Island Garden City of Samal or IGACOS is the most famous resort island in the Davao Region because of its pristine, white-sand beaches.
As summer is here, a few tourists and islanders can explore and relax at these island resorts. One of the most well-loved beach resorts on the island is the Isla Reta Beach Resort.
A few days ago, on May 10th, Shannon Remotigue Gonzaga wrote through a Facebook post recounting the incident to which she claims a clear case of discrimination towards her while she was at the Isla Resort Beach Resort previously on May 8th, Saturday.
Gonzaga classifies herself as a transgender woman and shared that the fateful incident occurred while she was to rinse off inside the female restroom. Allegedly, a female staff of the said resort stopped her from entering the bathroom and told her that she could not be allowed as she was gay.
Gonzaga extended the effort to explain herself, stating she does not feel comfortable using the men’s restroom, as her figure is of a woman, and men might wonder why she would enter the area.
“Dili ko gay, trans ko.”
(I’m not gay, I’m a transwoman.)
Gonzaga further elucidated that she took hormones since she was 18 and explained that she’d use the shower and nothing more.
Shout out diay ko Isla Reta Beach Resort (Official) kung gi unsa ko ninyo pag discriminate ug taman sa inyuhang staff…
Posted by Shannon Remotigue Gonzaga on Sunday, 9 May 2021
As a result, the staff demanded proof that Gonzaga did have gender reassignment. She made it a point to raise the issue to the upper management. She then stated that she is not complaining about being stopped from utilizing the bathroom, but the employees handled the situation that humiliated her.
The law states that the resort may face a warning or possible sanctions because of its poor customer service and handling of its tourists. IGACOS Councilor Gie-arr Requina Valdez reassures that the complaints shall be raised to the City Council tourism committee.
Last week isa sa akong mga privilege speech kay about sa poor handling of customer service sa usa ka resort nga nagviral…
Posted by Gie-arr Requina Valdez on Monday, 10 May 2021
The resort has yet to reply on the issue.