In the Philippines, imported narratives of identity politics have been used to depoliticize, fragment and neutralize the LGBTQ+ struggle. Under the guise of “inclusion,” imperialist states and corporations have promoted a version of LGBTQ+ rights that is divorced from the material conditions of the majority. However, in sharp contrast to the co-opted narratives peddled by US imperialism, there are those who took the path of revolutionary struggle: LGBTQ+ comrades who chose to dedicate their lives to the fight for national and social liberation.
Wanda “Ka Waquin” Gumban (1985 – 2014)
Wendell Gumban, known to friends as Wanda or Shala and to the Lumad masses as Ka Waquin, defied every stereotype imposed on both activists and queer people. A UP Diliman graduate, Collegian writer-editor, and student leader, he walked away from a future of comfort to embrace the harder path of service to the oppressed. Fair-skinned, bespectacled, and openly gay, he stood out—not for spectacle, but for commitment. After witnessing firsthand, the struggles of Lumad communities as an observer in a month-long volunteer project, he chose to return to Southern Mindanao not as a visitor this time, but as a Red fighter. He was killed in a firefight with the 66th Infantry Battalion at the foot of Mt. Tagubud in New Bataan, Compostela Valley.
Kevin “Ka Facio” Castro (1994 – 2022)
Kevin Castro was a beloved comrade, a principled revolutionary, and political instructor of a unit under the Apolonio Mendoza Command – NPA Quezon. At the age of 28, Ka Facio was martyred in an armed encounter with the fascist 1st Infantry Battalion of the AFP in Brgy. Binibitinan, Polillo, Quezon. A student leader from Malolos, Bulacan, he broke away from the path reserved for the urban petty bourgeoisie, choosing instead to dedicate his life to the people’s war. A BS Education student in UP Diliman and nearly graduating as an honor student , he postponed his studies to organize and later join the New People’s Army in 2016. As one of the LGBT youths who chose the path of protracted people’s war, he defied all efforts of the state and imperialism to isolate queer people from the people’s struggle.
Jethro Isaac “Ka Pascual” Ferrer (1992 – 2023)
Jethro Isaac Ferrer, known to the masses and comrades as Ka Pascual, was martyred on November 13, 2023, in Mindoro at the hands of the fascist 76th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army. As a university student in Laguna, he quickly grasped the structural roots of exploitation and became a cultural worker and propagandist, using his skill in video production to expose the violence of the system and help organize students, workers, and artists into the mass movement. In 2010, he made the principled decision to join the New People’s Army, fulfilling a childhood dream to be a fighter for the oppressed. As a gay person, Ka Pascual’s life was by itself a defiance of reactionary gender norms. Comrades would often describe his voice as firm, clear, and steady – a voice that could cut through chaos and still be heard even during a firefight. It was in the people’s movement that he found not only the cause worth living and dying for, but also love and companionship with a fellow revolutionary, further deepening his commitment to serve the masses without reserve.
Kal “Ka Rekka” Peralta (1991 – 2024)
Kaliska Dominica Peralta was a revolutionary lesbian and Red fighter. A former varsity athlete at University of the Philippines Diliman, she exemplified strength not only on the softball field, but also in the political arena. She earned the admiration of her peers when she led a protest outside of the UP School of Economics in 2014 against Budget Secretary Butch Abad. She stormed her way through the crowd to confront the reactionary official. Kal brought this same fire to the countryside, integrating with the Lumad and peasant masses of Mindanao as a member of the New People’s Army. Beloved by the communities she served, she became a source of joy and hope even in the most difficult terrains. However, on April 10, 2024, her life was brutally taken. Ka Rekka was unarmed when she was accosted and summarily executed by elements of the AFP and PNP.
Dee “Ka Dahlia” Supelenas (1999 – 2025)
Ka Dahlia, or Dee Supelenas, a proud transwoman and former student leader from UP Cebu, was among the seven Red fighters martyred on April 27 this year in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. She led campaigns for safe and equitable education during Duterte’s militarist lockdown, exposing the regime’s failures in addressing the pandemic. As a student leader, she made historic strides in securing the right of trans and gender-diverse students to wear clothing aligned with their identities during graduation rites, and to be recognized by their chosen names. Yet Dee knew that the struggle for genuine liberation extended beyond the walls of the university. She brought her sharp intellect, courage, and compassion to the countryside by joining the New People’s Army in Negros, integrating with the toiling masses and committing herself fully to the people’s war. In the face of patriarchy, transphobia, and state repression, Ka Dahlia stood tall and resolute.
Ka Waquin, Ka Facio, Ka Pascual, Ka Rekka and Ka Dahlia faced rejection, harassment, and invisibility early in life. Yet, instead of turning inward, they turned outward: to the masses, to the collective struggle, to the revolutionary movement. They recognized that LGBTQ+ people suffer from landlessness, joblessness, militarization, and displacement, and that their struggle is inseparable from the broader fight against imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism. In doing so, they challenged the reactionary view aimed at containing the LGBTQ+ struggle within the confines of liberal reformism. They asserted, unequivocally, that queer people have a place in the revolution.
