‘Filipino’ Is Not A Neutral Term
This month, the words ‘Filipinx’ and ‘Pinxy’ were added to the Dictionary.com as gender-inclusive ways to refer to people from the Philippines. This swiftly became a Filipin* American versus Filipin*s from ‘the homeland’ debate, with many folks in the Philippines arguing that ‘Filipino’ is already a gender-neutral term, and that this is a move by Fil-Ams asserting their own values onto the rest.
First of all, no Filipin* identity is a monolith. Ask Indigenous People in the Philippines and Moro Filipinos about how they feel about this issue, most barely identify as Filipino to begin with.
As someone who was born and has lived in the Philippines (albeit for a short time), who grew up in Philippine community in the Middle East (who do not define themselves as diaspora), and who immigrated to Canada and now actively identifies as a member of the Fil-Canadian diaspora, I have very complex feelings about this. I still have my own journey to unpack my own relationship with the Filipin* identity, and am still learning, but where I have landed is this:
I prefer to identify as Filipina because I do not agree that “Filipino” is a neutral word. To me, it is very much a remnant of the highly patriarchal and neocolonialist roots of our history and how the Philippines, and the national identity that is ‘Filipino’, came to be. I also believe that I can do whatever the hell I want with the term to reclaim and define my own identity as I please, as I continue to decolonize my understanding of who I am.
Personally, I also do not identify as ‘Filipinx’ and actually believe that Filipinos and Filipinas using “Filipinx” to identify themselves risk the erasure (and undermine the spirit of inclusion of the term) of gender non-binary folks. Which is why I use the term ‘Filipin*’.
Filipina + Filipino + Filipinx = Filipin*
To me ‘Filipinx’ is an identity for those who are GENDER NONBINARY, and is an equal and separate identity that should be acknowledged and intentionally given space to. ‘Filipin*’ is a GENDER INCLUSIVE term. I do this because it is important to recognize that Filipin* nonbinary folks exist and have been systematically marginalized by the majority cis-Filipin*
What resonated with me most about this debate, is the reminder that all Filipin* communities have so much yet to do to address the rampant transphobia and homophobia that exists in the both diaspora and in the Philippines. I think the normalization of Filipinx is an important step of addressing that and reducing this effort as “virtue signaling” or arguing that “this is all semantics” are arguments of the privileged and both miss the point.
The Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, just recently pardoned US Marine, Joseph Pemberton, over the killing of transgender woman, Jennifer Laude. This is unacceptable. According to UP Babaylan, a local LGBTQ+ rights group, this was a “loud and clear message that a Filipino trans woman’s life does not matter.” This is one of the most recent injustices against trans folk in the Philippines. Further, same-sex marriage is still not legal in the Philippines, bullying of LGBTQ youth is rampant, as is the lack of willingness to enforce anti-discriminatory laws. In Filipin* homes across the world, queerness is still considered taboo.
I do sometimes use the word ‘Filipino’, for sentimental reasons. I learned about the term ‘Filipinx’ 2 years ago, so for 30 years of my life, I always identified as Filipino, proudly. The word will always be important to me and you know what, nothing is stopping me from continuing to use it just because Filipinx is now on Dictionary.com. If you are arguing against the inclusion of the word Filipinx and have taken it upon yourself to measure its validity, but remain willfully ignorant of the politics around it, of LGBTQ+ issues, please educate yourself or kindly, sit down. If you identify as Filipino by all means continue to do so, that is your right. No one has taken anything from you. It just means that we are finally (and so very slowly) evolving to make space for those who have needed it for a very long time.
