Equality Philippines

Are you gay, bisexual, lesbians or transgender? Are you from Baguio City or you live near Baguio? Ang Ladlad will visit Baguio this coming June 26, 2009. With all humility, I would like to ask favor from your end amidst your busy schedules if we could set up a meeting with you. Hoping for a favorable reply. Please contact me for further details. mobile number: +639159298233 email: visualinked@yahoo.com http://www.angladlad.org/ BUHAY BAYOT In solidarity, Dex

One of the biggest misconceptions about the word transgender is that it only refers to girls or women who were assigned male at birth. Because trans women somehow end up inadvertently becoming more visible than their male counterparts, they are more often than not perceived as the only ones who make up the T part of the LGBT community. Many forget that being transgender is experienced and expressed in so many ways by a wide range of people and that in fact, the "transgender experience" is lived through as well by those who were assigned female at birth and now have a male gender identity and masculine gender expression or those who we call transboys/transmen/transmales. Here in the Philippines, there is no organization for transmen as yet similar to the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP) . Those of us from STRAP who get invited to speak in schools, work places and other venues, however, inadvertently meet many transmen in the process. So we know that the...

Today is the Philippine Independence Day. I see flags all over the Metro. My grandmother has even posted a flag on our gates. It kind of feels good to feel the nationalism in the country. I feel a little bit of pride fluttering in my heart. However, one day, I wish I could wave a different flag, and post it on my door. Then I would feel a bigger pride in my heart. Manila Pride March 2007 by: The Lesfriendly Girl Type rest of the post here

NGAYON ANG IKA 111st NA ANIBERSARYO NG ARAW NG KALAYAAN NG PILIPINAS. Ngunit, sa paglipas ng isang daan at labing isang taon, tunay nga ba tayong malaya na? May mga pagkakataong gusto kong isipin na hindi na tayo nakagapos sa mga bansang banyaga dahil nagkaroon na tayo ng kalayaan sa pamamalakad ng gobyerno. Ngunit, ano ang kalagaya n ng mga Pilipino ngayon? Mayroon na nga ba siyang dangal na matatawag? Taas noo na nga ba ang bawat Pilipino kahit kanino? Sa mga nakalipas na araw, samu’t saring problema ang dinaranas ng ating bansa. Mga problemang lalong nagpapalugmok ng bawat mamamayan. Mga problemang animo’y walang ka tapusan. Paano babangon ang isang Juan dela Cruz kung mismong mga namumuno sa ating bayan ang nagbabangayan? Paano tayo makakalaya kong mismong mga halal ng bayan ang siyang nanguna upang itali ang bawat mahihirap na pinoy sa kanilang pamamahala? Paano na ang walang tigil na pagbulusok ng presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin? Ang walang humpay na pagtaas ng gasolina. Paano...

Kung san man kunuha ang larawang ito, siguradong ang natapyas na bahagi nito ay ang KADIRING Ilog Pasig. Malaya ka nga namang lumangoy jan. It's June 12. A red calendar holiday. As to what I hear, the country is commemorating its 111th Independence Day . Tanong (I know i'll spark a lot of violent reactions here but that is what I want): MALAYA BA TALAGA ANG PILIPINO? or PILIPINAS? Malaya ba ang bayad ka ng bayad ng TAX (halos katumbas na ng sweldo ng call center agent ang inaawas sa sweldo mo bawat bwan) tapos wala ka man lang nakikita na inilalapat ang perang pinagpawisan mo sa ikabubuti kahit ng lubak sa kalsada na syang nagiging sanhi ng limpak limpak na gastos mo sa kalampag ng sasakyan mo? Malaya ba ang halos di ka na makapag-liwaliw o makapag-abang ng sasakyan dahil takot kang may rumaragasang motorsiklo na biglang hahablutin ng nakasakay ang gamit mo? Malaya ba ang wala halos namumuhay na empleyado na hindi baon na baon sa lahat ng klaseng UTANG dahil ang sweldo halo...

