by Julia Goldberg, Source New Mexico
Amid brisk temperatures and steady snowfall Saturday afternoon, hundreds turned into thousands as protesters converged at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, one of a dozen protests planned in New Mexico as part of a nationwide “Hands Off” movement in opposition to the Trump administration.
In Santa Fe, attendees sang parodies of folk songs (“Hey, Mr. Tangerine Man); chanted (Hey/hey/ho/ho fascists presidents have to go); and cheered on speakers such as U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, a Democrat representing New Mexico’s 3rd Congressional District.
“Hands off everything we love,” Leger Fernández said, pointing at the myriad signs in the crowd. “Hands off our democracy. Hands off trans-life, hands off our union, hands off our youth, hands off our fireman, hands off our women’s health, hands off immigration, hands off elections, hands off diversity. We want our country back!”
Leger Fernández told Source the message she came to give is “indeed we are in a moral moment, and everybody here today is rising to the occasion and is showing that this is love in action: When we show up, when we stand up, when we’re in the streets, on the feet, at the town halls, making calls, at the ballot box, in the courtroom, in the classroom, standing up for what is right and standing against the Musk/ Trump extreme Republicans agenda that’s hurting everything we love.”
Leger Fernández noted some small signs victories in Congress, such as a Democratic-backed Senate resolution bucking the president’s Canadian tariffs, supported by four Republicans, and House Republicans’ recent failure to use a procedural move to block a resolution, in which nine Republicans bucked their party leadership.
“It’s a small victory,” Leger Fernández told Source, “but it shows that when we can get just a few Republicans to vote with us, we can defeat the Trump agenda. That’s why we’re holding town halls, we’re showing up at places like this. We’re holding town halls in Republican districts because we just need three Republicans to have the courage to stand with their constituents and with the Constitution and not with Trump. This kind of mass movement puts pressure on the Republicans.”
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.
The vast, vast majority of us do not love trans-life. What an utter freak show filled with pathetic losers. Please get jobs.
Ledger is very proud of the fat and corrurtpion. They don’t want to lose the gravy train. We’re not dumb. Vote them all out and flip NM
The trolls are out. Probably the same person or a Russian bot.
The vast majority of us have more important things to worry about than trans life. Stop taking the bait and pay attention to what’s really going on. Maybe take a biology class or read a book while you’re at it. Life is more complicated than you’re apparently capable of understanding.
Science tells us that our sexual orientation is determined by the wiring in our brains, not the plumbing in our genitals. I know a person that was transgendered from male plumbing to female, and she is much happier as a woman. I am happy for her and see nothing wrong or sinful about what she has done.