Episode 269
On Wednesday November 5, thousands of determined, beautiful people from across the country came together in the nation’s Capital—on the one-year anniversary of Trump’s election—to raise a call to millions: Join us! Trump Must Go! Trump Must Go Now! People felt the urgent historic mission and sense of responsibility to go from local, one-day protests to creating a “political earthquake from below”—amassing in Washington, DC in a sustained defiant, nonviolent uprising to drive the Trump fascist regime from power.
And people have been coming out day after day to raise this demand, setting a different pace for a movement where, very soon, millions must nonviolently flood the streets of DC and come back again and again to demand Trump Must Go Now and not stop until our demand is met.
Today we share some of the voices from the rallies last week. From Nov 5: Michael Fanone (former DC police officer who survived the Jan 6 insurrection), Sunsara Taylor (host of The RNL Show, co-initiator of Refuse Fascism), Baltazar Enriquez (president of Little Village Community Council in Chicago), and student organizers from around the country: Bode, Trevor, Cameron.
From Nov 7: Ali Curd (Lambda Legal), Ashley Cash (Waking Stone).
RSVP for organizing webinar on Tuesday Nov. 11 at 8pm ET
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Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown
Episode 269 How We Build Momentum to Drive Out The Trump Fascist Regime
Sun, Nov 09, 2025 4:08PM • 54:08
Sam Goldman 00:23
Welcome to Episode 269, of the Refuse Fascism podcast, a podcast brought to you by volunteers with Refuse Fascism. This is Sam Goldman, one of those volunteers and host of the show. Refuse Fascism works to unite all who can be united to drive out the Trump fascist regime through mass, relentless, nonviolent resistance. This past Wednesday, on November 5th, the one year anniversary of Trump’s election, we launched the Fall of the Trump Fascist Regime.
In today’s episode, we’ll share some highlights of that rally and the subsequent rally in front of the Supreme Court. We’ve kicked off something historic, the beginning of an unrelenting nonviolent struggle in the nation’s capital — a movement to bring about nothing short of the fall of the Trump fascist regime. This past Wednesday, thousands flooded the nation’s mall from every corner of the country, shoulder to shoulder. They marched to Congress and the Supreme Court with one unifying demand that rang through the streets: Trump Must Go Now! Since that day, hundreds have returned again and again, refusing to back down. They reached out to students on campuses. They rallied in front of the Supreme Court, declaring: Trump Supreme Court, we judge you illegitimate — LGBTQ rights stay, Trump Must Go Now! They’ve marched through neighborhoods terrorized by ICE.
This is what courage looks like. But courage alone won’t sustain it, you will. We have to come back stronger, bigger and bolder. So we’re calling on you to be part of surrounding the White House 1.0, Saturday, November 15 at 1:00 p.m. Monday, November 17 at 3:00 p.m., Monday, November 24 at 3:00 p.m.,, building the power of the people for the Fall of the Trump Fascist Regime. Join us in Washington, D.C. and find out more at RefuseFascism.org or @RefuseFascism on Instagram.
If you can’t come right now, or even if you can, donate to keep this movement going and growing. Every dollar you give fuels the smoke movement — the sound, the stage, the organizing, the courage that keeps people in the streets. Donate now. Be part of the political earthquake that will shake the foundations of power. People are saying they’ve seen us on the news. They say: Not enough people know this is happening. And you know what? They’re right. Your donation changes that by spreading the word on social media on a whole other level. So give today. Text support to 855-755-1314, or see the link in the show notes. You can see video and photos from the fifth on our Instagram.
Now, here are voices from the November 5th launch. First you’ll hear Michael Fanone. Fanone is a former D.C. police officer who risked his life defending the Capitol on January 6th, and has refused to stay silent as Trump’s fascist movement continues its assault on democracy.
