Monday, February 21, 2011

HOMOPHOBIA and TRANSPHOBIA in UP DILIMAN


Below is a transcript of the letter submitted by Hender Gercio to the Department of European Languages, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines Diliman. Hender Gercio is our former Punong-Babaylan (President).

Feel free to comment and share your opinions. ANONYMOUS COMMENTS WILL NO LONGER BE PUBLISHED (updated march 3, 2011).

------------------------------------------------
February 7, 2011


TO:    Prof. Wystan de la Peña
          Chairperson
          Department of European Languages
          College of Arts and Letters
          University of the Philippines Diliman


RE:    Incident Report and Request for Action


Dear Sir:


Please allow me to introduce myself through this letter. I am presently a junior undergraduate student pursing a degree in European languages (with French as specialization) in your Department. I was also part of your EL170 (Techniques of Translation) class during the summer of 2009.

I also identify as transgender, as a transsexual woman to be exact. I was assigned male at birth, but I have undergone gender transition and now live full time as female. Should you require more information to familiarize yourself with these concepts, an FAQ sheet published by the American Psychological Association about transgender individuals and gender identity is attached to this letter.

I would like to seek your assistance in addressing an issue that has come up during my classes with a member of the DEL faculty, Ms. Dominique “Nikki” Del Corro. I am currently her student in French 30-31 (Advanced Spoken French; Tuesdays to Fridays, 2:30-4:00PM) and EL 181 (Directed Language Activities: Practicum; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30AM-1:00PM).

On January 27, 2011, after our EL 181 class, Ms. Del Corro approached me and asked when it would be convenient for me to have a talk with her. I inquired about the purpose of the meeting and she told me not to worry and that it was something related to my subjects French 30-31 and EL 181. We had the discussion on February 2, 2011 after our French 30-31 class.

Ms. Del Corro began by saying that she noticed me correcting my classmates whenever they referred to me using male pronouns (in French: il, lui) or male forms of address (in French: Monsieur). I replied that I identified and socially presented myself as female, and that addressing me as a woman was the appropriate thing to do. She then asked me about my biological sex. I told her that my legal sex (i.e. the sex/gender marker on my legal documents) was male, but I argued that this was irrelevant and ultimately misleading, because my legal sex did not accurately reflect my real-life identity, that of being a transsexual female.

Ms. Del Corro then admitted to me that she did not feel comfortable addressing me as female in class. She said “I am a Christian, and this is against my religious beliefs.” She also told me that she cannot separate being a Christian from who she was as a teacher. She then continued that she believed that homosexuality was a sin, and it was due to this reason that she cannot allow herself to accept and address me as female (I actually interrupted her to say that I was transgender, not homosexual/gay, but that did not affect her stance). Our conversation ended in a standstill, between my right to be recognized in my chosen gender in class and her right to her religious belief. We finally agreed to escalate this to you for a decision.

In the section “Academic Freedom of Faculty Members,” the UP Diliman Faculty Manual states that

2.1 Members of the teaching staff enjoy academic freedom; Provided however, That no instructor in the University shall inculcate sectarian tenets in any of the teachings, nor attempt either directly or indirectly, under the penalty of dismissal by the Board of Regents, to influence students or attendants at the University for or against any particular church or religious sect or political party.

By insisting on refusing to address me as female in class due to her religious belief, Ms. Del Corro is clearly succumbing to religious bias while inside the classroom. In addressing me as male (via the use of male pronouns, masculine forms of address, masculine adjectives, etc.) in front of the entire class, she deliberately invalidates my gender identity and implicitly propagates her religious belief that “homosexuality/transgenderism is wrong/evil/immoral/sinful and should not be accepted.” Since she is the authority figure inside the classroom, her legitimization of this practice (of refusing to recognize me as female) also indirectly influences my co-students in adopting the same homophobic/transphobic religious view.

