Equality Philippines

Ever wondered what was Adam's life before his big break up with James? How did it all started? What happened to them during their 10 year relationship? Why did it really end? Now you'll know. After all, before all the drama and the heartache, there's the unexplainable bliss of FIRST LOVE. FIRST LOVE , a prequel to WBMB Coming this December! NOTE: Can be read exclusively in WBMB's official Facebook page :)

Adam Chua Create Your Badge Hey there WBMB friends, add the official WBMB page in Facebook! You know the story, you've read about the different characters in WBMB, don't you think it's about time to SEE it for yourselves? * See exclusive photos of Adam's London adventures * Connect with ADAM (in real time) and other readers of WBMB * Read exclusive hidden chapters never been published here in blogspot * Be the first to know about the latest news, updates and future events (a possible group meet up perhaps?) * Win amazing prizes in future WBMB contests So what are you waiting for? Join now!

My name is Adam. My name is the 69th most popular boys name in the United States. I find that nonsense info somewhat funny. If you get what I meant then probably there’s something we have in common. I won't lie and go straight to the point by saying that I'm gay. And by gay I don't mean I'm a happy person. Sure, I'm not gloomy or anything close to that. I'm just, well, gay . There’s nothing really special about me. I’m just some average looking 20 something gay guy who tries to live decently in the urban jungles of Manila. I wish I could share something out of this world or something extra special about me like how I was the “special” one who discovered the cure for AIDS or I’m the first gay astronaut that ever landed planet Pluto. But the truth is, I’m just one of those people who you would pass by some random street and never bother to do a double look. When I was little, my mom used to tell me that I have the weirdest fixation to words. In fact, she said tha...

Every girl dreams of being treated like a Princess. But in Cebu, they can actually dream of becoming a Queen. The Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP) congratulates the organizers of Queen of Cebu on its sophomore year. Envisioned as an alternative pageant, Queen of Cebu has proven not only to be a grand showcase of the beauty, talent & splendid uniqueness of the Cebuana transpinay but as well as a magnificent platform to advocate for respect of gender diversity & the right to determine one’s gender identity. Thank you to those who put together Queen of Cebu & for setting a very high bar indeed. As has been said, excellence is the best deterrent to sexism. Now our Cebuana transpinay sisters have another prestigious pageant that they can not only be proud to be a part of & call their own but as well as to use to break down barriers of prejudice. May dreams come true on pageant night (6 November 2010, Saturday, 8 pm, Waterfront Hotel Cebu)! May all ...

Below is a news article that came out in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Hong Kong's most widely read English broadsheet. Santy and I decided to go back to the bar in Wan Chai, Amazonia, that barred our entry in the past and luckily an SCMP journalist was there to see it all happen again. When we got there I had to politely introduce myself to the manager named Dave (see pic above) and he said that he'd let us in if Dr. Sam Winter and Atty. Michael Vidler, a human rights lawyer, who were with us that night would escort us the entire time. We said no. The Hong Kong trans community is in a very vulnerable position right now after the W decision barring a transsexual woman's petition to marry in the gender she identifies as. I hope that by exposing more of the bigotry that seems to pervade Hong Kong society nowadays, we have been able to call people's attention in Hong Kong enough for them to start agitating for badly needed change. Wan Chai bars shock transgender exp...

What: RBP General Assembly Where: Mooters Bar - 88 Meralco Ave., cor J. Vargas, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Landmarks: Beside Ortigas Home Depot When: October 9, 2010, 7pm RSVP: Yffar Aquino 09069462087 09233671964 09086831722 raff_aquino@yahoo.com.ph

Does LDR (Long distance relationship) work? Will it lead to a LTR (Long term relationship)? It’s not easy being a gay guy in the city, especially if you’re in a new place where you know absolutely no one, where you have no clue what will happen. After being granted a scholarship in a London University and after leaving everything in the Philippines, Adam’s more than determined to make the most out of this opportunity. He promised himself to focus on school and nothing else. However, living in London proved to be much more difficult than he thought. To start with, he’s living in an all male dormitory where some of his roommates are homophobic. With limited allowance, he also has to find a part time job to make ends meet. If that’s not enough drama, he has to put up with a British guy named Jagger who kept on making his life less bearable. New life. New people. New adventures. New love? When Boy meets Boy Book 3: Love in Transit COMING OCTOBER 10, 2010 WHENBOYMEETSBOY.BLOGSPOT.COM ______...

