AS we welcome March, we also celebrate National Women’s Month to highlight the role of women in nation-building, and to strengthen the call for equality in our community. While I am one with our country in celebrating the victories of women and recognizing their important contributions, I still think that more policies should be made to make this “tribute” more inclusive.
Inclusivity is when we create more spaces and equal opportunities for those are who part of the underrepresented and marginalized.
In our generation, the meaning of being a woman is getting broader to signify that being a woman is more than just having the reproductive parts of a female, and thus, we get to welcome transwomen in the spectrum. Rights activists advocate that transwomen are women, and there’s no debate about this, but the question is, is the Philippines really open to this idea?
From my own experience, sadly, a resounding NO is a proper response to this.
I am Yammi Fernandez Lumogdang, a transwoman, and this is my story of how I was discriminated during International Women’s Day.
I am currently working as a part-time instructor at a State University. Being a transwoman, I am allowed to enter the campus wearing a dress. In my classes, as I respect the beliefs of some of my students, I instructed them to call me Teacher Yam or Teach to be neutral. I never insisted to be called “ma’am”, and much more, I feel like it’s a big disrespect for me to be called “sir.” I was clear with this arrangement, and things went smoothly for everyone.
However, gloomy days will just come for everyone. Last March 8, 2023 as we were celebrating International Women’s Day, and I just came from a hefty lunch with my mother, I experienced discrimination from our own security detail in the university. As I was entering the campus in my maroon boho dress matched with a denim jacket and black high-cut sneakers, I was greeted by a guard “good afternoon” in a normal tone. But the other guard on duty, in his full voice, while other students entering the campus with me, uttered, “SIR, good afternoon, sir!”
A student, whom I talked to after, and an eye witness to the incident even told me that I after I passed by them, the guard who called me sir even apprehended the other guard and insisted that I should be called sir so that I will realize that I am wrong.
This incident came after I was also called “sir” by not just one but two students coming to a certain college, while I was just a 5-minute walk to my boarding house.
I really consider this experience as a disrespect to my humanity since from the beginning I was really clear with how I wanted to be addressed. But their firmness to call me “sir” despite my appearance and arrangement really showed that these people are transphobic. They refused to respect my neutrality and continues to be blind to what they see on the outside. What’s even worse is that I was even regarded as the villain when I tried to burst out my sentiments which, by the way, is a valid expression of my anger.
While our country celebrates National Women’s Month, I felt like we transwomen are being left out. We are still being treated like second-class citizens and we are only seen as a form of entertainment. We can’t assert our rights and we always feel hopeless in this kind of situation.
It is just sad that while there are transwomen like me who try our best to dignify ourselves by being academic achievers and bringing the best in our community, we are still regarded like our voices don’t matter. I can’t even find a proper recourse in my case as there are no concrete policies in our university on how to handle issues relating to transwomen in particular.
“Puhon” a Bisaya term that denotes hope for a brighter tomorrow can perfectly describe our situation. Puhon. Maybe soon when the SOGIE.SC Equality Law will be enacted, we transwomen can be fully embraced in this country. Maybe soon, people will become more open-minded with their beliefs and will truly accept us for who we truly are. Maybe soon, we will have a champion for our rights.
“Puhon” only then, maybe, we can enjoy what it truly means to be a woman.
Until then, Happy National Women’s Month everyone.
- Yammi Fernandez Lumogdang