COMMUNICATION FOR SAFE(R) SPACES IN COMING OUT AMONG FILIPINO QUEER YOUTH

Abstract

This study explored the Filipino queer youth’s communicational perspective of safe spaces for coming out in the Philippine context. Guided by Blumerian Symbolic Interactionism, it uses Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006) as methodology. A theoretical sample of six Filipino queer youth from official queer student organizations in two universities in Metro Manila were interviewed in-depth online via Zoom from October 2022 to March 2023. Comparative analysis of data, concepts, and categories through reiterative coding steps was done.

The Filipino queer youth identified kanlungan, tahanan, tambayan/takbuhan as the safe spaces because these are where they feel most honest to themselves, accepted, comforted, protected, empowered, and excited. Safe spaces are characterized as chosen (gender identity disclosure is solely their decision), established (initiating disclosure before they expect disclosure from others), all-encompassing (safety must be existent in all social institutions), and indefinite (a safe space can be a person/location or both). Safe spaces also have internal and external layers of safeness. Internally, a space is safe if there is no experience of gender dysphoria or self-harm ideations and if their disclosure were decided based on the elements of choice, readiness, timing, and relationship. Moreover, a space is externally safe if religious, socio-cultural, political, educational, and financial factors are all gender-affirmative.

Communication plays a crucial role in creating safe spaces for the Filipino queer youth because it is through verbal and non-verbal communication that they get signs and symbols of whether they are accepted or not. Safe spaces are introduced, disseminated, and negotiated through interactions. The symbols of safe spaces and their meanings are continuously transformed and can produce a universally understood meaning of safe spaces for the queer community through Symbolic Interactionism.