DNC Buzz: Anti-Israel protests, gender-neutral bathrooms, and ‘DemPalooza’ 

CHICAGO – The first of the day of the Democratic National Convention gaveled in as anti-Israel protesters broke through a security gate and the press grumbled about Kamala Harris’s DNC limiting press seating at the United Center as TikTokers got a shiny platform. 

President Joe Biden was the headliner speaker Monday as he passed the baton to Harris, with breakout speeches from 2016 Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). 

Here’s some of the sights and scenes from the first day of the DNC.

Pro-Gaza protesters break through

Pro-Gaza, -Palestine protesters breached the Democratic National Convention perimeter on the first day of proceedings.

Official business inside the convention hall was delayed, in part, because delegate buses were prevented from reaching the United Center in Chicago on Monday.

RFK Jr. support

Supporters of Robert Kennedy Jr. may not have been as loud as the pro-Gaza and pro-Palestinian protesters, but they were still a vocal presence. 

“Let Bobby debate!” one relatively small group chanted outside the McCormick Center.

Gender Neutral bathrooms 

The Democratic Party has made the protection of LGBTQ rights key to its values and mentions “transgender” eight times in its newly approved party platform.

At the convention, “gender neutral” bathroom signs were aplenty at the United Center and at the Advocate Center, the normal training facility for the Chicago Bulls, which was transformed into a press filling center. 

California dreaming from inside the arena

California delegates had prime real estate in the United Center with the front row seating in honor of Harris’s home state.

Meanwhile, Washington delegates donned “Cowboy Kamala” sashes, an ode to Beyonce’s most recent studio album, “Cowboy Carter.” Their Maryland counterparts had crab headbands on.

Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton received the rowdiness receptions of the night.

“DemPalooza”

There were also “DemPalooza” expo stations in the McCormick Center for people to get their nails painted and create friendship bracelets, in addition to booths about liberal groups and causes.

A big draw at DemPalooza was the “Coconut Club” backdrop, where delegates grabbed plenty of pictures, in a nod to a memed-tale Kamala Harris’s mother told her about people falling out of a coconut tree. 

Iowa delegate Kim Callahan fit right in with a “coconut army” T-shirt. 

“The energy around it is awesome. People love the coconut thing,” Callahan said. “And we’ve all had moms that have said those kinds of things to us growing up, that we remember, that we repeat to our kids too. And so I just think it’s this beautiful thing that’s part of her campaign, and people are responding to it.”

Celebrity sightings

Filmmaker Spike Lee was spotted going through security after having an in-depth conversation with one of the only Donald Trump supporters outside the United Center convention perimeter.

Jack Schlossberg, grandson of John and Jackie Kennedy, was also seen outside the New York delegation breakfast in the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk.