The Rise and Fall of an Urban Sexual Community

The Rise and Fall of an Urban Sexual Community Dana Collins The Rise and Fall of an Urban Sexual Community Malate (Dis)placed Dana Collins Los Angeles, USA ISBN 978-1-137-57960-7 ISBN 978-1-137-57961-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-57961-4 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016940637 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: © Dana Collins Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My heart feels heavy and alive as I write these acknowledgments because I am reminded not only of the fundamental power of a collectivity of people who make all meaningful work possible but also of those people we’ve lost over the thirteen years it took to complete this manuscript. There have been so many amazing people who have helped out in enormous ways so that this story could be told, and told on the terms of those who are far too often silenced in academic studies. I could not have completed a project of this magnitude, let alone carry out international research over thirteen years, without this large community who offered continued support, insight, hospitality, friendship, love, knowledge, and encouragement. I would like to first thank Professor Kum-Kum Bhavnani for her excep- tional mentorship during nine years as my academic advisor in graduate school. She inspired the initial idea for this work and pushed me to go to the Philippines in the first place. I thank her for her extensive editorial feedback on the dissertation, which served as a key starting point for this longitudinal ethnography, and basically, I thank her for her politi- cal inspiration along the way. Many others have helped shape the ideas, arguments, research design, offered editorial feedback, and so on, such that the book manuscript could assume its current form—I want to thank Professors John Foran, Richard Appelbaum, Erika Rappaport, Avery Gordon, Karl Bryant, Peter Chua, Jeanne Scheper, Tiffany Willoughby- Herard, Lorena Garcia, Ashwini Tambe, Meg Sweeney, Katja Guenther, Light Carruyo, Susana Peña, Jane Ward, Jyoti Puri, Randol Contreras, Mike Perez, Anthony Alvarez, Dana Britton, Roberta Espinoza, Martin Manalansan, and Anthony Ocampo. I want to thank my former students v vi Acknowledgments Orvic Pada, Sang Phan, Melissa Govea and Jessica Moronez for their insight and encouragement. Also, the writing of this book manuscript would not have been possible without the extensive editorial feedback of my feminist writing group—CASA—who read every chapter, helped with the crafting of the book proposal, through to the final research trip, and up to the current book contract—a huge shout-out to Professors Sylvanna Falcón, Molly Talcott, Sharmila Lodhia, and Khanum Shaikh—you will always be my revolutionary sisters in love and struggle; thank you for that! To my creative brother in struggle, I want to thank the amazing docu- mentary filmmaker and visual artist Daven Gee for all of his insights into gay urban community and photographic representations of urban spaces. I want to thank my fellow photographers—Tina Cacho and John Urquiza of the sin turista photography collective—for their amazing feedback on my urban photography and their time going through countless photos. A very special thank you to Molly Talcott, my love and life partner, who has nourished me politically, intimately, intellectually, and processed so many ideas and drafts over these fourteen years. Without your love and encouragement, this story would never have come to fruition. Finally, I would like to thank my mother and father, Sherrill and Charles Collins, and Molly’s mother, Judy Talcott, all three who passed away long before this project made it to book form. The love, support, and belief that fami- lies can give are what helped me to finish a PhD and pursue this work; I wish they could be here to see how the story was ultimately told. Thank you for believing in this work, letting go, and starting me out on this jour- ney. I love you with all of my soul Mom, Pops, and Judy. Ever so powerfully, there have been many people throughout the Philippines who have opened their lives, labored, and supported this project. Your knowledge, hospitality, friendship, and commitment to social change in your beloved city makes this a truly remarkable project. First, I want to thank Roda Novenario for working as a research assistant on the first phase of this work. Your insight, translation, archival research, travel companionship, love, support, excitement, and belief, as well as the many times you navigated city life and translated the most basic experiences in the Philippines formed a very strong start for this research. I hope you see your fingerprints everywhere in this final version! I also want to thank Elaine Tolentino for sharing your insights into the Philippines and Malate with me. I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Novenario for opening your home to me, for the many beautiful meals, and for your encouragement to begin learning about the many lived experiences in Manila. I want to thank the Acknowledgments vii many members of the NGOs who met with me to discuss gay life and especially Oscar Atedaro and Noli, both of ProGay, for their extensive insight on the politics of gay life in the Philippines. A special shout-out to Friendly’s Guesthouse for boarding me in 2013 and for offering conversa- tion and companionship on those lonely evenings when I was in the thick of field work. Finally, I cannot express enough gratitude and recognition to all of my research participants, and especially the many gay hosts who inspired this project. PK and Louis, who are now my family—little brothers, thank you for sharing your lives and love with me. Your creative and knowledgeable insights have changed me and allowed me to see another world. Dear Angie, who passed away during the duration of this research, thank you for your rebellion and your continued populist commitment to the real people of the district. I thank all of you for your time, hospitality, friendship, dinners, insight, guidance, and for sharing such an intimate part of your lives with me. I want to dedicate this work to Malate’s gay hosts, their beautiful vision, family, and love of a community. Thank you for helping me to see that possibility. The Pacific Rim Research Grant Program funded the initial stage of this research. CONTENTS 1 Why Place Matters: An Introduction 1 2 The History of Place: From Urban Community to Heritage Conservation 41 3 The Magic of Place: Players in the Nakpil Revival 75 4 The Sexuality of Place: Gay Hospitality and the Production of Desiring Labor 121 5 “Love, Autonomy, and Our Attempts at It”: Coming of Age in Malate 155 6 The Exclusions of Place: Gay-led Gentrification Within Nakpil’s Second Wave 183 7 Conclusion: Malate 2013 215 Index 231 ix ABBREVIaTIONS APEC Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations CB Call boy or commercial boy CCA Customer Care Associate CCP Cultural Center of the Philippines DOT Department of Tourism EDCA Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement GRO Guest relations officer HCS Heritage Conservation Society IA Intramuros Administration IMF International Monetary Fund KTV Karaoke Television MSM Men who have Sex with Men NCR National Capital Region NGO Non-government Organization NOBRA Nakpil Orosa Bar Restaurant Association OCW Overseas contract worker Oxfam Oxford Committee for Famine Relief SDD Special Design District TBBA Tourist Belt Business Association UN United Nations VFA Visiting Forces Agreement WB World Bank WHO World Health Organization xi LIST OF MaP Map 1 Street map of the Ermita, Malate, and Paco Districts. Reproduced with permission from Lonely Planet, © Lonely Planet 2012. xix xiii LIST OF pHOTOS Photo 1 Jeepney driving down Mabini Street in Malate with spa advertisement in the background; photo by Dana M. Collins. 113 Photo 2 Pedicab hub on Maria Orosa Street, Malate; photo by Dana M. Collins. 113 Photo 3 Former lot for American-era home, torn down on Bocobo Street, Malate; photo by Dana M. Collins. 114 Photo 4 Intersection of Nakpil and Maria Orosa Streets—the heart of Gay Malate; photo by Dana M. Collins. 114 Photo 5 Outdoor restaurant café with side walk plastic tables on Remedios Street, Malate; photo by Dana M. Collins. 115 Photo 6 Famous Malate fashion designer on Remedios Circle next to street vendor; photo by Dana M. Collins. 115 Photo 7 Former gay-owned businesses on Nakpil Street with high-rise apartment building in background, Malate; photo by Dana M.

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