The political is the performative: the importance of rallies and protests
HANDS OFF! Houston was another wonderful example in this city of step up to make their voices heard. Compared to the greater Houston area’s population, the turn-out of six thousand was on the modest side, but with a front coming in and tornado warnings, I can understand why people would stay home.
Mostly what you’ll see here are pictures from the rally and the march. I was holding my sign (which got a few pictures took, thankyouverymuch), but I want to emphasize a few things that many Americans don’t seem to understand.
Yes, Rallies and Protests are Performative
This does not mean that they are merely that. We are willing, particularly those of us who follow and write up pop culture, to talk about how a movie or an album is so impactful and life-changing. We do not extend that same rationale or courtesy to millions of people who at any given time, are feeling political and social pressures so great that they are compelled to organize and hit the streets.
Today is a textbook example. People are scared, frustrated, and angry at the direction the Regime is taking the country. Life-giving services have been cut and continue to meet the chopping block of what passes for some form of MAGA/DOGE efficiency.
We heard many voices today, many just normal everyday people voices, expressing their anger at what’s happening. I saw seniors - way older than me - out in shit weather with signs. I may lose Social Security, but I’m healthy and hearty to get back to work. Others are not so fortunate.
We heard from trans youth about the rescinding of life-giving therapies to help with their transitions and the increase in deaths of young trans people since Texas state legislature passed the bill SB 14 (1) (and other states that have similar punitive measures).
We heard from Black folk, Latine folk, and immigrant communities speaking up for their rights which are under violent assault at the behest of executive orders rescinding DEI policies on the books and leveraging threats against universities and corporations who maintain policies based on diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
We heard from Chris Menefee, Harris County's attorney, the youngest person elected to that position and the first Black man to hold it. We heard from young people who are running for representative positions at the state and local levels. They feel and know it’s time for a change.
Yes, rallies and protests are performative, but they bring people from different communities together who might not otherwise meet. We can’t all afford to travel to different cities for conferences, but we can forge alliances in our hometowns.
Rallies and Protests are celebrations and points of departure
The energy at a gathering of likeminded people is inspiring. Enthusiasm comes in swells and it’s a rush to chant, walk, and shout in unison. It is also where many people get a chance to discover what they can do.
A number of organizations were on hand to help people get involved to take next steps and to become organizers themselves. Congressional representative Lizzie Fletcher was on hand to tell her story; she saw the country and the state going in the wrong direction and ran for office. We all don’t have to do that, but it’s important to know you can.
If nothing else, you may discover candidates that you might want to volunteer for.
There are phone calls to make, emails to send, petitions to fill out, petitions to start; all of these register with politicians. If they are on your sound, then lobbying and getting your concerns heard is easier. If they are not, they cannot ignore you: they have to log every communication and they know by the numbers where the electorate stands.
Consequently, when the people turn out en masse, this sends a real mandate to elected officials. Protests and rallies serve
The media are sometimes inadequate at covering protests
Media outlets undercount turnouts and undersell the impact of protests. They focus on counter-protesters and ignore the substance of why so many people come out to raise their voices. This is truest of corporate media; they have a vested interest in towing the party line, even when they present as “liberal”; they are not.
After marching, the announcement was made the Houston Chronicle had initially said a couple of hundred people turned out. Let that sink in for a minute. A couple of hundred. The volunteers counts were aggregated at six thousand and usually we err on the side of caution. I would argue it was likely more. That said, the Chronicle revised its count to "over 5,000". (2)
This is not unusual. In Boston, in March 2002, twenty thousand people turned out to protest the invasion of Iraq. Local media reported two thousand and focused their cameras on the few dozen of counter-protesters on Tremont Street. It’s been this way since I was a kid when Vietnam protesters and Civil Rights rallies were said to be a matter of a few hundred malcontents.
All of this despite photographs and videos documenting rather something else.
No one assaulted the police
Unlike the insurrectionists of January 6, 2021, no one assaulted police, invaded a capitol building to deface the seat of governance, no one rioted or looted. Presently, there are reports of counter-protesters who did and at least three investigations pending in different cities.
Peaceful, non-violent protest has a proven effect
Since at least Gandhi’s time, passive non-resistance has worked. It has freed nations from colonialism; it has changed legislation; it has resulted in greater solidarity among people.
I’m not saying that once gains have been made, there aren’t regressions, but that’s also the point, in many ways of the moment in which we find ourselves.
We know that democracy, like life, is fragile. If you don’t nurture it by continuous engaging, it withers and becomes vulnerable to rot. Cynics will talk about how the saffron revolution in Myanmar didn’t work out or how despite all those peacenik’s efforts, the US war machine carried on. This actually supports the point.
In Myanmar, the revolution did win democracy for the people, although compromised by a constitution that the junta took advantage of. In the US, yes, despite the best efforts more money is deposited in the Pentagon coffers each year, but that shows less the failure of any peace movement than the success of capitalism and a hawkish mentality that has been with the country since its founding. This is a structural issue that may well change over time.
Arguments like those are piffle. Pay them no mind. If and when you feel inspired, register with any number of organizations in your city. Sign up and see what volunteer positions are open, what actions are most needed, how you can run for office.
We took to the streets to protest the stripping away of everything that has made the American experiment vital. We took to the streets to show each other that we care about and for one another. The calvary isn’t coming to save us; we are the cavalry. See you on the street.
Notes
1. Tucker, Emma. "Anguish lingers as transgender kids’ families seek medical care outside Texas — and fight a state ban". CNN. January 27, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/27/us/texas-families-transgender-youth-gender-affirming-care-ban/index.html
2. Lomax V, John. "Thousands rally at City Hall for. Hands Off! protest against. Elon Musk and President Donald Trump". Houston Chronicle. April 5, 2025. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/trending/article/hands-off-protest-houston-20260511.php
Additional links
Office of Harris County Attorney: https://cao.harriscountytx.gov/
U.S. State Representative Lizzie Fletcher: https://fletcher.house.gov/
Anti-Trans Legislation
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