As a Puerto Rican woman, the GOP passing the most heinous bill to date scares the shit out of me. There are numerous issues with this bill, but for the purpose of this post, I will focus on the massive budget increase that ICE will receive as a result of this bill being signed into law. 

I hope we are all ready for the ethnic cleansing that is about to happen.

And I don't blame them. Puerto Rico has never been treated well by the Trump Regime. During his first term, Hurricane Maria hit the island hard, and instead of providing real and lasting help, Trump went to the island and threw paper towels into the crowd. Now, to be fair, this regime doesn't care about anyone. Trump has already denied FEMA help to red states and is poised to remove FEMA altogether after this year's hurricane season. What makes Puerto Rico's case to leave the US even stronger is the current treatment of Spanish people, including Puerto Ricans, at the hands of this regime's DHS and ICE.

Early last month, I wrote a blog about the Regine's decision to withhold funds for Title X family planning programs, which include Planned Parenthood. I listed the ways this will affect everyday citizens. Yesterday, SCOTUS took it one step further and said that any state can block Medicaid money for health care at Planned Parenthood. This means states can block ANY service provided by Planned Parenthood, not just abortion. So I'm back, repeating what I said before: 

Planned Parenthood is more than Abortion!

In light of this, I will reiterate the suffering that people will experience as a result of this decision. I have also included a YouTube clip with an interview discussing this decision and what it means.

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.