Maritess De Ocampo

How LGBTQ+ Filipinos Helped Shape Philippine Pop Culture

A colorful illustration celebrating LGBTQ+ Filipino personalities and their influence on Philippine pop culture, from language and fashion to beauty, drag, and entertainment.

Article (news)

Moira Macainag

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:957.995px;display:block" width="957.995"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782544009724Lead image-Pride.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:957.995px;display:block;height:auto" width="957.995"/><span class="fr-inner"><em>A colorful illustration celebrating LGBTQ+ Filipino personalities and their influence on Philippine pop culture, from language and fashion to beauty, drag, and entertainment | by Moira Macainag</em></span></span></span></div><p>Every Pride Month, we talk about visibility. Rainbow logos appear, events are staged, and conversations around allyship return to the feed. But one of the more interesting ways to look at Pride is not only through what happens every June, but through what has already been absorbed into everyday Filipino life.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZKJxMBgQvA/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=648&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1687137%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="882" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Because whether people realize it or not, LGBTQ+ Filipinos have, over time, profoundly influenced the nation’s modes of expression—shaping its language, humor, aesthetics, performance, and even its very sense of what constitutes entertainment.</p><p>You hear it first in language.</p><p>A Filipino group chat can rarely survive without a <em>charot</em>, <em>chika</em>,<em> keri</em>, <em>haggardo</em>, <em>pakak</em>, or <em>awra</em>. These words are so common now that they just feel like part of everyday conversation. Mothers use them. Friends use them. Brands use them. Celebrities use them. Even people who may not actively engage with queer culture use them without thinking twice.</p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@etymologynerd/video/7479226093434866990" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7479226093434866990" id="v2249177527884561" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px"><iframe name="__tt_embed__v2249177527884561" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7479226093434866990?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-06-27T07%3A43%3A45.537726%3A1ec66017-cc55-42c0-acae-e73244f6d6f7%26action%3Dedit" style="width:100%;height:739px;display:block;visibility:unset;max-height:739px"></iframe></blockquote><script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><p>But many of these words became popular through gay lingo, also known as &quot;<em></em>beki speak,&quot; &quot;swardspeak,&quot; or gayspeak. In a paper on gay language in the Philippines, scholar Norberto Casabal notes that gay language has become more accepted over time, with both gay and non-gay speakers using gay expressions. But he also points out that for queer Filipinos, this language has functioned as a kind of “armor” against stigma.</p><p>That detail matters. Gay lingo was never just about being funny. For many LGBTQ+ Filipinos, it became a way to communicate in spaces that were not always safe or accepting. Through humor, wordplay, and exaggeration, people could express themselves, share experiences, and connect with others while softening or masking what they meant. It created a shared language that felt both playful and protective. In this way, language became more than expression—it became a way to navigate the world with both creativity and caution.</p><p>Somewhere along the way, the shield became part of the mainstream.</p><p>That is why <em>charot</em> works so well. It can soften a statement, take back a joke, or make a sentence less serious. <em>Keri</em> can make struggle sound lighter. <em>Bongga</em> makes praise more dramatic. <em>Awra</em> turns confidence into a whole performance. These words carry a distinctly queer understanding of life: sometimes, you survive by making things funny, fabulous, or both.</p><p>The word <em>awra</em> alone shows how deep that influence goes. In his paper “From Aura to Awra,” Filipino scholar John Paolo Sarce discusses how the older word &quot;aura&quot; was queered into <em>awra</em> through <em>beki </em>language and Philippine media. He looks at examples such as Awra Briguela’s “Clap, Clap, Clap, Awra,” Maymay Entrata’s “Amakabogera,” and the noontime TV segment “Beklaban,” which combines <em>beki</em> and <em>laban</em>.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:501.992px;display:block" width="501.992"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782544837479TikTok_FTTM.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:501.992px" width="501.992"/><span class="fr-inner"><a href="http://tiktok.com/@fttmph/photo/7647834756620569874?q=gay%20lingo%20filipino&amp;t=1782208665711" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FTTM TikTok</em></a><em> account shares the &quot;beki&quot; origins of some of our favorite expressions</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>That is pop culture doing what pop culture does best: taking a word, exaggerating it, performing it, and turning it into something everyone can understand.