Letter: Why I marched in Washington

I proudly marched in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, along with 500,000 others exercising our First Amendment rights. We wanted to inform President Donald Trump and his cronies that women matter.

I marched because I believe that dismantling Obamacare and defunding Planned Parenthood are wrong. Millions of people will be without medical services. FYI, abortions comprise 1 percent of Planned Parenthood’s business and federal money isn’t used for them.

I marched for gender justice, with equal pay and equal career-advancement opportunities.

I marched because I believe that the rights of the LGBTQ community are in jeopardy due to religious zealots in Congress who blatantly disregard the separation of church and state required by the First Amendment.

I marched because I believe that Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and the environment should be protected.

Lastly, I marched because I believe Trump is wrong. I can’t and won’t stand by when so much is at stake. Trump’s defense of Vladmir Putin, his violation of the Logan Act, his cabinet selections, his wall, his gag orders, his lies, his vitriolic tweets, his elusive tax returns, etc., are red flags.

We assembled, peacefully, to inform Trump that our lives and opinions count. He won by geography (and gerrymandering). His presidency does not represent the Vox Populi.

Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican president, wrote, “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Letter: Why I marched in Washington."