By Ben Rosario
Hugpong ng Pagbabago Chairperson and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on Tuesday said she supports the rights guaranteed to LGBTQ+ members under the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Gender Expression (SOGIE) bill, but not so much as to allow them to use public comfort rooms for women.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte
(FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)
The presidential daughter said unless a GBTQ (gay, bisexual, transexual and queer) person underwent a sex change, he should be barred from using public comfort room for women.
“GBTQ who have not yet undergone sexual reassignment may use single individual women’s CR but not multi-individual CR. This is to protect women from men pretending to be GBTQ just to access the women’s CR,” the lady mayor said in a text message.
Duterte aired her views on the raging controversy concerning the alleged mistreatment of alleged transgender Gretchen Diez, who was barred by a janitress from using the women’s toilet at a Quezon City mall recently.
The janitress recently came out in public to clarify that two women complained that Diez queued for the use of one of the cubicles. She called Diez’s attention, advising her to use the male restroom which also has a private cubicle.
The incident drew public outrage when a video showed Diez being handcuffed. At the same time, public debate spilled over the controversy on the insistence of GBTQ persons for equal treatment by allowing the use of women’s restrooms.
“SOGIE bill, yes. But I do not agree with Ms. Diez on her comfort room privileges,” Has she had sexual reassignment?” stated Duterte.
She said separate comfort room for members of the so-called third sex should instead be built instead.
“This is the best but to be strict about non-discrimination, CR should not be LGBTQ but for all genders single individual use because an LGBTQ CR is in itself discriminatory for segregation,” Duterte said.
She stressed that restrooms for individual use should have no sexual distinction.
Diez, together with Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, called on President Duterte at the Malacanang Palace on Monday, with the Chief Executive vowing support for the passage of the SOGIE measure.
Roman, a transgender, has been strongly batting for allowing GBTQ members access to public toilets assigned to ladies, saying that women have “no valid reason” to be offended with the setup.
Roman, together with Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas, said transgenders have the same rights as any woman to use a comfort room even if assigned to female users.
“If you have a problem, magtiis ka!,” declared Roman when asked in a press conference on how she sees women who feel offended and are not comfortable in sharing female comfort rooms with transgenders. (If you have a problem just live with it).
“Bakit pumupunta ba sila sa banyo para ma-offend or hindi ma-offend? Pumasok na lang sila sa cubicle to do their thing. Huwag nila kausapin,” said Roman. (Do they go to the comfort room to be offended or not to be offended? They should go inside the cubicl to do their thing. Don’t talk to them (transgenders).