BORACAY Island—The Iloilo Pride Team (IPT), an alliance of LGBT community in Iloilo warns of a possible increase of sex workers all over the country because of the imminent closure of this resort island.
Irish Inoceto of the IPT said lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT) work in the entertainment and leisure industry in Boracay. Some of them are fire dancers, entertainers and massage therapists, among others.
“Before the closure was announced, a LGBT working in Boracay earns a minimum of P800 per night, she said. “When the Boracay closure was announced, [each] now earns [between] P250 to P400 [only] each night.”
According to Inoceto, “members of the LGBT also deserve help from the government.”
“Even [in] the profiling being conducted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, they only [ask] for ‘male’ or ‘female’ in the form and LGBT is not included,” she said.
Inoceto also planned to meet up with different LGBT community in the region to conduct dialogue in the pending Gender Identity and Expression Equality bill.