Nature of COLORS

• COLORS is an acronymic name for the Coalition for the Liberation of the Reassigned Sex.

• It is a non-profit organization• Also a transgender support, information

and advocacy group that aims to establishing a united, empowered, developed and sustainable transgender community in Cebu and work for the LGBT cause.

Vision

We envision a strong, united, and empowered transgender community working for a discrimination-free and equal society.

Mission

• To mold the transgender personality for its empowerment and self determination.

• To unite the transgender and establish them as one community.

• To aim for transgender community sustainability and development.

• To educate transgender health care and human rights.• To function as a support group to address transgender

concerns and issues.• To create a positive image of the transgender in building

the community’s pride.• To create mutual cooperation with other sectors of

society.• To advocate for the LGBT cause in general, transgender

cause in particular.

Membership

• Is open to all transgender in all walks of life from any place around the world.

• Membership fee is P100. - Members are obliged to contribute P50 per month.

The COLORS Member Oath

• I am TRANSGENDER• I am human regardless of physique,

sexual orientation, status, age, race, fashion, or profession.

• I am happy to consider all of these as my colors

• I am proud that I choose to be ME. A DISTINCT COLOR!

The COLORS Manifesto

- We are proud to manifest femininity over masculinity and complemented these characteristics in our body.

- We will not submit to any clinical findings from studies classifying our difference as an illness that provides the remedy of SRS as necessary to aligned our body with our souls.

- We respect personal choices of our transgender sisters as it shape each of their lives through their individual colorful experiences.

- We do not tolerate any form of discrimination specifically in regards to gender and sexuality throughout society.

- We are at one with the aspirations of the LGBT community in upholding human rights to achieve social equality.

- We are aware of the threat of STI’s and HIV/AIDS and working through for its prevention.

COLORS Transgender Core Development Programs

• My COLORS - a series of seminars/workshops in developing

the transgender personality, appreciation of its identity and to its attitude for self-determination.

• The COLORS Dignity - a series of seminars/workshops regarding

human rights and violations and addressing its issues in the transgender perspective.

• The COLORS of Health - a series of seminars/workshops where

transgender health concerns are being tackled with awareness of STI’s and HIV/AIDS prevention.

My COLORS

- a series of seminars/workshops in developing the transgender personality, appreciation of its identity and to its attitude for self-determination

• BEAUTY Workshop• Poise and Posture Workshop• Etiquette Workshop• Public Speaking Workshop• Gender and Sexuality Seminar• Pageant Workshop• Technical Skills and Talent Assessment

Workshop

The COLORS of Dignity

- a series of seminars/workshops/initiatives regarding human rights, its violations and addressing transgender issues and concern in lieu with existing Iaws (International,

National and Local)

• Know your Basic Human Rights Seminar• Seminar on Social Rights (Civil, Labor, etc)• Discrimination and HR Violations Documentation

Seminar• Legal Aid Desk • Gender Sensitive Policy Drive• Self-Defense Workshop

The COLORS of Health

- a series of seminars/workshops/initiative where transgender health care concerns are being tackled with awareness of STI’s and HIV/AIDS prevention

• All About Hormones Discussion (HRT Seminar)

• Total Feminization Surgeries Discussion

• SRS Support Discussion

• Skin and Hair Care Seminar

• STI and HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Seminar

• Transgender Health Care Initiative

The Making of the Community

Proposed Concepts and Ideas

Binabaeng Filipina

• A cultural term for a Filipina transgender.• Binabae – a term that includes a causative

prefix “bina” means in the manner of, and bae from the word “babae” meaning a woman/female/feminine. The word is used by the Visayan and Tagalog dialects but pronounced differently.

Mabulokong Pundok sa Binabaeng Sugbuana (BINABAE)

• the Visayan name that means the colorful community of Cebuana transgender .

• Binabae – a term that includes a causative prefix “bina” means in the manner of, and bae from the word “babae” meaning a woman/female/feminine. The word is used by the Visayan and Tagalog dialects but pronounced differently

- It is also use as the simple term that represents the transgender community of Cebu.

• COLORS aims for transgender community development and sustainability.

• COLORS will organize the transgender community through area chapters.

• COLORS will also assist the community towards its development.

BINABAE

Projects for the Mabulokong Pundok sa Binabaeng Sugbuana

The ‘Beautique’

- is a makeup and fashion studio establish through the community’s collective efforts (donations/fundraising) and utilize the transgender labor (makeup/dressmaking/styling etc). This is an income-generating body to sustain community needs.

• SOON

Binabaeng Sugbuana Cooperative

• Community members can loan during emergencies

• SOON

Binabae Youth

- Support group that attends to the transgender youth transitional issues and concerns in their gender puberty stage.

• SOON

Balay Binabae

• A free zone where transgender can comfortably enjoy the goodness of having a home.

• SOON

The COLORS of Compassion

- the charity wing of the group• Outreach programs for Children and the

Elderly (SOON)• Education initiatives

COLORS Productions

- Using the transgender labour in productions such as

• Beauty Pageant• Talent Shows• ETC

The Crayon Awards

- award-giving body recognizing the colorful (individual/group) efforts that has given the community prestige and recognition in the social stage and to those who are brave to brought up the transgender issues in media.

• Transgender Achievement in Film (The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela)

• Award of Recognition for Social Relevance (Queen of Cebu, a CLOTHESFORLIFE production)

November-December Activities• Nov. 7 – COLORS Officers meeting• Nov.12 - Rainbow Rights Forum• Nov.13 - COLORS Members Registration and Orientation• Nov. 15 – Strategic Information & Community Leadership among MSM• Nov. 16 – Partnership Meeting with TLF and Cebu City LGU • Nov. 19 – Caroling Rehearsals• Nov. 20 – STI and HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention Seminar• Dec. 1 – World AIDS Day Walk - Beauty Pageant• Dec 3-4 – Caroling Rehearsals• Dec. 9 – Adrinaya’s Bday/Christmas Caroling Rehearsals• Dec. 10 – International Human Rights Day/Anja Gono’s bday celebration• Dec. 11 - Repos Agib Trans-in-uniform party/Caroling Rehearsals• Dec 13- 23 – Christmas Caroling• Dec. 21 – Jessie Glova’s Christmas Party• Dec. 29 –Outreach Program for the Poor Children’s Christmas Party• Dec.30 – Ramfel Huggin’s Island Hopping Christmas Party• Dec. 31 – Christmas Party @ Janjan Janjalani’s New Year’s Eve Celebration

Terminological References

Community Development

• Community development (CD) is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities.

• Community development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by providing these groups with the skills they need to affect change in their own communities. These skills are often concentrated around building political power through the formation of large social groups working for a common agenda. Community developers must understand both how to work with individuals and how to affect communities' positions within the context of larger social institutions.

• "Community development is a structured intervention that gives communities greater control over the conditions that affect their lives.  This does not solve all the problems faced by a local community, but it does build up confidence to tackle such problems as effectively as any local action can.  Community development works at the level of local groups and organisations rather than with individuals or families.  The range of local groups and organisations representing communities at local level constitutes the community sector.

• "Community development is a skilled process and part of its approach is the belief that communities cannot be helped unless they themselves agree to this process.  Community development has to look both ways: not only at how the community is working at the grass roots, but also at how responsive key institutions are to the needs of local communities".

Sustainable communities

• Sustainable communities are communities planned, built, or modified to promote sustainable living.