Naomi Fontanos
Filipina LGBTQ+ activist Naomi Fontanos pushes towards systemic change every day in the Philippines — a country currently led by authoritarian president Rodrigo Duterte. And while she’s looking to create major systemic change, Fontanos’ work proves that she knows it can’t and won’t be successful if it’s not an inclusive movement. “As they promote and endorse sexism, misogyny, racism, xenophobia, ableism, religious fundamentalism, militarism, capitalism, classism, [and] elitism and work to roll back hard-won human rights, we are called to harness the power of collective struggle and resist,” says Fontanos. “Our resistance must be informed by a feminism that is decolonized, intersectional, and trans inclusive in order to effectively challenge and dismantle patriarchy and heteronormativity.” As co-founder and current Executive Director of Gender and Development Advocates (GANDA) Filipinas, a “transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and queer (TLGBIQ)” human rights organization, Fontanos focuses on the issues and needs of the Philippines’ transgender community. In 2015, Fontanos joined the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States State Department on Preventing and Responding to Bias-Motivated Violence Against the LGBT Community, making her the first trans Filipina to be a fellow in the program. Previously, Fontanos was also named the first trans co-coordinator of Task Pride Force (TFP) Philippines, the official group behind the annual Metro Manila Pride March, in 2008. For Fontanos, though, it’s not about setting records or being the “first;” it’s about advocating for the queer community and influencing policy that makes their lives better, not worse. And even now, with the “rise of strongmen all around the world” who pedal a “rhetoric of hatred and fear,” Fontanos knows progress still needs to be made — and she’s happy to lead the charge. —GP
