The Impact of Anti-LGBT Discrimination on the Psychological State and Social Perceptions of

Transgender Students

Macabuag, Lamond Francesco

Malic, Carlo Miguel
Matibag, Niña Christina
Medina, Yeshua Benedict
Ochoa, Noah Santino

1.0 INTRODUCTION prescribed for male students despite explanations

1.1 Background of the Study
Any school should aim to be a comfortable and
accepting space to encourage the holistic learning
and growth of all its students. However, numerous
transgender students in the Philippines are barred
from an uninterrupted learning experience by
unacceptance, intolerance, and outright rejection
from school administrations, educators, and fellow
students. Transgender students do not have their
pronouns and gender recognized by their educators
and other students, are actively prevented by
school authorities from dressing or expressing
themselves according to their gender identity and
are dismissed based on their gender identity (Tang
& Poudel, 2018). Such discriminatory behavior
causes transgender students to suffer negative
effects to their psychological state such as less
emotional control and lower self-esteem (Cornell
Chronicle, 2019) as well as affects their social
perceptions by influencing them to view society in
an unfavorable way (Drake, 2013) and by making
them believe society holds them in low regard
(Saxe, 2017).
There have been increasing numbers of reports of
discrimination towards transgender students in
recent years. In 2008, a transgender student at a
nursing school was accused of fraud by the Dean of
her school and was asked to wear the uniform
regarding her gender identity, resulting in her
transfer to another university (Society of
Transsexual Women of the Philippines, n.d.). In
2011, a transgender student at the University of the
Philippines Diliman was informed by her French
professor of her unwillingness to use her preferred
feminine pronouns due to her religious beliefs,
causing the student to submit an appeal to the UP
President for a new university policy protecting
LGBT students, teachers, and staff that remained
unanswered during the duration of her stay in the
institution. (Society of Transsexual Women of the
Philippines, n.d.). In June 2019, Tarlac State
University refused to allow six transgender male
students from wearing the traditional male barong
tagalog as their graduation attire, prompting former
senator Lila De Lima to release a statement
condemning the actions of the institution (Senate of
the Philippines, 2019). In a similar occurrence in
June 2022, four transgender women were
disallowed from attending their senior high school
graduation ceremony in dresses and with long hair,
drawing much attention on social media sites (Licsi,
2022). Likewise, in August of 2022, a transgender
male student was referred to by his former birth
name during his graduation rites and was forced by
school authorities to have his graduation pictures
digitally altered to remove the necktie he was
wearing (Mangaluz, 2022).
There have been several foreign studies about
discrimination against transgender people and the
LGBT community overall in foreign countries.
Pampati et al. (2018) contrasted cisgender and
transgender students from seven Florida high
schools in terms of their perceptions and
experiences of their school climate. The study
reports that transgender children felt less protected
at school and had a more unfavorable assessment
of their learning environment. They were also more
likely to experience bullying and not attend school
for more than three days in a month.
Similarly, Hanson, et al. (2019) studied how LGBT
children in Californian high schools perceive their
school climate and how those perceptions are
related to their academic success and psychological
state. The study reports that LGBT students had few
positive ideas on their school environment as they
were often the target of verbal and physical abuse
by their peers and were given less emotional and
academic support from teachers and counselors.
They were also unlikely to receive high grade point
averages and regularly showed signs of chronic
sadness and suicidal tendencies.
There are also some studies about discrimination
against transgender people and the LGBT
community overall in the Philippines. Thoreson
(2017) studied the situation of LGBT students in
Philippine secondary schools. The study
documented the discrimination experienced by
LGBT students from high schools in Luzon and
Visayas from their teachers and fellow classmates
while inside and outside of school, as well as the
religious and social stigma, abundance of
discriminatory policies, and lack of effective
regulations and information to prevent such events.
Similarly, Custodio (2019) observed the broad
discrimination and violence-related experiences of
LGBT youth across the Philippines. The study
detailed the discrimination most usually
experienced by LGBT youth from their parents,
government officials, classmates, teachers, and the
public, as well as the lack of programs from
different government institutions that enable anti-
LGBT discrimination to continue.
Despite the presence of these academic articles on
the experiences of LGBT students in the Philippines,
none so far have focused exclusively on transgender
