The Powerful Reason Everyone Is Wearing Safety Pins After The Election

I'll never forget the horror on my mom's face when I came home after school with two large safety pins hanging from my ears.

My friend had stuck them through my piercings during lunch, and the blood on my ear lobes had just crusted over.

I was 13, a self-described “anarchist” who played The Clash's London Calling on repeat and rebelled against everything and anything I could in my conservative suburban town.

But today, I'm wearing a safety pin for a different reason: solidarity.

It sends the message I stand with every group Donald Trump has managed to insult, marginalize and alienate throughout this election.

It sends the message I am an ally to other women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community and anyone else who feels scared and anxious in Trump's America.

I am a “safe place.”

It's a simple message, but a powerful one.

The #safetypin movement was inspired by a similar campaign that followed the UK's Brexit, in which people showed their support, solidarity and respect for the immigrant community after a surge of racist incidents.

With the election of Donald Trump as the president of the United States of America, similar racially-charged events as well as massive protests have started to occur across the country.

That's what makes this small movement so important and meaningful to people who feel unsafe.

People all over social media are sharing their personal stories and reasons behind donning the safety pins, and these are just a few of the many who are willing to be safe spaces for others:

If you want to take a stand against the inherent injustice of Trump's presidency, but don't know how, this is a good place to start.

Put a safety pin on your jacket and make it known you support those who need our help the most right now.