Ms. Del Corro could also be found in violation of some of the articles of the “Code of Ethics for Faculty Members” in the UP Diliman Faculty Manual. Members of the faculty of the University of the Philippines should commit to:

III. Promote a strong sense of nationalism and enduring concern for social justice, gender equality, cultural values, community welfare, and protection of the environment;

Promoting concern for social justice necessitates an awareness of the complex issues of power, privilege and prejudice in today’s society. Instead of advocating to change structures that exclude groups and individuals (such as sexual and gender minorities), Ms. Del Corro, through her homophobic/transphobic views, participates in their further oppression. In judging my female gender identity as “invalid” just because I am transgender, she definitely does not promote gender equality (between transgender and non-transgender females) either.

Consenting to Ms. Del Corro’s actions also runs contrary to the cultural values and traditions of the Department of European Languages, of the University of the Philippines Diliman, and of the secular Philippine state.

Our Department, considered as the home of experts in European languages and cultures, should supposedly be full of people who are well-versed in European affairs, and who have been exposed to and influenced by Europe’s liberal, humanistic and progressive climate. Europe has achieved leaps and bounds when it comes to advocating for equal rights for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. The European Court for Human Rights recognizes transsexuality as a protected characteristic under Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Last year, France has become the first nation in the world to drop transsexualism from its list of mental disorders. DEL also proudly embraces the sexual and gender diversity of its faculty and staff, as evidenced by the number of its employees who are openly gay. It strikes me as highly ironic how Ms. Del Corro, herself an alumna of two highly progressive and radical educational institutions (UP Diliman and the University of Paris-Sorbonne), could continue to hold such bigoted beliefs about LGBT people.

The founding of the University of the Philippines Babaylan, the first and biggest organization of LGBT students in the country, in 1992 and its consistent recognition by university authorities year after year, demonstrates UP Diliman’s commitment to supporting its LGBT students in their struggle for equal rights within and outside the campus. The Diliman Gender Office conducts gender sensitivity training sessions to organizations, university institutions, and interested individuals.  The UP Office of Guidance and Counseling offers its services to students who are in need of support in matters of coming out, relationships and other LGBT-related issues. The RGEP class Social Science 3 (Exploring Gender & Sexuality) provides a means for all UP students to understand and appreciate the diversity of genders and sexualities that exist within nature. These are just some of the initiatives that clearly portray UP as an LGBT-friendly campus.

Philippine society, heavily influenced by the Christian doctrine that Ms. Del Corro has invoked above, has been traditionally hostile to the LGBT community. The State should clearly remain separate from the Church, however, and little by little we are seeing advances in this campaign for secularism. Early last year, the Supreme Court overturned the Commission on Elections decision disqualifying the LGBT party-list group Ang Ladlad from seeking a congressional seat on grounds of “immorality.” This recognition of LGBT people as a minority group with legitimate concerns is a big statement on the part of the Philippine government in distancing itself from religious dogma. House Bill 956, seeking to prohibit a wide-range of discriminatory policies and practices against Filipino LGBTs, is currently pending in Congress.

V. Instill in our students the passion for learning, the discipline attendant to the pursuit of excellence, intellectual honesty, and respect for the humane;

“Humane” is defined as “marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Choosing to continue addressing me as male in class (either because of her religious belief or because my legal sex remains to be male), regardless if I insisted that I self-identify as female, is anything but compassionate, sympathetic or considerate. Ms. Del Corro is aware of how mentally and emotionally distressing the effect of being misgendered is, especially on transgender individuals such as myself, yet she chooses to misgender me anyway while invoking her religious freedom. This is definitely not the brand of “respect for the humane” that you would like your teachers to instill in their students.

VIII. Reject activities and interests that interfere with our responsibilities as faculty members and conflict with the interests of the University;

As a language teacher, Ms. Del Corro’s primary duty is towards her students, us language learners. I cannot claim to be an expert on this area, but I am sure that the effect of the classroom environment on the language learning rate of students is huge. It is important that language learners feel relaxed, safe and welcome before any learning can take place. How can a transgender student like me feel welcome in class if my teacher refuses to recognize my gender identity, which is integral to me as a person? How can I feel relaxed when I feel mortified every time I hear male pronouns, forms of address and adjectives being used to refer to me? How can I feel safe when I know that at the back of my teacher’s mind, she thinks that I am immoral and that I am condemned to go to hell when I die?

