I am writing this article to share my opinion and belief towards Gender Identification and Expressions of our ancestors during the precolonial time. Naturally everyone of us when we are born our Gender has been assigned by our Midwife or doctor who assist in letting us out in this world. Our Gender has been identified because of the Genitals that can be found in the middle of our leg. So we are male when we have penis whereas a Female if we have vigina. But when the spaniards came, these gender identity have extended even to our kitchen utensils such as La Kutchara or spoon for Female and El Tinidor or fork for male.
But as a Filipino it does not matter what Gender do we have, what matter for us is the role that we do in the Society. But focusing this topic about Gender even that we are born possessing such genitals assigned for male and female. There people who have male genitals when they are born but as they grow they express themselves as Female. In modern times we call them as Bakla that originates from the word Bayok which the Visayan word Bayot came from. Whereas there a female who express themselves as male today we call them as Tomboy but in olden times they are called Asog or person possessing strong personality or Kusog/Kisig.
There are article that says that Babaylan are only Female while the Male Babaylan are called Asog. I believe that this is not right as it will contradict to the principle of Gender Nuetrality because even the Diwata they are Gender Neutral.
Hilot Academy of Binabaylan 