The gender-fluid history of the Philippines | France Villarta

Summary

The speaker shares a personal narrative from their childhood in the Philippines, highlighting the story of Lenie, a transgender woman who ran a popular beauty salon. The talk delves into the rich history of gender diversity and cultural permissiveness in the Philippines, challenging the rigid Western concepts of gender. It underscores the importance of recognizing and reconstructing social constructs to embrace diversity and inclusivity, drawing on the strength and courage of individuals like Lenie who have paved the way for others to live authentically.

Takeaways

• 🏠 Growing up in the southern Philippines in the 1990s, the speaker lived in a close-knit community where privacy was limited.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The traditional family structure was observed, but the community also embraced diverse family compositions.
• 💃 Lenie, a transgender woman, was a prominent and respected figure in the community, owning a popular beauty salon.
• 🌈 The Philippines has a long history of gender diversity, challenging the binary understanding of gender.
• 📚 Precolonial Philippine societies were animistic and egalitarian, with women holding significant roles and power.
• 🧙‍♀️ Babaylan, female shamans, played crucial roles in the community, and there were also male practitioners who did not conform to Western masculine standards.
• 🇪🇸 Spanish colonization introduced a rigid two-gender model, which was at odds with the existing cultural permissiveness and gender fluidity.
• 📜 Historical documents like the Bolinao Manuscript and the Boxer Codex provide insights into the gender and sexual dynamics of the time.
• 🌏 Contemporary discussions on gender often overlook the social constructs that define our understanding of gender, which can be reimagined for a more inclusive society.
• 🌈 The speaker advocates for a reclamation of the Filipino legacy of gender equality and inclusivity, and for recognizing the courage of those who defy societal norms.
• 💪 Being true to oneself is revolutionary, and the speaker offers support and validation to those facing discrimination and pressures to conform.

Q & A

What was the living condition of the speaker's childhood home in the Philippines?

The speaker lived in a one-bedroom house with four other family members. Their house was among clusters of similar houses made mostly of wood and corrugated metal sheets, built very close to each other along unpaved roads, offering little to no privacy.

How did the speaker describe Lenie and her family?

Lenie was a transgender woman with long black hair often in a ponytail and manicured nails, known for her signature red lipstick. Her partner wore white sleeveless shirts and gold chains. Their daughter was a few years younger than the speaker. Lenie owned a popular beauty salon and was a well-known figure in the village.

What was the role of the 'babaylan' in precolonial Philippine societies?

The 'babaylan' was a collective term for shamans of various ethnic groups. They were community healers, specialists in herbal and divine lore, delivered babies, and communicated with the spirit world. In some cases, they also performed exorcisms and defended their community.

How did Spanish colonization influence the perception of gender in the Philippines?

Spanish colonization brought with it a two-sex, two-gender model that was at odds with the existing gender diversity and cultural permissiveness in the Philippines. Spanish missionaries spent 300 years trying to enforce this model, which was a significant departure from the egalitarian and gender-variant-permitting societies that existed before.

What are some of the cultural practices related to gender that were present in precolonial Philippine societies?

Precolonial Philippine societies had a more fluid understanding of gender, with practices such as male shamans cross-dressing and exhibiting effeminate behaviors. The 'babaylan' role included both women and men who did not conform to normative Western masculine standards.

How did the speaker's experience with Lenie and other figures in their life shape their views on gender and acceptance?

The speaker learned from Lenie and others that integrity, kindness, and strength of character are better measures of judgment than things beyond a person's control, such as their gender. This shaped their view that being true to oneself is revolutionary and that everyone deserves rights and recognition.

What is the significance of the speaker mentioning countries that have introduced nonbinary options in legal documents?

The mention of countries introducing nonbinary options in legal documents signifies a global shift towards recognizing and accommodating diverse gender identities. It suggests a move away from the traditional binary understanding of gender and towards a more inclusive model.

What was the role of women in precolonial Philippine societies?

Women in precolonial Philippine societies had significant roles and rights. They could divorce their husbands, own property under their own name, and had a say in family contracts. They also held the powerful role of 'babaylan,' which included various spiritual and community responsibilities.

How did Spanish friars view the cross-dressing babaylan?

Spanish friars speculated that cross-dressing babaylan were either celibates like themselves or had deficient or malformed genitals. This view was based on their own cultural biases and misunderstandings of the local customs and spiritual practices.

What is the speaker's perspective on the social construct of gender?

