HomeAbstract of 5th-lgbtconfThe Beauty of Our Bakla: The Queer Experience in the Philippines

The Beauty of Our Bakla: The Queer Experience in the Philippines

  • Apr 20, 2026
  • Posted by:
  • Category: Abstract of 5th-lgbtconf
No Comments


Abstract Book of the 5th International Conference on LGBT studies

Year: 2026

[PDF]

The Beauty of Our Bakla: The Queer Experience in the Philippines

Luzelle Theresa Isip

ABSTRACT:

At the current time of publishing, the unique identities amongst people in the LGBTQ+ community remain illegal, and Queer marriages are unrecognized by institutions in the Philippines. Living within an oppressive society, a great sector of Filipino people continue to experience varying positive and negative impacts upon their mental health due to their altered position amongst their community. This is further exacerbated by the representation of LGBTQ+ people within Filipino media and popular culture, as well as within formal governmental institutions. This explorative study examines Queer people within Philippine society and their individual experiences in relation to the topics of mental health, representation, and government protections. Alongside the factors that prompted this shift in a once-tolerant Philippine society. Four study participants deriving from various Queer identities and locations within the country of the Philippines completed oral history interviews to corroborate larger themes amongst LGBTQ+ people in suppressive environments. Results indicated amongst participants that the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines continues to stand strong in the face of oppression, refusing to stand down from systems that aim to desecrate the very essence of their being. There were an array of positive experiences which coexist alongside their current circumstantial hardships, combatting traditional notions and adding nuance and complexity to popular understandings of Queer experience. Further representation is a necessity for marginalized communities to combat their suppression within oppressive institutions. Thus, it is hoped that this study will attract further uplifting of LGBTQ+ communities with more diverse and larger samples of differing countries.

Keywords: Government Protections; Indigenous Knowledge; Mental Health; Oral-History; Representation