TRACE COLLEGE INC.

PRACTICAL RESEARCH 1
S.Y. 2022-2023
RESEARCH CONCEPT PAPER
Year Level/Strand: Date Submitted:

Gr 11 Stem H - Nobility May 17, 2023

Leader: Articona, Samantha Yvan E.

Assistant Leader: Rodondo, Euline Erhnea B.

Secretary: Cruz, Rein Alyanah U.

Members: Limbo, Nenah Grace G.

Rodriguez, Athena Roma V.

Adriano, Judah G.

Maraña, Railey T.

Ventura, Arvin D.

Title:

Behind Closed Door: A Deep Dive into the Lives of LGBTQIA+ students in Philippines Higher

Education and their Struggle against Discrimination, Resilience, and Advocacy.

Introduction

Background of the Study

Gender referred as the socially constructed qualities of men, women, girls, and boys. This covers

interpersonal connections as well as the standards, mannerisms, and roles that come with being a woman,

man, girl, or boy. Gender is a social concept that differs from culture to culture and can evolve over time.

LGBTQIA+ refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, and more are

collectively referred to as LGBTQIA+. These phrases are used to characterized a person's gender identity or

sexual orientation. A Lesbian is a woman who consistently feels strongly attracted to other women on a

romantic, sexual, or emotional level. Lesbians who wish to self-identify as gay men or gay women can do so.

Gay refers to people who have long-lasting sex-based physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction. Lesbian
is occasionally the chosen term for women. Bisexual a person who is capable of developing strong physical,

romantic, and/or emotional feelings for people of the same gender or from different sexes. Transgender a

general word used to describe people whose gender identity and/or gender expression do not correspond to the

sex they were assigned at birth. Queer refers to a term used by some individuals whose sexual orientation is

not exclusively straight or heterosexual. Questioning refers to a person who is unsure of their gender identity

or sexual orientation. Intersex refers to a person with one or more innate sex characteristics, such as

chromosomes, internal reproductive organs, or genitalia, that defy conventional ideas of what it is to be male

or female. Asexual refers to people who might not strictly fall under the definition of "asexual," and

aromantic, which refers to people who have little to no romantic attraction and/or little to no desire to enter

into romantic relationships. Non-Binary refers to a person who utilizes a variety of adjectives to identify

themselves and whose gender is neither male nor female. Plus used to denote all gender identities and sexual

orientations that words and letters are unable to fully encompass.

In the Philippines, students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) too often find

that their schooling experience is marred by bullying, discrimination, lack of access to LGBT-related

information, and in some cases, physical or sexual assault. In recent years, lawmakers and school

administrators in the Philippines have recognized that bullying of LGBT youth is a serious problem, and

designed interventions to address it. The adoption of these policies sends a strong signal that bullying and

discrimination are unacceptable and should not be tolerated in educational institutions. The adverse treatment

they experience from peers and teachers is compounded by discriminatory policies that stigmatize and

disadvantage LGBT students and by the lack of information and resources about LGBT issues available in

schools. This report is based on interviews and group discussions conducted in 10 cities on the major

Philippine islands of Luzon and the Visayas with 76 secondary school students or recent graduates who

identified as LGBT or questioning, 22 students or recent graduates who did not identify as LGBT or

questioning, and 46 parents, teachers, counselors, administrators, service providers, and experts on education.

It examines three broad areas in which LGBT students encounter problems–bullying and harassment,

discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and a lack of information and resources–

and recommends steps that lawmakers, DepEd, and school administrators should take to uphold LGBT
students right to a safe and affirming educational environment. (Thoreson, 2017)

LGBT Filipinos face discrimination, bias, prejudice, and violence due to homophobia,

transphobia, and machismo. Attackers are likely sex workers, strangers, hostile neighbors, family members,

and intimate partners. LGBT human right defenders are under pressure from community authorities due to

religious radicalization. (Rainbow Rights Projects, n.d.) The Philippines has a high public acceptance of

homosexuals, with 73% of adult Filipinos agreeing that it should be accepted. However, the country is more

tolerant than accepting, ranking 95th in the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, 2019. This index scores countries

based on measured such as trans gender right, anti-gay laws, and same-sex marriage. (Arias, 2019)

This qualitative study aims to better understand the lives of LGBTQIA+ people and their

struggles. It can help people and organizations promote LGBTQIA+ rights and put policies in place that

support their well-being. It can also support the creation of services and initiatives that are sensitive to cultural

differences and meet the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community. This aims to study the lives of LGBTQIA+

students in Philippine higher education and their struggles against discrimination

Objectives of the Study

Such stigmatization and prejudice exist in various forms within the LGBTQAI+

community, interfering with the academic journey and overall well-being of LGBTQAI+ students,

making it the primary focus of the study. The research seeks to acknowledge the people's struggles

and triumphs; thus, objectives that lead to the possible answers to the lingering questions should be

presented.

1. To provide an understanding of the lives and needs of the LGBTQAI+ students and members of the

community.

2. To give insights into the factors that can hinder progress in creating a more healthy environment for

the LGBTQAI+ community.

3. To assess the performance and inclusivity of the current policies present in addressing the needs and

challenges faced by LGBTQAI+ students.

4. To propose the areas of improvement regarding policies concerning the overall well-being of
 LGBTQAI+ students and members of the community.

5. To appraise initiatives and service creation that support the rights of LGBTQAI+ members to offer a

progressive environment for the community.

