27/03/2026
Bilang selebrasyon ngayong International Womenโs Month, malugod na inihahandog ng UPLB Babaylan ang isang Open Letter na sumasagot sa katanungang: โAno nga ba ang isang babae? May mukha nga ba ang pagkababae?โ ๐ค
[THE OPEN LETTER]
If being a woman only meant presenting the stereotypical femininity, defined by anatomy, and the ability to bear children, then I am not a woman. However, the definition of womanhood is deep, endless, and most of all, true only to one's self.
Before, I often found myself in a vague situation whenever the topic of the conversation was identity.
"Ano ang isang babae?"
It is a question that raises many people's eyebrows. A short question, but it shook me a lot as a young teen because it made me question my own identity. As transwomen, we're often put on a pedestalโto be pretty, feminine, mahinhin, soft and fragile, and so on. The many stereotypes of womanhood. But being a woman encompasses many identities! We cannot stick to a single definition because it simply cannot, and does not put meaning to the many women out there.
With the many experiences Iโve had with women, the relationships I've built with them, and of course, my own, I believe womanhood is not a performance; it is an existence. It is the courage to live authentically, whether in softness or strength, whether in nurturing or leading. It is the power to claim space in a world that often tries to limit us. For us, transwomen, this journey is layered with challenges like proving our validity, facing prejudice, and yet still choosing to embrace ourselves fully. That choice, that resilience, is womanhood.
For the many women out there who simply don't fit the description they put for us, stay as beautiful as you are now! Because women are diverse! This Women's Month, I want everyone out there to embrace your loudness and boldness and be more unapologetically true.
In times where our own identity, womanhood, is often questioned, we need to be even more true to the world because our lives are a testimony to the truth that womanhood is not defined by biology aloneโit is defined by identity, by lived experience, and by the authenticity of oneโs self.
I hope that this time, when asked the question, "Ano ba ang babae?", we all can answer with our hearts lit up and our voices heard.
โ๏ธ๐ป Written by Zaiah Maynes
๐จ Pub by Yana Veran
