Nearly 400 people on Jan. 20 march from the Hard Rock in Stateline to Lakeview Commons in South Lake. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

Last year those who didn’t understand the women’s marches across the globe thought it was all about the 2016 election. And in some ways it was. But it was also about the person elected, what he represents and that based on the popular vote he lost by millions. It was also about his belief that grabbing a woman’s pussy is his right.

Sexual assault is not a right. It is a crime.

It is not locker room banter.

Parents march for their rights and those of their children. Photo/Kathryn Reed

A year later, on Jan. 20 – the one-year anniversary of the last presidential inauguration – women, men, children and dogs took to the streets again. Today the outcry is the same, yet different. It’s not just about what is going on in Washington, D.C., as unbelievable as that seems at times, but it’s about the abuses women have been suffering for centuries that are just now coming to light.

What is it with men? Why do they think it’s OK to sexually, physically, emotionally or in any other way abuse women?

Does it really make you feel powerful? Do you really not care about the person you are victimizing?

A man holds a sign telling the world what he thinks. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By no means are men as a whole abusers. I’d argue more are gentlemen than not. At the marches it’s wonderful to see all the men standing right beside the multitudes of women. They are as appalled as the women at what is going on.

The marchers, they want men everywhere, not just politicians to figure out what the #MeToo movement is all about. To think hard if they have been part of the problem. No matter the answer, it’s time to be part of the solution.

South Shore women show their solidarity. Photo/Kathryn Reed

The president of the United States thinks there are shithole countries. The way he treats the office, women and people in general is appalling, degrading, shameful and embarrassing. Instead of making America great, he seems to be turning it into a shithole – at least when it comes to common decency.

Revelations about his sexual escapades keep making headlines, including interactions with multiple porn stars during the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Stateline in 2006. This, while his wife was at home with their young son.

He has stained the oval office in a way that hasn’t been done since that famous blue dress.

A couple makes their opinions known at Lakeview Commons. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Even a consenting intern is not excusable. It’s still abuse of power, and certainly the office. Men degrading women crosses political aisles and permeates all professions.

It has to end. That is what these marches are about. It’s about no longer being silent. It’s about solidarity. It’s about making a statement for what is right. It’s about equality.

It’s time for change: march, vote, educate, stand up, speak out, say no, report the abuse, be intolerant of intolerance.