The Experiences of LGBTQ+

Filipino Youth with Aggression

Wren Elliyah Bembo, Nicole Chumanew, Irishlyn Gaspar, Alfonso Manodon II, Christian Jay Olandag,
Mario Oriana III, Florence Lance Rivera, Bianca Maye Pineda and Vincent San Angel
University of the Cordilleras, Senior High School
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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION to harm those who do not want to be harmed (Baron &
Richardson, 1994). Meanwhile, as defined by social
The acronym that initially only stood for lesbian, gay, psychologists, violence is extreme physical harm that
bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) has expanded as means injury or death — a subset of aggression.
society's understanding and recognition of various Bullying, harassment, verbal and physical violence,
sexual orientations and gender identities have and threats are a few examples of discrimination
expanded. The letter Q has been added to stand for against members of the LGBTQ+ community
questioning and queer, while the plus sign is used to (Dekdeken, 2019).
embrace the ever-evolving acceptance of a wider
community and denote other identities that are not According to Crick & Grotpeter (1995), there are two
represented in the acronym. “Questioning” is for those forms of aggression. Characterized by physical injury
who are exploring their identity, while the word to others such as punching, kicking, and stabbing, is
“queer” is a reclamation of a slur once used against the physical aggression. Meanwhile, non-physical
community, its usage of reclamation is largely agreed aggression includes both verbal aggression, such as
upon by scholars (Blakemore, 2021). name calling and swearing, and relational/social
aggression, the deliberate ruining of an individual's
However, despite the growing acceptance worldwide, relationships with others. Online aggression, which
the Philippines remain to be unaccepting of the falls under non-physical aggression is any aggression
LGBTQ+ community, proven by its many failed targeted at individuals using electronic media (Olson
attempts to lapse a comprehensive bill that protects and Bellmore, 2020).
people from discrimination based on their Sexual
Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE) LGBTQ+ students are more likely to be the targets of
into law (Sarao, 2022). Furthermore, more than half of cyberbullying than anyone else (Potok, 2010). Youth
the population believes homosexuality is immoral, who claim to have been the targets of cyberbullying
while only a quarter believes it morally acceptable, as endure a range of difficulties as a result of it, including
reported by a 2014 Pew Survey (Mis, 2014). mental health issues, alcoholism, and in severe cases,
suicidal thoughts. Cyberbullying has a negative impact
Social scientists have long studied the negative on pupils' involvement in and progress at school in
perception of the LGBTQ+ community in modern addition to its emotional toll (Hinduja & Patchin,
society. In a paper written by Gregory M. Herek 2009). On a similar note, an example of verbal
(1984), he cited Edward Westermarck who asserted aggression the LGBTQ+ Filipino community face is
that the strong hostility towards homosexuality is a the derogatory usage of the Tagalog word “bakla”.
result of historical associations of gay behavior with Directly translated to English as gay, its demeaning
heresy and idolatry, serving as the foundations of laws usage carries a number of unfavorable associations
and conventions that forbade it. Additionally, the like frowned upon flamboyancy and being effeminate,
inability of LGBT people to procreate and their non- particularly in light of its association with the (male)
conformity with traditional practice are at the heart of homosexual (Salazar, 2022).
the discrimination against them (Dekdeken, 2019).

