Discussion Guide
Call Her Ganda: Discussion Guide
The Film: Participants and Key Issues
Key Film Participants
Jennifer “Ganda” Laude - transgender woman killed by an off-duty U.S. Marine
Julita “Nanay” Laude - the mother of Jennifer Laude
Naomi Fontanos - transgender Filipina activist
Harry Roque - attorney representing the Laude family
Virgie Suarez - lead attorney representing the Laude family
Meredith Talusan - transgender journalist covering the Laude case
Key Issues
Call Her Ganda offers insight into the lived experience of transgender people in the Philippines, as well as the legacy of U.S. imperialism in this former colony. It will be of special interest to people who want to explore the following topics:
Criminal justice
Discrimination
Economic colonialism
Economic inequality
Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)
Gender-based violence (GBV)
Gender identity
Grassroots activism
Imperialism
International law
Journalism
Judicial system
LGBTQ issues
Media
Military
Mourning loss of family member
Poverty
Protest
Race and racism
Sexual orientation
Sex work
Social justice
Social media
Sovereignty
Transgender rights
Trauma
U.S. militarism
U.S.-Philippines relations
Violence
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)
In December of 2014, I was fortunate enough to be invited by film auteur and scholar Nick Deocampo to travel to Manila to screen my previous two documentary features (Trinidad and BeforeYou Know It) for the QC Pink LGBTQ+ Film Festival. Having only visited my parents’ homeland as a child, I was excited to return to the Philippines and to forge my own connections to the country and its local queer communities. When I arrived, I discovered a country struck with grief, outraged over the death of Jennifer Laude, a trans woman from Olongapo who was found murdered in a motel room. A U.S. marine was the leading suspect, but police authorities were unable to detain him, as he was protected by a Visiting Forces Agreement that gives the U.S. enormous latitude with cases concerning military personnel. While serving on a panel about LGBTQ rights at the festival, I met Attorney Virginia Suarez who was representing the Laude family. She told us about the case and shared a clip of Jennifer’s mother, “Nanay” (tagalog for “mother”), who spoke with raw passion, demanding justice for the death of her child. During the panel, someone suggested that a documentary about Jennifer needed to be made, and all eyes turned to me.
For years I’ve made work recognized in LGBTQ film circles, and somewhere along the way people started overlooking my Filipino heritage. Being both queer and Filipino-American shapes who I am and how I experience the world, and it’s important to me to honor my intersectionality by presenting stories from both communities. I’ve always wanted to make a film set in the Philippines, and having the opportunity to tell the story of Jennifer Laude and those who worked tirelessly to seek justice for her death not only spoke to me as a queer person of color, but also as a Filipino-American. This film integrates all aspects of my identity and I’m extremely thankful for being given this opportunity to tell an important story for so many people, including myself.
Inspired by my first encounters with Nanay and attorney Virgie Suarez, I initially intended just to follow them for my documentary. I was riveted by Nanay when she spoke of her daughter and about seeking justice for her death, and Virgie impressed me with her sharp legal skills, which matched her passion for cultural and policy change. However, after becoming aware of investigative reporter Meredith Talusan, it became clear to me that following Meredith would parallel my own investigative journey. Meredith would not only be able to ask the larger questions, but she’d be able to view the unfolding events from a unique perspective--having been born in the Philippines yet currently living in the U.S., and also being transgender. Meredith would be the perfect narrator to contextualize the cultural differences between the Philippines and the U.S. and to pinpoint the relevance and historical importance of the unfolding events.
Call Her Ganda is a protest against the extreme violence and discrimination that trans women face around the globe. It is a tribute to the 3.4 million Filipinos living in the U.S. and diaspora. And, it is a lesson for a global audience largely ignorant of the legacy of U.S. imperialism in my country of origin. As a Filipino American growing up in the U.S., where my history and identity have remained largely invisible, I am well aware of the devastating lack of knowledge about my homeland and its colonization. Relegated to the footnotes and margins of the history books, the Philippines has been unduly overlooked and vastly misunderstood. In making this film, I seek to educate the wider public, while also furthering my own knowledge of my cultural heritage.
— PJ Raval, Director, Call Her Ganda
This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection and designed for people who want to use Call Her Ganda to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversations undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.
The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.
For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visitamdoc.org/engage.
