Someone asked about the story of gods Bulan & Sidapa from Philippine mythology (more accurately: mythologies). Their love story is a modern narrative. But don't fret, there are historical Filipino deities/heroes who do not subscribe to the colonizers' 2-gender model. A THREAD

Starting w/ the Tagalog pantheon, Lakapati is a hermaphrodite (aka intersex) deity who is the protector of sown fields, sufficient field waters, & abundant fish catch. They are also the deity of fertility, vagrants, waifs, cultivated lands, & husbandry, who provides for children.

In the same pantheon, Bathala, the Tagalog’s supreme deity, has been described as an epicene (meaning lacking in gender distinction, which includes androgyny aka having masculine and feminine characteristics).

Going to the Visayas, heroines have been known to have capabilities to transition themselves into another gender. In Panay, the divine heroine Nagmalitong Yawa transitioned into the male warrior Sumasakay in order to save the warrior, Humadapnon.

Again in Panay, Matan-ayon is also a divine heroine. They sailed the stormy seas with their less-powerful brother-in-law Paubari. In an event to defend herself in combat, Matan-ayon transformed into the male warrior Makalimpong in order to save their husband, Labaw Donggon.

Still in the Visayas, the Waray pantheon’s most powerful deity, who was also the supreme deity, has been described as having two gender aspects in one body. The female aspect was the understanding goddess Malaon, & the male one was the destructive god Makapatag.

In Mindanao, specifically in the Maranao pantheon, the hero-noble Ladalad a Madali, child of Magondaya Boisan, has the power to transition themselves into a woman. They are aided by their own guardian spirits and the crocodile guardian spirit of their heroic grandfather.

These are just a few examples. Non-conformance to colonially-imposed gender constructs has always been part of many of our indigenous religions. Male shamans (note that most were women), in particular, have been described as feminine in almost all manners.

Same-sex marriage & homosexual sex in the Philippines were even recorded by early chroniclers. While the concept of transgenderism has always been present in the archipelago; in fact, scholars even documented the concept, thriving in Mindanao's 20th century Teduray societies.

In conclusion, gender non-conformance is part of many Filipino cultures. While the Bulan-Sidapa story is modern, not part of old beliefs, it appears to have already taken its roots on modern consciousness and beliefs.

If the story’s popularity continues in the following decades or century, it may eventually become part of our mythological narratives, but as of now, it remains as it is: a contemporary narrative.