students or have attempted to document the
adverse effects of discrimination on the victims. This
research thus aimed to fill this gap in information by
studying the effects of discrimination on the
psychological state and social perceptions of
transgender students in the Philippines.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The following primary questions were addressed by
this research:
1. In what ways have high school level
transgender students experienced
discrimination while in their places of
education?
2. How has the discrimination affected the
psychological wellbeing of the participants?
3. How has the discrimination affected the
social perceptions of the participants?
1.3 Significance the Study
The following groups of people will benefit from
this research:
Transgender Students. Transgender students may
use this research to affirm that the difficulties they
experience are not isolated cases that only they
face but are widespread occurrences that many
others witness. In addition, they would also greatly
benefit from the actions taken and changes
implemented by educators, parents, and
government officials after viewing this research.
Educators. Educators may become aware of the
discrimination their LGBT students face while at
school and the subsequent effects of those
experiences on the students’ overall welfare. This
information may enable educators to formulate
appropriate ways to make their school a
comfortable and effective learning environment
free of harm for all students, through personalized
approaches and institutionalized policy changes.
Parents. Parents of transgender students may gain
a deeper understanding of the discrimination and
other difficulties their children face. Through this,
they may know to recognize signs of such difficulty
and perform necessary actions that will safeguard
the wellbeing of their children.
Government Officials. Government officials may
realize the existence or severity of transgender
discrimination in schools as well as its serious
effects on transgender students. They may identify
this issue as one they need to give prompt attention
to as part of their mission to improve the status of
life in their area through the introduction of
relevant laws and programs.
Academics. This research acts as an avenue for the
researchers to enrich their knowledge on
transgender issues in schools. Likewise, the
contents of this research may serve as a reference
for other academics or researchers who intend to
expand their knowledge or conduct research on the
same or a similar issue.
1.4 Scope and Limitations
This study focuses on how anti-LGBT discrimination
affects the psychological state and social
perceptions of transgender students in high school.
The data for this study will be collected from
transgender students who are currently enrolled in
grades seven through twelve. They study in any
high school within the National Capital Region of
the Philippines. They have been exposed to or have
experienced anti-LGBT discrimination for a period of
at least one year. This study will examine the
discrimination experienced by the participants while
inside their schools. Thereafter, the effects of the
discrimination on the psychological state of the
participants will be observed. This includes their
general emotional state as well as their self-esteem,
how they respond to their emotions, their cognitive
ability, and their sleeping and eating patterns. The
effects of the discrimination on the psychological
state of the participants were also observed. This
includes how the participants believe society
regards them considering how they are
discriminated against by other people, as well as
their ideas on and willingness to participate in
school activities and with other people.
This research does not consider the discrimination
experienced by other LGBT groups, such as lesbians,
gay people, or bisexuals. Neither does it analyze the
experiences of transgender students in lower levels
of education, such as in elementary, or in higher
levels of education, such as in college. It does not
consider the experiences of students studying
outside the National Capital Region of the
Philippines.
As such, this research is only able to represent the
experiences of LGBT individuals who have the same
qualities as the participants but fails to recognize
the experiences of the broader LGBT community
who have different sexual orientations, are studying
in various levels, are living in other places, and are
experiencing different effects.
1.5 Review of Related Literature
Thoreson (2017) studied the distinct discriminatory
experiences of LGBT students inside Philippine high
schools in the Luzon and Visayas regions. While
focusing on the experiences of all LGBT subgroups,
this study also details the experiences of some
transgender students. One transgender woman
stated that her classmates attempted to undress
her in public, and on a separate occasion locked her
into a men’s restroom and sexually assaulted her.
Another transgender woman stated that she had
been subjected by her classmates to such a high
degree of verbal mocking that she had been forced
to transfer to another school. A transgender man
relayed that his former relationship with a woman
