Vagina Hats in Stephenville

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Savanna Graves

When you live in a small town like Stephenville, Texas you miss a lot of the big events the rest of the world gets to experience. Events like marches and protests don’t really happen in our little town, but Sunday afternoon, Stephenville got one. The Democratic Party of Erath County put together a Women’s March. The Women’s March reached a notable fame last year when it took place after Trump’s inauguration. Celebrities, politicians, and like-minded people showed up in Washington D.C. and marched for the oppressed women of America. Last year’s Women’s March was as controversial as it was disturbing. The “vagina hats” were born, along with crude signs and costumes based off of genitalia.

So when I heard Stephenville was holding their own Women’s March, I knew I had to witness it. These Women’s Marches are notorious for catering toward left-leaning individuals and disgracing and shunning those who disagree. While this is what happens in reality, those running it like to believe that they will accept anyone and everyone that decides they want to march. Heck, if they would let me march because I was marching for the unborn female that is aborted every day, I would have. Unfortunately, this would have been frowned upon.

I arrived at the women’s march about fifteen minutes early. As I pulled around the courthouse to get a parking spot, I spotted the first vagina hat. I chuckled to myself as I drove away from this first group, flashing my “Reagan-Bush ‘84” bumper sticker. I watched from across the street, truly in awe of what was in front of me. I had never even heard of the Democrats of Erath County, much less seen this many of them. I’ll give them this, there was a pretty good turnout.

I sat across the street as more people filed in, not looking like the typical Stephenville resident at all. They began the event by playing the National Anthem. This one shocked me too. But everyone that I could see was standing and removing vagina hats for this song. Then Suzi Robertson,  the chairman of the Democratic Party of Erath County, took over the podium. Here’s where the contradictions began. She started by saying that she was a pastor and that she saw so clearly that the democratic party was “all attached to the gospel.” There’s not a lot of the democratic party, if any, that I see that is even closely related to the gospels I read. She began to rev up the crowd, saying that they were “big giants that have been scratched and speared by tiny minded people.” I assume that in this metaphor, the Democrats were the giants and the Republicans were the tiny minded people. I could talk about who has the tiny minds, but I think the vagina hats speak for themselves. She then started to spew off things that they should not sit idly by for. Such as not sitting by and “let our kids be ripped away from their families and sent back to places that they don’t even remember or have ever known.” Madam Chairman, what about ripping those children out of the womb?

Once the Chairman was done speaking, Kim Olson, a candidate for ag commissioner, took the podium. She wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I thought “ag commissioner.” She wore her own set of pink cat ears and a pink sweater. I know that sounds shallow of me to think she ought to be wearing dirty boots and jeans, but as a young, almost-voter, it looked as if she was trying to play to the crowd she spoke to for votes, rather than genuinely caring about the march. She simply looked like she was trying too hard to be the “cool” candidate. (Anyone remember Hillary’s Snapchat?)

“We march because of [the “Me Too” movement.] We march because it reminds us all that the economic, social, and political power levers of this nation are still controlled by men who are not worthy of that responsibility.” If we’re here talking about a certain amount of worth to get into a public office or any high office, everyone is gonna be out of a job. Are you worthy? No. Am I worthy? No. The question should be about qualifications, not worth.

“Those of you who wear pink hats, wear pink shoes, wrap your children in pink blankets, are part of a historical movement in this great state…We women must carry our own legacies of the sisters that also marched a century ago. And they marched…under the threats of violence, of going to jail, of being banished from their communities for having the absolute audacity to want to have the right to vote!” Okay. America’s not perfect. I know there are some bad apples. But women are not oppressed in the way these people would like to think we are. March for women in middle eastern countries who are tortured day in and day out with less rights than the livestock. Don’t march for a “right” to free birth control and tell me you’re oppressed.

“I march for the women and the men who cannot march for themselves today.” So you march for all those babies that have been murdered the last forty years thanks to abortion? Awesome, girl, me too!

“A year from now we will witness… much-needed change in Austin.” That big change came a year ago in the polls. Hence the Republican President.

“When you vote…all Texans will be represented… Because Texas is best when it is red, white, and blue.” Okay, I’ll be honest, I liked that last line. But I didn’t feel represented in the least when I looked around at that crowd. I knew I was an outsider when I walked up and sat on the curb to listen. These people in their vagina hats and their crude signs didn’t represent me or how I wanted people to see my town or my country. It was the exact opposite.

