THERE'S no doubt in both his mind and heart that Hergie Bacyadan only met peace and purpose once he came out of his shell.
That peace and purpose led him to France, where he proudly wore the Philippine flag in the Paris Olympics.
As a transgender man competing in the women’s division, however, questions inevitably arose whenever he stepped foot in the ring.
Just last year, Bacyadan, 29, found himself in the middle of controversy after he beat Mariana Abdeenko to win the 2023 Vovinam World Championships.
The sport's Russian federation, undoubtedly supporting its athlete's case, filed a protest to nullify the final result and sought to ban Filipino athletes, claiming Bacyadan is a ‘man.’
“Dati, sabi nila lalaki ako, ayokong magpaliwanag sa kanila, kung ano ‘yung tingin sa'kin, yun na, ganun ko itinago ‘yung sarili ko noon,” Bacyadan shared early Wednesday morning during a Philippine delegation welcome party in Hilton NewPort, Pasay.
Bacyadan is biologically female, and has never undergone any hormone replacement surgery or therapy - the very reason he still competes in women’s play.
“Hanggang sa nagladlad na talaga ako. Bahala na. Tinanggap ko na mga bashing, mga sinasabi sa'kin ng ibang tao, wala na sa'kin yun,” he said. “Doon ako tumitingin sa resulta ko, and kung ano yung naging role ko sa buhay, and kahit papaano, meron na ako narating.”
Hergie's full-fledged waving of two flags at once
In his Olympic debut, Bacyadan lost to Li Qian via unanimous decision in the Round of 16 of women’s 75kg boxing.
READ: Bacyadan outclassed by Chinese top seed in Olympic debut
Despite the result, he was glad to have represented himself and the Philippines - and at the same time, got to proudly wave the flag of the LGBTQI+ community.
All throughout, there were several instances the Filipino boxer trended on social media just for simply showing up.
Now well-aware of his influence, he hopes to use his platform to promote inclusivity in sports and other fields.
“Sinasabi ko lagi sa kanila (LGBTQI+ community), mahirap talaga lumabas sa sarili mong kwarto. Noon, ganyan din ako, takot akong lumabas at magsabi sino ako, pero lagi lang maging proud sa sarili mo kasi ‘yun yung magdadala sayo sa tagumpay,” he said.
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