Religious prejudice has no place within the classroom’s four walls, especially if it is a UP classroom. I am therefore demanding, in behalf of all present and future transgender students of this public and non-sectarian university, for my chosen gender identity to be affirmed and respected. I implore you to exercise your professional authority over Ms. Del Corro, and require her to treat and address me as female in class (through the use of female pronouns, feminine forms of address, feminine adjectives, etc.). I hope for a speedy resolution of this concern, and I await the opportunity to report to your office and have a dialogue with Ms. Del Corro and yourself. Thank you and more power.


Sincerely,


Hender Gercio
BA European Languages
Student Number 2xxxxxxx
Email: xxxxxx
Mobile: 0928.xxxxxxx


----


UPDATE: I had the dialogue with Ms Del Corro and Mr de la Peña last February 18 (Friday) 4PM. The chairperson informed me that he cannot require Ms Del Corro to address me as female since my legal gender remains to be male (as it will forever be unfortunately, unless a Philippine gender recognition law gets passed) and that there was no university policy addressing transgender students. He also stated that Ms Del Corro did not violate any of the university rules (i.e. academic freedom, code of ethics).

I am frustrated by how easily respect, political correctness and common sense get thrown out the window in favor of a mere technicality. I am angered by the unnerving tolerance of university officials to transphobia/homophobia, allowing bigotry to fluorish under the guise of religious freedom, depriving LGBT students of their human rights in the process. I am horrified, that with the absence of regulations that ensure the safety and well-being of LGBT students in Philippine schools, that we will continue to be moving targets of bullying, harassment and violence.

As of now, I am still waiting for the signed written copy of Mr de la Peña's decision so that I can escalate the case. I hope this finally opens the door to the active lobbying for LGBT rights to be recognized in UP Diliman and other educational institutions across the country.

My pronouns are MY pronouns. I don't care who your God is, but I will not let you take my gender identity away from me.

34 comments:

The Nerd said...

Best of luck to you. May you make the path easier for others.

Anonymous said...

much support to you..
it is a must that the community must open up to LGBT rights and issues

it is a burden for individuals to live our lives under the social context of religion. everyone must be aware that god didn't even say that homosexuality is a sin, but man himself claimed it.

Anonymous said...

Goodluck with this case. it is my experience though that filing a case within the UP system is somewhat of a lost cause. my org and i were involved in a different case that was filed in the SDT and we were "convicted" based on a mere technicality. for people who are supposed to be smart, UP authority are stupid sometimes.

but i support you with this endeavor. kule might be interested in this.

Anonymous said...

@Anon - "everyone must be aware that god didn't even say that homosexuality is a sin, but man himself claimed it." -- AMEN.

Anonymous said...

I regret how an economic figure such as religion has been favored over and above humanity, being humane and being ethically sound. This is injustice. This only shows how UP has slowly been morphing into one of those sectarian colleges/universities. It makes me sad to think that the former intelectually free university I have known has been corrupted by the economy of religion and politics. I wish you all the luck in this battle. And may they find light at the end of this journey. May these people be enlightened by their Gods whose teachings have only been taught to them by creatures no different from them - priests, human NOT holy by any means. May their effin God spare their souls.

Anonymous said...

I regret how an economic figure such as religion has been favored over and above humanity, being humane and being ethically sound. This is injustice. This only shows how UP has slowly been morphing into one of those sectarian colleges/universities. It makes me sad to think that the former intelectually free university I have known has been corrupted by the economy of religion and politics. I wish you all the luck in this battle. And may they find light at the end of this journey. May these people be enlightened by their Gods whose teachings have only been taught to them by creatures no different from them - priests, human NOT holy by any means. May their effin God spare their souls.

