Every man, other than columnist Jonathan Chait, was welcome at women’s marches across the country today. We talked to a few of the men who attended the Women’s March in Washington D.C. We tried really hard to make it into a jokey, lighthearted feature but unfortunately, they were incredibly thoughtful and we were sincerely moved.
Q: Who made you come today?
Tommy Jones, 22: I did. I’m here with my four friends and my girlfriend.
Q: What about a Trump presidency makes you feel personally threatened or afraid? I worry about my girlfriend’s ability to get birth control. It’s crazy how people are trying to restrict a woman’s access to care.
For me, it’s also about honoring the Paris climate agreement and getting renewable clean energy. This new administration doesn’t care about the environment and is full of liars.
Why are you in a tree? Someone helped me up here. I wanted to be able to help direct traffic.
Who made you come here today?
Graham, 32, former Marine: My mom.
Q: What about a Trump presidency makes you feel personally threatened or afraid? He’s using fear to motivate people. That is embarrassing and scary. His connection with [the leadership of] foreign countries is weird and borderline unpatriotic. And somehow he used people’s fear of immigrants and different belief systems to drive people out to vote.
Are you gonna get a date out of this? I don’t know? We’ll see!
Did you remember to invite Jonathan Chait? I have no idea who that is.
Q: Who made you come today?
Man who asked not to be photographed or named, due to his job: Nobody. I’m here with my husband and our friends.
What about a Trump presidency makes you feel personally threatened or afraid? I feel threatened as a gay man, but I’m much more worried for undocumented people, Muslims, and women. As a white gay man, I’m ok. I don’t feel personally threatened, but I think he’s un-American.
Did either of you invite Jonathan Chait? ….Who?
Q: Who made you come today?
Nicholas, 13: [Very quietly] I want to respect women’s rights.
Do you think Donald Trump respects women? No, I don’t think he respects women at all.
Nicholas came with his mother Nikki, his dad, and his three-year-old brother. Nikki said she brought her sons so they could witness history. “Without us, there would be no them,” she added.
Who made you come today?
Craig Ostovitz, 40: I’m here with my wife and daughters. [Nearby, Craig’s daughters pogoed up and down excitedly]
What about a Trump presidency makes you feel personally threatened or afraid? He’s so ignorant, and he’s proud of it. [One of Craig’s daughters, nearby, joyously shouting: “Stupid! Yuck!”] He’s detached from reality. He lies like a sociopath.
Did you remember to invite Jonathan Chait? He got invited by so many other people, I didn’t feel the need.
Craig’s wife Stephanie Rizk, 39: We’re also really concerned about affordable health care for women in our family.
Craig’s daughter Quinn, standing with her twin sister Ailsa: We were chanting, “You may have won the battle, but we will win the war.”
Who made you come here today?
Victor, 33: I’m here of my own free will.
What about a Trump presidency makes you feel personally threatened or afraid? I don’t know if I feel personally threatened. But it’s revealing a lot of truths about the country that people might not have wanted to recognize. I wasn’t surprised when he got elected. Domestically, I don’t feel threatened but internationally is a different story.
Did you remember to invite Jonathan Chait? Who’s that?
Who made you come today?
Travis, 33, an engineer from West Virginia: Me. I’m here with my family.
What about a Trump presidency makes you feel personally threatened or afraid? Not me personally, but I’m concerned for everybody else: Muslim people, minority religions, minorities in general.
Did you invite Jonathan Chait: Uh, no.
I came for her and for her [gesturing at his wife and daughter]. I don’t care about the politics part of it. It’s just about decency to people.
Who made you come today?
Dog wearing “I’m With Her” jacket: [Sniffing grass, rudely ignoring a reporter’s questions]
Fine.
Who made you come today?
Kenneth Sherman, 80: Women. They’re the most abused by the Trump agenda: defunding Planned Parenthood, taking away healthcare for women and contraceptive services. And then there’s the way he abuses their personalities. I’m here to support the women’s movement as well as Democrats Abroad, where I was a superdelegate during the DNC.
What about a Trump presidency makes you feel personally threatened or afraid? I’m concerned about Trump eventually building a wall between Canada and the U.S. border. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit. Canadians already feel threatened by a Trump presidency.
Did you remember to invite Jonathan Chait? Jonathan…?
Doesn’t matter.