Protest in Lansing Rallies Against Attacks on Reproductive Rights
Lansing became the center of resistance on International Womenโs Day. Hundreds gathered outside the Michigan Capitol. They protested Trumpโs policies on reproductive rights and the LGBTQ+ community. They came ready to fight back.
This protest was one of many across Michigan. Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Flint also saw massive turnouts. Activists sent a loud message. They refuse to let rights be stripped away.
Protest in Lansing Focuses on Reproductive Rights and Abortion Bans
State Rep. Emily Dievendorf (D-Lansing) fired up the crowd. She called out the attacks on reproductive rights. Dievendorf said abortion bans keep spreading like wildfire. She warned that maternal health care is disappearing. She told the crowd Michigan must fight back.
The signs spoke volumes. โFeminists Against Fascism.โ โA Womanโs Place is in the Revolution.โ The crowd was energized and ready for action. Dievendorf made it clearโthis wasnโt just a rally, it was a movement.
Protest in Lansing Calls Out Attacks on LGBTQ+ Rights
Emme Zanotti, senior director at Equality Michigan, took the stage. โIโm a transgender woman,โ she declared. The crowd roared in support.
She called out Republican lawmakers pushing bans on trans girls in high school sports. She said fear-mongering politicians use kids as scapegoats. โThey want you to believe your safety depends on banning trans girls from playing soccer,โ she said. โThat is absolute nonsense.โ The crowd agreed with her message.
Protest in Lansing Warns of Planned Parenthood Defunding Efforts
Kaylee Singer, Mid-Michiganโs Planned Parenthood organizer, delivered a warning. โThis is not just about abortion,โ she said. โTrumpโs administration is gutting public health care. They want to restrict birth control and attack gender-affirming care.โ
She called out Trumpโs previous cuts to Title X funding. โWhen that happened, 73% of Michiganders lost access to affordable reproductive care,โ she said. โThatโs birth control, STI testing, cancer screeningsโall gone.โ
She warned history could repeat itself. The Comstock Act could ban mailing abortion pills. Medication abortions make up two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S.. Singer made it clearโactivists will not give up the fight.
Protest in Lansing Unites Activists to Resist Trumpโs Policies
One chant kept echoing through the crowdโโWe wonโt go back.โ Dievendorf hammered that point home. โThis is not just about feeling good,โ they said. โIt is about protecting our democracy. This is a fight we must win.โ
The crowd stood strong, marched, and promised to keep fighting. The energy was undeniable. Trump may have a plan. But Michigan has an even stronger resistance.