A shift in the narrative: How Jennifer Laude’s killing impacts the Filipino trans women representation after 10 years
As a trans woman journalist who has watched our media evolve over the years, I can't help but reflect on the way transgender individuals—especially trans women—have been portrayed in mainstream media. There was a time when our presence was either nonexistent or limited to stereotypes.
Trans women were often reduced to either tragic figures or the subjects of ridicule, usually sidelined in favor of more traditional representations of gender. However, one tragic event shook the foundations of how transgender Filipinos are perceived: the murder of Jennifer Laude in 2014.
It has now been a decade since Joseph Scott Pemberton, a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps in Olongapo, brutally murdered Laude, a 26-year-old transgender woman during that time. Pemberton confessed to assaulting Laude and using a trans panic argument during his 2015 trial. In the same year, a court reduced his accusation from murder to homicide, and he was convicted on December 1, 2015.
In September 2020, former president Rodrigo Duterte conferred an absolute pardon on Pemberton, sparking outrage and bringing into sharp focus the issues surrounding transgender rights, gender identity, and violence against marginalized groups.
Laude’s story and media coverage of the case became a pivotal moment for the Filipino transgender community. Her tragic death set off a chain of events that led to greater visibility and, more importantly, a shift in the way transgender people are viewed in mainstream media. The reality of discrimination, violence, and a lack of legal recognition that trans individuals face is now being acknowledged.
Trans women as victims
Laude's murder served as a significant push for societal reform, however, it also perpetuated the portrayal of transgender women as victims. Most of the media outlets focused on Laude's murder and constructed her life and death within a storyline of being vulnerable which is a recurrent theme in the media portrayal of marginalized groups in the Philippines.
"[Jennifer's] death exposed the coloniality of trans misogyny in the Philippines. Napakahalagang isipin at pagnilayan na 'yung pagpatay kay Jennfier ay talagang binuksan niya ang kasaysayan na nakabatay sa pananakop na hindi pa natatapos. Isang mananakop lang ang imbwelto sa kasong iyon subalit dala-dala ng sandaling iyon ang dantaong pananakop," said Jaya Jacobo, an artist, scholar and educator who is also one of the panelists of "10 years after Jennifer Laude: The Philippine Trans Situation" roundtable discussion of The Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP) attended by PhilSTAR L!fe.
Even though the incident highlighted the violence endured by trans women, it also meant that transgender individuals were very often viewed mostly as victims rather than as people with agency, accomplishments, and a multitude of other experiences.
"Hindi pa talaga tayo lubos na malaya mula sa panahong iyon at kung susuriin ang kalikasan at kayarian ng imperyo na binubuksan sa pagkamatay ni Jennifer, mahalaga na isipin na ang pananakop na ito ay isang masaklap na katotohanan na may pagpatay sa mga babae at mga binabayi o sa mga transwomen. Dahil sa kinahinatnat ng kasong ito at ni Jennifer mismo, mahalaga na isipin na 'yung hinahanap at inaasam natin na katarungan, masalimuot ang pagkamit nito sapagkat 'yung mukha ng karahasan at kamatayan ay tayong mga Filipino transwoman," she added.
Meanwhile, for Roda Tajon, a professor who teaches gender studies, multimedia theories, popular culture, and general education courses at UP Open University, Laude's death has a positive and negative impact on the lives of the trans community in the Philippines.
"Yung case ni Jennifer Laude, parang dalawa yung epekto niya sa Pilipinas basically bigla siyang nagbukas ng opportunities sa trans people to uphold their issues, ipaglaban yung mahahalaga nilang panawagan, pero at the same time ginamit din siya ng mga mapagsamantala to further their anti-gender agenda."
The incident started to reveal more information to the mass media–not only the murder case but also the problems of transphobia, the problem of transitioning, and the problem of transgender Filipinos in the conservative context of society. Through Laude's case, the issue of transgender rights became inextricably linked to broader conversations about justice, equality, and human dignity.