Jenny Lou Leeder then took the podium, a candidate for U.S. Congress. She opened by giving thanks to the people that had put on the event and then said, “The America that we know and love is in trouble, but as Jimmy Carter once said, ‘Democracy works and eventually will correct itself.’ Now is time for that correction.” That correction came a year ago when the American people got sick of being walked all over by the Democrats in the White House and Congress. That correction went to the polls. I don’t feel like America is any worse off than it was under Obama. I’d go as far to say that it has begun to flourish in some aspects in this new presidency. A lot of people like to ignore facts though.

“I believe in the universal, single payer, comprehensive health care system for all. There is no reason that we cannot cover every single body. Our nation is great and very prosperous.” How in the world can the left yell and scream for the government to stay out of their bodies when it comes to abortion, and then yell, scream and demand the government pay for everything wrong with their bodies when it’s literally anything else? Overall, Jenny Lou Leeder was a walking contradiction that seemed to sum up the democratic party pretty well.

Next up, a fill in speaker stepped in. Adrian Ocegueda is running for governor in Texas. As he stepped up to the podium, the speakers rang out “Times They Are A-Changin” by Bob Dylan. These people began to weep. The crowd stood up and began swaying and singing and literally crying. I sat back on my little curb and laughed at the scene that was taking place before me. Unfortunately, I only caught the first part of Mr. Ocegueda’s speech because I’m a high school student that has other things to do besides spend three hours at a pity party.

“Our capitalistic system is redistributing wealth in a way that we didn’t necessarily expect. And this has gotten way out of hand.” Redistributing wealth? The Democrats literally had a socialist running for president. America is built on a capitalist, small business owner society. Socialism isn’t American.

“Whether your battle cry is ‘build a new wall’ or ‘resist,’ we are not engaging in conversation.” I actually really liked this. No one is talking across party lines. Democrats see a  “Make America Great Again” hat and they either spit in the Republicans face or disgrace them all together. Republicans see a vagina hat and immediately seek to trigger the wearer. There has to be a middle ground where each side can sit down, have a conversation, and talk about why they believe what they believe.

From what I saw at this women’s march, I was shocked in both good and bad ways. I was expecting contradictions and people that I couldn’t quite comprehend and I got all that. But I didn’t expect to see so many Republican values and ideas that weren’t too far off from what these people were talking about. It all comes down to a conversation. I so wish I would have had more time to talk to some of those people and start a few of those conversations. I don’t hate people that think differently from me, I don’t always understand them and I often enjoy making fun of the absurdity, but I don’t hate them. Nothing is gonna get better if both sides don’t talk.

Overall, I enjoyed going to this women’s march to see firsthand the strange creature that is a Democrat. And hey, congrats to Stephenville for catching up with the times a little bit. And congrats to the Democratic Party of Erath County for bringing it here. Now if we can get a little March for Life down here, we’d really be moving along.


Savanna Graves first found a passion for politics and government on the 2016 campaign trail for her father. Since then she has been increasingly involved with Turning Point USA, Future Female Leaders, and PragerU, organizations that spread the message of small government and capitalism. As a high school senior at Huckabay ISD, she plans on attending Liberty University in the fall of 2018 to study political science and journalism. Views expressed in this column are hers and do not reflect those of The Flash as a whole.

13 Comments

  1. Thank the Lords this is just an opinion piece. Well written but really heavy handed against the left by the right. But I’m not a writer. So meh…

  2. Loved your article very insightful of a young persons prospective. You give me hope for the future. May God bless you.

  3. Very well written for a senior in higb school, heck well written for a seasoned reporter. Glad you were able to make it to the march
    Did not know a march was going on. You are so right we need to organize a marcj for life. There was a rigbt to life in DC on Friday; however the only one that got attention from the press was the vulgar hateful “vagina pink”
    Wearing women who march in favor of ending lufe of the most defenseless & innocent.
    Thank you for your repoet. Job well done!!!!

  4. The Democrats have been maligned for years by people who say they have no ideas. Well, this Vagina Hat parade was an idea! It just wasn’t a very bright one. And you’d better hope the good ol’ boys around here don’t decide to go to hat making and mount a fitting response of their own.

