philippines

of my neighbors... But I did not resist...because … they know that maybe I wastransgender/effeminate, so they will just[unfinished phrase] …Transgender woman Jelay said:He [my uncle] lifted me bodily into theroom. He said, ‘You’re a bakla so you suckmy penis.’ Of course, at that time [I wasin second grade], I had no idea aboutthose things. Then he told me to just suckit…[He raped me and] my anus was torn,some organs came out of the wound, andit was stitched later.Several respondents said they had consideredsuicide in the immediate aftermath of verbalabuse, which often represented the culminationof years of mistreatment.At the time, only cisgendered women could belegally considered rape victims, but a case wasfiled nonetheless against Jelay’s uncle. Duringthe court hearing, both the local communityand the judge were alleged to have commentedon the presumed role Jelay’s own identity as atransgender girl played in the assault. Accordingto Jelay:When my mother came home [after theattack], I had a lot of blood here [indicatinghis buttocks], and … my mother andmy uncle and his wife [argued, saying],‘She is a bakla she probably flirted andasked for it.’ It was brought to courtbecause I was a minor that time, and [myuncle] was sent to prison until now…There was a hearing, and of coursepeople from both sides came [to court].His side of the family, they were sayingthings like, ‘Because she’s bakla, maybeshe flirted with the guy.’ … The judgequestioned me; he thought maybe I wasshowing motives for the guy … Thenour lawyer asked how can I show motivewhen I was so young and didn’t knowmuch about those things… I think wehad two hearings.Anne, a bisexual woman, said her former malepartner used physical and sexual assault as ameans of denigrating her sexual orientation:[It happened] a few times. I denied itbecause it is one of the justifications hehad in beating me, so I totally denied itafter. But he wouldn’t believe me [referringto her sexual orientation]. He evenhumiliated me also because of that...Because I think he found it intimidating,that’s what he said anyway. “What canyou find in those women?”Many people in the transgender communityadvise against working in typecast occupations,suggesting instead that transgender people takeup corporate work or enter political office toavoid discrimination and abuse. However, onetransgender woman who worked as a villageofficial found that her position offered her noprotection from a colleague’s sexual advances.Lei, transgender respondent:… we were talking, then he said, ‘Youare very … Kap 36 … Your hands area bit unbecoming. We’re just going tolook at your [breasts] …’ I’ve heard fromother kagawads (village officers) who arewith me that he brags that he was able tomash my breasts.Transgender women in our research alsoreported being subject to physical and sexualviolence at the hands of strangers or acquaintances,which included unwanted touching of thebody, forced sexual acts, humiliation and theinflicting of pain.36 Kap is a colloquial honorary title, the abbreviated form ofcapitan de barangay (village captain).18VIOLENCE: Through the Lens of Lesbians, Bisexual Women and Transgender People in Asia