HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE PHILIPPINES: VARIOUS FACTORS AND

ITS CORRESPONDING EFFECTS ON A HOMOSEXUAL

As partial fulfillment

Of the requirements

In ENGLISH 2

Submitted by:

Monica E. Revadulla

U – 4R

March 10, 2011

Topic: Effects of different factors in the Philippines on a homosexual

Thesis Statement: Knowing the physical, spiritual and social factors and their corresponding

effects on a homosexual in the Philippines, homosexuals must be accepted and must be treated

fairly in the Philippine society.

I. Homosexuality

A. Definition of homosexuality

B. Origin of homosexuality

1. Biological theories

2. Socio-cultural factors

3. Psychological theories

C. Types of homosexuals

1. Lesbian

a. Butch (Male role)

b. Femme (Female role)

2. Gay

II. Effects of different factors in the Philippines on homosexuals

A. Physical factors

1. Physical abuse and violence

a. Develops trauma

b. Makes it hard for them to trust people

2. Spanked to death by their own parents

B. Spiritual factors

1. Moral condemnation
 a. Becomes atheist in nature

b. Feels confusion when it comes to religion

2. The “Homosexuality is a sin” saying

a. Doesn’t go to mass and confession

b. Disbelief in God’s existence

C. Social factors

1. Thrown away by their families

a. Tends to be independent

b. Develops hatred

2. Suffers discrimination

a. Becomes an introvert

b. Develops mistrust in people

c. Finds difficulty in fitting in with the society

3. Rejected and made fun of

a. Experiences paranoia

b. Depression takes place

c. Self-esteem is threatened

4. Limited sense of freedom

a. Rebellious nature springs up

b. Tends to run away from home and start a new life

c. Freedom of expression diminishes

III. Movements promoting gender equality in the Philippines

A. Organizations that promote gender equality

 1. UP Babaylan

2.LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Groups

B. Information about the nature of homosexuality

C. Achievements of Filipino homosexuals in different fields

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Homosexuality

A. Definition of homosexuality 1

B. Origin of homosexuality 1

1. Biological theories 2

2. Socio-cultural factors 2

3. Psychological theories 2

a. Latent homosexuality 2

C. Types of homosexuals 2

1. Lesbian 2

a. Butch (Male role) 2

b. Femme (Female role) 3

2. Gay 3

II. Effects of different factors in the Philippines on homosexuals

A. Physical factors 4

1. Physical abuse and violence 4

a. Develops trauma 4

b. Makes it hard for them to trust people 4

2. Spanked to death by their own parents 4

B. Spiritual factors 4

1. Moral condemnation 4

a. Becomes atheist in nature 4

b. Feels confusion when it comes to religion 4

 2. The “Homosexuality is a sin” saying 4

a. Doesn’t go to mass and confession 4

b. Disbelief in God’s existence 4

C. Social factors

1. Thrown away by their families 5

a. Tends to be independent 5

b. Develops hatred 5

2. Suffers discrimination 6

a. Becomes an introvert 6

b. Develops mistrust in people 6

c. Finds difficulty in fitting in with the society 6

3. Rejected and made fun of 7

a. Experiences paranoia 7

b. Depression takes place 7

c. Self-esteem is threatened 7

4. Limited sense of freedom 8

a. Rebellious nature springs up 8

b. Tends to run away from home and start a new life 8

c. Freedom of expression diminishes 8

III. Movements promoting gender equality in the Philippines 9

A. Organizations that promote gender equality 9

1. UP Babaylan 9

2.LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Groups 9

 B. Achievements of Filipino homosexuals in different fields 9

1. Ogie Diaz 9

2.Vice Ganda 9

3. Aiza Seguerra 10

IV. Conclusion 10

Bibliography
 What is homosexuality? 1

“Homosexuality”, coined by K. M. Benkert in 1969, came from the Greek word “homo”

which means “same” and the Latin word “sexes” which means “sex.” It (homosexuality) is a

fondness for association and sexual interest with a person of the same sex. “Homosexual” is a

broad term for people who are attracted to their own sex.

