what are uniquely considered “Women’s Rights.”
Black Lives Matter — they do. Yes, all lives matter, but if the Black Community experienced what the white community experiences, there wouldn’t be a need to talk about it. If you have a problem with the phrase, just add “, too” to the phrase. Maybe that will help. This issue focuses, in great part, on the fact that young black men are being shot and killed by police across the country in contrast with similar encounters with young white men that do not turn violent. It’s a problem; it needs to stop.
Thinking – there were a lot of “Make America Think Again” signs. Personally, I loved these. Kelly Ann Conway’s assertion this morning that Spicer, the White House Press Secretary simply presented “alternative facts,” underscores the need for Americans to stop every day and consider the information being presented to them. It’s frightening. Trump insists that his Inauguration was the “most attended in Presidential History,” when photographs and other facts easily prove otherwise. In case you’re not sure, “alternative facts” are lies.
Muslims — Trump ran a very anti-Muslim campaign. Muslims are less safe around the country than they were before his campaign started.
Immigration — Trump ran a very anti-Immigration campaign. Immigrants are less safe around the country than they were before his campaign.
Healthcare — Most people are not against changing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). They are concerned that the ACA will be repealed without being replaced, leaving a gap in coverage, which could easily result in loss of life for many people. We are reasonable — feel free to replace the ACA with something that will work better and be more affordable, but it needs to be available for all Americans. Congress recently took a “check” vote that indicated that most Republicans are comfortable with repealing the ACA and replacing it “later.” This would leave that gap in coverage that I am talking about. That would be irresponsible and disastrous.
Water – there was a group representing the Dakota Pipeline demonstrators. This is not something that was started by Trump, but he is now inheriting the issue. and his business friends are on the side of the pipeline, not Native American rights, land rights, or protecting the environment.
The Environment – hours after the inauguration, the government website on Climate Change was taken down. It is not an issue they plan to address. This goes along with the “Thinking” issue. Science and Facts are no longer relevant to this administration. Instead, the more convenient “Alternative Facts” that support the administration’s agenda are preferred. Trump intends to increase our coal production, and disregard the science behind Climate Change, which could have serious ramifications for the world we leave to our children. (Trump is on record saying that Climate Change is a hoax perpetuated by the Chinese.)
Education – Trump’s choice for Secretary of Education has no background in Public Education whatsoever. Her primary qualification is that she is wealthy. I encourage you to look for the video of her hearing. She was really good at deflecting and not answering questions. Her response to many of the questions was “I think that is better left to the states.” That should make her job really easy – no National standards, and let the states worry about their own quality.
Russia – Lots of information lately about this. I saw several signs reading “I can see Russia from here,” or “I can see Russia from the White House.”
Sexual Assault – Anyone who has been paying attention to the campaign should know about Trump’s language, claims, and the accusations against him. A lot of people have indicated that they just don’t care, or that it doesn’t bother them. This issue is related to the hats worn by so many women in the crowd (most pink, mine was purple). See the pussyhatproject.com for more information on the hats. Add to this the recent sentences handed down to convicted rapists — months, 3 months, etc. A recent Police Commander in New York asserted that “date rape is not as bad a rape by a stranger.” A judge in a recent rape case asked a woman why she didn’t “just keep her legs closed.”
LGBTQ – American hase voted in a Vice President who believes in “conversion therapy.” This is a community that is always at risk, from simply walking down the street safely to which bathroom they may use.
Bullying – Trump’s dialog is classic bully talk. I grew up with it. Name calling, inciting others to go against each other, lying. His behavior has “normalized” bullying, essentially “making it okay.” It’s not.
Trump, himself — he needs to be held accountable or what he says, because what he says is also what he does. He’s being held accountable for “grabbing women by the pussy,” for “bad hombres” and “nasty women.” He’s being held accountable for his obsession with tweeting, his need for constant attention, and the fact that he seems to think that he is now “king,” his kids are “princes and princesses,” and that Congress is his “court.” He doesn’t seem to understand how the government works, the content of the Constitution, or the fact that he works for us now. He refused Intelligence briefings, has stated he doesn’t need them because he’s so damn smart, and has worked hard on discrediting and shutting down media. Many of us see in his behavior signs of dictatorship. The spread of misinformation, the attempt to control media messages so they are only positive about him are classic moves. These are things that you nip in the bud early – you don’t wait until our First Amendment has essentially disappeared. Because next to go will be our personal freedoms. Yes, it’s all in the Constitution, but our rights have to be enforced to make them meaningful.
The photo at the left was taken at Trump International Hotel. As approached, the crowd began to boo, indicating disapproval of Trump’s refusal to divest himself from his businesses, making it possible for him to profit from his position as President. Many Americans believe this creates quite a conflict of interest. You can also see they are gesturing their disapproval.
Not Just Women – I’d like to point out that there were a lot of men out there supporting women’s issues. Unless all men recognize the issues that women uniquely face, we’ll never move be able to get them resolved.
That’s what I’ve got for now. Please comment, and add anything I may have missed.
I’ll add more photos to the bottom of this post, but before I go, here is my favorite sign of the day. It really resonated with me, because I’m not really someone who usually gets politically involved. I’ve voted on both sides of the ticket throughout my life, depending upon who was running, and what issues were prevalent during that time,and how I felt. I have always believed in casting an educated vote, so I take the time to watch debates, read both sides of the issues, and talk to a lot of people about their opinions. But this time, it was something I felt very strongly about, and clearly a lot of people across the world did as well. If people in Antarctica thought it was important enough, then really, everyone should take a look around and consider what’s important, not only to them, but the people they love, and the people who are in the community in which they live.
Okay — Favorite Sign:
And the rest of the photos:
