On Saturday, January 21, 2017, thousands of women went down to Washington D.C, to protest Donald Trump’s presidency. Along with all the women that marched, a large sum of men protested as well, and I was one of them.

To some, it may seem weird to be a male at a protest called the Women’s March on Washington. However, it was not. Really, the word “women” applied to anyone who wanted to stand up for anyone’s rights that could be taken away under the Trump presidency.

As a male at the march, I did not feel weird or out of place. I think that I was part of the group, standing up for what I really believe in. I also believe that all other men at the march really cared about not just women’s rights, but equal rights for everyone in this country.

At the march, it did not seem that any one group was in the foreground, even though the word “women” was used as the title of the march. I felt that I was actually appreciated and valued for being there, despite the title of the protest. All other groups of people there were accepted, and everyone there was treated equally.

Although the march was a great protest for human rights, getting there and trying to get around was quite difficult. I took the Metro to get to Washington D.C. and it was quite crowded. It was very hard to get onto and off of the train and the high number of people made it difficult to stay with the group I was with.

However, once I got into downtown Washington D.C, things ran more smoothly. Luckily, many streets were closed, so it was quite easy getting to where I needed to. Walking towards where the main protest was very easy and smooth. There was plenty of room in the streets of Washington D.C. for the protesters to walk.

But, once my group got to where the speakers were it got much more difficult to walk around. People were quite packed together and I could not really move unless I squeezed through groups. Personally, I was a bit disappointed that I could not see any of the speakers from where I was or hear their messages about equality.

There were many interesting signs at the Women’s March. One in particular said “I don’t usually protest, but jeez!” which stood out to me because it exemplified the alarm that many people felt after the election of President Trump.

In the weeks following the Women’s March, other groups have expressed desires to organize protests and marches. There are many scientists who would like to hold a protest, because the Trump administration has generally denied certain scientific facts, especially global warming. If the administration continues to deny these facts, I would be open to attending a protest on those issues as well.

The Women’s March on Washington was not a protest that was just for women. It was for any group of people or person who believed that anyone’s rights would be taken away or limited because of the Trump presidency, which is a cause I believe in and supported by attending the march.

Featured photo courtesy of Katie Bordner.