Homosexuality is the only way to break the stereotype that there is only a male masculine

and a female feminine on the heterosexual side in the public social sphere. The discrimination of

homosexuality comes from the view of the society at its social structure as completely

heterosexual. The Philippines has earned the title “homoerotic paradise” from the people of the

west because of insistent efforts of the supporters of the Philippine Gay Movement together with

the other “marginalized” sectors. Other nations are amused because they found that the

Philippines, mostly composed of Catholic communities, are able to, somehow, accept

homosexuality.

Where did homosexuality come from?

Throughout Philippine history, homosexual behavior has already existed and people are

discriminated for loving a person in the opposite sex. Homosexuality can be traced back in the

ancient Greece. During those times, however, homosexuality has been seen as a sin and has been

widely condemned. Judaism and Christianity view homosexuality as a sin. During the Spanish

era, homosexuality was seen as a sin and during the Americans; it is regarded as an illness.

According to researchers, biological and environmental forces are involved in the honing

of one’s sexual orientation.

 2

Researchers believe that there is a biological cause for human sexual orientation, and they

continue the quest even though the link among humans between genes, hormones and sexual

orientation is unclear. Biological explanations about sexual orientation usually focus on genetic

or hormonal differences between homosexuals and heterosexuals. Pillarde Bailey, in an overview

of genetics research on homosexuality and heterosexuality, concluded that their review on

family, twin and adoptee studies indicated that homosexuality runs in families. However, science

still has to identify a “homosexuality” gene. Gays and gay rights believe that homosexuality is

hereditary. Sigmund Freud also believes in latent homosexuality, which means that majority of a

person’s emotions are involuntary focused on the same sex that his/her sexual urge isn’t enough

to be attracted to the opposite sex.

Some socio-cultural theorists claim that being a homosexual or a heterosexual is a

mixture of your preferred orientation and culture: it is not exactly your own choice. Once you

become a homosexual, your homosexuality will always be a part of yourself. You can never go

back to being a heterosexual. A homosexual could only lie low regarding his orientation but

he/she can never completely eliminate it.

Homosexuals in the Philippines are viewed as people who are out of the ordinary.

Homosexuals are divided into two groups: “Gay” is a term used to describe men and women

attracted to the same sex as theirs, although the term “lesbian” is more commonly used for

women.

Butch lesbians, who felt that they are born lesbians, are called “primary lesbians” because

they knew their sexuality early on. These women grew up playing boy games and wearing boy
 3

clothes. All of them had their hair cropped short, and wore pants and shorts. Femme lesbians are

called “elective lesbians” because they choose their sexual orientation. They are least likely to be

discriminated because they are seen as “normal women.”

Lesbianism is a term used to refer to homosexuality in women. The term refers to the

island of Lesbos, where Sappho, a poet whose love lyrics are usually addressed to women, lived

most of her life. Lesbianism is a very strong attraction that is shown through sexual relationships

between women.

Homosexuals, especially those in the Philippines, are discriminated in almost every

aspect of their life. Because of these, there has been corresponding effects, some temporary and

some permanent, on a homosexual.

There are different factors in the Philippines affecting a homosexual. These are grouped

into physical, spiritual and social factors.

Physical factors include violence, physical abuse and the lot. Most homosexuals here in

the Philippines experience different kinds of physical torture. For instance, letting the public

know their identity is a difficult and a very painful stage for a homosexual, a lesbian in

particular. Reactions to being a lesbian are very negative to the extent that some of them

experience physical violence and abuse. Some gays chose to be seen as a straight male because

they were banned from eliciting behaviors that are not manly.

There is a case of a 6-year old boy who behaves very manly inside the home but the total

opposite whenever around his friends. His parents didn’t believe the gossip about their son until
 4

one day, he was caught very off guard by his brother and screamed like a girl. His father, out of

shock and shame, spanked him almost to death. Traumatically, he never went home after that

experience and wandered the streets. He cringes whenever he spots a person coming near him in

a threatening manner, and screams whenever the person touches him.

The boy stayed like that for a long time until a caller picked him up. He now works as a

prostitute in one of the bars in Quezon City.

There are spiritual factors affecting a homosexual in the Philippine society. Homosexuals

generally, suffer from moral condemnation.

Gay relationships are hated by God. The Catholic Church believes that being a

homosexual is a sin; that homosexuality endangers the family and the social stability and that

homosexuals could switch back to being a heterosexual through faith in God and prayer. A gay

asked his mother about it and according to her and to their religious pastor, homosexuality is a

sin.

