23/11/2025
This is the story of Mat-Mat Mendoza of Colegio de la Ciudad de Zamboanga. May you find strength and courage in her story. ๐ณ๏ธโโง๏ธ
(Speech written by Yanyan Andrada based on Mat-Matโs story.)
โFriends, sisters, allies, and honored guestsโgood day.
My name is Mat Mat Mendoza, Supreme Student Council President of the Colegio de la Ciudad de Zamboanga. I stand before you as a trans woman, a student leader, and an advocate for equality, but most importantly, I stand before you as a human beingโsomeone who, like each of you, seeks the right to learn and grow with dignity.
My journey in education has not been easy. I never imagined that simply existingโsimply being myselfโwould require courage. Yet here I am, strengthened by battles I never asked for but learned to fight. Because no amount of discrimination can extinguish the fire of a determined soul.
Last August, during what should have been a warm and inclusive student orientation, the Officer-in-Charge chose to highlight an outdated haircut policy. This was not a mere reminderโit felt like a direct attack on transgender students. In front of everyone, trans women were advised to cut their hair to comply with the male haircut policy, stripping away our identity with a single instruction.
I stood ready to speak, microphone in hand, prepared to cite the city ordinance and our student manual that should have protected us. But before I could defend myself and my community, my voice was intentionally silenced. The microphone was turned off. My existence dismissed. And I was made to feel, openly and painfully, that weโtrans womenโare not โreal womenโ simply because we do not fit traditional molds.
In that moment, I felt humiliatedโbut also awakened. Because discrimination is not just a wound; it is a call to action.
I reached out to Gender and Development Zamboanga City, the Mujer LGBTQ+ Organization, the Sangguniang Panglungsod, Vice Mayor Beng Climaco, and Mayor Khymer Olaso. They listened. They stood with us. And for a moment, hope blossomed.
But by September, that hope was tested again. The discrimination did not stopโin fact, it worsened.
Three teachers, individuals who are supposed to guide, support, and nurture young minds, chose to invalidate who we are. They emphasized openly that trans women are not women, and they insisted that we should dress like men โbecause we do not have womenโs genitals.โ These words were not only cruelโthey were dehumanizing. They reduced our identity to anatomy. They shattered the dignity of students who simply wanted to learn in peace. And they violated a City Ordinance that has been protecting LGBTQ+ individuals for years.
I refused to accept this treatment. I refused to shrink. I refused to be silenced again.
So I wrote another letterโfirmer, braver, and filled with the voices of the unheard. This time, action followed. Councilors Hannah and Lilibeth Nuรฑo, together with GAD and Mujer LGBTQ+, called for a committee hearing this November to formally investigate the discriminatory acts of these individuals.
This is no longer just my struggle. This is our collective fightโfor every LGBTQ+ student who has been silenced, ridiculed, or stripped of their dignity.
Today, I stand here to declare a truth that no one can erase: Education is a human right. Not a privilege, not a favorโa right that belongs to every learner, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, or social status.
We cannot build a better future inside institutions that tolerate prejudice. We cannot claim excellence while some students are made to hide or apologize for who they are. We cannot champion education if we fail to champion the humanity of all learners.
Diversity is not a threatโit is a strength. Inclusion is not optionalโit is essential. Equality is not a requestโit is a right.
And so, I call upon my fellow students: Stand with me. Let us speak not just for ourselves, but for each other. Let us build a school where differences are celebrated, not punished.
To our teachers and administrators: We ask you to rise with us. Education is not only about lessonsโit is about compassion, fairness, and respect. Be models of kindness. Be protectors, not silencers.
To our community leaders and organizations: Thank you for standing with us. But let us go further. Let us fight discrimination wherever it existsโin our classrooms, our institutions, our homes, our city.
Imagine a school where every learner walks without fear. Imagine a classroom where no one is insulted for who they are. Imagine a future where LGBTQ+ youth do not need to justify their identity.
This future is possible. This future is within reach. And this future begins today, with us.
I stand here for every trans woman who has been mocked, every gay student who has been bullied, every bisexual learner who has been doubted, and every q***r youth who has been silenced.
We are not the problemโdiscrimination is. We are not the shameโignorance is. We are not invisibleโwe are here, and we are unshakeable.
We are strong. We are valid. And we refuse to be silenced ever again.
Let us riseโunited, fearless, and proud. Let us build a school and a society where every learner is free to become exactly who they are meant to be.
Thank you.โ