</p><p>It also explains why LGBTQ+ influence on Philippine entertainment feels so natural. Filipino comedy has always had room for the loud, the dramatic, the quick-witted, and the exaggerated. Queer performers helped shape that rhythm. The clapback, the side comment, the facial reaction, the perfectly timed insult, the<em> ay teh</em> energy before a punchline lands — these are all part of the language of Filipino entertainment.</p><p>But this influence also comes with a complicated truth. Philippine media has often loved queer people as entertainers before it has fully respected them as people. The<em> bakla</em> character has been allowed to be funny, fashionable, loyal, dramatic, and generous. But too often, they have also been made into the punchline, the sidekick, or the person whose sadness has to be hidden behind comedy.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/people-culture-events/2026/5/15/tri-city-pride-run-2026-set-to-draw-more-crowds-1548?obOrigUrl=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Tri-city Pride Run 2026 set to draw more crowds</a></div><p>That is the uncomfortable part. Filipino pop culture borrows so much from queer creativity, but real-life acceptance has not always moved at the same speed.</p><p>A UNDP and USAID report on LGBT life in the Philippines looks at how law, culture, religion, media, politics, and social attitudes all affect LGBTQ+ Filipinos. In other words, LGBTQ+ visibility in entertainment does not automatically mean equality in everyday life. A country can enjoy queer humor, queer language, and queer style while still making queer people fight to be protected, understood, and taken seriously.</p><p>You can see the same tension in beauty and fashion.</p><p>Today, it feels more normal to see men wearing pearls, painted nails, softer silhouettes, statement bags, or makeup. At the same time, there is also a quiet shift toward more utilitarian, androgynous looks—clean lines, practical silhouettes, muted palettes—that move away from traditional expectations of femininity. Skincare and grooming are no longer framed as things only women can care about. Beauty creators of different genders talk about brows, concealer, sunscreen, lip tint, and contour online, and audiences are more open to it now than they might have been years ago.</p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@kennnnito/video/7603974230430141716" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7603974230430141716" id="v19601451393049210" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px"><iframe name="__tt_embed__v19601451393049210" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7603974230430141716?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-06-27T07%3A43%3A45.537726%3A1ec66017-cc55-42c0-acae-e73244f6d6f7%26action%3Dedit" style="width:100%;height:721px;display:block;visibility:unset;max-height:721px"></iframe></blockquote><script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><p>But this shift did not happen out of nowhere. LGBTQ+ creatives have long treated beauty and fashion as forms of self-expression. Before “genderless fashion” became a marketing term, queer people were already testing the limits of what clothing could say. Before male celebrities wearing pearls became a style moment, queer communities had already been challenging the idea that accessories, makeup, and softness belonged to only one gender.</p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@kayemorales/video/7620318310592154901" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7620318310592154901" id="v44237895369073880" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px"><iframe name="__tt_embed__v44237895369073880" sandbox="allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-same-origin" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7620318310592154901?lang=en-US&amp;referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2026-06-27T07%3A43%3A45.537726%3A1ec66017-cc55-42c0-acae-e73244f6d6f7%26action%3Dedit" style="width:100%;height:739px;display:block;visibility:unset;max-height:739px"></iframe></blockquote><script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script><p>Fashion, in this sense, is not just about looking good. For many LGBTQ+ Filipinos, it has also been about negotiating identity. A painted nail, a bold lip, a dramatic sleeve, a pair of heels, or an oversized silhouette can be playful, yes. But it can also be a declaration: this is who I am, and I am not dressing for your comfort.</p><p>Then there is drag, which may be the most obvious example of queer creativity entering mainstream culture.</p><p>Drag in the Philippines did not begin when it appeared on streaming platforms. It has existed for years in bars, pageants, comedy clubs, fiestas, community events, and small stages. Shows like Drag Race Philippines and Drag Den helped bring Filipino drag to a wider audience, but they did not invent it. They simply made more people look.