Intersectional Struggles of Queer Characters in John Bengan’s Armor: Stories

The struggles of queers overlap each other, making them more exposed to discrimination and worse predicaments. With intersectionality theory by Crenshaw (1989), a deeper understanding of the relationships among identities, such as gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, and ability, is examined. It explores a multitude of new questions beyond sexuality (McCann & Monaghan, 2019) and extends to other existing sexual identities and to more nuanced understandings of gender (Manning & Adams, 2021). Using a qualitative descriptive design, specifically textual analysis and close reading, four queer characters experience intersectional struggles in John Bengan’s Armor: Stories. One is a queer woman while the other three are gay men. The study aimed to capture the nuances of Crenshaw’s (1989; 1991) Intersectionality Theory, and therefore, more identity categories beyond the usual class, sex, and gender are determined. This includes sexuality and age, which revealed that their sexual orientation, gender expression, and current life phase expose them to varying forms of discrimination. Older gays are judged for their attempts to fit contemporary spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, while younger gays are bullied for their self-expression and sexual preferences. It also shows the community’s struggle for self-acceptance, making them stay in the closet to avoid gossips and conflict. The queer characters’ intersectional struggles show some manifestations in queer experiences in Davao City. Truthfully, the authority's power destroys the families and communities of marginalized people (Crenshaw, 1991). The LGBTQ+ community is a victim of intersectional oppression, particularly rooted in an ideology called heteronormativity. The study recommends to examine other queer characters in Philippine literature to allocate more spaces for them in the narratives. It also suggests to use other theories that will reveal their struggles related to their gender, such as Butler’s Gender Performativity.