Bakla

In the Philippines, a bakla is a male-bodied person who is exclusively attracted to men. Baklas are often considered a third gender, and most baklas display feminine mannerisms and dress as women. Some identify as women.

Baklas are socially and economically integrated into Filipino society, and are considered an important part of society . The stereotype of a bakla is a parlorista, a cross-dresser who works in a beauty salon. Some Filipinos disapprove of baklas, usually for religious reasons.

The term bakla is sometimes used in a derogatory sense to refer to any gay man. Baklas have largely embraced the term, however, and consider themselves different from gay men in other countries.

Etymology

Bakla is a Tagalog word that can mean either "effeminate man" or "hermaphrodite".

Gender

In general, bakla in the Philippines are divided into two classes, feminine and masculine.

Feminine baklas generally dress and act like women. Some grow their hair long, get breast implants, and make other changes to look more like women. Some go so far as to undergo sex reassignment surgery, but this is uncommon. Some baklas consider themselves "women trapped in men's bodies".

Not all effeminate baklas want to become women. Though bakla, in general, connotes flamboyant effeminacy, the term is also applied to any homosexual man, regardless of his level of flamboyancy or effeminacy. Some baklas look down on those who wish to become women.

Masculine baklas much more closely resemble the Western idea of a gay man. They are often from a higher economic and social class than feminine baklas.

These two classes are distinct and separate from each other, but both are considered the third sex. J. Neil C. Garcia recalls a childhood song that lists four distinct genders: "girl, boy, bakla, tomboy".

Culture

Many baklas frequent the gym and are avid body builders. Besides that, baklas are also very up-to-date on the latest fashion and hairstyles, and, for the most part, they enjoy active night-lives .

For being such a minority, baklas have had a remarkable impact on Filipino society . In the second edition of the now-defunct gay lifestyle magazine Icon Magazine, editor Richie Villarin quoted one of the magazine's advertisers as saying "We cannot remain oblivious to your market".

Baklas have also been instrumental in the opening of several prominent night clubs in the Philippines.

Online forums

There are several online forums specifically for baklas to meet each other and talk about themselves.

One such forum was the now-defunct Guys4Men. The history of this forum reveals a class distinction among baklas. The original users were mostly from upper- and middle-class backgrounds, but after about a year, there was an increasing presence of lower-class men. Middle- and upper-class users made several attempts to distance themselves from these users by only chatting with those fluent in English (an assumed sign of a higher level of education and thus a higher class), and only chatting with those whose profile pictures displayed masculinity.

Beauty pageants

Miss Gay Philippines is a beauty pageant for baklas. The participants model swimsuits and dresses, as in other beauty pageants worldwide. Many of the baklas that participate in this contest actually resemble female models that participate in non-gay beauty contests.

These pageants are unique from other gay beauty contests around the world. In the United States, for example, a Miss Gay America beauty pageant is held, with the slogan “Where the boys are boys and female impersonation is an art.” The Filipino reaction is quite different as illustrated in a newspaper article published by a major Filipino newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer. This article accurately conveys the feelings of the baklas who participate in these contests: The contestants, proudly showing off their silicon breasts and wearing heavy make-up, appeared in the traditional swimsuits and evening gowns…

‘What you see before you is not an apparition,’ said the master of ceremonies, a comedian at a local gay bar. ‘We are real people.’

…[A] contestant told the audience that his ambition in life was to become a ‘full-fledged woman.’

…‘I am reaching out to the closet queens to come out and shout to the world that ‘I am proud to be a true and genuine homosexual,’ another contestant said to the wild cheers of the audience.

The feelings of baklas participating in this beauty contest are clearly different from those participating in the Miss Gay America pageant.

Though the “Miss. Gay Philippines” pageant is the biggest pageant of this kind in the Philippines, many smaller pageants like this are held on a smaller scale during town celebrations and are not uncommon throughout the Philippines, most especially in Luzon, the northernmost island.

Swardspeak

Main article: Swardspeak

Baklas have created a special language that they use with each other, called swardspeak. It is used by both masculine and feminine baklas. Swardspeak incorporates elements from Filipino, English and Spanish, and is spoken with a hyperfeminized inflection. It was widespread and popular until the 1990s, but is now considered unfashionable in most parts of Manila.

Legal status

Baklas, for all of the tolerance that they receive in the Philippines, cannot get married; though legislation attempting to legalize same-sex marriage in the Philippines has been presented to Congress, none have passed thus far . No other country in the world offers such a high degree of tolerance for homosexuals while still limiting their rights. They are unique in Asia because they can live much more openly than gays in any other Asian country.

Social status

In almost every city and town scattered across the culturally diverse islands of the Philippines there is at least one bakla (in general many baklas) living a normal life, accepted (at least by some) as a member of the third sex. As a matter of fact, a few prominent social icons are also baklas — most recognizably Boy Abunda, who is a talk show host and has been featured in many advertisements, notably Argentina corned beef. It is undeniable, according to Garcia, that the bakla is accepted by most of Filipino society.

The general acceptance of the bakla’s sexuality does not, however, imply that baklas are considered equal to the other sexes. Garcia states that the ordering "girl, boy, bakla, tomboy" implies “[The differing gender’s] hierarchal positioning relative to each other”. Although Filipino society is surprisingly tolerant of baklas, there is an implied superiority of the “traditional” sexes over the other two.

Even though there is a “hierarchy of the sexes” in the Philippines, baklas have not only become recognized and accepted by most of society, they have become an integral part it. They have found niches where they excel. Many baklas — the parlorista, for example — own or work at beauty salons and are considered more meticulous and detail-oriented than women who are employed as hairdressers.

The bakla, most especially the stereotype of the parlorista, is still often portrayed by Filipino mainstream media as “a fixed source of comic relief”. They are by no means without critics, perhaps due to the fact that they stand out so vividly from other gay men.

Religion

The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholic Church views same-sex sexual activity as "intrinsically disordered". This condemnation of homosexuality presents a problem for the baklas. Because baklas are part of a Catholic-dominated society, some Filipinos are not accepting of their presence. Others, however, consider baklas an important part of society. Baklas belonging to Catholic families, especially devout Catholic families, often battle their feelings of same sex attraction their whole adolescent lives. While some baklas are told to abandon their homosexuality because of religion others are encouraged by either parents or friends to embrace it.

Baklas who are Christian, but not affiliated with Roman Catholicism, face varying degrees of acceptance based on which sect they are affiliated with. These minority religions generally, but not exclusively, provide more tolerance and acceptance of gays, at least doctrinally, than the Catholic Church (much like the minority religions in the United States.) The Philippine Independent Church, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, is known for its progressive stands.

The other minority which is made up of non-Christian religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and others also present a range of doctrinal views. Islam and Sikhism vehemently oppose homosexuality doctrinally and are not tolerant of homosexuals. Hinduism and Buddhism on the other hand generally frown upon homosexuality but are tolerant of gay men, including baklas.

See also

• LGBT in the Philippines