In the past, only “flamboyant” homosexual men were recognized as being gay in the Philippines; they were called bakla. (We’ll add a discussion of the Filipino tomboy here later or in another post.)
Stereotyped bakla homosexuals openly worked in beauty parlors and in the creative industries of fashion and entertainment, such as as talk show hosts, female impersonators, writers, directors and comedians. Easily recognized by their use of makeup and cross-dressing, they had long been part of the Filipino cultural landscape; everyone knew of more a few bakla people or had friends who were bakla.
In most casual situations, it wasn’t really a big deal. Bakla existed in social circles, teased the same way as people were fondly teased for being fat or short in the era before the advent of political correctness. No one thought of them as good or bad for being bakla. If they were good or bad, it was because of the person’s own personality or actions, not inherently because of their gayness. If ever the issue became problematic, it was usually because the parents of one wanted grandchildren. But there was no such thing as “condemning” bakla people for their lifestyle choice.
With more education about LGBT issues as framed by Western concepts in recent decades, there is growing understanding among Filipinos that outwardly straight-looking men may have a preference for homosexual relationships and not just for financial reasons as it was widely assumed in the past.
And with the spread of the Western philosophy of political correctness, the good-natured teasing of yesteryears is now being interpreted as “bullying” and many Western-influenced Filipino gays are now subscribing to a victim mentality where they read Western-style persecution into the casual remarks made by so-called straight Filipinos.
The shoehorning of Western terms and concepts for centuries-old local norms has really been testing the social fabric of many Asian countries of late.
FAMOUS GLBT PERSONALITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES:
Renee Salud, fashion designer to the stars
Jose “Pitoy” Moreno, fashion designer to the stars
Ricky Reyes, hairdresser to the stars
Jun Encarnacion, the deceased beautician to the stars who had a wife and children
Lino Brocka, critically acclaimed director of Macho Dancer (1988) who died in 1991
Mel Chionglo, director of Burlesk King (1999) and Midnight Dancers (1994)
Maryo J. de los Reyes, director of Magnifico (2003)
Ishmael Bernal, award-wining director
Soxy Topacio, director
Elwood Perez, director
Rustom Padilla, actor who came out of the closet in 2006
Ogie Diaz, gossip columnist and TV host
Boy Abunda, journalist and TV host
Aiza Seguerra, actress and singer
Ricky Lee, critically acclaimed screenplay writer of Burlesk King (1999)
