An Open Letter of a Transgender Woman in the Philippines

New Updates: as of 10:11 AM (Manila Time GMT+8), May 27, 2008 –> New Developments at the bottom.

Below is an open letter of Sass Rogando Sassot, a transgender woman, who experienced discrimination at one bar in Makati.

PEOPLE LIKE US
An Open Letter of a Transgender Woman in the Philippines
[25 May 2008 / Sunday / 6.04 AM to 6.45 AM]

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. - Eleanor Roosevelt

My friends and I have been made to feel inferior approximately five hours before I wrote this letter. I’d like to sweep this incident under the proverbial rug but there is no more space to accommodate it.

On the 24th of May 2008, my friends and I were celebrating the anniversary of our organization the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP), the first transsexual women’s support group and transgender rights advocacy organization in the Philippines. We settled to celebrate it in Ice Vodka Bar, located in Greenbelt 3, 3rd level Ayala Center, Makati City, Metro Manila. It was my first time in that bar. Two in our group have been there before and they had nothing bad to say about it.

There were five of us. I was leading the way. The bouncer stopped us. I asked why. His reason was we were dressed “inappropriately”. We were rather dressed decently, tastefully, and most importantly just like any other human being who lives her life as female 24 hours a day.

I asked for the manager. The bouncer was nice enough to let me in. The manager, Ms Belle Castro, accommodated me. I don’t know if I spelled her name right. I asked for a business card but she had none available. Her telling feature though was her braced teeth.

I complained. Ms Castro listened to me. I found her sympathetic, even respectful as she addressed me all throughout as ma’am. She told me the following:

1. (Referring to my friends, and obviously to me) That “people like them” aren’t allowed in our bar every Fridays & Saturdays;

2. That that was an agreement between all the bars in Greenbelt (she particularly mentioned their bar, Absinthe, and Café Havana) and Ayala Corporation, the company which owns the Greenbelt Complex;

3. That the reason for this policy is: “Marami kasing foreigner na nag-kocomplain at napepeke daw sila sa mga katulad nila.” Loosely translated in English: “There are lots of foreigners complaining because they mistake people like them as real women”; and

4. That they have a “choice” to implement the policy.

I felt terribly hurt and uncontrollably agitated. This transphobic act is not the first time that it happened to me, to my friends, to people like us. To say that this has become almost a routine is an understatement.

I have shouted at Ms Castro several times, asking her why I’m f***ing experiencing racism in my own country and what gave f***ing foreigners the right to demand to block people like us to enter bars in our very own country.

Ms Castro tried to hush me by pulling the “It’s our choice card” and asked me to talk decently. I am not proud at all of using the F-word as my intensifier and of letting my emotions ran raw and wild. My warm apologies to Ms Castro for losing my cool. Just like any of us, I know, she was just doing her job.

This may not be the proper forum to raise this concern. But is there any reliable legal forum to address this issue? Reality check: there is no antidiscrimination law in this country. And if you’re discriminated, there seems to be a notion that you’re supposed to blame yourself for bringing such an unfortunate event to yourself.

So, I’d just stand up through this open letter.

I am standing for myself. I am standing for people like us. I am standing up because I, am, very, tired of this incivility. We have long endured this kind of treatment for far too long. Enough.

I’ll not go as far as campaigning for a boycott as it is definitely the simple workers that would suffer from any loss in revenue such an act may cause.

People like us would like to be treated just like any other human being. Just like those foreigners who complained about our existence: With dignity.

You know the civilized and ethical thing to do: Stop discrimination in your establishments.

Bigotry is never ethical nor a sound business strategy.

Warmly,

Ms Sass Rogando Sasot
Sass is one of the founding members of the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP) [www.tsphilippines.com], an Associate Member of Transgender ASIA Research Centre, and a member of Ang Ladlad Party.

To have a dialogue with her regarding this incident, you may reach her at srsasot@gmail.com or through her mobile at +639276257010.

But the world is not all that bad and there are still good people out there who have even just a tinge of humanity in them. Thanks to formal and educated communication employed by Ms. Sassot, a lot of good developments regarding this case have taken place. And that’s all in a matter of less than a week.

Ms. Sassot shared the timeline and here is the long and short of it all:

On Sunday night, Ms. Sassot gave a copy of this open letter to Ms. Belle Castro, manager of Ice Vodka Bar. Ms. Castro apologized and promised that the incident will never happen again to any person. She admitted that her actions the night prior were discriminatory and wrong. Ms. Sassot accepted the apology. Ms. Castro advised Ms. Sassot to speak with the security administrators of Greenbelt regarding the alleged policy. Ms Castro likewise promised to show her support to Ms. Sasson and even invited Ms. Sassot and her friends to dinner at Ice Vodka Bar.

Ms. Sassot then proceeded to the security department office of Greenbelt 3 (located at the parking lot), and spoke with Mr. Leo Sarian — Acting Detachment Commander. Ms. Sassot filed a complaint form and attached the open letter to the complaint.

Mr. Sarian searched for the alleged policy and found that the policy in place is all about profiling prostitures circling around Greenbelt. The process involves surveillance by the security team on women who are suspected to be traders of the flesh. Once they have established that these women (transgender or not) are confronted if they are indeed prostitutes.

Mr Sarian emphasized that they don’t have any directive to ban any group of people in Greebelt.

Ms. Sassot informed him that Ms Castro, manager of Ice Vodka Bar, has told her of the policy of the security administrators. Ms. Sassot further added that this was not the first incident and they were not the only ones subjected to this kind of treatment, banking on the alleged policy that Ms. Castro has earlier cited.

Other members of the security administration of the aforementioned mall arrived and Ms. Sassot narrated the whole incident to the two men named Engr. Fritz Tiglau and Engr Patric Andaya.

Sass told them that banning people like her just because there were those who were using Greenbelt as their prostitution hub is like banning ALL Filipinos in a particular country just because there are few Filipinos who were prostituting themselves.

Ms. Sassot requested these three things:

Clarification of the “policy” and its repeal if it’s discriminatory.
A meeting with the people concerned: the bars in Greenbelt and the security administrators of Greenbelt.
A public apology be made.

Engr. Tiglau signed-received the open letter and promised that the complaint will be given high priority, that it will be forwarded to higher authorities, and that they will inform Sass about it immediately on Monday.

That same evening, Ms Sassot and her friends (Nadine and Dee) had dinner with Ms. Castro who apologized to the two friends. Ms. Sassot asked Ms. Castro to formalize the apology through a letter. Ms. Castro complied with this request and sent an apology letter to Ms. Sassot’s email.

This is one reason why the Anti-Discrimination Bill has to be enacted into law. This is just one of the many incidents that our transgender sisters in the Philippines have been experiencing for decades now. I am proud of Ms. Sassot and I admire her courage to stand up for her rights and to make it known to the public that such incidences occur.

We need more people like Ms. Sassot, but we don’t need any more incidents like these. And if only our gay brothers and sisters in Congress also stand up for themselves and the rest of our kind, then this world will be a better place for all of us — gay and straight alike.

How about you? Do you have the courage to stand up for your rights?

Updates will be posted as soon as they are available.

UPDATE AS OF 10:11AM (Manila Time, GMT+8) May, 27, 2008.

Ms. Sassot has the following updates:

I am very happy that Ayala Property Management Corporation is acting expediently on my complaint.
The development of this case is just very promising and exciting.

1. On Monday Mr Dennis Galimba, Operations Engineer of Ayala Property Management Corporation and
head of the customer service department of all Ayala Malls, called me to inform me that he will be the
main contact person for this case. And that they are giving high priority to this case.

He hasn’t mentioned any “ordinance”. But he mentioned that prostitution activities (of whichever gender)
is really not allowed in their malls. I told him that I understand it as prostitution is really against the law;
we can’t do anything about it but obey the law. I am not even defending prostitution.

He outlined to me their policy regarding monitoring prostitutes in their malls.
a. They “discretely” monitor “suspected” prostitutes
b. After they have established that there’s indeed “transactions” going on between their suspects and customers
they invite them to their security office.

2. I told Mr Galimba that that is their written policy. But according to Ms Belle Castro, Manager of Ice Vodka Bar, the security administrators of Greenbelt complex advised them to refuse entry to people like me because there are foreigners complaining about our presence. And they refuse us entry on account of “dressing inappropriately”. I told Mr Galimba that Ms Belle Castro has promised to support my complaint.

3. Mr Galimba said that if it’s that thing that is happening, that is really discriminatory. I also raised the issue of Cafe Havana. Mr Galimba is oblivious of what’s really happening.

4. I also told Mr Galimba that I’m not the only one who experienced this in Greenbelt, that there are lots of us andthat they are just being silent about it because they are Ayala Corporation. And that they take action on this issue as soon as possible.

5. I suggested that we are willing to participate to them in making Greenbelt complex discriminatory free as well as help in preserving the decency of the place. Mr Galimba is excited about it.

6. I stressed again that Greenbelt Complex should declare publicly that they are discriminatory free.

7. After our talk, Glen Danugrao, Security Supervisor assigned at Greenbelt Mall, texted me and informed me
that there will be a meeting on Thursday (May 29) with Ice vodka Bar, other bars in Greenbelt, and the security administrators regarding the incident. I will attend this meeting. They will also furnish me a copy of the minutes of the meeting.