happy pride!
Manila, 1 July—Today we mark the end of many things: The month of June, the second quarter, the first half of the year. June is also Pride Month, and I had the great fortune of being able to attend this year's Pride March, which was held at the Marikina Sports Complex earlier today.
Although we were a bit late (horrible traffic) and it rained a bit in the afternoon toward dusk, in all it was a fun celebration! Organizers pegged the head count at roughly twenty to twenty-five thousand participants, the biggest yet in the 24-year history of Asia's oldest Pride March. It's an amazing sight to behold.
Speaking of amazing.
While I've been to a Pride march before, this year is actually the first time that my brother and I attended one together! It was surreal. Funny story: Just as he was about to explain to our dad what the Pride March was, Auntie apparently cut him off and explained, in a general manner: Piyesta yun, maraming tao.
LMAO I think he just got blockedt from coming out to dad hahaha.
In any case: We think our family's generally cool about it. And by cool, I mean at least we're not getting thrown out of the house, cut off from resources or disinherited—kind of cool. Absolutely low standards for any family, but I think this should be recognized as its own form of privilege, because there are others who are not as lucky.
I think in both our cases, they have always known anyway. There is a marked absence of pressure to produce grandchildren, or even a wedding. Which is great, I think.
That said, I've always been proud of this one: He's smart, he stands up for himself, he's well-spoken, he doesn't take shit, and he knows how to dress himself. In many cases, he is the best of us. :)
He is also the gayest. Hands down. All my gay ways are incomparable hahaha.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made
This was a favorite—Christian allies hoisting I'm Sorry banners to apologize for their role in discriminating, disenfranchising, and oppressing LGBTQIA persons on the basis of their sexual orientation.
LGBTQIA+ stories, a round-up
CNN Philippines has a lovely piece on LGBTQ persons outside of Metro Manila and it is fantastic. I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been to actually come up with interviewees for this. Saludo!
Rappler sat down to talk with the organizers of Metro Manila Pride about the history of the Pride March, and how to be better advocates for LGBTQIA+ issues. Admittedly, I'm still struggling with LGBT issues and intersectionality; there's much left to study and understand. One day.
Actress Tessa Thompson (Westworld's Charlotte Hale, Thor's Valkyrie, Janelle Monae's "Dirty Computer") is so well-spoken, we can't help but have a massive crush on her. In this interview, she talks about being attracted to both men and women, and that lovely thing called vibrating on the same frequency. It's now my favorite metaphor for being in sync with someone.
Thank you for helping us make Pride 2018 happen! Sincerely, The Black Books PH and Mnemonics & Other Stories :)
Selfie in the middle of a gay field.