Gay rights advocates danced in front of Ivanka Trump’s Washington, D.C. residence on Saturday to “WERK for Mother Earth” as part of the Queer Dance Party for Climate Justice (warning: strong language).
The event, hosted by Queer Resistance, WERK for Peace, 350 DC, and the Trans Women of Color Collective, gathered over a hundred people to protest against the Trump administration allegedly “rolling back environmental regulations” and “revok[ing] protections for LGBTQ government employees.”
Lourdes Ashley Hunter, the executive director of the Trans Women of Color Collective told the crowd "Dance is a language of revolution," and to "Get ready to twerk. F*** up her (Ivanka's) lawn."
“I got one more thing to say,” Hunter added before telling the crowd to stay warm and dance, “F**k the police! F**k the motherf**king police!”
According to the event description on Facebook, the organizers take offense to Ivanka having been described as the “BFF of the gays,” even though she reportedly helped stop the Trump administration from enacting an executive order regarding federal LGBTQ protections.
Her father, President Donald Trump, championed gay rights at the Republican National Convention, held the gay pride flag high during a speech, said transgender icon Caitlyn Jenner can use any restroom she chooses, and is the first president to be inaugurated supporting gay marriage.
The event description claims Ivanka “invited” the protesters to “come and party” in front of her house and leave behind “biodegradable glitter that will sparkle in the moonlight.”
Before the official dance party and march to Ivanka’s home began, speakers gave remarks to the crowd gathered in Dupont Circle.
At the rally Hunter said, “What we’ve seen with this administration is a continued attack on indigenous population, on senior population, on undocumented population, on trans populations. So today, we’re sending a clear message, not only to Ivanka, but the entire administration that we’re not going to stand for it.”
“Dance is a universal language. And it’s a language of liberation. Dance is a language of revolution. And today, we will use our bodies to send a message that you cannot control us, you cannot put us down, you will not stop us from living our full lives,” Hunter explained.
Hunter detailed her experience in New York City on the 30th anniversary of the ACT UP march and rally, an organization dedicated to direct action to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
“It’s not about ending AIDS. It’s about ending poverty. It’s about ending homelessness, environmental racism. It’s about ending all of these structural oppressions, state-sanctioned violence, white supremacy--everything that motherf***ing Trump stands for! We are here to end that s**t!” Hunter yelled to cheers from the crowd.
“Now y’all stay warm. Shake that ass. Throw it in a circle. Get ready to twerk. F*** up her lawn. Do what you gotta do to let her know you’re in Washington, baby!”
Directly before the march, the logistic director for the event told white people to donate to the organizations sponsoring the event “right now” before detailing the specifics of the event.
“First, what I want you all to do--especially the white people here with money--I want you to donate to Trans Women of Color Collective and to WERK for Peace. We’ll post the links for this on the Facebook page, but do it on your phones right now,” she demanded.
“We ready, we coming!” the crowd cheered as they began to walk.
Before arriving, protesters were told to stay off the sidewalk, because “if someone touches the house, she’s going to be all up in flames, she’s going to be like, 'You owe me a million dollars!'”
When the protesters arrived at Ivanka’s house, they yelled, “Ivanka Trump, come dance!”
After chanting in front of Ivanka’s house, the crowd parked a van blasting music in front of her house and danced for hours.
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