(Surquia, J. J. A., 2019) Bahagi Ka ng Lahat A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach to Deliberating Drag, Gender, and Liberation in It's Showtime's Miss Q&A
SURQUIA, J. J. A. (2019). “Bahagi Ka ng Lahat:” A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach to Deliberating Drag, Gender, and Liberation in It’s Showtime’s Miss Q&A. Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines Diliman: College of Mass Communication.
Abstract
This study seeks to answer the question: can drag pageantry foster a sense of liberation for Filipino male homosexuals? Specifically, this study intends to develop a local middle-range analytical framework for understanding drag pageantry in local mainstream television based on how It’s Showtime’s Miss Q&A transforms drag pageantry as a symbolic arena for challenging misconstrued associations to, and representations of Filipino male homosexuals.
This study created its middle-range analytical framework based on the lived experiences of former semifinalists from Miss Q&A InterTALAKtic 2019, the second season of the segment. A series of narrative inquiries of life stories through semi-structured key informant interviews were utilized to fulfill this objective. Collected data were then analyzed using the theoretical and methodological strategies of Cathleen C. Charmaz’ constructivist approach to grounded theory.
To assess the theoretical validity and generalizability of the framework, the study applied its categories in an ethnographically entangled reading of an episode from the similar season of the segment. Analyses of said application revealed that drag pageantry in Miss Q&A is a product of combining elements of drag performance and Philippine homosexual pageantry. It was also established that gay and gender liberation from the segment remains limited and momentary.
Faced with the growing interest on mainstreaming homosexual practices and traditions in Philippine noontime television, this endeavor stands as a humble contribution to the existing attempts in understanding the implications of televising drag pageantry in the long-standing pursuit for authentic, communal, and individual empowerment, and gay and gender liberation.
Keywords: Drag, Gender, Liberation, Miss Q&A, Grounded Theory