Gay relationships are hated by God at the same degree as lesbian relationships. Coming

out as a lesbian was hard. Presenting themselves as a couple was just as hard. Lesbians and

lesbian relationships have to assert to their family’s disapproval, ridicule of the society and

spiritual and moral condemnation.

Most homosexuals who underwent lots of negative experiences don’t believe in God

anymore. Bearing in mind that the Bible strongly condemns homosexuality and homosexuals,

they disregard their religion, becoming an atheist in the process. They question His Words and

His existence.
 5

Gender is fluid. No one can control it: it is something that goes with the society. Most of

the factors affecting a homosexual are included in the list of social ones. Homosexuals mingle

with the society in a different manner in comparison with the heterosexuals. Because of their

lifestyles that are way different from heterosexuals, homosexuals are usually perceived

negatively. Hence, homosexuals are considered “deviant” and “acting against the norms”.

Lesbians and gay men wanted to be recognized and treated as heterosexuals. They

(lesbians and gay men) are usually very emotionally unstable in this society that, even to their

friends, they are afraid to “come out” or to express what they really are.

There had been two case studies, one about gays and the other one, about lesbians. The

first case study was about gays and was made in the University of the Philippines, Los Baños,

(Cagandahan, 2008) and the second one was about lesbians and the respondents were taken from

different parts of Biñan, Laguna (Garcia, 2004).

Cagandahan concluded in one of the cases she handled that gays in UPLB prefer to be

seen as gay when inside the University campus and as straight males when they are outside the

campus especially when they’re with their own families.

One of the cases took a while to elaborate his gender identity but he admitted being a

discreet gay, meaning he is really gay inside but continues to be seen as a male in public. His

friends know him to be a homosexual although he prefers to be seen as a male in public.

Although seen as gay in UPLB, the larger public sees him as a male. He also claimed that he
 6

doesn’t act as gay inside his home. His family doesn’t have any idea about his sexual orientation

because he is afraid that his mother would be blamed by people because of his sexual preference.

Another one of the respondents has an addiction in computer games. He is attacked by

temptation to show off his gender when playing Defense Of The Ancients or DOTA, his favorite

computer game. Being an excellent gamer, he wants to show off to the world that computer

gaming is not only for guys. This is where his rebellious nature arises, one of the times when he

is free to show off his true identity and that gays aren’t that deviant at all.

They (the respondents) didn’t cross-dress: they generally look as males whenever

walking down the streets, when having class inside a classroom or in public places.

Most of the interviewed gays prefer to remain gay for the rest of their lives, only one

preferred to go back to being straight. The gays maintain their male identity because they don’t

want to disturb family relations. When they are ready, they would tell their families about their

sexual orientation. They didn’t want discrimination so they screened their orientation with

different degrees of effort. Regardless their place of origin, all cases had childhood signs of

homosexuality.

Self-confirmation as a homosexual is a very challenging task, much more letting people

know and committing one’s self in a homosexual or same-sex relationship. Homosexual

relationship is a relationship built out of companionship and is maintained considerably by

partnership, aside from love and sex. Garcia states that a woman-loving-woman relationship is a

daring type that challenges the traditional and religious Philippine society to accept lesbians and
 7

be treated as heterosexuals. It is a relationship where PDA or Public Display of Affection isn’t

implemented because of negative public reaction.

One of the lesbian couples knew that their relationship would never be accepted in

general by the public. Some would still look at them with disdain, and they would still offend

people’s moral, spiritual views and sensibilities. Those are the reasons why most of the lesbian

couples do not display their affections to each other in public.

They also knew that no parent would wholly accept and continuously tolerate the

sexuality of their lesbian daughter, that’s why these lesbians helped their families in order to

release their guilt brought by having a relationship with a woman. They hoped that it would

increase the acceptance level of their family towards their female partners and relationships.

Another lesbian couple experienced so much discrimination that it came to the point

when the femme lesbian’s family was questioned because her parents are known to be religious.

