MANILA- "Pang-parlor lang 'yan, pang-comedy bar lang."

These are some of the stereotypes that gays and members of the trans community usually encounter as lamented by transgender woman, Gretchen Custodio Diez.

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Diez, who gained prominence after getting detained by police in Quezon City when she figured in a scuffle with a mall personnel for using the female comfort room, said Friday stereotypes further fuel discrimination against the gay community.

"Stereotyping transgender people or members of the LGBTQ+ community adds that stigma that you cannot go further," she told ANC's "Headstart."

• Trans woman detained after being harassed for using ladies' toilet in QC mall

The 28-year-old trans woman, who used to work as a cognitive development specialist in Ortigas, lamented how her gender affects her profession.

"There is always discrimination no matter how much we prevent it," she said.

"I love the fact that we say men have to work hard to be successful in their business, women have to work harder to become successful, and people of our gender have to work the hardest because we have to earn respect," she said.

The incident has fueled talk over the passage of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality bill which the Palace said President Rodrigo Duterte would likely support.

But even with the absence of such a law, Diez said there is a need for stronger education to avoid discrimination.

"The more that we understand, the more that we learn, the more that we become considerate. And the more that we become considerate, the better we become as a person, the better we become as a nation," she said.

• Palace calls for respect for LGBT rights after discrimination vs trans woman