Home⇛Uswag Journal: Philippine Journal of Multidisciplinary Research⇛vol. 2 no. 2 (2024)

Exploring Gender Identity Discovery and Expression Through Art Among Filipino Youth

Patricia May O. dela Cueva | Inero Ancho | Helga P. Vergara | Eric Paul D. Peralta | Rufo Gil Z. Albor | Daisy V. Pelegrina

Discipline: Sociology

 

Abstract:

Gender identity remains to be a concept that is mostly seen as linear to one's sex, gender, gender expression, and gender roles, especially in the Philippine context which greatly affects not only the welfare of individuals with nonconforming gender identities but also the relationships formed by them. This study mainly aimed to explore gender identity discovery in a more positive outlook, how it affected their relationships within their environment, while also incorporating art and how it could be a creative outlet for expressing their emotions and advocacies. A phenomenological approach was employed which enabled the researcher to gather the lived experiences of nine (9) college students from a state university in Los Banos through a face-to-face interview. Utilizing thematic analysis in this study indicated how the participants have expressed a more positive feeling and mindset towards themselves and others after discovering their gender identity. The results also showed how most of the environments in which the participants chose to disclose their gender identity have made a greater impact on their confidence which motivated them even more to explore their identity. Despite these positive feelings and impacts, those negative experiences can never be left behind in order to create such strong and confident individuals. The results also showed how art is seen as a powerful tool of self-expression yet still a weak but flourishing tool when it comes to making a change in such a heteronormative society as the Philippines.



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