Si Tito Boy sa Mata ng mga Bakla: A Ritual View Analysis of Boy Abunda as a Gay Media Icon

ABSTRACT

This study investigates how Boy Abunda, as a symbolic representation of media, gender and identity creates, transforms and modifies the culture of gays in Metro Manila. Iconic celebrities like Boy Abunda are cultural signs that serve as major definers of the prevalent ideas regarding class, race, gender, sexuality and identity. As such, they can be appropriated and integrated into a subcultural system of signs in the same ritual sense of creating and maintaining cultures.

Hence, online focus group discussions were conducted to find out the perceptions of gay respondents in Metro Manila towards Boy Abunda as a media personality and as a representation of gender and identity. Richard Dyer's semiological concept of the Star Phenomenon was used to understand the respondents' perceptions on the cultural power of Abunda.

More importantly, James Carey's Ritual View perspective was used to understand how these shared perceptions create and maintain the Metro Manila gay subculture. The discussions reveal that the respondents perceive Abunda as a prototype of the decent, intelligent and professional Filipino gay.

Furthermore, as a symbolic form of their ideals, he serves as the representation of gay empowerment. More importantly, through his iconic status, he helps build a community of gays who want to be respected in the society as well. This leads to a possession of common faith among the members of the gay community.

Saringan, I.E. (2011). Si Tito Boy, Sa Mata Ng Mga Bakla: A Ritual View Analysis of Boy Abunda as a Gay Media Icon, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication

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