"I am okay to be called a sir."
These were the words of Vice Ganda during an episode of It's Showtime after a contestant addressed him as "sir."
The television host took the opportunity to highlight that he does not have an issue with being addressed this way.
"Actually, once and for all, let's normalize me being called sir. I am okay with sir... Para hindi na siya ginagawang kakatawanan 'yung pagtawag sa akin ng sir, kasi okay lang naman sa akin ang sir," he remarked.
Vice then added: "Pero pwede rin akong ma'am ha? Okay rin ako sa ma'am. Okay din ako sa sir, okay din naman ako sa ma'am."
This isn’t the first time Vice has spoken about being comfortable with both masculine and feminine forms of address.
In a July 2021 episode of the noontime show, he candidly spoke about identifying as non-binary and being flexible with pronouns.
"Ako, kahit ano. 'Pag tinawag mo akong 'ma'am,' hindi ako mao-offend. Pag tinawag mo akong 'sir,' hindi rin ako mao-offend. Hindi ko niri-recognize ang sarili ko… Either. Non-binary ang gender ko," he said.
The comedian added: "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.'"
At the same time, he emphasized that this perspective is personal and may not apply to everyone.
"Pero, ako iyon. May mga tao na definite sila kung anong 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," he pointed out.
Meanwhile, in an April 2018 episode of It's Showtime, Vice Ganda shared that he identified as a gay man and not a transgender woman.
The comedian discussed the topic during the "Miss Q&A" segment, after asking a contestant if they identified as a gay man or a transgender woman.
"I'm a bakla!" Vice Ganda said at the time. "Hindi ko naman dama na babae ako, e."