This Pride Month, Kapuso news anchor Nelson Canlas spoke with Doc Vinn Pagtakhan, the executive director and founder of LoveYourself and an HIV awareness advocate, for an episode of "Updated with Nelson Canlas." LoveYourself is a non-government organization that offers free HIV testing, counseling, peer education, and referral for treatment through community clinics nationwide. In the interview, Nelson and Doc Vinn talked about the issues concerning the LGBTQIA+ community, such as the rising cases of new HIV infections in the Philippines, the SOGIE Bill, and access to health care, among others.
Doc Vinn, a registered nurse, a medical doctor, and a degree holder of a Doctor of Philosophy in Education, also tackled the challenges that transgender Filipinos experience, such as the absence of transgender-specific health care in the Philippines. "One of the challenges namin sa trans community is that walang trans-specific health care dito sa Pilipinas..
." he said. "So, one of the biggest challenges is that they do self medications.
Kasi pag pumunta ka sa mga shopping pages at tsaka even sa TikTok ay talagang available naman talaga 'yung mga hormones. Kaya lang ang problema is that they do take hormones before or [without] even getting consultation." He clarified that buying hormones is a gray area and that what he is advocating for is for transgender Filipinos to undergo medical consultation first before undergoing hormone therapy.
"Ang problema minsan inom sila nang inom o turok .
