10 of the most outrageous signs spotted at the Women’s March

Oh my gosh, weren’t we just here? While there are so many things I would rather do than march, here we go again. I’m resharing this old post from the first and second Women’s March our family attended. With the historic overturn of Roe vs Wade, there are sure to be many protests. Here are some cool protest sign ideas, but seriously though, don’t forget to vote. Anyways, resharing these signs along with some thoughts and memories of being a little girl during the time of a women’s right to choose; something my daughters will not have.

I remember growing up in the 80s and 90s and my mom explaining how important abortion rights were. Another middle schooler had over simplified what an abortion was (with an obvious political and ideological bend) and I came home horrified. She explained how women died in back alley abortions before Roe vs Wade. She explained how she knew women who had had abortions. She explained how an abortion is almost always in the very earliest stages of pregnancy and is often a very wanted baby who was not viable. She explained how she would support me if I needed an abortion for rape or any other reason. I didn’t really understand it all and I had many ideological influences around me; but those conversations stuck with me. My mom used to be a liberal in a mostly conservative town and a completely conservative family. She kept quiet, though; she didn’t like to rock the boat. She was a good girl. She ‘kept sweet’ as they say…. she bottled it up like a compliant little girl. She was lady like and did what she was told….. but deep down she cared about people and maybe herself.

That woman isn’t here anymore; like; she is alive; but her compassion for those less than is gone. We haven’t spoken in years. We can partially thank Donald Trump’s fear mongering for his own gain for that. So many people voted for him; and as he gleefully announced publicly after Roe Vs Wade was overturned; he made this happen. Trump elected alt right wing judges who lied about Roe Vs Wade. I guess judges that lie don’t bother them as long as it furthers what they want. Integrity is dead. And now; my girls will grow up in an America where they have less rights over their own body than their grandmother did and their mother did. I mean, unless they fight. I’m not raising ‘keep sweet’ little ladies. I’m raising bitches who talk back. As Tina Fey says “You know what? Bitches get stuff done.”  I’m raising girls who value their education and voice over the first man who gives them attention. I’m raising girls who know their worth. I don’t think they will lie down as easy as their grandmother did.

And I can’t help but wonder to myself, did my mom share those things with me because she knew how much I liked to rock boats? Like, my spot as scapegoat was CLEARLY established by age 4. I know because my dad would often harbor back during beatings (verbal and physical) to a time when I was ‘a bitch at four’ because I didn’t do something my mom asked me to do…. at four. Anyways; I didn’t always fall in line with the status quo and I lost love from everyone before I was old enough to even understand….. but like; and maybe I am reaching here… did my mom secretly admire that? Did she secretly know it would serve me someday. Did she know it was already too late for me to be accepted in our family and community that she had whispered disdain for in private? Did she secretly wish she could do things she wanted to do? Did she secretly wish she could tell her parents and my dad to eff off when they were being oppressive? Like, it was too late for her because she was stuck, and it was too late for me because I was already ostracized so maybe she whispered those things to me to help me be stronger when I was grown?

Maybe I’m giving her too much credit. How desperately sad is it that I will bend over that far for a glimpse of love from someone who has been so cold. And from someone who rejoices in the bondage of her granddaughters.

This isn’t a completely personal reflection or judgement just on my kid’s absentee grandmother who voted for the people who overturned Roe vs Wade, it is for every Boomer grandmother out there who lived with rights and privileges and freedoms only to not protect those for future generations. Shame on all of them. One in four women in America will have an abortion by the age of 45. One in four Boomers women have had an abortion. Evangelical women and Catholic women abortion rates are similar to those who are not. Look around at church; Boomers – do you see 4 women? Statistically one of them has had an abortion; and until now; that was legal in all 5o States.

Kate, you live in California, why do you care? Um, because I don’t just care about myself. Women will die. Little girls will die. Kids will go hungry. Women will go hungry. Women will stay in abusive relationships. And while Christian Nationalists rejoice about all the babies being saved they will not adopt or foster more. I know this because I have adopted two ‘hard to place’ kiddos. I have walked those kiddos onto an Evangelical Free church campus and have heard ‘I could never’ so regularly it stopped hurting and I never ONCE heard “I am willing”. Not once. And the statistics prove that. Shame on every single adult who oversimplifies and twists abortion. Blood is on your hands.

