Her cropped hair
Her baggy pants
Her lack of lipstick
For you
Screamed incompetence
“She’s applying to be this – and that –
To be this – and that – ”
Therefore, she should dress like this
Look like this
Be like this
Never mind if she was
Industrious and diligent
To the bone
Never mind if she works twice as hard
As anyone else
Never mind.
She has no lipstick, no earrings, she’s not in a dress
She cannot apply here.
She cannot join us.
In Manila, some doors are shut
Some jobs are not given
Because a woman – a lesbian –
Had cropped hair
And had baggy pants
We want weddings, of course
We celebrate them
But let us work first.
In the Philippines, aside from the desire for legal I do’s
Are battles for rights
Far,
Far
Far
More basic than others
Cover image by Linh Nguyen on Unsplash
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