Filipino LGBT psychologists and scholars gathered in a national writers workshop sponsored by the Psychological Association of the Philippines (PAP) to ready their locally conducted LGBT research studies for publication.
Sixteen researchers from Metro Manila, Cavite, Cebu, Albay, Iloilo, and Tacloban brought in manuscripts of their completed research for two days of feedback and discussion, led by guest facilitator Dr. Allan BI Bernardo, former editor of the Philippine Journal of Psychology.
Topics of the research papers included: workplace discrimination, LGBT-friendly guidance programs, dynamics of Filipino same-sex couples, experiences of lesbians in the closet, coming out among Waray gay teenagers, babaeng bakla (“fag hag” women), and gay children in conflict with the law. These are all original studies conducted in Philippine settings.
The residential workshop was organized by the PAP’s Arcus Project in support of a forthcoming special LGBT issue of the Philippine Journal of Psychology. This landmark publication is part of PAP’s commitment to supporting equal rights and social justice as outlined in its 2011 LGBT-affirmative policy.
Co-organizing the event was the University of the Philippines Center for Women’s Studies, with support from the Arcus Foundation.
