J U S T I F I E D: April 2012

Transgender Jenna Talackova; sportsbetonline photo

And the discussions, some heated, some civil, rage on. . . . Below is one I had on Facebook with a friend. There are also lots of discussions in other online fora, including the link below with one Ron de Vera and Ms. Universe runner-up Miriam Quiambao. Sometime, I'll write a post about my arguments. . . for my arguments embodied below. For now, these are my thoughts.

Emxee Marguerite Page It's not about her. It's about what she ultimately represents and champions: equality for one and all. She doesn't have to win for me. She may not be as beautiful as those trannies, Terence, but she's definitely NOT cheap.

April 11 at 4:16pm · · 5
Emxee Marguerite Page and definitely NOT dumb, either. :)

April 11 at 4:17pm ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy I'll be the first one to champion her rights if need be, but her concept of equality is misplaced. Equality in law and in life admits of distinctions. The distinction being there are rules for these kinds of contests, AND she has an alternative: she could join those equally prestigious Miss Transexual pageants or whatever they're called. For sure she's aware or should be aware of these rules as any reasonable human being should before joining these contests. Her fight is not the fight of those in the LGBT community where the areas are "gray" and rules affect life and living: non-discrimination, equality in employment, civil unions---very legitimate concerns versus winning a crown in a pageant. in the vernacular, "dapat marunong siyang lumugar." "Kumilos siya ayon sa kanyang ganda, or the lack of it." Joining a pageant is not a right granted by law or even by anybody's moral standard, but right to non-discrimination in employment, to love , against psychological and physical duress are legitimate concerns of the LGBT community, protected in life and championed by our forefathers.

April 11 at 5:27pm ·
Emxee Marguerite Page I don't quite understand why her cause should be construed as any different from those espoused by those in the LGBT community; and why she has to be confined, per your suggestion, to joining the less prestigious contests when she can actually join Miss Universe and be seen and heard, not necessarily, accepted by people who have your own particular opinion in the world.

She couldn't have just won Miss Canada for nothing.

Like Ive said, she's not only in it to win the crown. Her participation is championing the right to non-discrimination. Why should joing a contest like that be any different than equality in employment, like you have mentioned above? Is there such a thing like an office only for the transsexual that she should restrict herself to, just as she should only limit herself to competing in a contest for the transsexual? Duh.

The world has gone a long way since Hitler thought the Aryan race was superior over the Jews; or that whites are superior over colored people. There is no such delineation now. There are people though who choose to limit their understanding to what is conventional, and traditional, but I respect their opinion.

After all, your university's chairwoman of the student council is Heart Dino, and a transgender. Do you think your school , or the people who put her there, make a terrible mistake because kailangan din dapat siyang lumugar?

Let's not focus on her as a 'character'. Let's focus on the issue that she represents and the world needs to finally liberate. :) Peace, Atty. Belangoy.:)

April 11 at 6:05pm · · 2
Terence Eyre Belangoy She hasn't won Miss Canada-Universe, yet. Emphasis on the word "hopeful", per news reports. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2126033/Jenna-Talackova-Transgender-Miss-Canada-Universe-hopeful-Grade-8-boy-called-Walter.html) That is, she/he/it/whatever is joining the pageant to have the CHANCE to win, and to (be able) to represent Canada in the Miss U, knowing fully well the rules and regulations of such contest, which she (for purposes of brevity) should. This alone is hypocrisy at the very least, stupidity at the worst. If she/he/it/whatever didn't know the rules, that's plain stupidity; at the very least, if she can't abide by the rules, she has no right to enjoy the (would-be) privileges.

Non-discrimination does not mean free-for-all, going by this statement of yours:"Her participation is championing the right to non-discrimination." She has not been discriminated in any way, precisely because NOBODY has any vested RIGHT, as opposed to JOINING OR PARTICIPATING which underlies a concept of "privilege", to join or participate a pageant; whereas every person has a vested RIGHT to find means of living (that is, work), RIGHT to love, RIGHT to live peacefully without duress,subjugation, as contemplated in slavery, Jewish genocide, etc.--- all these WITHOUT regard to race, color, gender, sex. Non-discrimination is a concept applicable to RIGHTS, not to privilege which a pageant or contest is one. If you want the "privilege" abide by the rules, if not, then you have no place fighting for it if it's not a vested right in the first place.

Jenna Talackova: Transgender Miss Canada Universe hopeful is a Grade 8 boy called Walter
www.dailymail.co.uk

The first picture of the transsexual beauty queen as a Vancouver schoolboy has emerged - and she's a 13-year-old boy called Walter.