Anonymous said...

This is a case of conflicting beliefs and the only way to resolve this is to just leave each party to their own. You really can't force her to follow your own ideals/opinions/beliefs.

You want to be female, go ahead. She wants to believe you are a sinner, let her be.

It's really no different with other conflicting social issues that exist in our social paradigm.

Anonymous said...

I'm not anti-LGBT but in UP, academic freedom also applies to teachers, not only to students.

Which means, she is free to express her Christian beliefs. Of course if she unreasonably kicks you out of her class with no clear reasons then that's a different story.

And you said it yourself, we have no existing transgender laws yet so she (and your classmates) are not legally obliged to address you as a female.

Anonymous said...

Go go go!
You have my support. Asshole nga ung teacher mo. To think, sa UP pa naman sya nagtuturo.

Actually, maraming ganyan, nagtatago sa technicality at red tape.

Anonymous said...

Nakakalungkot na sa loob pa ng UP nangyari ito, kung saan dapat ay may kalayaan at pantay-pantay na pagtrato sa bawat nilalang.

Anonymous said...

I understand how they could not REQUIRE your teacher to address you as female, but under no circumstance should they have the right to conclude that your rights are moot because transgendered people aren't directly acknowledged in the university policy.

Perhaps you could get your classmates to address you and continually address you as female. I have no right to say anything about your action, you have every right to speak out about your identity, but personally I'm more passive-aggressive, and the approach I'd take would be to allow the teacher to call you as she will but draw the line if she tries to convince others to address you in male pronouns; that is not her right.
She has her beliefs, but as you said, she cannot influence her students based on them.
My opinion doesn't really matter in this case, but I'm with you in that this sort of disrespect for someone's identity is unacceptable in a supposedly enlightened institution.

Anonymous said...

a human male should be addressed as such, the same way every single thing in this world is. unfortunately, we do not have a choice on what we are. i'm a human. i may rather be a bird that flies, but i do not have a choice. i'm a human being. and i should be addressed as such. you are a human male. it is but politeness and respect to address you as such. i respect the decision of homosexuals, but you cannot make me do anything in favor of that belief. i will not judge, nor will i point fingers at them, and i will not force them to do anything against their will and what they believe is acceptable. shouldn't you express the same respect for us? we believe that what you are doing is wrong. so why do you force us to address you as if we condone it? it is against our beliefs. so please, respect that.



and no, please do not drag God's name in that manner. we do not know what His will is exactly. but we, with our level of intelligence, should not presume to know His thoughts and decisions. only from the words from the Bible itself should we judge Him, not from our professors, not even from our pastors. we are intelligent beings. we are given the Bible to think ourselves, and not let the actions of some people be what Christianity is all about. read it, and not once did it say that anyone who disobeys it be stoned to death.

and what exactly is a university? is it a place where we can just do what we want for the sake of learning and expressing ourselves? i don't really know. but i do know that UP should be an institution that stands up to what is right. politically right? how do you decide what is politically right? because the western people consider it as such? or because it is our choice that doesn't hurt anybody? by how much will we stretch the boundaries of our world to insist on our opinions and beliefs being right?

favoring religion doesn't in any way compromise humanity. why? because religion - at least Christianity in my world - is all about the betterment of humanity. religion exists for US, not for anything else.

i probably am not making sense, as i am just ranting and all. i surely have grammatical errors in every sentence which will shame UP forever. but i'm just trying to - heck, i don't know - state my opinion in the matter, i guess.



and finally, to those "CHRISTIANS" who dare judge homosexuals. God loves homosexuals. heck, He sent His son to die for them as a sacrifice. what homosexuals do is what we all do - sin. we choose what is not His will - some not as obviously or extremely, some more so. yet the degree of our sins do not matter. the point is - we sin. so please, let us not judge them and respect them. do not judge, and you will not be judged.

Anonymous said...

Saturday, November 10, 2007
Can a man who had a sex change operation have his birth certificate entry for gender changed from “male” to female”?

