By Emman Cena
November 5, 2006
Page A22
TO PATRICIA JUSTINE TUMANG, 27, joining the Kreatibo performing group in San Francisco, California, wasn’t just for art’s sake. She saw the group as the best way of telling her stories of sexism and racism.
Patricia, or Patty to her friends and colleagues, joined the Kreatibo group in April 2005 believing in the group’s mission and work as a collective group of gay performing Pinays in the Bay Area.
As one of the many Filipino lesbians in the United States, Patty has her share of insults and bouts of oppression in the foreign land where she permanently resides with partner Jenesha de Rivera, also a Filipina-American writer and performer.
And joining the group, and creating a community with other gay Pinay artists, she felt “validated and supported?”
“Our stories were not just about sexuality and gay erotica but about how we experience colonization, oppression, racism and sexism and how that affects us as gay Filipina-Americans and immigrants living in the US,” says Patty, who first performed in the group’s latest show “Dalagas & Tomboys: A Family Affair” last year.
Creative ‘tibo’
Creative ‘tibo’
Kreatibo, a concoction of the words “creative” and tibo (lesbian), was born in March 2003 out of a casual conversation between founders Maiana Minahal and Lolan Buhain Sevilla who thought of forming a group that could document their experiences as underrepresented gay Pinays.
“The founding members,” Patty says, “wanted a name to convey both their artistic sensibilities as well as their identities as gay Pinays.”
“The founding members,” Patty says, “wanted a name to convey both their artistic sensibilities as well as their identities as gay Pinays.”
Using music, movement, words and images to tell their stories, the group performs regularly at the Bindlestiff Studio in the area. Its first performance in 2003, titled “Halo-Halo: A Queer Pinay Revue,” was jampacked, marking their names on the walls of Bindlestiff, where several Pinoy underground artists started.
Embracing modern-day pop culture and utilizing comedy, drama and satire to bring new meaning to the concept of family, their latest show “Dalagas & Tomboys: A Family Affair,” ran for three sold-out nights on April 28-30, 2005. Directed by Michelle Bautista, the show also touched on the themes of gender, sexuality and Filipino identity as experienced by lesbian, bisexual and transgender Pinays.
“We wanted to change the common misconception that our struggles are only about homophobia,” Patty says. “Some of us struggle with disabilities, discrimination around us, wanting to become parents, unrealistic expectations from our families to become successful corporate card-carrying Americans but the reality is that many of us are artists and activists who work in nonprofit organizations. We are cultural workers who use art as activism and cultural resistance.”
By invitation
Kreatibo has 15 members and is composed of all volunteers according to Patty. Most of them are working full time as teachers, self-sustaining artists, activists or students.
Patty and her partner, for instance, are both writers and editors. They are also active members of the LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual transsexuals) and people of color activist communities in New York and San Francisco.
Kreatibo has 15 members and is composed of all volunteers according to Patty. Most of them are working full time as teachers, self-sustaining artists, activists or students.
Patty and her partner, for instance, are both writers and editors. They are also active members of the LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual transsexuals) and people of color activist communities in New York and San Francisco.
Finding time to meet is always a struggle for the group, and they have yet to formalize their rules and guidelines of membership but every member is expected to regularly attend meetings.
Membership, though, is by invitation only but there is no formal process.
Aside from the continual challenges with time, the group also finds it hard to solicit funds because some people are still apprehensive and simply indifferent to their cause.
From time to time, they would get funding from the Zellerbach Foundation or through some fundraising but would end up getting from their own pockets in case they don’t get enough funds for a show.
Membership, though, is by invitation only but there is no formal process.
Aside from the continual challenges with time, the group also finds it hard to solicit funds because some people are still apprehensive and simply indifferent to their cause.
From time to time, they would get funding from the Zellerbach Foundation or through some fundraising but would end up getting from their own pockets in case they don’t get enough funds for a show.
Art, not just gender But the commitment to art and social change, Patty says, motivates them to continue what has been started. In fact, they’re getting a good number of audiences for their shows, she adds.
Many have become more accepting of the group’s advocacies and its performances were sold out and the audience feedback had been encouraging.
If they were lucky enough to have sold-out nights, Patty says, a small percentage of the tickets’ proceeds goes to Bindlestiff studio where they regularly perform while the rest is set aside for the collective’s production expenses.
“Kreatibo has stepped up to meet the demand for a supportive space and creative venue to present and explore the complex issues concerning gay Pinay artists. Our audiences have told us that we speak to issues that are not widely addressed in Bay Area Filipino communities,” she says.
‘Dalagas’ show
The group, Patty says, has a regular annual show the last one being the Dalagas but members perform either individually and represent Kreatibo for various performances throughout the year, usually in support of specific activist causes and community events.
The group, Patty says, has a regular annual show the last one being the Dalagas but members perform either individually and represent Kreatibo for various performances throughout the year, usually in support of specific activist causes and community events.
Dalagas, she says, actually has garnered for the group the 2005 Lesbian Theatre Award from Curve magazine.
Although they haven’t yet performed in the Philippines, Patty says, the group plans to bring their work here. Some of the Kreatibo members, she says, actually have gone back to the country and worked on several advocacy projects and continue the groups’ cause. Together with some of her co-members, Patty went to the Philippines and participated in the 22nd International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) Conference held in Manila in November 2003.
Gay presence
“We would love to build relationships with other gay Filipino artists, activists, groups and cultural workers who are based in the Philippines,” Patty says.
“We would love to build relationships with other gay Filipino artists, activists, groups and cultural workers who are based in the Philippines,” Patty says.
But to Patty, while there are many amazing LGBT Filipino activist groups that are fighting for visibility here in the Philippines, for the most part, the Filipino society doesn’t want to acknowledge their existence.
It’s here in the Philippines, she says, they face more discrimination from the government, their families and their own communities.
But there’s no stopping them, she says. They will continue to resist, fight and speak up until such time that they will be recognized equal to the heterosexuals.
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