‘Intimacy is not free of charge’: An intersectional analysis of cultural and classed discourses of intimacy among gay and transgender identities

Using intersectionality as a lens, this small-scale study seeks to examine the nature and salience of cultural and classed discourses of intimacy among different gay and transgender identities in the Philippines. Utilizing a sequential mixed design, four culturally distinct groups of participants were sampled and interviewed. Results show five cultural discourses, namely: desire for the body, desire for the soul, equitable transactions, invested partnerships, and gender role identity. This article contributes to debates about the utility of intersectionality by providing theoretical and methodological reflections on competing discourses within intersections, implications for shifting cultural discourses among intersecting groups, and cultural and sexual othering.