On her Twitter account, Miss Trans Global 2020, Mela Habijan recalled her triggering encounter with a school administrator.
Habijan highlighted the statement of the school administrator that caused her to post the Twitter thread.
“I respect [your community] pero ayaw ko lang nang nagde-dress dahil alam mo naman, educational institution. Policy namin yun, dapat professional pa rin.”
I thought it was a good meeting, until I heard these words from him.
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
She then recounted receiving the invitation to speak in front of the school’s student body and meeting with a school administrator who took pride in their LGBTQIA+ employees and gender-neutral restrooms.
This morning, as requested by my Papa Dindo, I accompanied my Mama Irene to meet the administrator of an educational institution. At the beginning of our conversation, he was taking pride of their LGBTQIA+ employees and how their institution has provided a…
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
gender-neutral restroom in respect for LGBTQIA+ people. Moreover, he also expressed how he admires me for my courage and for standing for trans rights.
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
However, their conversation took a turn when the administrator discussed one of their trans-identifying employees who had to abide by the school’s policy, suppressing her gender expression.
Additionally, Habijan wrote that the administrator uttered the phrase ‘I respect pero… dapat professional pa rin,’ triggering the trans beauty queen.
But our conversation led to the heartbreak of one of his employees, to which I’ve learned is trans-identifying, who used to express herself as a woman, but is now masculine expressing.
Then, he dropped the “I respect pero… dapat professional pa rin” bomb.
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
I got triggered. In my mind, “Wasn’t he aware that I am a trans woman, that I am in a dress, and that I am that also a reflection of the person whom he refers to as unprofessional?”
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
Afterward, Habijan took the opportunity to discuss the transphobic nature of said policies implemented by the school, leading to a passionate discourse between them. Habijan challenged the administrator to initiate change through inclusive policies.
So, I took this opportunity to tell him directly that his statement and their institution’s policy is transphobic. The conversation led to passionate discourse of arguments.
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
He tried to defend the policy. “Yung mindset kasi ng tao ang dapat mabago. Kasi meron pa rin talagang discrimination. Kaya importante yung mga public policies ma-institutionalize,” he said.
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
So before the meeting ended, I challenged him, “Ang hamon ko po sa inyo: mabago yung mindset at policy niyo. Because you are a decision-maker. Dapat baguhin niyo po ang policies niyo to be inclusive of people of my kind.”
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
Sadly, the said administrator backpedaled by using technicalities as an excuse, causing the beauty queen to decline the school’s invitation.
“Tingnan natin. Kasi dadaan pa yan sa baba. Sa technical working group.”
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
To which I replied, “To answer your invitation to speak before your students, I would have to say no po muna. Until your policies are changed, I can’t accommodate and be inside an institution the doesn’t welcome me and people of my kind.”
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
Finally, the beauty queen ends her thread with a message trans people are professional.
The degree of one’s professionalism will be measured by how one does work, and NOT how a person dresses and expresses.
Unless we slack of, trans people are professional. ❤️🌈#TransPeopleAreProfessional
— Miss Mela Habijan (@missmelahabijan) March 11, 2021
This mentality shows why the LGBTQIA+ community needs the SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity Expression) bill because it protects people like Habijan and the employee from discrimination based on her sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression in the workplace.
Habijan made history when she won the first Miss Trans Global pageant back in 2020. Habijan recently headlined Transcend by LoveYourself’s women empowerment segment, with 2013 Miss World Megan Young.
