WATCH | Janitress in LGBT Firestorm Speaks Up vs Gretchen Diez

The janitress who whipped up a storm in the local LGBT community broke her silence Monday, deploring intense cyber-bullying for refusing entry to a transgender woman at a Quezon City toilet for women.

Chayra Ganal, 25, said she had been allowing transwomen to use the female restroom on many occasions in the past.

But last Aug. 13, she said two women complained about transwoman Gretchen Diez’s presence in the toilet, prompting her to recommend the nearby male restroom.


One female complainant had just used the restroom while the other one was behind Diez in the queue.

“Quarter to 1 po may dalawang babae lumapit sa akin na nag-complain na may nakapilang LGBT sa CR (comfort room) ng mga babae…Nakita ko po si Ma’am Gretchen, in-approach ko po siya ng maayos, sabi ko po sa kanya, ‘Ma’am dito na po tayo sa CR ng lalaki.’ `Yung PWD (restroom for persons with disabilities) hindi ko na po sa kanya na-offer `yun dahil dami din pong nakapila. `Yung sa CR kasi po ng lalaki nakita ko du’n walang pila, walang tao,” Ganal told PressONE.PH in an exclusive interview.

Ganal said she thought there would be no problems because the male restroom had three available cubicles.


LIVE VIDEO

But Diez instead took out a mobile phone and started taking live videos, the janitress recounted, admitting she lost her temper soon.

“Imbis na po siya mag-CR du’n, kinuha niya po `yung cellphone niya, tinapat niya po sa mukha ko, sabi ko, ‘Ma’am bakit n’yo po ako kinukunan ng picture, baka mamaya po ipapatay mo na lang ako niyan,’ kasi nauuso naman talaga `yung ganon,” Ganal said.

“Sabi niya, ‘Hindi ito picture, ate, live ito, kaway ka, kaway ka, naka-live video ito, promise sisikat ka,’” she quoted Diez as saying.


When Diez refused to delete the video, Ganal said she brought the transwoman to the mall security office on the ground floor.

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At that point, Diez resisted and elbowed a pregnant janitress in the belly, Ganal said.

TOO MUCH STRESS

Diez continued her Facebook Live video broadcast despite requests by mall employees to stop, prompting security personnel to call Station 7 of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), Ganal said.


“Kasi nga daw po naka-live na at may 10 viewers na raw po na nakasubaybay sa kanya (She [Diez] said it was live and 10 viewers were watching already),” she said.

Out of frustration, Ganal admitted blocking Diez’s phone and telling her, “May uten ka pa rin tandaan mo `yan (You still have male genitals).”

“Inaamin ko po nasabi ko `yun sa sobrang stress (I admit that I said that, because of so much stress),” she said.

Ganal fainted at the police station, as shown in one of the videos uploaded on Facebook.


Ganal also clarified that Diez was handcuffed by the police, not by mall security, when she was brought to Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Libis for a checkup.

‘SHUT UP’

Back at the police station, Ganal said she was confronted by Diez’s supporters, including Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman.

“Wala kang karapatang saktan ang LGBT (You have no right to hurt LGBT),” the legislator, a transwoman, supposedly told the janitress.

When she tried to explain, Ganal said Roman told her to “shut up.”

Ganal said she and Diez agreed to settle amicably and not file cases against each other before barangay officials.


Her complaint for unjust vexation against Diez was dropped upon the mall’s instruction.

It was 3 a.m. by then, or 14 hours after the incident at the Farmers Plaza restroom.

“Wala nga pong bantay du’n sa anak ko nu’ng araw na `yon (There was no one watching over my child that day),” she said.

HACKED

Following the incident, which LGBT rights advocates are now using to push for the passage of an anti-discrimination bill, Ganal’s Facebook account was hacked, with trolls attacking even her family.


The hackers changed her password, removed her profile picture and put up three fake accounts with photos of her and her family, and began posting anti-LGBT messages.

“Gusto ko lang po linawin sa lahat na `yung mga post na po y’un `di po ako may gawa nu’n (I just want to clarify that I did not write those posts),” said Ganal. (PressONE.ph)

WATCH HER FULL INTERVIEW HERE: 



READ: Man Who Says He’s ‘Female’ Enters Women’s Bathroom, Sexually Assaults 10-Year-Old Girl

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This article first appeared on PressOnePH.