Key Film Participants
Jennifer “Ganda” Laude - transgender woman killed by an off-duty U.S. Marine
Julita “Nanay” Laude - the mother of Jennifer Laude
Naomi Fontanos - transgender Filipina activist
Harry Roque - attorney representing the Laude family
Virgie Suarez - lead attorney representing the Laude family
Meredith Talusan - transgender journalist covering the Laude case
Key Issues
Call Her Ganda offers insight into the lived experience of transgender people in the Philippines, as well as the legacy of U.S. imperialism in this former colony. It will be of special interest to people who want to explore the following topics:
Criminal justice
Discrimination
Economic colonialism
Economic inequality
Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)
Gender-based violence (GBV)
Gender identity
Grassroots activism
Imperialism
International law
Journalism
Judicial system
LGBTQ issues
Media
Military
Mourning loss of family member
Poverty
Protest
Race and racism
Sexual orientation
Sex work
Social justice
Social media
Sovereignty
Transgender rights
Trauma
U.S. militarism
U.S.-Philippines relations
Violence
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)
The United States Presence in the Philippines
Spanish and American Colonial Rule
For centuries, the resource-rich Philippines struggled for independence against a succession of colonial occupiers. Spain ruled the Philippines as a colony from the 16th century to the end of the 19th. In 1898, the Filipino people rose up against Spanish rule. The United States lent its support to the revolutionaries as part of a strategy to undermine Spain in the Spanish-American War. The U.S. led Filipinos to believe that it had no intention of colonizing the island nation once it was freed from Spanish rule—the first of many misleading encounters between the American government and the Philippines.
After the defeat of Spain, the Treaty of Paris handed over ownership of the Philippines to the United States in exchange for $20 million (paid to Spain). The Filipino people were not included in these negotiations. The Philippines became the largest holding in the United States’ growing imperial empire. In 1899, the U.S. asserted its rule by crushing the ongoing independence movement; at least 200,000 civilians were killed in the Philippine-American War. President Theodore Roosevelt declared victory over the Filipino guerillas in 1902, although violent suppression of insurgents continued into the 1910s.
During almost five decades of colonial rule, the U.S. dominated public narratives about American-Filipino relations because it ran media outlets and public schools in the country, but the Filipino people continued to push for self-determination. During the anti-imperialist decade leading up to World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a plan that would gradually transition the country to Filipino self-sovereignty.
While the Philippines gained formal independence in July 1946, the U.S. remained entrenched in the country economically and militarily. The two countries signed an agreement that would allow the American military to operate two major bases in the Philippines, one in Subic Bay near Olongapo City and another outside Manila; the lease for the two sites had a duration of 99 years. The United States relied heavily on these bases for its Cold War maneuvers in Asia. The U.S. also offered humanitarian aid to the Philippines, but it came with strings attached: demands dictated by American economic and political interests. To this day, conditional aid is one way that wealthier countries influence domestic politics in the Philippines.
The Marcos Era
In 1965, an authoritarian dictator named Ferdinand Marcos rose to power in the Philippines. Declaring martial law in 1972, he indefinitely suspended Filipinos’ constitutional rights and closed the legislature. American administrations supported Marcos because he helped the U.S. maintain a military presence in the Philippines. It relied on that presence to fight the Vietnam War and also as a Cold War counterweight to the Soviet Union after 1975. The U.S. sent military aid to the Philippine government, including training and weaponry that Marcos used to suppress political dissidents.
After years of growing unrest in response to the corruption and stark inequality of the Marcos regime, in the 1980s a popular rebellion was brewing. Marcos called a snap election in February 1986; despite his efforts to rig the vote, he lost to opposition leader Corazón Aquino. Under the leadership of Aquino—the country’s first woman head of state—the Philippines ratified a new constitution that was crafted to prevent future abuses of power.
By the 1980s, many Filipinos had grown disillusioned with the ongoing U.S. military presence in their country. Although the bases created jobs, they also fueled crime and sexual exploitation in nearby communities, and there was resentment of American support for politicians like Marcos who had not acted in the best interests of the Filipino people. In 1991 and 1992, the country’s senate rejected an extension of two U.S. military leases, and the bases closed down.
