Gender, Sexuality and Student Youth/Wellbeing

Highlights and Documentation

Day 1 [July 8] 2019

I. Highlights of Lecture and Points of Discussion

- Speaker: Brenda Pureza, WAGI Gender Fair Education Coordinator
o One highlight involved the Genderbread Person, which served as a
straightforward way of explaining SOGIE to the participants.
Understanding that the difference between terms like gender identity and
sexual orientation are still unclear to many, Ms. Pureza went on to explain
each aspect of the aforementioned abbreviation, providing adequate
introductory knowledge for the course.
o Another highlight involved her discussion on gender socialization,
explaining that gender is learned, as society continuously shapes us and
teaches us how to behave. A seemingly innocuous example she provided
was with the colours and toys that the biological sexes are assigned with at
birth, as well as all-throughout their childhood: boys are associated with
the color blue, and are given “masculine” toys such as guns or cars,
whereas girls are associated with the color pink, and are gifted toy dolls or
houses. This seemingly innocent description helped to solidify more
concretely to the participants the nature of gender socialization, as well as
how it operates from a day-to-day setting.
- Speaker: Ronaldo Motilla, Ph. D., CSCLP, RPsy, President of Psychological
Empowerment to Resources and Aspirations
o One point which truly garnered attention of participants is that half of an
individual’s positive emotions are dependent on their genetic code—
specifically, 50% of positivity is dependent on genes, 40% is dependent on
voluntary control and 10% on one’s circumstances. Mr. Motilla even
discussed the existence of a depression gene (5-HTTLPR) as an example,
to emphasize that there really are people who are sad—or happy—by
nature.
o Perhaps the greatest highlight of his discussion was when he told the story
of his family towards the end of his lecture, which received many
reactions from the participants. He gave a very personal, heartbreaking
account of the deaths in his family: losing his brother in 1976, his mother
in 1980 and his father in 1984, using it as an example to affirm his points
on positive psychology, but ultimately leaving an immense emotional
mark on the participants. One participant even exclaimed “medyo naiiyak
na ako sa huli,” (“I felt a little like crying [towards the end]”).
 - Speaker: Danica Gonzalez, WAGI Young Women’s Leadership Program
Coordinator
o Ms. Gonzalez aptly explained that consent is still a topic that many do not
understand or are confused about, but two videos she had shown at the
beginning of her lecture explained consent in a very simple, easily
understood manner. One of t he videos had prominently used a common
beverage, tea, to show how consent operates.
o One key highlight involves a shocking point she made: that “teenagers are
having sex,” she says, “that’s a fact, there’s no denying that.” This point
helped to solidify the importance of positive sexuality, pairing it with
evidence that proves the inadequacy of abstinence-only programs as well
as the necessity of adequate sexual education within the youth.
o Another highlight involves her emphasis on the benefits of being sexually
positive, then further providing examples of sexual positivity.
- Other Highlights:
o An activity led by Ms. Regina Rebueno was held near the introductory
portion of the day, where participants were shown a number of statements
and then asked to move to any of three spots in the room depending on
whether they agree with the statement, disagreed with it or were unsure of
their stance. This allowed the participants to gauge their own perspectives
on certain issues on gender as well as express several of their own views
regarding it, whether conforming or controversial, all while maintaining in
a safe, respectful environment.
o A brief setting of expectations was also led by Ms. Viano, who asked the
participants what they expected out of the course throughout their 4-day
stay. A notable answer from a participant expressed her desire to reconcile
LGBTQ teachings with Church teachings, as she acknowledged that the
two at times conflict. Another expressed her hope that Miriam will share
with them their advocacies and approaches towards gender, to better apply
to their home institutions.
II. Conclusion
- Speaker: Brenda Pureza, WAGI Gender Fair Education Coordinator
o Ms. Pureza’s talk adequately paved the way for the basics of gender and
sexuality, such as SOGIE, the three main gender perspectives and
practices, gender socialization, among others—which will no doubt be
useful to the participants in better understanding discussions on
subsequent days.
- Speaker: Ronaldo Motilla, PH. D., CSCLP, RPSY, President of Psychological
Empowerment to Resources and Aspirations
 o Mr. Motilla’s highly informative talk provided the participants with a
background on positive psychology, looking into key terms such as the
major missions of psychology, the five things you need to be happy
according to Martin Seligman and insights on the nature of human
emotions and what one can do, based on scientific research, to become a
happier person overall.
- Speaker: Danica Gonzalez, WAGI Young Women’s Leadership Program
Coordinator
o Ms. Gonzalez’s discussion looked into the basics of sex along with its
different aspects and key elements. She emphasized the importance of
positive sexuality, and provided insights on how the participants may
better practice sexual positivity, especially within the context of educating
the youth.
III. Dialogue
- Speaker: Brenda Pureza, WAGI Gender Fair Education Coordinator
o One participant expressed his dismay towards several problems regarding
transgender identities within a modern context. As an example, he pointed
out the case with sports: recorded instances of transgender women
outperforming biologically female athletes for an unfair advantage. To
answer this, Ms. Viado explained that there have always been divisions—
this is how sports have always operated—and so there should also be a
division for transmen. A prominent analogy she provided was with
candies: putting all candies together in one box does not make them all
equal, as the point of equality has always consistently been opportunity:
people must be provided with the same opportunities that everyone else
does, regardless of their gender, upbringing or any other socio-cultural
factors.
- Speaker: Ronaldo Motilla, PH. D., CSCLP, RPSY, President of Psychological
Empowerment to Resources and Aspirations
o Although no one asked questions during Mr. Motilla’s talk, participants
were satisfied and appreciative of the insights he provided, as shown by
their active listening and consistent engagement during his lecture. Mr..
Motilla managed to maintain a light-hearted nature all-throughout the talk,
ensuring that participants were laughing while they were learning.
- Speaker: Danica Gonzalez, WAGI Young Women’s Leadership Program
Coordinator
o One participant expressed agreement with the claim that there should be
more value-setting in sexual education. Coming from a more conservative
perspective (she believed strongly that sex should still solely remain
within the confines of marriage), she provided insights which aimed to
reconcile conservative Catholic teachings with a more sexually positive
perspective.