It's Not Your Lady Gaga's Monsters: Freaks, Ghosts, and Tita's Tsismis About How Strange You Are to the Family

The manananggal is a mythical creature, often female, in Filipino folklore that can detach its upper winged body from its lower body. When queer and femme bodies are empowered, Joseph Ruanto-Ramirez, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at Southwestern College, suggests that the Catholic Church literally cut monsters in half. During this program, we will learn about the hyper metaphor of monsters. In Filipinx/Pilipinx, what does it mean to be "X?" What does it mean to be a diaspora? What does it mean to be turned into a monster? This Filipino American History Month and LGBTQIA+ History Month, we will explore the splitting of Filipino and Filipino American identities.

Professor JA (JoJo) Ruanto-Ramirez (They/Them) is a queer, Indigenous Asian American refugee pursuing a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies - American Studies from Claremont Graduate University. They are an Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA.