MANILA – Queer literature is an arena Trist’n Buenaflor knows how to write well.
Buenaflor’s newest children’s book “Si Wowa, Diyos, at Bayan!” reflects that gender-affirming faith is possible in the Philippines where queer violence is rooted in colonial times.
The country is known for its vibrant queer visibility and culture and the second highest social acceptance rate in the Asia-Pacific, according to a 2013 Pew Research. However, the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sexual Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality Bill has remained pending in Congress for more than 25 years.
The book chronicles the life of Rev. Wowa Ledama, the first out trans woman priest of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente who was ordained in February 2023. It is a story of how she challenged the conservative culture inside the church and the fear in a country still marred by violence. It is also a story of healing, particularly of how two of her mothers reconciled in her ordination and of how she fully embraced her identity.
The book also narrates the terror experienced by church workers and human rights defenders. Her fellow IFI ordained priest Aldeem Yanez is currently detained after being accused of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and terrorism financing. These accusations have been used by state security forces against the dissenters and activists.
The freezing of assets of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines is another example of terror, aside from the red-tagging of church-based formations like the United Methodist Church Philippines, National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, and the Catholic Church.
An excerpt of Buenaflor’s book states in Filipino, “Fearless in love. And this much is certain about Wowa: that she was shaped and forged by her love for God and the people. She stands today as one tempered by the witnessed prayers on the streets.”
The biography, written in the children’s book, shows that embracing one’s identity is a radical teaching of God to serve the people, especially the most marginalized, without discrimination.
Read: Rainbow realities: A queer author writes radical stories for children
Last year, Bulatlat reported how Buenaflor brought radical visibility to children’s literature through stories that affirm queer identities, thus creating spaces for young audiences to create a just and compassionate world. At present, his works remain liberating.
The book discusses the theologically rich concept of pagsasaksi or witnessing. Rooted in Wowa’s seminary formation, witnessing is an embodied practice that compels response and demands engagement with the suffering. It also highlights the existence of Wowa as a transgender priest.
The concept of simbahang mapagpalaya grounds the narrative in the tradition of liberation theology and Wowa lets it live in the world that renders queer people invisible.
This book is for every child, especially queer children who have been made to feel that faith and their truest selves cannot coexist. This book is a hopeful embrace that queer identity is accepted. (RTS, DAA)
Save as PDF