A transgender woman in the Philippines was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by a self-professed “born again Christian” because of her sexual orientation and gender identity.
Facing discrimination: Alexis Hart Garcia shared two videos of a middle-aged woman identified as “Aling Susan,” who is shown insulting and threatening her in public.
- The incident happened as Garcia was walking inside Marites Village 2, a community where she resides in Antipolo on Nov. 5.
- Aling Susan was reportedly enraged to see Garcia walking by her property.
- Susan, who deemed Garcia not welcome in the area for being “gay,” also hurled a rock at Garcia.
- Garcia and Susan can be seen arguing, with another man taking Garcia’s side while off-camera.
- Despite the man and Garcia being residents of Marites Village, Susan was adamant that they were not allowed to pass through the street she claimed as her “private property.”
- In an effort to drive her away, Susan hit Garcia with a box that reportedly resulted in some arm wounds.
Seeking justice: In addition to filing a formal complaint with local village officials, Garcia also made an appearance on a popular public service talk show to discuss the incident involving Aling Susan.
- Garcia revealed that the recorded incident was not the first time Aling Susan has verbally attacked someone for being part of the LGBTQ community.
- Garcia claims to be a co-founder of TAO (Transpinay of Antipolo Organization) that is dedicated to the broad-based, inclusive national movement for “gender and racial equality.”
- A local official who was helping Garcia with her complaint shared that she also received harsh words from Aling Susan prior to being elected to public office.
- Garcia also alleged that Susan threatened to shoot her with a gun.
- Garcia said she is planning to file cases of slander by deed and grave threat against the woman during a hearing on Wednesday.
- In the Philippines, both charges are punishable by jail time.
- Slander can mean 1-6 months in jail, while grave threat can mean a maximum of 12 years, depending on the severity of the threat.
Feature Image via Alexis Heart Garcia