  5. The writer just stouped to a way lower level than anyone who marched. Once she started cutting them down she just sounded dumb

  6. Unfortunately, many Republicans are misinformed about abortion. Many Democrats do not support or advocate abortion. I don’t speak for the entire Democratic Party but it seems that the Democrats advocate for freedom of choice when a woman has to choose whether to abort her unborn child. It is a personal decision that should be left to the woman, her church, and her family. Many times the choice is a matter of life or death of the unborn child and the mother of that child. Democrats are for the most part pro-choice, not pro-abortion.

    • When it comes to the murder of babies why should it be a choice? It’s murder against those who can’t fight back. There should be no option to choose.

  7. Thanks for the article. I am disappointed in Kim Olson, that she would be 100 miles from any woman in a vagina hat. I know her family personally, and I can’t believe this would be alright with them. We don’t have to act like whores to get our point across, surely.

  8. Both Democrats and Republicans would like to see fewer abortions. The difference is that Republicans advocate using government power to force women to carry children to term against their will. Democrats believe that would only result in driving abortions underground, causing even more tragedy for everyone involved. Democrats would rather have sex education provided in high schools, so that young people better understand the consequences of their actions. Democrats would rather have easily available/affordable contraceptives so that unwanted pregnancies can be prevented. Democrats would rather have affordable healthcare and educational opportunities so that people will feel that they can afford to have and raise children.

  9. It is delightful to see insightful writing by a senior in high school. You are the future of this nation, and give me hope for that future. Thank you.

  10. I would say this to Savanna:
    First of all, as a former English teacher, I am pleased to see a young person who is well-spoken and who can organize her thoughts in a cohesive essay. I would have given her an A.
    Secondly, if it were not for women like those who marched in Stephenville, Savanna would never have had her op-ed piece published because, after all, she’s just a girl. Savanna probably doesn’t even think about the fact that she is the beneficiary of the same kind of marches she witnessed. Thanks to the type of women in the “vagina hats” she won’t be forced to work for a boor who constantly hits on her. She can get her own credit card – not have to use her husband’s. She can go into a wide variety of careers – not just nurse, secretary, or teacher. She can wear what she wishes to school and work– not be restricted to wearing only skirts – with pantyhose. She can vote for whomever she pleases. Thanks to the people who fought for her rights.
    When I was Savanna’s age, an abused wife couldn’t run because (a) there were no domestic abuse shelters, and (b) she couldn’t earn enough on her own to support herself and her children. A girl impregnated by a rapist was forced to go to a filthy back alley abortionist, at risk of losing her own life. There was no such thing as date rape – it didn’t exist. The victims knew they would be blamed themselves and were ashamed and wondered what they did to bring it on. I could go on and on, because I’ve been there.
    And there are still injustices today. Women are still harassed, groped, and assaulted. We read in the paper regularly that an innocent woman and/or her children were murdered by an irate, jealous boyfriend or husband. Young girls are kidnapped and forced to go into prostitution. Women have to fight to get equal pay, and in almost any company, you will notice that men outnumber the women in most executive positions, including our U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive branch. Girls who get drunk or dress in a short dress are called “sluts.” Why are men never labeled as such? In how many households do women still do the majority of the housework and childcare? Most. And let’s not even think about the way women are treated in other societies throughout the world. Yet many risk their lives to assure that their daughters are educated and free to express themselves.
    And finally…the “vagina hats” to which you refer, I assume, are the pink knit hats with the cat ears. These hats exist because a boorish, entitled misogynist bragged about his power and the fact that he could kiss any woman he wished and grab her by her genitalia.
    I was not able to march this year because of another commitment, but I did go to Austin last year with my daughter and granddaughters. When I rounded the corner at Congress Avenue and saw the tens of thousands of people gathered around our capitol building, I DID tear up. Because I do remember.

    • So perfectly on point. I appreciate everyone’s opinion and I feel so fortunate to be a young woman during a time where we may speak our opinions out loud, BUT let’s not forget that not all women have had these rights throughout history. If it weren’t for those courageous enough to stand up and fight, this young lady would never have been allowed to have an opinion, much less speak on it. This isn’t a liberal agenda thing. This is a human rights thing! All genders, races, religions, and so on, should be treated like HUMANS. I have a strong inclination that most of this young ladies “stances” are influenced by her extremist right wing family. Give her a few years of life experience and I have a feeling her “opinions” will change.

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