Activism

Dan Savage writes at The Stranger: I didn’t think I’d see a worse president than George W. Bush in my lifetime. But here we are. So I’m bringing back ITMFA buttons and adding T-shirts and, yes, red hats to the ITMFA collection. Go to impeachthemotherfuckeralready.com or, if that’s too much typing, ITMFA.org to order some ITMFA swag for yourself or …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: A day before the newly sworn-in president was set to visit Philadelphia, the streets in front of the Loews hotel in Center City became a gathering place for protesters to dance, chant and express their hopes for the next four years. Philadelphia police estimated that more than 1,000 people were demonstrating as part of a “Queer …

LGBTQ Nation reports: Former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory is not too popular in his home state these days, after costing the state millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs due to boycotts over the anti-LGBTQ law he signed while in office. Turns out McCrory is unpopular outside of his state as well, as a video posted Facebook user Udai …

3.5 million views already. JMG reader Michelle points us to this great performance at the Women’s March by a group of young singers, some of whom hadn’t met in person before yesterday. From their website: To bring her music to the march, MILCK has formed an all female choir called the #ICANTKEEPQUIET choir. The #ICANTKEEPQUIET Choir is an all-female super …

New York Magazine reports: Millions of people across the world marched on Saturday to show their support for women’s rights in response to the U.S. presidential inauguration of Donald Trump. Estimates from two university professors collected from local news outlets puts the number of U.S. marchers somewhere between three and four million, though estimating crowd size is notoriously inexact. Still, …

UPDATE: Bumping this post back to the top because attendance has eclipsed the organizers’ wildest expectations and appears to be exceeding yesterday’s inauguration. More than 600 “sister marches” are happening all over the world and the main Women’s March begins in Washington at 10AM. Pre-rally events are already underway and several live-streams are embedded below. Via the Washington Post: Today, …

Via press release from the ACLU: The American Civil Liberties Union has taken legal action seeking documents on conflicts of interest and violations of the Constitution and federal law posed by President Trump’s and his family’s business interests. The organization also released a Seven-Point Plan laying out how it intends to challenge other Trump policies and protect the Constitution. The efforts are made possible by the organization’s new Constitution Defense Fund, …

ET Online reports: Celebrities who oppose Donald Trump are not sitting out this Inauguration. The night before Trump is to be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, A-listers came out in droves for the “We Stand United” rally in New York City. Stars including Alec Baldwin, Julianne Moore, Cher, Mark Ruffalo, Shailene Woodley, Marissa Tomei, Robert …

NBC News reports: A weekend of protests over the inauguration and presidency of Donald Trump began Thursday night with police in Washington, D.C., using pepper spray on protesters demonstrating outside a pro-Trump event. Hundreds rallied outside the National Press Club, where the event billed as DeploraBall, was being held, NBC Washington reported. Some demonstrators set off smoke devices in the …

USA Today reports: Brandishing rainbow flags and signs that read “Queer Love” and “Trans Power,” scores of activists marched Wednesday night toward Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s rental home in Northwest Washington, D.C. Days before Donald Trump’s administration is expected to take over the White House, activists planned what they described as the “Queer Dance Party at Mike Pence’s House.” They …

Pink News reports: The editor of top German newspaper Die Welt has made a surprising statement saying that Germany should be “more gay” in order to tackle the problem of Donald Trump. As the paper is known for being conservative, the comments in an editorial from the paper’s editor in chief Ulf Poschard came as a surprise to some. His …

AlterNet reports: The resistance begins a new chapter with Trump’s inauguration this week, and early reports suggest it will be fabulous. “We are taking our dance floor to the streets to say, ‘We are here, we are queer and we will dance,’” Firas Nasr, an organizer with the Washington, D.C.-based Werk for Peace, told AlterNet over the phone. “It’s about …

Spokane’s KXLY radio reports: The crowd turned on local Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event at the Spokane Convention Center on Monday. Thousands of people gathered at the rally before the planned march through downtown Spokane. Spokane Mayor David Condon and McMorris Rodgers, the U.S. Representative from Washington’s 5th congressional district, both spoke at …

The Local reports: Just days before his official inauguration at the White House, the new waxwork of the 45th president of the United States was unveiled at Madrid’s waxwork museum. And it did not go smoothly. On a stage in front of the museum surrounded by red, white and blue balloons, the effigy of the President-elect topped by trademark bouffant …

The Washington Post reports: A growing group of Democratic lawmakers will boycott President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday as a protest of Trump’s worldview and his criticism of civil rights icon John Lewis, congressman of Georgia There are now more than 40 House Democrats — 42, at last count — who have declared that they will not attend the inauguration on …

Buzzfeed reports: Three times as many bus parking permits have been requested for the Women’s March on Washington, DC, than for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, city councilman Charles Allen told BuzzFeed News. As of Thursday, when Allen held a hearing to review inauguration preparations, 393 charter bus permits had been requested for the inauguration on Jan. 20. In comparison, a …

The Hill reports: Protestors dressed as members of the Ku Klux Klan interrupted Tuesday’s confirmation hearing of Attorney General-designate Jeff Sessions, chiding the Alabama senator for past allegations of racist comments. The two protestors were dressed in white robes and hoods, holding foam fingers with “KKK” and “Go Jeffie Boy” written on the hands. They chanted sarcastic praise at Sessions, …

The Huffington Post reports: Republicans are plowing forward this month with repealing the Affordable Care Act, and Democrats, with little ability to stop them, have plans to make it as politically damaging for them as possible. On Monday night, Senate Democrats plan to stay up late, delivering floor speeches and Facebook Live broadcasts attacking the Republicans’ drive to dismantle President …

Meryl Streep tonight accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes and devoted her acceptance speech to eviscerating Donald Trump, whom she never mentioned by name. A partial transcript from her speech: As an actor’s only job is to enter the lives of people who are different from us, and let you feel what that feels like, and …

Reuters reports: Anarchist groups have threatened to shut down Republican Donald Trump’s swearing-in as U.S. president, but police in Washington said on Friday they believe the thousands of security officers assigned to the event will be able to head off any disruption. Dozens of activist groups plan to protest the Jan. 20 inauguration of the New York real estate developer, …