3 poster boards are held up as a background w/ one Baybayin character each (ba ka la);
Sarah as figure being observed, Marie (a Pilipinx womxn) is a lecturer presenting her research findings
MARIE
Bakla is a gender identity that existed before colonization, they lived in the Philippines before the islands were invaded in the 15th century. These people were socially and psychologically both men and women.
When we analyze the Baybayin characters we see that the meaning can be found in the symbols. Ba represents the feminine and can be found in Tagalog words like Babae meaning woman. La represents the masculine and can be found in the word lalake meaning man. Ka is the river between them.
Bakla is an example of historic identities that don’t fit our modern understanding of what it means to be a man or a woman. The most similar identity that we use in America is “genderfluid” which can be defined as when a person’s gender identity shifts from feminine to masculine.
SARAH
My gender identity connects me to my ancestors. I thought that being bakla separated me from my family. Who I am connects me to people who were leaders and healers. People who live on through the love that I have for myself and for my people. The part of my heart that reminds me that I belong even when I don’t believe I do.
People who do not fit the narrow labels of man or woman usually find that we can only fight battles within ourselves until we lose (a pink cloth gets tied to Sarah’s right hand, and a blue cloth tied to the other) I wanted to be a traditional woman. I was obsessed with the American 1950s fairytale (ensemble pulls on both sides like tug of war) I had to face that I belong to a much older tradition.
I have nothing to hide or defend.
(ensemble stops pulling on cloths and lets the ends fall to the ground)
We don’t choose these lives
We can choose to research them
To understand ourselves
To express our gender in our art, our clothing, our names, our pronouns
(big stretch with cloths as wings outstretched by ensemble)
What a privilege it is to demand to be seen
To be loved fully
Sarah Maderal (they/them and she/her) is a writer, artist and performer. They performed this scene to come out to their parents as part of a larger play titled Secrets Exposed which was a collection of works by the US in the U.S. theater ensemble (@us.in.the.u.s). In the future, they hope to continue acting in the Bay Area and healing through solidarity.
Sarah's Contact Info:
Insta: @sarahmaderal
Originally published September 2019.