New Agreements
In 1999, the Philippines and the United States signed a treaty called the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which allowed U.S. ships and aircraft unrestricted movements in the Philippines, enabling the U.S. to conduct military exercises on the country’s soil. It also gave the U.S. government jurisdiction over American military personnel accused of committing crimes in the Philippines: under the VFA, Filipino courts cannot prosecute American soldiers for crimes committed in their country unless the charges are “of particular importance to the Philippines.”
U.S.-Philippines relations were formalized again in 2014 with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a deal signed by U.S. president Barack Obama and Philippine president Benigno Aquino III. This agreement allows U.S. troops a “rotational presence” in military bases in the Philippines, and many Filipinos have questioned its constitutionality (although it was upheld by the Supreme Court of the Philippines in 2016). In 2018, construction began on a large U.S.-funded military facility in Pampanga, where the U.S. has been conducting military exercises with fighter planes. The U.S. has found the Philippines bases crucial for intervening in territorial struggles against China in the South China Sea.
The two treaties that sanction U.S. presence in the Philippines have been controversial among Filipinos. Critics say they undermine the nation’s sovereignty by granting immunity to U.S. troops who commit crimes against Filipinos. The debate has flared up during several high-profile incidents in recent years. In January 2006, when four American troops were accused of participating in a gang rape while visiting Subic Bay, the U.S. military maintained custody of the men, which prevented them from being tried by a Philippine court. The U.S. military’s protection of Joseph Scott Pemberton during the Jennifer Laude murder case also resulted in public controversy and critiques of the treaties.
Sources:
- Gomez, Jim. “Marine Accused in Philippine Killing Tests US Ties.”AP News, 20 Oct. 2014.
- Little, Becky. “The Surprising Connection Between the Philippines and the Fourth of July.” National Geographic, 1 Jul. 2016.
- “Philippines Has A 'Love-Hate Relationship' With U.S.” NPR, 15 Nov. 2013.
- Philippines - Islands Under Siege, June 2003.” PBS.
- “RP-US VISITING FORCES AGREEMENT.” Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. 10 Feb. 1998.
- Shenon, Philip. “Philippine Senate Votes To Reject U.S. Base Renewal.” The New York Times, 16 Sept. 1991.
- Tilghman, Andrew. “The U.S. Military Is Moving into These 5 Bases in the Philippines.” Military Times, 8 Aug. 2017.
- ”Treaty of Peace Between the United States and Spain; December 10, 1898.” Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library.
The Jennifer Laude Case
Jennifer “Ganda” Laude was a 26-year-old Filipina transgender woman who was killed by 19-year-old U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton in Olongapo City, Philippines. Pemberton was stationed at the nearby U.S. military base, the Subic Bay Freeport, which was formerly one of the largest overseas U.S. military bases but now serves as the site of “regular military exercises” under the Visiting Forces Agreement.
On the evening of October 11, 2014, Pemberton and Laude met at Ambyanz, a disco in Olongapo City. They went together to a nearby motel and checked into a room. Witnesses say that about 30 minutes later Pemberton left the motel room alone. Laude was then found dead in the room, slumped over the toilet with her head partially submerged in water; her cause of death was later determined to be “asphyxiation by drowning.” DNA found on a nearby condom was a match for Pemberton.
Under some interpretations of the VFA, the U.S. can retain custody of American service members charged with crimes in the Philippines "from the commission of the offense until completion of all judicial proceedings," and the Philippines has one year to complete all judicial proceedings against the defendant. Immediately after Pemberton’s arrest in 2014, he was detained at a military headquarters guarded by both U.S. and Philippine troops.
A 2009 Supreme Court of the Philippines ruling established that U.S. service members could be tried in local courts and that Americans convicted of felonies could serve their sentences in the Philippines, a policy that was tested in the case against Pemberton. Before his arraignment, the case was suspended for 60 days as Pemberton’s legal team challenged the prosecutor’s claim of “probable cause,” a status necessary to file murder charges. That challenge was eventually denied.