Michael Fanone 03:16
I’m just a pissed off American. [cheers] Good morning, Washington, DC. You know, I spent nearly 20 years wearing a badge in this city. On January 6, 2021 I almost lost my life defending it at the hands of MAGA, Trump inspired insurrectionists. But since that day, in witnessing the chaos and the violence, the hatred, I have never, never seen chaos, violence, and hatred on display like I have at the hands of our own government on its people — state sponsored violence committed by federal agents against Americans, against human beings. Right now we’ve got a government shutdown because one man wants to hold the whole country hostage. [crowd affirms and boos subsequent examples]
Our workers are going without pay. Families are losing access to food. Veterans are missing vital medical appointments. And the Trump regime, they call that leverage. That’s not leadership, that’s fucking lawlessness. [grumbling cheer] So right now, we’ve got people that are choosing between rent and groceries, and meanwhile, Donald Trump is bulldozing the East Wing of the White House to build himself a fucking ballroom, [laughter and jeers] a monument to his own grandiose ego. That’s your taxpayer dollars paying for his palace. That’s why we’re all here, because this, Washington D.C., this is the heart of it all. Right here in our nation’s capital, we’re drawing a line. This movement, Refuse Fascism, exists for moments like this one, when the powerful think they can get away with anything, when corruption becomes routine, and when cruelty and lawlessness become government policy, that’s when the people need to rise up and say: Trump Must Go! [cheers]
Refuse Fascism is not about slogans. It’s about survival. It’s about saying: We will not normalize the destruction of democracy, the silencing of journalists, the rewriting of history, brick by brick. We’re done watching from the sidelines. We’re done hoping someone else will fix this. We are the fix. And what is our demand? Trump must Go! [crowd repeats among jeers] I’ve seen what happens when hate gets a badge — shit, we all have at this point — when fear gets a platform and when lies get louder than the truth. I’ve also seen what happens when people show up angry and outraged, brave and united. [cheer] Every one of you here today, you’re proof that democracy is still alive.
You’re proof that courage is contagious. So keep up that energy. Don’t go home and cool off. Go home and organize. [cheer] Call your representatives, Democrats and Republicans. Join the next March, bring your friends, your family and your neighbors. Because this isn’t the finale, this is the beginning, and it’s going to take all of us — I mean all of us — to meet this moment and stop this fascist regime in its tracks. [cheer] Trump Must Go isn’t a distant hope. It’s a goddamn demand. It will only happen if we meet this moment together, if we keep showing up, if we stay louder than the lies. I have seen what hate can do, and now I’m betting on what courage can do. So hold that anger, turn it into action, and let this city hear you. From the Capitol dome to the White House gates, we refuse fascism, we choose freedom, and we’re just getting started. Thank you. [cheers]
Sam Goldman 08:21
Next here is Sunsara Taylor, a leader of Refuse Fascism.
Sunsara Taylor 08:25
All right, How y’all feeling out there today? [cheer] You look beautiful. Do you feel strong? [crowd: Yeah] Sisters and brothers, beautiful people, we are gathered here at the nation’s capital from all across the country on the one year anniversary of Trump’s election, ten months into his rampage, we are here to take a sacred vow: Trump Must Go! Trump Must Go Now! [cheer] Let me hear you say it Trump Must Go. Trump Must Go Now! [crowd repeats] Today, we are gathered to launch a historic movement, a nonviolent struggle that goes from thousands to millions and comes back again and again, right here in the Capitol, not slowing down, not relenting, until Trump is removed from power. [cheer] This is the only hope that humanity has. This is our only chance to stop Trump’s lawless fascist juggernaut.
Right now, as we gather, families are going hungry. Food lines are stretching into despair. A federal judge told Trump to release the SNAP benefits, and you know what Trump did? He tweeted out that he was willing to defy the courts and let people go hungry [crowd jeers and one person shouts: “dictator” others repeat] in front of our eyes. In front of our eyes. This fascist tyrant is bragging to the world that he is trampling the lives of millions and the very rule of law itself.
Ten years ago, same sex couples gathered on courthouse steps across the country to finally, finally express their right to marry the ones they love, [building cheers] to raise children together, to be able to visit their loved ones in hospital, to be seen by society as fully human. Do you know that this Friday, the Supreme Court stacked with Trump’s fascist judges is going to consider whether to reopen that case? to violently slam LGBTQ people backwards, just like they did to women when they took away the right to abortion. Before our eyes, the social and legal fabric of this country is being ripped right open. And then there’s the kidnappings.