Negative perception together with intolerance leads to LGBTQ+ youth experience discrimination based on
aggression. Aggression refers to behavior that intends their sexual orientation, gender identity, and
expression (SOGIE). The terms are defined as follows
by the Human Rights Campaign. Sexual orientation,
which is separate from gender, is the emotional,
romantic, or sexual attraction to others that is innate or
natural. Gender identity is one's core idea of who they
are, whether they identify as a man, woman, a
combination of the two, or neither, and how they want
to be perceived. Gender expression is the outward look
of one’s gender identity, which may or may not
conform to society’s norms, through behavior, clothes,
or voice.
Significance of the Study
The LGBTQ+ community has long existed in the
Philippines before our first colonizers came. Male
Babaylans known as “Asog” during the pre-colonial
period in the Philippines were revered members of
their respective communities. They cross-dress and
were homosexual. However, modern society tells a
different story. LGBTQ+ Filipino youth bear the brunt
of LGBTQ+ intolerance, affecting their overall well-
being, this includes their development, education, and
social circles they belong in. Their identity correlates
to their mental health as well as their social safety and
security, whether it be at home, in school, or in public
spaces. We aim to bring to light the aggression the
LGBTQ+ Filipino youth experience and understand
how they deal with these problems.
The Philippines has a long way to go before ensuring
the safety and dignity of LGBTQ+ Filipinos. Studying
the aggression towards LGBTQ+ Filipino youth does
not only further expose society’s bias against them, but
it also serves as an avenue to humanize LGBTQ+
individuals, validate their struggles, and include them
in conversations. This benefits everyone because the
opportunity to contribute is not slashed or reduced,
leading to more voices and a variety of perspectives.
Limitations and Delimitations
Being situated in a country like the Philippines, where
no comprehensive anti-discrimination laws empower
people to be open with their sexual orientation and
gender identity, is a factor that affects searching and
selecting respondents. Furthermore, the public's
negative perception of the LGBTQ+ community
affects the number of individuals who are out of the
closet.
It is also possible that the result of the research is only
a reflection of the LGBTQ+ Filipino youth in Baguio
City, inaccurately representing those in other areas of
the country, such as LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas and
other urban centers with different cultures, like that of
the lowlands.
The lack of previous research studies on the topic is
another limitation. Studies focusing on the LGBTQ+
community are not common in the Philippines, albeit
studies on LGBTQ+ youth precisely. In addition, the
study may also not equally represent non-binary
gender identities and non-heterosexual individuals.
There may be more open non-heterosexual individuals
over trans and non-binary people.
In terms of delimitations, the study will only cover the
universally accepted definition of youth provided by
the United Nations: 15 to 24 years old. It will not
cover the definition of the National Youth
Commission of the Philippines which is a bigger range
of 15 to 30 years old. Not only will this narrow down
the demographics of the respondents, but it will also
be more convenient for the researchers.
Respondents will be students from schools in Baguio
City since educational institutions are more likely to
have safe and open spaces for expressing gender and
homosexual relationships as gender sensitivity is
included in the Department of Education’s mission.
This factor provides better access to open LGBTQ+
Filipino youth compared to other institutions.
Research Objectives/ Statement of the Problem
The study aims to better understand the aggression that
LGBTQ+ Filipino youth face, specifically by
answering the following questions:
1. How does the LGBTQ+ Filipino youth community
experience aggression, in terms of their
a) gender expression; and
b) sexual orientation?
2. How does the LGBTQ+ Filipino youth community
respond to or cope with these aggressions?
3. How does aggression inflicted on LGBTQ+ Filipino
youth affect their lives?
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Approach, Design, and Methodology
Studying the aggression experienced by LGBTQ+
Filipino youth require a qualitative approach that
investigates the interpersonal relationship of
LGBTQ+ Filipino youth with those who intend to
cause them harm. The study would be qualitative in
nature as it will identify significant patterns that are
descriptive of certain events by examining and
interpreting text, interviews, and observations.
Furthermore, since the study is experience-based, its
design is phenomenology. It will seek to comprehend
and explore the experience from an individual’s
perspective in relation to a phenomenon. The method
of obtaining data would be through interviews that
follow an interview guide to give uniformity to the
questions that will be asked.
Subject Selection and Sampling Procedure
Subjects selected in the study would be Filipino
LGBTQ+ youth since their experiences with
