Women's March on Washington

[JewelSong]

There is a Women's March on Washington being planned for the day after the inauguration. It started as a grassroots movement and now has grown. I plan to attend and so do many of my friends and colleagues. Here is the "official" Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/womensmarchonwash/

There is a Ravelry project going on, too...we are making "Pussy Power" hats. I just bought a bunch of pink yarn. The hats are easy to knit - basically a rectangle that makes little "cat ears" when you put it on. Like, you know, a pussycat. Except they're pink. Like, you know...
https://www.pussyhatproject.com/

There are sister marches being planned in every state, for people who cannot make it to Washington.

This is shaping up to be a Very Big Deal.

I read recently that the "Age of Trump" may also be ushering in a new "Age of Activism." Seems we have become complacent about certain rights and privileges that we should not be taking for granted.

Anyone here planning on going to DC? Or joining their state-wide march?

[Túrin Turambar]

What is the objective of the marchers?

[JewelSong]

Well, this is the stated mission on the webpage:

We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families -- recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.

OUR MISSION

The rhetoric of the past election cycle has insulted, demonized, and threatened many of us--immigrants of all statuses, Muslims and those of diverse religious faiths, people who identify as LGBTQIA, Native people, Black and Brown people, people with disabilities, survivors of sexual assault—and our communities are hurting and scared. We are confronted with the question of how to move forward in the face of national and international concern and fear.

In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women's rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.

We support the advocacy and resistance movements that reflect our multiple and intersecting identities. We call on all defenders of human rights to join us. This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up. We will not rest until women have parity and equity at all levels of leadership in society. We work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.

For me, personally, it is a way to stand in union with others. To show, whether the number of people is large or small, that I support many of the rights and privileges that seem (to me) to be in jeopardy with the coming administration.

Will it "make a difference?" I don't know. But it will make a difference to ME. I have been feeling pretty depressed and fearful about the outcome of the election and the direction our country seems to headed. This makes me feel that I am doing something concrete - however small.

[Lalaith]

I will look into the sister marches to see if there are any in Ohio. If there is a march nearby and you don't run out of time, I'd love a pussypower hat! I can't knit, or I'd try to make one for myself.

[Cerin]

Could someone please explain this use of the word 'pussy'?

edit

I mean, why are women self-identifying as pussycats? Isn't that a rather sexist notion? And why 'pussy' cats? Why not just be a cat, if you want to be a cat, given that the word 'pussy' is a known slang/derogatory term for a part of the female anatomy?

[JewelSong]

Cerin, it is a play on words. And a riff on Trump's "Grab them by the pussy" comment. And a way to own a word that was meant to be derogatory.

From the Pussyhat Project page:
We love the clever wordplay of “pussyhat” and “pussycat,” but yes, “pussy” is also a derogatory term for female genitalia. We chose this loaded word for our project because we want to reclaim the term as a means of empowerment. In this day and age, if we have pussies we are assigned the gender of “woman.” Women, whether transgender or cisgender, are mistreated in this society. In order to get fair treatment, the answer is not to take away our pussies, the answer is not to deny our femaleness and femininity, the answer is to demand fair treatment. A woman’s body is her own. We are honoring this truth and standing up for our rights.
.

[Cerin]

Cross-posted with my edit, Jewel. Thanks for explaining.

[Túrin Turambar]

To be honest, I don't like this idea of protesting against Trump based on things he might do. Clinton in her concession speech that "we owe him an open mind", and this doesn't give that impression. Given that there were major protests at Bush's second inauguration in 2004, it looks like every incoming Republican presidents must expect mass protests as a matter of course. In which case, it is very easy for the Republicans to make the argument that the American left simply does not accept democracy. Or, more pragmatically, I don't see how a 'Pussy Power' march will contribute anything to winning back Michigan, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania.

[Frelga]

How about the things he has already done - his proposed appointments? Or things he failed to do - condemn acts of bigotry and violence committed in celebration of his election? What, exactly, do we have to see before we are can stop owing him any benefit of doubt?

[JewelSong]

Túrin, I think you are misunderstanding the overall purpose of the march. While some people might be there specifically to protest Trump, the larger purpose is simply to be heard as women (and male allies.) yes, Trump has not yet taken office, but many rights we had started to take for granted are already being eroded. I am thinking of Heath Care and reproductive rights as a start. Ohio tried to pass a bill that would prohibit abortion after six weeks...before most women even know they are pregnant. 18 states have laws prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks, ignoring the fact that most women who have later abortion do so because of severe fetal abnormalities or other life-threatening issues. Access to birth control is being restricted. Medicaid and Medicare are in danger of being cut or changed to a "voucher" system. Basically, everyone who is a minority or otherwise marginalized feels threatened.

The "pussyhats" are just a very small aside...this is not a "Pussy Power" march, but a gathering of women and men to show support for each other and let people know they are not alone.


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[narya]

I'm going to the sister march in Oakland California.

When I think about why I'm going I queue Helen Reddy's "I am Woman" in my head. According to Wikipedia, "The song came near the apex of the counterculture era and, by celebrating female empowerment, became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement."

More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Woman

I was in college in the 70s when women were just starting to get a foot in the door. We went from reading "Help Wanted Male" and "Help Wanted Female" ads in the newspapers, to the glimmer of a hope that we could have an equal chance in the workplace and elsewhere. I was something of a vanguard, enrolling in engineering. Here's the song:

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman

I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long, long way to go
Until I make my brother understand

Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can face anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman

I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman

~~~

Of course, 45 years later we are still making less money, often treated as second class citizens, treated as physical objects of sexual gratification, and not taken seriously. But it has gotten better.