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So, in all seriousness, I haven't had the energy to write about today's, uh, "celebration", but I've lived here for about ten years, and this was most certainly the worst organized event I've ever attended on the National Mall.
What really surprised me was the utter chaos of getting inside. I don't know how many entrances there were total, but it seemed to me 80% of us were going into a 30 ft. security check point.
I got in line and stood there for 10 min. and then realized that folks were moving ahead up to see what was going on. So, I walked a block and a half up the line and there, snaking to the entrance, were at least four independent lines converging into the same choke point.
Except one of the lines was short as hell -- way shorter than the rest. So, I got in it and breezed through security. I kid you not when I say that I went inside, listened to most of Donnie's speech and walked back out 20 min. later to see folks still waiting who I'd seen before.
I don't know how exactly to explain this, but there just seemed to be a pervasive, undeniable groupthink feeling to the whole thing. Folks just herding with each other, right down to families waiting an hour to get inside for a speech they knew they wouldn't hear. It was weird.
No one said anything negative to me. A few folks said "thanks for your service" and one gentleman in a MAGA hat politely asked about the sign, thanked me, and walked away. LOTS of glares, tho. Lots of pissy and not-so-subtle muttering.
The one thing I kept thinking in this crowd was all the struggles these people have probably experienced that will never, ever, ever be addressed by Trump's leadership. They truly believe he is on par with the Second Coming, and it's honestly just really, really sad.
Later, when I was walking around downtown, this guy came up and said "He's still your president." And I said "well, no, he's not" and he got PISSED. I then said I had served (re: the sign) and Trump hadn't and he hadn't, and this dude was not loving that reality check.
"How do you know I haven't served?" he demanded.
"Because you would understand service and what this means", I said, gesturing to the sign.
And he hadn't served of course, and we both knew it. And he was really angry and we just talked over each other until his spouse got him.
"Because you would understand service and what this means", I said, gesturing to the sign.
And he hadn't served of course, and we both knew it. And he was really angry and we just talked over each other until his spouse got him.
But that's as heated as things got all day, at least verbally. I *do* think if I hadn't been wearing an Army ball cap and had that sign as my particular grievance, folks would have engaged me more. They know the troop ban is illogical. They just don't like trans people. Period.
I'm really glad I did it. It was slightly uncomfortable, but I think I needed to have my voice be heard in that space without apology, and I certainly accomplished that. Overall, not a bad experience.
