ICYDK: Guide to Care Services, Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community in UP
This Pride Month, we give you a list of available year-round services and resources for the LGBTQIA+ community in UP.
From the first time UP Babaylan members marched in the 1993 Lantern Parade to the present, UP has long provided a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Aware that UP students, staff, and faculty remain vulnerable to instances of discrimination, ostracism, harassment, and violence inside and outside the campus gates, including experiences of grappling with mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression, the university consistently exerts efforts to create a caring and safe space that promotes inclusion, diversity, and individual self-expression and protects the rights of all its stakeholders.
In celebration of Pride Month, we compiled a list of programs, services, and resources that UP offers for the LGBTQIA+ community as part of our public service mandate.
Mental Health Services
Feminist/Gender-Sensitive Peer Counseling and Psycho-Social Assistance
The UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies offers free feminist and gender-sensitive peer counseling and psychosocial support for women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
This service responds to the needs of women and LGBTQIA+ individuals who are seeking psychological first aid and peer counseling for problems arising from sexual assault and other forms of gender-based violence.
UP students, employees, alumni, and campus residents, including individuals referred from outside the university, may avail themselves of this service.
Schedule of availability: Tuesday and Thursday afternoons
To schedule an appointment, send an email to [email protected] or contact +63917-795-3274
For additional information, please visit the project’s webpage.
Gender-Based Counseling and Group Debriefing
The UP Diliman Gender Office (UPDGO) provides free gender-affirmative psychosocial counseling for survivors of all forms of gender-based violence, such as gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual assault, and group debriefing to those who need it.
To book an appointment, send an email to [email protected] or drop by the UPDGO located at Benton Hall.
For additional information, you may visit UPDGO’s Facebook Page.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Services
Sexual and Gender Minority Clinic
‼️ PSA ‼️
— riem dante, rnd 🌾 (study break) (@justdants) May 9, 2023
For consults regarding sexual health, especially medical & social transitioning, the clinic at OPD Rm 134 is open to new patients from 8AM to 2PM!
Please message any @otn_upmed mem or alum for questions or if in need of help in scheduling for a consult. 💜 https://t.co/Jx3QRwcM8q pic.twitter.com/DRxVcCWQG8
The UP-PGH Sexual and Gender Minority Clinic offers consultations for cisgender women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community; counseling for survivors of gender-based violence and harmful practices; management of morbidities related to the side effects of gender-affirming treatments; and psychosocial and mental health counseling and education relating to sexual health, the impact of physical disabilities and chronic illnesses on sexual health and well-being, sexual dysfunction, intimate relationship problems, safe and pleasurable sexual experiences, and sexual health for adolescents.
The Clinic is under the Division of Sexual Health of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
For consultations, visit the Clinic at Room 134 of the UP-PGH Outpatient Department (OPD) from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
HIV Testing Center
The UPLB University Health Service, through its DOH-accredited HIV testing clinic, offers free and confidential HIV testing and counseling for UPLB students, employees, and residents of neighboring communities. The clinic also gives away male condoms and lubricants.
The clinic also provides counseling to HIV-reactive (positive) patients and gives them a referral to the San Lazaro Hospital for HIV/AIDS treatment.
The UPLB Gender Center also provides HIV self-care kits (until supplies last).
Schedule of availability: Thursday, 1:00 to 5:00 PM
For consultations, set an appointment at the UHS Medical Records Section or register online.
Research and Training Services and Resources
Rainbow Research Hub
From journal articles to video archives, the Rainbow Research expanded the access of students, educators, and researchers to open educational resources for teaching and doing LGBTQIA+ research.
The project was co-developed by the UP School of Statistics, UP Diliman Office for the Advancement of Teaching, Psychological Association of the Philippines-LGBT Psychology Special Interest Group, and Babaylanes, Inc., and supported by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies.
For more information, visit their website or send an email to [email protected]
Gender Empowerment Resource and Learning Environment
The Gender Empowerment Resource and Learning Environment (GERLE) is the e-learning platform of the UP Manila Center for Gender and Women Studies. It provides access to courses on gender-related issues, from the most basic to the most advanced.
Currently up on their platform are the self-paced e-learning courses on “SOGIE: Implication to Healthcare Provision,” “Gender Sensitivity in the Philippine Context,” and “Gender Fair Language.”
The courses are given free to all UP Manila alumni, students, faculty, and staff.
For inquiries, send an email to [email protected]
For more information, you may visit their website.
Gender Sensitivity Training and Webinars
The UP Open University offers a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Gender Sensitivity. This self-paced training course introduces learners to basic gender sensitivity concepts and gender-related issues.
Visit UPOU’s Massive Open Distance eLearning (MODeL) website for updates on the availability of this course and explore other interesting courses, or reach out to [email protected]
Other gender offices of UP constituent universities also provide gender sensitivity training programs, workshops, and webinars that promote awareness and understanding of gender issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community.
These include the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, UP Baguio Kasarian Gender Studies Program, UP Cebu Gender and Development Office, UP Diliman Gender Office, UPLB Gender Center, UP Manila Center for Gender and Women Studies, UP Mindanao Office of Gender and Development, UPOU Office of Gender Concerns, UP Tacloban Gender and Development Program, and UP Visayas Gender and Development Program.
Gender-Focused Research Grant
The UPOU Office of Gender Concerns and the Research and Publication Committee provide grants for gender-focused research.
Send your proposal submissions to [email protected]
Resources and Reference Materials
Students and researchers can access free resources and reference materials for their gender-related studies from the websites of various gender offices of UP constituent universities. Here are some links you may visit:
UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies
UPLB Gender Center
- GAD Policies
- Gender Notes
- Aninag, a collection of UPLB Gender Center’s Research Abstracts
UPOU Office of Gender Concerns
Special Mention: Chat Helpline
Lunas Collective* offers a volunteer-run chat helpline to aid survivors of all forms of gender-based violence and those with sexual and reproductive health concerns.
You may reach the chat helpline from Mondays to Saturdays, from 1:00 to 7:00 PM, through Messenger.
For additional information on their services, visit the Lunas Collective’s website.
*For their work, Lunas Collective won the 2023 Gawad Tsanselor Para Sa Natatanging Programang Pang-Ekstensyon.
Featured Photo by UP Diliman Gender Office
Cover Design by Chu Quinto