Stacking up many firsts and herstory beyond her beloved KaladKaren character, Jervi Li is blazing trails for every queer person can live out their dreams, too.
“Alam niyo po, tong parangal na ito ay hindi lamang recognition ng aking trabaho, kundi pati na rin ng aking pagkatao,” expresses an understandably emotional Jervi Li, or as the rest of the world knows her, KaladKaren, accepted the award for best supporting actress of the inaugural summer edition of the long-standing Metro Manila Film Festival. “When I entered show business, I never thought na makakakuha po ako ng award, kasi as a transgender woman, I thought, I will never be enough.”
This, of course, isn’t an isolated circumstance, because as conditioned to us by binary-obsessed tradition, archaic social dictates, and conservative religion, being queer is not normal, and therefore, is not to be given space to even exist. For so long, the LGBTQIA+ community had to be content with being in the margins of a page, and that is if by a hairline stroke of luck if anything. Subverting society through entertainment and art, the pushback has since gained traction and evolved into a full-blown movement, challenging the way the queer experience is portrayed and consumed in media. From the awareness and advocacy of representation, a lot has been learned and unlearned over time, and while there is still an arduous way to go in true equality and diversity, the simple fact that we see women like Jervi Li live her truth through the roles she plays, KaladKaren and otherwise, is a win in itself. The trophy? A veritable punctation to the great work and history she has carved out.
Slowly and surely stepping out of the shadows of the KaladKaren character she made popular in the consciousness of Filipino pop culture, Jervi Li joins the likes of Iyah Mina (the first transgender actress to win a best actress nod in the Philippines) and Mimi Juareza (first transgender actress to win a lead acting plum at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, however, unfortunately misgendered), blazing paths and opening doors for more queer actors and actresses to have their much-deserved moment in the spotlight.
Going Beyond KaladKaren
Far from being just the token comedic relief (often the punching bag of ill-conceived and dehumanizing jokes) and a statistic in the diversity requirement, it is a welcome development to see queer actors and actresses being hired to portray queer characters, especially in the Philippines. “Thank you for hiring a transgender actress to play a transgender character, thank you for being truthful,” continues KaladKaren in her acceptance speech, expressing gratitude to the producer of the film, Here Comes The Groom. “This just goes to show that there is diversity, inclusion, and equity in philippine cinema.”
In this milestone-making turn, Jervi Li colors the conversation of representation further, affirming that now more than ever, it is about damn time we stop looking through the curtain of fringe and finally, step out and take space onstage and onscreen, where our truths can be seen, heard, and most importantly, felt beyond the performative.
“Kaya napahalaga po nitong award na ito para sa akin, and I wanna share this to all transgender people, drag artists, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, whose lives and existence are being threatened in the world right now, para sa inyo pong lahat ito. And I want to remind all of you that we are more than enough.”
For All Of Us
From the fame of KaladKaren to her truest self as Jervi Li, there are more firsts stacked up to her name, including being part of the first franchise of Drag Race featuring two women who are openly trans as permanent judges (with Jiggly Caliente being the other). In the April 17 telecast of TV Patrol, the actress and TV host became the first trans woman to serve as the program’s guest reporter. Introduced by no less than the inspiration of her KaladKaren character, Karen Davila, this full circle moment as a Celebrity Star Patroller was a fulfilment of her childhood dream.
“Bata pa lang tayo gusto na natin maging newscaster,” shares Jervi Li. “Pero dahil transgender tayo, sabi ko, sa sarili ko mukhang imposible na makatapak tayo sa isang news room. Lumaki kasi ako na walang nakikitang transgender sa TV. Or kung meron man, hindi sa paraan na gusto ko at gusto kong gayahin.” Underscoring the importance of representation at the most formative and to an audience that cuts across many demographics, this historic turn cannot be overlooked. In her cover shoot with MEGA Drag a few months back, which she counts as a personal first as well, she talks at length about why trans men and women need to be seen. “People are intimidated when trans people start to take up some space. People are protective of their space. It’s harder for trans women to penetrate because ganito lang kami. Dapat patawanin mo lang ako, ha? Dapat maaliw lang ako sa’yo, ha?” she narrates. “People just like us when we are funny, but they don’t like us when we start voicing our opinions, when we start taking up space na feeling nila sa kanila lang.”
As personal as the triumphs of Jervi Li are, it is most importantly inspiring and impactful for those existing within the vibrant LGBTQIA+ spectrum. If it wasn’t any clearer, the queer community, especially the trans men and women, are much more than the joke. And the more these stereotypes are resisted and challenged, the more they can get to live their truths without a shred of compromise to their identity. Sure, we want to see more of our stories told for all the world to see, but nothing will be infinitely joyful than seeing it through our honest lens. When more of this happens, we will be applauding to no end. Now all that the landscape is in dire need of, especially in the Filipino context where something as basic as the SOGIE Equality Bill is left languishing in congress, are opportunities to break the glass ceilings, so that one day, hopefully, everyone gets a chance to live their dreams, too.
“Noong magkaroon po tayo ng pagkakataong makapgbalita sa longest-running Tagalog news program sa primetime television, ipinagdasal ko rin na sana mapanood ito ng mga batang katulad ko. Mga LGBTQIA+ kids na nangangarap na may abutin sa buhay,” she writes. “Sana mas marami pang kagaya ko ang mabigyan ng oportunidad gaya nito. At sana…sa pagbukas ng pintuan, lahat tayo makapasok.”
With the door ajar, here’s to making more of history, for all of us.
CONTINUE READING: The Transcendence of KaladKaren