The Supreme Court ruled negatively on this question in the case of “Rommel Jacinto Dantes Silverio versus Republic of the Philippines”, G.R. No. 174689, promulgated last October 22, 2007.

Justice Renato C. Corona, speaking for the Court, asked rhetorically in his ponencia, “When is a man a man and when is a woman a woman? In particular, does the law recognize the changes made by a physician using scalpel, drugs and counseling with regard to a person’s sex? May a person successfully petition for a change of name and sex appearing in the birth certificate to reflect the result of a sex reassignment surgery?”

(read the whole article in http://famli.blogspot.com/2007/11/can-man-who-had-sex-change-operation.html

alzayon said...

I support you all the way.
Legal traditions take time to embrace the realities of life. In the future, there will be a point in time when transexuality will be legal in the Philippines. Just remember, even women's rights took time to be legally embraced even by Western Nations. If it gives you any hope, even transexuality is now legal in Iran, so why not in the Philippines. There is hope. Let us just wait and continue the battle for equality.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...

What you are after is essentially your right, yes? karapatan?

Hasn't she her own right, too, though, to have her own belief? call it opinion or something but yeah, isn't that a right, too?

please don't get me wrong... this is not saying I am against your kind. I mean I am gay myself... all I'm saying is live and let live. to echo the guy above, as long as she doesn't go as far as "tawagin nyo syang mr. o pagbabagsakin ko kayo!", just be all i-don't-give-a-shit-about-what-you-think if you can do that.

sabi nya homosexuality is a sin. eh sino sya? oh Mary conceived without sin? chos! leche sya! hahaha.

good luck, though.

Anonymous said...

This is how I see it.

I really think your professor did not mean to discriminate you. She would have obliged the whole class to call you Mr. if she did. As you mentioned in your letter, she talked to you privately to discuss the matter. I think she just wanted to explain to you why she can't address you as Ms. She did not impose anything.

According to my friend who is an EL student, maraming homosexual profs sa Department of European Languages. Sa tingin ko naman, matagal na siyang naireklamo ng mga co-teachers niyang homosexuals at napatanggal sa department niyo kung talagang nag-di-discriminate siya, hindi ba?

Hindi mo siya pwede pilitin na tawagin kang binibini dahil para sa kanya, lalaki ka. Siyempre, hindi ka niya pwedeng pilitin na maging lalaki kung sa tingin mo ay babae ka.

Di ba sa UP, malaya? Ikaw, malaya ka sa pagtanggap na homosexual ka. Yung prof mo, malaya rin siya na hindi tanggapin ang mga homosexuals.

Sana maayos niyo ang gulong ito.

Unknown said...

what so angers me about this incident is 1) how the teacher is abusing her power --- she probably does not, and will not do this (insist that others refer to the person as male when she identifies as female) while talking to colleagues, or her professors/superiors. 2) how she is using "Christianity" to establish a moral high ground. That she is Christian does not automatically make her opinion and actions right. Also, not all Christians are as bigoted, and many choose love and respect over hate and fear.

Anonymous said...

I find it hard to understand how some people find it "impossible" to separate their religious beliefs from their professional life. This lack of professional ethics just shows how shallow some people can be.

If the situation was reversed and she was a student in a class with a non-christian professor, wouldn't she feel just as bad when the prof refused to honor her beliefs? Haay, sometimes I wonder why so many Christians nowadays forget even the very basic Golden Rule - "Do unto others what you want others to do unto you".

cic_x said...

"favoring religion doesn't in any way compromise humanity. why? because religion - at least Christianity in my world - is all about the betterment of humanity. religion exists for US, not for anything else."

Really? I'd love to hear you tell this to Saudi Arabia, where the testimony of one woman is equal to only half of that of a man's. Religion dictated that. How it made humanity better? I have yet to hear a convincing and logical explanation.

Anonymous said...

I would like to clarify some points
so please answer me. Anyone please.