aggression are the study’s primary concern. Their
ages would range from 15 to 24 and their location
would be in Baguio City. Respondents selected for the
study must also be out of the closet. As defined by
The Free Dictionary, being out of the closet means
“revealing that one is homosexual.” In a broader
context, being out of the closet means not concealing
one’s SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and
expression) and being open about being LGBTQ+ to
someone, a group, or the public.
The sampling procedure that will be used for the
study is purposive. The researchers of the study will
select subjects according to the criteria mentioned
above. Furthermore, the technique of purposive
sampling that will be utilized by the researchers is
extreme or deviant as they will be investigating
people who do not fit contemporary societal norms.
By investigating these outliers, the researchers can
gain a better grasp of the behavioral trend of the
population.
Data Gathering Procedure
Data to be analyzed will come from primary sources
as the researchers will search for LGBTQ+ Filipino
youth as respondents and approach them. As they
approach their selected respondents, they will discuss
the nature of the study with them. A convenient
schedule for both the researcher and respondent will
be set as to when the interview will partake.
Prior to commencing the interview, the researchers
will ask for the interviewee’s consent, or guardian’s
consent if they are underage. Since the study covers
the youth, which includes minors, the ages of the
interviewees will also be verified.
The interview is preferable to be conducted in face-to-
face setting. However, if by any chance, the
researcher and interviewee won’t be given the luxury
to have the time to meet face-to-face, the interview
will partake through a virtual meeting.
As the interview is ongoing, the researchers will keep
track of the interviewee’s answers by audio-recording.
After the interview, the data acquired will be analyzed
by the researchers. The transcripts of the interview
responses will be utilized to first identify patterns,
which will then be methodically coded to produce
themes for a single narrative.
Data Gathering Instrument
The instrument that the researchers will use to gather
data is the interview guide or the aide memoire as it
will be a useful tool for keeping consistency and
direction throughout the interview.
In the aide memoire, there will be a written preamble
that introduces the research to the respondent who
reads it. It will hold some account information about
the respondents such as their name, age, gender, and
other necessary information. The statement of the
problem and a list of questions to build rapport with
the interviewee will also be seen in the aide memoire.
Analysis of Findings
After conducting face-to-face interviews, the data
gathered will undergo a thematic analysis. The
interview results will first be transcribed, which will
then be used to identify patterns that will be
systematically coded to create themes for a singular
narrative. Thematic analysis is a technique for
analyzing qualitative data that involves reading
through a data set (such as the transcripts of
interviews) and deriving themes by noting patterns in
the collected data (Ho and Limpaecher, 2020).
Researchers of the study will take on the process of
thematic analysis. As opposed to other forms of
qualitative analysis, such as content, discourse, and
narrative analysis, researchers would need to make
use of their interpretation. Subjectivity would be an
active aspect as the analysis occurs, (e.g. identifying
emotions, sentiments, and opinions shared by the
interviewers). They will focus on extracting and
analyzing implicit and explicit ideas from the data.
The themes will be reflected in codes that will be
made and applied to the raw data as summary markers
for further analysis.

As the theme analysis is being conducted, additional

pertinent theories may be used, increasing the validity
of the study. Additionally, the range of themes that
could arise from the collected data adds subtlety and
the possibility for fresh viewpoints to be expressed.

Ethics of Research

Before conducting an interview, the age of the

interviewee will first be verified, this is a necessary
step since the study involves the youth, which
includes minors. This is the first step before the
respondents will even get their hands on the consent
form. Those under the age of 18 will require
permission from their parent or legal guardian in
order to participate in the study.

Once the respondent’s age is verified, they will be

reading a consent form that includes a detailed
explanation of what the study is about and how
exactly they are going to partake in it, only then can
they either freely choose to sign it or not. The form
will also ask for consent for audio or video recording,
it will include an explanation for why so as well.

Respondents will have the right to withdraw from the

study at any stage they see fit. They will also have
the right to remain anonymous and have their data
protected and kept from the public at all costs.
 Applied thematic analysis. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage. DOI: 10.4135/9781483384436

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