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| Issue 2, 2008 |
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Issue 2, 2009
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Hot Off The Press
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What These Hands Can Do
A Lesbian Literary & Art Folio
Lunduyan NG Sining, Inc. 2008
There are two things that characterize Philippine Lesbian
Literature, a seeming dearth in available material and
a conspicuous demand for it by the Filipino Lesbian
Community. Ever since Forbidden Fruit, an anthology of
women’s erotic writings, came out in the early 1990s, and
a single lesbian piece appeared in its pages albeit under a
pseudonym of an unknown writer, there has been a clamour
for genuine lesbian literary material. Even the few lesbian
collections that followed were produced independently by
lesbian groups and published in an almost ‘underground’
manner are never as easily available as the Philippine Gay
Literature popularized by the ‘Ladlad’ series of editors
Danton Remoto and Neil Garcia.
Such was the fate of Woman-to-Woman, a compilation of
poems and essays by Aida Santos and Giney Villar which
faded into oblivion as soon as it was released, and the few
remaining pieces are now rumored to be solely in personal
collections. Likewise with Tibok, which purportedly sought
to explore the heartbeat of the Filipino Lesbian and the
first to be released commercially by a popular publishing
house. And in spite of the occasional lesbian piece which
got featured in the webmagazine, Natives’ Wish, and in
the elusive SteamZine, nowhere else was Filipino lesbian
writing as easily accessible in the last decade or so. The
special LGBT issue of Literatura, a website on Philippine
Literature in English was the only other venue which
showcased lesbian talent in the last few years.
Thus, What These Hands Can Do is a response to this felt
need in the young lesbian community. Since there never
was a scarcity of writers and artists from among our
lesbian ranks, a new generation of lesbian activists decided
to take full advantage of the freedom the written word and
the arts allowed them to express their sexuality. The result
was a new voice in lesbian advocacy, one that is light and
engaging, but just as real as the lives it aims to portray.
Originally intended as a simple collection of ‘Coming-
Out’ stories, the submissions from lesbians of all ages
and backgrounds revealed a diversity of experiences that
cannot be denied or reduced to a few thematic issues. Thus,
the Coming-Out topics ranged from coming out to one’s
parents or families, to coming-out to one’s self in the form
of self-acceptance and personal realizations. It can be as
private as a letter to your mother, or as public as a news
article in a national broadsheet.
The Filipino phrase Lunduyan ng Sining roughly translates
in English as ‘cradle of art’. The group of young lesbians
composing Lunduyan ng Sining or LNS, is a generation of
proud women who wanted to use their education, special
training and skills to showcase their unique talents without
denying their sexuality or gender identification. Indeed,
they have managed to create a kind of lesbian rights
advocacy that is not attended by the usual serious, grim and
determined, in-your-face activism of long ago. Through this
publication, they have successfully revealed the intricacies
of lesbian lives in all its ‘normalcy’. Lesbian issues and
concerns are mainstreamed through literary pieces in such
a way that it is readily accessible to
anyone who is interested to learn
about the humanity of Filipino lesbians.
In the folio’s pages, Filipino lesbians
enjoy the physical and virtual space
that Philippine society has denied
them. The short stories, essays and
poems still contain the frustration,
the fear and various other difficulties
lesbians encounter everyday. They
speak of our parents’ disappointments
and our families’ embarrassments,
even the anger constantly aimed at
us. But behind these experiences are
also stories of triumph, independence
and freedom borne out of finally
being true to one’s self. They include
longtime, hidden loves eventually acknowledged and new
friendships gained. Some families overcame the prejudice
and managed to embrace their lesbian daughters. Some
mothers expressed an initial hesitance, while some parents’
words unfortunately reverberate with bias and ignorance.
All these are told by Filipino lesbians themselves against the
backdrop of Philippine traditional values and biases. As such,
while the experiences of discrimination and oppression
are nothing new, it depicts which social institutions exert
the most pressure on Philippine LGBTs. A great deal of
homophobia stems from family environments, and hence,
this was clearly shown by the Coming-Out stories which
tackled mostly parents and family members. Traditional
Catholic beliefs so embedded in Filipino culture likewise
permeate through the value system of many lesbians. And
as a consequence, a palpable conservatism also characterize
their views on sex and their sexuality.
This collection of lesbian writings evokes a variety of
lesbian voices. With contributors ranging from veteran
LGBT advocates to college students, writers, journalists,
painters and artists, the common thread is a depiction of
their lesbian identity through their art. It does not matter
if some of them are simply budding artists or accomplished
writers already. Ultimately one
voice rings through this collection
and sends out a clear message – we
are here and we plan to be around
for a long time.
Unknowingly, and perhaps,
unwittingly, the organizers of this
small project did not realize the
implication of their output. The
feedback to their call for submissions
was overwhelming. Which only goes
to show the courage with which
Philippine lesbians are now ready to
speak out. The degree of tolerance
which now greets the apparent
visibility of young lesbians in
Filipino society is probably a result
of the bravery of lesbian advocates
that went before them. But with their continued vigilance
in protecting lesbian rights, there is a clear realization
that they also recognize their responsibility in joining the
struggle for equality and respect.
In simply wanting to showcase their talents, these writers
and artists told personal stories rich with sexuality and
lesbian identity. Through art, they have mainstreamed
lesbian issues and concerns which cannot be forgotten or
set aside for a few positive developments like a seeming
tolerance and acceptance of LGBTs in modern Philippine
society. What These Hands Can Do is a merging of art with
advocacy.
Germaine Trittle P. Leonin is a legal professional and
LGBT rights advocate based in Manila. She is the Founding
President of Rainbow Rights Project (R-Rights), Inc., a legal
and policy ‘think tank’ and legal resource center on sexual
orientation. She is also the Treasurer of Ang Ladlad LGBT
Party and the Corporate Secretary of Lesbian Advocates
Philippines (LEAP), Inc. She is currently pursuing a Master of
Arts in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines-
Diliman and regularly blogs at http://germainetrittle86.
multiply.com
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