1.) Kapag ba nag-undergo na ang isang lalaki ng sex change (as in
from penis to artificial vagina)
and there's this mindset that
"I'm now a female" does that REALLY
make her a female? Pano kung gusto kong maging ibon? Syempre i'll put on artificial wings and set my mind that "I'm now a bird." Does that REALLY make me a bird?

2.) Para lang ba sa mga LGBT ang
justice and equality? What are those by the way? Because if they
clamor for the acquisition of those two, then they must
really know what those mean. What
is it then?

3.) Sa palagay niyo ba nagiging
fair kayo kay Ms. del Corro
by giving comments on this issue
publicly without hearing her side?
Nakausap niyo man lang ba siya
personally? Is that being rational
and just? Is there a balance in
hearing only one side?

4.) Sinong magsasabi na si Hender
lang ang totoo at natatanging
nawawalan ng karapatan sa issue
na ito? At sinong magsasabi na si
Hender lang ang tama sa lahat
ng beliefs niya? Kasi when you
agree that Hender is ABSOLUTELY
correct, meaning mali na ang
belief ng maraming tao sa mundo.
Talaga bang ganon ka-tama si
Hender para i-mali ang paniniwala
ng nakararami? Is that rational
and ethical to think?

5.) Tumingin ba muna kayo sa salamin bago kayo nagcomment dito?
At kung ginawa niyo man, anong
sabi ng salamin, sabi ba perpekto
kayo?

please answer my questions.
simpleng tanong lang naman yan.
Most are answerable by yes or no.

Anonymous said...

"My pronouns are MY pronouns. I don't care who your God is, but I will not let you take my gender identity away from me."

See how this article has been so one-sided? If we rephrase that to fit the other side it would say

Her beliefs are HER beliefs. She may not care about your gender identity, but you can't take her religious beliefs away from her.

If you see using "he" as discrimination, forcing her to say "she" would be religious persecution.

Anonymous said...

Michelle:

The professor actually never insisted that the entire class refer to Ms. Gercio as 'he'. They are free to address Ms. Gercio as 'she', and do address her as such. Ms. Del Corro merely said that she herself, as an evangelical Christian, could not do so. Therefore, no imposition took place on her part. If anything, Ms. Gercio is actually the one who is imposing her beliefs on her, as she wants the university to COMPEL her to address her as 'she' even if it is in violation of her beliefs.

Anonymous said...

Well, it's easier to pass judgment whenever only one side of the story is given. I just hope we all understand that part of UP's diversity is the existence of people with traditional beliefs. I know it's more of an unwritten 'virtue' in the university that most people have aversion towards organized religion but the moment we do not let them practice what they hold as true, we are bigoted as well. We deny them of their existence. I being a member of the LGBT community as well do not think that this is an issue against LGBT. Language plays a very tricky part in this issue. One person's opinion is another person's bigotry. It is easy to claim that we are being discriminated or being the subject of hostility and animosity in any situation. But it is difficult to prove such claims as well.

Anonymous said...

And another note, I think the professor asked Hender prior to stating her opinion why she refused to address Hender in feminine terms. Hender consented to this because she went on and gave her opinion. Don't tell me hindi na foresee ni Hender na along those lines ang lalabas sa bibig ng professor? And it was well-established that the conversation was between two adults speaking their minds. I highly doubt that that was the first time Hender heard about homosexuality-is-a-sin blah blah (I don't believe such thing as well, ano na lang ako ngayon makasalanan din dahil I'm gay??? AMP!)) but that's her belief. Hender may disagree with the professor (fuck yeah, I disagree as well) but she should have taken it with a grain of salt.

Naguguluhan lang din ako kase bakit the student was so determined to have the professor persecuted, based on how I see it, hindi naman sya sini-single out ng professor or wasn't even made to feel different or bad sa class because of her (I have no problem calling Hender her) preference. Bakit hindi nya i-join yung mga kaklase nya? Dahil lang ba yung professor ang may supposed power sa class? Hindi ba "bigoted" din yun mga kaklase nya kase I highly doubt na isang beses lang sya tinawag na "il/lui/Monsieur"?