The speaker views the social construct of gender as something that has been imposed and can be reconstructed. They believe that the prevailing notions of man and woman, anchored strictly on biological sex, are not static but can be adapted to fit a more diverse and inclusive society.

What message does the speaker convey to those who are struggling with societal pressures regarding gender identity?

The speaker conveys a message of validation and support, encouraging those struggling to not break under societal pressures. They emphasize that everyone's identity is valid and deserves recognition and rights, just like everyone else.

Outlines

00:00

🏠 Childhood Memories and Early Understandings

The speaker reflects on their childhood in the 1990s in the southern Philippines, growing up in a close-knit community with little privacy. They describe their living conditions and the social dynamics of their neighborhood, highlighting the diversity of family structures and the story of a transgender woman named Lenie, who ran a popular beauty salon. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding and accepting different perspectives on gender, drawing on the historical context of the Philippines' cultural acceptance of gender diversity.

05:01

🌎 Cultural Perspectives on Gender

The speaker delves into the historical and cultural aspects of gender in the Philippines, contrasting the precolonial animist societies with the Spanish colonial influence. They discuss the roles of 'babaylan,' female and male spiritual leaders, and the fluidity of gender roles and expectations in these societies. The speaker also addresses the Spanish missionaries' attempts to enforce a binary gender model, and the ongoing contemporary debates about gender definitions, highlighting the social construct of gender and its potential for redefinition to be more inclusive and diverse.

10:03

💪 Being Yourself is Revolutionary

In the final paragraph, the speaker encourages resilience and authenticity in the face of societal pressures to conform to rigid gender norms. They pay tribute to individuals like Lenie and others who have shown courage and lived their lives authentically, contributing to a legacy of gender equality and inclusivity. The speaker asserts that everyone deserves recognition and rights, regardless of their gender identity, and ends with a message of support and validation for those who may be struggling with their identity in a world that often tries to categorize and define them.

Keywords

💡Transgender

Transgender refers to individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. In the context of the video, Lenie is a transgender woman, illustrating the theme of gender diversity and acceptance. This concept challenges the traditional binary understanding of gender and highlights the importance of recognizing and respecting diverse gender identities.

💡Gender Diversity

Gender diversity encompasses the wide range of gender identities and expressions that exist beyond the traditional binary understanding of male and female. The video emphasizes the long-standing stories of gender diversity in the Philippines, where cultural permissiveness and accommodation of varying gender expressions have been part of the societal fabric.

💡Cultural Permissiveness

Cultural permissiveness refers to the acceptance and tolerance of various cultural practices, beliefs, and lifestyles, including those that may differ from mainstream or dominant norms. In the video, this concept is used to describe the acceptance of gender diversity and the rejection of rigid gender roles in certain societies.

💡Precolonial Philippine Societies

Precolonial Philippine Societies refers to the indigenous cultures and social structures that existed in the Philippines before the arrival of European colonizers. These societies were characterized by animistic beliefs and egalitarian social structures, with women often holding significant power and influence.

💡Babaylan

Babaylan is a term used to describe shamans in various ethnic groups in the Philippines, who were revered for their spiritual power and knowledge. These individuals, often women, played crucial roles in the community as healers, spiritual guides, and even warriors. The concept of babaylan reflects the complex and diverse understanding of gender and spirituality in precolonial Philippine cultures.

💡Spanish Colonialism

Spanish Colonialism refers to the period of Spanish rule over the Philippines, which lasted for over 300 years. This era had a profound impact on Filipino culture, language, and religion, including the introduction of Catholicism and the enforcement of a two-sex, two-gender model that clashed with existing local gender norms.

💡Social Constructs

Social constructs are ideas or concepts that are not based on biological or natural differences but are created and enforced by society. In the context of the video, the concept of gender as a social construct is used to challenge the notion that gender is strictly determined by biological sex, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the fluidity and diversity of gender identities.

💡Nonbinary

Nonbinary is an umbrella term for gender identities that do not fit within the traditional categories of male or female. It acknowledges the existence of multiple gender identities outside the binary understanding of gender. The video discusses the introduction of nonbinary options in legal documents in various countries, reflecting a global shift towards recognizing and accommodating diverse gender identities.

💡Gender Equality

Gender equality refers to the equal rights, opportunities, and treatment of individuals regardless of their gender. The video emphasizes the importance of gender equality and inclusivity, drawing on the historical legacy of the Filipino people and the need to reconstruct social constructs to better reflect and support diverse gender identities.