A year ago, if I said that word, you wouldn’t know what I’m talking about, but now everybody knows. Brown skinned people, going about their lives, hunted, beaten, torn from cars, their face ground into the pavement, their ribs cracked and broken. Their children left screaming. People disappeared into concentration camps, deported to countries they don’t know, to face danger and even death. [person shouts: Stephen Miller’s doing it!] And yet, across this country, people rise against it, people from all walks of life, people from mixed families, professionals and neighbors, people out at restaurants, people are rising to say: No! and defend their neighbors. Even mayors and governors and police chiefs are out there condemning ICE. [cheer]
Right now, across this country, before our eyes, the population and sections of the state itself are locked in deepening conflict. At every level of society, in every institution, from those that rule over us to right within our very families, this country is being split wide open. This country has not been this divided since right before the Civil War. In a very real sense, the divides today are the same as they were then. The revolutionary leader that I follow, the architect of the new communism, Bob Avakian, has been warning of the rise of fascism in this country for decades. If only people had listened. But the point is, we should listen now, and he has made the profound point that there is a direct line from the slave holding Confederacy to the genocidal racism and fascism of the Trump regime today, and just like at that time, the divisions In this society cannot be papered over.
Either the fascists will win out, lock in their future, violently crush all opposition, or they will be defeated. This means driving them from power — nonviolently, but with relentless determination. We must not let them have the future! [cheer] It is so beautiful and so righteous that you are out here today, but now we have to take these thousands, and we need to rapidly become millions. We need to grow. We need to build this momentum, not sometime in the distant future, but starting today, tomorrow, in the coming days and weeks — before the holidays, before the winter cold sets in, and before the deadly siren song of the waiting for the midterm elections sets in even more loudly. We have to seize the moment now. We have to seize the momentum and grow. [cheer]
We have gathered here today because we are standing on three profound truths that I want you to remember, and I want you to return to when it gets hard. Truth number one, that a lot of people sense but are not yet willing to confront, and we need to go out there and make them confront this. Number one: There is no living with this fascism. [cheer] If we allow Donald Trump to stay in power, his atrocities will multiply. Trump is already ordering assassinations. He is already threatening war. He is already escalating the danger of nukes. He is already defying the courts. He is already destroying science and medicine and the legal sphere and the institutions of the Academy. He is coming for everything that is moral and decent and good. He has already categorized nonviolent, peaceful protesters as terrorists. He is already indicting and seeking to lock up his political rivals.
If this regime is not removed from power, they will violently shut down all the space for anybody to stand up against them, and they are moving fast. Trump has to go now! [crowd, followed by cheering: Trump must go now.] Truth number two: We cannot rely on the elections. Now, I know a lot of people are feeling really good today because of what happened in the elections yesterday. But while yesterday showed, yet again, that millions and tens of millions hate everything Trump is doing and everything he stands for, yesterday’s election results do not change the nature of fascism and the nature of Trump. This is important. Trump incited an insurrection. Trump pardoned the insurrectionists. Trump is moving now to steal the next election. He is gerrymandering on a scale far beyond Prop 50 in California can keep up with. He has already threatened to deport the new mayor of New York City, and he is threatening New York City as a whole.
The truth is, yesterday’s election results will only further embolden Trump’s determination to lock in his rule and defy any future elections. Counting on Trump to respect elections he doesn’t like is like counting on Dracula to guard the blood bank. It’s not in his nature. He must be driven from power. The energy, the hope, the determination we saw in the elections yesterday, needs to join us in these streets, driving Trump from power. [cheer] Truth number three: There is a way to defeat this fascism. They are not all powerful. They are not God. We have power too. It is in the millions and millions who have shown themselves in protest and in other forms of opposition, we have the power to unseat this regime.
This movement, Refuse Fascism and our partners, the movement we are launching today, we have a strategy that really can win. [cheer] When millions of people rise up, not just once, but with sustained determination, we can compel and enable those within the halls of power to do things that they would never do otherwise. We have seen the potential for this in the millions who have protested again and again. But it’s not just our numbers. I want you to think back to the divides I spoke of, that go all the way up, the divides even within the ruling institutions of this country.
