Sass Rogando Sasot is a remarkable transpinay whose voice has long resonated across activism, academia, and international dialogue. Known for her steadfast commitment to dignity and visibility for trans people, Sass has spent years reflecting on what it means to live authentically while engaging with some of the most complex questions of humanity. Her journey has taken her from co-founding one of the first transgender advocacy groups in the Philippines to standing in the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations, where she delivered a deeply moving speech that echoed far beyond the room. With a passion for international relations and diplomacy, she is now pursuing the path of becoming both a scholar and a practitioner, intent on ensuring that trans people are not only part of political conversations but present within the very institutions shaping the world. It is an honor to speak with her today.
Sass’s story is one of perseverance shaped by intellect, courage, and an unwavering belief in the power of possibility. Her academic achievements, including graduating magna cum laude from Leiden University, reflect the same dedication she brings to her advocacy and public work. Whether she is navigating the challenges of funding her postgraduate studies or engaging in thoughtful conversations about law, equality, and identity, she approaches each step with a sense of purpose that is both inspiring and deeply grounded. In her reflections on activism, representation, and the lived realities of transpinays, she reminds us that visibility carries meaning only when it is paired with dignity, opportunity, and genuine inclusion. Speaking with her offers not just insight into trans politics but also a glimpse into the heart and mind of someone committed to transforming the spaces she enters.
Monika: Today it is my pleasure and honor to speak with Sass Rogando Sasot, a transpinay, which means a Filipina trans woman of Philippine descent, who has long championed the dignity of trans people. She is devoted to becoming an international relations scholar and a future practitioner of diplomacy, and she hopes to strengthen the visibility of trans communities within global politics. Hello Sass!
Sass: Hello, Monika! Thank you for having me here!
Monika: To begin our conversation, could you share a few words about yourself?
Sass: I am a passionate, reflective, dedicated, and determined person. I love to read, write, and reflect on what makes us human, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the divine. I am always a work in progress. This has meant different things in different stages of my life. Right now, I’m on my way to becoming an international relations scholar, who has an affinity with classical realism, and a future practitioner of diplomacy, who wants to become involved in the field of conflict resolution and transformation. In the process, I would like to help improve the visibility of trans people in international politics.
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| Receiving the 2014 Global Citizenship Award from Leiden University College. |
Monika: You are currently running a GoFundMe campaign for your studies. Could you tell me what motivated you to start it?
Sass: It is my campaign to raise funds for my postgraduate studies. I was inspired by Oxford University students who have successfully utilized this platform to pay for their master’s.
Monika: Could you share a bit about your academic background and the program you were accepted into?
Sass: In 2014, I graduated magna cum laude with a Combined Major in World Politics and Global Justice, with a minor in International Development at the International Honors College of Leiden University, the oldest and most renowned university here in the Netherlands. This year, I was accepted into a selective two-year MSc Programme in International Relations and Diplomacy, also at Leiden University. Unfortunately, the university allotted only one scholarship grant to this program. Eighty-nine of us applied, and I am one of the unlucky eighty-eight. I cannot afford the tuition fee myself, which is why I am reaching out to the world.
Monika: What challenges have you faced when searching for scholarships or work options to support your studies?
Sass: Other scholarship grants either do not include my program, have an age limit, since I am turning thirty-three this year, have a nationality requirement that excludes the Philippines, or all of the above. After finishing my bachelor’s degree, I immediately looked for a job, but the work permit I have is only valid for one year. They call it the orientation year visa, which international students can get after graduating. I have been contacted by job hunters who were impressed by my CV, but they were disappointed to learn that I can only work for a year, since most employers here prefer someone who has a work permit valid for three years. There is also a rule in the EU that for some jobs, EU citizens or their equivalent have priority over foreigners. Right now, I am doing an internship and a part-time job that pays enough for my everyday needs.
Monika: Some people might suggest pursuing your master’s degree elsewhere. Why is The Hague your preferred location?
Sass: Some may advise me to do this master’s somewhere else, but I would prefer to study here in The Hague, where this program is mostly taught. There are three major centers of global diplomacy: New York, Geneva, and The Hague. Just like New York and Geneva, studying in The Hague means being exposed to how diplomacy works in practice. Among these three cities, it is also cheaper to live and study in The Hague.
Monika: Where can people learn more about your campaign and your goals?
Sass: Those who would like to read more about my campaign, my story, motivation, and achievements can visit gofundme.com/tsdiplomat.
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| During the 2007 Manila Pride March. |
Monika: As someone who helped establish STRAP, the first transgender support and advocacy organization in the Philippines, how would you describe the current situation of transgender women in Filipino society?
Sass: There are different ways to approach this question. From a legal angle, transpinays, whether they have or have not gone through SRS, have no recognized right to change their legal sex. The 2007 Supreme Court decision on Mely Silverio’s case is to be blamed for this state of affairs. Prior to this decision, post-op transpinays had successfully changed their legal sex through court decisions. If my memory serves me right, there were five transpinays who were able to do so. Four of these women had the same lawyer. I was able to talk to this lawyer sometime in 2004 or 2006 because a friend of mine sought his service. One of these women, Esperanza, even married in a civil ceremony in the Philippines. Her case became controversial in the US during an immigration proceeding in Nebraska in 2004.
Monika: Could you explain how later legal developments affected this situation?
Sass: In September 2008, there came another gender identity-related Supreme Court decision, the Jeffrey Cagandahan case. It involved an intersex person who wanted to change his legal sex from female to male. The decision practically said that Jeffrey is the one who has to live with his intersex anatomy. To him belongs the human right to the pursuit of happiness and of health, and thus to him should belong the primordial choice of what courses of action to take along the path of his sexual development and maturation. It seems that this case overturned the Silverio decision.
