This past Saturday was the NO KINGS protests. Over 2000 protests in the US (with more in other countries) and 13 million people voiced their opposition. I did not attend. As mentioned, my anxiety would not have done well with the crowd sizes. But, in support, I wore my "Cero Odio en mi Estado" (No Hate in My State) t-shirt, and my husband wore his "Hate Is Not An American Value" t-shirt.

This protest was to oppose the military parade that the regime held on the president's birthday. It was to remind all that the United States does not have a king and doesn't want one.

Last week, I purchased three copies of my birth certificate. I am a Puerto Rican woman born in Chicago with a Real ID. But that doesn't matter to this regime. To this regime, I am the enemy. I am Spanish (and look it), and therefore don't belong. I purchased my birth certificate solely to prove that I am a citizen. I want to make sure that when I am inevitably stopped (or more likely taken) by ICE, I can prove citizenship. It's Certificates of Freedom all over again.

As I've mentioned, Musicals are my escape. Right now, I am binge-watching Glee. There are some issues with Glee from a Feminist Eye perspective. Two cliché teen pregnancy plots, one that leads to adoption and the other simply a pregnancy scare. The slutty boys (and let's face it, if they were female characters they would be called sluts) who slept with the girls only to have one punishment for being slutty, get the girls pregnant or almost pregnant and perhaps losing the girl. Which, in most cases, doesn't really harm the boys. It's the girls who become outcasts, harassed, called sluts, etc. As if girls are responsible for getting themselves pregnant by immaculate conception. 

Then there is the bully, Coach Sue, whose punishment fluctuates throughout the show but ultimately ends on a high note. She becomes the principal only by planting incriminating items to oust the current principal. And then, in the "5-years-later" plot, is the Vice President? How does that show that bullies are the bad ones?

However, two moments stand out to me the most. This is because of a double standard. When a female and male character are put into similar situations, the reaction and dialogue differ, and, as is common, it favors the man. Let's break down the situations.

This week, the administration, or better yet, the regime, showed their true colors when it comes to immigrants. As they have ICE terrorizing the streets, as they suspend refugee programs, as they remove student visas, they welcomed white South Africans with open arms. 

​They're reasoning: They will assimilate better into the US.

On April 1, the Administration made the decision to withhold funds for Title X family planning programs. This includes Planned Parenthood. Of course, they used diversity, equity, and inclusion as their reason, but it's not fooling anyone. Planned Parenthood has always been on the chopping block for two reasons: 1) they provide safe abortion services, and 2) they provide healthcare services to low-income communities. 

Here's the thing: most conservatives don't know or don't care to know about point number two. All they see is abortion. The fact is, Planned Parenthood provides more than just abortion services; they provide sexual and reproductive healthcare services to patients of all genders, ages, races, sexual orientations, etc. 

By withholding Title X funding, cancer will go undetected, birth control access will be severely reduced, and the STI crisis will worsen. People will suffer.

​Let's further break this down.

The White House is apparently assessing ways to persuade women to have more children, including baby bonuses and menstrual cycle classes.  Here's the NYT article on the topic.

​Their concern is that the birthrate has been dropping since 2007. So instead of figuring out why that is the case, they are just figuring out ways to rectify it. And, let's be clear here, they don't care about black, Hispanic, Jewish, etc. birthrates. They care about white Christian birthrates in their push for conservative family values. Let's break this down.

Musicals are my escape. When the world feels crazy, I dive in and have them playing in the background while I work. And, well...the world is crazy right now. I like musicals in all forms, movies, live recordings, and TV shows. Right now, I am watching Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. I'm on season 2, episode 6, Zoey's Extraordinary Reckoning. 

This episode tackles the issue of racial bias in the tech industry, specifically on the lack of representation and the experiences of BIPOC employees. It focuses on Simon, a black man who heads up the marketing team at SPRQ Point. In the previous episode, Simon called out the company's blind spots. In this episode, the board wants him to retract his statement cause they feel he's the only one experiencing this. That is until Tobin, an Indian man on the coding team, posts his experience on social media, prompting BIPOC employees worldwide to come forward with their stories.

It's a great topic to tackle on the show and one that should have been. But here's the thing, the show overlooked one opportunity: Women in Technology.

If you hadn't heard (and how could you have not), on Saturday, April 5, there was a massive "Hands off" protest across the country and internationally. We were gonna go, but one of our cats wasn't feeling well, so we stayed home with her instead. Based on what I've heard of crowd size, it may have been a good thing as my anxiety probably wouldn't have handled it well.

Since I couldn't attend, I thought I would write out my list of hands-off items. A list that wouldn't have fit onto a single sign.

And the entertainment industry needs to stop using it as a plot point. There are other ways to traumatize a woman without resorting to Rape.

*Trigger Warning*

Case in point: My husband and I have been doing a Star Trek movie marathon. I hadn't seen the originals as I became a Trekkie with TNG, so we figured why not. The other day, we watched ​Star Trek: Nemesis. There is a scene where Troi and Riker are making love and the bad guy invades her mind psychically raping her. The scene was meant to divulge the psych ability of the enemy that she then later uses to locate their cloaked shipped. There was no reason the scene needed to be that violent, it didn't push her character forward and it didn't add to the plot. It was a detail that could have been discovered in a less dramatic but still traumatizing way.

​I don't care if they are documented or not; no one should be treated the way ICE is treating people right now. They are forcefully removing people off the streets while in unmarked clothing, wearing masks, and not showing ID or a warrant. This is unacceptable.

​This behavior is also dangerous. It's only a matter of time before we hear about someone being snatched by a nefarious group, and they can't be found. By snatching people in this manner, ICE is making it easier for vigilantes to do the same. 

Let's discuss some examples and explore their reasons for being snatched.