Jerry Coyne knows a good protest when he sees one. Once a rambunctious leftist, the esteemed evolutionary biologist recalls traveling regularly to Washington to march for civil rights. He remembers when state police chased him off his own college campus for protesting the Vietnam War. For his most climactic endeavor, Coyne says he tried to post an anti-apartheid petition on the door of the South African embassy, and was arrested for trespassing.

Despite this activist streak, Coyne isn’t sure he’ll attend the March for Science on April 22 (Earth Day), when millions of scientists and their supporters are expected to march on Washington and other cities across the country. He says the march’s message has the potential to “alienate the public.”

“I’m in favor of rights for gay people. I don’t care what bathroom somebody uses. I’m pro-choice,” said Coyne, an occasional the New Republic contributor. “But scientists can’t get involved in that kind of stuff. Science cannot adjudicate issues of morality.”

To be fair, the March for Science isn’t supposed to address issues of morality. “The March for Science is a celebration of science,” according to organizers. “It’s not about scientists or politicians; it is about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world...The March for Science champions and defends science and scientific integrity.”

President Donald Trump has indicated he won’t make evidence-based decisions, and that research is not a priority. He has appointed climate deniers to key cabinet positions, including EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and energy secretary nominee Rick Perry, and reportedly asked vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead a commission on vaccines (or autism, depending on the source). Trump has pledged to cut $54 billion in non-defense discretionary spending, the category that funds public research. His rumored frontrunner for science adviser, William Happer, thinks global warming is good for humanity.