University of the Philippines USC Election and Gender Discrimination

Last Saturday, I received a call from Mae Hernandez regarding a negative propaganda against one of the candidates for the Chairperson post in the University of the Philippines Student Council Election, Heart Dino. It was quite alarming because the issue focused on the said candidate's sexual orientation. Of all schools, why did it have to be in UP where it should be progressive when it comes to gender identity, sexual orientation and human rights.

According to some sources, Shaina Santiago, standard bearer of KAISA, claimed that she is the ONLY female candidate for the USC Chairperson this year (referring to Heart Dino as "fake" female)

Nikki Salazar, candidate as a USC councilor, member of Gabriela Youth, was rumoured to have shouted "Ibalik ang USC Gender Committee sa tunay na babae!"

I am a Lasallian but this got my sympathy. If these accusations are TRUE, this is an indication of transphobia and ignorance.

Shaina asked for apology and stood corrected for being politically incorrect, while Nikki on the other hand, clarified that she did not attack anyone in particular.

This caused a stir and reached LGBT networks in Europe. Sass Sasot, through her facebook account, one of the leaders for Transgender Activism, has this to say: 

In support of Ms Heart Dino

by Sass Rogando Sasot 

An Oxymoron? A patriarchal heteronormative transphobic feminist.
AND since when patriarchal heteronormative transphobia becomes “progressive”?

Nikki Salazar needs some re-education and Shaina Santiago needs some perspective.

A member of Gabriela Youth, Ms Salazar was quoted as saying that the University Student Council (USC) Gender Committee of University of the Philippines (UP) should be given back to a “real” woman (Ibalik ang USC Gender Commitee sa tunay na babae!).  She is saying this because at the helm of USC Gender Committee is Ms Heart Dino, an out and proud transgender woman, who is currently running to be the USC Chairperson. On the other hand, Ms Santiago, another USC Chairperson candidate running under KAISA, a student political party in UP, was quoted as saying that she is the only woman in the race (Ako lang ang babae sa laban na ito!).

One would expect that these comments would come from the filthy mouth of a sexist, heteronormative, bigoted, reactionary oppressor. But No: Ms Salazar and Ms Santiago are members of organizations that are anything but those labels. Well I’m basing that assumption on the facts that:  Gabriela Youth is a feminist organization and KAISA considers “inclusive activism” and “social progress with social justice” as its principles. These two organizations are (or should be) anything but sexist, heteronormative, bigoted, reactionary , and oppressor. After all, these organizations are always on the frontline whenever there’s a roll call of “progressive” organizations in the Philippines; unless of course, progressive now means a regression to a patriarchal, heteronormative, and transphobic way of living. Instead of focusing on whether or not Ms Dino has the ability to lead and do the job, Ms Salazar and Ms Santiago focused on whether or not Ms Dino is a “real” woman or not.  The words of Ms Salazar and Ms Santiago echoed the discriminatory words of employers as they shut the door of employment to transgender people in the Philippines.

But let’s explore furthermore the comments made against Ms Dino. What is the “real woman” they are talking about?  Does this “real woman” exist? What is the basis of this “realness”? Some would say that a “real woman” is someone who was “born” female. Some would say a “real woman” is someone who can be pregnant. Others would say a “real woman” is someone who has an XX chromosome.  It seems answering the question “Who is a real woman?” will always solicit a reference to the body.  Using the body as the arbiter of “who is a real woman” or “who is not” hides the fact that the terms we use to label our bodies are produced by culture. Our bodies are not objective grounds. Our bodies are not books that biologists, scientists, and even feminists read. We are not born into this world with bodies that have names already. Our bodies are named using names produced by culture.  When it comes to our gender, we are not born with the labels “female” or “male” on our bodies. Assigning our gender is a social decision made by the doctor; and that decision is based on the prevailing and dominant pattern of thinking in society. As what Dr Anne-Fausto Sterling said in Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality: “We may use scientific knowledge to help us make the decision, but only our beliefs about gender-not science-can define our sex. Furthermore, our beliefs about gender affect what kinds of knowledge scientists produce about sex in the first place.”

More importantly and more disturbingly, this exercise of determining who is a “real woman” or not is akin to all oppressive projects which uses the tactic of designating who is real or not as their weapon to exclude, dominate, and control. Determining whether someone belongs or not to the category of “real” is always a prelude to the will to dominate and oppress because those who would be considered “not real” would be designated to the category “fake.” When that process begins, it only takes a few batting of eyelashes before those considered “fake” to be stigmatized, discriminated against, and marginalized. Henceforth, those who would be considered “fake” would be considered immoral, unnatural, illegal - not human.

Posted in: LGBT,UP