Pride (a deeper love)

Pride (a deeper love) - C+C Music Factory

The cover of the December issue of The Advocate, the US-based LGBT magazine, identifies the struggle for gay rights as the last great civil rights struggle. I’m thinking it’s probably like comparing it to space, the final frontier, when it came to civil rights advocacy. I’m probably oversimplifying the implication but this is how the phrase struck me. Of course, there is still a whole gamut of social ills that are prevalent in this world but, hey, I’m pretty sure they did this with good reason. The fight for LGBT rights is a raging battle in the US. California-based activities are still reeling from their defeat on Proposition 8. But people are hopeful that the Obama presidency will be more sensitive to the LGBT community.

Many many miles away in the Philippines, the LGBT community is holding its annual pride march on Saturday, December 6. The call of this year’s celebration is Live, Love and Unite for Pride. In true manifestation of unity, simultaneous marches will be held in Luzon (Manila), Visayas (Cebu), and Mindanao (Lanao). Truly historic.

I attended my first pride march in 1996. But, because I wasn’t out yet to my family, I opted to stay as a spectator of the parade. A year later, I covered the pride march as a reporter for a news magazine show. This was the excuse I gave my mother for being there in the event. But after covering the event, and rushing back to the studio to edit the story for airing the next day, as I was having an exceptionally delicious breakfast, I admitted to my mother that I am gay. I didn’t blurt it out; I just said yes when she asked. This story is a bit funny; I will tell it at another time.

After that, attending the suceeding pride marches have been easy for me. I attended these events with my boyfriend(s) and I had fun. I continually managed to evade being interviewed by news report because they normally chased those who were in costume, which I never did. Drag was something I explored here in Cambodia.

I wish I had all the photos I took but I can only share a couple of them. The previous pride marches used to be held in June, as it was patterned after the American pride march, which celebrated the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969. But it was moved to December, partly due to the weather. June is the middle of the rainy season in the Philippines. Whereas December is a cool and dry month.

This year, I’ve been hearing a lot (and reading a lot too) about the pride march. I can only wish that I was there to celebrate with my brothers and sisters in celebrating gay pride. And reminding ourselves and others that the struggle is still on-going. That the journey is still long, and taxing. But together, it can be completed.