GENDER ISSUES AMONG TRANSGENDERS AS PERCEIVED BY SELECTED RESIDENTS OF LUCENA CITY

The study focused on the gender issues among transgenders in the Philippines as perceived by selected residents of Lucena City. Specifically, the study sought to determine the respondents' level of awareness on gender issues among transgenders, and their level of acceptance toward trans people. Additionally, this research looked into the factors that affected the level of acceptance of the respondents toward transgenders, and lastly the challenges encountered by transgenders with the existing laws in the country. This research used the descriptive-quantitative as its research design and the respondents were chosen using a stratified random sampling technique. Weighted Mean was utilized to analyze the data. The research reveals that the respondents level of awareness toward the gender issues experienced by transgenders is at very high awareness. Moreover, the respondents have a very high acceptance of trans people too. Furthermore, the factors affecting the level of acceptance of the respondents toward transgenders are political and personal factors. Lastly, the perceived challenges faced by transgenders with the existing laws in the Philippines are categorized under political and cultural factors. Specifically, about transgenders being often a victim of physical and sexual assault, and how they often experience misgendering since other people still view them as gay or lesbian.