What happens when a trans activist converses with a Christian woman on LGBT/Trans rights, Transphobia, Queer PolitiXXX and Religion?
Join Jeff, Emil and Jan Argy together with their special guests Gie and Yan in this special episode of the Naked PolitiXXX podcast in solidarity with Pride Month 2020.
Here is a sneak peak of the podcast:
Q: Why do you consider yourself a woman?
A: “I would be very honest. Religion is a different topic. Religion is one of the most sensitive topic(s), and I think that would definitely [has] a very big impact when it comes to conversation about sexual orientation, and gender expression and identity. I think there is [a] disconnect in understanding what SOGIE means. I think when it comes to biologicals, when it comes to [the] physical self—physicality of a person—I think you (pertaining to Gie) are referring to sex, like female and male—you were born with a vagina [or] with a penis. But then, technically speaking as well, as transgender women, based on scientific studies, our DNA is basically different from men, I mean, from people who identify themselves as men. So basically, we are different…we are women on our DNA. But then, unfortunately, we were born on the wrong body. So that’s why we experience gender dysphoria. And that’s when we think we need to change…For someone, it’s easy to say to not change yourself, it’s easy to say to stick on your own body. But if you ever experience dysphoria—or let’s say…like having an anxiety, and you cannot shake it off your mind, you cannot remove it from your mind, hindi mo siya matanggal. Then that’s when you have to do something, to help yourself, or to get out of it. So that’s how it feels…For me, women comes in all forms.”—Andrian
Q: Why is identification/pronoun important in addressing you? Can you let us know?
A: “I believe I should be addressed as ‘her’ or ‘she’ because that’s basically how I identify myself. I know that I’m a woman. I think, and feel, that I’m a woman, and I think I look woman enough…It’s not bad to ask someone what pronoun they want to be addressed.”—Andrian
Q: Thoughts on transgender women assaulting women in public restrooms.
A: “I don’t know if it’s just a trend, but I never heard any report in the Philippines women being assaulted by transgender women, or let’s say mga ‘nagpapanggap’ na mgababae.”—Andrian
A: “May mga anecdotal things—mayro’ng mga nagpanggap natransgender sila, na nag-makeup sila that assaulted. Pero that’s anecdotal, eh. Hindi siya widespread…Instead of punishing transgender women for that, dapat hulihin na lang ‘yong mgalalaking pervert na ‘yon. Ang problema doon ay hindi mgatransgender woman, but ‘yong mga straight men nanagpapanggap na transgender woman.”—Jeffrey Reyes
Q: Let’s talk about transphobia. May mga shows/talk shows that transwomen wouldn’t go kung halimbawa ay may strong advocate against transgender rights. Tama ba ‘yon? Is that the right attitude?
A: “We should not lose hope, we should not stop to create spaces for dialogue. Transphobia, or the fact that you are talking with a fundamentalist should not stop you to reach out, to strike a dialogue with that person because it is only through dialogue where we can get mutual understanding. It is only through dialogue where we can fix our differences.”—Emil Samaniego
“I think transphobia is…it comes from ignorance. People hate what they don’t understand.”—Andrian
“When we talk about the issues of gender, sexuality, we cannot divorce it from the issue of class and race because these issues are interconnected. There is intersectionality on these issues”- Emil Samaniego