It was in the final instalment of the bizarre trilogy of celebrity-endorsed grudge matches (aka the Third Presidential Debate) when Donald Trump assured us all by declaring that “nobody has more respect for women than I do. Nobody.”
As the auditorium broke out into laughter, the moderator responded by urging “please, everybody” in an attempt to silence the sniggering crowd. Meanwhile I realised that Donald Trump and I (not to mention most of the planet) have a very different definition of respect.
Indeed, respect for women (and for that matter, immigrants, ethnic minorities, the disabled, in short, anyone who isn’t coated in white skin, fashioning a designer suit and pumping with testosterone) is something that has been discernably lacking from Donald Trump’s track record. This was highlighted again only yesterday when former Apprentice star Summer Zervos announced she is suing Donald Trump for defamation in relation to claims he groped and aggressively kissed her – and then called her a liar.
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Respecting women doesn’t involve threatening to dismantle the Affordable Care Act which provides access to free birth control. Respect for women most certainly isn’t assigning Mike Pence, an ardently anti-abortion advocate to be your vice-President. Respecting women, to me, doesn’t entail grabbing them by their genitals, in the same way that it doesn’t entail thinking that your fame enables you to “do anything to” them.
Respect isn’t bragging on the radio about being able to watch women getting changed in the Miss Universe pageant dressing room. Respecting women also isn’t about telling a group of kids that you will be dating one of their friends in ten years.
I know that this man was a Trump-alike; I would expect him to make a similar kind of comment. Unfortunately, I think every woman has had a run-in with a Trump-alike. Despite his repetitive public outcries that the allegations are false, are no longer relevant because the events happened a decade of more ago or the use of the apparently excusable “locker room talk” (an excuse that I would argue is offensive to locker rooms), Trump’s attitude is far too familiar to far too many people.
This is why, on Saturday (Jan 21st), the day after the inauguration, a Women’s March will be taking place in Washington. It started off as a grassroots movement in the days after Trump’s election, but after the Facebook event went viral, it swiftly snowballed into a worldwide movement.
There are currently 386 “Sister Marches” scheduled around the world, from Seattle to Nairobi, Auckland to Rome. The reach of these demonstrations is unprecedented.
London is no exception. 17,000 people (of all genders and races) have said that they will be attending the event on Facebook. The March will assemble outside the US Embassy on 24 Grosvenor Square at 12pm.
From there, the demonstration will make its way through Park Lane, Pall Mall, Piccadilly and then on to Trafalgar Square where the final rally will gather from 2pm.
The Women’s March claims that it is not an anti-Trump march. It is a proactive demonstration about women’s rights and a display of solidarity with minority groups. Yes, there are a million injustices that could and should be demonstrated against and the mindset of one man isn’t necessarily deserving of all of this activity and attention, but this attitude of blatant disrespect for the “other” can no longer be tolerated.
There is a reason why these marches are taking place the day after the inauguration of a man who has undeniably condoned an attitude of nationalism, racism and misogyny and has understandably ignited a global initiative in condemnation of this attitude. I will be joining the Women’s March in London because I, unlike President Trump, am an individual who knows what respect actually is.
