The Death of Dreams (Frankiana)

Chapter 6

Franki's POV

10am.

"Franki, eto na. My friend Gazini, may kilala siya na makukuhanan natin ng information for your next featured story."

"Yung Lgbtq+ activist?."

"Yes, her name is Atty. Jazz Tamayo. She is a lesbian lawyer. Here, read this article."

[ Rainbow Rights Philippines president Jazz Tamayo, who describes herself as a "lesbian lawyer," said the problem is stereotypes. The perpetuation of stereotypes contributes to the absence of their protection in the law.

"When we are present in the law, it is to prohibit. We're a ground. Homosexuality is a ground for a legal separation," she said.

"What we need are protections. Up to now our Anti-Discrimination Bill is languishing in Congress. Sooner or later it will be 18 years old. It's not being passed yet."

Naomi Fontanos, executive director of Gender and Development Advocates Philippines, said this is especially important because the trans community in the Philippines is consistently the target of violence.

"The violence we experience as transwomen start with people denying who we are. To deny a woman her identity is a form of violence. To say that I am not a woman is a form of violence," she said.

The violence they experience, she added, can be physical, verbal, and psychological.

"A lot of transwomen, when they experience physical violence, it's always very extreme. And this is actually demonstrated by the murder of Jennifer Laude," she said, referring to a Filipina transwoman murdered by a US Marine in 2014.

"She experienced extreme brutality, and when people found out she was trans, her gender identity was also denied. The tendency was to blame her for what happened to her, for the brutal violence inflicted on her."

Fontanos said these damaging stereotypes exist even within trans communities in the Philippines.

"There's a certain strand of womanhood that one must aspire to if you are trans. That you must have surgery, fair skin, that you must play to the patriarchal ideals of beauty to be an acceptable transwoman," she said.

The panelists, who aimed to shed light on the many facets of womanhood in Philippine society, urged fellow Filipinos to eliminate stereotypes against the LGBTQ community and to help ensure their rights and protections.

Cristobal, who currently lives with a partner who has a daughter from a previous relationship, said her "rainbow family" has no legal protection or rights in the country.

"If my partner passed away, my daughter goes to her family. If she gets sick, I don't have any right to bring her to the hospital or to get permission from the doctor to admit her or get her operated on. And if she dies, her family can tell me to stay away. All our things will be divided in half – half for her family, half for me." – Rappler.com]

Andito nga lahat ng dapat naming malaman. So, after hingin ni Diana ang contact number and address ni Atty. Tamayo, pumunta na agad kami sa mismong bahay nila pero ayaw kami papasukin ng guard.

"Hindi po talaga pwede ma'am, kung wala kayong naka-record na appointment kay Attorney, hindi po kayo pwedeng pumasok--"

Pero biglang tumunog yung isang device na nasa dibdib nung guard.

Sino ba yan?. Guard, kung media or press wag mong papapasukin.

Rinig namin.

"Mga journalist ba kayo?." Tanong nung guard samin.

"N-naku, h-hindi po. Ang katunayan nyan. Magpapatulong po sana kami. Kakasuhan ko ng domestic violence ang brother in law ko dahil sa pananakit nya sa kapatid ko." Pagsisinungaling ni Diana.

"Ito ba ang kapatid mo?. Eh parang wala naman nangyaring pananakit eh." Tukoy ng guard sakin.

"Po?. Ah hindi hindi. Girlfriend ko po to. Nasa bahay yung kapatid ko." Siraulo ka talaga Diana, kailan mo naman ako naging girlfriend?. May pahawak hawak ka pa sa kamay ko, enebe.

Sige na Torres, papasukin mo na ang dalawang yan.

Yey!. Kaya ayun, pinapasok na kami. Grabe, napakalaki at ang ganda ng bahay nila. Pinadiretso na kami ng helpers sa office niya.

"Sit down."

"Thank you po." Sabi namin tila nahihiya. Medyo strikta sya ah, nakakatakot. Parang maiihi na nga ako eh.

"So I heard, na isa sa inyo ay may kapatid na--"

"Actually, hindi po yun totoo ma'am. Gusto lang talaga namin kayong makausap." Paliwanag ni Diana.

"So mga journalist kayo at niloloko nyo ko?! Alam nyo bang pwede ko kayong kasuhan ng fraud at trespassing?. At sisiguraduhin kong makukulong kayo."

"Wala naman po kaming masamang intensyon Attorney. Gusto lang namin e-feature ang story nyo sa magazine namin."

"Anong magazine?."

"It's called The Juan Magazine po. Bago lang ito sa Philippines."

"Bakit ako?."

"Kasi, isa po kayo sa mga pinakakinikilala at nirerespetong Lgbtq+ activist po. To inspire others by your story and even try to convince the straight people or the government about giving your people the kind of rights you've been fighting for."

"What's your name iha?."

"Franki po."

"Is she really your girlfriend?." Pointing Diana.

"No, hindi po."

"Then I'm not helping you. I'm sorry, you have to go."

"Aba, hindi naman po makatarungan yan--mawalang galang na po Attorney ha, pero di dahil straight kami, di na kami pwedeng humingi ng tulong mula sa inyo." Laban ni Diana. Omg, mawawalan ako ng trabaho dahil sa ginagawa ng babaeng to.

"Exactly. Yan yung point naming mga lgbt. Na hindi naka depende sa sexual orientation or gender identity namin ang basis kung dapat ba kaming tulungan or hindi. We need human rights lang naman eh. Protection. At gusto ko na when you write my story, hindi kayo mga hipokritang kailangan lang ng reads at sales. Kaya dapat maintindihan nyo kung bakit napakahalaga ang usaping ito sa maraming tao. Nagkakaintindihan ba tayo dito?."

"Opo attorney." Sabi namin.

"Sige na, magbibigay nako ng pahayag. Wag kayong matakot about sa mga career nyo dahil lang sa maraming tao out there parin ang against it. Asking me now risky enough. Pero subukan parin natin. Pwede na kayong magtanong."

Kaya buong araw, andami naming tanong. Ang dami din nyang kwento. Para na nga namin syang nanay. I took pictures of her, her house, the cases she solved at mga lugar tulad ng sa mga squatter's area kung saan nadadanasan parin ng karamihan sa kabataang LGBTQ+ ang discrimination at pagmamaltrato.

Isa itong issue na hindi dapat isawalang bahala kasi maliban sa drugs, pinoproblema din ito ng ilan sa mga kabataan ngayon. Kaya kung ganito na ang mga pinagdadaanan ng mga kabataan sa kanilang murang edad, ano nalang ang magiging paningin nila sa mundo?. Pano nila masusulusyunan ang problema ng Pilipinas sa hinaharap kung may sarili din silang problemang kinakaharap?.