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| I'm sitting next to the welcoming and friendly Netherlands ambassador, Saskia de Lang. Next to her is filmmaker Nick Deocampo. Standing behind between them is Anna Leah Sarabia. In the red shirt on the right is our long-time friend Bayani Santos Jr, pioneering LGBTQIA+ journalist. Behind me with the pink hair is the beautiful filmmaker Cha Roque who produced the documentary about me for this occasion. |
In the documentary of my story by filmmaker and fellow LGBTQIA+ advocate Cha Roque, my pioneering work of founding the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in the Philippines as the first openly gay and lesbian organization in the country in 1991, and conceiving and co-leading the first Gay and Lesbian Pride March in Asia in 1994 are featured in her film, “Marching On.”
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| Cha Roque — my intelligent, beautiful, fiery, pink-haired, fellow LGBTQI+ advocate who made a documentary about me entitled "Marching On" |
Three other pioneers were also featured in separate documentaries: my friends Anna Leah Sarabia, Nick Deocampo, and Aida Santos.
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| The panel discussion after the screening with Nick Deocampo and Anna Leah Sarabia |
The event was graciously hosted by The Netherlands ambassador to the Philippines, Saskia de Lang, who made the event a charming, down-to-earth happening in her residence with her amiable style of hospitality, including dinner.
When we launched the first Pride March in 1994, with 50 to 60 apprehensive yet courageous people, our goal was to advance the work of justice and rightful acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in society as was the objective of the less peaceful “Stonewall Riots” in New York in 1969 which provided the impetus for gay and lesbian people to strive for equality in an uninformed and homophobic world. (By the way, the leaders of that historic uprising were “drag queens,” spearheading the societal recognition of transgender persons along with lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons, and the whole gamut of LGBTQIA+.)
Incidentally, when we held the first Pride March in the Philippines, the timing corresponded with the 25th anniversary of Stonewall (the celebration of which Anna Leah attended in New York). This year, 2019, we observe the 50th anniversary of Stonewall as we experience “Before Rainbows: Stories of LGBT advocacy in the Philippines in the last 50 years.”
Supplementing my remarks at the panel discussion with Anna Leah and Nick, I express here, first of all, my gratitude to the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce, The Netherlands ambassador Saskia de Lang, and filmmaker Cha Roque. And I will take this opportunity to praise Cha for her professional work, masterminding the impressive pre-production and filming endeavors. In addition, I know it must have taken painstaking hours of post-production work — editing, organizing the lengthy footage, selecting music, putting in subtitles (which greatly helped a hearing-challenged person like me), just to name some of the tasks involved.
Amplifying my thoughts on “Marching On,” I offer the following observation: My advice to the new generation of LGBTQIA+ leaders is the same advice I would give to address factions in Congress: In your advocacy think first of the needs and legitimate goals of the movement before allowing disagreements about priorities to diminish the success of your efforts. After having 25,000 enthusiastic attendees at last year’s Pride March event, keep the momentum going as we march toward the 2019 Pride event and onward.
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| June 30, 2018 Pride celebration in Marikina Sports Center, Marikina, Philippines |
Topmost in my mind as I contemplate the history of the movement is the fabulous labors contributed over the years by so many of my LGBTQIA+ friends in the community who have brought the status of justice and equality to the heights enjoyed today — a united effort by countless enthusiastic individuals and groups.
