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Sass Rogando Sasot

Since 2001, as she was about to turn 19, Sass has dedicated herself to the LGBT Rights movement in the Philippines, most specifically to issues of gender identity and freedom of gender expression. James Green, an international transgender rights activist, served as her mentor via email. She started giving discussions on transgender rights and issues in Luneta Park in Manila. In December 2002, she co-founded the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP). In 2003 & 2004, together with Drs Sam Winter and Mark King of the University of Hong Kong, she did the first comprehensive study on transgender women in the Philippines. The study has been published in the International Journal of Transgenderism. In 2009, she was one of the LGBT activists invited to speak in a historic United Nations General Assembly side-event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. In 2013, she received the ECHO Award, given annually to excellent and promising migrant students in the Netherlands. In 2014, she received the Harry Benjamin Distinguished Education and Advocacy Award from the World Profession Association for Transgender Health. A nomadic spirit, Sass loves to write, walk, read, cycle, and cook. Together with the love of her life, Sass is currently based in The Hague, The Netherlands. She graduated with a Combined major in World Politics & Global Justice, minor in International Development (Magna cum Laude) at Leiden University College, which bestowed her the 2014 Global Citizenship Award. She is a contributing writer on TG issues for the mag, through The Activist. Sass.Rogando.Sasot@outragemag.com

Stories By Sass Rogando Sasot

Op-Ed3 months ago

Simple but effective tips on how you can better protect trans women

Given that our lives are considered less than a lot of people, it's easy for trans women to become victims of violence and for the perpetrator...
Op-Ed5 years ago

Confused about Angelina Mead King?

Sass Rogando Sasot: "In a nutshell, Angelina Mead King is gay if what you mean by gay is a woman who is erotically/romantically attracted to another...
Op-Ed5 years ago

The dirty job that makes democracy work

Sass Rogando Sasot: "The idealists are afraid of Duterte. But we realist political philosophers know this very well: Order is a dirty business; and without order,...
Op-Ed5 years ago

An open letter to Manny Pacquiao: Let’s defend every word of the Bible!

Sass Rolando Sasot first wrote this during Miriam Quiambao's "lie of the devil" statement in 2012. It's an adaptation of the "Dear Dr. Laura Schlesinger" letter....
Op-Ed5 years ago

In defense of honesty

Sass Rogando Sasot writes about the sexual ethics dimension of the Laude-Pemberton tragedy. “Your life is far more precious than the thrill, the excitement, and the...
Op-Ed6 years ago

The cause is bigger than our egos…

Sass Rogando Sasot recalls the time when the anti-discrimination bill was unanimously passed in the Philippine House of Representative in less than 30 minutes. She now...
Op-Ed6 years ago

On democracy, citizenship, difference, and the advocacy of connivance

Sass Rogando Sasot responds to Atty. Bruce Rivera’s well-circulated contrarian take on the Valkyrie fracas. In an essay, Sasot presents four interrelated critiques of Rivera’s essay:...
Op-Ed6 years ago

Learning from the Teduray people: Valuing self-determination

Sass Rogando Sasot writes about “learning to ground my advocacy in the vocabulary rooted in the culture of our people.” As such, “I am mentefuwaley libun....
Op-Ed6 years ago

A Triumph of Secularism: The Leus Test

Sass Rogando Sasot writes about the Leus Test, named after Cheryll Santos Leus who was fired by her employer upon learning of her pregnancy out of...