Right now, those within the halls of power and the ruling institutions who oppose Trump’s shredding of the Constitution, his trampling of our rights, his degrading of American standing in the world, those who are opposed to Trump are on the defensive, and they are overwhelmed. This does not change by calling them or lobbying them, or even periodic protests, as positive as they might be. This changes when we stand up in our millions, centered in the nation’s capital, coming back again and again, not relenting, demanding that Trump Must Go! This changes when we create such a crisis in the legitimacy of Trump that we compel his removal. We need to change who has the initiative in society and even in the halls of power. This has to be driven from below. It is possible, but it is on us. [cheer] It would be much better if we were launching this movement today with millions, but the fact that we are thousands and not yet millions, does not change the truth that I have just spoken.
So in a very real sense, we are a lot like the abolitionists back before the Civil War. They were small in numbers. They were ahead of where even most decent people in society were at, but they were right. They said slavery could not be compromised with. It had to be abolished. We say the same of fascism today. It cannot be lived with. It cannot be contained. It must be defeated. It must be nonviolently driven from power. [large cheer]
They lived in a country whose contradictions had reached a breaking point. So do we. When those in power are this bitterly divided and at each other’s throats, when people in their millions are in motion, when the whole fabric of society is being ripped apart, a minority that is right, that acts with conviction, that does not relent — that minority can move millions and change history. This is what we aim to do. This is what we are launching today. We did not come here to make a statement. We came here to make history. So if you came for the day, I want you to decide if you can stay. If you’re hearing about this, but missed it, get to D.C. and join us.
We are going out tomorrow to the campuses to rally the students. We are standing in front of the Supreme Court for our LGBTQ sisters and brothers and siblings [cheers] on Friday. We are standing up every day, challenging this regime and calling on people to join us. We aim to grow right now. We are gonna have bigger actions on Saturday the 15th and Monday the 17th, and then with our partners in the Remove Coalition on the 20th through the 22nd right here in D.C. Get here, join us. The time is now. [cheers]
So as we go forward, there are people who will try to divide us, and we cannot let them. We have to unite all who can be united from different perspectives. It’s gonna take us all to stop Trump fascism. Some will try to attack us, and we need to use every attack to further expose the illegitimacy and bankruptcy of this regime, and to rally more people to join this movement to drive it from power. Some people will get frustrated and give up on moving the millions, but we cannot give up on this, and bringing them forward in nonviolent, sustained protest here, because this is how we can win. So in conclusion, I want to say that not every generation lives through times as momentous and consequential as these ones, but we look back in history at people who lived through turning points.
We look at those who rose to abolish slavery, and we celebrate their courage and bravery. We look back at those who sat back and allowed Hitler to rise to power and carry out unspeakable atrocities, and we judge them, and we never forgive them. Future generations are gonna look back at us, and they are going to judge us by how we handled this moment when a fascist tyrant came to power in the most powerful, militarized country in all of world history. We have a huge responsibility. Let us not fail those future generations. Let us make good on our solemn vow that we are embarking on today. I ask you to put your fist in the air and join me: In the Name of Humanity [crowd repeats] We Refuse to Accept [repeats] We Refuse to Accept [repeats] A Fascist America. [repeats] Trump Must Go Now! [repeats 3 times] Thank you so much.
Sam Goldman 25:38
Now you’ll hear from Balthazar Enriquez, leader of the Little Village Community Council in Chicago, a community which has been targeted by Trump’s ICE Gestapo and federalized National Guard.
Balthazar Enriquez 25:49
Buenos días. Mi nombre es Balthazar Enriquez y soy el Presidente del Concilio Comunitario de la Vita. And I want to say, si me pueden ayudar, El pueblo unido jamás será vencido! All right. Si comimos frijoles, eso es good. Hermanos y hermanas, compañeros y compratotas.]???
