

Before there was Jennifer Laude
I was Jennifer Laude but, as luck would have it, my life didn't meet a tragic end. When news broke out about the murder of the Filipino transgender woman in Olongapo City allegedly committed by a US Marine, I was reminded of a similar incident that happened to me 15 years ago. Like Jennifer, I was young and on the throes of discovering who I was. In 1999, I was a victim of violence, which I knew even then was triggered by the fact that I was transgender. Just like Jennifer. T