had been scrutinized by his teachers and had even
been used by school authorities as basis for him to
receive sanctions. This evidence presents instances
of anti-LGBT discrimination in high schools
specifically targeted towards transgender
individuals. This contributes to the realness of
transgender discrimination in schools by
establishing its factuality and repeated occurrence
in Philippine high schools.
Wilson and Cariola (2019) assessed the themes and
contents of 97 articles to understand the mental
health challenges faced by LGBT youth. The results
of the initial study were then used to determine
which environments and factors would best
optimize the mental health of LGBT youth. One
major finding indicated that LGBT youth were
commonly exposed to factors such as
marginalization, isolation, rejection, and
homophobic behavior. The subsequent finding
indicated that LGBT youth exposed to these factors
had high tendencies to exhibit symptoms of
depression, self-harm, suicidal tendencies, and
dissatisfaction with their physical appearance.
Other results suggest that community and family
support optimize the mental health of LGBT youth.
These findings signify that anti-LGBT discrimination
occurs in numerous ways and inflicts specific
negative effects on the psychological state of
victims. This also suggests the importance of
familial support in stabilizing the mental health of
LGBT youth.
Cornell Chronicle (2019), an initiative of the Cornell
University, analyzed 300 academic articles to
determine what scholarly research says about the
effects of discrimination on the health of LGBT
individuals. Of the 300 articles analyzed, 286
reflected a connection between anti-LGBT
discrimination to negative health conditions in LGBT
individuals. One major finding was that anti-LGBT
discrimination increases the likelihood of poor
mental health conditions such as depression,
anxiety, suicidal tendencies, PTSD, lessened
emotional coping capability, internalized stigma,
lower self-esteem, and expectations of rejection.
Other major findings focused on the effects of anti-
LGBT discrimination on the physical health of
individuals. This further establishes that
discrimination experienced by LGBT students while
in school have several real effects on their mental
and physical health that affect not only their
academic lives but also their personal lives.
Drake (2013) studied how LGBT adults perceived
society through a survey. This study specifically
focused on factors such as how well the LGBT
believes society accepts them and how friendly the
LGBT believes religions are towards them. The study
details that while some LGBT individuals believe the
world is becoming more accepting towards non-
heterosexual people, the majority still believes the
world is not very accepting as they have
experienced discrimination in the form of slurs,
insensitive jokes, or rejection from peers. The study
also shows how LGBT adults view most major
religious institutions as unfriendly toward them,
particularly since they have been made to feel
unwelcome in a religious organization or place of
worship at least once or have been told by religious
individuals that being LGBT is against their religious
or moral beliefs. This adds to the idea that LGBT
individuals are inclined to think of society in certain
ways according to the manners in which other
people and institutions act toward them. When
they are treated negatively, they may feel negative
towards others, but when they are treated
positively, they may feel positive towards others.
Taylor (2018) analyzed the relation of anti-LGBT
discrimination and social support on the self-
perception of LGBT students in the secondary level
using data from a previous study done in Ontario,
Canada. The results of the study detail that anti-
LGBT discrimination have significant negative
effects on the self-esteem of victims. Similarly,
sufficient social support from friends results in
higher self-esteem. This supports the idea that anti-
LGBT discrimination affects the ways in which LGBT
individuals perceive themselves, as well as suggests
that external support is helpful in maintaining the
positive mindset of victims. In addition, it suggests
that having social support is key in averting the
negative effects of discrimination on victims.
1.6 Theoretical Framework
rejection based on gender identity, victimization
based on gender identity, and non-affirmation or
non-acknowledgement of gender identity—which
are some of the potential experiences of the
participants—have effects on the psychological
health of transgender individuals.
The ‘Components of Social Perception as Targets for
Intervention’ model by Koenig, et al. (2009) depicts
the connection between facial emotion recognition,
gesture interpretation, speech interpretation, joint
attention skill, and others to the societal
perceptions of an individual. This indicates
framework suggests that how an individual
understands the actions of other individuals around
them determines the ways they perceive society.
This theoretical framework thus suggests that the
ways in which transgender individuals understand
the discriminatory actions of other individuals and
institutions determines the ways they perceive
those individuals and institutions.

