tickling him, he was laughing andenjoying and [my mother] told me thatthat kind of action ‘tickling a baby boyand you are gay; that’s a form of molestation,child molestation.’ So I reallyfelt bad, I cried.Angel, 42, provided an example of verbal andemotional violence that was accompanied bya violent physical act. After telling her familythat she was a lesbian, her brother took outa gun and shot their pet dog, saying, “Ako,naglagot ako sa imo [I am mad at you]. I mightbe able to kill you.”Verbal violence, which oftencontains a directive to change behavior or dress,also serves to remind LBT women of a female’splace in society. May Rhoda, a transgenderwoman, analyzed her boyfriend’s frequentverbal abuse:When he gets mad, he always tells me, ‘Don’tfeel confident that you are moneyed; you’rejust a bayot [gay/transgender person]’... ThatI’m so underestimated that I’m really, reallysmall. It pisses me off. If I am ‘just a bayot’,why did he still chase after me?Traditionally, families do not disown FilipinoLBT children because nuclear families need to remainintact as an economically functioning unit.However, Pol, a transgender woman, lamentedthat she was forced to leave home after her fathercaught her flirting with some men in her nativeBacolod City:I left everything behind in Manila justfor you guys and this is how you repayme? You’re kicking me out?... I lived inboarding houses; I’ve never been kickedout [by them] but here, within my ownfamily, my father kicks me out. So I wasreally, really hurt.Many of the LBT women interviewed for thisresearch also reported experiencing verbal andemotional violence outside of the home. Brigite,a transgender sex worker, recalled a saleswomanaddressing her as “Sir.” “That’s an insult. Oh myGod, look at my boobs, so huge, and you’regoing to call me sir?” Brigite recalled. Most ofthe emotional and verbal violence that respondentsexperienced took the form of sexually loadedtaunts, catcalls, whistles, the playing of musicoffensive to transgender women, gestures, visualsigns and insults posted online from either strangers,neighbors, acquaintances and employees of publicestablishments. The content of the verbal attacksconsisted mostly of thinly veiled invitations for sex,putdowns laden with stereotypes, and threats ofinjury or sexual assault.Rain’s sister, a makeup artist who accepted Rain’stransgenderism, proudly uploaded videos of Rain’scosmetic transformations. Instead of praise, onlinecommentators posted such remarks as “Oh, sothis a trans/gay” after they realized she was atransgender woman. Rain found those commentsto be “offensive and insensitive.”Violence in the Name of ReligionOnly a small number of the LBT women weinterviewed said that they considered religion acritical factor for their emotional, psychologicalor social development. Those who consideredfaith to be important in their lives said they feltviolated by homophobic or transphobic churchdoctrine, or they blamed religious tenets forpromoting oppression within their families.Sheena, a bisexual woman:I think what happened was a result of myparents being constantly bombarded byadvice from their … church. Before [theystarted going to church], they were notlike that. It seemed that they knew [mysexual orientation] and they were lettingme be; but with that pressure from thechurch, they became strict with me.Other respondents coped by either quietlyconforming to the rules of their church or byleaving the church altogether. Kaycee, a transgenderwoman, said:16VIOLENCE: Through the Lens of Lesbians, Bisexual Women and Transgender People in Asia
I was born Catholic, my father remindedme... when I told him I am a woman, hesaid, ‘No, you’re not, you’re born male,you have to be man, you’re a boy’ … Isaid I am not in between, I am a woman...That’s why I changed my religion … [towhat] I call paganism or pagan.Some respondents like transwoman Vanessa hadan opposite reaction to religious pressure:Religion doesn’t influence me on beinga transgender. Religion did not have aneffect on me. I just believe in God.the bayots 35 won’t march at all … theythink we are only slacking off. But weweren’t relaxing at all because we waxedthe floor… sell soda drinks, carrying sodacases… we really got two punches thattime, which is not right … our bodieswere still so thin that time.Respondents said emotional violence from fellowstudents was commonplace. Transgender respondentVanessa recalled being taunted by herclassmates in high school:I walked in the corridors just not to beseen by the students. Once you walk[along an open pathway or outside] thebuilding, they taunt you: ‘Bakla! Bayot!’Sexual ViolenceMany of the respondents reported being rapedwithin their families. Most of the victims weretransgender women who were sexually abused byuncles during childhood and in pre-pubescence.Pol, transgender respondent:Photo: Courtesy of Rainbow Rights ProjectViolence in SchoolsWarranting special attention are the humanrights violations taking place against LBTstudents in schools, where institutional rules,policies, and practices effectively create aclimate of exclusion and facilitate instances ofviolence and abuse. Official academic activitiesoften provide the cover for violations.Cindy, a 27-year-old transgender woman recalledhow an ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps)superior officer picked on her and her fellowfemale transgender ROTC cadets:… the officer, he was super angry becauseSo I was raped... [when I was in the] 5thGrade, 6th Grade… I was scared of myuncle; he was a drug addict... [It] mightdestroy the family... I live with him now...It’s hard to explain... he just laid besideme then... he took my hand, and that’sit... I’m still ashamed...Ashamed for him...It’s because he did it to me, his nephew.Many transgender women only become awarelater in life that what they experienced as childrenis sexual violence. Mae, a 24-year-old transgenderwoman, surmised that she must have exhibitedsignals that the perpetrators perceived as license tomolest her. She said:I think I was 10 years old, 11. Actually,not just with my uncle but with some35 Bayot is the Visayan language word for bakla. See Glossarysection for further explanation.Philippines: Kwentong Bebot 17
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