Dozens of people are set to gather this weekend in Longmont to show their support for women’s rights.
The Bigger Than Roe Rally is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Sixth Avenue and Main Street on Saturday — one day before what would’ve been the Roe v. Wade 50th anniversary.
One of the event’s co-planners, Kathy Partridge, also organizes the weekly Saturday Longmont Leads with Love Vigil.
“I come to Main Street almost every week to show that Longmont supports human rights, and we are well received with honks and thumbs up of support,” Partridge said.
“This week, marching for reproductive rights and human rights is especially important to me because our large numbers will send a message of how important it is to lift up the message of reproductive rights. We'll see young and old, of all genders, participating in this day of action, which will sends a strong message to our town, and to our elected officials,” she said.
The rally will be held in solidarity with women’s marches across the country this weekend.
Bigger Than Roe Rally co-organizer Marisa Dirks came up with the idea for a Longmont event after spending several years traveling to Denver for women’s marches.
“I thought, you know, a lot of people probably won’t feel like driving down to Denver, and it’s probably a natural location for people to gather in Longmont, especially on Saturday, and so we just kind of put our heads together … we decided to sign up our event on the Women’s March website,” Dirks said.
The U.S. Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion June 24, with its conservative majority overturning Roe v. Wade.
“In many states, access to reproductive care is really being challenged — in several states, you’re not able to get an abortion,” Dirks said.
As bans took effect in more than a dozen states, Colorado legislators signed into law the Reproductive Health Equity Act, which protects women’s right to have abortions.
While many virtual gatherings have been held across the country in support of women’s rights, for many people it’s important to attend marches and rallies in person, Dirks said.
“I think that it’s important for people to be in a face-to-face gathering — to show solidarity, and also to kind of share stories and talk about what actions they can take in the future,” she said.
Dirks has invited state legislators to attend the Longmont rally and educate attendees about Colorado’s equity act and how they can ignite change.
The local Women’s Collaborative will also be holding an event Monday to let people know how they can take action in this year’s legislative session.