The ‘Gender Minority Stress and Resilience’ model

1.7 Definition of Terms
by Streed et al. (2021) illustrates the connection of
Anti-LGBT Discrimination – The prejudicial and
distal stress factors, proximal stress factors, and
unfair treatment of one person or group of persons
resilience factors on the mental and physical health
towards the LGBT community based on their sexual
outcomes of transgender individuals. While this
orientation, expressed through words or actions
research did not observe the connection of
(American Psychological Association, 2019).
proximal stress factors and resilience factors to the
Gender expression – The ways in which an
mental and physical health effects of the
individual expresses or presents their gender
participants, this theoretical framework is still of
through body language, voice, name, and attire
use as it presents a direct connection between acts
(Ontario Human Rights Commission, n.d.).
of discrimination on mental health or psychological
state. It suggests that acts of discrimination such as
Gender identity – An individual’s self-identified
perception of their own gender as either male,
female, both, or neither, which may be the same or
different to the gender they were assigned at birth
(Ontario Human Rights Commission, n.d.).
Heterosexual – An individual who is exclusively
sexually or romantically attracted to individuals of
the other gender.
High school – The department of any educational
institution concerned with administering learning
for students in grades 7 through 12.
LGBT – An acronym for ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender,’ the collective term used to refer to
the community of all non-heterosexual individuals.
Non-heterosexual – An individual who is attracted
to individuals of the same gender, or members of
the LGBT community.
Gender – Synonymous to sex, the classification of
individuals as male, female, both, and neither.
Psychological state – The general mental and
emotional condition of an individual.
Sexuality – An individual’s sexual orientation in
relation to which gender they are attracted.
Social perceptions – An individual’s judgements or
opinions about society, including social standards
and roles as well as themselves and other people.
Transgender – An individual whose gender identity
or gender expression is not aligned with the gender
they were assigned at birth (American Psychological
Association, 2014).
Transsexual – An outdated term for ‘transgender,’
only to be used for individuals who specify that they
prefer it (American Psychological Association, 2014)
2.0 METHODOLOGY
2.1 Research Design
This research will follow a narrative research design
focused on documenting the experiences of the
participants in a sequential order as well as
revealing deeper knowledge and viewpoints
regarding the issue (“LibGuides: Qualitative Study
Design: Narrative Inquiry,” n.d.). The narrative
research design would allow for the effective
recording of the accounts of high-school level
transgender students regarding the discrimination
they have experienced while in their places of
education and the subsequent effects of those on
their psychological state and societal perceptions.
This would further allow for the identification of
themes and recurring patterns in the experiences of
the participants, developing an extensive
understanding of the effects of the issue on the
participants as well as the issue as comprehended
by the participants.
2.2 Research Locale
The participants for this research will be sourced
from the high school department of educational
institutions, which comprises grade 7 through 12.
These high schools will be part of private schools,
which require the payment of tuition fees and are
funded and operated by private organizations or
individuals. These schools will be in the National
Capital Region of the Republic of the Philippines,
composed of 16 highly urbanized cities acting as the
country’s political, economic, and educational
center (Department of Trade and Industry, 2022).
2.3 Research Participants
The participants of this research will be transgender
individuals. These individuals are between thirteen
to eighteen years old and are currently enrolled in
any high school in any private school within the
National Capital Region of the Republic of the
Philippines. These individuals must have faced anti-
LGBT discrimination within their places of education
for at least one year.
In addition, if legal adults, these participants must
be able to give informed consent to their
participation in the research. If still minors, the
participants must be able to provide the consent of
their parents or guardians in addition to their own
consent. They must also be able to communicate
proficiently using the English language during the
interview.
2.4 Sampling Technique
As a result of the rarity of participants with the
required characteristics, this research will
implement a combination of the purposive sampling
method and the chain sampling method to
maximize the total number of participants.
The purposive sampling method entails the
deliberate selection of participants who meet the
set requirements by the researchers. The chain
sampling method involves the referral of one or
more participants by another participant.
The researchers will initially identify qualifying
participants to engage in the research, then ask
those participants to secure the consent of anyone
they know with the required qualifications to be
recommended to the researchers.
2.5 Research Instruments and Techniques
This research will implement the in-depth interview
method where one of the researchers will
personally interview one participant. The location of
the interviews will be determined by the
convenience and preference of the participant,
either virtually through an online communication
application such as Facebook Messenger or Zoom,
or in-person in a private space.
The questions asked during the interview will follow
a semi-structured pattern in which a primary set of
questions will be used as reference, but additional
questions may be asked as appropriate. The primary
set of questions include the following:
1. What forms of discrimination have you
experienced while in your place of
education?
2. From whom did you experience the
discrimination?
3. How often did you experience the
discrimination?
4. How has the discrimination affected your
overall emotional state?
5. How has the discrimination affected your
self-esteem?
6. How has the discrimination affected your
sleeping patterns?
7. How has the discrimination affected your
eating habits?
8. How has the discrimination affected your
views on society?
9. How has the discrimination affected your
willingness to engage with other people?
A cellular phone will be used as a voice recorder
during the interview. The Microsoft Word software
will then be used to create a transcript of the
interview.
2.6 Data Gathering Procedure
The researchers will identify individuals with the
necessary characteristics. A letter of invitation
detailing the purpose and nature of the research as
well as affirming confidentiality and asking for
consent will be sent to the individual through an
email or private online message. If the individual
agrees to participate in the research and gives their
consent as well as their parent’s or guardian’s
consent, if applicable, to do as such, one researcher
will coordinate with them to determine the date,
time, and location of the interview. On the agreed
period of the interview, the researcher will meet
with the participant at the agreed location. The
researcher will restate the purpose and nature of
the research and reaffirm the confidentiality of the
participant. Thereafter, the researcher will proceed
to obtain the consent of the participant to begin a
voice recording using a cellular phone for the
duration of the interview. The researcher will refer
to the primary set of questions but may ask relevant
follow-up questions as needed. Once the entire
interview is finished, the researcher will end the
voice recording and ask the participant to refer any
people they may know to also participate in the
research. Then, the researcher will express their
gratitude for the time and participation of the
participant and permit them to leave. Following
that, the researcher will use the voice recording as
reference to create a transcription of the entire
interview session without any additions or
subtractions. A copy of the transcript will be
provided to the participant for verification of its
content. This process will repeat until sufficient data
is obtained from enough participants.