Editor’s Note: Sace Natividad is a pre-t (pre-testosterone) trans man. He is a photographer and a former student-journalist from the Benildean Press Corps.
Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — There’s no denying that Anne Curtis-Smith is one of the most familiar faces in Philippine media. Recently, she played the lead role as a transgender man in ABS-CBN’s “Maalala Mo Kaya” adaptation of Rev. Marrz Balaoro’s life story last July 13.
The episode focuses on Marrz Balaoro, an Abra-born transgender man, the founder of Filguys Association Hong Kong and LGBTS Christian Church Hong Kong, and the first Filipino trans man ordained pastor. But even before the episode aired, controversy already surfaced — especially online — focusing on Curtis-Smith’s casting as a straight cisgender (someone whose gender identity matches their assigned sex at birth) woman for a role of a transgender man. This calls to mind the recurring problem of the portrayal of transgender people in the media — Hillary Swank as trans man Brandon Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry,” Jared Leto as HIV+ trans woman Rayon in “Dallas Buyers Club,” and Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, one of the first recipients of gender reassignment surgery in “The Danish Girl,” among many others.
Before diving into the complexity of the issue, it should be noted that the episode was able to get some things right. “MMK” was able to portray the all-too-familiar feeling that hounds many members of the LGBTQ+ community: the overwhelming confusion of discovering yourself and your identity.
It starts with a young Marrz receiving a doll from his mother and letting it float away in the river. The next scene portrays his youthful confusion with him using what seems to be a rubber hammer in an attempt to flatten his pubescent breasts — a common moment for trans men wherein they recognize that the body they’re in is not who they are. This is followed by a scene with a local doctor talking to Marrz and his family, revealing symptoms of his body dysmorphia even at a young age. This scene also reflects the outdated yet dominant thinking that continues to this day: that one’s gender identity and sexual orientation can be cured. “Wala ba kayong marereseta? Baka naman pwede pa siyang gamutin?” his father asks. His prejudice continues as he treats Marrz differently from his siblings, even going so far as to order him to be a woman again. In this respect, the episode was able to accurately portray the struggles of the Filipino trans man.
Likewise, the episode captured the feeling of love and loss as a queer person, and showed that queer love and heartbreak are no different from a heterosexual’s experience. We are all human after all.
“Kung ako ang papapiliin, nais kong ipasok ang mga transgender na actor sa mga transgender na karakter,” shares Teotico. “Less effort na nga kumbaga sa character study, at makeup dahil hindi mo na kailangan pilitin ‘yung katawan ng aktor mo sa karakter, mas maipapahayag pa niya ng mabuti ang mga detalye, sapagkat may mga bagay na mas naiintindihan base sa karanasan. At the same time, mas nabibigyan ng pagkilala ang existence ng mga transgender na aktor sa industriya.”
Conditional acceptance
“Sana maging basehan ng mga casting director dito sa Pilipinas ang pagkatugma ng personality, physicality, at talento ng isang aktor kaysa sa kasikatan,” he adds.
While some scenes did get it right, there were other scenes that, though accurate to Marrz’s story, proved to be problematic in their portrayal.
In an article on the invisibility of lesbians and trans men in the Philippines, and the need for safe spaces, it points out that those in the LGBTQ+ community have to work harder to be acknowledged, much more recognized, and that external pressure from family, workplace, and society demands them to tone down their identity and self-expression just to reap the bare minimum of tolerance. “There’s always a condition before you are accepted or even tolerated,” said Ging Cristobal in the article. “There is this phrase that [Filipinos] use: ‘We accept you but…’ But you have to temper showing your gender expression or how lesbian you are in terms of clothing, your manner of speaking, the content of your messages.”
This was evident in the episode when Marrz’s father finally accepted him when he became able to provide for their needs. This is what is meant when we say “conditional acceptance,” and portraying it so plainly can be dangerous and misleading.
On a positive note, the episode was able to show a silver lining: that although the families we are born into may not always give us the love, support, and acceptance that we need, in one way or another, we inevitably find, make, and nurture our own families.
The biggest misconceptions
MMK neglected to refer to Marrz as “transgender” or “trans man,” instead favoring the term “tomboy.” This can easily confuse people on the proper terms to use when addressing someone’s identity. While “tomboy” means “a girl who acts masculine or boyish” in the West, here, the word still equates to a lesbian — this is different from what transgender means, as a trans man is someone who was born female yet identifies as a man.
