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I love the baklang kanal representation in #DragRace #Philippines Season 3 in the form of siblings Angel Galang and Maxie Andreison.
For my international friends, a "baklang kanal" (lit. gay from the sewers) is the classic Filipino gay character that is highly effeminate, with crass language and usually associated with the slums.
It has been for the longest time a frowned upon character, and whenever Filipino parents tell their gay children "it's okay for me that you are gay, just don't be *that* type of gay," baklang kanal is what they mean. In recent years, the term has been reclaimed in queer circles and has been hailed as an iconic gay personality. This is not yet the case for mainstream media in the #Philippines
@teacherbuknoy@masto.aiIn previous seasons of Drag Race PH, we have seen a few queens who *almost* embodied the baklang kanal personality, but not quite as they veered towards being more "palatable" I guess to the mainstream audience, especially international ones.
From Season 1, we have Corazon Filipinas who is not only a baklang kanal but also a pageant queen. Precious Paula Nicole could also be, to some extent, seen as a baklang kanal. But her personality has not shown the "deeper" side of the sewers.
From Season 2, we've had the first true baklang kanal in its complete sense: Arizona Brandy. She brought the nastiness of licking talc powder off the floor and swallowing contact lens after removing it from her eyes. *This* is the deeper side of being a baklang kanal: doing nasty stuff for the sake of entertainment. Sewer gays will do this not even for money or fame but even just to amuse their friends.
We have yet to see how things will turn out, but Season 3's Angel and Maxie already seems promising. Maxie has already made a name for herself and we already know about her shenanigans. Her brand of kanal is what Filipinos call "jologs" or cringe. And I like her because I grew up poor in an informal settlement, and this is exactly how we speak to each other. She is close to *my* culture.
I haven't seen Angel Galang yet so I can't say for sure about her. But Maxie is very interesting because she has been a contestant in Queen of the Universe, an international franchise. This goes to show that the "baklang kanal" brand can be profitable (for lack of a better term) to international audiences despite its connotations and being associated with the low life. I am excited to see how these sisters would do through out the competition.