MANILA — Comedy superstar Vice Ganda doesn’t mind being addressed with feminine or masculine terms, such as “ma’am” or “sir,” he said in a candid conversation on gender identity on Tuesday.

The topic came up during the “Showtime Sexy Babe” segment of the noontime program “It’s Showtime,” when a contestant shared her experience of catcalling, often with malicious greetings of, “Hi, miss.”

“Alam mo, ako, kinaka-offend ko? ‘Hi, sir!’ Sir? ‘Tito Vice,’” Vice Ganda joked.

Turning serious, he added: “Hindi, ako, hindi ako nao-offend sa ganiyan. Actually, marami nga laging nagtatalo kung paano nila ako i-a-address, kung ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am,’ kung ‘he’ or ‘she.’”

While he is not particular about being addressed with either the feminine or masculine pronouns, Vice Ganda pointed out that others have preferred gender identifiers, which may be different from their assigned sex at birth.

“Ako, kasi, deads (deadma) ako. Hindi ako… Pero, ‘yung iba, kailangan mong tanungin. ‘How do you want to be addressed po — sir or ma’am?’ Kasi ‘di ba, mahirap i-base sa hitsura lang. May mga pronouns na ‘yung iba dini-demand talaga na, ‘Ibigay mo sa amin ang pronoun na ‘yun,’” he explained.

Vice Ganda, who is in a long-term relationship with her “It’s Showtime” co-host Ion Perez, has been a vocal advocate of queer rights and representation.

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In July 2021, also on “It’s Showtime,” Vice Ganda shared that he identifies as non-binary, which means his gender does not fall into the traditional categories of man or woman, according to the US National Center for Transgender Equality.

“Kahit sa mga articles, pag ini-interview ako, ‘Ano pong pronoun ang gusto niyong gamitin sa inyo — she po ba or he?’ Ako, personally, sasabihin ko, I don’t really mind. Kung ano pong gusto niyo. Hindi ako mao-offend kung gamitan niyo ako ng ‘he’ or ‘she,’” he said at the time.

“Pero, ako iyon,” he emphasized. “May mga tao na definite sila kung ano’ng pronoun ang gustong gamitin sa kanila. Kaya it’s better that you ask, kasi not everyone is identifying themselves as part of the binary gender.”

Over the years, Vice Ganda has used his wide platform to educate his viewers on issues affecting the queer community, as he navigated his own SOGIE (sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression).

He had once identified as a gay man, saying in April 2018 that his feminine gender expression does not necessarily equate to being a transgender woman.

To learn more about SOGIE, watch this NXT explainer:

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