ManilaTimes.net – Francis ?Chuck? Gomez
As I began to traverse the vast terrain of modern transgender politics and ideology in preparation for this story, I realized that I am no expert in the field and subject of transgender identity. Like most people, I too have my preconceived notions on the issue and concept of the transgender experience. And like most people, before my research on this story, the formulated notions and opinions on the transgender experience that I came up with are anchored on flimsy assumptions that are mostly based on things that I think I am aware of and already know.
Objectively, this story is based on my personal assumptions that are rooted on my comprehension of the interviews that I conducted. Subjectively, I have a hidden agenda: My yearning to at least be within the proximity of being able to understand transgender politics.
The purpose of this story is to peek at the female transgender experience in the Philippines. The questions in my mind were paradoxically basic yet complex: Are there actual transgendered women in the country? What are they like? Are they gay, like me? And ultimately, what exactly is the definition of the word ?transgender??is it a legitimate part of the lexicon of gender, or is it merely a term coined by certain individuals to concretize their abstract feelings about themselves?
I asked these questions because I believe that transgendered women (my interest on transgendered men is yet to be explored) have been relegated to the margins of the people who have celebrated and championed the emergence and noble cause of gender studies.