CHR condemns discrimination vs. transgender woman who used ladies’ room at QC mall

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Wednesday  denounced the discrimination suffered by a transgender woman at a mall in Quezon City.

It called for the passage of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill.

On Tuesday, Gretchen Custodio Diez was barred by a cleaning lady to use the toilet for ladies and insisted that she use the rest room for men. 

Diez left but returned to talk to the cleaning lady and took a video of their exchange.

A security guard then handcuffed Diez for taking the footage and took her in Quezon City Police District Station 7 (Cubao) where she was detained.

“The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) strongly condemns the discrimination faced by Gretchen Custodio Diez on Tuesday, August 13, while at a Cubao mall,” the CHR said in a statement.

As the Gender Ombud of the country, the CHR said it denounced all forms of bigotry and discrimination against persons of diverse SOGIE.

It urged the government and employers to make sure their workers were well-aware to avoid such incidents of discrimination.

“Ignorance manifests as discrimination, and this is something we can combat with better training, awareness, and education,” the CHR said.

The CHR said that this treatment is also a violation to a local ordinance of the city that prohibits discrimination based on a person’s SOGIE.

The case has been endorsed to its Gender, Equality, and Women’s Human Rights Center, and the CHR-NCR office.

“Both offices will be investigating to help ensure no other person has to go through this kind of discrimination again,”the CHR said.

The CHR called for the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill as “there is a clear need for the LGBTQIA+ community to have this kind of legal protection against all forms of discrimination.”

After being detained at QCPD Station 7 (Cubao) and then to QCPD’s Anti-Cybercrime Division, Diez was released eventually around midnight.

According to Diez, the mall staff members have dropped the charges and the cleaning lady has apologized to her through a letter. —NB, GMA News