My name is Balthazar Enriquez, I’m the president of the Little Village community council in Chicago, [cheer] one of the best cities. I was born in Michoacan, Mexico, and I built my life in the heart of Chicago and came to this country as a child. When I went to school, one of the first thing that I learned was the Pledge of Allegiance. When I heard liberty and justice for all, as I held my hand over my heart, I truly believed those words. I was so grateful to my parents for bringing me to a country with so much opportunity and freedom. I overcame poverty, overcame language barriers, I have worked every single day to live that dream, to provide for my community. But today, on this dark anniversary, I stand before [you] shocked, disgusted, heart broken. We are here to condemn the horrific fascist behavior of Donald Trump and his regime. [crowd affirms]
Since January, my community, Little Village, has lived in terror. We have patrolled our own streets. We have handed out these whistles every week, not for a celebration, but for survival — to alert our neighbors that ICE and the modern day Nazis are coming to tear our families apart. I have seen the cruelty firsthand, and now Trump boasts about his deportations. He says they need to ramp it up. How much more? We have seen a six year old child handcuffed. We have seen a diabetic denied medications. We have heard the threat of Alligator Alcatraz. We mourn the murder of Silvero. This is not immigration enforcement. This is systematic inhumane treatment of human beings. It’s proof of a racist fascist regime.
What happened to justice and liberty for all? That promise has been broken by an orange dictator’s demand we bend at the knee. To every person who has come to Washington to stand with us today, to every ally who has shown solidarity with Little Village, we see you and we thank you. [cheer] Alright! [larger cheer] Your courage is a light in the darkness. To those who enable this cruelty, cruelty, we condemn you. We condemn Kristy Noem, Greg Bovino. We condemn every politician, every agent, every single American who stays silent watching children who are being caged, people who are being murdered by these ICE agents. Your silence is complicity. You’re facilitating fascism.
But hear me now, and hear me clearly, with the blood of Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa [cheer] running through my veins: I will never, never live on my knees for a fucking clown! [louder cheers] We demand deportation stop. We demand the abuse, all the abuse conditions in all ICE facilities to end now. We will not be silenced. We will not be broken. We will fight for the dream that was promised, and we will win! [cheer] Hasta la victoria siempre. Unity, victory always! And for my Latino brothers and sisters: This administration has launched a war against people that are my color, not because we’re criminal, just because we’re brown.
It’s okay, because we know how to fight back, and we are not scared. If they bring a hundred of them, we’re gonna bring a thousand of us. [cheers building] If they bring a thousand of them, we will bring ten thousand of us. We will fight back. At every minute and every moment in Little Village they had came to terrorize us, and it put fear in my community, and we said: Fuck you. Fuck you! [big cheer] You will not terrorize my community, because we are an organized community. We will fight, fight and fight every day and every moment of our lives, because this is a war, ladies and gentlemen. This is a war that has been launched against my community just because of our color. Fuck them and their policies. Fuck them and what their tactics are doing in Chicago. We need to fight back.
I want to thank my volunteers, Alex, Chela, Liz, Lily, they get up at five in the morning and they begin patrolling the neighborhood. [cheer and shouts of thanks] This is how we fight ICE. We blow the fucking whistle on them. [cheer] Now the community knows that when they hear the whistle, to get away, to lock the doors, lock the gates, and it has worked. It has worked. [cheer] So we want to make sure that our community not only feels safe, but also have a system where they know that somebody’s watching them, somebody’s protecting them; there’s a 19 year old boy, there’s a 30 year old woman, Chela over there, Lily was only 23 and they’re not scared, and they’re going to continue fighting.
So I want to thank Dee, Noche, Leo for coming out to our neighborhood and saying: Brothers, we are here to fight back, and we have been fighting since January 20. It was brutally cold in Chicago, but we were out there passing know your rights cards to the temp agencies, to the day laborers, because we wanted to make sure that they knew their rights. Tom Homan said Chicago was one of the hardest cities. Yes, because education is key with that, I want to thank all of yous and thank you again. Si Se Puede! [crowd joins] Si Se Puede! Thank you! [cheers]
Sam Goldman 33:37
Last, but certainly not least, here are students speaking at the November 5th rally.