Another glaring misconception in this episode was the use of testosterone pills, which in Marrz’ case, caused him to experience heart complications. While it is true that transitioning isn’t risk-free, the way “MMK” showed this risk without ever clarifying that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is now safer (there are more doctors available now who are willing to guide other transgender men) could birth a great generalization and greater confusion for those who are unaware of how transitioning works.
One could argue that since Marrz’s story happened in the ‘70s, the episode is simply being accurate to its time, as the terms “transgender” or “trans man” weren’t as widely used then, and the only known way of transitioning was using pills. However, the episode appears to have been set in more modern times, as Marrz could be seen video-calling his partner in one scene. With that being said, there should have been room for a discussion on the pills and the proper terminologies. The producers could have used updated terminologies, and the accessibility of information the way they were able to update the character’s usage of mobile phones to match today’s time.
The issue of casting
Casting for queer roles has recently become an area of debate and contention, especially in Hollywood. For some, casting should be all about judging an actor’s ability to perform first, their SOGIE second. For others, the call for queer actors in queer roles is a matter of increasing representation on screen, and opening doors for queer actors. Thus, when ABS-CBN announced that Anne Curtis-Smith would be taking on the role, many voiced their concerns online.
In an online interview with Marrz Balaoro, he shared that he had mentioned to the researchers that he wanted Jake Zyrus to portray him in the episode. “Nabanggit ko sa researchers … kung pwede si Jake Zyrus [ang] gumanap,” he says. “Ang sagot nila, depende sa availability niya. After two weeks tinanong ko uli sino [na] ang gaganap, sagot nila si Anne Curtis. Knowing Anne as one of the bankable actresses at gumampan na din siya ng lesbian roles kaya I was confident na kaya nyang gampanan ang role ko.”
For Balaoro, whether the actor portraying his life was trans or not was less of an issue to him. “Hindi ito [issue ng] kung hetero ang gumanap. Importante na gampanan niya ng maayos ‘yung role despite na straight siya. Ibig lang sabihin magaling siyang actress.”
It’s understandable that producers will want to cast a well-known actor to tell a queer story. Their popularity can give that story an extra push, some might say. On the other hand, it has been proven that a film can stand with a relatively unknown or first-timer queer actor.
And trans actors do exist in this country. Even in the MMK episode, we see PBB Alumnus and trans actor Jesi Corcuera as Marrz’s org member. There’s also trans man actor Sky Teotico who, if you look closely, actually resembles Anne Curtis-Smith when she shaves her head in a pivotal scene in the episode.
Bankability aside, some might say that Marrz’s pre-testosterone (pre-t) status is reason enough for why it is acceptable to choose a cisgender actress like Anne.
Pre-t trans performer Pow Chavez tells me: “Initially, I was questioning ‘why her?’ But I gave it a thought, thinking, maybe the person she is actually impersonating looks like her, or … the person she is portraying didn’t actually transition, thus the female qualities.”
He adds: “For as long as she does justice to the character, then, by all means, go ahead. It just becomes sensitive because the topic/story deals with gender preferences and identities. But at the end of the day, it’s a portrayal … I think that people are forgetting that when someone is an actor or actress, they can do any part, as they are a blank canvas that can wear anything and be anything for as long as the script calls for it. But of course, they have to give justice to it.”
On the other hand, Pioneer Filipino Transgender Men Movement’s Youth Advocacy Officer, Tetsu Komatsuzaki, shares: “It is important that they use transgender actors because it portrays our existence in the real world, and that it isn’t just a concept but a reality that we exist.”
“Even though [a T.V. episode or a film] is based on a true story, people can easily say it’s scripted or gawa-gawa lang ‘yan. But if a trans actor plays the role, they cannot invalidate the existence of transgender people,” he adds. “They can portray the transgender community not just by hiring transgender actors but also involving transgender people in the making, like writing the script or editing. They can also and should reach out to advocates and organizations in order to be able to get insights and represent us correctly.”
At the end of the day, a great actor will always be able to portray any role, but if accessibility to transgender actors for trans roles is evident, it is the responsibility of the show to aim for the accuracy and truthfulness of the story. There will be hundreds, thousands, or millions of stories centered on a cisgender heterosexual person’s life, but only a few representing a transgender person’s struggle. If this role was given to a transgender man — medically transitioned or not — it will always be a big win to the community. As still one of the most enduring sources of influence, representation on television can mean progress or a set back for a community that has been fighting so hard for so long. It is the responsibility of filmmakers, producers, networks, and writers to show the stories of people like us, fictional or non-fictional, as truthfully as possible.