Transgender Filipinos, along with their allies, pushed for stronger legal protections and the passage of the SOGIESC Equality Bill (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression, and Sexual Characteristic), which seeks to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. These campaigns gained traction partly due to the heightened awareness generated by Laude’s death.
Trans women as fetish
Beyond the headlines, Laude's case served as a turning point for filmmakers and writers in the entertainment industry.
While trans people were still often relegated to tragic narratives, there was a notable rise in the number of Filipino films and television shows that began to portray transgender individuals in more complex and humane ways. This shift wasn’t immediate, but slowly, the industry started to reflect the diversity of the transgender experience—highlighting not just their struggles, but their resilience, aspirations, and humanity.
However, this is not enough for Lakan Umali, who teaches in the Department of English in Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippine-Diliman.
"There are positive developments in how trans women are presented in a lot of media. However, I think there are a lot of things to be done reflected by the fact that there are still a lot of misconceptions about what trans woman should be," she said.
She added, "I think there is still to be a lot done in terms of making [trans women appear] as humans and not just these figures, these archetypes that people have in their minds."
This also rings true for Tejon, who said that in media, including dating sites, trans women have become an object of fetishization.
"Sa mga dating sites, ang tingin lagi sa mga trans women is fetish, you know just to feed their curiosity. Nagmamanifest siya iba't ibang platforms, akala nila desperada lahat ng trans sa pag-ibig. For someone teaching popular culture, na-realize ko, oo nga no, laging pinoproject yung trans people as vulnerable."
Visibility is very important but visibility also increases our vulnerability to violence and it's scary because the more visible we are, the more people are scared trying to comprehend our identities.
Tajon went on to emphasize that the media also portrayed the reality that cisgender women and trans women have similarities in terms of experiences.
"Generally, mayroon tayong similarities na experience with cisgender woman eh, nasa atin yung 'unpaid care work.' Tayo [ang] taga-alaga, tayo [ang] taga-gawa ng gawaing bahay, which is okay lang naman kasi ginagawa naman natin 'yun pero yung pagdedevalue, doon natin nakikita na false yung narrative na mayroon tayong cis male privilege na sa totoo lang, tayo rin ay nakakaranas ng mga pinopotray sa media 'yung trans woman ganun pa rin i-present, sa movie, taga-alaga, tayo 'yung bestfriend."
In addition to the expectations to be a caregiver, trans women also face the burden of establishing their identities, she added.
'Imagery is key'
Laude’s legacy isn’t just in the fight for justice but in the way it has sparked a rethinking of how we, as a society, view transgender individuals—not as tragedies, but as people deserving of love, respect, and equality, especially in the mainstream media.
"Pagod na pagod na ako sa representasyon ng mga trans dead bodies. I refused to be represented as dying for death. I am not saying that it's not a reality, but a dead trans woman's body cannot speak. I want more images of women who are alive, who even live normal lives, trans women who are not always at risk, transwomen who are performers," Jacobo implied, adding that visibility is critical in representing the lives of transwomen in the Philippines.
"Mahalaga ang pagsasakatawan, that's a powerful translation of representation—to be visible in a body, a body that can speak."
This was also lauded by Aisia Castelo, a licensed psychometrician who said that there is much trans joy to be shared in mainstream media and that we need to celebrate more.
'Visibility is very important'
While the perception of transgender people in the Philippines began to shift following the Laude case, challenges remain.
The media has played a role in both raising awareness and reinforcing societal attitudes towards trans people. Despite increased visibility, Filipino transgender individuals still face significant discrimination and stigma, particularly in more conservative regions. Media portrayals, although improved, are still limited in their scope and often still focus on trans people in terms of tragedy or sensationalism.
"Visibility is very important but visibility also increases our vulnerability to violence and it's scary because the more visible we are, the more people are scared trying to comprehend our identities," Castelo noted.
She continued, "Natatakot sila because they are forced to change [and] challenge their own understanding of gender and you know, the process of constructing and deconstructing of gender is a very heavy thing to do and natatakot 'yung public to embrace that change."
