Rappler Talk: Why Jennifer Laude’s killing is a hate crime against Filipinos

In the rage sparked by President Rodrigo Duterte’s pardoning American soldier Scott Pemberton, the convicted killer of transgender Filipina Jennifer Laude, an oft-forgotten fact is how the killing was a hate crime.

A hate crime is a criminal conduct against another person because of the social or racial group they believe in. In the case of Laude, she was killed because of her being a transgender woman.

Pemberton killed Laude in October 2014 in a motel by choking her and leaving her slumped over the bathroom toilet with her head submerged. The autopsy ruled that she died of asphyxiation. (READ: TIMELINE: The killing of Jennifer Laude and release of Joseph Scott Pemberton)

Even years after her death, there are still those who believe that Jennifer Laude brought the crime upon herself for being a transgender and not disclosing it to Pemberton sooner.

In this argument, Laude is blamed for her demise.

In this Rappler Talk, Rappler’s Rambo Talabong speaks with University of the Philippines – Diliman Assistant Professor of Sociology John Andrew “Andoy” Evangelista to discuss how the victim-blaming mentality is transphobic, and how it also undermines the rights of all Filipinos.

Watch the interview on Rappler. – Rappler.com