By Xander Lauren Cipriano
The University Student Government (USG) revealed that the Sports Development Office (SDO) said the team captain of the players involved in the cross-dressing incident will not release a public apology because harm was not intended for the LGBTQ+ community.
In an interview with Vice President Jean Erwin Locsin, USG insisted to the Sports Development Office (SDO) that the captain of the Athletics Team must issue a public apology regarding the said issue.
“After ng meeting [namin noong December 6], constantly kami nag-fa-follow-up kay SDO about dun sa request ng public apology. By December 13, nagbigay sila ng decision na hindi raw po sila mag-re-release ng public apology for the reason na hindi naman daw talaga nila intent ma-offend ang queer community sa DLSU-D”
Locsin clarified that the team captain denied SDO’s request to release an apology and the said office supported and finalized such a decision.
Green FM has reached out to the SDO but has yet to receive a response.
The said incident started on December 2 when a photo of the cross-dressing performance of the Athletics Team was posted on social media.
This prompted many, especially the student body and organizations within and outside the University, to express their discomfort and calls for reform in the student policies in terms of inclusivity enforced within the University.
In a statement released by the USG, they condemned the use of cross-dressing as a form of comedic act, pointing out that “we have queer persons who are struggling and being oppressed and repressed in wearing clothes not aligned to the sex assigned at birth.”
Meanwhile, LAYA, the official LGBTQ+ organization at the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute, amplified the call for safe spaces within the Lasallian communities and the passing of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality Bill into law.
The University administration also released a statement stressing that they are “taking steps to ensure everyone stays faithful to our Lasallian values.”
