Puentevella’s discrimination rather than justification on trans ban in PH sports

Alyssa Domingo

December 14, 2023

The elimination round for transgender Olympians linger upon the global podium as the call for ban has been on its peak.

On November 15, Monico Puentevella of Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) took the initiative to eradicate participation of transgender in Philippine sports. According to him, it was “unfair” and that transgender athletes “do not belong in sports’. 

Henceforth, the Philippine sports, which traditionally categorized as masochistic and sex-oriented, is now obligated to take the more challenging stance. The tradition-loving institution is on the verge to take the brave leap to embrace inclusivity. Otherwise, to step back and justify its recognition.

The Homophobic PH

No doubt, gender-oriented discrimination is a romanticized scenario in the Philippines. Alongside patriarchy withholding its dominance, homosexuality remains a taboo. However, the local struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights, through tireless resistance, gradually overturns the social stereotype. Still, the long and tight run for absolute equality remains.

Recently the queer community was showered with devastating levels of hatred from cyber-bullying and policy makers. It was when Pura Luka Vega’s Ama Namin Remix led to a controversy.

The hatred and discrimination for the community is as intense as a rapid forest fire. 

And now, the quarry involves not only the queer drag queens, but the transgender athletes as well.

Transgender in International Sports

The Olympic governing bodies have been welcoming the recognition of transgender athletes in international track. The arguments about science, hormones, and biological mass levels have been considered, yet banning did not become the final resolution. The international committees created a separate category and competition to consider the biological characteristics of cisgender women and cisgender men. 

For instance, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the 2021 Summer Olympics approved the participation of Laurel Hubbard, a transwoman, in Weightlifting. Hubbard debunked the “advantaged stereotype” that has been debated. Everyone expected the assigned male at birth to take power in a Female Weightlifting Competition, but Hubbard was not able to complete the lift and won no medals. 

The IOC then issued the “IOC Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations”, which included the 10 principles of inclusion for the consideration of trans athletes.

Nevertheless, the transgender community has always been prone to restrictions. In 2021, the World Athletics excluded all trans women athletes from the Female World Rankings competitions. In June 2022, the International Swimming Federation voted to bar the participation of trans athletes in professional Women’s Swimming. However, the “open” category was created for trans women to play in. 

Another instance was the World Boxing Council (WBC) has restricted the trans-cis competitions, instead the WBC introduced a trans category.

Puentevella: “Trans don’t belong in sports”

Aside from Puentevella’s “unfair” and “do not belong” reasoning, other causes of his frustration has not been publicly expressed and has not been known. However, the file for full ban contradicts the Olympic tenet to make sports a platform for inclusivity. This was the same reason the Paralympic Games— an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities—were created. 

It was not so sportsman of Puentevella to express such a decision in the midst of a House Committee hearing. In his pursuit of “fairness” for PH Sports, he was just merely antagonizing himself. 

What did the SWP chairperson mean when he said to close doors for other potential champions and the future of PH sports? 

Was it really for the gain of PH sports, or was it to impose another discrimination to the queer community coming from a macho figure?

Endless opportunities in sports

The world of sports, obviously, is not exempted from the fast-paced and modern-embracing characteristic of today’s time. It is also prone to adaptations, changes, and discussions. Olympics, as being the bridge of international unity for years, should strive to take consistency in their tenet amidst the challenges—like the Olympic-produced athletes who thrive amidst battles inside the podium. 

This crucial moment of inclusion and equality is an opportunity for greatness and effectiveness of sports as a platform for sportsmanship. 

Philippines already postured itself as an indestructible team in the Olympics for plenty of years, and is still in the zone of continuous production of young legends. Who knows, maybe one of the best trans athletes may come from the Philippines as well? It will only be possible if the local sports constitution will reject Puentevella’s request for the ban bill.

Afterall, the Committee on Youth and Sports Development emphasized the International Associations’ methods of including transgender athletes.

“Mayroong rules and regulations ang International Committees, dapat sumunod tayo don or else lugi naman ang Pilipinas,” according to Chairperson Rep. Faustino Dy III.

(“The International Committees have rules and regulations, we should follow or else the PH will be left behind [in Olympics]”).—OVERTURN