Highlighting the importance of creative safe spaces for queer people across industries, including entertainment and creative landscape, Miss Mela Hajiban shared her journey as a trans woman trying to reconcile her dreams and the discrimination she met again and again in the entertainment industry.
Mela took us back to her experiences in the early 2000s when she did not know the term trans: “Though masculine presenting, I knew in my heart, I was a queen.” However, it was also then that she faced so much rejection and prejudice that hindered her from her various goals in life. It went to show how difficult it was to dream when you are queer. “Whenever you wish something for your life, people would say ‘Hanggang d’yan ka lang.’”
Eventually, though, through hearing “Reflection” from Mulan, she found the courage to transition. “Six years ago, I took that leap of faith so I can be free,” she recalled.
For Mela, it was through living out her authentic self that she found the opportunities she once dismissed as impossible dreams. As an out and proud trans icon in entertainment, she won the Miss Trans Global 2020 crown, continues to book countless hosting gigs including the Philippines’ first-ever queer dating show Sparks Camp, and achieved her ultimate dream ever since watching the brand’s iconic commercial in the mid-2000s – becoming a Pantene girl. And that’s just the beginning.
However, the opportunities she found since coming out were not just her individual dreams. Rather, she also became a leader in fighting for gender-affirming policies in the country. She has spent the last few years speaking at pride events, appealing to authoritative institutions for proper treatment of queer people, and raising awareness for trans rights. Through her advocacy, the needs of trans people — particularly trans youth — are given a bigger platform and many kids can go to school, graduate, and work on achieving their dreams without being forced to present as someone they are not.
“[Transitioning] allowed me to find the voice that I needed so I can stand for my community,” Mela said. “I want to be visible. I want to represent. So, when the spotlight is given to me, I will share it with people like me” ... See more