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Celebrities continue to react to the issue regarding trans woman Gretchen Diez, who was barred from and arrested for using the women’s restroom at a local mall in Quezon City.

Support continues to shower for Diez from the likes of politicians like Senator Risa Hontiveros and Bataan 1st Representative Geraldine Roman and celebrities like Ice Seguerra, KaladKaren Davila, and Bianca Gonzalez.

KaladKaren, who is a proud trans woman, relayed her opinion on the issue on her Instagram account while using the hashtag #GUSTOLANGNAMINUMIHI. The comedian-impersonator started with the post with the judgments she has heard from people whenever trans people like her enter the comfort room.

“Sa tuwing papasok kami ng CR na pambabae, wagas ang inyong pagtitig. Pabulong-bulong pa! Judgemental teh? Sige. Mag-aadjust Kami. Yuyuko at parang walang nakikita. Bakit ba kami nahihiya, eh, #GUSTOLANGNAMINUMIHI?” she started the post.

“Sa tuwing nararamdaman niyo ang tawag ng kalikasan... ‘Yun bang puputok na ang inyong pantog at kailangang gumamit ng BANYO… isipin niyo rin na katulad niyo, tao rin kami… #GUSTORINNAMINUMIHI Inaano ba namin kayo? #GRABENAMANKAYO #GUSTOLANGNAMINUMIHI” she concluded.

The incident also widened the call for the passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Bill, which has been in proposal in the Congress. The bill is proposed legislation of the Congress that seeks to prevent any form of discrimination, like economic or labor-wise, against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Comedian-host Vice Ganda took to Twitter to express his pity towards his fellow LGBTQ+ members who are being stripped of their human rights because of how they identify themselves. He also felt pity towards those deprived of the right to education, for that gives them the avenue to relieve people of their rights.

“Kailan pa kaya lalawak ang pang unawa sa LGBTQ+? May pag asa pa ba ang SOGIE BILL?” he added.

On Instagram, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray pushed for the need of the SOGIE Bill in the country, pressing that LGBTQ+ rights are also human rights.

“The incident happened in a city that has an existing anti-discrimination bill. Ibig sabihin, walang saysay ang isang bill na hindi maipatupad sa isang komunidad.” she said.

She also pushed for accessible forms of information regarding the LGBTQ+ community including educational drives and awareness campaigns and A SOGIE workplace policy. 

The whole argument of shifting the blame to the victim for reasons of being trans to justify abuse - is still victim-blaming and IS NOT RIGHT.” she went on. “The blame should be on the perpetrators who should be held accountable and corrective actions should be taken (in last night’s case - points one and two above could greatly help prevent future similar incidents from happening). Ang LGBTQ + ay nakikipaglaban para sa kanilang mga karapatan - ang karapatan sa kaligtasan, proteksyon at pagkakapantay-pantay - ay laban din natin. 🏳‍🌈 #SOGIEEqualityNow”

A fellow queen in Pia Wurtzbach also shared her support, educating her followers on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual characteristics. The Miss Universe 2015, who is an advocate of the LGBTQ+ community, relayed a chart called “The Genderbread Person” which, according to its official website, is a “teaching tool for breaking the big concept of gender down into bite-sized, digestible pieces.”

“Hopefully through this post, I can educate someone and reach those who need to understand the concept of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sexual Characteristics (Expression),” she said.

Here are some more reactions from other celebrities about the incident on Gretchen:

The Araneta Center has since released a statement regarding the incident between Gretchen Diaz and the janitress who barred her from using the women’s restroom.

The officials of the Araneta Center apologized for what happened and for how Gretchen had been treated by their employee.

Read the full statement below:

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