April 11 at 10:19pm · ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy Same argument applies even if she already won Miss Canada-Universe, and will be joining Miss Universe. If it's a right, which it is not, I'm all for it; it's just a "privilege", truth be told. (Cross references to all my essays on Non-discrimination.)
http://justifiedmaster.blogspot.com/2008/03/courage.html

J U S T I F I E D: Courage
justifiedmaster.blogspot.com

April 11 at 10:41pm · ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy http://justifiedmaster.blogspot.com/2007/11/unbroken.html

J U S T I F I E D: Unbroken
justifiedmaster.blogspot.com

April 11 at 10:41pm · ·
Emxee Marguerite Page First, she couldn't have represented Miss Universe had she not won Miss Canada in the first place, which explains why her qualifications for the Miss Universe pageant are legitimate. Not to mention that in Canada, she has been legally considered a Female. I am not a lawyer, so I can not argue with you, a lawyer, on the latter, but you can choose to debate with her lawyer, Gloria Allred.

Secondly, and then again, you have terribly missed my point by confining your innumerable arguments around JENNA, the person, and around speculative arguments about whether she'd win the contest or not. In the off-chance you're not abreast of the news, Donald Trump has already scrapped the 'woman should be naturally born' ruling that originally disbarred Miss Talackova from joining the up & coming Miss Universe. As of April 2, she can now represent Canada in the Miss Universe. That alone is a first in Miss Universe, a milestone in the history of pageants; one small step for a transgender, one giant leap for the whole LGBT humankind. It's another structural discrimination being taken down. I won't therefore have to argue with you as to whether she'd win or not. Although that possibility is never far-fetched, that's beside the point for now. The point here is she has already won. A transgender is allowed to compete in the most prestigious pageant, for the first time. She can compete in the Miss Universe. And unless you can reverse that, then you could only wish the Miss Universe organization, or the progressive world in general, hear you.

And that's that. So many off-tangent arguments when TOLERANCE could have simply required an open mind, and that's all. I wonder why people go through such great lengths justifying their homophobia when they could just choose to open their minds.

Thursday at 7:37am ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy I am well aware of Trump's decision, in fact very well aware of what he's been doing for several years now being a fan of the guy, having watched all seasons of The Apprentice, being subscribed to his updates, aware of his books, etc.: that being told, his decision is not founded on forwarding transgender/LGBT rights, not even on legal grounds as he has admitted in interviews ( gee, what could it be? HINT: hear the soundtrack to The Apprentice).

This statement of yours:"I wonder why people go through such great lengths justifying their homophobia when they could just choose to open their minds." is quite general, and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that I'm not included in this term homophobia and/or homophobic because that's the last thing anybody would accuse me of, as you should know; besides I have written several essays on non-discrimination published nationally (or you could say internationally, this being a digital world), which could not be said of people who just say their opinions without knowing what discrimination is or is not, and/or what Non-discrimination ought or ought not to be.

Thursday at 8:30am ·
Emxee Marguerite Page If there are actually those techinicalities about discrimination, then that I am not aware of. What I am pretty aware of is the fact that discrimination- is discrimination. No grayline.

Of course, I didn't imply that you are a homophobe. :) But your stance is in one way or another, shared by those who are.

Thursday at 8:43am ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy My point is, among many others, people should know/analyze/realize what discrimination is and what it is not. And what happened to Ms. Talackova is not discrimination, whether legally-speaking or morally-speaking. Her joining/participating the Ms. Canada- Universe and Ms. Universe is NOT a right, for her to be crying/weeping that she has been discriminated because joining/participating in a pageant is precisely merely a choice or a "privilege" even, never a RIGHT, for which there are rules to be followed. Lastly, homophobia sometimes exist only in the mind when those in the LGBT community thinks that EVERY encroachment on their "pagkatao" is already discrimination when in fact they are not aware where their rights end and where their choices begin. And in this particular case of Talackova, it's a choice not a right. IF your RIGHT is discriminated,I"ll be shouting with you or with that person to "STOP discrimination!", but makes sure it's a right, not a choice.

Thursday at 8:43am ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy Anyway, it has been a good discussion Emxee. Keep well. ; )

Thursday at 8:46am · · 1
Emxee Marguerite Page Hahahah. Im actually loving it, Atty. I appreciate your opinions and arguments, though, but not necessarily agree with them. For me, there's birth, and then there are rights and norms that come with it. But then, there's a choice. Ideologies, choices and the right to make them, knows no gender nor color nor such norms. :)

Please be assured that Ive learned a lot from your considerable inputs. Ill find time to read your blogs. :)

Thursday at 8:49am · · 1
Terence Eyre Belangoy This is a dangerous belief, Emxee: "But then, there's a choice. Ideologies, choices and the right to make them, knows no gender nor color nor such norms. " I just hope you don't get in trouble or get mugged for this. LOL. Keep well.

