LGBTQ+ group Bahaghari on Wednesday, March 13, criticized the Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology’s (EARIST) administration for denying trans students admission over their haircut, forcing them to cut their hair as an enrollment requisite.
TIGNAN: Napilitan ang ilan sa mga estudyanteng transgender ng Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST) na magpaputol ng kanilang buhok matapos harangin ng school administration ang kanilang pag-eenroll nang dahil dito #InclusiveSchoolsNOW pic.twitter.com/QZX3qdq7Yd
— Bahaghari (@Bahaghari_PH) March 13, 2024
According to a statement by Bahaghari Secretary-General Arri Samsico on X, the students have attempted to speak with the school administration “multiple times” regarding the issue.
“The students have been conducting dialogues with the school admin for multiple times now [...] Last year pa noong nakipag-usap kami sa University President kung saan pinayagan silang mag-enroll sa kondisyon na dapat naka-shoulder length and/or nakatali,” she wrote.
Kung titignan niyo rin po rito sa mga naging tweets ko before ay ipinost po namin ang danas ng mga EARISTians, last year pa noong nakipag-usap kami sa University President kung saan pinayagan silang mag-enroll sa kondisyon na dapat naka-shoulder length and/or nakatali. (2/?)
— Arri Samsico #MakeEARISTInclusive (@arrisamsico) March 13, 2024
Last October 2023, Samsico posted a photo on X, sharing the tedious enrollment process faced by trans students with a "short" haircut as a requisite before enrollment and a nudge from their professors to cut their hair before getting admitted into the classes.
Kung titignan niyo rin po rito sa mga naging tweets ko before ay ipinost po namin ang danas ng mga EARISTians, last year pa noong nakipag-usap kami sa University President kung saan pinayagan silang mag-enroll sa kondisyon na dapat naka-shoulder length and/or nakatali. (2/?)
— Arri Samsico #MakeEARISTInclusive (@arrisamsico) March 13, 2024
EARIST earlier posted guidelines on proper decorum requiring male students to “observe a clean and decent haircut (barber’s cut 2 inches by 3 inches) without colorful highlights” and prohibits female students from having “colorful hair highlights.”
The only exemption to allow a specific hairstyle at school is if it comes in the nature of a working student’s job, to which they must secure a special permit from the school administration.
Samsico lamented the enrollment conditions for trans students particularly in the upcoming semester.
“Ngayong bagong semester na ay walang pinagbago, at mas lumala pa nga. Paikot-ikot ang prosesong pinagagawa at in the end ay hindi naman aaprubahan o dedeadmahin lang ang mga estudyanteng sumusunod naman sa prosesong binibigay nila,” she continued.
Meanwhile, Bahaghari-EARIST representative JP Brillantes earlier released a statement slamming the EARIST admin for denying the enrollment of trans women students “solely due to their gender expression.”
“Education must be for ALL—regardless of a student’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression,” she wrote. “Ang pagbabawal ng school admin ng EARIST na i-enroll and ilang estudyante dahil lamang trans sila ay labas sa karaparan naming mag-aral at isa itong malinaw na porma ng diskriminasyong dahil sa aming kasarian.”
Brillantes stated that trans students were being denied enrollment because of their long hair, requiring them to cut it short or keep it tied inside school premises. She also claimed that trans students wear uniforms based on their assigned sex at birth.
“Dapat bigyan ng espasyo tayong mga LGBT sa mga pampublikong institusyong katulad ng EARIST at ibasura ang mga outdated na polisiya hinggil sa uniform at grooming. Kahit kailan hindi naging sagabal ang mahabang buhok at pambabaeng uniform sa aming pag-aaral,” she wrote.
𝗕𝗔𝗛𝗔𝗚𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗜-𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗦 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗜𝗡 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗘𝗗 𝗔𝗗𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦#MakeEARISTInclusive#InclusiveSchoolNowPH#Bahaghari pic.twitter.com/X3zUsFRTyq
— BAHAGHARI - EARIST (@BahaghariEARIST) March 5, 2024
EARIST is located in Manila, the city that passed Ordinance No. 8695 which protects the rights of the LGBTQ+ community against discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE).
The EARIST admin is yet to issue their statement regarding the issue.
