Veatrize Sharlene Tanseco

The Result of the Normalization of GBT Presence in the Media

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans community’s prominence in the various modes
of Philippine media proves that the Philippines is now more open and accepting of the
community. The Philippines has always had a rich drag culture — especially when taken into
account the flourishing drag scene in Metro Manila. The now mainstream CW reality
television show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is a great testament to this through the several
Filipino drag queen contestants who have competed throughout its nine season run, namely:
Ongina, Manila Luzon, Phi Phi O’Hara, Jiggly Caliente, and Vivienne Pinay; Likewise,
Thailand’s version “Drag Race Thailand” also has a Filipino contestant known as Jaja. These
and many more Filipino drag queens are known in many other countries and continues to
uphold the legacy of Filipino drag. “On the sweltering streets of Metro Manila, where about a
third of the population lives in poverty and the average salary is less than $10 a day, some of
the toughest Filipinos you'll find are a close group of gay men, aged 60 and older, who
perform in drag” (Heifetz, 2017).

Drag culture can mostly be traced down to the Golden Gays who have been doing
drag not only to survive, but to bring hope into their lives as well. According to Shahani
Gania, better known by his local drag name SuperStarlet, Filipinos have unknowingly been
open to drag culture through drag or gay beauty pageants in barangay fiestas. He also
believes that people are now more aware that drag is not just a form of shallow entertainment,
but a profession that brings food to the table and pays the bills (Ramirez, 2017). With the
likes of Boy Abunda, Vice Ganda, Aiza Seguerra, Paolo Ballesteros, BB Gandanghari, and
Jake Zyrus, it is safe to say that LGBT icons are currently dominating Philippine television as
well as social media sites. Various members of the LGBT community are considered strong
voices in social media such as: Min Ortiz, Bj Pascual and Sef Lucero. Besides television and
social media platforms, various members of the LGBT community are also considered as
strong voices in the field of fashion and literature. Rajo Laurel is a famous designer with
numerous awards and recognition who has revolutionized the fashion scene in the
Philippines. Danton Remoto, known as one of the best Filipino writers in the country, is
currently a chairman for the LGBT group “Ang Ladlad” — an organization that pursues
equality and fights for the rights of LGBTs in the Philippines. These icons are not only proof
of the LGBTs notably impressive addition the country’s overall resume, but a testament that
Filipinos are accepting of the community and are being looked up to. This also proves that
the LGBT community is a staple source of temporary enjoyment, but they continue to be
denied of their well-earned rights.
 The Filipino people are ready and open to the legalization of same-sex marriage. The
Philippines has earned its ranking as a gay-friendly country according to a survey conducted
by the US-based Pew Research Center entitled “The Global Divide on Homosexuality.” The
research revealed that out of 804 respondents, 73% believed that “homosexuality should be
accepted by society,” 26% felt otherwise, and 1% refused to answer (Kohut et al., 2013).
Contradicting to the government’s opposition, the Filipino people are open to the legalization
of same-sex marriage. If the people are for same-sex, then what is stopping the government
from legalizing it? The Philippine government strongly remains against same-sex marriage in
order to retain the support of the Catholic Church. President Duterte, who is of the opinion
opposing same-sex marriage, uses Catholicism to justify the backtracking of his promise to
legalize same-sex marriage. He, a man openly known to be a strongman who refuses to give
in to the pressure of the Catholic Church, then states that the Philippine country is Catholic,
same-sex marriage is a western concept, and that the legalization of same-sex marriage will
be the end of Catholicism in the country. Many Catholic and Christian countries have
legalized same-sex marriage and are not ruing consequences. Spain, the country that
introduced Catholicism to the Philippines through colonization, is the third country to
legalize same-sex marriage. In a way, the Philippines may be likened to Italy who remains in
favor of marriage equality and has civil union is legal for same sex couples albeit the strong
opposition of the Vatican (Bagas, 2017).

“It will be hard for queens not to have a good time in the Philippines, what with it
being full of gorgeous gay-friendly beaches and welcoming gay bars” (Lam, 2010). More and
more Filipinos now view the LGBT community in a more positive light. The Philippines was
mentioned by CNN as one of the most gay-friendly tourist destinations in Asia, along with
other countries (Lam, 2010). As mentioned by blogger Ambientandosi, Members of the
LGBT community appear to be an accepted part of the society in the Philippines. “The gays
and transgenders can be openly seen when one goes around the Philippines — on the streets,
malls, on TV, bars and clubs and even in churches” (Ambientandosi, 2015). According to the
world economic forum, The Philippines and New Zealand are the best-performing countries
in Asia and the Pacific in the rankings of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap
2014 Report. The Philippines has the highest percentage of firms with female participation in
ownership (Bekhouche, 2014). The SOGIE equality bill, a bill that seeks to ban
discriminatory practices on the basis of one’s “sexual orientation or gender identity, being
passed proves that the Philippines is ready for the legalization of same-sex marriage.
According to Senator Hontiveros, the bill would ensure that stigma and hate would not hinder
the LGBT community from accessing education, healthcare, employment, and other basic
rights (Elemia, 2016). Same-sex marriage may possible bring the same results. Legalizing
same-sex marriage would impose that it is not wrong and in result shed positive light.
 References
Ambientandosi. (2015). The Philippines: One of the most gay-friendly tourist destinations in
Asia. Retrieved from https://tropicalissimo.wordpress.com/2015/08/18/philippines-
gay-friendly-destinations/

Bagas, J. (2017). Is the Philippines Ready for Same-Sex Marriage? Retrieved from
https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/gay-marriage-essential-to-functioning-
democracy-a1588-20170329-lfrm

Bekhouche, Y. Top 10 most gender equal countries in Asia-Pacific. Retrieved from

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/11/top-10-most-gender-equal-countries-in-
asia-pacific/

Elemia, C. (2016). After 17 years, LGBT anti-discrimination bill up for Senate debate.
Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/156139-lgbt-anti-discrimination-bill-
senate-plenary

Heifetz, J. (2017). The Elderly Gay Filipinos Who Perform in Drag to Survive. Retrieved

from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xyexy7/the-elderly-gay-filipinos-who-
perform-in-drag-to-survive

Kohut, A., Wike, R., Bell, J., Horowitz, J.M., Simmons, K. Poushter, J., Ponce, A., Mueller,

E., Barker, C., Devlin, K. (2014). The Global Divide on Homosexuality. Retrieved
from http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/06/04/the-global-divide-on-homosexuality/

Lam, J. (2010) Scenic, cultural, fun-loving and gay-friendly. Retrieved from

http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/none/asias-most-gayfriendly-tourist-
destinations-896287/

Ramirez, T. (2017). SuperStarlet and Gigi Holliday Shed Some Light on Drag Culture in the
Philippines. Retrieved from http://preen.inquirer.net/47547/superstarlet-gigi-holliday-
shed-light-drag-culture-philippines/amp