Because I am a young, white female, I have never fallen victim to racial profiling. 

I don’t have to worry about getting pulled aside by TSA because my religion requires me to cover my hair.

I can walk down the street at night without worrying about looking suspicious because of my skin color.

 I’m not presumed to be armed and dangerous by police who have recently made an abundance of fatal judgement calls. 

I didn’t grow up in the bad side of the neighborhood. 

I wasn’t a victim to gang and police violence simply because my parents lacked the financial resources to move to a safer area. 

I am not responsible for facing the consequences of laws broken by my parents. 

I wasn’t brought into a country illegally as a child, having no say in the matter. 

Although I have lived my entire life as a contributing member of society, I will never be faced with the threat of deportation. 

I won't be sent to live in a country that I have never stepped foot in; a place where I don’t speak the native language.

 If this had been my circumstance, and I wanted to become a legal citizen and stay in the country I’ve called home for 20+ years, there is no path for me to do so.

 No one ever told me I couldn’t marry the person I love because their religion says it’s a sin.

 No one has told me I’m going to burn in hell or that they won’t make my wedding cake because of the person I love’s gender. 

No one has questioned my ability to raise my child because my sexual orientation might rub off on them. 

I’ve never been physically or emotionally abused, harassed, or a victim of sexual abuse.

 I’ve never had to experience the trauma and shame that follow being a victim of the before mentioned events.

 I’ve never had to deal with being accused of lying and faced with defamation once finally finding the courage to come forward.

       Last year during this movement, I read many posts, shockingly many from my Facebook friends, referring to the march as "pointless" and "stupid", and categorizing the women and men that participated as "snowflakes" and "whiners". 

          The misconception held by many about the Women’s March, is that its sole purpose is to protest both gender inequality and Donald Trump. This may be the focus point for some marchers, but its purpose is much broader and all-encompassing for others. My reasoning falls into the latter category, but also, f*** Trump. Although I have not personally dealt with discrimination due to my sex, orientation, or ethnicity, there are an abundance of women and men who have not been as lucky.

I have lived a very easy, comfortable life. I have two parents who support and love me. Parents who have been able to step in and help me when tragedy strikes, or life happens. I’ve never had to question whether I’d get to sleep with a roof over my head, or when I would be able to afford my next meal. I have access to health insurance, which has allowed me to seek help for my mental health issues. Because I have lived such a privileged life, it is only fair that I stand up for those who have not. So, when I march on Saturday, I’m not marching for me, I’m marching for the millions of people who have faced social injustices day in and day out.

Considering that many of my followers still reside in our conservative little hometown, I knew that posting about my experience would be controversial. In order to help the critics better understand my reasoning for wanting to participate, I first had to understand them myself. I sat down and carefully chose ten reasons to address the elephant in the room.. "why?".  After some deep self-exploration, these are the top ten reasons I decided on. 

1. To set an example for generations to come and inspire others to do the same—including my younger sisters

2. To honor the women in history who fought tirelessly to obtain the rights that we take for granted today. To continue their efforts and encourage progress instead of regression

3. For those who are not as privileged as me—people living in poverty, those who are too ill or weak to march for themselves, for the women in other countries who do not have the freedom to do so, for the women and men of color who face hardships I’ll never have to know, and for those who are not ready, or are too afraid to speak up for themselves

4.  To protest hate, bigotry, racism, and social injustices

5. “To use my voice to make an impact beyond sitting at my keyboard”

6. To live the future that I want to see happen

7. “Because silence= complicity”

8. To feel empowered by my efforts to help the cause and bring about change 

9. To stand in solidarity with the women and men who have come forward and spoken up against their abusers despite the critics and shaming that follows

10. To show this divisive administration that love wins. Always.

So if standing up for those who need it most makes us snowflakes, then let it snow, baby.