A write-up on Naomi Fontanos and the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP) of which she is the current chairwoman is featured in the August issue of UNO Magazine Philippines, a men’s magazine. In the article, Fontanos discusses her growing up years, the struggles of transpinays (transgender/transsexual Filipinas) and one of the advocacy issues facing the global transgender community, the psychiatric diagnosis of Gender Identity Disorder (GID). Fontanos has been serving STRAP as it chairwoman since 2009 and working with a dedicated team of officers including Vice Chairwoman Rica Paras of Pinoy Big Brother Double Up, Seretary Charlese Saballe, Treasurer Joy Cruz, Membership Coordinator Alessandra N. and Internal Affairs Head Santy Layno to make STRAP an upstanding activist organization. Her UNO Magazine Philippines feature can be seen here .

Type your summary here Type rest of the post here

I am happy to announce the start of EDUC8, LIBER8, CELEBR8: The 8-Campus Rainbow Tour, a free symposium on LGBT human rights (see poster above). It will have its first stop at the College of Saint Benilde (CSB) on 29 September 2010. Below is a write-up of this historical initiative. TrueColors Publishing Inc., the makers of Ketchup Magazine , the only Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) magazine in the Philippines in keeping with its thrust to promote social awareness of LGBT issues, proudly presents Educ8, Liber8, Celebr8: The 8-Campus Rainbow Tour. This Rainbow Tour brings together noted leaders of the LGBT community to conduct a free symposium targeting students in 8 colleges and universities in the Metro Manila area in an 8-month period from September 2010 to April 2011. The symposium, which covers various issues including LGBT Politics, Spirituality and Sexuality, Gender Identity and Human Rights & Media Activism, is designed as a “crash course” on human rights and ...

Ang Ladlad slammed the ordinance of Cebu Provincial Board Member Arleigh Sitoy requiring business establishments to designate a separate restroom exclusively for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenders (LGBTs). The ordinance said that "separate restroom is the solution to end the confusion of what public restroom should a member of the LGBT avail for them to feel safe, comfortable and convenient wherein there are only male and female comfort rooms." While Ang Ladlad lauds and appreciates the intent of Mr. Sitoy to address the needs and concerns of LGBTs, its members, especially from the Cebu chapter, have strong reservations about this ordinance. Ang Ladlad believes that a separate restroom for LGBTs perpetuates our already marginalized existence. Jubelle Toledo, one of Ladlad's focal points in Cebu City, stresses that, "requiring all establishments to put up a separate facility means that LGBTs are being treated differently and this could isolate or marginalize us e...

Global Xchange Team 107 in partnership with The Outpost Restobar and with the support of Not Yours Production presents Change Revolution: A Rockin’ Event to Make a Difference on the Friday, 3rd of September, 8:00 p.m. Global Xchange (GX), an initiative run in partnership between the British Council and VSO Bahaginan, is a volunteer exchange program which gives young people from the Philippines and UK a chance to work together to develop and share valuable skills to make a practical contribution where it is needed in local communities. Now on their second phase in Cebu, the team has undertaken several initiatives for the benefit of the community: mangrove planting, 1GOAL football clinic, and ocean clean up, to name a few. The concert, which will feature: Skankin’ Brews, Hastang, Melophobic, Nyor, and Xchange Sound is an effort by the team to raise funds for VSO Bahaginan which sends Filipino professionals abroad to work as volunteers in various fields. The night is not just about musi...

Mark your calendars! Something BIG will happen in Cebu this coming August 7 and August 8. Global Xchange , a youth volunteering programme by the VSO and British Council that is composed of 9 Filipino and 9 British 18-25 year olds, have prepared two back-to-back events this weekend as part of their Butterfly effect project advocacy (visit: http://thebutterflyeffectproject.com ). The first event will happen on August 7. It is called 1GOAL: EDUCATION FOR ALL Football Clinic . The second event will happen on August 8 which is the I WANT TO BE FAIR CAMPAIGN LAUNCH . The Global Xchange volunteers have been back from United Kingdom and are now on their second phase in the Philippines. Taking the lead in affecting change in their community, they now venture in promoting 1GOAL: Education for All campaign. Global Xchange, which is an initiative set up by VSO in partnership with British Council and VSO Bahaginan, is a volunteer exchange program which gives young people from the Philippines and t...

Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach to empowering producers and promoting sustainability. It's an alternative trade and business model, fair trade encourages enterprises, particularly the small community-based ventures, to observe socially and environmentally just practices and to act as an active agent in improving the quality of life of their community. Fair Trade Shop Cebu and Global Xchange Team 107 are unified in choosing to be FAIR. This August, our unified statement is "I want to be FAIR, do you?" In an era of mass consumption, Fair Trade puts forward a big challenge for producers and consumers to seriously think about. The underpaid workers at the far end of the line, the rapidly degrading environment, the fading cultural identity and traditions, the discriminated women, the exploited and overworked children, and the families and communities searching for means to survive. Fair Trade organisations challenge everyone with a very ba...

