Language, Culture, and Gender: The Role of Traditional Stories in the Acceptance of Transgender Individuals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11594/Keywords:
Culture, Gender, Language, Short story, Traditional, TransgenderAbstract
This qualitative study investigates the intersection of traditional storytelling, cultural heritage, and the societal acceptance of transgender individuals within the Philippine context. While historical narratives often dictate rigid gender binaries, this research explores how such stories can simultaneously act as barriers to and instruments for gender inclusivity. Through semi-structured interviews with eight transgender participants from Sta. Cruz, Zambales, the study identifies core thematic challenges, including religious discrimination, deep-seated superstitions regarding "bad luck," and the pervasive influence of gendered role performance. The findings suggest that while traditional narratives currently reinforce stereotyping and misinformation, they possess the latent power to reshape social values. By promoting inclusive storytelling and leveraging family support systems, society can transition from exclusionary traditions toward a framework of empathy, self-love, and genuine transgender integration.
Downloads
References
Aguilar, F. V. (2005). Clash of spirits: The histo-ry of power and sugar planter hegemony on a Visayan island. Ateneo de Manila University Press. (p. 14)
Bordalo, P., Coffman, K., Gennaioli, N., & Shleifer, A. (2015). Stereotypes. Harvard University. harvard.edu (p. 14)
Canlas, R. (2016). Gender representation in children’s television programming. (Un-published manuscript/Study). (p. 10)
Garcia, J. N. C. (2008). Philippine gay culture: Binabae to bakla, silahis to MSM. Univer-sity of the Philippines Press. (p. 5)
Llemit, N. B. (2016, June 21). LGBT: A stir in our society. SunStar Davao. (p. 2)
Moya, G. M. (2017). Understanding the LGBT community: A mother’s perspective. (Lo-cal Publication/Article). (p. 7)
Olson, K. (2023, March 22). Psychology study seeks to understand transgender youth. Princeton Alumni Weekly. prince-ton.edu (p. 14)
Pew Research Center. (2022, June 7). The ex-periences, challenges, and hopes of transgender and nonbinary U.S. adults. pewresearch.org (p. 15)
Presto, B. J. (2020). Revisiting intersectional identities: Voices of poor bakla youth in rural Philippines. Review of Women’s Studies, 29(2), 113–146. (p. 15)
Salazar, Z. A. (1996). The Malayan connection: Ang Pilipinas sa dunia Melayu. Palim-bagan ng Lahi. (p. 11)
Wagner, S. H. A., Poteat, M. J., & Moore, J. W. L. P. M. (2020). Transgender Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (TABS): Validation with a sample of self-identified Chris-tians. Journal of Psychology and Christian-ity. nih.gov (p. 15)
Zamora, R. (2022). Gender diversity in the Fili-pino language: A semantic analysis. (Re-search Study). (p. 11)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Anthony M. Mon, Elmer C. Diocares, Shella Marie I. Diocares
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See the Effect of Open Access).
