Kasaysayan and Kabaklaan: The Budding Field of Philippine Gay-Queer-Trans Historiography

Despite the rise of nationalist historiography, postmodernism, and Bagong Kasaysayan, the historical study of kabaklaan (i.e., Filipino gay, queer, and trans persons) remains largely dominated by non-historians. This article investigates the current state of the field by asking: are there already historiographical works on kabaklaan, and if so, where to find them? Divided into three parts, the article first maps the overlapping paradigm shifts from “gay/homosexual” (ca. 1960s-2000s) and LGBTQ+ (ca. mid-1990s-early 2010s) to “SOGIESC” (ca. early 2010s-present) to explain evolving frameworks in historicizing these identities. Second, it locates and evaluates existing scholarship on kabaklaan organized by historical period. Finally, the article concludes by identifying challenges in using present-day categories on historical figures, suggesting future research strategies, and calling for ethical guidelines to prevent the harmful “outing” or misrepresentation of gay, queer, and trans persons in Philippine history and beyond.