Iyah Mina stresses need for LGBTQ actors in queer roles

Iyah Mina —BMC FILMS

Since her triumphant acting debut in the 2018 Cinema One Originals film “Mamu: And a Mother Too,” Iyah Mina would go on to land various acting projects, including three Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) movies.

And she couldn’t be more thankful for all the opportunities, because, as it is, the range and quantity of roles of LGBTQ actors in local show biz remain quite limited. And even then, some of them still end up being overlooked in favor of straight actors.

“I’m really grateful. I would like to believe that my win was eye-opening for filmmakers … that if there are trans or LGBTQ roles or stories, then cast trans or LGBTQ actors,” Iyah, the first transgender woman to win a best actress award in the Philippines, told the Inquirer at a press conference for the 2023 MMFF entry “Broken Hearts Trip.”

But things are starting to change little by little, she observed. Actress-television host KaladKaren’s best supporting actress win at the 1st Summer MMFF, for instance, further amplified calls to continue giving opportunities to queer actors especially for queer-themed stories.

“This isn’t a knock against straight actors. But if it’s our stories, then I hope they can let us tell them,” stressed Iyah, whose 2023 filmography includes “Third World Romance” and “Here Comes the Groom.”

While a talented actress herself, Iyah couldn’t help but feel intimidated at the thought of working with Jaclyn Jose in “Broken Hearts Trip.” But later on, she discovered that the Cannes best actress winner is one of the kindest, most generous artists in the country.

“I was shy at first. But you have to reciprocate what she gives. Thankfully, hindi siya madamot. She’s so generous about everything, so you’re able to give what the director needs. Merely being able to cry in front of her already makes me happy!” she related. “And then you see her happy for you, applauding you, congratulating you and telling you you’re good.”

Love and relationships

And since the movie centers on heartbreak, travel and healing, the conversation inevitably veered toward the people she loved and lost, and how she got over them. Memories of her former live-in partner of four years never fail to bring out bittersweet feelings.

“He really made me feel like a woman. I had yet to transition back then. We had a happy relationship. But in those four years, we were rarely sexually intimate. When you’re taking hormones, you don’t really have the sex drive, no urges,” she related. “One night, he said his goodbye. The morning after, he was gone.

“One year later, an alarm on my phone went off. It was a note he had written. There, he told me he really loved me, explained why he did what he did. And it was hard. I had already moved on. But the note brought everything back. So what I did was, I revisited all the places we used to visit together. We used to do the laundry together, so I spent the day washing clothes,” she added.

Now, she has a more pragmatic attitude toward love and relationships. “It’s always better if you choose to love yourself first,” Iyah said, adding that she’s done giving second chances. “Once is enough.” INQ