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Santiago J. Arnaiz
Dr. Oscar Campomanes, PhD.
English 101
March 18, 2013

Pride, hate and sexuality: Manila Pride 2012

Its a scene right out of the movies. With flashes of feathers and gold body paint,
the thousand-strong LGBT community marches forward like a freight train.
Multicolored flags jut out into the air like spears. Each section of the parade blasts
its own pop anthem as dancers on jeepneys and marchers belting their war chants meld
together into a sea of rainbow energy. Its 3:00 PM on the 8th of December and under the
sweltering heat of the afternoon sun, the Metro Manila Pride March is in full force.

Time for change
The purpose of this years march is to call for the enactment of an anti-
discrimination ordinance in Makati. Recent years have seen local governments
everywhere from Cebu to Quezon City passing similar ordinances meant to secure the
rights of LGBTs. The marchers likewise called for the passage of an anti-discrimination
bill to the national level. As Ron de Vera of Task Force Pride stresses, Equality begins
with legislation.
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Legislation is needed for good reason. Over 80 brutal murders of LGBTs were
recorded between the years 1996 and 2011, according to a study by Marlon Lacsamana
and Reighben M. Labilles, founder and spokesperson respectively of the Philippine
LGBT Hate Crime Watch.
One need not even point out the extreme of murder to realize the plight of the gay
community. Everyday, hundreds of Filipinos are marginalized and ostracized for their
sexuality.
Now, with the nations current social climate giving way to progressive thinking,
it seems that the time has never been more auspicious for the LGBT community to push
for nationwide reform.

Two sides of the same coin
Nearly ten minutes into the parade, I find myself walking beside a man dressed in
a crimson devil costume when a shrill voice cuts through the air like a dagger. Its not
okay to be gay! yells a small woman brandishing a white sign plastered with the same
slogan. Youre going to hell, pervert! screams another voice, this time from a young
man on the opposite side of the street.
Not everyone is going to accept you, says freshman Mico*, who identifies as
homosexual. You can try as much as you want to change that, but these people were just
raised that way.
Its expected that religious fundamentalists will always be around to protest
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against what they would consider celebrations of sin. I am frozen by the jarring sound of
the venom in their voices as they judge and condemn each and every member of the
march.
The parade moves past the sign-wielding fundamentalists, drowning them out
with a rallying battle cry: Sangkabaklaan! Sangkatomboyan! Itaguyod! (Stand up for
gay-kind and lesbian-kind!)
My demonic companion sprints over to pose for a few photos with the hopelessly
outnumbered fundamentalists. He kisses the woman on the cheek and laughs as she
pushes him away in disgust.
The marchers seem almost unfazed by the hate from the anti-gay protesters,
answering it with their own special brand of love. The fundies, it seems, are all part of the
fun.

The (half) naked truth
Gay pride festivals are a celebration of the LGBT communitys accomplishments
and the progress its made in the quest for equality. They serve as a reminder to its
members that they are not alone in this fight. But the parades are also meant to show
society that homosexuality is a reality.
The anxiety of being an LGBT individual lies in its being outside the social norm.
The LGBT movement seeks to remedy this, not by adopting the lifestyle of the majority,
but by pushing for the majority to respect theirs and arguing that the demarcation
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between homo and hetero should be irrelevant.
We dont want to be victims. We want to be equals, proclaims Sunny Garcia of
the Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society (Patas). We want people to realize that
our sexualities are just as normal as the colors of our hair . Some people are gay. Get over
it.
With that in mind, though, is a gay pride march the solution? Can a human train
of noise, rainbow flags and men that look like they just raided the Victorias Secret
Angels dressing room effectively show society that LGBTs should be celebrated as
equals?
One cannot discount the fact that these pride marches rely heavily on the shock
value of men in lingerie to get the publics attention. But as idealistic as it seems to fight
discrimination by celebrating the very things that make you different, is it realistic?
Some LGBTs remain uncomfortable with the stereotypes perpetuated by certain
factions of the community. Its like youre shoving your sexuality in other peoples
faces, argues Mico. They dont like you already. Do you think that parading yourselves
will make them like you more?
These people are just contributing to the stereotype that everyone has about gay
people. Not everyone gay wants to cross-dress. Being gay is about a boy loving a boy, or
a girl loving a girl. I really dont see the need to dress up like a fairy.
However, others see pride marches as a celebration of diversity among LGBTs
rather than the homogenization of the community at large. Department of English
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assistant professor Oscar Campomanes notes, I like [pride marches] for their
expressiveness and for showing the diversity of the full range of sexual identity and of
constituency in the LGBT community that people come in all sorts of sizes, shapes,
colors, and predilections. That kind of diversity needs to be relayed to society at large so
that LGBT people are not homogenizedthat they are not stereotyped.
Junior communication major Chang Casal, who identifies as bisexual, also points
to the importance of highlighting diversity within the community. I didn't just see gays
and lesbians; I also saw a lot of trans men and women and a lot of straight allies. I think
it's important to point that out because, although homosexual men are becoming more
prominent and more accepted nowadays, especially in the media, a lot of the other
members of the LGBT community don't feel as open or accepted.

Taking culture into context
What happens, though, when you shove your progressive ideals in the face of a
predominantly conservative nation? Gay pride festivals are held all over the world, but is
that reason enough for the Philippines to jump on the bandwagon and follow suit?
Campomanes observes that the Filipino LGBT community seems to be blindly
following the modus operandi of their American counterparts.
I believe that specific cultural conditions and circumstances in the Philippines
would militate against that, he expounds. Because this is, for good or ill, the society in
which we belong by some sort of passive agreement, we are expected not to make a
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big deal out of it. I think in the US where they have a culture of liberality, its okay to be
in your face about your sexuality. But here you need to always be mindful of culture.
You cannot just say, Hey, you know, Im gay. Deal with it. Thats not the way
it works in the Philippines.

The fight
As the parade comes to a close, the marchers settle in the plaza by Makati City
Hall. The rainbow flags are strewn across the grounds and the colorful banners propped
up against trees and tents. The manic energy of the parade is relinquished with the ornate
costumes and vibrant floats. In its place, we are left with a sense of the communitys true
purpose. Behind the sound and fury is a collective will and the fervent desire for change.
But will this annual LGBT event work to advocate a more accepting view of
LGBTs in Philippine society, or will it merely aggravate an already potentially deadly
culture of intolerance?
After following the sea of LGBTs, amidst chants calling for equality and
recognition, I couldnt help but notice that, save for the handful of curious homeowners
and the occasional anti-gay fundamentalist, there really wasnt anyone watching.
With such a wide spectrum of organizations speaking out and clamoring in
solidarity as a united rainbow voice, one begins to wonder who exactly they are talking
tobecause it seems like no one is listening.
I look up at the City Hall and notice for the first time how very small everyone
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looks under its looming shadow. This campaign for equality isnt as simple as a war
against fundamentalists. This is a struggle situated in culture and there remain to be many
contentions as to how it ought to be fought.
The question of whether or not Filipino LGBTs are prepared for the fight may not
have a definitive answer. However, after years of searching for a voice, the community is
finally starting to be heard. And while it isnt the victory theyve sought just yet, it is
something to be proud of.

Originally published on Katipunan Magazine, the online magazine of The
GUIDON
With reports from Apa M. Agbayani
*Editors Note: Name has been changed upon request.