On Jan. 19, people from across Colorado gathered at Civic Center Park in Downtown Denver to champion women’s rights. The Womxn’s March started at 9 a.m. with rousing speeches and songs from speakers. At 10:20 a.m. the crowd began to walk, circling the streets of the Colorado State Capitol Building. Chants cascaded over the marchers. Some chants maligned President Donald Trump with their lyrics, while others celebrated the movement.
Estimates from organizers said that 80,000 people were in attendance, down from last year’s roughly 100,000 marchers.
Signs bobbed up and down as the march continued. Some signs celebrated the record breaking 102 women serving in the House of Representatives starting this year, other signs demanded the end of government persecution and some questioned the unequal social treatment that women face, with one sign reading “you want to keep the blood and the milk hidden as if the womb and breast never fed you.”
The Womxn’s March made more steps towards inclusion this year. They changed the “E” to an ‘X” in an effort to include those who identify outside the gender binary. In addition, they wanted the name of their movement to acknowledge the transcendent nature of sexism. When asked about the name change, a member of the leadership team, Angela Aste, said, “There are a lot of people on the gender spectrum that are experiencing sexism and we wanted to signal to them that their voices are incredibly welcome with us.” She recognized that the name change was not without controversy, saying that it made some feel discluded.
That was not the only controversial aspect of the Womxn’s March this year. Womxn’s March leaders were accused of celebrating anti-semitic worldviews and espousing those worldviews themselves. The movement has been grappling with their identity ever since, because one of their fundamental tenets from the beginning was working with all races and religions.
The temperature was in the mid-30s and ice covered the ground due to the snow fall from the day before. In spite of the cold and controversy, marchers in Denver joined marchers across the country, demanding equality and celebrating strength.