Ito sobransg chorvang thought lang, kung Muslim ba 'yung professor, may ganitong issue din ba? Hindi kaya sa sobrang aversion ng mga tao sa Christianity (because, let's admit it, the Catholic Church isn't that popular sa mga taong nakakaintindi ng pamamalakad ng gobyerno) kaya na-si-single out lahat sa umbrella nito?

I don't personally know the student nor the professor, but as far as I know (because I know some professors from the department, pro and against the professor in question), most people are being too harsh in calling names. Sa totoo lang, when I first read Hender's letter, inis na inis ako kase I don't think anyone deserves such treatment especialy in UP. Pero we must always make sure to practice cross examination in every issue. Baka may iba pang side sa storya na 'to? Wag lang tayo masyadong stubborn na mag-seek ng ibang information and be blinded by this public trial and condemnation.

Again, if we don't recognize that some people STILL believe in "mundane" (for some people) things such as religion and call them bigoted, we are as bigoted as well whether we like it or not.

moody said...

To everyone, its so difficult to reply to your comments because you are all "Anonymous". Can you please write down your names, so replying to comments and exchanging thoughts would be easier? It doesnt have to be your real name, pseudonyms are ok. It just for the purpose of knowing who the comments are for so online debates would have more structure.

If you know someone who thinks homosexuality is a sin, then share this link to them. Feeling ko dapat makita ni nikki del corro to...

http://www.fallwell.com/ignored%20verses.html

Rah said...

Sir, wag po kayo masyado insecure. Kung gusto niyo pa matawag na MAAM, eh papalitan niyo po muna yung Sex Status niyo bago kayo magreklamo. In the meantime, panindigan niyo po muna na may bayag kayo. Hindi po dahil gusto niyo eh masusunod na agad. Daan po kayo sa legal na proseso.

Anonymous said...

if that's what the professor believes, then let it be. Tolerance lang. Did she force you ba to drop because of your gender? Did she insist the class to address you as a "he"? If you force her to address you as a "she", then that would also violate her rights.

Anonymous said...

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Look on the mirror nude, what you see is what you are...

Anonymous said...

Ang unfair naman ninyo.. asan dyan ang tinatawag nyong academic freedom? ang freedom ba ay para sa students lang? bakit kapag ang mga teachers, tinatawag sa kung anu-anong pangalan, ok lang? hindi sila umaangal? pero bat ang estudyante, kapag hindi tinawag sa pangalan na gusto nila, umaalma..

nakakairita, kung sino ka man, ang babaw mo.. ginagawa mong problema ang hindi naman problema.. so anong gusto mong mangyari? yung teacher mo lang ang magcocomply? bakit? kasi, kapag gender issue, pwede mong i-express openly, pero kapag religion ang i-express mo, mali? cover-up?

we are not saying that we Christians are free of sin.. pero kung sa tingin namin, kasalanan ang ginawa mo, e di sorry, kasalanan sa tingin namin e.. anong magagawa mo? and kung sa tingin mo, dinidiscriminate ka namin, opinyon mo yan, anong magagawa namin?

gets mo yung point? we have our own opinions. so you cannot force us to do what you want in the same way that we cannot force you to become a man.. conflict ng opinions.. we respect na ganyan ka. kaya nga we are not forcing you to become a man e. but since tingin namin, mali ang ginagawa mo, we cannot address you the way you want us to. so, sana, yun, irespeto mo.

mondaymacy said...

Dapat sa OASH ka nagfile ng case hindi sa department. Kasi sila ngdedeal ng cases like these. But as to how effective they are I don't know. :( Go lang teh. :)

Pink said...

bakit ganun, kung makapagsalita si Hender parang siya lang ang may HUMAN RIGHTS?

Eh paano yung rights ni Prof. Del Corro?

