Bakla 101

Here's an empowering article about being gay from the country's only gayzine "Outrage Mag":

The jeepney was almost full – too full, in fact that although the barker continued calling for more passengers to board, there was hardly any space left to move inside, much more to sit on. The only spaces left were the tight (though still distinguishable) space beside a malodorous sweaty man seated beside me, and the vacant space across us beside a fully made-up transgender who kept flicking his make-up kit open to check if his make-up was on place, and his friends who, although not cross-dressing, kept on throwing sideway glances to the guys stuffed in the rusty vehicle.

Just as the waiting was getting intolerable, boisterous voices were heard from the street, immediately followed by three guys boarding the jeepney, swearing their way inside as they located places to sit on. Their loud voices ceased when they saw the cross-dresser they may have to sit beside of, though this was immediately followed by snickers as they started to gamely push each other to avail of the empty space at my side of the vehicle. In the end, one of them ended up sitting beside the tranny, while the other two forcefully made themselves comfy beside the malodorous man, who, to my horror, got pushed against me.

“Putang bading!” one of them drunkenly slurred under his breath, first to his friend beside him who nodded his agreement with a smirk, and then to me as he acknowledged me with a nod and drawled “Pare.” Then both of them laughed and started teasing their friend who was seated across them, warning him of the slight the “faggot” beside him may do him. I was forced to join the laughter, not so much because I found the joke they shared funny, but because the overall situation was – considering their bloated tummies, flaring nostrils reddened by their alcoholic intake, and muddied appearances, I couldn’t imagine anyone who would want to put sexual advances to any of the three of them, and that’s irrespective of gender.

“Alam mo naman ang bakla, walang pinapatawad!” the other guy added, this time loud enough for everyone to hear, before they again broke to another drunken laugh.

“Bakla po ako,” I said, not able to hold my tongue, immediately meeting stares of incredulity and sudden silence.

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