Bodie Corona 33:42
My friends, my name is Bodie Corona and I am honored to be speaking in front of you. I’m not some prestigious leader or prominent figure. I’m not gonna fool you. I’m no celebrity politician or policymaker. I’m just a 19 year old student with a dream who hopped on a bus last night to get here from Connecticut, because I had to. [cheer] I had to, because the fallacy that the people in power will figure out this constitutional catastrophe is exactly that, a delusion. It’s no longer about left versus right or liberal versus conservative, but a constitutional and moral dilemma between what is America and what is Trump’s twisted manipulation of America — what is right and what is wrong — and the battleground which will decide what our future will look like for our children.
We have the historical opportunity and responsibility to be part of that change. As the award winning scholar and expert on authoritarianism, Matthew C. McWilliams said: The path we are on in America leads to a hollowing out of our Republic. It will result in the rise of a democracy in name only, where elections do not have consequences, and the rule of law is replaced by the rule of the powerful. He adds: We need to remember something that has been forgotten by too many, which is that we are all in this together — all in, all together, [cheers] all together. This unnatural struggle for power demands compliance and submission that each and every one of us must refuse.
Refuse and revolt against fascism in laughter and joy, refuse and revolt in protests, refuse and revolt in education, refuse and revolt in song, and refuse and revolt in unity, community, grace, and kindness. If there are any students or young people out there with a passion awaiting their catalyst, or anyone waiting for the nudge they need, let this be that nudge. Let the students here today, in the audience, on stage, be that nudge. [cheer] Let this beautiful crowd of patriotic believers, all of you, be that nudge. [cheer] Will we allow our children to grow up in a country divided by petty arguments and the man made problems used to divide us? Or will they grow up in a place where they are free to live as equal, beautiful individuals in a country that seeks equal opportunity for every single one of us? If we don’t have hope, then what do we have?
As Dave Matthews says: We’ve gotta do much more than believe if we want to see the world change — and we’re doing that here today. [cheer] If you’re listening on a live stream at home on your phone, we need your voice, and we are counting on you. This doesn’t end today. Stand up and show up for the country you want to see and bring Trump’s fascist house of cards down now, while we still can! [cheers building] All in, all together. Trump Must Go Now! [crowd repeats] And get that damn freak Miller out of here too. [sustained cheer] Thank you very much.
Trevor 37:25
Hello to my fellow students, fellow citizens and fellow patriots. My name is Trevor. I am a student from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and I am missing classes as we speak to be here in D.C. No class or no job would ever prevent me from being here in D.C., because time is wasting. Every second that Trump and his fascist regime remain in power is another second that goes towards stripping away our rights. Free speech is under attack. Education is under attack. The rule of law is under attack. You are under attack. [cheer] People of color across the country are in very real danger and are being racially profiled and targeted by masked ICE agents with total impunity.
However, it’s not just people of color that are being grabbed off the street and brutalized. It’s anyone of any skin color that stands in their way. It’s children, it’s priests, it’s students, it’s cops, it’s anyone, including you. [cheer] This is why we need to be here today. We need to stand up for each other, as Americans, as human beings. We need to stand up to the onset of white supremacy in our government. We need to remove Trump from the White House and his entire fascist regime. [cheer] To those of you here today, thank you. To those of you who could not make it today, especially my fellow students, I understand why you may be apprehensive about what we’re trying to do.
We know how daunting this may seem, but will sitting and waiting for the courts or those bum Democrats to fix it accomplish anything? No. We have to do it ourselves. We have proven we are the real power in this country. Know that if you have not made it today, you still have time. You still have time to come to D.C. to fight for what is right, to fight for your freedom and to fight for the freedom of your fellow Americans. [cheer] Thank you. Fuck Donald Trump and Fuck ICE.
Cameron 39:51
All right. Hi, y’all. I’m a biology student. My name is Cameron. I’m from California. If you’re looking for a sign to stand up in this moment of time, this is it. We need you to make sacrifices right now. I know when I say that it sounds scary, but it can be one of the most rewarding things you do. I’ve given up almost two weeks of making money from work, learning in my classes, and spending my favorite holidays with my family, to be here, and not for a moment have I thought it’s been the wrong thing to do.
