Behavioural responses to SOGIE-based harassment among university students: a qualitative study on bystander intervention in the Philippines

ABSTRACT

In the Philippines, rising incidences of harassment directed at Filipinos who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) are part and parcel of the systemic prejudice and discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE). In the absence of a national anti-discrimination legislation, the burden to confront SOGIE-based harassment (SBH) rests upon the LGBTQI+ community and their allies. In-depth interviews with five (5) Filipino university students foreground how those with salient distinct identities from targets of harassment surfacedg hesitations and barriers to successfully intervening (e.g. cisgender and heterosexual bystanders vis-à-vis LGBTQI+ targets of harassment), while bystanders who associate with victims of SBH, either by acknowledging them as friends or as fellow human beings, articulated substantial motivation and greater ease in intervening. Taken together, the recognition of shared identities in others — or kapwa—fosters bystander intervention as it counteracts the inhumane treatment targeted at LGBTQI+ individuals whom the bystander considers equal and no different from them.

KEYWORDS:

• SOGIE-based harassment
• LGBTQI+ community
• bystander intervention
• university students
• Philippines

Acknowledgments

The author expresses their utmost gratitude to Assistant Professor Enrico U. Baula of the Department of Behavioral Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila who provided guidance and mentorship in the conduct of this study. The author likewise extends their appreciation to the five university students who shared their insights and experiences during the interviews.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of this research dealing with sensitive experiences of witnessing incidences of harassment, the participants of this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so the data derived from this study is not available.