THE RIGHT MOVE
Rikki Mathay
The Philippines has been proudly wearing the crown of being the most gender equal country in Asia.
I may have started as a feminist in my high school days in St. Theresa’s College QC that I sat as a director for the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women when I was only 21 years old, but as my horizons broadened with age, I have been an advocate of true gender equality.
When we discuss gender equality, it is imperative to remember that gender is not only male and female as gender identifies a person internally and how he/she expresses this externally. Terms such as agender, androgyne, bigender, cisgender and trans are only a few of the other genders that are to be considered in tackling equality rights, but putting it under an umbrella, it has been coined as LGBTQIA+.
At this time and age, the study made by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Labor Office (ILO) comes as a surprise with reports of 30 percent of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Philippines continually being discriminated against by others while at work because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).
Jokes or slurs about LGBTI persons, gossiping or sharing rumors, or making critical comments about how they choose to dress or speak are still among the prevalent issues besetting members of the community.
As part of their advocacy to promote gender equality particularly for the LGBT, lesbian friends Rita Martinez, Annie Beldia and Chris Clemente created a show called So.Ano.Na on the social media streaming site Kumu which airs every Saturday at 9 p.m., and unlike other LGBT shows, So.Ano.Na welcomes all viewers from all colors of the sprectrum aimed at creating inclusive discussions every week.
Rita admits that even when she joined The Voice Philippines seven years ago, she had to work 10 times harder than the "straights" to prove her "worth" in the workplace and even among her family members.
She adds: "When I am seen with a straight girl, people usually just automatically assume I like her when we can just be nothing more than friends or merely co-workers. Just like any "normal" person, we have our "normal" process of being committed to someone we fall in love with and do not get attracted to just anyone."
To propel her advocacy for LGBT to be seen as equals with the societal norms of male and female, Rita agreed to do a girl-love television show called "Lulu" airing on Jan. 21, 2022, which she hopes will show viewers that lesbians, just like other members of the LGBTQIA+, also live, laugh, love and struggle as straights do.
Chris who works in advertising and Annie, a multi-media artist, report that while they have friends from their community who still suffer from bullying in the workplace, professionals in the field of creatives, where they are a part of, are luckier.
“While I’m happy to have been so lucky, of course I want that for everyone else. And ultimately that’s really the goal- that everyone feels safe being himself or herself whether at home, at work, or wherever," Chris said.
Annie says: "Whenever I encounter negative energy from my being a non-conformist to hetero-normative standards, I remind myself of that quote from Dr. Seuss’, “…Those who mind don’t matter. And those who matter don’t mind.” I feel that my purpose in life and art is to serve as a warning against complacency, to show the alternative, and to provide the voice of dissent."
If we perceive ourselves as proponents of a truly just society, we must likewise remind ourselves once in a while that achieving decent work and work environment for all is one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, cored at the principle of equality and non-discrimination.
Chief Policy and Programme Support at UNDP Jaco Cilliers says: “Discrimination towards LGBTI people in the workplace also represents a fundamental challenge to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s commitment to ‘leave no one behind’.”
So.Ano.Na will air its 1st season finale on Saturday, Dec. 18.