Significance of the Study

Discrimination against members of the LGBTQ is fairly widespread in schools. The lack of Role

Models indulges in bullying and/or harassment of unreported victims. Being a part of the LGBTQ+

community has been talked about a lot for years but are they changing the way people treat them? That’s why

we are conducting this research for us to know how they overcome these kinds of situations as a student.

Conducting this research will be useful and helpful for the researcher and the readers who are members of the

LGBTQ and how they can relate.

Members of LGBTQIA+. Since they are the ones being studied, conducting this research will

help them in overcoming discrimination by bringing to everyone's attention the fact that there is nothing

wrong with their choice of sexuality.

Parents. This study provides adequate information about the struggles of the members of

LGBTQIA+. It will enhance the parents’ understanding and knowledge about sexuality, also they will

encourage their children more effectively and teach them how to respond with the confusion about gender that

many children nowadays experience.

Students. The researchers believe that this study increases their knowledge and awareness. It

helps them to even support or have respect with this kind of community. It will also provide pieces of

information about how to deal with this kind of situation. Furthermore, this study would enable students to

develop positive behavior that would prevent discrimination and set a good example for the rest of society.

Readers. This study provides a significant opportunity to know all the members of the LGBT how

they socialize and how they express themselves freely despite school policies that do not officially accept of

this community by instituting regulations such as dress codes and gender-neutral bathrooms.

Future Researchers. This study will serve as a guide and resource material for future researchers

who want to further develop their paper and whose study would focus by assessing the influence of the
LGBTQIA+ people on society.

Scope and Limitations

The teenagers that reside in Trace College, which is located in Batong Malaki, Los Baños, will be

the study's responders. LGBTQIA+ respondents must be at least 16 years old and of any gender. When

collecting secondary data from the selected respondents, the researcher will enlist the aid of the teachers. The

respondents' survey will provide the main statistics. Because Trace College is recognized for being inclusive

of both genders, the researchers chose this location in Batong Malaki, Los Baños. The researcher will not give

emphasis to other issues brought up by the subjects and will only concentrate on the discrimination they

experienced in their school. As a result, the questions are geared toward obtaining answers that will address

the objectives. The researchers will employ theme analysis to examine the pertinent data collected during the

survey. The researchers will share the findings of the study with the instructors at Trace College after

assessing the data they have gathered.

Definition of Terms

Intersex. The term that a person may use when they have both male and female sex characteristics.

These characteristics include genitalia, hormones, chromosomes, and reproductive organs. (Leonard,

2021). A person who was born with several sex.

Asexual. An asexual person feels little or no sexual attraction, but they may engage in sexual

activity. Asexuality is a sexual orientation, like being gay or straight. It is different from celibacy or

abstinence. However, asexuality is a spectrum, and not everyone agrees on the definition. (Barrell,

2023). The term applied to someone who has no sexual desire for any genders.

Heterosexual - exclusively attracted to people of the opposite sex on a romantic or sexual level.

Non-Binary. Non-binary is a term that describes someone who does not identify exclusively as a

man or a woman. Instead, a non-binary person may define their gender identity and experience

outside of these binary terms. (Kandola, 2021). A person who has more than one gender.

Bisexual. Recognize and honor their potential for sexual and emotional attraction to more than one

gender. (Gillespie, 2022). A person who finds every one of their own gender and those of a different
gender to be sexually or romantically attractive.

Genitalia. The genitalia include internal and external structures. The female internal genitalia are the

ovaries, Fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, and vagina. (Stöppler, 2021). A person’s reproductive organ.

Stigmatize. is a negative attitude or idea about a mental, physical, or social feature of a person or

group of people.1 This implies that there is social disapproval. Stigmas are a major concern because

they can lead to negative effects such as discrimination. (Olivine, 2022). Disgrace or great

disapproval

Adequate. is a boss word in the draft of any legislation setting up a public service. It is stipulated not

only that the particular service should be economic, efficient, and properly co-ordinated, but also that

it should be adequate. (Schwartz, 1956). Acceptability or satisfaction

Queer. Can represent an orientation, a community, a form of activism – and often, all three. (Hayes,

2021). Refers to a term used by some individuals whose sexual orientation is not exclusively straight or

heterosexual.

Machismo. Machismo describes a strong or exaggerated sense of manliness; an assumptive attitude that

virility, courage, strength, and entitlement to dominate are attributes or concomitants of masculinity. (Sotelo,

2023). Exaggerated pride in masculinity, perceived as power, often coupled with a minimal sense of

responsibility and disregard of consequences.

References

World Health Organization: WHO. (2019). Gender. www.who.int.

https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1

Defining LGBTQIA+. (n.d.). The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center.

https://gaycenter.org/about/lgbtq/#+plus

Thoreson, R. (2023). “Just Let Us Be.” In Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/06/22/just-

let-us-be/discrimination-against-lgbt-students-philippines
Arias, J. (2019). The status of LGBTQ+ rights in the Philippines so far. Preen.ph. https://preen.ph/96786/the-

status-of-lgbtq-rights-in-the-philippines-so-farE.pdf

Rainbow rights projects. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.ohchr.org/

sites/default/files/lib-docs/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/session13/PH/

JS1_UPR_PHL_S13_2012_JointSubmission1_E.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2EF2cXI-

8Q2pPdwAMyqmceT4IGdORkPqQcm0VjzcsgfRkmhA9rzYLbNbY

KERWIN R. MORCILLA
Research Instructor