Diasporic Queer and Trans Filipinos in Canada: Some Considerations for Anti-oppressive Mental Healthcare Practice

In this brief article, I highlight the significance of an anti-oppressive mental healthcare approach that considers the queer cultural script of diasporic queer and trans Filipinos in Canada. This means paying attention to the transnational realities, including the cultural script of queerness in the Philippines, when making sense of diasporic queer and trans Filipinos’ personal and social circumstances. I used the process of juxtaposition—putting side by side my personal experience as a trans Filipino woman with the existing literature on queer Filipinos in the diaspora and anti-oppressive approach in mental healthcare. Subsequently, considering the transnational subject position of diasporic queer and trans Filipinos would aid in the development of a genuine therapeutic alliance with this population.