subject: ProGay wants bullying to end, more equality for LGBTs [print this page] ProGay wants bullying to end, more equality for LGBTs
ProGay calls for end to bullying
Bullying also affects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people of all ages, according to the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (ProGay), an advocacy group working for LGBT rights.
Goya Candelario, spokesperson of ProGay, said she supported efforts of the President
Barack Obama to actively campaign against bullying of minority groups in the United States.
Candelario lauded the campaign because this will reduce deaths and injuries suffered by
victims and their families. ProGay revealed that it has received complaints from many LGBT Filipinos about different levels of bullying that ranged from incessant namecalling to physical violence, and the incidents can be traced to their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).
The gay advocacy group said that it is undergoing an education campaign called Combat
Homophobia, Act Now for Gender Equality (CHANGE) which has been documenting cases of bullying incidents reported by LGBTs through phone calls, emails and direct interviews.
"We got reports from bakla and transgender youth being harassed by young men because the offenders simply do not like bakla," Candelario said.
Kitkat Barrameda, one of the transgender youth members of ProGay, remembers having to avoid people on the street after years of being called names such as faggot, thief, monster, and bad luck magnet.
"Even during my sleep, pranksters set me up on Facebook. They take pictures of me in unflattering poses, then post pictures online, and they take turns attacking my person. It is terrible, I want them to stop, but they do not listen," Barrameda said.
Barrameda said she has had emotional disorders from all the bullying she has experienced. She said it has impaired her ability to function normally in society.
"Some transgender fight back, but the majority suffer in silence because no authority
where they live and work listens to their complaints. Government agencies ignore them or
pass the blame on the transgenders," Candelario explains.
ProGay said that the growing popularity of internet social networking has increased opportunities for homophobic elements to harass LGBT.
ProGay asserted that the government in the Philippines should follow the example of states that have crafted institutions that monitor and remedy the growing problem of bullying. ###
