Gender Expression in Public & Private Schools in the Philippines

The words gender and intercourse are often used interchangeably, however they've unique meanings; sex has a tendency to consult biological differences, at the same time as gender more regularly refers to cultural and social differences, and sometimes includes a broader variety of identities than the binary of male and female.For the longest time, it become assumed that sex and gender have been related and fixed; that all males are or should be masculine and that all females are or should be feminine. In many cultures, there are very inflexible expectations around how boys and girls have to behave, as well as stereotypes of appropriate feminine and masculine behaviours. A person whose gender identity is in contrast to the sex they were born with may identify as transgender. To express their gender, transgender people may also 'transition' from the sex that they were assigned at birth (biological sex) with the help of medications or surgery. However, this may not be an choice for everyone. There is more information on this in the Seeking support section below. How a person identifies their gender depends on what they feel, which may change or stay static. Gender identity and expression can be taken into consideration on a spectrum. Some people may identify more female, or male, while others may feel more in between, or neutral. Those who feel their gender changes from time to time, may be described as gender fluid.Gender expression.The expression of gender through the way you behave and dress is an important part of our self-identity, and is central to our intellectual fitness and wellbeing. Many transgender humans disguise their gender expression in public for worry of negative reactions, violence or discrimination to other.

Geraldine Roman is the first openly transgender lawmaker in the Philippines, and she will be used as an example when discussing gender expression in public and private schools. In the country's 2016 general elections, Roman was the Liberal Party's Congressional candidate for the first district of Bataan province. Roman was lauded by the media as the voice of the LGBTQ community at a time when the Liberal Party, the political party of then-President Benigno Aquino III, was in power (Chen, 2016; Robinson, 2016). After winning the 2016 elections, she joined a select group of openly LGBTQ people from around the world who were able to win seats in public office.

 First, the school official is acting in  official  governmental capacity where FreeSpeech considerations must be observed. Second, school officials have a duty to allow students to express themselves. Finally, just because an idea or gender expression may be unpleasant, it does not necessarily rise to the level of substantially disrupting the educational environment. Tinker is the bedrock case upon which all other educational freedom of speech cases are built. This case hasparticular significance to the LGBTQ community because it held

that expression of sexual orientation—without heightenedadditional factors—cannot be seen as a disturbance of theeducational environment.Student could be disciplined for having delivered a speech that was “sexually explicit” but not legallyobscene at an official school assembly, because theschool was entitled to “disassociate itself” from thespeech in a manner that would demonstrate to othersthat such vulgarity is “wholly inconsistent with the‘fundamental values’ of the public education.Student clothing is another form of expression, but thecourts have upheld student dress codes. In 2001, the Fort ThomasPublic School District in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, approved a student dress code.107 Robert Blau claimed that the school dresscode squelched his daughter’s freedom of expression under the FirstAmendment.

Authorities at every level of government should take steps to promote student safety, equality, and access to education in schools, Human Rights Watch said. Congress should pass anti-discrimination legislation that protects LGBT students in schools. The Department of Education should survey schools to ensure anti-bullying protections are being fully implemented, train teachers to be responsive to the needs of LGBT students, incorporate LGBT issues into curricular modules, and promulgate model policies prohibiting discrimination in schools. At the school level, administrators should strengthen anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies to ensure LGBT youth are safe and respected.“Prohibiting bullying against LGBT youth was an important first step,” Thoreson said. “Now lawmakers and school administrators should take concrete steps to make those protections meaningful and promote respect for LGBT youth throughout the Philippines’ school system.Schools are the second homes of every young learner. After several years of comfort and security in the arms of their families, a new environment awaits them. In this unfamiliar space, freedom becomes limited. Though it could be to ensure everyone’s safety and belongingness, rules that forbid one to express oneself freely hinder them from discovering what they could be and more. Various school policies do such, and an example is recent news about graduating students being prohibited from wearing their desired form of clothing just because of their gender.

Many members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender/Transsexual, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual/Allies, Nonbinary/Genderqueer + (LGBTQIA+) community have suffered from the wrath of society in this cruel world. For being different and unfamiliar, these people get treated in ways that become so inhumane that it scars someone’s heart so badly. This leads them to fail to realize that they’re not at all different from the rest, yet have a clear vision and understanding of what could go on in another’s mind. Even with the knowledge that the Philippines caters to a rich culture cultivated throughout the years, the behavior or the way one expresses oneself may still be threatened by rejection.