Last weekend’s nationwide Women’s March was reassuring. It was a fine way to greet the morning after the Republican government shutdown, a year after the inauguration of the current regime, and a year after the first Women’s March in Washington, D.C. It included women of all ages and colors. 700,000 marched in Los Angeles, 150,000 each in Philadelphia and Sacramento. There was a history-making gathering of 120,000 in Austin while San Francisco counted 200,000 and Chicago, 300,000. I saw a photo of marchers braving -16 degree weather (wind chill -40) north of the Arctic Circle in Utqiagvik, Alaska. Here in Milwaukee and other Wisconsin cities, media reported several thousand. And, it wasn’t only women. There were men as well.
And I saw signs representing Black Lives Matter. In Indianapolis, rainbow flags lead the march. Rainbow signs were present here in Milwaukee, too. FORGE, Women’s Voices Milwaukee and Diverse & Resilient were present as well as politician JoCasta Zamarripa and some of my favorite lesbians.
In all, one can safely say, millions marched not only for women’s equality but, in mutual support, for freedom and love for all and against hate and division. They marched not only for women’s rights but also for immigration, inclusion, LGBTQ rights, voting rights and social justice.
Women have always been a political factor to be reckoned with. Remember the ancient Greek play, Lysistrata? Or that Eugène Delacroix painting, Liberty Leading the People? Or our own Statue of Liberty? Gay men owe them as well. During her AIDS Walk Opening Ceremony remarks, actress and Honorary Chair Jane Lynch, mentioned the role women, especially lesbians, played in the fight against HIV/AIDS during the first years when government complacency allowed the infection to spread without any organized intervention. Locally, many women, lesbian and straight, served as emotional support volunteers, health care providers and fundraisers. The pandemic’s tragedy was mitigated by initiating a historic momentum that brought the LGBTQ community together. We should never forget the critical role women played then and should recognize and join it now.
It is clear to these millions of marchers, as it should be to us all, that for all the Republican antics and distractions, the future of our rights is in the hands of this regime’s judicial appointment. The results of the 2018 election could provide the obstacle to put a halt to it. To this end, more women and minorities are running for office than ever before.
In other recent news of woman power, thanks to a law suit filed earlier this month, after receiving an “undesirable” discharge from the Air Force in 1955 during the McCarthy Lavender Scare, now 90-year-old Helen Grace James has been issued an Honorable Discharge.
Speaking of veterans, Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient (she lost both legs in combat) Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth chastised the president’s attempt to politicize support of the military calling out his five-deferment draft dodging with the epithet “Cadet Bone Spurs.”
And just two weeks ago, AIDS research activist Mathilde Krim died at 91. Together with Elizabeth Taylor she founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research, receiving the Presidential Medal for Freedom for her “extraordinary compassion and commitment.”
