The Philippine franchise of the international fashion retail brand Zara reached out to transgender woman Louis Marasigan, who alleged that she was discriminated against because of her gender at its branch at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City on 18 October.
Marasigan, who is a councilor of the town of San Juan in Batangas, posted an emotional video on the platform TikTok, recounting an anti-trans incident at a Zara store. She was asked to transfer to the men's fitting room, when she was trying on clothes in the women's fitting room. She said she explained that she identifies as a woman and she described the manager as dismissive.
"May lumapit sa 'king babae sabi 'Sir, sa taas po kayo.' Sabi ko, 'Bakit po?' Sabi niya kasi 'yung fitting room daw ng lalaki dun sa taas (A woman approached me and said that she should be upstairs. I asked her why. She said because the fitting rooms for men are at the upper floor)," said Marasigan in the video.
In a Facebook post, she wrote: "2022 na sana naman gumising na kayo (It's already 2022; wake up) . I never felt so discriminated in my whole life, in a place pa where you won't expect discrimination, a place filled with different and vast varieties of people."
"Nanginginig ako at gustong umiyak habang nag vivideo (I was trembling and wanted to cry while making the video). And to my dismay, I talked to their store manager; nagulat ako (I was surprised) he's gay! And clearly did not want to support me in my complaint. Grabe, kung bastos lang ako minura ko na kayong lahat (If I was rude, I would have cursed all of you)! Please share for awareness. I've never felt so attacked before. This moment gave me an anxiety attack," she added.
LGBTQ+ activists and groups came to her defense.
Miss Trans Global 2020 Mela Franco Habijan emphasized that Marasigan is not a man but "a trans woman who freely expresses as a woman."
"As her gender identity is a woman and she has transitioned to express as a woman and affirm her womanhood, Miss Louis takes comfort in using the fitting room for women. All she wanted was to fit the clothes she wanted to buy from Zara," she wrote on Facebook on 19 October. "But she was shooed away from the fitting room and was asked to transfer to the fitting room for men. Because she's trans. To the attendants of Zara, she's not a woman."
"To Zara Philippines, we need to open the discussion on SOGIESC to all your employees. To Taguig LGU, let's strictly implement the Anti-Discrimination Ordinance and prevent instances like this from happening again. Let's make Taguig Inclusive. To you my dearest friends, help us in amplifying the call to PASS SOGIE EQUALITY BILL NOW! To Miss Louis and our fellow trans and queer people, kapit tayo. Mapagwawagian natin ang labang ito!" Habijan said.
University of the Philippines Babaylan said that the "experience of Ms. Marasigan is a manifestation of the challenges and struggles that the trans community experiences. From being denied facilities to being unwelcome to certain vicinities, our trans siblings have been victims of unequal treatment solely because of their gender identity."
"Zara claims to be an ally of our community through their projects and products that celebrate the queer movement. However, genuine allyship goes beyond rainbow capitalism," they further said. "We demand Zara Philippines to conduct gender sensitivity trainings and SOGIESC education among their employees and staff. This is fundamental to establish safe spaces within the vicinity of its local stores. Falling short of exercising the principles they claim to align with is mere lip service."
UP Babaylan also called out the Taguig local government "to ensure that all forms of SOGIESC-based discrimination is addressed and not one queer individual is violated."
"Our gender identity is not defined by what's in between our legs. Trans women are women. Trans men are men. Trans people are people," they endercored.
"This event also emphasizes the need for us to stand together and to strengthen the allyship within the LGBTQ+ community. As we fight for the same rights to equality, gender sensitivity, and respect, it is imperative that we remember to speak not only for ourselves, but for our fellow members of the community," said UP Lipad of UP in the Visayas in Iloilo.
After the incident, Marasigan shared that she and the company had a conversation. She said that Zara Philippines apologized to her and invited her to visit the store again. They also promised to her that their staff will be trained in SOGIESC awareness and sensitivity. Marasigan reminded them of the gender-inclusive policies of their parent company, Inditex.
"Sa lahat ng LGBT, tagumpay natin 'to (To all LGBT people, this is a win for us," she ended her video.
Many people congratulated her for her efforts in calling out the company and raising awareness on the experiences of trans people.
This is not the first time that the fashion store has been involved in a discrimination case. In 2020, a transgender customer filed a complaint against Zara in New York City and won a settlement.