Thursday at 9:10am ·
Emxee Marguerite Page Well, Ive been subscribed to this belief for 30 years and counting now, and hey look, Im still alive. LOL :) You keep well. :)

Thursday at 9:16am ·
Emxee Marguerite Page Atty Terence:

Just a point to consider, though from a certain Sass Rogando Sasot:

"I think female pageants should only be for naturally born women." The term "naturally born women" needs careful unpacking. 1) what do you mean by natural? 2) where do you base that naturalness; 3) what do you mean by woman? Let me begin by offering an often cited quote from the French feminist Simone de Beauvoir: "No one is born a woman, one becomes one." To say that someone is "naturally born a woman" is of cours misleading: You are born a baby, then you grow up and acquire a gender identity which develops (according to studies) between the ages of 3 or 4. And then you become a woman during adulthood.

Of course one would say that vagina=woman. That of course is a view that favors the vagina over the brain, which is the seat of identity. Now, let us play with the assertion that there is such a thing as "naturally born woman". How do you determine who is naturally born a woman? By considering who is born with a vagina or not? Or by considering the configuration of the brain when one is born? According to research, the sexual differentiaton of the body does not end when you are born. The brain undergoes sexual differentation as well and this sexual differentation happens independently of the differentiation of the genitalia, and after one is born. ALL these processes are natural. Jenna is a "natural woman" for she is born with a brain that sexually differentiated into a female brain. Unless of course you want to confine femaleness to the vagina - which of course is not a scientific decision but a social decision based on a genital centric tradition.

Thursday at 9:45am ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy Weak arguments. No basis in FACT and in LAW. Totally unresponsive. hahaha.

Thursday at 10:15am ·
Terence Eyre Belangoy It's getting tedious. None of what I raised above mentioned "natural-born" woman or anything to that effect. Whoever that Sass is or shares his/her views should talk to his/her/its God, not me . ahahaha This thread comes to a close in my books. ; )

Thursday at 10:23am ·

Talackova, lawyer Allred, Trump; radaronline photo

filipinofreethinkers.org/ An open letter to Miriam Quiambao

does sleep deprivation do this to you? ; Googled photo

I'd like to think that I don't have problems with "sleep" ---because I practically don't, uhm, sleep. I've been surviving on five (5) hours/day or less of sleep for sixteen (16) years now.

In fact right now, I'm writing this at 4: 42 a.m., sleep-deprived retinas, groggy head, shaky hands, all fueled by caffeine (2 sachets of 5-in-1 coffee, 2 bottles of Cobra energy drink: that's a grand total of 6 sachets of coffee, 6 bottles of energy drinks in a day, each day), my preferred addictive upper regardless of whether I actually need it or not.

But way back in college, I ACTUALLY needed caffeine, and coffee was ( still is) easily the cheapest and most accessible; I did have other choices, though: Red Bull, Lipovitan, Korean Ginseng, and canal water, I mean, Brand's Essence of Chicken. The latter are a luxury.

I'd like to believe i still look like this despite sleep deprivation

                    Luxury of time was what I didn't have in college, and even through law school. I had to maintain a scholarship in college. It was a crazeee, pressure-cooker world and I was the chicken. That's why I needed Brand's Essence of Chicken to fuel me through those sleepless nights. Or other caffeine kick, for that matter; coffee being the least expensive, and even tasteful: at least you have a choice of flavors, especially if you are fond of going to 24-hour cafe's. Which could not be said of other caffeine drinks. Ditto in law school. What with all those pages and cases to read. You have been reading for eight straight hours, and you still can't finish everything. Que horror! Un montón de café al rescate! (Lots of coffee to the rescue!) It didn't help, too, that I was a crammer extraordinaire. I seem to have the motivation to do something at the last minute, literally. (A habit I'm trying so hard to break.) I can go on without sleeping through the night (and dawn) and go to exams or series of exams the next day.

                  And the next day. And the next. And the cycle of coffee consumption continues (is that an alliteration, or what. . .).

        Which cycle continues up to this day. I can't seem to live without coffee: from the time I wake up (2 sachets/2 spoonfuls, with sugar and cream please) to midday (another mug please) to after-dinner (mug number three please). All of these supplemented by energy drinks, also coffee-infused beverages. I can't keep track of how much coffee, in milligrams, I consume everyday. Or whether my consumption is still within "legal" limit. (This just in: the safe amount of coffee consumption/day is 300 mg; equivalent to three cups, not mugs or large paper cups. What is a safe amount of caffeine?) If that's not addiction, I don't know what is!

                   And there goes the sleeplessness. And if I can't sleep, I write; and come up with blog post like this. Oh well, it couldn't be that bad after all.