Sporting boas and pink ties, adorned with pussyhats and magenta wigs, around 600 people made their way to the Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington’s Pink Ball last night, about eight hours after the swearing-in of a president who has pledged to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and choose a Supreme Court nominee that wants to overturn Roe V. Wade.

“It’s just good for the soul on a day when many of us are fearful and anxious about the future of our country,” said Laura Meyers, the president of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington. “Tonight we party in solidarity and unity. Tomorrow we march in unity for all women. And then we get to work.”

Mayor Muriel Bowser was among the crowd at the five-month old facility, posing with Meyers and others on the pink carpet with a sign advising people how to donate by text. “I’m here because I want Planned Parenthood to be strong,” Bowser said. “They’re going to have to have our support—our financial support, the support of our elected officials.”

After a long day of attending the inauguration and addressing the raging protests around Franklin Square, the mayor hadn’t given much thought to her feelings on the day. “I haven’t had a chance to think about it yet,” Bowser said, but she’s looking forward to the march tomorrow.

At-large Councilmember David Grosso and Virginia Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam also put in appearances, while actresses Amy Brenneman and a very pregnant Amber Tamblyn added Hollywood star power. Still, perhaps no one was more in demand than Mike Hot Pence, a doppelganger of the vice president known for raising money for Planned Parenthood and a variety of other groups while pantsless.

Otherwise known as Glen Pannell, he could reliably be spotted posing for photos on and off the pink carpet with a megawatt grin, while a small crowd of people gathered around him waiting for their own shot. “It’s kind of freaky, isn’t it?” Hot Pence was telling DCist when, as if on cue, a fan tapped his shoulder. “Can we take another? I just can’t get enough.”

For Grosso, who opted to sit the official festivities out along with most of his colleagues on the D.C. Council, the Pink Ball represented his “inauguration day event.” Rather than take his place on the stand outside the Wilson Building, he put up a sign across ten windows that read D.C. Protects Human Rights and spent the day instead on an urban trek—checking in on different neighborhoods, talking to people, and getting a sense of the city. Upon returning home, he and his wife found it “depressing” to watch scenes from the parade, but nonetheless threw on their pink and headed out the door.

“I’m a huge supporter of Planned Parenthood, especially Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington,” Grosso said. “I felt it was important to show up and show my support.”

Outside the festivities, a trio of anti-abortion protesters were stationed outside and shouting their usual rhetoric. “My body, my choice,” one party-goer responded. The protester immediately spat back: “Not it isn’t! Not after reproduction!”

Republicans in Congress have pledged to defund Planned Parenthood, although federal funds already can’t be used for abortion care, except in cases of life endangerment, rape, or incest. D.C. is also prevented from spending its own locally raised funds through annual budget riders that a representative from New Jersey is attempting to make permanent.

“Congress has prohibited D.C. from using its own locally raised tax dollars against their own ideological principal of local control. How ironic, how insulting to the 600,000 people who live in D.C.,” said Meyers. “That flies in the face of everything they supposedly stand for.”

Lt. Gov Northam, a physician who is running for governor of Virginia, added that “legislators, most of whom are men, are making decisions about things that should be between [a woman] and her partner.”

As guests danced and sipped on cups of wine, many in the largely female crowd said they were grateful to have a place to gather in solidarity. “I’ve always loved inauguration. It’s usually so full of energy and joy,” said Caroline Gould, a volunteer with Planned Parenthood’s Developing Leaders program. “I’m so happy we put this together as a great alternative.”

Mike Hot Pence concurred, and it gave him something to prepare for instead of watching the proceedings with dismay. He spent yesterday raising funds for the Obama Foundation and plans to attend the march and a Unity Ball tomorrow night.

As he made his way from his downtown hotel today, some Trump supporters noted his resemblance to the new vice president, but they didn’t make the connection to Mike Hot Pence. At the time, “I was wearing pants,” he noted. “It’s my Clark Kent outfit.”

At the Pink Ball, though, sporting his signature shorts and trouser socks, Mike Hot Pence needed no introductions. “I feel beloved … Is it possible to feel humbled and exalted at the same time?”