Trans woman wins seat in Philippines parliament
The Philippines just made history as the predominantly Catholic country elected a trans woman into its House of Represenatives. Liberal Party candidate Geraldine Roman trounced her closest rival in the congressional district of Bataan, winning 62% of the unofficial vote count with 99% of precincts reporting. This trailblazing woman broke the odds in a country where Church influence means divorce, abortion and same-sex marriage are banned.
“The politics of bigotry, hatred and discrimination did not triumph. What triumphed was the politics of love, acceptance and respect,” Roman said after her victory for a seat in Congress representing the farming province of Bataan, just northwest of Manila.
Roman, a Catholic, said she was looking forward to becoming a lawmaker so she could respond to critics who dismissed her as a one-issue politician not to be taken seriously.
“I’m elated; very, very happy. I’m also excited to work. I realise that the burden is bigger because the stereotype of [LGBT] people … is we are frivolous, that we have nothing substantial to say, so I have to prove them wrong,” she said.
Forty-nine-year-old Roman has been living as a woman for the past two decades and has a male partner. She had a successful career as senior editor at the Spanish News Agency. She speaks Spanish, French and Italian and won a scholarship to study in Spain, where she met her partner of 18 years.
The daughter of political parents, Roman ran for the seat last held by her mother and she vowed to carry on her family’s call to public service. Her mother had to stand down after serving the maximum number of three terms. Roman’s father was a former congressman whose death in 2014 prompted her to consider continuing the family legacy in congress.