Life is not a walk in the park- ask Adam. On top of juggling his career and set of wacky friends among others, the romance department seems to be making things extra complicated for him. Now that Adam has finally met Troy, the mysterious Boracay guy from the New Year's party, how will this affect the thing between him and Brandon? Will the whole romance between Adam and Brandon really develop? More importantly, will things be more complicated if somebody extra special from the past come back? Continue to follow Adam as he discover the sweeter and stickier side of love. When Boy meets Boy 2 will resume this August!

I want you to Twist, Lick and Dunk with me! I want you to Twist, Lick and Dunk with me! So I’m sharing the New OREO Snack Pack with you! Plus, you can also share it with your friends! So let’s all Twist, Lick and Dunk together! You can also enjoy more FREE OREO Snack Packs by playing the Twist, Lick, Dunk! game and The Bonding puzzle at Share OREO website ! Pass Level 10 to win a ticket to experience what it’s like to be a Human OREO!

With just two weeks before June (Pride Month) ends, our beloved sorority, STRAP , decided to increase our fans on Facebook. The STRAP girls who have Facebook accounts (I don't) made profile pictures of themselves with the STRAP logo (see above) and encouraged all their friends to like STRAP's fan page. It was really sweet and I appreciate all the girls who took part in this mini-project. My lovely ladies, you rock! I do not think that we'd be able to reach our target of having 1000 fans by June 30th. At any rate, it was truly a valiant effort. Still, we have four days to go. So just in case you love STRAP as we all do, please be our fan on Facebook. Also, tell all your friends? Thank you so much. Just in case, you can see the STRAP Facebook Fan Page here . Happy Pride Month to all!

It is very heartwarming to note that the 110-year old Civil Service Commission (CSC) of the Philippines made history in late May when it became the first government agency to acknowledge Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Filipinos particularly those who apply for the Civil Service Examination and explicitly ban any form of discrimination in the handling, verifying and processing of their applications based on gender identity and sexual orientation. The internal memo circulated through all 15 regional offices of the CSC and cascaded to the more than 1 million employees of the Commission can be viewed here . Certainly this memo is ground-breaking and deserves all the praise it can get. It is not only a step in the right direction in the government's promotion of gender equality but as well as of human rights. In a nutshell, the memo affirms the Constitutional principle that all people deserve equal protection in law including in the access of public services. LGBT applica...

I received this text message today and thought of rather sharing it here. It makes sense. :)) Magpa-borta ng katawan. Para hard. Wag masyadong high-fashion ang damit. T-shirt, jeans o chinos at sneakers lang ayos na. Bawal din ung mga fashionistang bag. Dapat gym bag o backpack lang. Wag makapal mag-pulbo. Sa T-zone (forhead, nose, chin) at leeg lang dapat. Wag mag foundation, concealer, lip gloss, lipstick, eyeliner, at blush-on. Iwasan ang pagkanta ng mga songs nila Regine, Mariah, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, PCD, etc. Mag-shift sa rock, alternative, at boyband songs. Relax lang dapat ang lakad. OK rin pag medyo siga. Wag mag-catwalk. Pag may tumatawag sayo ng Sis, Gurl, Bex, Beki, Bading, Mader, Mudra, etc., WAG KANG LILINGON. Bawal mag-pout. Bawal bumeso. At higit sa lahat, BAWAL TUMILI. O, diba, ang hirap magpa-MEN! Kasi halos lahat ginagawa mo! Wakokokokok! GO GERL! :))

Petsa: Biyernes, Mayo 28, 2010 Oras: 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM Lokasyon: Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila (Assembly) and Rajah Sulayman Park, Malate, Manila The Department of Health–Philippine National AIDS Council and TLF SHARE Collective, Inc. are coordinating the 27th AIDS Candlelight Memorial with the theme “Many Lights for Human Rights: Remember, Honor and Act”. The event aims to (1) increase awareness on HIV/AIDS; (2) to foster solidarity and support between and among different communities, NGOs, support groups and other stakeholders in addressing HIV/AIDS issues; (3) to promote respect and uphold the dignity of persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families; (4) to mobilize communities and individuals towards achieving a participatory and meaningful engagement; (5) to remember and honor Filipinos who passed away due to HIV/AIDS and to support those who are affected. This event shall gather key stakeholders in the HIV and AIDS response--public and private organizations, faith-based gr...