Monika: Given these contrasting rulings, what do you think is possible for trans people seeking legal recognition today?
Sass: I believe that it would only take a creative, knowledgeable, and passionate lawyer to see how the Cagandahan case can be used to allow trans people in the Philippines to change their legal sex. I highly recommend reading the blog articles of Naomi Fontanos regarding these cases. Naomi provided a concise comparative analysis of the two cases in Part 1 and Part 2.
Monika: When you look at the legal landscape in the Philippines, what protections do you think are still needed to genuinely safeguard the transgender community?
Sass: Besides the absence of a gender recognition law, there is also no national anti-discrimination law in the Philippines that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression. There are several local and city-level anti-discrimination laws, but whether or not they are effective is another matter. I still have to hear a case testing the teeth of these laws. Despite these legal shortcomings, transpinays are very socially visible. You can see them everywhere. There is a strong and established pageant culture. Geena Rocero shared her fond and fabulous memories of this scene during her powerful TED Talk in 2014.
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| Sass at the UN session (YouTube). |
Monika: Some people assume that visibility alone signals acceptance. How do you respond to that idea?
Sass: A French journalist writing for Paris Match once asked me whether transgender activism in the Philippines has any meaning at all, given our social visibility. He said that unlike in his country and other Western countries, he could see us everywhere in the Philippines. He insisted that this visibility must be a sign that we are accepted. I told him that equating visibility with acceptance is dangerous and lazy.
Monika: How do you explain the difference between being visible and being genuinely accepted?
Sass: During the time of slavery, Black people were very visible because it was routine to have Black slaves. Yes, they were accepted in society, but accepted as slaves. Any claim that people are accepted should always be followed by a clarifying question that gives acceptance a substantive meaning: accepted as what? So if you say we are accepted everywhere because we are visible everywhere, you must ask yourself: accepted everywhere as what? Visible as what? To be seen and heard everywhere does not always mean that you are seen and heard as an equal.
Monika: Given the social visibility of transpinays in the Philippines, what does this visibility actually reveal about their place in society?
Monika: Given the social visibility of transpinays in the Philippines, what does this visibility actually reveal about their place in society?
Sass: I propose this. What is revealed by this social visibility is not social equality per se. What is present and visible is the courage of transpinays to disclose and expose who they are to the eyes of the public. You see a lot of us because a lot of us are courageous. It is not very rare to see a transpinay who does not possess the spirit of a fighter and the delicate strength of a butterfly’s wings. After all, our ancestors, the asog and bayoguin, were warriors, healers, spiritual leaders, teachers, and visionaries.
Monika: How is this courage expressed in contemporary trans activism in the Philippines?
Sass: This courage runs through our blood until now and is now being exuded by transpinays whose political subjectivity has awakened. This is the courage being radiated by amazing transpinay advocates such as Dindi Tan, Kate Montecarlo Cordova, Rica Paras, Mikee Inton, Brenda Alegre, Magdalena Robinson, Disney Aguila, Bemz Benedito, Santy Layno, Shane Marie Madrigal, Hender Gercio, Brigitte Salvatore, Dawn Madrona, Charlese Saballe, and many more whose names have escaped my fragile memory. These women are taking Philippine trans activism to an entirely different level. Transpinays are working hard to forge a brighter and more inspiring future for their younger sisters.
Monika: Does this courage face challenges or threats despite the progress in activism?
Sass: Yet this courage is now being undermined by reports of brutal murders of transpinays in my country. We are only hearing about the reported cases, which may just be the tip of the iceberg. Earlier, it seemed we lived in the Philippines under a veil of ignorance about the violence committed against us. These violent stories seemed to occur more in the West. But now, because of social media, we hear more often about these incidents within our own context. I have a friend who was murdered last year in her own home in the Philippines. She was stabbed several times, and to this day her case has not been resolved. High-profile cases like the Jennifer Laude case put a spotlight on the violence against transpinays, and suddenly the fear becomes palpable.
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| During a talk with the students of the University of the Philippines. |
Monika: Your activism took you to the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where you delivered a speech on the rights of transgender people. What was that experience like?
Sass: It was one of the most frightening and emotional moments of my life. I arrived in New York without any speech. I couldn’t sleep the night before the event. A friend of mine told me to just say what was important. I finished writing my speech an hour before the panel session, and then I spoke. The next thing I knew, tears were rolling down my cheeks and my body was shaking. I spoke what I felt was important: to say that we, like them, are only seeking to live our lives with authenticity. My goal was to connect on a primordial level rather than a policy level. I hope I was able to do that.
Monika: How did that moment influence your perspective on the role of trans people in international institutions?
Sass: That moment was also one of the turning points of my life. When I looked at the diplomats, it dawned on me that they only interact with a trans person as a resource speaker rather than as one of their peers. This distance between us and them is something that has to be changed, I thought. We have to be inside these institutions rather than outside them. Diversity must not be something that these institutions talk about but something they experience inside rather than outside. Of course, we shouldn’t just be token trans people; we must also be competent. We must be able to fulfill the duties demanded in these institutions of influence and responsibility.
Monika: Could you share how you came to understand and embrace your gender identity?
Sass: I don’t really consider my experience as “transitioning.” I didn’t transition from being a man to a woman but have grown from being a baby into a girl and then into a woman. I didn’t change; I unfolded. My friend Dee Mendoza, one of the co-founders of STRAP, captured this in her interview with Metro Magazine’s 2010 International Women’s Month edition: “There was no transformation, there was just an affirmation. A declaration to myself and to the world that my gender is female and that I am a woman.”
END OF PART 1
© 2015 - Monika Kowalska
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