Gov. Whitmer urges people to ‘keep breaking down barriers for all women’ this Women’s Equality Day
Gov. Whitmer has shared her wish for ‘all women’ on Women’s Equality Day. (Getty)
Today (26 August) is Women’s Equality Day, and Governor Whitmer has urged people to “keep breaking down barriers for all women”.
At the order of Rep. Bella Abzug in 1971 and after being passed in 1973, the U.S. Congress declared 26 August as Women’s Equality Day. The date was chosen to celebrate the 1920 anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which granted women the right to vote.
This year, on the 104th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the US, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has called on everyone to “reflect and celebrate our progress in the fight for women’s rights”.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on 26 August, the Governor of Michigan wrote: “Women’s Equality Day is a chance to reflect and celebrate our progress in the fight for women’s rights.
“In Michigan, equality and prosperity for everyone are at the core of who we are – let’s keep breaking down barriers and building a stronger future for all women,” the LGBTQ+ advocate concluded.
Her plea comes at a challenging time for women and those with uteruses’ rights in the US following the overturn of the landmark law Roe v. Wade – which guaranteed the right to abortion until foetal viability – with Donald Trump saying that he wouldn’t step in during state decisions on abortion policy punishments.
Furthermore, the rise of anti-trans bills in the US is affecting trans women, with 508 bills targeting the trans community in 2023 alone. If Trump were to go into office for a second, non-consecutive term, there are fears that he would revoke President Joe Biden’s policies on gender-affirming care in all 50 states.
Whitmer has openly supported Kamala Harris’ presidential nomination and spoke at the recent Democratic National Convention in Chicago to endorse Harris and Tim Walz.
Whitmer said at the DNC event: “She’s [Kamala Harris] lived a life like ours. She knows us. Donald Trump doesn’t know you at all. Do you think he understands that when your car breaks down, you can’t get to work? No, his first word was probably ‘chauffeur’.
“You think he’s had to take items out of the [shopping] cart before checking out? Hell, do you think he’s ever been to a grocery store? That’s what the chauffeur is for!”, Whitmer quipped.
She continued: “But Kamala Harris, she gets us. She sees us. She is us.”
