On January 21, 2017, millions of people all over the world came together. In America alone, over 2.9 million people marched together peacefully to support other people.
Over the last few days, I've seen multiple points of view on the marches. I've seen people's posts explaining their support, their lack of support, their lack of understanding of why people wanted to come together in the first place, and everything in between.
I've seen a ton of positivity on social media regarding the marches. But I've also seen a lot of hate.
There have been plenty of people who have said that people who went to the marches have nothing to fight for, because women already have rights in America or because they're just upset that the person they voted for lost the election. Some of my Facebook friends have even said things like this:
There's even other people like Christy who says she doesn't need to march.
But I think there are a few things some people don't quite understand.
I did not go to the march because the person I voted for in the election lost.
I did not go to the march to say I strongly dislike Donald Trump.
I did not go to the march to promote hate of any kind in any way.
I did not go to the march because I had nothing better to do.
I did not go to the march to say women are better than men.
I did not go to the march because I'm a "pretty little snowflake" who's just upset and doesn't understand what's going on.
But I did go to the march. And here's why:
I went to the march to show my support of women.
I went to the march to show my support of men.
I went to the march to show my support of people who don't identify as a woman or a man.
I went to the march to show my support of people of all colors.
I went to the march to show my support of people of all religions.
I went to the march to show my support of all people in the LGBT+ community.
I went to the march because there are people who couldn't march, for whatever reason, even though they wanted to.
I went to the march because I believe every person in America and everywhere else in the world has the right to do what they want with their body, no matter what my personal beliefs are.
I went to the march because I believe every person in America and everywhere else in the world should have access to a quality education in a safe and friendly environment.
I went to the march because I believe every person in America and everywhere else in the world should have access to at least some form of health care, no matter their financial status.
I went to the march because I believe every person in America and everywhere else in the world should have access to science and art programs.
I went to the march because I believe no person in America or anywhere else in the world should be exposed to hate of any kind.
I went to the march because I believe every person in America and everywhere else in the world have the right to a healthy planet and clean water and air.
I went to the march because I believe no person in America or anywhere else in the world should be discriminated against based on their sex, the color of their skin, their religion, who they love, where they come from, or for any other reason at all, ever.
I am a straight, white, middle class, privileged American who went to the Women's March on January 21, 2017 because I care about other people, no matter who they are, what color they are, who their God is, who they love, or if their views or beliefs align with my own or not.
And I went to the march to show my support of equality for all people. Period.
So to those of you who still don't understand why millions upon millions of people marched together all over the world, maybe you should take a step back and look at things from a different angle or review some definitions (start here: To People Who Don't Think They're Feminists).
