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I hope we realize that there is something problematic when we talk about “stereotypes” in pinoy queer representation. (1/21)
TLDR
TLDR
Usually, you’ll get answers like “not all gay people are feminine, loud, funny etc” when we talk about stereotypes in media. It commonly describes how a queer character performs/expresses gender/identity/expression/attraction (2/21)
which I find problematic because we are revolting against qualities of real queer people. Stereotyping is not about these qualities but how the queer is performed in the story and perceived by creators and audience. (3/21)
Perceiving these “commonly” presented qualities as something negative, in reality, perpetuates stereotyping. Ibig sabihin, by revolting against your idea of stereotype, you are actually stereotyping which shouldn’t be the case if we are really against stereotyping. (4/21)
Stereotype, eto ha by the book “a mistaken idea or belief many people have about a thing or group that is based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue or only partly true.” (5/21)
Stereotyping people, on the other hand, “is a type of prejudice because what is on the outside is a small part of who a person is” (6/21)
A Feminine queer person is not a mistaken idea of a bakla. It’s a common quality, anong problema natin dito? Hindi naman nila kasalanan na they are the brave souls to be out in the streets kaya sila ang unang kinopya ng media, at kaya sila din ang common notion ng bakla. (7/21)
Pero ano ang stereotype ng feminine bakla? Na duwag sila. Isa yan sa stereotype kung stereotype lang din naman ang pinaguusapan. Na kapag pa-girl duwag. Stereotyping queer people is not “kapag bakla, feminine” but rather “kapag bakla, duwag” (8/21)
Your usual idea of a stereotype is not how we should go against stereotypes. It shouldn’t be “not all gay people are feminine” but rather “not all femme gay people are *insert a very limiting trope about femme characters* (9/21)
We shouldn’t perceive femininity and common qualities of real queer people as a stereotype. The stereotype is HOW THESE CHARACTERS were presented ang perceived negatively in media (subjects of ridicule, ugly, miserable, unattractive, powerless) (10/21)
Stereotyping queer people in media is about the tropes, the treatment, the journey of these characters which leads to negative perception, prejudice, or fixed and oversimplified image. (11/21)
If we’ll stick to your usual notions of stereotype (commonly presented characters) then pwede nating sabihin na stereotype na ang BL dahil common na siya these days and not all gay people are masculine. May mali diba? (12/21)
Fighting against stereotypes is not a competition, my dear queer siblings. This is not about the “who should be the face” or “how it should be” of queer representation in media. Fighting against stereotypes/stereotyping should go both ways, creators and audience. (13/21)
The only way to fight against stereotypes is to make more contents highlighting different experiences of queer people. Hindi natin kailangan ibaba ang “loud and funny effem” character to achieve that. (14/21)
The loud and funny effem/trans character has a different fight to win. We have so much stories to reclaim and we will never stop. We will do that. (15/21)
When femme/trans ppl share their sentiments about stereotypes, it isn’t about because the character is loud, funny, or feminine, but about how the character was performed in the story. How the story treated the character. (16/21)
But when masc gay men complain abt stereotype, they talk about “effem na naman, pagirl na naman” as if that they should be the ones in that story, or most of the time sounds like they see femme ppl as a competition in their representation. (17/21)
I hope that when you (masc gay men) complain about your stereotypes in your own stories, it should be about your character arcs and not about the degree of masculinity/femininity of the characters presented. (18/21)
I believe that of all people, the femme ones should be the first one to cry about stereotyping because our characters were told negatively by creators and perceived negatively not just by cishets, but also queer people. (19/21)
I am femme, I am trans, I am loud, I am funny, and I’M NOT A STEREOTYPE. (20/21)
So the next time you talk about stereotyping and you have this “misplaced” anger, don’t say it in front of me.
Yes, may trigger ang post na ito. Haha (21/21)
Yes, may trigger ang post na ito. Haha (21/21)
