(Lee la versión en español)

When you are 12 years old you do not think about what it means to be a Puerto Rican, much less a woman. All you can think about is going to the beach, swimming in the river, and completing your homework. Being Puerto Rican comes as easily as breathing. It is not something you ever doubt or question.

(Foto de Ashim D’Silva en Unsplash)

(Read the English version)

Algunas cosas nunca cambian. Nací en Cayey, y viví en Jayuya hasta que tuve 13 años, cuando me mudé a Florida. He estado viviendo aquí desde entonces. He tenido la oportunidad de viajar y conocer diferentes ciudades y culturas. A pesar de todo, dos cosas han sido persistentes: el sexismo y el acoso sexual existen en todas partes. No importa dónde vaya, o qué edad tenga, he experimentado la vergüenza que me produce un hombre que hace comentarios no deseados sobre mi cuerpo, la forma en que los hombres me rechazan simplemente porque soy una mujer, el miedo de ir a cualquier parte sola.

(Foto de Ashim D’Silva en Unsplash)

(Lee aquí la versión en español)

Some things never change. I was born in Cayey, lived in Jayuya until I was 13 years old, moved to Florida and have been living here ever since. I have had the opportunity to travel, and experience different cities and cultures. Through it all one thing has been persistent: sexism and sexual harassment exist everywhere. It does not matter where I go, or how old I am, I have experienced the burning shame that comes from a man making unwanted comments about my body, the way men dismiss me simply because I am a woman, the fear of going anywhere alone. Having lived both in Puerto Rico and Florida, I have learned the burden that comes with being a woman in the world.