The Case of Jennifer Laude: Looking Beyond the Crime

A few days ago, a gay friend of mine asked me to sign a petition to support the LGBT community, in light of the recent tragedy involving the murder of a transgender woman named Jennifer Laude. I declined, and he was quite surprised with my reaction. He started questioning where my sympathy lies and if i'm one of those who are very keen to have the GI Joe's in the country. 

Well, don’t get me wrong here. I think the military exercises are beneficial for us especially with the military threat from China looming in the horizon, though, I also think that the terms and provisions under this agreement should be revisited. In my opinion as well, it’s about time we become more open minded and stop discriminating the LGBT community. In fact, I've always been vocal about this issue. Their sexual preference doesn't make them any less of a human being. They are entitled to every single human right that a straight individual is entitled to. Perhaps, they may have some misguided actions but they should be judge based on those actions not on their sexual preference, just like everybody else.

My qualms here are more about the different organizations focusing on this tragic incident and using it to further each of their own causes, when this is just a small part of a bigger disease in our society. Justice must be handed out, not just for Jennifer Laude but for all the other past and future victims of such horrendous act. We must not just focus on sympathizing with her family and condemning her murderer alone, but more in preventing something like this to happen again and again. We should not just see this as a crime against the LGBT community but as a crime against all of us, after all, we belong in one country.

Before we throw our harsh judgment regarding her action for spending the night with the American while she’s actually in a relationship, let’s first try to understand her motivation for doing this. More than addressing the LGBT issue, the issue on prostitution should be looked at, thoroughly. After all, Jennifer already has a fiancée who accepted her for what she is. And she’s not alone in her plight in resorting to prostitution to earn a living.  While on the other hand, it’s rare to hear a male prostitute getting harassed or more so murdered, this is still a damning issue for our society. There are thousands of individuals in our country who can’t attend universities, let alone finished highschool and land a decent job to be able to support themselves and their family.

I don’t condone prostitution but I cannot fully blame anyone for choosing this path. I’m sure if they have better options they will not chose to make a living this way. Surely, we can do more than just to ask for justice or to petition for human rights. Surely, our government can do more than just revisit the terms of VFA. Instead of merely crying out for justice let’s look at the bigger picture. Let’s push for a better system and reforms for our country. At the least, we should acknowledge that all of us are entitled for some basic human rights, regardless of our status and sexual preferences.