MANILA, Philippines – Detained opposition senator Leila de Lima lambasted on Monday a Tarlac university that barred six transgender students from wearing dresses during their graduation rites.
De Lima said she condemns, “to the highest level”, Tarlac State University’s move to require transgender women to don a Barong Tagalog, which is a “clear violation of their (trangenders’) right to free expression.”
“This saddens me because it happened during the celebration of the LGBT Pride Month. Instead of letting students belonging to the LGBT community celebrate one of the most memorable moments of their young lives, they were prevented from fully expressing themselves,” she added.
Aside from the six transgenders, a transgender man and a lesbian graduate were barred from wearing a Barong Tagalog, De Lima said, citing news reports.
“Hindi ito dapat nangyayari, lalo pa’t mayroon mga karapatan ang ating LGBT community na dapat kilalanin at irespeto nang lahat (This should never happen, especially since members of the LGBT community have rights that should be acknowledged and respected),” De Lima said. (Editor: Gilbert S. Gaviola)