The people I’ve gotten to know, the work we’ve done together, and the movement that this is becoming has made it so freaking worth it. I’ve also come to realize that I can retake a class next semester, but we do not have a lot more time to get out of this fascist regime’s grip on our democracy. As an aspiring microbiologist, my motivation and will comes from my love of the earth and every living being on it, as well as a chance for future generations to live on a habitable planet.
But every single person here has their own unique reason for being here — every single one of you in this ocean of people. So whatever it may be, you need to keep that fire burning, and you need to bring it out in others. If you at home are hearing this and you have that fire burning inside of you, you need to get to D.C., where we can drive Trump out. One more: Trump Must Go Now! [crowd repeats] All right. Thank you.
Sam Goldman 41:34
To hear more speeches from the November 5 launch. See RefuseFascism.org
This past Thursday, the Supreme Court in yet another unsigned, barely reasoned order over its shadow docket allowed the Trump regime to mandate that the sex marker on all U.S. passports align with the traveler’s sex at birth. On Friday, the Justices closed door conference discussed whether to hear notorious Christian fascist, Kim Davis’s, case, which seeks to overturn marriage equality. The TrumpMustGo.org coalition mobilized emergency protests on Friday featuring speakers from diverse perspectives to sound the alarm and make clear the illegitimacy of Trump’s Supreme Court, the reality that this is a court that is an instrument of fascist atrocity, to demonstrate our refusal to accept a fascist America, and our commitment to nonviolently drive the Trump fascist regime from power. Now, you’ll hear from Allie Curt from Lambda Legal and Ashley Cash from Waking Stone. Both were speakers at Friday’s rally in front of the Supreme Court. To hear more voices, you can visit RefuseFascism.org and check out @RefuseFascism on Instagram.
Allie Curt 42:46
Good morning everyone. [many reply: Good morning] As I just said, my name is Allie Kurt. I use she/they pronouns. I’m staff policy attorney at Lambda Legal, which is the nation’s oldest and largest legal organization dedicated to the rights of LGBTQ people and everyone living with HIV. I wish I was here under happier, more woo-like circumstances, but we are here today because the Supreme Court is going to decide whether it will grant or deny certiorari in a petition seeking to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, that made marriage equality the law of the land, and they are looking to create a religious exemption that gives government employees license to discriminate against people based off of who they love. [crowd chants: Shame! Shame!]
We urge the Court to honor what millions of us know already. We know this is fundamental: that LGBTQ families are part of the nation’s fabric. We are integral to the fabric of this nation. We are living in and contributing to every community in this country. We are building loving homes and thriving small businesses. We are raising children, caring for pets, neighbors, elders, and we are volunteering for our communities. We are the backbone of this nation. The court has already made note of all of these things ten years ago when they made the decision in Obergefell, citing that hundreds of thousands of children are already being raised in loving and nurturing homes led by same sex couples.
Not only was marriage equality recognized by the Supreme Court, Congress then codified it into law with Respect for Marriage Act. These decisions are unbreakable. This is an unbreakable vow affirming the simple truth that our Constitution guarantees equal treatment for everyone, regardless of who they love, regardless of who they are. [cheer] Let us be clear that there’s no reason for the Supreme Court to review this case. There is no case here. Review would cause unnecessary harming of our families, undermining the rule of law, undermining our rights. Lower courts have already found that the government cannot — government employees — cannot use their religion as reasons to discriminate against people because of who they are and who they love.
There is no justifiable reason for the court to revisit this case. It’s settled law. They’re just going to destabilize our families, and we cannot stand for that. [cheer] So to the court: We ask you to honor your own precedent — your own precedent — to honor the Constitution’s commands to individual liberty and equal protection for everyone under law, and above all, to honor the reality that LGBTQ families are deeply rooted in every town and every city in this United States. There’s no reason for them to review that and to take that away from us. To our community, we say: This fight is not new.
