For Jeff Cagandahan, Intersex Filipinos Don’t Need Fixing. They Need to Be Seen

This story is part of “This Is Not A Phase,”  Rolling Stone Philippines’ Pride Month storytelling campaign. Featuring the unapologetic individuals who refuse to back down on who they truly are, “This Is Not A Phase” highlights stories that challenge what’s considered acceptable in Filipino LGBTQIA+ culture.

For over two decades, Jeff Cagandahan has been the most prominent voice of the Philippines’ neglected intersex population. The number remains uncertain as the national consensus does not account for intersex Filipinos.

Cagandahan says this uncertainty is a hindrance to pushing policies to support intersex individuals, whose struggles range from medical neglect to trauma. These issues were all the more amplified for Cagandahan, who first gained national attention in September 2008, when the Supreme Court affirmed a decision by a regional trial court to let him change his sex and name on his birth certificate, as he was assigned female at birth.

After the years-long judicial process that started in 2003, Cagandahan became a co-founder of Intersex Philippines, an organization that supports intersex Filipinos and provides educational resources for parents and institutions. The group is also pushing for the passage of the Cagandahan Bill, authored by Bataan First District Representative Geraldine Roman, the country’s first and only trans legislator so far.

There are 40 ways a person may manifest as intersex, according to the nonprofit medical organization Cleveland Clinic. The most common intersex traits are atypical combinations of X and Y chromosomes, as well as mixed genitals or sex organs.

The Cleveland Clinic said most intersex people are healthy. Likewise, Cagandahan emphasizes that being intersex itself isn’t a condition that needs treatment. Instead, medical professionals need to help intersex individuals through health conditions — rare as they are — such as hypospadias, or the lack of a urethral opening, and bone problems.

The lack of intersex awareness among medical professionals in the Philippines is cause for alarm. Cagandahan tells me that he has encountered health workers who don’t know what congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is, a condition that causes ambiguous genitalia, with which he was diagnosed at age 22.

In this interview with Rolling Stone Philippines, the educator talks about what it’s like to live as intersex in the Philippines, where the medical industry could do better, and how the government can help his community.

Can you take us back to the beginning of your journey? What was it like growing up as intersex in the Philippines?

Mahirap dahil sa [kakulangan ng] awareness sa intersex. Kahit noong bata ako, hindi ko alam kung anong condition ang meron ako. I was assigned female at birth, at mahirap kasi alam kong I was not female.

Because my family was very secretive din, ayaw nilang sinasabi sa iba. Even within the family, kung may tinanong ako, parang ini-ignore lang. I knew something was wrong. Roman Catholic nga ‘yong upbringing, naka-belo ‘pag pupunta sa simbahan, naka-palda. Ayaw mo ‘yong ganong damit, ‘yong ganong uniform, pero you have no choice.

Paano niyo naintindihan ‘yong identity niyo, lalo na’t hindi napapag-usapan dito sa Pilipinas ang intersex?

Nagsimula siya sa advocacy ko. Nagsimula lang siya noong hindi ko na kayang magsuot ng mga pambabaeng damit, ‘yong pag-tawag sa dati kong pangalan. Sabi ng kamag-anak kong lawyer, “Bakit ‘di natin subukang mag-petition?” It was 2003. Sabi niya, “Wala namang mawawala,” so we tried to get a petition sa regional trial court. Hindi niya sinabi sa una na nakarating pa ito sa Supreme Court. ‘Yong sinabi lang sa akin, one week siguro baka lumabas ‘yong decision.

Sabi niya, “Mag-ready ka. Baka lalabas ‘yong supreme court decision. Magiging viral ‘yan kasi first case ‘yan.”

Pagkatapos lumabas ‘yong Supreme Court decision, naging viral nga ito sa TV, dahil ang mga headline sa national television ay “Babaeng dalawa ang ari, kinatigan ng Korte Suprema na magpalit ng kasarian.”

Pero it opened the door for people like me, na akala rin nila — katulad ko noon — na nag-iisa sila. Dahil napanood nila na may ganoon palang case, may lumapit sa akin na mga magulang at mga katulad ko. Sinabi nila, “Ngayon alam na namin na ‘di kami nag-iisa. Marami pala tayo.” Doon na nag-start at naaralin ko rin ‘yong sarili ko.

Paano niyo na-handle ‘yong pagiging viral niyo noon?

Wala akong plano noon na mapunta sa activism, sa advocacy. Pero doon ko nakita na I had to do something. Ayaw kong magpa-interview sa media noon, pero sabi ko, paano ‘yong mga katulad ko na hindi out? Paano ‘yong mga baby na hindi pa nakakapagsalita? ‘Yong misconception na dalawa ang ari ng mga intersex, ‘yon yong gusto kong i-bust, kasi hindi siya totoo. 