At Pemberton’s February 2015 arraignment, the Olongapo City court pled not-guilty on his behalf, as he refused to enter a plea. When the trial finally began in March 2015, Pemberton entered a not-guilty plea. He admitted to strangling Laude but claimed that he had acted in self-defense when he realized that she was transgender, a fact that he said Laude had concealed from him. In December 2015, the court found Pemberton guilty of homicide, a lesser charge than murder. That Laude did not initially reveal her gender identity was cited as a mitigating circumstance, and Pemberton was said to have acted out of “passion and obfuscation.” Pemberton was sentenced to six to 12 years in a prison under control of the Philippine government. Although the judge ordered that Pemberton serve his sentence in New Bilibid Prison "under Philippine control,” immediately after the verdict 12 U.S. Marines refused to turn over custody of the convict to the Philippine authorities.
Instead of New Bilibid Prison, Pemberton is now incarcerated at the military headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo, where he is guarded by the U.S. military inside the quasi-American territory of the Joint United States Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG). According to prosecutor Harry Roque, although Pemberton’s imprisonment “makes it appear that custody over him will be under the Bureau of Correction... the truth is that it will still be the US Marines who will guard him there.” The dispute over Pemberton’s custody illustrates the ongoing dispute over whether the Philippines truly has sovereignty under the Visiting Forces Agreement.
Sources:
Dalangin-Fernandez, Lira and Brian Maglungsod. “Pemberton Meted 6 to 12 Years for Homicide in Jennifer Laude Case.”InterAksyon.com, 4 Dec. 2015.
Gomez, Jim. “Marine Accused in Philippine Killing Tests US Ties.”AP News, 20 Oct. 2014.
Joaquin, Ansbert.“THE LAUDE VERDICT | It's Homicide, Then the Impasse”InterAksyon.com, 1 Dec. 2015.
“Marine Convicted of Killing Filipino Transgender Woman.”CBS News, 1 Dec. 2015.
Ray, Michael, ed. “Philippine-American War.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Glossary of Terms
Transgender: Transgender, sometimes shortened to trans, describes people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from that of the sex assigned to them at birth. Transgender people sometimes, but not always, choose to alter their bodies through hormones or surgery.
Cisgender: Cisgender describes people whose sex at birth and gender are the same under traditional parameters. According to an article published by Teaching Tolerance, “Cisgender is an important word because it names the dominant experience rather than simply seeing it as the default.”
This article from Teaching Tolerance is a helpful primer on gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation: “Sex? Sexual Orientation? Gender Identity? Gender Expression?”
Explore GLAAD’s glossary of transgender-related terms, which includes defamatory and discriminatory language to avoid.
Sources
- Baum, Joel, and Kim Westheimer. “Sex? Sexual Orientation? Gender Identity? Gender Expression?” Teaching Tolerance, Summer 2015.
- Kilman, Carrie. “The Gender Spectrum.” Teaching Tolerance, Summer 2013.
Immediately after the film, you may want to give people a few quiet moments to reflect on what they have seen or pose a general question (examples below) and give people some time to themselves to jot down or think about their answers before opening the discussion:
What did you learn from this film? Did you gain new insight?
Describe a moment or scene in the film that you found particularly disturbing or moving. What was it about that scene that was especially compelling for you?
Did anything in the film surprise you? Was anything familiar?
If you could ask anyone in the film a single question, whom would you ask and what would you want to know?
While Pemberton may have been accepting of his sister’s sexual orientation, he was not comfortable with Jennifer Laude’s gender identity. In what ways might Laude’s experiences have been different from those of Pemberton’s sister? How might people be treated differently for their gender identities? How might they be treated differently for their sexual orientations?
Naomi Fontanos says of the trans community, “We've been forced to be part of niche industries like the beauty industry or the sex industry… A lot of my trans friends are actually doing sex work, and they’re saying it’s survival sex work.” Why do you think trans people in the Philippines may be turning to sex work for survival? How could policy and culture in the Philippines enable alternative ways for trans women to support themselves?
The journalist Meredith Talusan observes that many people are invested in representing Pemberton as a monster, “even if somebody is outwardly thinking that they don’t have these views against trans people… There’s all [this] surrounding environmental and societal messages that they’re receiving that would lead them to these types of actions.” What is the danger in presenting Pemberton as an anomalous, uniquely evil killer? How did widely-held assumptions and attitudes about trans people influence Pemberton’s crime and the conversations around it? Can the law and the judicial system sanction discrimination without explicitly addressing it?
