The role of comfort

gays during the II

worldwar Japanese
Period
Presented by:
Buburan, Kimberly
Capitan, Beneath Angel
Elumbaring, Lucy Lane
Flores, Glaiza May
Gonzales, Red
Grapa, Kyla
Laquio, Sandy Rezel
Maislim, Mhaylla Bhell
Pagente, Iced May
 Topics Covered
1. Introduction
1.1 World War II Japanese Period Context
1.2 Significance of Comfort Gays
2. Understanding Comfort Gays
2.1 Definition and Role
2.2 Recruitment and Conditions
3. Comfort Gays in WWII Japan

Agenda 3.1 Establishments and Impact

4. Historical Documentation
4.1 Availability and Challenges
5. Human Rights and Ethics
5.1 Violations and Reckoning
6. Lessons for Today
6.1 Relevance in Modern Discussions
7. Conclusion
7.1 Summarizing Comfort Gays' Role
8. References
I. Introduction
I. INTRODUCTION
1.1 World War II Japanese Peiriod Context

World War II (1939-1945) was a global conflict, the deadliest

and largest in history, involving nearly every part of the
world with 40-50 million casualties. The war in the Pacific
started with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese
invaded the Philippines on December 8, 1941, during the early
stages of the U.S. military buildup. Filipino and American
forces surrendered in May 1942, leading to over three years
of Japanese occupation (Hughes, T. A. and Royde-Smith,
Graham, 2023; Hernandez, C. G. and Borlaza, Gregorio C.
2023).
I. Introduction
1.2 Significance of Comfort Gays

The Filipinos faced severe hardships under the Japanese

Imperial Army, with individuals like Walter Dempster Jr., also
known as Walterina Markova, enduring sexual abuse as a
comfort gay. His experiences, widely publicized in print and
broadcast, were depicted in the 2000 film "Markova: Comfort
Gay." This film not only highlighted an individual's story but
also shed light on a broader narrative of the Philippines'
struggle for self-determination, addressing internal challenges
of intolerance, conformity, and societal expectations (Makilan,
2005).
 II. Understanding
COMFORT GAYS
II. Understanding Comfort Gays
2.1 Definition and Role

Comfort women and comfort gays are euphemistic terms

referring to women and gays who provided sexual
services to Japanese Imperial Army troops during Japan's
militaristic period until World War II. These individuals
generally lived in conditions that can be described as
sexual slavery. (Lynch , 2014)
II. Understanding Comfort Gays
2.2. Recruitment and Condition

During World War, women and gays responding to job ads

endured appalling abuses at military camps, including
coerced encounters, STD monitoring, and rape. Resistance
led to severe consequences, with casualties, suicides, or
executions. The term "Comfort gays" is little known, with
few recorded instances like Walterina Markova, a dancer
facing adversity after catching a Japanese officer's attention.
Taken to military bases, she and four others suffered
repeated sexual assaults and harsh treatment (Ward T. J., &
Lay W. D., 2028; Klein, 2006).
 III. Comfort Gays
IN WW2 JAPAN
III.Comfort Gays in WWII Japan
3.1 Establishments and Impact

Comfort Women and Comfort Gays" denotes a Japanese

government-sponsored system of sexual slavery from 1932 to
1945, the largest case of such exploitation in modern history
(Milner et al., 2019). In Manila by 1943, 17 comfort stations housed
over a thousand women, while comfort gays endured violent
rape and forced labor in barracks (Klein, 2015). Walterina
Markova, a gay Filipino-Jamaican, shared his wartime ordeal,
inspired by comfort women like Rosa Henson to eventually
share his story as the sole survivor of his group (Suria, 2015;
Klein, 2015).
 IV. Historical
DOCUMENTATION
IV. Historical Documentation
4.1 Availability and Challenge

Walterina Markova was one of these Filipinos who are comfort

gays of the Japanese soldiers and his story is one of the chapters
of those horrible day.Walterina Markova endured harrowing
experiences as a "comfort gay" during the Japanese occupation of
the Philippines in WWII. Mistaken for women, he and friends faced
brutal abuse, enduring daily assaults by twenty Japanese soldiers.
After the war, Markova transitioned to a career as a makeup
artist, leaving behind the traumatic chapter of his life.
V. Human Rights
& ETHICS
 V. Human Rights and Ethics
5.1 Violations & Reckoning

The Japanese occupation in the Philippines during 1942–1945 led to

the establishment of a sexual slavery system victimizing over
1000 women and individuals, some underage. Despite the 1987
Philippine Constitution emphasizing human dignity, its consistent
application in human rights adjudication is yet to be achieved.
Japanese war recollections often overlook the issue of comfort
women, masking the gender, ethnic, and class victimization behind
the wartime comfort stations.
 VI. Lessons
FOR TODAY
VI. Lessons for today
6.1 Relevance in Modern Discussion

The establishment of comfort stations by the Japanese in wartime

Manila in 1942, catering to soldiers' sexual needs, underscores
historical social justice issues. The experiences of marginalized
communities, such as LGBTQ+ individuals forced into sexual
servitude, remain relevant today. Walterina Markova's resilience in
facing unimaginable hardships highlights the importance of
authenticity despite societal prejudices. Like Markova, present-day
queers and trans individuals should embrace themselves and defy
societal biases. (Villianueva, 2022)
VII. Conclusion
 VII. Conclusion
The issue of comfort gays, as to comfort women, remains contentious in countries
like the Philippines affected by Japanese occupation in World War II. Forced into
sexual servitude, comfort gays endured severe physical and psychological trauma,
facing repeated rape and abuse in barracks. Overshadowed by comfort women
narratives, their suffering in the largest case of human trafficking and sexual slavery
deserves recognition. Their experiences underscore the ongoing importance of
discussions on human rights, gender-based violence, and the consequences of war.to
comfort women, remains contentious in countries like the Philippines affected by
Japanese occupation in World War II. Forced into sexual servitude, comfort gays
endured severe physical and psychological trauma, facing repeated rape and abuse
in barracks. Overshadowed by comfort women narratives, their suffering in the
largest case of human trafficking and sexual slavery deserves recognition. Their
experiences underscore the ongoing importance of discussions on human rights,
gender-based violence, and the consequences of war.
Thank you!