So I guess we are marching again. Does that work? Are there other things we can do? I don’t know. I feel like I am failing my kids by raising them in America. America is a shit hole country and I am not sure it is even worth fighting for anymore.

March for Women across the Nation

Below are some pictures from Women’s Marches we have attended in the past…..

My girls. My oldest channeling her inner Princess Leia. My youngest channeling her inner RBG. Both were very well received.

Real men don’t fear equality. Sorry ladies, the big one is taken. Good news though, our son is being raised to respect your daughter and an equal. This is what a feminist looks like. If this makes you uncomfortable *shrugs*, learn about boundaries or something, or don’t, it really doesn’t affect me.

The sass is strong with this one. So F-ing proud. “Respect my existence or expect my resistance.” sign. “Join the Rebellion” Tshirt. I can hear her ancestors shaking their heads with disdain. Sorry, not sorry about how we are raising unladylike girls who don’t care about their looks and talk back.

Trump Doesn’t Spark Joy – Thank you, goodbye! 3000 points for being on trend.

My favorite sign is below.

“When you are a parent you can raise your kids the way you want.” “M,kay”

Our post from 2018 is below. The pictures are awesome! This past weekend, my oldest daughter and I attended the January 20th Women’s March. Two years ago, an organized march, rally, or protest was not even on my radar. There is so much we have become aware of in the last couple years. Hashtag “Thanks Trump”. The Women’s March is a peaceful protest that is in cities across the country and throughout the world. Women’s March signs are known for being clever, funny, and encouraging. Not everyone is into Women’s Marches, they think their ideas and signs are outrageous. If you are looking for an outrageous protest sign, these are some great ones.

The Women’s March was a worldwide protest on January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The main protest was in Washington, D.C., and is known as the Women’s March on Washington with many other marches taking place worldwide. This has now become an annual event.

A little piece I shared on KateHamArt.com

Look at all these outlandish claims. This person who thinks America is already great. Come on now, how can that be? Trumps whole platform was that he would make America Great Again. You can’t go around saying it is already great. I really wish there was a ‘sarcasm’ font available.

There are a wide range of grievance for women under the current administration, hence the Women’s March. The Women’s March is to bring awareness and advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the environment, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, DACA, and more. There is a lot at stake right now.

This bad hombre in a pink crocheted hat and his wife asked J if she would mind posing for a picture. He then asked if I minded. They both love Hamilton and loved seeing such an enthusiastic young marcher. We agreed to the photo. I sat back and watched as this man old enough to be my dad and his wife looked my daughter in the eye and told her what a great sign she had made. He asked her if she liked Hamilton and they let her know how much they liked it too. He asked her if she was enjoying the event. He told her she was brave, that the future was hers, and to always stand up for herself. It was empowering, encouraging, and validating. “They were very nice.” she said. Throughout the couple hours we were there she had several people who encouraged her enthusiasm. It doesn’t take much to validate a kid, but so many people don’t see the point. Be like this bad hombre.

There were several Veterans. We made sure to say “Thank you for your service.” to this real American Hero. We told this kind man that we thought his shirt was boss.

That tracks.

Marchers are as diverse as the issues they march for. Marchers are women, men, and children. Baby strollers, wheelchairs, and even a few scooters were seen. Conversations ranged from shared exasperation on where we are as a nation to cheerful encouragement that the group can make a difference. I expected to be surrounded mostly by people younger than me. I expected at least some frustrated yelling. Nope. Old people were all over the place. Little kids were all over the place. Encouraging men and women just all over the place. Kindness and positivity was everywhere. It felt like a giant, supportive, free, therapy session.

President Donald Trump was kind enough to tweet encouragement about the 2018 Women’s March. He’s bananas. There was a time where that might have been surprising, but by the time 2018 came around, nobody is really shocked by anything that comes out of his mouth or his Tweety Bird fingers. While many of the signs did not acknowledge Trump directly, many did. He really gives marchers ample material to work with.

This would be funny, if it wasn’t actually scary as hell.

