Ladlad Partylist's Stand on Allowing Transgender Women to Compete in the Miss Universe Pageant

Ladlad Party List welcomes the discourse on transgender people. The decision of the Miss Universe organization to include transgender women is laudable and good development to the struggle for acceptance and equality of LGBTs.

Ladlad supports the rights of pinay transgenders to join female beauty contests. BUT first, we have to amend the laws that don't allow transgenders to make corrections in their birth certificates and also to put female as their sex in their passports.

However, Ladlad gives more priority to the the basic rights of transgenders to self identify, to study, to work and to enter establishments with out conditions and prejudice.

Moreover, Ladlad Party is saddened by the insensitive comments of some including beauty queens and candidates of beauty contests that thinly borders on discrimination. The real essence of a woman is not if you're a biological born woman or a transgender woman but a totality of a woman's disposition in the journey of life and in the pursuit of happiness. It is more lamentable to debate on the essence of a woman if reduced merely to anatomy and procreation. A woman is more than her beauty, physiology and producing an offspring. It is about her self-determination, self-identity, human experience, bravery, character and abilities and skills.

Thank you so much!

Ms. Bemz D. Benedito
Transgender Woman and First Nominee, Ladlad Party List

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Ladlad, the world’s first and only political party for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Filipinos. Our members are LGBT individuals and organizations and/or our heterosexual supporters. In Filipino, “magladlad” means to unfurl the cape that used to cover one’s body as a shield. It means to come out of the closet, to assert one’s human rights as equal to that of the next Filipino. LADLAD will run as Partylist in the May 13, 2013 midterm elections. Be part of history.

 

Posted in: Ladlad,LGBT,Miss Universe