Democratic women in Congress today wore white to President Donald Trump‘s first address to Congress, both as a symbol of resistance and in support of women’s rights.
The colour white – as well as being a nightmare for the clumsy red wine drinkers among us – is associated with the women’s suffrage movement. It cropped up a bunch during the presidential race (#wearwhitetovote trended on voting day), and Hillary Clinton rocked a number of white pantsuits during her campaign, including while giving her confession speech.
And today, Democratic women wore it as a big ‘fuck you’ to Trump, a President whose respect for women lands somewhere between the ‘miniscule’ to the ‘youvegottabefuggenkiddenme’.
“We wear white to unite against any attempts by the Trump administration to roll back the incredible progress women have made in the last century, and we will continue to support the advancement of all women,” she said in a statement. “We will not go back.”
Tonight, Democratic Members will wear suffragette white to oppose Republican attempts to roll back women’s progress #WomenWearWhite pic.twitter.com/lh5YAIfVGW
— Rep. Lois Frankel (@RepLoisFrankel) February 28, 2017
The AP also reports that a letter sent round on Monday reminding women to don the colour said it was both in honour of the suffrage movement and to “stand in solidarity with the women of our nation.”
There are 66 Democratic female members and delegates of the US House of Representatives, most of whom – if not all – rocked the historically significant colour.
Tonight, our Democratic #WomenWearWhite in support of women’s rights — in spite of a @POTUS who doesn’t! pic.twitter.com/kKJpfV5iUE
— Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) February 28, 2017
Tonight I’ll wear suffragette white at #JointSession as a pledge to protect women’s health, fair pay, paid leave & more! #WomenWearWhite
— Alma S. Adams (@RepAdams) February 28, 2017
Just walked into Trump’s #JointSession. I’m here to look him in the eye and show him what #resistance looks like.
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) March 1, 2017
Proud to be a part of the Democratic #WomenWearWhite pledge opposing GOP attempts to roll back women’s rights pic.twitter.com/JhGBDVTLGh
— Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) February 28, 2017
Tonight my colleagues + I are wearing suffragette white at #JointSession to oppose attempts to roll back women’s progress #WomenWearWhite pic.twitter.com/Ttxzkmxnez
— Chellie Pingree (@chelliepingree) February 28, 2017
.@RepAnnieKuster & I are among those wearing white for tonight’s #JointSession to oppose GOP rollback of women’s progress! #WomenWearWhite pic.twitter.com/Dl6QkkbDnC
— Rep. Roybal-Allard (@RepRoybalAllard) February 28, 2017
Of course, the side of Twitter with #MAGA in their profile and Pepe the Frog as their profile picture are tweeting some lame-ass jokes about white also being the colour of the KKK… but David Duke, former Imperial Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan (that’s literally what it’s called) tweeted his support of Trump’s address. MAGA Twitter can go suck a fat one.
Not the white power Trump intended.#JointSession pic.twitter.com/tQtDfLVboZ
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) March 1, 2017
Photo: Win McNamee / Getty.
