Proceeding of the International Conference on Gender Studies, Vol. 1, 2018, pp. 1-12 Copyright © 2018 TIIKM ISSN 2602-8611 online DOI: https://doi.org/10.17501/26028611.2018.1101 QUEER POLITICS AND HUMAN RIGHTS: A CASE STUDY OF HOMOSEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER “PARLORISTA” IN ILOILO CITY, PHILIPPINES Justin Francis Bionat1*, Leonard Francis Alcoran2 and Rejie Lyn Duya3 1Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University, Thailand 2 College of Arts and Sciences, West Visayas State University, Philippines 3 College of Law, Sultan Kudarat University, Philippines Abstract: This is a case study of the selected five (5) parlorista bakla who typically identify as either homosexual men or transgenders women in Iloilo City. Parloristas are typically seen as low-income “bakla” – a colloquial Filipino term that means effeminate homosexual men an transgender women. This study identifies and describes the socio-cultural and economic background of the selected participants, analyzes the forms of oppression and acts of discrimination that they experienced and identify the types of government support and legislation that can serve as basis for further human right programming in local settings in the Philippines. The research utilized queer politics as basis of analysis into the lived experiences of respondents with varying socio-cultural and economic backgrounds. Interviews were conducted and facilitated with the use of one questionnaire. Results have shown that the respondent's multi-faceted intersectional socio-cultural and economic backgrounds play a significant role in the acceptance of the participants in various settings. The participants‟ socio-economic background, as well as, the discovery of self-identified sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (SOGIE). Parloristas have developed a tolerance of discrimination and have regarded it as common-day experience that does not need to be corrected or addressed to the proper authority or institution. The findings also suggest that government support and legislation are essential in protecting the rights of these populations because legal mechanisms are most effective in curtailing discrimination. This study takes on intersectional analysis as precursor to legal redress for the discrimination of sexual and gender minorities in the Philippines. Keywords: homosexual men, transgender women, Philippines, queer politics, intersectional analysis, discrimination Queer Politics, The ‘Parlorista’ Classification and LGBTQ Rights in the Philippines Mara, a „parlorista‟ who‟s in her 40s, proudly claims she already lived a “colorful - if not yet full - life … She eventually ended up in Hong Kong, running a salon, and there, “naging masaya ako (I was happy).” This, then, became somewhat of a call for her - “maging manggugupit (to cut hair)” (Tan, 2017) The study of queer politics focuses on advancing political participation through a human rights-based approach recognizing the liberties and policies aimed for the development of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) sector. The discourse shall revolve around inclusion and assimilation as approaches to secure the rights of the individual. Rights and responsibilities of LGBTQ persons are analysed and studied. Queer politics accommodates gender non-conformists and sexual minorities. The battle over inclusion and equality is fought not only at the state level but also at the local or personal level. Human rights is seen as being highly influential in the LGBTQ liberation movement, albeit we still live in a society where persons are attacked in the street, bullied in schools, underrepresented and misrepresented in the media and oppressed in many other ways, on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Corresponding Authors‟ Email: * [email protected] Justin Francis Bionat et al / Queer Politics and Human Rights: A Case Study of Homosexual……… Queer politics is first understood as an “in your face” politics of a younger generation that seeks to make “queer” function as more than just an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered. Secondly, it recognizes and encourages the fluidity and movement of people‟s sexual lives. Thirdly, that sexual expression is something that always entails the possibility of change, movement, redefinition, and subversive performance. Finally, it highlights the instability of sexual categories and sexual objects and challenges the multiple practices and vehicles of power which render them invisible and at risk. In a nutshell, queer politics is liberatory politics bringing together those deemed marginal and recognizes multisited systems that seek to normalize our sexuality, exploit our labor, and constrain our visibility. (Cohen, 1997) Echoing the historically powerful speech of former United States of America Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, at Geneva, Switzerland in 2011, she proclaimed that “Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.” Those identifying with the LGBTQ community have long been under fire even before the landmark June 28, 1969 Stonewall Riots which began the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). It is evident that the LGBTQ movement did not start easy elsewhere. The LGBTQ movement struggled in a highly conservative and traditional society, much like the present situation in the Philippines. The 1987 Philippine Constitution has committed to upholding the dignity, equality and human rights of all persons. The Philippines has also ratified several international covenants, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCAR), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Finally, the country is also a signatory of the November 2006 Yogyakarta Principles, “a set of principles drawing on legally binding international human rights law to address the application of a broad range of international human rights standards to issues of sexual orientation and gender identity,” which further affirms that the Philippines agrees to promote equal rights within the jurisdictional boundaries of the state, especially on issues pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity, self-determined or perceived. In 2014, a report entitled Being LGBTQ in Asia: The Philippines Country Report noted that there are continuing social and political challenges for the LGBTQ community collectively and as individuals. On a political and legal perspective, same-sex activity is not criminalized and sexual orientation is mentioned in various laws, however, there is still a lack of a national Anti-Discrimination Law with numerous proposals to the Philippine Senate and Congress since the 1990s but to no avail. At the policy level, there are inclusive policies in various offices, institutions and private establishments. Many forms of discrimination are systematic in nature and are institutionalized. Culturally and socially, attitudes towards LGBTQ persons are complex, with signs of acceptance among young Filipinos but questions of whether that acceptance is based conforming to stereotypes, social norms and occupational niches. Due to the lack of active legislation and policy to protect the rights of LGBTQ individuals, they are faced with discriminatory acts that are manifested in their day to day lives. Rainbow Rights Project (2014) shows us an interesting narrative by a transgender women respondents recalling her experience of harassment and discrimination when applying for passports and international travel documents at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Police officers and the military were also responsible for harassment, bullying, ridiculing, arbitrarily detaining, asking and ordering to provide sexual favors and taunting transgender women. This study seeks to recognize that in terms of social acceptance fueled by mass media. Tagudina (2012), “Most, if not all, portrayals of gays in television and film continue to perpetuate stereotypes as promiscuous, unstable in handling relationships and ridiculous. The queer community in the Philippines has many faces, but the one most used frequently seen is the parlor gay stereotype.” The typical “parlorista bakla”, as defined by Benedicto (2008), is a flamboyant, camp cross-dresser who works in a beauty salon. 2 Proceeding of the International Conference on Gender Studies, Vol. 1, 2018, pp. 11-22 In Limpangog, Pruitt, & Lee (2017), the authors have noted that as a workforce sector, the parlorista bakla, constitutes the biggest, most organized sector of transgender women. Organizations like the Hairdressers and Cosmetologist Association of the Philippines (HACAP) have become avenues of representation for this sector in lobbying for labor rights and economic justice. The diverse participation of the parlorista bakla extends to the entertainment industry, market vending, hospitality work and even commercial sex work taking place in varying degrees across the Philippines. It is, however, beneficial to note that the previous study failed to see that although economically, the parloristas have been game changers in the sector, they still face disproportionate levels of economic and social barriers. In Claudio (2013), an opinion piece entitled “In defense of the parlor gay”, a parlorista, he explains, “reflects a version of homosexuality that Philippine society finds hard to