One of my dear friends, via text, so early in the morning: "Anó ang politically correct term ng baklâ?"
Me: No exact word, but roughly: effeminate homosexual.
Her: No, in Tagalog.
Me: Ah. Walâ because we are currently an unsophisticated people. But Tagalog used to have one: bayog-ín. It is archaic, but some scholars have revived its usage.
Note, though, that baklâ is largely pejorative whilst bayog-ín is neutral-to-positive. The latter is obviously older and comes from a more sophisticated past.
Addendum: There is also binabaé (for boys) and binalaki (for girls), but these are in reference to transgender, not homosexuality.
Her: Oh, okay. Salamat. I was asking kasí I saw a news clip kanina when I was on the bus going home. And Pinky Webb said 'mga badíng'. And I found it off-key.
Me: Yes, it's always off-key. It's roughly the equivalent of "faggot" or "nigger" on American television. They would never openly say it on air. Dito kebs kasí tangá tayo. Ha ha!
Her: I know! She was talking about a gay beauty pageant, BTW.
Me: Ah, gay beauty pageants. Where gay men are always assumed to be the same as transgender.
Her: I would post this conversation on Facebook.
Me: I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!
Me: I actually get up at around 10:30, but I read your message, and couldn't go back to sleep unless I answered you. Damn you!
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| Image: http://www.iias.nl/nl/35/iias_nl35_13.pdf |
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