Our community has been fighting for decades for the right to love who we love, to marry, who we want, to be who we are, and we will continue to do it. This is not going to be a quick process. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be linear. We’ve lived through scary times. We’ve lived through dark times, and we’ll do it again. We’ve endured many defeats, but we have persevered. [cheer] When we persist, we prevail, and we will continue to prevail. Thank you all so much for being here. We really appreciate your support. [cheer]
Ashley Cash 46:07
Thank you guys for the love. My brother and his husband sent me a text this morning, and they asked me to read it. They weren’t able to be here today, but I thought I’d read it real quick. I’m gonna play a song that I wrote right after Roe v. Wade was overturned. But before I play I’ll read this from my brother and his husband: “If the Court were to reverse course on marriage equality, it would send a message that certain families are less worthy, that dignity can be denied based on the feelings of others, and the promise of equal justice under law is utterly hollow.
To remove the right to marriage for same sex couples, the Court shall relegate hundreds of thousands of Americans to a status of second class citizenship. The institution of marriage has been enriched, not diminished by the inclusion of loving, committed same sex couples. To cast that aside now would do grave damage, not only to those couples and their families, but to the moral authority of this court and to the broader aspiration of justice that binds our nation. [person shouts: That’s right!] Marriage must not become a privilege dependent on religious views of others to advance one’s group’s religious views over those of others is not an affirmation of religious freedom. It is a betrayal of it. Marriage Equality must be protected.” [cheer] All right. So this is called, Is it too Late? It’s meant to be hopeful. So we’re looking for that. Here we go.
[singing, accompanied by a stocatto electric guitar] Well, they say you can make anything sacred, and they just can’t take away. But I wonder, baby, will we be okay if we continue to look away? Is it too late now to make a different choice, to turn the tides now and raise your voice. Can’t be too late now to save our souls. Cause child, now it’s all for you. Babe, we’re gonna march to the beat of what’s clear and true. Roll back this blood and hate into something new. We’re careening towards the future that’s hard to bear, and it’s time to start acting like we truly care. Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh.
We got Supreme Court rulings and mass shootings, wildfires blazing while our wells run dry, flood waters rising with poison drops and bigger bad storms in the sky. Is it too late to make a different choice? to turn the tide now and raise your voice? Can’t be too late now to save our souls, cause time is not on our side. Babe, we’re gonna march to the beat of what’s clear and true. Roll back this blood red hate into something new. We’re careening towards a future that’s too dark to bear, and it’s time to start acting like we truly care. Whoa oh, whoa oh. [guitar solo] Let’s start with equality, respect and responsibility. Get your guns out of my face and let my uterus be! [cheer]
Start to care for your home like you love living there. Maybe then we can build something closer to fair. Is it too late now? To make a different choice to turn the tide now and raise your voice. Can’t be too late now to lead with hope. Now the fight is right at our doors. Now it’s time to march to the beat of what’s clear and true. Roll back this blood red hate into something new-ooh, we’re careening towards a future that’s too dark to bear, and it’s time to start acting like we truly care. Let’s march to the beat of what’s clear and true. Roll back this blood red hate into something new-ooh. We’re careening towards a future that’s too dark to bear, and it’s time to start acting like we truly care. Whoa oh, whoa oh. [cheer]
Sam Goldman 51:40
It is possible for people power to drive out Trump. We see this potential in the millions who have protested, defended neighbors and resisted. But it will take millions of us flooding the streets of the Capitol to compel and enable those in power to move heaven and earth to remove Trump now, while there still is a chance. So join us in D.C., kicking off Surround the White House 1.0, Saturday, November 15, at 1:00 p.m. If you can’t be there, donate as much as you can to this effort and to get all your East Coast peeps there. Every day this fascist regime remains in power, the danger deepens. So if you believe humanity cannot live another day under fascism, go now to RefuseFascism.org and hit that donate button. Give what you can, as much as you can, and share the call. Again, that’s RefuseFascism.org.
Thanks for listening to Refuse Fascism. Please share this episode, rate and review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen and drop a comment on our socials or YouTube. Every share helps build this fight. We’re gonna have a special webinar on Tuesday, November 11, so be sure to check out the show notes. The upcoming webinar is titled, November 5th, We Launched – How We Build Momentum to Drive Out the Trump Regime. It’s taking place at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, so be sure to sign up to register for this webinar at RefuseFascism.org or see the show notes.
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