Multiple Cases of Trans Discrimination Motivate Passionate Campaign for Gender Equality in the Philippines

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“Trans discrimination has to end.” That’s the message Filipino netizens are sharing on social media at the moment following two instances of discrimination against trans women that became public this week.

The cases have angered many young Filipinos who have taken to social media in urging the government to pass a bill that seeks to protect members of the LGBTQ community.

Videos by VICE

One case involves trans woman Gretchen Diez, 28 years old, who was barred from using the women’s restroom in a mall in Quezon City on Tuesday.

Diez broadcasted her confrontation with a mall personnel through Facebook Live. In it, she can be seen being dragged by a female janitor to what looks like an employee-only area.

“You have a penis. Remember that,” the janitor said to Diez.

Police eventually arrived at the scene, handcuffed Diez, and brought her to a Quezon City police station, according to Rappler. She was detained after the mall employee filed a complaint against her for unjust vexation because she allegedly went on Facebook Live while inside the women’s restroom.

Diez was released by authorities on the same day after the complainant dropped the charges. She has decided not to file a case against the janitor but plans to go after the Araneta Center, the company that owns the mall where the incident occurred.

She argued that the mall violated Quezon City’s anti-discrimination ordinance, which mandates that all commercial establishments should have “all-gender toilets.”

The video of Diez’s confrontation with the mall employee has gone viral and had almost 800,000 views as of this article’s posting.

In a statement posted on Twitter today, the Araneta Center apologised to Diez and disowned the mall janitor’s actions.

“Management makes no distinctions between customers here, and the LGBTQ community has always been welcome,” it said.

Diez’s experience follows another instance of LGTBQ discrimination made public this week.

On Saturday, a trans woman was barred from entering a bar in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, supposedly because she did not follow the establishment’s “dress code.”

The trans woman, who wished to stay anonymous, shared her story on Twitter with a photo showing her wearing jeans and a crop top. She said two male bouncers stopped her from entering the bar but did not explain what was wrong with her outfit.

The bar later published a statement on social media saying that they don’t actually have a dress code and that they are conducting an internal investigation to resolve the issue.

“We are also taking this incident as a chance to re-train all our staff so they may reflect the true values and culture of this company,” it said.

The controversies have led to an outpouring of support for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill, which aims to prevent any act of discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives in 2017 but remains in limbo—19 years after it was first filed—as it has not progressed in the Senate.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, the principal author of the SOGIE bill, also expressed outrage about Diez’s experience, saying that discrimination against transgender people has to stop.

“A lawyer from my office is with Gretchen now,” Hontiveros said in a statement. “She has my full support.”

In June, more than 70,000 people marched in Metro Manila’s Marikina City for what was reportedly the biggest Pride celebration in Southeast Asia. However, beyond city ordinances, there are still no Philippine laws that specifically protect the LGBTQ community.