💡Cultural Imposition

Cultural imposition occurs when one culture imposes its values, beliefs, or practices on another, often leading to the suppression or erasure of the latter's cultural identity. In the video, the speaker discusses how the Spanish colonial influence imposed a two-sex, two-gender model on Filipino society, which was at odds with the existing cultural permissiveness and gender diversity.

💡Revolutionary

In the context of the video, being revolutionary refers to the act of challenging established norms and advocating for change, particularly in the realm of gender identity and expression. The speaker encourages individuals to embrace their authentic selves as an act of revolution against societal pressures to conform to rigid gender roles.

Highlights

The speaker grew up in the southern Philippines in the mid-1990s, providing a personal perspective on societal norms and family structures.

Living conditions in the area consisted of closely built wooden houses with little privacy, fostering a sense of community.

The traditional family structure was challenged by diverse household compositions, such as a family of three with a transgender woman, Lenie.

Lenie, a transgender woman, owned a popular beauty salon and was a well-known figure in the village, illustrating acceptance of gender diversity.

The Philippines has a long history of gender diversity, with a more fluid understanding of gender roles than the strict man-woman dichotomy found in many cultures.

Precolonial Philippine societies were largely animist and egalitarian, with women holding significant power and influence, including the role of 'babaylan'.

The babaylan, including male practitioners, played a crucial role in the community as spiritual leaders and healers, challenging Western gender norms.

Spanish colonization brought a two-sex, two-gender model that clashed with the existing gender equality and inclusivity in Philippine society.

Spanish friars misunderstood and speculated about the nature of male babaylan, leading to a misrepresentation of their roles and identities.

Contemporary discussions about gender often overlook the historical context and social constructs that shape our understanding of gender today.

Some countries are introducing nonbinary options in legal documents, reflecting a shift towards recognizing diverse gender identities.

The social constructs of gender can be reconstructed to better fit diverse communities and promote inclusivity.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself and the revolutionary act of living authentically.

The legacy of gender equality and inclusivity in the Philippines is highlighted, with a call to remember and honor those who have paved the way.

The message of validation and recognition for all individuals, regardless of their gender identity, is a central theme of the talk.

The speaker's personal connection to the topic, standing on the shoulders of those before them, underscores the collective journey towards acceptance and understanding.

The talk concludes with a powerful message of support and visibility for those facing challenges due to societal pressures and misconceptions about gender.

Transcripts

I was an eight-year-old kid in the mid-1990s.

I grew up in southern Philippines.

At that age, you're young enough to be oblivious

about what society expects from each of us

but old enough to be aware of what's going on around you.

We lived in a one-bedroom house,

all five of us.

Our house was amongst clusters of houses

made mostly of wood and corrugated metal sheets.

These houses were built very close to each other

along unpaved roads.

There was little to no expectation of privacy.

Whenever an argument broke out next door,

you heard it all.

Or, if there was a little ... something something going on --

(Laughter)

you would probably hear that, too.

(Laughter)

Like any other kid, I learned what a family looked like.

It was a man, a woman, plus a child or children.

But I also learned it wasn't always that way.

There were other combinations that worked just as well.

There was this family of three who lived down the street.

The lady of the house was called Lenie.

Lenie had long black hair, often in a ponytail,

and manicured nails.

She always went out with a little makeup on

and her signature red lipstick.

Lenie's other half, I don't remember much about him

except that he had a thing for white sleeveless shirts

and gold chains around his neck.

Their daughter was a couple years younger than me.

Now, everybody in the village knew Lenie.

She owned and ran what was the most popular beauty salon

in our side of town.

Every time their family would walk down the roads,

they would always be greeted with smiles

and occasionally stopped for a little chitchat.

Now, the interesting thing about Lenie

is that she also happened to be a transgender woman.

She exemplified one of the Philippines' long-standing stories

about gender diversity.

Lenie was proof that oftentimes we think of something as strange

only because we're not familiar with it,

or we haven't taken enough time to try and understand.

In most cultures around the world,

gender is this man-woman dichotomy.

It's this immovable, nonnegotiable, distinct classes of individuals.

We assign characteristics and expectations

the moment a person's biological sex is determined.

But not all cultures are like that.

Not all cultures are as rigid.

Many cultures don't look at genitalia primarily

as basis for gender construction,

and some communities in North America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent

and the Pacific Islands, including the Philippines,

have a long history of cultural permissiveness

and accommodation of gender variances.

As you may know,

the people of the Philippines were under Spanish rule for over 300 years.

That's from 1565 to 1898.

