Destiny Maylas, Transgender Activist, Social Media Influencer
In the Philippines where there is a large presence of the transgender community, one would be surprised to know that most of the women here still don’t have access to proper hormone replacement therapy (HRT). There are no clear laws in place to protect and help them make an informed decision on how to transition medically.
That being the case, there are women who resort to self-medication, word of mouth, and even recommendations they find on the black market. It’s not that they don’t realize the imminent danger it poses, but it’s the lack of options that’s making them resort to these, which is even more heart-breaking as it has in a way, become a norm in the Filipino Transgender Community.
Making a difference, one video at a time
The crucial need to educate the community about HRT is what inspired Destiny Maylas to speak about what she knows about the subject, and she’s not afraid to challenge the status quo. Social media has become a powerful platform to further one’s advocacies, and Destiny uses this to reach out to the women who need guidance and steer them to the right path.
Her Youtube channel, which focuses on HRT and other topics related to living life as a transgender individual, has grown quite a following, which indicates that the community has started to realize that we have options, and we need to be curious and start asking questions. In her own simple way, she is making a difference.
Destiny, fulfilled
I couldn’t pass up the chance to have a conversation with her and get to know her story. Through the power of technology, I was able to have a web meeting with her to talk about her life, her story and future plans. Within the first few minutes of the interview, I could tell that Destiny is a woman of substance who clearly knows what she is talking about. Here’s an excerpt from my “date with Destiny”.
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
Your name has quite a ring to it. Can you talk to us more about the process of how you chose this name for yourself ?
Destiny Maylas
“It all started when I was in high school and my friends and I used to have code names for everyone and we figured, why don’t we come up with code names for ourselves? My friends picked names like Eternity, Serendipity, and I like the name Destiny because back then Destiny’s Child was really popular and it just really resonated with me and the rest, is history.”
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
You’re currently based in Australia, how does your life compare to your life in the Philippines ?
Destiny Maylas
“You see, I really had no plans of staying here. I just went here for a two-week tour and after that, I fell in love with the country. I went on another trip and I just knew that this is a place where transwomen can exist, co-exist, and live their lives as the women they want to be. The people here are very respectful. Nobody has ever confronted me about my gender identity.”
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
Let’s talk about your professional life. Did you ever feel the need to work doubly hard and prove yourself to your colleagues just because of gender identity ?
Destiny Maylas
“I have a lot of friends who share horrible stories about how they’re being treated poorly at the companies they’re working for and I’m very fortunate that personally, I’ve never had that kind of experience. I’m very proud of the previous company that I worked for, because there was never a moment in my working days there that I felt disrespected. They know that my gender identity does not hinder me from doing my job.”
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
You are quite an inspiration to the women from the Trans community because you are able to prove that you can do whatever you want if you have the passion for it.
Destiny Maylas
“I want the people to know that you can’t just put (trans women) in a box and tell us that we can’t do anything else. There’s this notion that transgender women cannot do anything other than stuff that are related to beauty, and this is my way of telling the world that there’s more to being transgender. We can achieve anything we put our hearts into.
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
Let’s talk about your vlog. What made you decide to start it ?
Destiny Maylas
“It all started with this Facebook group that I’m a part of along with other women where we would have discussions about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and give advice to the members of the page. A few months after, I decided to talk about HRT on a different platform, and Youtube is the most convenient way for me to reach out to the community.
I was surprised to receive a lot of positive responses from the Filipino Trans community. I realized that if this one video can get a lot of attention from people, then I can use this platform to let more women know that there are a lot of things that we are doing wrong in the Philippines.I want my (Youtube) channel to serve as a platform for transgender women to know what they need to know. I want to make a difference.”
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
You publicly discourage transwomen from using birth control pills for HRT because of the damage it could do in the long run. Have you received any backlash from the community ? How do you handle this ?
Destiny Maylas
“I have received backlash for this, and it got to a point where people would leave hateful comments in my Youtube channel. I just want everyone to know that whatever I talk about in my videos is only coming from a good place; I just want everyone to be safe. I don’t have the right to prevent the women from using what they want to use (for HRT), but as a health professional, I know the threat it poses for us. I’m speaking from a standpoint where, if you have the means to undergo HRT, then you must do it right.”
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
Your subscribers are learning a lot from your vlogs but let’s talk about you this time. What have you learned from doing this ?
Destiny Maylas
“Talking about this subject matter, I realized that there are a lot of things that people don’t know (about HRT), not because they don’t have access to it but because it has become a norm, to a point where people think it’s okay; it’s fine. Had I not spoken up about this, it would never have been a thing in the Philippines, and things would never change.”
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
What are your future plans to elevate your Youtube channel ?
Destiny Maylas
“It’s not gonna stop at just talking about HRT. I have plans of expanding our community. It’s Pride Month, so I want to dedicate the month of June for raising awareness about the other facets of the trans community. I want to let the people know that there’s actually a trans-deaf community and that’s what I want to feature next. There are women out there who have handicaps and are able to thrive. There is a community within the community, and we need to respect and support them as well.”
Adie Arevalo – My Transgender Date
Thank you for sharing your story with us. We look forward to seeing more of your vlogs and we wish you continued success. To end this interview, can you complete this sentence for us ? “My name is Destiny, and I am _______ .”
Destiny Maylas
“My name is Destiny, and I am a woman of transgendered experience.”
We barely scratched the surface as far as hormone replacement therapy goes. The things we know right now may change years in the future, and it gives me comfort to know that there are women like Destiny who work tirelessly to make sure that we have access to the information we need to know. By sharing her knowledge and doing the things she is passionate about is indeed, Destiny fulfilled.
You can catch more of Destiny’s videos and other adventures through her Youtube channel and other social media pages:
Amazingly Trans is a series featuring the movers and shakers of the transgender community. We will highlight more amazing women in the coming months, so please watch out for it! If you know inspiring and empowered women whose stories need to be shared, don’t hesitate to leave their names and contact details in the comments section.
