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| (Image Source: ABS-CBN Entertainment) |
The month of June was an interestingly proud, colorful and enjoyable
celebration for the LGBTQIA+ communities in the Philippines, and two big events
have legitimately marked the end of what is highly considered to be a very
fruitful Pride Month - the Metro Manila Pride March in Marikina City which was
attended by more than 15,000 and the crowning of Juliana Parizcova Segovia as
the first Miss Q&A that continues to become the talk of the online world
and outside.
Throughout three decades of my life, I never thought that this
intriguing celebration would gain a strong traction and eventually convey a proud
and powerful message to millions of Filipinos living across the nation
especially the straight ones. At first, the strength of these communities is
only limited to comedy bars and beauty pageants considering that there are
those who are not afraid to express their true selves and some who are hiding
their true identity as if it lies inside the closet.
It was the likes of Vice Ganda, Boy Abunda, Angelina Mead-King, Jun
Lana and Perci Intalan, and celebrities portraying gay and lesbian characters
in various television shows and movies that make us change what we think about the
LGBTQIA+. Then, there is It's Showtime that became a platform for the third sex
to showcase their own talents and express what they want to tell us about themselves
regardless of their own statuses in life. Watching them have made us learn how
to embrace these people as if they are like us as well in spirit and in feelings.
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| (Image Source: Rappler.com) |
Pride Month may be over for this year, but this does not stop the
LGBTQIA+ communities in the Philippines to promote their advocacy and convey
their own thoughts on the issues that matter to them. One case in point is the
legalization and legitimacy of same-sex marriage in our local shores. For me,
regardless of the Supreme Court's decision, it is highly regarded as an
eventual opportunity for same sex couples to show the world that they are ready
to fulfill their own obligations as a married couple and that it has no other choice
but to embrace what is happening in today's modern world.
A survey shows that six out of ten Filipinos are opposing same-sex
marriage. However, on my own terms, as the advocacy continues to grow strong
and resilient by the day, these numbers will surely go down the waste and become
alms to the slaughter. Those who are hiding inside the closet may step up into the
light and become free of what they want to do or share. In the end, I have no
doubts that the third sex will have a 'major, major' role in the steadily
growing development of our nation in the near future and that is one thing that
we should see together.
