SSHS seniors organize pantsuit protest

Amanda Ventura-Molina and Emily Sobel have long been passionate about human rights. So when the South Side High School seniors heard about the “Repeal the 19th” Twitter movement created by Donald Trump supporters, and with International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women coming up, the girls knew they couldn’t stay silent.

On Nov. 22, Ventura-Molina and Sobel held a “Pansuit Protest” at the high school to raise awareness about women’s rights. Since the actual awareness day was Nov. 25, when students were off from school, they decided to have it the day before Thanksgiving break.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Trump supporters created the hashtag #repealthe19th, referencing the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote. The tweets were accompanied by U.S. maps that showed the Republican candidate winning overwhelmingly in an all-male voting scenario and Clinton taking the presidency if the vote only involved women.

“We were really angry,” Sobel said. “It was a couple of weeks before the election. It was a disgusting idea to begin with, and so that was pretty infuriating.”

Ventura-Molina and Sobel started asking some of their classmates if they would support the idea of a peaceful protest.

“A lot of girls were very excited about it,” said Ventura-Molina. “They wanted to do something, make some change.”

The response prompted the girls to create their own “Pantsuit Protest” Facebook page. They invited classmates to the closed group to explain their mission and describe what was happening on protest day. They also started an online group chat to stir interest.

They said 60 to 80 students participated in the protest, including 15 boys, with half of them wearing pantsuits or similar business attire. Classes were not disrupted, and there were no other demonstrations before or after school.

That day, the girls gave out safety pins for students to put on their clothing or backpacks to symbolize being in a safe place where people can talk openly without judgment. Decorative beads were handed out to attach to the pins. They also gave out slips of paper that explained their mission statement, what their movement was about, and what they hoped to accomplish.

“It was really meant to have an open dialogue and talk about what’s going on in the nation,” Sobel said.

Each protester also received blank stickers to write messages, such as why they were participating, what the movement meant to them or general statements about the cause.

“There were stickers that said, ‘We are more than our bodies,’ [and] ‘Women’s rights are human rights,’” said Ventura-Molina.

But the movement came at a price. Some of their classmates turned their message into a Trump-Clinton debate and others cursed at them from afar.

“Some people came up to me and spoke to me about it,” Ventura-Molina said. “They didn’t say anything that made me feel upset, but the manner in which they asked told me that they did not approve of what was happening and I heard people talking about it in the halls. A lot of people were very upset.”

The girls also noticed some teachers disapprovingly shaking their heads at them in the hallways, they said.

“There are certain teachers that feel that because we’re still in high school that we shouldn’t care as much,” Sobel said. “But our point of view is, ‘In three months, you’re going to expect us to care when we’re 18.’”

School officials were unaware of the protest beforehand because Sobel said she wasn’t sure whether they would shut it down.

“We looked through the agenda book, and there was nothing against it at all,” she said. “We didn’t pressure any students to join. It was bipartisan entirely. It wasn’t necessarily anti-Trump or pro-Clinton.”

Principal John Murphy said he knew very little about the protest when contacted by the Herald on Nov. 28 and did not receive any complaints from teachers or students.

“I didn’t notice it as an atypical day,” he said. “Whether I agree or disagree with their sentiment, it’s an issue of keeping the kids safe on a day-in, day-out basis. Am I going to tell girls that they can’t wear pantsuits? No.”

The girls are planning other demonstrations in conjunction with their classmates. On Dec. 19, they will wear T-shirts that say ‘Love to School’ to show unity.