All together at Bading University!
Bading University (BU) is a Filipino sapphic community and online third space for lesbians, sapphics, and LGBTQ+ women who love women. The group welcomes cis women, trans women, transfeminine people, and trans and nonbinary folks who align with and feel connected to the sapphic community.
BU creates spaces where sapphics can connect via Discord, build friendships, share experiences, and be their full, unapologetic selves. Members hang out through everyday conversations, games, coworking sessions, movie nights, chika sessions, and shared interests.
Beyond the online tambayan, BU brings members together through physical picnics, KTV nights, art dates, overnight trips, badminton events, Pride celebrations, and other community gatherings.
At its heart, the space is centered on helping sapphic Filipinos find their people, create memories, celebrate their experiences, and feel seen, heard, valued, and empowered.
Current admins: Fae Bartosis and Ella Suarez
Founding Year: 2024
Images: Fae Bartosis
“There is power in visibility, and there is power in numbers. When we laugh, dance, and exist freely together, we’re reclaiming the right to simply be.”
Let’s play genie! Given a chance to instantly eliminate one stereotype about women or queer people overnight, which one would you choose? What do you think its absence will bring about?
The stereotype that women are treated as “second-class citizens” in society. Women are constantly put into boxes: we’re seen as weak when we’re in tune with our emotions, “too masculine” when we don’t fit traditional ideas of femininity, and “maarte” when we embrace being girly. There’s always an expectation that we have to act a certain way to be considered “woman enough.”
But women are strong, capable, and powerful in our own right. Our emotions don’t make us weak; they make us empathetic, intuitive, and deeply human. Our femininity doesn’t diminish our strength, and being masculine doesn’t make us any less of a woman. There is no such thing as being “too girly” or “not feminine enough.”
If that stereotype disappeared, I hope it would give women the freedom to exist without constantly having to prove their worth, strength, or identity. We could simply be ourselves, in all our different forms, without being made to feel like we have to earn our place.
Community building isn’t always rainbows. It’s hard work. What is one growing pain your group has faced, and how did you navigate it while keeping yourselves and your space safe?
One growing pain isn’t unique to BU. We see it across many sapphic communities, there simply aren’t enough spaces created by and for sapphics. We hope that someday, there will be more physical spaces, businesses, and events owned or managed by our sapphic friends.
It would be especially meaningful to be able to support sapphic-owned businesses and hold BU events in spaces where we know our community is understood and welcomed. Until then, we’ll continue building the kind of safe and inclusive spaces we wish existed.
What is one thing you still wish to see in the community? Whether it’s a physical space, a project, or a radical culture shift—tell us what’s missing and why you think it’s worth dreaming about.
Most sapphic groups and communities are concentrated in Manila. We’re happy to see smaller sapphic events and communities emerging in places like CDO and Cebu, but we hope to see this grow across the country.
BU has so many members outside Metro Manila who are also yearning for community, connection, and events in their own areas. We’d love to see more sapphic spaces popping up nationwide, so that finding your community doesn’t have to depend on where you live.
The struggle is real, but it is shared. And there is love. There is hope. There is community! Why do you think it’s necessary to celebrate and insist on queer and female joy? When we laugh, dance, or exist peacefully together, what are we actually reclaiming?
Not so long ago, many of our older community members didn’t have the freedom of expression we have today. Previous generations were often pressured into unwanted marriages, careers, religious expectations, or social groups just to fit in and avoid discrimination or aggression.
That’s why we believe queer and female joy is something worth celebrating and insisting on. At BU, we use our social media to share and create LGBTQ+ stories, memes, videos, photos, and news because we deserve to see ourselves represented and to live authentically.
It may seem small, but we hope every post or story helps someone feel a little more seen, understood, and safe enough to be themselves. There is power in visibility, and there is power in numbers. When we laugh, dance, and exist freely together, we’re reclaiming the right to simply be.
Write a little love note! What’s one message you wish to tell any gay/girl who will come across this page?
Hey you! Whether you’re still in the closet, figuring yourself out, or proudly out, BU is here to be your safe space.
One of the philosophies behind BU, especially from our millennial perspective, is: “I wish we had this when we were younger and trying to navigate our own identities.”
So if you’re feeling lost, scared, or simply looking for people who understand, we hope you find a little piece of home here. You don’t have to have everything figured out. Take your time, be gentle with yourself, and know that there is a community waiting for you. :3