Long before colonialism, when gender was policed and queerness was punished, Trans+ communities in the Philippines were sacred
Long before gender was policed and queerness was punished, they were sacred. In the Philippines, trans and gender-diverse people once stood at the centre of spiritual life. Precolonial Filipino societies recognised figures known as babaylan, ritual leaders primarily in the Visayan region who served as healers, spirit mediums, historians, and political authorities. Many babaylan were women, while others were asogor bayog, who were described by Western accounts as effeminate men or transgender individuals. Their gender variance was not only accepted but revered. Their authority did not exist despite their gender expression – it existed because of it.