In the film, we learn that a transgender community in the Philippines has been documented since pre-colonial times. Spanish colonists “took note of male-bodied people who carry themselves as women. They worked as spiritual leaders in their communities. Were known as the babaylan.” Fontanos explains that the Catholic Church “vanquished the babaylan or the shaman [by making them seem] scary… a witch or an aswang. We were othered by the church.” Do you know of any indigenous beliefs and practices that create space for gender nonconforming people? How does colonialism impact a society not only economically but also culturally?
What kinds of challenges do you think transgender people face in your community? What are some ways that policy can be changed to better protect trans people, especially trans people of color, from violence and exploitation?
What did you learn about the military and diplomatic relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines through this film? What stood out to you? What would you change?
How do the official state relations between the U.S. and the Philippines contrast with the interactions between the two countries’ residents—for example, the U.S.-based journalist Meredith Talusan and Jennifer Laude’s family members? How has social media transformed these relations?
In what ways are the power relations between the United States and the Philippines imbalanced?
Pemberton is eventually convicted of homicide. While he is the first U.S. serviceman to be convicted of a crime in the Philippines, his conviction is for the lesser offense of homicide, rather than the original charge brought by the prosecutor—murder. Why do the Laude family members and their supporters feel mixed emotions about this ruling?
The family, lawyers and activists saw the case as an opportunity to set a precedent. Why is the ruling in this case important on an international scale? What kind of precedent would it be setting?
During the trial there was a ban on U.S. soldiers’ “liberty” status in Olongapo, and some Filipinos working in the area lost significant income because of it. This led to tension between activists and locals, who blamed Laude supporters for driving away their business. How does the continued presence of the U.S. military in the Philippines affect its local economy? In what ways has this driven a wedge between citizens of Olongapo?
Later in the trial, the U.S. government offers to pay Jennifer Laude’s mother, Julita “Nanay” Laude, to close the case. In response to this, attorney Harry Roque states that “the U.S. government took advantage of poverty in an attempt to release one of their Marines.” How does the Laude family’s poverty affect the ability to obtain justice? How does the public perceive the family’s decision to continue the case instead of taking the money?
In 1946, the U.S. granted full independence to the Philippines, yet it has maintained a military presence on the islands since then through the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). In 1951, the two countries also put into place the Mutual Defense Treaty, in which both nations agreed to support each other if they are attacked. Some activists in the film demand the withdrawal of U.S. military presence from the Philippines. What are the pros and cons of reducing or withdrawing this presence?
“It would be unthinkable for a foreign soldier to commit murder in the U.S. and not be apprehended by U.S. police and not be tried by U.S. courts,” says Laude family attorney Roque. This is not the case in the Philippines, where Pemberton still remains under U.S. protection at a Philippine military facility. Why is it important to the Laude family and its allies that Pemberton’s case be overseen by the Philippine legal system and that he be incarcerated in a Filipino-run facility?
How might the Philippines change if the U.S. withdrew its military presence? In your opinion, can two countries maintain a close economic relationship without deploying their militaries on each other’s soil?
In 1967, during the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech in which he warned of “the triple evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism.” King saw American racism and militarism as two sides of the same coin. Does this quote resonate with you in the context of the Laude murder case in the Philippines? How do you think racism shapes American attitudes toward the military and U.S. interventions in foreign countries?
Many of the transgender people in the film work in the sex industry. What kind of barriers might exist to obtaining employment as a transgender person?
At one point in the film, Fontanos says, “Whenever there’s increased military presence in a certain country, it always encourages the selling of bodies for sexual services, in particular the exploitation of women, girls and female-identified.” How might these relationships impact the lives of both transgender sex workers and U.S. servicemen?
Some of the interviewees in the film hide their identities by covering their faces or turning their backs to the camera. Some of these interviewees are trans women and/or involved in sex work. Why do you think they have chosen to remain anonymous?
In some countries, sex work is legal for adults and regulated by the government. Do you agree with sex work legalization or decriminalization? Why or why not? Consider how cultural attitudes around gender and sexual morality may influence your opinion.
The legal battle surrounding this case has been prolonged. What impact do you think the extended trial may have had on a family that is grieving?
How are Laude’s friends and other trans Filipinos impacted by her death? How do you imagine the trial and verdict may have impacted their lives?
Do you feel that Laude’s life was valued in the same way that it would have been if she had not been a trans person or Filipina? What aspects of her background or identity do you think impacted the way that people valued her?
