Although I fiercely oppose Donald Trump, I had not taken part in any demonstration against him. I'm generally not the demo type and I have no interest in blocking highways, destroying property or assaulting police officers. But perhaps most importantly it's because I generally disagree with the left-wing politics of those who organize and participate in these demonstrations.
So I hadn't given much thought to attending the Boston Women's March. But then I listened to Trump's inauguration speech yesterday. "When you open your heart to patriotism," said Trump, "There is no room for prejudice."
Whatever lurks in Donald Trump's heart there is ample room for prejudice. After all, Trump had plenty of room for prejudice when it came to Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a man he judged by his parents' national origin not by the content of his character. Trump has never shown a moment's remorse for that statement. How can anyone believe Trump has no prejudice in his heart?
I stewed about it for a few hours. Then when I told my roommate I was strongly thinking of taking part he told me he was going to the march with members of his church. That clinched it. My roommate isn't generally one for demonstrations either. The last one he attended was 14 years ago at the beginning of the War in Iraq.
Sure I could have written yet another blog post against Trump, but under the circumstances I wanted to do something a little more public and the Boston Women's March seemed like an opportune forum. It was aimed at a broad spectrum of society so it would be a family affair. Something I would feel comfortable being a part of for a few hours.
Again, I knew I would have little in common with most of the other marchers. When I arrived at my roomie's neighborhood church in Jamaica Plain, I saw a sign which read, "God isn't a boy's name." There were other signs that left a great deal to be desired such as "Ask me about my feminist agenda" (no thank you), "White Silence=Violence" and "Paul Ryan Needs to Have a Period"(that one should have included a question mark). But there were some amusing ones such as the one with Trump and Rod Serling or the one with the caption, "We Shall Overcomb". I was also grateful I couldn't hear most of Elizabeth Warren's speech.
This demo included the usual suspects - Planned Parenthood, ACLU and various LGBTQ groups. Chances are such a gathering would have taken place if Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or even Jim Gilmore had been elected President, But I don't think those crowds would have been so large. Organizers were originally estimating 25,000 people. More like 125,000 people.
The organizers clearly weren't expecting these numbers as the crowd in Boston Common could barely move to the demonstration route on Charles Street. Eventually, a number of us broke away from the crowd and headed to the other side of the Common where we marched on a short stretch of Boylston Street.
I do believe the anger towards Trump is genuine. His "grab them by the pussy" remark on the Access Hollywood tape hits close to home for a lot of women and it was reflected in their homegrown signs such as "This Pussy Fights Back" or "My Country Isn't Your Locker Room".
Say what you will about the people who attended the Boston Women's March and their views. They came to protest peaceably. There were no roads blocked, no property damaged and no police officers injured. Their reasons for coming might have different than mine. But that's alright. We don't have to agree on everything and maybe even most things. What we share is a mutual distaste for a man whose character and temperament is unfit for the office to which he has been elected. The best we can hope for is that the people who supported Donald Trump in November will eventually come around to that view.
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