Massive Outrage Sparked In The Philippines After Transgender Student Is Forced To Cut Her Hair

Filipinos are standing up for a victim of anti-LGBTQ+ school policies.

On March 15, protestors gathered at public school Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) after a video featuring a transgender second-year college entrepreneurship student went viral.

It showed a schoolmate cutting her long hair while she teared up. She later told Rappler.ph that EARIST enrollment staff informed her she needed to have her hair cut to be able to enroll for the second semester.

We weren’t allowed [to enroll] even if we wore a bun.

— Victim of EARIST Hair Policy

[Video could not be displayed]

She complied in the end for the sake of her parents. She also wanted to be a “sacrifice” for the rest of the transgender community in her school as she felt that they had lost their voice with this policy policy.

I thought at that time, I wanted to finally enroll because my parents know that I can study without having my hair cut.

— Victim of EARIST Hair Policy

[Video could not be displayed]

It was soon made public that more than 50 LGBTQ+ students were forced to undergo the same process to be allowed to continue studying there. EARIST’s student handbook states that the quintessential “barber’s haircut” featuring hair that is short at the back and side must be observed among all male students.

Bahaghari, an NGO that calls themselves the “national alliance of LGBTQIA+ advocates, organizations, and formations in the Philippines” shared the viral video on their social media platforms. They called out the “repressive haircut and uniform policies” of the school, saying that the policy fails to  account for the sexual orientation and identity of their LGBTQ students.

Bahaghari leader Arri Samsico shared the accounts of the latter, highlighting that administrators verbally allowed them to enroll with their desired hair length in the first semester. This month, however, while the college of business and public administration agreed to allow third and fourth year transgender students to keep their hair long, the first and second year students were forced to cut their hair to shoulder length.

The EARIST chapter of the NGO staged a protest on their campus on March 15, the day of enrollment. They raised signs saying “No to discrimination,” pushing the school to “update the student handbook” to “make EARIST inclusive.”

They were not afraid to take it further in their demonstration by lighting a copy of the handbook on fire, emphasizing their point that “Trans women are not male students” and thus the rules were not made for them.

Bahaghari leader Samsico promised that the NGO will continue to lobby for anti-discrimination policies to be applied to all educational institutions.

Students can unleash their true potential when they can be free about their true selves. Educational institutions must become a space for learners to be confident, as this will help them gain more knowledge during their time in school.

— Arri Samsico