Situating queerness in Filipino experience: The bakla,the parlor,and the paglaladlad

Abstract

This paper aims to describe and understand the parloristang bakla (queer hairdresser) and their journey of becoming as told through their stories of paglaladlad, a local construct and experience that is the closest equivalent to “coming out.” Specifically, this paper aims to describe how the parloristang bakla views their identity as bakla (queer) and as hairdresser, characterize common themes or episodes in their paglaladlad, and dialogue their experiences with constructs from Filipino Psychology to surface the interpersonal values that they uphold and align themselves with in their queer-becoming. Eight parloristang bakla from different beauty parlors in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, were interviewed through pakikipagkwentuhan, an indigenous data collection method characterized by storytelling and informal conversations. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically. Results showed that the parloristang bakla tends to naturalize their queerness and penchant for hairdressing. They see their work as hairdressers not only as a destiny they have fulfilled but also as a means to prove themselves as productive, decent, and honorable members of their family and the community. We argued how paglaladlad served as a way for the parloristang bakla to share their loob (inner self) with their Others. Such acts of unfolding the loob require navigating tensions between the desire to stay true to oneself, preserve harmonious relationships with their kapwa (shared self in others), and meet societal moral standards, which are made possible through their career as parloristas.