“Because i am empowered, i was able to navigate and find community that was safe for me as a Filipino person, but at the same time, i did not have a Filipino community that also embraced my radical gender politics. I found Filipino spaces in Toronto still very heteronormative. And i find myself displaced and isolated wherever i turn – in queer spaces, i found many amazing people of colour, but there were very few Filipino people; in Filipino spaces, i did not find a lot of queer and trans visibility and explicit inclusion, and i find this problematic. And so, as i sit with all these reflections and understanding my needs for liberation and validation, i am achingly longing for a space that embraced both my queerness and filipinoness.”
Charm Torres is a queer immigrant filipina and a Registered Nurse practicing LGBTTQQI2SA Primary Care. Her nursing care is founded and guided by philosophies of anti-oppression, pro-choice philosphies, social justice and feminism. She has been doing anti-oppression focused nursing and activism during her whole 10 years in Canada. She has remained committed in practicing and continuing her nursing work in the community as opposed to mainstream hospital care systems. She was previously a Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Nurse Examiner and a Sexual and Reproductive Health Counsellor. (via Queer, Femme, and Filipina: Charm Torres | SAGE | the blog)
h/t etiquette-etc
