Cross-dressing gimmick of student-athletes draws criticism

LGBTQ+ groups and allies called out the performance of the members of the men's basketball team of De La Salle University during the Athletes' General Assembly and Animo Rally on 28 September at the said university.

The athletes performed a dance, apparently meant to be comical and inspired by dances popular on TikTok, while in women's attire. Pictures of the performance shared on social media drew negative criticism.

DLSU's University Student Government (USG) president Giorgina Escoto said on her Facebook post that "[i]t made many Lasallians feel uncomfortable, including myself."

"Yes, you are free to dress however you want. Pero hindi source of entertainment ang gender expression ng mga tao (of people). Not when so many people still face discrimination for it," she further said. "This is not the safe and inclusive DLSU that we continue to lobby for."

Escoto added that she has raised the issue with the school's administration, especially with the recent establishment of the DIVERSE Taskforce, and stressed that "we have to strengthen the Safe Spaces Policy of the university."

Moi Pulumbarit, Gender Equality and Empowerment Commissioner of DLSU USG, said the recent event "truly frustrated and pained me," as they "are working with the administration in creating safer and braver spaces for each and every Lasallian, every single day."

"As a queer student, our identities are something we choose, something we form, and something we have always fought for within the community. Against discrimination, continuous misogyny, internal homophobia, and rampant attacks on our identities, we stand strong against anything that chooses to go against our battles," they explained in their Facebook post. "Seeing the pep rally yesterday and how this frustrated, hurt, and angered many students including myself, shows how we have a long way to go as we create an inclusive environment here within the university. The ways we choose to express ourselves serve as an avenue for our liberation when social norms demand us to see only through the lens of heteronormativity and tradition."

Pulumbarit stressed: "Hindi katawa-tawang bagay ang pinaglalaban ng komunidad namin. Hindi pinanggagalingan ng aliw ang bagay na hanggang ngayon patuloy naming hinaharap, patuloy naming linalabanan na buhay ang nakataya (What our community fights for is not a laughable thing. What we continue to face until now — what we continue to fight for with lives at stake — is not a source of entertainment)."

They vowed "to fight against cases like this that stem from the lack of awareness…" and stressed that "[w]e are here and proudly queer and our pain will not be erased."

Other LGBTQ+ organizations also expressed disapproval and indignation against the performance. The House of Iris Vito Cruz, an LGBTQ+ organization founded by students around the Vito Cruz Street area in Malate, Manila, believes that "the point of the performances was to ridicule gender non-conforming behavior," and it is an "outright display of bigotry and queerphobia."

"Some may argue that the wearing of dresses or skirts to mock one's gender expression is a harmless display of fun. However, expressing one's gender remains a struggle for trans and non-binary individuals throughout the country," they explained.

The group also mentioned cases of murders and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, citing that "there have been at least 50 cases of trans and non-binary killings in the Philippines since 2010" and "gender-variant individuals continue to be suppressed in their workplace."

They added, "Considering the lived experiences of gender non-conforming people in the country and the discrimination they continue to face, the performances displayed by the student-athletes were not only tasteless, but also diminishes the struggles of LGBTQIA+ individuals and Lasallians."

The group pointed out the rise in cases of discrimination with the return of onsite classes as well as policies that curtail freedom of gender expression.

"Fortunately, De La Salle University is slightly more progressive compared to other educational institutions. However, although queer Lasallians are somewhat given the right to express their gender, discussions on LGBTQIA+ matters and struggles are lacking in the university. That is why some students still reaffirm the heteropatriarchal notion that gender non-conforming individuals should be ridiculed," they said. "The mockery of our gender expression is normalized due to our patriarchal culture which suppresses queer expression. Gender non-conforming persons are reduced to caricatures and as the targets of a joke with negative representations in the media. Moreover, the lack of SOGIESC protection laws allows anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination to run rampant without much repercussions."

The House of Iris Vito Cruz demanded an apology, as well as "the immediate implementation of LGBTQIA+ education in schools throughout the country so that every student may understand queer matters and struggles." They also called for the passage of the SOGIESC Equality Bill and the SOGIESC Equality Act in DLSU.

LGBTQ+ organization Bahaghari also decried the incident, reiterating that "[w]hat others consider a simple punchline is a serious ordeal for LGBTQIA+ persons, who courageously fight ridicule and abuse daily for the right to self-expression." They expressed willingness "to speak to the organizers and performers of the event for concrete steps in doing better, and in being conscious allies for equality."

University of the Philippines Babaylan said that they stand "in solidarity with the Lasallian community, especially its queer students, personnel, and staff, in denouncing" the incident, emphasizing that "[o]ur gender expression is not a joke" and "[o]ur reality is not a laughing matter."

UP Lipad, the LGBTQ+ group of UP Visayas in Iloilo, considered the performance a "distasteful display of mockery towards gender expression" that "perpetuates unsafe public spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals."

"Our universities, as spaces where student ideals and principles are honed and developed, should ensure that gender-safe and inclusive practices are being affirmed and upheld," they said. "Normalizing discriminatory practices such as these does not only diminish the importance of being sensitive towards gender diversity, but also neglects the glaring realities of the lived experience of those who genuinely identify as such."