Sunny Club is reimagining community for Filipino sapphics
The journey of a queer individual is better experienced in community. However, with the lack of physical venues and groups that are openly queer, it may be harder for one to navigate and come into terms with one’s sexuality and identity.
Sunny Club started as a small group of lesbians doing virtual watch parties on a Discord server. Now, after two years, they have become one of the biggest organizers for Filipino sapphic events, such as parties and community hangouts. The Philippine STAR interviewed founders Jewel Elizabeth Enrile and Carolina Angelica “Cal” Lim Tolentino about how their team reinvented the sapphic space, and how they’re working towards creating more events for the sapphic community.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR: What started Sunny Club? Were there any specific instances or things lacking in queer spaces that caused you to create Sunny?
JEWEL ENRILE: It was actually a STAR article that started it all. It was the one by (Cristina) Chi and (Jan) Cuyco about the lack of lesbian spaces in the Philippines. It was glaring how there were lesbian spaces before, but (some of them) closed down due to lack of profit. If physical spaces were a problem for us, then what can we do to address that? Why isn’t it as simple as gathering all sapphic people or all the lesbian people that we know in a room? I remember having a Tweet pa during that time that was like, “Why don’t we just have a picnic? Why can’t we just be in a theater? Why don’t we just do something?” and I think it was that determination to make something happen (that) started it.
Why are sapphic spaces and events important?
CAL LIM TOLENTINO: We lack a space to be in community with one another. We always need a place to gather, because that’s the only way we can build upon this culture that we have, or else it becomes isolating to go through this type of journey. I feel like we are so susceptible to being othered, kasi in so many ways, people within the community usually are isolated. You don’t find your people immediately. You’d be so lucky to find other queer people in your college, let’s say. That’s why sapphic spaces for me need to exist because we need to be able to find people who share the same experiences and might have the same struggles. It’s the only way we can survive.
How has working in Sunny changed your outlook on creating queer safe spaces, specifically spaces for sapphics?
JEWEL: I think it’s complicated because we’ve been on the receiving end of it being unsafe in terms of homophobia and outsiders, specifically men, trying to enter if it’s an all-women party. (We sometimes) get harassed because our events don’t cater to men, or (we don’t) get the same treatment about safety in venues as our male counterparts. We have been told not to brand (our events) as queer, and that makes (us) a little hesitant to even put it on.
You start thinking of the possibilities that you could get harmed (by) just putting something like this on in any part of Metro Manila. As women, the harm increases. If something happens to us, can we even go to the staff? That's something we’ve had to contend with, and something we’ve realized is (while) there are a lot of allies in the space, there is still a lot of homophobia—that I don’t think they even notice is homophobia—that compromises that same safety.
We need to be able to find people who share the same experiences and might have the same struggles. It’s the only way we can survive.
Something we’ve all learned is (that) safety is a negotiated thing; there needs to be many rules and boundaries in making events happen. You would get this in every event: Sasabihin sa’yo na keep your belongings to yourself (or) report anybody to the staff. But when I started creating space myself, I realized how vulnerable we were to each other, that just being queer doesn’t take away the fact that a person can cause harm. It’s hard, as the event organizers, to be complicit in that. Andaming kailangan gawin, andami mong kailangang pag-isipan.
When we first got this interview invite, we were actually in the middle of trying to get training for safer spaces, like how do we protect ourselves (and) others. We felt like ang bilis sabihin na something is a safe space nowadays, but we don’t want to say that ourselves because we really want it to be legitimate and true. Safe spaces are hard to work for.
CAL: The first time I joined a Pride March, I felt so safe and in community with so many people, but I think I was also young and delusional. I felt like, “Oh my god, anything I do, tatanggapin ako dito. I can look so weird and I can wear all rainbow and tatanggapin ako.” (That’s) the illusion we all have whenever we’re in a queer space; almost utopian ‘yung idea natin of what a queer space needs to be. Of course you want to believe that (if) you’ve felt so unsafe your entire life, when you’re with your people, you’ll be safe, but it’s not that simple.
I think what I’ve learned is that the definition of a safe space is almost arbitrary. Ang hirap, because in the safe spaces training, they usually base it on the Safe Spaces Act, but (it) only talks about sexual harassment specifically. There are so many aspects to the things we do that may make a space unsafe, and that’s how it becomes confusing sometimes. Wala tayong standard.
With Sunny Club becoming a leader in creating sapphic spaces in the club and nightlife scene, how do you try to ensure that your attendees are safe and enjoy their experience?
JEWEL: We can’t do everything, but we try to do our part. We have house rules that are said by the host, posted up on the walls, sent in our emails, (and posted) on our (Instagram). We’ve developed incident response protocols. We have assigned point people (who respond) if someone is getting a bit too drunk (or) is puking at the side, if someone needs help and needs to call their parents. (We have) a reporting protocol as well. If someone is making the space unsafe, they can report so we can identify them, talk to them, (and) kick them out of the venue if needed.
I always feel a sense of responsibility and a sense of guilt that I haven’t been doing enough for these people, and that’s why we really wanted to seek (safe spaces) training. Hindi ka lang naman event; hindi ka lang naman pinuntahan para magsaya. Naging central part ka na ng buhay ng mga tao. Dito sila nakahanap ng jowa, ng kaibigan, ng connections. Sunny occupies a special place in people’s hearts (and) I’m really grateful that it does, and if they come to (us) with a concern, even if outside the event’s scope, meron kaming protocols. Ipapa-report namin, and then eventually, we want to seek that training to get more assistance.
CAL: Ang hirap niya because as (a group) that’s leading something, you have nothing to follow. I wish there were.
What can people do to create sapphic spaces or spaces for underrepresented communities in the LGBTQ+?
JEWEL: It’s important to create space for sapphic individuals by basically having them on your team, having them in your event, (and) booking them. It’s not just about having a sapphic (event); it’s about sapphic people being included in making it.
CAL: Just do it. Invite people, post it online. With Sunny, it wasn’t really formal (at first); we did a watch party and we just wanted to be with other lesbians, and here we are now two years later. Do it kahit konti lang kayo, and eventually it will grow because malaki naman ‘yung community, hindi lang aware ‘yung mga tao.
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To know more about their upcoming events, follow Sunny Club on their Instagram page, @thesunnyclubph.
