THE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES, TRANS LIBERATION NOW!A Declaration of Trans Resistance. A Manifesto for Trans Justice.

A UNITED CALL OF STRAP, LADLAD PARTYLIST, AND VERDE CREATIVES TO END TRANSFEMICIDE AND MEDIA ERASURE DURING TRANSGENDER AWARENESS WEEK

As the nation observes Transgender Awareness Week (November 13–19), the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP), Ladlad Partylist, and Verde Creatives stand united in escalating our fight for dignity, accountability, and survival. This week is not a passive observance; it is a frontline against the persistent, systemic violence faced by transpinays (Filipino trans women and transfeminine people).

Leading the charge against institutional failure and cultural violence, our coalition demands an immediate end to transfemicide — gender-based hate killings —and the subsequent erasure of victims by irresponsible media practices.

The Crisis: When Misgendering Becomes the Final Act of Violence

The violence against our community has created a climate of profound fear, where many of our members live knowing, "I'm scared every damn day" . This terror is amplified by the media's complicity in their deaths.

On November 17, at 2 PM, we are convening the critical roundtable discussion, "MEDIA, MISGENDERING, AND MEMORY: HOW STORIES OF TRANSFEMICIDE ARE TOLD," to directly confront this systemic failure. The intentional framing or misframing of violence against transpinays — from misgendering to sensationalizing their deaths—is a devastating denial of their lived identity.

We affirm: When media outlets utilize former names and incorrect pronouns (deadnaming and misgendering) in reporting these murders, they are completing the final act of violence, fueled by a structural lack of Legal Gender Recognition (LGR) in the Philippines. As we approach the solemn Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on November 20, we demand that the memories of our fallen sisters be honored truthfully, rejecting the cycle of historical erasure that colonization began.

Legislative Abandonment and the Demand for Dignity

The violence we face is a direct consequence of decades of legislative abandonment. The Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality Bill has languished in Congress for over 20 years ², sending a damaging message of state-sanctioned impunity to the public and potential perpetrators.

We, the collective voices of STRAP, Ladlad, and Verde Creatives, declare that the time for debate is over. The death toll demands immediate action.

As Ms. Bemz Benedito, Chair of Verde Creatives and a trailblazing transgender leader of Ladlad Partylist, has emphasized: “We should not be defined by our bodies nor our sexual orientation and gender identity define our capabilities, skills and strengths.” Yet, when our deaths are sensationalized, our dignity and capabilities are stripped away. Our fight is not for special privilege, but to ensure that members of the LGBTQIA+ community are treated equally and can participate in society without fear of persecution because of their SOGIE.

Mobilizing for Change: From Awareness to Accountability

The November 17 roundtable is the core of STRAP's "Buckle Up for Transgender Awareness Week Events!". Alongside vital workshops focused on Legal Name and Gender Marker Change and our collective Storytelling Night; this discussion serves as the nation’s authoritative pre-TDOR call for systemic reform. We ground our advocacy in the resilience of our community, supported by allies like Dark Roast Coffeehouse, which will host the discussion in their store location at 107 Maginhawa Street, Teacher's Village, Quezon City

NON-NEGOTIABLE JOINT DEMANDS:

1. Immediate Passage of the SOGIESC Equality Bill to prohibit discrimination and ensure equal protection of the laws for all Filipinos.

2. Enactment of Legal Gender Recognition (LGR) legislation for trans and intersex people, ending the institutional justification for misgendering.

3. Mandatory Adoption of Ethical Reporting Guidelines by all media outlets, requiring the use of affirmed names and pronouns, and prohibiting sensationalism in reporting transfemicide.

4. Inclusion of Trans Women in Anti-Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) laws, initiatives, and campaigns.

Transgender rights are fundamental human rights. This truth is absolute. When we commemorate those among us whose lives were stolen by bigotry, our purpose transcends grief — it becomes invincible action. Through the ages. like all victims of systemic oppression elsewhere, we forge our collective rage into strategic decisions, into unstoppable mobilization.

To our allies: Our demands are yours; join us in this struggle and you always do, and fight shoulder-to-shoulder with us.

To those in power: Your choice is simple: acknowledge our truth, implement justice, listen and act now, or we will dismantle every obstacle you build each time you create them.

We are not asking for a future where every transgender person can live freely and authentically. We are taking it. We will secure that victory. And we shall prevail.