How do you think the Laude family—especially her mother—felt about international media coverage surrounding the death of Jennifer? Do you think they welcomed it or were burdened by it? What might be the pros and cons of sharing this story with a larger audience via news media and social media platforms?
Does Meredith Talusan’s identity impact her ability to tell the story of the Laude case? If so, how?
What roles do trust and respect play in Talusan’s ability to cover this story and conduct interviews?
At the end of your discussion, to help people synthesize what they’ve experienced and move the focus from dialogue to action steps, you may want to choose one of these questions:
- What did you learn from this film that you wish everyone knew? What would change if everyone knew it?
- If you could require one person (or one group) to view this film, who would it be? What would you hope their main takeaway would be?
- The story of these women is important because ___________.
- Complete this sentence: I am inspired by this film (or discussion) to __________.
- Additional media literacy questions are available on the AmDoc website here.
If the group is having trouble generating ideas for next steps, these suggestions can help get things started:
— Work with local LGBTQ groups to learn more about the experiences of transgender people in your community. Provide support through volunteering, and build personal relationships with members of this community.
— Host teach-ins to discuss violence against the transgender community and women, including its relationship to militarism and misogyny.
— Learn about systems of safety that exist for the transgender community and for sex workers. If no such systems exist in your community, align with allies to organize systems to protect this targeted group.
— Facilitate the creation of spaces and/or groups where cis and transgender people can engage in dialogue and where transgender people can share their experiences of being transgender as a learning opportunity for the cis community. Be mindful not to tokenize a minority, and co-organize such an event with leaders in the transgender community.
— Create story circles where people can feel safe sharing experiences of gender and sexuality.
— Learn more about U.S. imperialism and colonial history through a nearby history museum or books on the Delve Deeper Reading List for the film.
U.S.–Philippines Relationship
Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World - This 2015 book by David Vine details how U.S. military bases have affected host countries.
Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream - Written by Gregg Jones, this book takes an in-depth look at the Philippine-American war.
Library of Congress: “The Spanish-American War in Motion Pictures” - This archive features 68 motion pictures produced between 1898 and 1901 that deal with the Spanish-American War and the subsequent Philippine Revolution.
"Philippines Has A 'Love-Hate Relationship' With U.S.” - NPR story about the hot and cold relationship between the U.S. and the Philippines.
LGBT Advocacy and Transgender Rights
Association of Transgender People in the Philippines – This is a transgender advocacy group in the Philippines.
GABRIELA National Alliance of Women - GABRIELA is a grassroots-based alliance of more than 200 organizations and programs based in communities, workplaces and schools in the Philippines and internationally. GABRIELA organizes Filipina women, primarily from marginalized sectors of society, and helps educate and empower them to fight for their rights and interests through collective action.
Gender and Development Advocates (GANDA) Filipinas – This is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization led by transgender women in the Philippines that is fighting for the dignity, justice and equality of the transgender community in the Philippines and beyond.
GLAAD - GLAAD is a nonprofit media monitoring organization that shapes media narratives and provokes dialogue about LGBTQ+ people, leading to cultural change. Call Her Ganda was nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary.
Human Rights Campaign (HRC) - HRC provides information and resources related to transgender identity and issues.
True Colors Coalition - This political LGBT organization based in the Philippines was founded to campaign for justice for Jennifer Laude.
Sex Work in the Philippines
Philippine Sex Workers Collective – This is a community and advocacy group for sex workers in the Philippines.
Writer
Mallory Rukhsana Nezam
Justice + Joy
Background Research and Reporting
Ione Barrows
Senior Associate, Community Engagement and Education, POV
Guide Producers, POV
Alice Quinlan
Director, Community Engagement and Education, POV
Rachel Friedland
Community Partnerships Assistant, POV
Jesus Ian Kumamato
Intern, POV Engage
Thanks to those who reviewed this guide:
PJ Raval
Filmmaker, Call Her Ganda
Lisa Valencia-Svensson
Producer, Call Her Ganda
Kara Alikpala
Producer, Call Her Ganda
Naomi Fontanos
Filipina Trans Activist
Curran Nault
Co-Producer, Call Her Ganda
Impact Producers, Call Her Ganda
Annie Bush
Set Hernandez Rongkilyo
Cecilia Mejia