He’s not quite transsexual many are not interested in a sex-change operation.
In the Philippines, a bakla, at least traditional ones, will not go to bed with another bakla–such behavior is bound to set off thunder, lightning, earthquakes and, worst of all, tsismis.īakla is more than "homosexual." The bakla (and loose equivalents such as the bayot among Cebuanos (Cebu) and agi among Ilonggos, as well as the kathoey of Thailand and the waria of Indonesia) considers himself a male with a female heart–pusong babae. In Western societies, the "rule" is that gay men go to bed with gay men, lesbians with lesbians. "Gay" or "homosexual" in a Western setting refers to someone attracted to the same sex. We tend to translate "bakla" into "gay" or "homosexual" but that rendition is not quite accurate. The Philippino bakla was one such category. Most lesbians and gay men are perfectly happy with their existing "equipment."įor a very brief time then, people would talk about "lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals" but somewhere along the road, the word "transgendered" popped up not only to accommodate transsexuals but the many other gender categories which were being "discovered" in non-Western societies and which didn’t quite fit into the Western definitions of "lesbian," "gay" and "bisexual." Many people confuse "transsexuals" with "homosexuals," but these are two different categories. Transsexuals are people who believe they were born in a wrong body and need to have their sex changed. Was "lesbian, gay, bisexual" accepted? No, the next ones to complain were transsexuals. (The slang term "ac/dc" is a wonderful metaphor–you can be nicely plugged in or you can fit snugly like batteries.) Used in the phrase "gay and lesbian," "gay" is meant to refer to "gay men" while lesbians are "gay women." ”Bisexuals,” on the other hand, are people who are attracted to both sexes. "Gay" is more or less a synonym for homosexual, meaning someone attracted to people of the same sex. In response to this criticism, "gay and lesbian" became "lesbian, gays and bisexuals."īefore moving on, let me explain those terms (I’m sure you already know but I want to make sure). In the beginning, if I may present a kind of sexual genesis story combined with a quickie course on sexuality, it was just "gay and lesbian" but that term was considered sexist: why gay men first and then lesbians? The term was also criticized for excluding bisexuals. "LGBT" itself has gone through several incarnations, guided by excruciating political correctness. To explain "transgendered," I will have to describe its broader use: "transgendered" is the "T" in "LGBT," which means "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered" communities, a term coined by gay rights activists. For the bewildered participant at the Manila conference, it had something to do with migration, which was sort of correct but not in a way he had expected. After some time, he finally got around to asking his seatmate, "When are they going to discuss migration?" "Transgendered" is one of those new words that float around, their meaning still being processed. Richard Ammon | Janu| Philippines | GlobalGayzġ Transgenders and other ‘third sexers’ 6/01Ģ Gays in the Philippines push for equal rights 2/02ģ Progay hits ‘ungrateful macho church leadership’ 5/02Ĥ Filipino gays struggle with their rainbow 6/02ĥ Religious, economic biases haunt Pinoy gay community 6/02Ħ Pride Day 2002 and its impact on the gay community in Manila 6/02Ĩ Silent Discrimination Against Gays 7/02Īt a recent international conference in Manila, someone supposedly attended a session titled "Transgender issues" and sat in the room becoming more and more confused as the papers were delivered.