Markova: Comfort Gay—The Story of Walter Dempster Jr. (Walterina Markova)—the first-ever "comfort gay" during the Japanese occupation.
Written by: Ace Marco Destura
April 6, 2025
Comfort women were women who were forced to be sexual slaves by the Japanese imperial forces during the Japanese occupation from 1932 to 1945. Thousands of women suffered not only here in the Philippines but also in some other parts of Asian countries like Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand, and even in Europe, where Japanese-occupied territories were forced into this kind of slavery. Some documented that the youngest victim was just 12 years old, like Narcisa Claveria. She was only 12 years old when the Japanese troops took Narcisa into the garrison, where she suffered for 18 months. Narcisa said that in the morning they did all the chores, such as cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking food, but when night came, they started to rape them. That incident affected Narcisa. She even said that she was terrified of men, but with the help of her husband, she found the courage to tell her story to the public.
Like Narcisa, many women also share their stories of how they became comfort women during the Japanese occupation. But what if I told you that there was a gay man who also shared his story of how he became a sexual slave by the Japanese imperial forces during World War II? His name is Walter Dempster Jr., also known as Walterina Markova. His story was the inspiration for the movie “Markova: Comfort Gay.”
Courtesy: MyDramaList
Markova: Comfort Gay (2000) was a biographical film portrayed by the King of Comedy, Dolphy, Jeffry Quizon, and Eric Quizon. It is based on the story of Walter Dempster Jr. Who also goes by Walterina Markova, who is the last surviving comfort gay during the Japanese occupation. The story kicks off with the young Walter, who lives with his 2 sisters and 1 brother, his mother, and his father, who is an optical doctor. When Walter came out to his family, they didn't blink an eye at him, except his brother, who constantly beat him every time he caught him. Walter always suffered from physical pain because of his brother trying to get the gay out of him. But it didn’t last long because his brother died. That's when Walter started dressing up as a woman.
Courtesy: ABS-CBN Star Cinema
Courtesy: ABS-CBN Star Cinema
When the Japanese forces arrived here in the Philippines, Markova, with her friends Anita, Sophie, Carmen, and Minerva, decided to perform and entertain the Japanese soldiers. After their performance, the Japanese soldiers started to flirt with Markova and her friends. They were brought to the Luneta Hotel, where they thought they were having wine and dinner, but little did they know the Japanese soldiers wanted to make love with them. Markova and her friends have no choice but to make love with the Japanese soldier, but when the Japanese soldiers find out that they are not real women, they immediately beat them and bring them to Rizal Memorial Stadium, where they start to experience hell.
Courtesy: ABS-CBN Star Cinema
Courtesy: ABS-CBN Star Cinema
Every Night, Markova and her friends are constantly being raped and tortured by the Japanese army. They have suffered not only physically but also mentally, not until they find the courage to escape from the Japanese forces. After that incident, one of Markova's friends, Sophie, decided to take revenge. Every night she would go out with a Japanese soldier, and when their intimacy started to heat up, Sophie immediately stabbed the Japanese soldier until he passed away. But Sophie's revenge didn’t last long because Japanese soldiers caught her. Markova found out that one of her friends, Sophie, died in Fort Santiago. When the Liberation comes, Markova's Friends start to take different paths, but she still has contact with 2 of her friends, Anita and Carmen.
Courtesy: IMDb
Years have passed, and Markova is 73 years old and now lives in Home for the Golden Gays. She saw the documentary of comfort women sharing their tragic stories during World War II, and that’s when Markova decided to also share her story. With the help of Councilor Justo Justo, Markova has been given a chance to share her story with Loren Legarda.
Courtesy: Tatler Asia
Markova’s story shows the struggles of Filipino queer individuals during the Japanese occupation. The movie also shows how LGBTQIA+ individuals were treated back then. It indicates that gay people were not accepted—they were just tolerated by society.
Ashley Kristieanne Ignacio (2023) states that Markova's choice to walk into the light is a momentous event not solely for those who identify as LGBTQIA+, but also for the Filipino people to recognize the sufferings that our country endured in the eyes of the offenders. Many people did not believe Markova’s story; even the journalist Loren Legarda was hesitant to believe in her story. But despite that, Markova shares her story because she believes that sharing her own experiences with the Filipino people will set her free from the trauma that this incident caused her. Markova is only one of the thousands of people who were victims of sexual abuse by the Japanese imperial forces during World War II. Her story of bravery contributes to the cases of sexual abuse by the Japanese soldiers that, up until now, have never been resolved.
References:
Bisland, B. M. (Lee), Kim, J., & Shin, S. (2019). Teaching about the Comfort Women during World War II and the Use of Personal Stories of the Victims. Association for Asian Studies. https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/teaching-about-the-comfort-women-during-world-war-ii-and-the-use-of-personal-stories-of-the-victims/
McCarthy, J. (2020, December 4). Why These World War II Sex Slaves Are Still Demanding Justice. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/12/04/940819094/photos-there-still-is-no-comfort-for-the-comfort-women-of-the-philippines
RepublicAsia. (2024, June 20). Walterina Markova: A gay in the years surrounding WWII. RepublicAsia Media, Inc. https://republicasiamedia.com/people/walterina-markova-a-gay-in-the-years-surrounding-wwii/
Film Review- Markova: Comfort Gay. (n.d.). Pacific Atrocities Education. https://www.pacificatrocities.org/blog/film-review-markova-comfort-gay