Si Lalaki, Si Babae

I took a gender sensitivity training and at first I thought I wouldn't learn anything new from it. After all, I know that Filipinas are being sexually abused, raped and trafficked on a daily basis. There are still wives who are beaten by their husbands and there is no divorce in the country. We have a female president but female political participation in the country is still low. Although the women's movement in the country has made remarkable progress, regrettably there are still many Filipino men and women trapped in their traditional roles in the society. Surprisingly, I learned that gender sensitivity does not only concern feminist issues but also how men and women suffer from the traditional views on how they should act.

I remember my male friends in the university who complained that the process of growing up is harder for them. They have to act macho and have to make-up false sexual conquests so their fraternity buddies would deem them men enough. So they go on having one night stands and deliberately cheat their girlfriends to convince the world of their masculinity. Meanwhile, you see catholic girls who has been liberated by free thinking and are trying to escape the traditional view of what a girl should be. So they go have one night stands, experiment sexually to prove to the world that they are not traditional. I have always tried to avoid stereotypes, long before I understood the word androgynous, I believed that human beings can posses both feminine and masculine characteristics separate from their sexual orientation. Growing up, I loved learning how to play drums, playing sports with boys, wearing girlie dresses (which I still love to do until now), and make-up. I have always been attracted to guys who love to shop, likes fashion, plays sports, can dance, watches movies with subtitles, and weeps like a baby.

I hate cliches. I am disappointed that many significant friendships have been broken because of gender insensitivity. I'm looking forward to the day when the Filipinos stop thinking in a box.