Noong 2003, sabi niyo nga, nag-file kayo ng petition para ma-amend ‘yong sex sa birth certificate niyo. Sa 2005 nagbigay ng decision ang RTC, at sa 2008, in-affirm ng Supreme Court ang decision na ‘yon. Kumusta ang experience ng napakahabang judicial process?

Kinabahan din ako noon, pero ito ‘yong gusto ko e. Medyo awkward ‘yong experience kasi sunod-sunod ‘yong ng mga kaso sa korte. So habang tinatanong ako tungkol sa sexuality ko, sa genitalia, ang daming nakikinig. 

Noong nasa advocacy na ako, tinanong ko kung ano ba ang mga pangangailangan ng katulad ko? Ang daming gustong magpalit ng sex marker. Doon na pumasok ‘yong Cagandahan Bill.

Noong August 2024, naging resource speaker kayo sa House committee hearing tungkol sa Cagandahan Bill, na pumasa na rin sa committee level. May counterpart bill na rin na na na-file ni Senator Risa Hontiveros sa Senado. Sa tingin niyo po, bakit siya urgent?

For the longest time, hindi naa-acknowledge ang intersex people. Ang hirap ng mga pinagdaanan ko growing up, na hindi nagma-match ‘yong identity ko sa mga legal documents. ‘Yong proseso, napaka-tedious. Doon namin naisipan na we need to do something.

Ang purpose talaga noon ng Intersex Philippines ay magbigay lang ng advice para matanggap ang sarili. Pero ang dami ‘ring issues pagdating sa healthcare, sa mga legal gender recognition. Mahalaga ang bill para ma-affirm na intersex people really exist.

Nakakausap niyo ba sila Sen. Hontiveros at Cong. Roman?

Si Cong. Geraldine, lagi ko siyang nakakausap. Si Sen. Risa, medyo busy. Nakakalungkot sa Senado kasi hindi man lang na-assign sa committee ang bill. Sa House [of Representative], nilaban talaga ni Cong. Geraldine na makapasa sa committee. We hope that in the 20th Congress, mas marami nang susuporta sa amin.

Ano po ‘yong pinakamahirap sa advocacy niyo para sa mga intersex sa Pilipinas?

Walang may alam e. Dati, ako lang nagre-research para sa sarili ko, wala akong mapagtanungan. Minsan, hindi alam ng doktor kung ano ang CAH. May mga namamatay kasi wala silang access sa medicine. Kailangan i-update ang curriculum at mga healthcare policies.

Walang data tungkol sa intersex people. Philippine Statistics Authority ang nagtatanong sa akin kung ilan ang intersex people. Mas nakakatulong sana sa policies kung may data tayo.

‘Yong pag-portray din mga intersex people sa media, naka-focus lagi sa genitals. Bakit hindi ‘yong lived experience i-focus, ‘yong mga challenges sa healthcare? Kami lang ang magsasalita para sa amin.

Ang laking tulong ng mga nasa LGBTQIA+ community sa pagsha-share ng awareness. There are intersex people hiding in the lesbian and gay umbrellas, kasi hindi nila alam na may term palang intersex.

Isa mga concern ng Intersex Philippines ay may mga bata na dumadaan sa mga unwanted surgeries. Ano ang kulang sa medical system natin ngayon at ano ang kahulugan ng “bodily autonomy” para sa inyo?

We are considered by the World Health Organization as disordered. Society has called us defects or abnormal. Kapag lumabas ‘yong baby na may ambiguous genitalia, sasabihin ng doktor, “Abnormal po ‘yong anak niyo.” As a parent, ayaw mo ng ganoon kaya “aayusin.” Pero [the surgeries are] considered torture by the United Nations Committee Against Torture, kasi wala pang self-determination ‘yong bata, hindi pa kayang magsalita para sa sarili. Traumatizing doon sa bata.

Hindi kami umaayon sa surgery unless may health risk talaga, kagaya ng hindi maka-ihi o makadumi. Kaya ‘yong bodily autonomy, ikaw ‘yong magde-decide kung anong gusto mo, kasi buhay mo ‘yan.

We educate parents din. Kailangan din nating i-guide ‘yong mga magulang, kasi ‘yon ‘yong wala noong panahon ko e.

Handa na ba ang mga Pilipino na pag-usapan ang mga bagay-bagay tungkol sa sex characteristics, gender, o bodily diversity?

Lalo na’t hindi sila handa, kailangan may gawin kami na paraan. Sa Congress, nabasa ko rin ang mga comment ng iba. “Ay kaya ginunaw ang mundo, dahil sa mga kagaya niyo.” Hindi nila naiintindihan na it’s biological — at iba ang identity.

Hindi pa sila handang pag-usapan ang intersex, pero kailan pa? Bilang kasama sa advocacy, ikaw ‘yong magsasabi na, “Kailan niyo pa kami matatanggap?” Kailangan ba nilang ma-experience para mas maintindihan nila? That’s why we keep on educating.