Personal Narrative: The Right To Protest

Words: 464
Pages: 2

There were protest signs outside of my high school featuring graphic depictions of aborted fetuses, all while homophobic pamphlets were handed out by dozens of screaming adults; I was outraged, but my best friends seemed indifferent. I remember it like it was yesterday: a sunny afternoon with perfect weather, and sun-drenched religious extremists at the steps of my school. I was nearing the end of my sophomore year, and I was already very interested in activism. I had participated in the women’s march and even done a few walk-outs, as I was a strong believer in human rights and the dangers of bigotry. Needless to say, when I saw those dreadful signs I was distraught; why would this group choose a school full of non-voting minors to prosthelytize? I remember thinking that they had a right to protest and advocate for their beliefs, but the way they chose to do it only inflicted terror and disdain-this aggressive strategy couldn’t have expanded their following by much.. …show more content…
To my surprise, some of my friends defended the group’s actions; it was apparently stupid of me to be upset because it’s their inalienable right to publicly protest. What, I wondered, were they even protesting? They certainly weren’t protesting relaxed abortion and gay-marriage laws, as they were advocating in front of a school full of underaged students. Were they protesting in an effort to attack the students that these laws applied to make them uncomfortable in what was once a safe space? Were they protesting the laws, or simply protesting innocent