Hinangaan at pinalakpakan ng Eat Bulaga! hosts ang husay sa pagsasalita ni Al-Frazil Al-Alawi, a.k.a. Barbie Alawi, sa "Bawal Judgmental" portion nitong March 8, 2023.
Si Barbie—na naging kandidata sa 2023 Miss International Queen Philippines—ay isang proud transgender woman o trans woman.
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Kapag wala siya sa pageant stage, abala si Barbie sa kanyang propesyon.
“Isa pa akong doktora,” pagpapakilala ni Barbie, na taga-Zamboanga City.
“I am a licensed physician. I finished my medicine school at University of Visayas Gullas College of Medicine in Cebu City.
“I passed the licensure exam nung 2019, and I have been working as a doctor since then at Zamboanga City.”
Doktor din siya sa iba pang lugar sa Mindanao, tulad ng Dipolog at Basilan.
Sabi niya, “For now po, I’m a general practitioner, but, at the same time, I’m also an aesthetic medicine doctor.”
Plano raw ni Barbie na kumuha ng specialization. Pinagpipilian pa kung cosmetic surgery o internal medicine.
WHY BARBIE STRIVED TO BE A DOCTOR
Sa kanyang Facebook wall, naka-post ang introduction video ni Barbie para sa Miss International Queen Philippines—national pageant for trans women.
Bata pa lamang daw siya ay alam niyang trapped siya sa katawan ng isang lalaki.
Ipinaliwanag niya rito kung bakit nagpursige siyang pasukin ang medical field.
Katulad ng iba pang kuwento ng kapwa niyang members na LGBT community, sinimulan ni Barbie ang kanyang transition to trans woman nang walang professional help dahil sa limitasyon ng resources noon.
Nag-resort siya sa over-the-counter medication.
“At a very young age, I started my transition without any guidance from a medical practitioner or a doctor, who specializes in gender health.
“With the little money I had before, I bought over-the-counter contraceptive bills without knowing the possible complications I might have.”
Ngayong doktor na siya, nais niyang magbigay ng “easy access to medical and transition without prejudice,” bagay na hindi niya nakuha noon.
Sabi niya, “Now that I’m a doctor, I promise myself that I will help the trans community with their transition process.
“Gender transition is a very private, personal, and individualized process,” sabi niya sa video.
BARBIE’S ADVOCACY FOR the TRANS WOMEN COMMUNITY
Ipinahayag din ni Barbie ang kanyang adbokasiya sa "Bawal Judgmental."
Gusto niyang isulong na magkaroon ng pantay na karapatan ang kanyang komunidad katulad ng mga ordinaryong tao.
Aniya, “We may be transgender, we may be different, but we can also achieve what you guys are able to achieve.
“We have doctors, lawyers, teachers who are transgender women, and I think that it's really high time for everybody to recognize our capabilities as human beings and how we could be of service to other people.
“Marami kaming kayang gawin, matatalino, madiskarte sa buhay. So that if we are given the equal amount of rights and privileges, I do think that we could also be successful professionals, like myself.”
Hindi rin daw bago para kay Barbie ang mga kuwento ng diskriminasyon na kanya ring naranasan noong estudyante siya.
Detalye niya, “Kasi nga in our country, hindi kami pinapayagan mag-aral based on our gender identity.
“May mga schools pa rin na pinagbabawalan kaming manamit ng pambabae o magpahaba ng buhok, like I experienced [before].
“I was asked to wear male uniforms, and cut my hair short, and that is very unhealthy for me and for any transgender individual.
Malawak ang pangarap ni Barbie, “So pangarap ko po, aside sa pagiging doktora, which I am now, sana dumating yung araw na lahat tayo or yung mga bata from the transgender community ay makapag-aral with freedom.
"And puwedeng i-present yung authentic self nila and gender identity, yung hindi natatakot.”
Alam niya na maraming kabataan ang humihinto sa pag-aaral, at isinusuko ang kanilang pangarap.
Sabi niya, “At the end of the day, no, our gender has really nothing to do with our knowledge, skills, and performance in school, and to become successful professionals someday.”
SECOND RUNNER-UP
Si Barbie ay kinoronahang second runner-up sa Miss International Queen Philippines 2023 pageant na ginanap nitong gabi ng Sabado, March 11, 2023.
First runner-up naman si Michelle Bermudez ng Caloocan City at hinirang na Miss International Queen Philippines winner 2023 si Lars Pacheco, na runner-up rin noon sa Miss Q and A ang It's Showtime.
Si Barbie ay magiging kandidata ng Pilipinas sa international pageant for trans women na Miss Mardi Gras International Queen 2023 sa Sydney, Australia habang si Michelle ay sa Miss Trans Star International sa Spain.
Si Lars ang magiging kinatawan ng Pilipinas sa Miss International Queen 2023 sa Thailand.