This explains why everyday Filipino conversations

are peppered with Spanish words

and why so many of our last names, including mine, sound very Spanish.

This also explains the firmly entrenched influence of Catholicism.

But precolonial Philippine societies,

they were mostly animists.

They believed all things had a distinct spiritual essence:

plants, animals, rocks, rivers, places.

Power resided in the spirit.

Whoever was able to harness that spiritual power was highly revered.

Now, scholars who have studied the Spanish colonial archives

also tell us that these early societies were largely egalitarian.

Men did not necessarily have an advantage over women.

Wives were treated as companions, not slaves.

And family contracts were not done without their presence and approval.

In some ways, women had the upper hand.

A woman could divorce her husband and own property under her own name,

which she kept even after marriage.

She had the prerogative to have a baby or not

and then decide the baby's name.

But the real key to the power of the precolonial Filipino woman

was in her role as "babaylan,"

a collective term for shamans of various ethnic groups.

They were the community healers,

specialists in herbal and divine lore.

They delivered babies

and communicated with the spirit world.

They performed exorcisms

and occasionally, and in defense of their community,

they kicked some ass.

(Laughter)

And while the babaylan was a female role,

there were also, in fact, male practitioners in the spiritual realm.

Reports from early Spanish chroniclers contain several references

to male shamans who did not conform to normative Western masculine standards.

They cross-dressed

and appeared effeminate

or sexually ambiguous.

A Jesuit missionary named Francisco Alcina

said that one man he believed to be a shaman

was "so effeminate

that in every way he was more a woman than a man.

All the things the women did

he performed,

such as weaving blankets,

sewing clothes and making pots.

He danced also like they did,

never like a man,

whose dance is different.

In all, he appeared more a woman than a man."

Well, any other juicy details in the colonial archives?

Thought you'd never ask.

(Laughter)

As you may have deduced by now,

the manner in which these precolonial societies conducted themselves

didn't go over so well.

All the free-loving, gender-variant-permitting,

gender equality wokeness

clashed viciously with the European sensibilities at the time,

so much so that the Spanish missionaries spent the next 300 years

trying to enforce their two-sex, two-gender model.

Many Spanish friars also thought that the cross-dressing babaylan

were either celibates like themselves

or had deficient or malformed genitals.

But this was pure speculation.

Documents compiled between 1679 and 1685, called "The Bolinao Manuscript,"

mentions male shamans marrying women.

The Boxer Codex, circa 1590,

provide clues on the nature of the male babaylan sexuality.

It says, "Ordinarily they dress as women,

act like prudes

and are so effeminate

that one who does not know them would believe they are women.

Almost all are impotent for the reproductive act,

and thus they marry other males and sleep with them as man and wife

and have carnal knowledge."

Carnal knowledge, of course, meaning sex.

Now, there's an ongoing debate in contemporary society

about what constitutes gender and how it should be defined.

My country is no exception.

Some countries like Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Nepal and Canada

have begun introducing nonbinary options in their legal documents,

such as their passports and their permanent resident cards.

In all these discussions about gender,

I think it's important to keep in mind

that the prevailing notions of man and woman as static genders

anchored strictly on biological sex

are social constructs.

In my people's case, this social construct is an imposition.

It was hammered into their heads over hundreds of years

until they were convinced that their way of thinking was erroneous.

But the good thing about social constructs

is they can be reconstructed

to fit a time and age.

They can be reconstructed

to respond to communities that are becoming more diverse.

And they can be reconstructed

for a world that's starting to realize

we have so much to gain from learning and working through our differences.

When I think about this subject,

I think about the Filipino people

and an almost forgotten but important legacy

of gender equality and inclusivity.

I think about lovers who were some of the gentlest souls I had known

but could not be fully open.

I think about people who have made an impact in my life,

who showed me that integrity, kindness and strength of character

are far better measures of judgment,

far better than things that are beyond a person's control

such as their skin color, their age

or their gender.

As I stand here today, on the shoulders of people like Lenie,

I feel incredibly grateful for all who have come before me,

the ones courageous enough to put themselves out there,

who lived a life that was theirs

and in the process, made it a little easier for us to live our lives now.

Because being yourself is revolutionary.

And to anyone reeling from forces trying to knock you down

and cram you into these neat little boxes people have decided for you:

don't break.

I see you.

My ancestors see you.

Their blood runs through me as they run through so many of us.

You are valid, and you deserve rights and recognition

just like everyone else.

Thank you.

(Applause)