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What is intersex?: A primer before you see ‘Metamorphosis’

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Every year, there’s at least one film that gets flagged by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). The most recent is “Metamorphosis” directed by J.E. Tiglao.

The film is an entry to the 15th Cinema One Originals festival which started on Nov. 7. The plot revolves around 14-year-old intersex person Adam, who’s coming to terms with their gender identity and sexuality.

A night before the festival’s opening, Tiglao posted a tweet thread to announce that the MTRCB gave his film an X rating because some scenes were allegedly too sensitive for public viewing. “The daring scenes aim to humanize the character who is an intersex. Intersex people are victims of stigma and misconceptions due to their unconventional anatomy. They were called ‘freaks’ and ‘abnormal,'” he said. “Ang mga eksenang ito ay hindi lamang purong kalibugan. Ito ay pagpapakita ng kanilang pagkatao, ng kanilang sexual desires, ng kanilang pagkalito at pagkabigo—mga bagay na pinagdadaanan nating LAHAT, intersex man o hindi. Ang mga eksenang ito ay paghahayag na sila din ay mga TAO. Na walang mali sa kanila. Na sila ay normal. They are beautiful as they are.” (These scenes do not have lewd intentions. These are meant to show their humanity and sexual desires, their confusion and feeling of defeat—things we all go through, intersex or not. These scenes show that they are human too. There’s nothing wrong with them. They are normal. They are beautiful as they are.)

Tiglao and his team tried to edit the film before going to the MTRCB office. He said in another tweet that they only cut two seconds, but this was enough to get it approved for an R-16 rating without compromising too much of the film’s message.

MTRCB chair Rachel Arenas told Inquirer.net that “Metamorphosis” got an X rating at first because the board members didn’t find a prolonged masturbation scene suitable for public viewing. After a second viewing with a different set of board members, Arenas said the same scene was “tastefully done.”

***

As of writing, we haven’t seen “Metamorphosis.” However, we can guess that it was given an X rating because intersexuality is an uncommon topic and people tend to be afraid of things they don’t understand.

So, what is it exactly? Intersex people are “born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.”  A person may be born with genitals that have male and female characteristics (eg. girls born with no vaginal opening, boys born with divided scrotums forming a labia). They can also appear conventionally female on the outside but have a male anatomy, and vice versa.

According to the Intersex Society of North America, an intersex anatomy doesn’t always show up at birth. Sometimes it shows up when a person reaches puberty, but it also doesn’t mean they always know they’re intersex. “Some people live and die with intersex anatomy without anyone (including themselves) ever knowing,” the site notes.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports that only 0.05 percent to 1.7 percent of the global population are born with intersex traits. Despite this, LGBTQ+ organizations like ILGA-Europe have advocated for the recognition and equal rights of intersex people. (FYI: Intersex also has its own flag!)

It’s also important to note that intersex people should be given the choice to gender or not gender (non-binary) themselves and make necessary changes to their identification. For example: Back in 2008, an intersex Filipino was allowed by the Supreme Court to change their name and gender marker from female to male on their birth certificate because. GMA News reported that they were assigned female at birth but has male characteristics due to congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).

The SC said in a statement that not all human beings can be classified as male or female based on their outward appearances, which factored in their decision. Quite ironic considering that transgender people aren’t allowed or have difficulty changing their gender markers on IDs.

Why it’s important to talk about intersexuality in mainstream media

“Metamorphosis” isn’t the first film to talk about intersexuality, there are several all over the world but they’re not considered international blockbusters. But having a film like this in a mainstream festival will bring awareness and dismantle misconceptions about intersex people, and educate people that it’s not a disability. Again, intersexuality may be rare but society should be open-minded with their existence and learn to accept them.

We’re glad that the MTRCB greenlit the film so many Filipinos can watch it in major cinemas. We also hope “Metamorphosis” can create a bigger discussion on intersexuality even after the Cinema One Originals festival.

 

Photo courtesy of J.E. Tiglao’s Instagram account

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