Culture

People Are Wearing Safety Pins In Solidarity With Minority Groups Under Threat From Donald Trump

A symbol of resistance in the face of racism, homophobia, misogyny and bigotry.

by Tom Clift  12 November 2016

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In the past year and a half, we’ve watched Donald Trump describe Mexicans as rapists, threaten a blanket ban on Muslims, brag about molesting women and commit a litany of other offences that you would’ve thought would disqualify him from becoming President of the United States. But apparently that wasn’t the case. In just a few short months, Donald Trump will be sitting in the Oval Office, and for a lot of people, particularly women and minorities, that’s genuinely terrifying.

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In the days following the election, a number of people have begun wearing safety pins on their clothing, in a show of support for the various groups – including women, immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQI people, Latinos, African Americans and people living with disability – who Trump has insulted, or whose rights he has threatened to curtail.

The symbol has even been taken up by actor Patrick Stewart. The X-Men star was vocal in his opposition to Trump during the election campaign.

Meanwhile, Chris Weitz, one of the writers of the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One, shared the insignia of the Rebel Alliance with a safety pin through it, along with the words “Star Wars against hate.”

Safety pins were previously worn by people in the UK to show solidarity with immigrants in the wake of the Brexit vote.

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Feature image via Twitter/Bex Taylor-Klaus