And as I can understand from reading all related posts to this, parang lumalabas, na si Hender ang nag-iimpose, hindi ang Prof.

Eh kung sa klase naman pala hindi naman pala pinipilit ang lahat ng students na tumulad sa teacher sa pagmaintain ng male pronouns, eh di hindi imposing ang Prof.

This has been blown out of proportion. OA na.

P.S.

Maybe we can paraphrase your last sentence sa isang post mo Hender. Coming from your professor:

My GOD is MY God. I don't care what your gender is, but I will not let you take my FAITH away from me.

UP IS AN INSTITUTION OF FREEDOM, RIGHT?

moody said...

Hi anonymous,

I would like to comment on what you have written down here.

"And you said it yourself, we have no existing transgender laws yet so she (and your classmates) are not legally obliged to address you as a female."

To follow trail of thought, we also have NO existing ANTI-BULLYING LAWS in the Philippines, so do we just sit down and let bullying propagate in schools and other academic institutions? It is time that we have policies that will protect the students and accord them a learning environment that is conducive to intellectual growth. And that i think is the essence of the complaint letter. For academic institutions, which should be void of religious bigotry, to implement policies that will protect students from bullying, and yes, allow them to use pronouns that identify their genders.

maxx said...

This isn't a battle between Ms. Gercio and Ms. del Corro, as some people mistakenly and stubbornly believe. The incident is only a result of the principal problem of the lack of policies that recognize the rights of transsexuals. It is because of this that people find it easy to disregard the gender identity of people such as Ms. Gercio.
I think the creation of policies should never be influenced by religious dogmas and should be based on what there actually IS. It is a fact that there are people who identify as belonging to a different gender than what society expects of them according to their biological sex. It is also a fact that they feel disrespected when others ignore their established gender identity and insist on the 'socially accepted' gender that is 'consistent' with their bodily structure.
It is absolutely unfair to fail to legally recognize the existence of such people and deny them their choices and their rights just because they do not conform to societal norms.
Moreover, it is downright discriminatory to challenge the implementation of rules that would allow the protection of transgender rights on the grounds that a particular religion doesn't allow it. It means unjustly imposing one religion's rules on everyone, even those who do not subscribe to it.
In this matter, I support Ms. Hender Gercio and transgender rights. On a broader scale, I fight for equality and respect and the death of all forms of discrimination.

FundieChristian said...

Eh kung beliefs din ang labanan dapat sinagot mo yung prof mo "I also believe that Heterosexuality is a sin. That is my belief and nobody can change that." E di patas na ^_^

I'm also a member of the LGBT community. I am gay and don't even care If I am called Sir or Ma'm or referred to as He or She wag lang it. Ibang usapan na yon. For me, I would really really insist to be called female is when at least I've taken female hormones/antiandrogens and evident na yung effects nya saka pag naka sex reassignment surgery na ko para pag ininsist ng prof or kung sinuman na tawagin akong He ay ipipilit ko talaga hanggang san man makarating na She talaga ako at wala na kayong magagawa. Para sa kin lang naman.

And para sa mga nagcocondemn ng mga LGBT people, kung si Jesus nga our Lord & Savior (Im Christian actually and gay, bago ba?) hinding hindi kinondemn ang gay people kayo pa kaya na tao lang. Anong karapatan nyo? (hindi po ko galit. Kahit tinatapon na tayo ng buhay sa impyerno ng mga anti-gay people we have no right to do evil against them. And for us LGBT people, mahalin natin ang mga anti-gays kung di nila kaya tayong mahalin. Love our enemies. Turn the other cheek. Bless those who mistreat you. To all the LGBT people who have been rejected, mistreated, hurt, etc. Read the Gospels, learn about Jesus make Him your strength.
If the world rejects you isipin nyo na nauna ng nireject si Jesus kesa sa inyo.

And para sa inyo na anti-gays read the Gospels din twice, thrice hanggang maopen ang hearts & minds nyo (di po ko galit...peace)

Jesus loves gay and straight people. Amen.

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