Bakla! Bakla! Paano ka ginawa?: A Phenomenological Study on Filipino LGBT Coming Out Experiences in the Philippine Context

One of the many manifestations of the continuous fight of the LGBT community for acceptance in society is the culture of coming out. It is the process wherein a queer individual formally transitions into letting everyone around them know about their gender identity. However, there is a need to create an academic narrative for their experiences to raise further awareness about their struggles. This paper seeks to determine the factors contributing to individuals’ confidence in openly disclosing and identifying as queer and analyze the themes of societal progression in varied narratives of openly LGBT Individuals. The researchers interviewed eight (8) Filipino adult Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, using a qualitative approach partnered with thematic analysis on determining the different themes behind the various experiences of people that have undergone the process of coming out. This article emphasized on the experiences before and after coming out together with the factors that pushed each participant to freely express their sexuality. The researchers discovered that open members of the Filipino LGBT community undergo gender identity and confusion which precedes their act of coming out after their acceptance is guaranteed by the people around them. Afterwards, both positive and negative effects are evidently observed – implying the fact that the process of coming out is indeed a multi-pronged topic of discussion that still needs further research both in the academic and social context