Gender is a contentious matter in the Philippines. Right at the intersection of topics such as bodily autonomy, feminism, and identity politics, our standards on gender are mostly shaped by a Western and religious point of view. The Philippines is a Catholic country; the fact that the Philippines is heavily reliant upon gender roles is equally plain to see.
Recently, there have been talks of a bill prohibiting bias on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression (SOGIE)—one that passed the House of Representatives unanimously in 2017. Resources for transgender people are also starting to become more accessible, from online community forums to medical facilities such as the Victoria Health and Wellness Center, and ManilaMed’s Gender Diversity Center. With the advent of the internet, and with more high-profile figures being transgender or otherwise blurring gender lines, the transgender community is getting more attention than ever.
While the nuances of the lives of transgender or trans people may not directly apply to everyone, the way society treats them serves as a reflection of the values and norms we hold collectively.
Everyday struggles
The identity of a trans person tends to defy the societal norms they were raised to follow. Experiencing a level of dissonance felt over something as personal as one’s name and identity is an ordeal entirely unique to itself.
“We currently have no way of legally changing our gender in our birth certificate. This creates a myriad of problems for us trans people,” Samantha*, a transwoman who is currently in Grade 12, expounds. Samantha has been transitioning for a significant part of her life, and while being trans definitely plays a part in her identity, it is something she prefers to downplay, as she does not want her status as a trans person to define her. As trans people do not follow assigned gender norms, there tends to be a heightened clash between how the world sees them and how they see themselves. This painful dichotomy can show itself in most everyday scenarios, in most everyday spaces, regardless of how private the space is.
One of the most common gendered spaces is the humble restroom. Biological sex is intimately linked to gender, a fact that is made remarkably painful. “If you’re openly transgender or if strangers suspect that you’re transgender, […] you could be harassed by both people, the men and women around you, and you could even get into trouble if there are staff that don’t agree with you having the right to be there,” Samantha states.
Underlying issues
Though there are steps that have been taken to help make life better for the trans community in light of the issues they face, these have not quite been enough in the eyes of Matthias Alea (IV, BSE-ENG). The issues that come with being a trans man make up a big chunk of life for Matthias. These issues stem from a general lack of understanding of concepts regarding sexuality and gender expression. “We basically have to jump through so many hoops just to be acknowledged, let alone respected,” laments Matthias. “[In the] media, we don’t really have much representation and when we do, it’s often sensationalized or [put] in a discriminatory light.”
There is also something to be said regarding the health-related costs some may choose to undergo as a trans person. Transitioning is the process of changing one’s gender presentation to match their gender identity. It includes a wide variety of actions, from changing one’s style of dress and hairstyle to taking hormone treatments prescribed by a medical professional and undergoing various other medical procedures. It is important to state that not all trans people transition. Whether the reasons be financial, social, or personal, the decision to transition is an important topic that every trans person approaches differently.
Transitioning can encompass almost every aspect of a person’s identity, from things as intimate as the makeup of one’s body to the less outwardly obvious, such as being legally recognized as to how one identifies as. Kat*, a first year student studying Organizational Communication at the University of the Philippines Manila who identifies as nonbinary-genderfluid, expounds on the cost of being different. “Even in more ‘accepting’ countries like America, getting something as simple as a gender marker changed on your documents takes a backflip and a half to get done, not to mention it’s crazy expensive and a lot of the time you don’t even get approved unless you’ve had surgery, which is very anti-poor.”
For those who decide to transition, the process is one that is delicate and can put a person’s life at risk of great harm. For Matthias, these concerns are not appropriately addressed in the country. “Since the Philippines doesn’t really consider transitioning to be a health issue, it can’t be covered by insurance, so being trans costs a lot even if it shouldn’t.”
Samantha echoes these sentiments saying, “It’s like a big mocking reminder of our status as not being cis[gender], that we’re born into a gender that doesn’t align with our identity. It shows up on medical records, legal documents, most IDs.”
The collective experience
Kat mentions that trans people are very easily exploited, and are hardly ever taken seriously enough for people to take time and understand their backgrounds, “The words [used to describe trans people] are ‘tolerated not accepted’…popular media has gay or trans characters, but only ever for the sake of jokes, and often they contribute to misunderstandings at best, or are very offensive at worst. [These] are played off because ‘it’s just for fun’.” A lot of this can be attributed to the common mindset in the country that one’s gender identity must match their biological sex. Furthermore, the idea of a person changing their gender is sometimes seen as a violation of what is “natural”. These are hurdles that trans people must go through apart from the general struggles of being queer.
The fact that trans people must learn to navigate in such a wildly unique ballpark makes it so much more meaningful when safe spaces are made available for them to be themselves and when they find a home with people who have walked similar paths. Groups like Pinoy FTM and LoveYourself, and locations such as Pineapple Lab in Makati provide a safe space for trans people. In these groups and places, trans people are afforded basic courtesies and rights they should normally have, where they are referred to by their proper pronouns and are treated no differently from others.
The lives that transgender people lead are some of the most difficult—riddled with injustice and maltreatment. These are people who struggle to live openly as their true selves, being denied what should be basic human decency. When all is said and done, how we as a nation treat one of our most marginalized is heartbreakingly disappointing, as the collective agony that an entire group of people have had to endure paints a bleak, desolate mosaic of pain. It is a reminder of the lengths any level of empathy can go, so that outdated biases are put aside in favor of kindness and understanding.
*Names with asterisks(*) are pseudonyms.