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media" id="instagram-embed-2" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNnDguPOLPL/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=648&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A2%2C%22os%22%3A2859061.6999999285%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="0" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-2" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px;min-width:326px;padding:0px;position:absolute"></iframe></div><blockquote class=" instagram-media-registered" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNnDguPOLPL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" id="instagram-media-payload-2" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNnDguPOLPL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"><br/></div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><br/></div><div style="padding-top:8px"><div style="color:#3897f0;line-height:18px">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"><br/></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"><br/></div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"><br/></div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"><br/></div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"><br/></div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"><br/></div></div></a><div style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNnDguPOLPL/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Drag Race Philippines (@dragraceph)</a></div></div></blockquote><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>And when you look closely, drag is not just gowns, wigs, makeup, and lip syncs. It is fashion, comedy, theatre, music, pageantry, politics, and cultural commentary happening all at once. A Filipino drag queen can reference a beauty pageant, a teleserye villain, a Catholic image, a sari-sari store, a national costume, a viral meme, and a childhood memory in one performance.</p><p>That is not just entertainment. That is cultural remixing.</p><p>A 2024 essay on provincial drag in the Philippines also reminds us that drag should not only be understood through glamour and superstardom. Filipino drag exists beyond big city stages and glossy productions. It also lives in provincial performances, digital content, local humor, and everyday queer world-building.</p><p>That feels important, because LGBTQ+ influence on Philippine pop culture has never only belonged to celebrities or famous personalities. It also comes from salons, pageants, barangay performances, comedy bars, creative teams, makeup chairs, writers’ rooms, styling decks, group chats, TikTok edits, and people who may never be publicly credited for the culture they helped create.</p><p>This is why the story of LGBTQ+ influence is not simply a list of famous names. It is bigger than that.</p><p>It is in the way Filipino captions sound more playful because of gay lingo. It is in the way noontime shows use beki humor as part of their rhythm. It is in the way beauty has become more open to all genders. It is in the way fashion has become less obedient to old rules. It is in the way drag queens turn Filipino references into spectacle. It is in the way queer wit can make even difficult realities feel survivable.</p><p>And maybe that is the most powerful contribution of LGBTQ+ Filipinos to pop culture: they taught it how to transform.</p><p>They take language and bend it. They take pain and make it funny. They take fashion and make it freer. They take performance and make it sharper. They take a culture that has often tried to limit them and somehow make that same culture more expressive.</p><p>So yes, Pride Month is about celebration. But it should also be about credit.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-4" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DZCDEppEjL7/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=648&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A4%2C%22os%22%3A2913389%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="927" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-4" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><div><strong></strong><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/lifestyle/people-culture-events/2026/6/27/300-000-join-love-laban-pride-festival-at-up-diliman-2248" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 300,000 join Love Laban Pride Festival at UP Diliman</a><strong></strong></div><p>Because many Filipinos enjoy queer culture every day without naming it. We use the words. We laugh at the jokes. We copy the poses. We follow beauty trends. We watch the performances. We say <em>charot </em>after a risky opinion, <em>keri</em> after a hard day, and <em>awra</em> when someone enters a room with confidence.</p><p>The influence is not hidden. It is everywhere.</p><p>We just have to be honest about where so much of it came from.</p>

<p>Pride Month is not only about visibility, but also about credit. Many of the words, trends, jokes, and performances Filipinos enjoy today carry the influence of LGBTQ+ creativity.</p>

Pride Month is not only about visibility, but also about credit. Many of the words, trends, jokes, and performances Filipinos enjoy today carry the influence of LGBTQ+ creativity.

How LGBTQ+ Filipinos helped shape Philippine pop culture

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How LGBTQ+ Filipinos helped shape Philippine pop culture

Moira Macainag

Published June 27, 2026 03:32 PM PHT

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Updated June 28, 2026 12:21 AM PHT

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LGBTQ Filipinos

Filipino Pop Culture

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