International Women’s Day in Geneva proclaims anti-Trump, anti-Musk passion

Their signs told their worries, their outrage, their demands.

“If my uterus had bullets it would have rights.”

“This is not normal.”

“Fire Musk” and “Send Musk to Mars.”

“Hands off the VA.”

“In a world that wants women to whisper, choose to yell.”

They also carried American flags, Ukrainian and Pride flags.

Saturday was International Women’s Day and hundreds of people – mostly women – filled the walkways across the Fox River on Illinois Route 38 in Geneva, spilling over to the sidewalks on either side.

The celebration for women focused on everything they didn’t like about the Trump Administration: From losing abortion access to program cuts, the slash and burn firings of government workers, the involvement billionaire Elon Musk and what they saw as threats to democracy.

The day couldn’t be more perfect for a protest, at 49 degrees with bright sunshine.

The air was filled with honking horns and thumbs ups.

A few yelled profanities as they drove by and a lone Trump supporter hollered down with a megaphone from an upper floor of Riverside Receptions, declaring, “Zelinsky is a fraud!” and “Trump won the popular vote!”

The demonstrators, such as Geneva resident Laura Waldoch, paid him no mind.

She held a sign with a picture of Princess Leia from “Star Wars” that read: “A woman’s place is in the resistance.”

“After the election, I thought I had to do something,” Waldoch said. “I felt like our Constitution was threatened.”

Waldoch said she and like-minded friends organized into an Indivisible chapter called Fox Valley Rising, which now has more than 175 members.

Dawn Staszak of Montgomery’s sign said, “Don’t buy Tesla.”

“Nobody elected Musk. I think it’s very dangerous to have somebody from another country that’s so involved in our U.S. politics,” Staszak said. “I’m very shocked that half the people of America are OK with this...I just don’t trust Elon. I really don’t.”

Her friend Jalene Werth of Maple Park, held a sign proclaiming: “We believe science is real, women’s rights are human rights, Black lives matter, no person is illegal, love is love, diversity makes us stronger.”

“I am here for women’s rights,” Werth said. “Women should have...the right to make decisions about their own bodies.”

Brian and Alice Strobel of Batavia were also at the gathering.

“With everything happening in the government now, I feel that we need to use our voice to let everybody know we don’t appreciate what we’re seeing with so many programs being cut,” Brian Strobel said. “We want to see a stable government for the people not an unstable government against the people...We want to encourage that all people get out to vote and have the right to vote, too.”

Alice Strobel said she is a special education teacher concerned that federal funding for these children’s education will be cut or reduced.

“How about we don’t bring in a chain saw, how about we bring in accountants ... not DOGE boys,” Alice Strobel said, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency under Musk, charged with reducing federal spending.

Mark and Cindy Kaletka of Batavia were participating in their first-ever protest.

“I am here because I think it’s important to support women’s rights and in the current political climate, all of our rights seem to be in danger,” Mark Kaletka said.

“I think we are losing too many of our rights that we worked so hard for in the 1960s and ’70s,” Cindy Kaletka said.

One side of Aurora resident Sue Robles' sign stated, “Save Rural Hospitals” while the other side stated “RIP Sick Kids.”

“This goes all the way back to unseating Randy Hultgren,” Robles said, referring to former U.S. Rep. Randall Hultgren, R-14th, who was defeated by current U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

Robles and others used to hold die-ins outside Hultgren’s Campton Hills office in 2017 to protest his vote for the American Health Care Act – which was intended to replace the Affordable Care Act.

“Without Medicaid, without the ACA, 40% of all deliveries in the United States would be unfunded and roughly 40% or 50% of all kids would not have their health care,” Robles said. “So now my thing is to stand for democracy, stand for our democratic republic and here’s my other sign: Don’t Buy Tesla.”

The Women’s March, We Can Lead Change Fox Valley and Fox Valley Activists hosted the event.