So anyway, I promised you a bunch of outrageous protest signs. I am about to deliver. I hope you are sitting down for these crazy, out of hand, demanding, mouthy women signs.

Outrageous concept. How dare she carry such a sign. Does she have no self respect?

People seem to be over the “Boys will be Boys” narrative. The nerve of some people.

Well, this next one is just in such poor taste. Why would we discuss this in public? It’s appalling.

I mean, except that it totally checks out. Right? We have our periods every month and pretty much just go about our day.

I just can’t get over the nerve of some people. Expressing thankfulness for one of the things that makes America great already? Disgraceful.

Quoting Rosa Parks. You know, the lady who literally went to jail for sitting on a bus. That was a crime a few decades ago. Don’t forget that.

This marcher suggests that education and healthcare should be accessible to all? I’ve said it before, but the nerve of some people.

Fund Public Schools?! What do you think this is, a 1st world country?

There were an unruly amount of signs that started with “Grab ’em…”  Well, that isn’t very polite.

I mean, except that it is really just a creative spin on the current President’s own words. It’s only impolite because it reminds us of that nasty thing that President Donald Trump said. Such a nasty man. Stop giving us material, Mr. President.

OK, so maybe the sign in the back is naughty, but let’s focus on the two in the front. Hamilton quotes for the win! “Include women in the sequel! WORK!”

Seriously though, we walked for a bit with with these nice teenage girls who were there with a nice mom about my age. They were nice, strong girls that made me hopeful for the future. I haven’t felt hopeful for the future in a while if I am being honest.

This Nana walked with her daughter and granddaughters. Doesn’t she know Nanas are supposed to stay at home and be sweet and quite and make cookies and not rock the boat. Silly Nana. (You guys know I am being sarcastic at this point, right? Because this lady is #NanaGoals)

And if that one above isn’t enough Nana’s rocking the boat, check out this rad Nana. She’s all up there in years and needs a little help getting around, but she took the time to say some true things. She really has the best words…..

Standing up for yourself?! Unspeakable.

Try and tell me with a straight face that this isn’t true.

Serious question : Why do these signs even exist? Why are these things we need to still debate? We can do better than this, right? These hopes and dreams are not crazy and off the wall. Yes, I can count. Yes, I know that was more than 10. There were just so many, I had to include a few bonus photos. You are welcome.

Why did we march? We marched for a lot of reasons. Up until 2016, my husband and I considered ourselves fairly neutral when it came to politics. As registered Independents, we voted on both sides of the field; perhaps even a little right leaning.

I shared a picture on Instagram sharing a few of the reasons why we went. The photo is below.

This girl is a daughter of the revolution on my side. My ancestors have been traced back to those who fought bravely for independence from Great Britain. On her dad’s side she is a first generation American. Harry is a Latino immigrant who came to the United States with his family at seven years old. He didn’t speak any English. His dad worked multiple jobs and Harry began working nearly full time at fifteen years old. Harry became an American citizen in his early twenties while in college. From several angles, our daughter  is the American dream.

She’s a straight A student. She loves STEM. She has a passion for music, theater, and writing. She will research history for fun. She is assertive and strong willed. She is confident. Her only setback should be that she is interested in too many things. She can’t wait to go to college. This girl should have every right her brother has, plain and simple. No more, just the same amount. That’s not crazy, that’s fair. The current status quo is that she will have a much harder time achieving her goals than if she had been born with a penis. That is unacceptable in 2018. I marched because I just want a level playing field for this kid. That isn’t liberal or outrageous.

As a mom, I worry about a lot of things. As a mom of girls, I live in dreaded anticipation of their “Me Too” stories. We marched because “Me Too” experiences are just expected. That is so unfair. As a mother of a boy, I feel like I am swimming upstream in a culture that says “Boys will be Boys” and accepts less when it comes to their behavior. I just want to raise nice humans. I want to raise safe humans. I want to raise people that know they are worthy of respect. I want to raise humans that know that in America, they can do anything they work hard at. I want to raise humans that can be with people that are different than them and know that we are all worthy of love and respect. My hope is we raise kids that know that it is insane to say they have more rights than someone else. That isn’t outlandish or salacious, that is bare minimum for civilized society.