Philippine E-Journals

Balangaw: Lived Experiences of LGBT Students in the Midst of Pandemic

Rosmar Pinaga

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

Gloc-9's song "Sirena" has proved immensely popular and contentious in the Philippines, especially among the LGBT community, which is the song's primary subject matter. This song depicts the experiences of LGBT members starting from childhood up to adulthood by portraying an image of how LGBT people deal with their sexual preferences and how society establishes its perception of LGBT people. Thus, in a conservative and traditional Filipino culture, religious beliefs, cultural standards, norms, and family expectations are the dominant components that impact LGBT individuals' coping with their sexuality. Furthermore, this research employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) by Ferrer et al. (2021) to describe the participants' lived experiences, challenges, and coping mechanisms for the darkest experiences of LGBT students amidst this COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the study's implications were discussed, and recommendations were suggested.