7 minute read
Cover Story | Spectrum: Through the Looking-Glass
Narratives of a Transgender’s Transitioning
WRITTEN BY MDPN. FRANCIS BALDEMOR, MDPN. JOHN ROVIC LOPEZ, AND MDPN. JULIUS CAESAR ALFARAS | PHOTOS BY WYN GALLO
Advertisement
He felt his room being spun around. There was a little light leaking through his windows but he could barely see. Countless beads of sweat misted up his forehead down to his visage, and before he could process what was happening, he saw a woman right through the looking-glass. Curious as it seemed, that was usual for Winston.
In the eyes of many, Winston was peculiar. Even he would attest to that. There were times when he felt there was something within him that was struggling to flee like a bird trapped in his rib. There was also a voice he seldom talked to whenever he was alone. It was of a woman—compelling, soothing, freeing. For a while he thought he was suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, talking and seeing the same woman who seemed to be a part of him. The woman is in the guise of the name Wyn. And behind her sculpted figure, red lips, and flowing shadow-black hair lies a deep secret. Wyn was Winston—a woman trapped in a man’s body.
EMANCIPATION. Wyn finally expresses herself freely in spaces that once confined her.
Blue is for Him
Born the second among his four siblings, Winston Custodio Gallo already knew what path he would take since he was young. At the age of five, he preferred the more modest and feminine tasks rather than the laboriously stereotypical man work. That was intensified when he considered her gay uncle’s house as his escape zone from his grandfather’s strict patriarchal rules.
“My lolo wanted us to do what men usually do. During that time, I knew what I wanted. That’s why every time I go to my gay uncle, I play with his stuff.”
In the narrow spaces of his uncle’s closet, he felt free. There was only one thing he always wanted to do—Rampa! Wearing their curtains, his uncle’s pageant stilettos and make-up products, he transformed into the beauty queen of his own universe. “In gestures, in lifestyle, and in everything, one could immediately spot on that I am gay. I was attracted to my same-sex; always listening to Lady Gaga, and the like.”
Unlike the preconceptions of many in the country, Antonio Gallo, a basketball coach and Winston’s father, broke the stereotype towards fathers of the LGBTQ+ community and did not stop Winston from embracing himself.
“I could notice it already. He liked dolls, Chinese garter, and jackstone. We can’t do anything about it,” said Antonio.
One will never be enough for the Gallo family. Blessed with four children, all of them are in the spectrum: the eldest, Gerson Gallo, is a bisexual. Winston, the second, is transgender. Precious as lesbian. Jan Lester is slowly following Winston’s path as gay. Sonia Gallo, the mother of the family, sees their situation as a blessing in disguise and tolerates them without reservations.
White is for Becoming
Commonly, proper haircut and grooming are a must, especially when enrolled in a state university. As mandated in the guidelines and policies of the university, one must adhere to the prerequisites as prescribed by the rules. Winston, however, constantly finds himself in a point-blank situation. For him, hair is so profound that it defines him not only physically but also psychologically.
“I was struggling to have a haircut. The dean of the university convinced me to have one. He even offered to pay for me but I still refused. Although I stood my ground, I was left with no choice but to bind with the university rules.”
The long clash of his hair continued even in his workplace after graduating as a secondary teacher majoring in Social Studies from the said university. Working for three years in a public school with the same pants and polo that wrapped his body, he contemplated the years he struggled with his hair; how he dressed and behaved because he was not the gay he envisioned himself to be. From the sea of thoughts that slowly engulfed him, he was struck with his life’s greatest realization—he is a transgender woman.
According to the World Health Organization, transgender is an umbrella word for persons who have an internal sense of gender that differs from their gender at birth. In the case of Winston, his sexual orientation is that of a male but identifies himself as a female.
Courage, after all, was his battle cry. As he became attached to the familiar hum of the context of his workplace, he decided to resign. At the age of 24, he began transitioning. Over-the-counter pills had become his daily breakfast. His dinner was the estrogen hormones he kept on injecting into himself.
Luck became his moral compass after venturing the land where he felt that he was accepted—Thailand. Last May of 2019, he landed his first-ever job as a transgender teacher at Promikiri School in Nakhon Si Thamarat. After a month, however, he decided to fly back home. Now, on a different skin with a different kind of confidence, she transforms.
Pink is for Her
Bowed by the weight of her community’s everyday burdens, Wyn, as an LGBTQ+ advocate, strived to heed the pleas of her fellows. Experiencing their struggles first-hand, made her realize that her transition to womanhood is not in vain. She created an endless ripple of actions by echoing and amplifying the voices of her LGBTQ+ allies. INFLUENCE AND EDUCATE. Wyn finds joy in raising awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community among her students.
INFLUENCE AND EDUCATE. Wyn finds joy in raising awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community among her students.
Wyn is consequently the secretary of the Ogtonganon Mask Stewards, an LGBT organization in her native town under the Rural Health Unit of the Municipality of Oton. It is composed of 300 members that started last 2019. During the lockdown, Wyn felt the dire need of her community.
Thus, she spearheaded the Paglaum Hablon Statement Mask. It is a social initiative project featuring the intricate art of the hand-weaving community of Salngan, Oton made by a group of skilled Ogtonganon LGBTQ+ embroiderers and packaged by LGBTQ+ displaced workers due to the pandemic. The proceeds of the program were later on given to the People Living with HIV (PLHIV) as the town of Oton has the highest number of PLHIV in Iloilo Province.
The selfless initiative of Wyn with her fellow LGBT advocates was supported and funded by the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, an international organization. In line with the organization’s objectives, they strive to promote and defend the human rights of LGBTQ+ in various countries in Southeast Asia.
True Colors
Teaching has been Wyn’s resolute passion ever since. As she uttered, she could not imagine doing another job aside from it. She was among the carefully selected 21 instructors for Teach for the Philippines (TFP) 2021, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all Filipino children receive a high-quality, inclusive, and relevant education.
“Teach for the Philippines is the very first job that accepted me as a transgender in the country. They did not question my gender as they believe that what is important are your skills and the lessons you instill in the children.”
As a transgender teacher, she loves introducing to young children who they really are. She believes that at a young age, children should be aware that minorities like them, still exist and are still relevant in the society.
A Kaleidoscope
His room stopped spinning. There was a little light leaking through his windows and he could see it reflecting through his looking-glass, giving off a spectrum of colors. Winston stared at the woman in the mirror. In his world of dull hues, he envisioned freedom through the looking-glass. And before he could process what was happening, he found himself underneath the shadows of the woman. Winston vanished.
“Wala siya napatay […]. If others are saying nga ginpatay ni Wyn si Winston, no. Si Winston ang taytay. Siya ang taytay kon ngaa ari ko di subong. Part na ni Wyn si Winston, ari lang na di sa ‘ya. Tungod sang kaisog niya during that time; nagwa si Wyn kag nangin babayi,” (He did not die […] If others are saying that Wyn killed Winston, no. Winston was the bridge. He was the bridge to why I am here now. Winston has been a part of Wyn and he’s always here. Because of his courage, Wyn breaks through as a woman), Wyn, a transgender woman, testified.
The room where Winston was before, is now painted by Wyn in a spectrum of colors. In the eyes of many, Winston is still in the guise of Wyn. But behind her sculpted figure, red lips, and flowing shadow-black hair radiates a bold transitioning. Over Winston prevails Wyn—nothing less than a woman.