After many parent-daughter conversations and failed attempts to break their relationship apart,

they were forced to drive their daughter from home. The girl then went with her partner and

independently built a life of their own. It took them a long time to trust other people again. Now,

they have a business of their own, away from their own families and still managing to hide their

true identity. The butch easily passed off as a man and the femme, a woman.

These homosexuals and couples have the same problem: the gays keep their male nature

because of fear of being discriminated, the lesbians restrained from Public Display of Affection

because of fear of being discriminated. Because of all the factors affecting them as a

homosexual, various negative effects which can affect their whole life are seen. It is very vital
 8

that one’s family would agree with the lesbian relationship of their daughter because it would

cause depression and puzzlement to the person. Also, it can make the relationship tougher when

they were able to stay together despite the things that their families keep on saying to keep them

apart.

Homosexuals need a companion: someone who would really understand what they are

going through. Homosexuals don’t suffer for 24 hours a day. Being present in gimmick bars,

homosexual organizations, gay clans and having same-sex intercourse are like trophies of their

sexuality and happiness.

There had been various attempts to “convert” homosexuals back to being a heterosexual.

Reparative Therapy, which claims to be able to change one’s sexual orientation back to

heterosexual, is a lie. The church believes that homosexuals can switch back to heterosexuals

through prayer and through faith in God.

Being a male or a female doesn’t imply that you have to accord with the expectations of

the society and the continuously redefined traits and behaviors. Sexism is defined as

discrimination in terms of gender. The word is usually used to refer to the usual male superiority,

saying that he is superior mentally, psychologically and physically over women. Women are

usually regarded and evaluated according to their gender and not according to what their

capabilities are. Women usually feel being dictated upon what they must be doing at how they

should act in different situations.

 9

Through the promotion of equality of opportunity which would enable homosexuals to

exercise their freedom that each person has a right in a democratic society, equality of gender or

equality of sexes could be acquired.

Gay activism is a movement in line with eliminating all forms of bigotry and

discrimination against homosexuals. Some lesbians say that the men’s dominance over women is

one of the reasons they chose women as partners. These women hurt by their former boyfriends

and left them with a heavy heart. These incidents may be the cause of the development of their

distrust among men, pushing them in having a relationship with women.

There are various groups and movements across the country that fight for the rights of

homosexuals. UP Babaylan, for example, is an organization in the University of the Philippines

which puts relentless effort on making the Filipinos understand the nature of a homosexual and

fights for the right of homosexuals to be treated equally in the Philippine society.

Homosexuals are people. They are part of the Philippine society. In the entertainment

world, some of the most iconic individuals are homosexuals.

Ogie Diaz is an actor, comedian and a show business reporter. He is a host in one of

the talk shows in TV5. He is more commonly known as "Pekto" because of the long-running and

now-defunct TV show Palibhasa Lalake. He is also the manager of the popular comedian Vice

Ganda. Although he acts as gay in the entertainment world, he has kids of his own.

Vice Ganda is one of the host-resident judges of ABS-CBN’s noontime talent

program, Showtime. She is currently enjoying a very successful career. She was a major cast in a

Philippine comedy show, Petrang Kabayo.

 10

Aiza Seguerra, whose real name is Cariza Yamson Seguerra is a Filipino actress,

guitarist, and a singer-songwriter. She started her career as a Little Miss Philippines contestant in

“Eat Bulaga!” in 1987, and later on, a child star. After acting on several movies, her appeal as a

child star lessened. She soon came back with her single “Pagdating ng Panahon”.

Gays are in every kind of job and are of every political influence. Some are open

about their sexual orientation, some are not. Some view their gender as a biological state and

others view it as a preference. But nevertheless, homosexuals can work in the same way as

heterosexuals.

The only different things between homosexuals and heterosexuals are their sexual

orientation, their choice of partners, the way they move, act and dress. Homosexuals like people

of the same sex, heterosexuals prefer the opposite sex. Homosexuals move in a way that the

norms dictate is a manner of the opposite sex. They can mingle with the society well if the

people around them would stop gaping at how the way they dress, if the people would just keep

their shock to themselves when they know that this good-looking woman is really a guy. Does it

really matter? Does it affect their skill and wit? No.

Considering the different factors in the Philippines and its corresponding effects on a

homosexual and the achievements they reached in different fields, homosexuals must be allowed

to mingle properly with the society.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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