Looks from March for Our Lives
Looks from March for Our Lives
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The March For Our Lives was a sea of orange, the symbol for gun control, and blue, from the movement’s merchandise. However, there were a few outliers – people who chose to voice their concern via clothing. Here is how some marchers chose to creatively protest.
Name: Brendan Wright/ Barbara Comstock
Age: 25
Occupation: Academic Adviser at George Washington University; Washington, DC
Tell me about what you’re wearing. I’m Brendan Wright but also today I am Barbara Comstock, of Virginia District 10. I’m just your everyday Republican on the go, just a little sensible sequin number–everyone needs one in their closet.
Why did you come today? We’re here supporting Gays Against Guns and we want to make sure that all of these student activists which have been able to rally around being proactive and making a commitment to stop gun violence feel as though we as an activist group are also here to support them.
Who is Barbara Comstock? She’s one of the biggest career donation acceptors from the NRA; she’s received over $137,000 from them over her career as a Congresswoman, and it’s important especially in this moment to proactively try to get people like that out of our representative offices.
Name: Javier Amezcua
Age: 17
Occupation: Student
Why are you here? For common sense gun reform. It’s just ridiculous, the fact that normal people can get military grade weapons. I just think there shouldn’t be a possibility that someone can have access to something that’s sole purpose, sole creation was to kill people. I don’t think that’s necessary at all.
Tell me about what you’re wearing. Red, white, and blue. At the end of the day, that’s where we live, that’s where we’re gonna spend most of our lives, right? So I want to make it safe for my kids and the people around me.
Name: Marybeth Hoey
Age: 52
Occupation: Office Manager
Why are you here today? I’m here today because I’m not opposed to gun use at all. I’m not opposed to automatic weapon use, but there needs to be a change in the common sense of whom we allow these weapons into the hands of. There’s a problem. We’ve got a problem. We need some common sense installed into the gun laws and who are allowed to have guns. No one needs 12 weapons; no one on this planet. And I hope it changes, I hope the government starts listening to the people, you know? We the people, we hired them, not to rule us, but to lead us. They need to get back to leading us and hearing our voices.
Tell me about your shirt. My shirt is a quote by General Patton, actually. It said, ‘Lead me, follow me, or get the hell out of my way.’ And I thought, how appropriate. They need to open their ears and start listening to the people. You know, lead us, listen to us, or get the hell out of the way. Because we’re going to do it. Change is going to happen, so they might as well be a part of it.
Name: Olivia Neely
Age: 20
Occupation: Student at Duke University; North Carolina
Why are you here today? I’m here today because it’s way too late to start taking action toward gun violence in the United States. I think this movement is just so powerful and shows the power of the student-voice and really finally starting to listen to young people, old people, everybody, who cares about this issue. It’s an incredible example of youth empowerment and youth voice.
Why a pussy hat? Well I am an avid feminist. I’m pre-med, so I’d like to be an OBGYN doctor, but I think it’s really important to spread the message that, you know, it’s important to care about multiple issues and to care about one and representing one definitely does not detract from caring about the other. I just wanted to represent that movement [women’s rights] as well here and bring them all together.
Name: Mari Gustafson
Age: 48
Occupation: Owner of clothing company; Brooklyn, NY
Why are you here? We are trying to fulfill the gay agenda. They don’t understand how gun control is part of the gay agenda, but it is.
Tell me about what you’re wearing today. I am wearing my lovely boa named Gilbert, after Gilbert Baker, the man who created the gay flag. And this man was so freaking fabulous, and sadly he passed away last year! And when he died, I just started buying rainbow everything just to, like, keep him near me, you know?
Tell me about your hat. I have marching band issues. This is one of five marching band hats! When The Women’s March happened, I was like, ‘I don’t know about these pussy hats,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh I know!’ So I bought this band hat and spray painted it bright pink and then this is just like my gag hat, and I wanted orange; it’s a very important color in the gun control movement, so I tried to get as much orange into our protest.
Name: Nico Dearcangelis
Age: 16
Occupation: Student at Middletown High School; Maryland
Why are you here? We’re here to… I don’t know. Cause a little change, I guess.
Tell me about your shirt. It’s all 17 victims of the Parkland shooting down in Florida.
Name: Avery Owens
Age: 16
Occupation: Student
Why are you here? Because I shouldn’t have to be afraid of getting killed in my school. It’s simple.
Tell me about your sweatshirt. It says, ‘We call BS.’ What the government is doing about guns is not enough, and they’ve been doing it for too long and it’s time that it stops–and it’s BS. We gotta call it out.
is a magazine senior and a staff producer to The NewsHouse at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