My "ex" is now a Kapuso celebrity October 12, 2008 Ok, so, just a disclaimer. This guy became my "boyfriend." But, since I always claim that I've really been single since birth, I couldn't consider this guy as a real "boyfriend." Because our relationship was only via SMS messages and late night phone calls. Yes, we did meet up just once but there's not much really going on there. I mean, it's just really not it. I dunno how to explain it. But he's just an "ex" in a sense that he made me believe that there was really something going on between the two of us. But, I think it was a still a miracle. But, I also would like to blame myself for what happened with the two us. First off, I'm not gonna post his picture on my blog. He's an up coming male singer in the Kapuso network and I don't wanna create a fuzz about his teenage life. And most especially about building a link with him once again. As far as I'm concerne...

Adam Lambert officially comes out of the closest in the the new issue of Rolling Stone , on stands tomorrow. Here’s a preview of his interview: On coming out : “I don’t think it should be a surprise for anyone to hear that I’m gay…. I’m proud of my sexuality. I embrace it. It’s just another part of me [But] I’m trying to be a singer, not a civil rights leader.” On realizing he was gay growing up : “I started to realize I wasn’t like every other boy. I realized that we all have our own power, and that whatever I wanted to do, I had to make happen.”

Akala 'nyo Igorot ako, hindi ako Igorot, tao po ako . The famous devastating punchline by comedian Candy Pangilinan in her May 2009 show in Baguio City, which made her declared as "persona non grata" and banned from city premises, including her shows. After numerous on-air apologies, Candy went back to Baguio today to face the city council, and was finally FORGIVEN . I don't have much to say on this issue except that I don't condemn Candy for what happened. I'm sure she just lacked the necessary research on how sensitive Baguio indigenous folks are when it comes to their being a "minority." One false word and you're done. I experienced this myself when I took classes there. The term Igorot is something really to be careful of, more than God's word, when you're in Baguio (or anywhere in the Cordillera for that matter) and interacting with these people. A bad joke that it was, it is a common mistake among all those who haven't experien...

On June 2, Tuesday, the House of Representatives here approved House Resolution (HR) 1109 which allows Congress to convene itself as a Constituent Assembly aka ConAss, thereby giving them the authority to propose amendments to the Philippine Constitution. Critics of HR 1109 are pointing their fingers at President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) as the one responsible behind the move to change the Charter in order to prolong her stay in power. As GMA’s term as President nears its end, observers have been second-guessing the different routes she might take in order to lengthen her stay in the political limelight and expand her political might. Changing the Constitution chiefly for this purpose is one. Another way, which many are anticipating, is for her to run for a Congressional seat in the upcoming election in 2010 when her term as President expires. After securing a seat in the Lower House, analysts suggest that her allies in Congress will propose amending the Charter to abolish Congres...

Lunduyan ng Sining presents June Lemonites: GET DRAGGED Crossdressing Pride holiday June 8, 8:30 PM Mag:net Katipunan Let’s join the world in celebrating pride and diversity! Crossdress for cash! Come and crossdress as your fave theater, music or art icon. The most fab and most creative costume wins a cash prize! Featuring music of: Lee Grane of Blush Midnight Vaginas Tetas EF: P150 with 1 free drink!

DANTON REMOTO Chairman ANG LADLAD PARTY-LIST 2010 SENATORIAL CANDIDATE Are Filipino teenagers having more sex than their elders? Are they safe when they do it? Are they getting married earlier? What gives them their high? These questions and more are answered by the book Youth in Transition: The Challenges of Generational Change in Asia, edited by Fay Gale and Stephanie Fahey.The Philippine essay is done by Joseph H. Puyat of the Department of Psychology, University of the Philippines. Happily, Professor Puyat reports that more and more Filipinos are delaying their marriages. That would be good for maternal health and lesser children mortality rate for the country. “As of the year 2000, around 73 percent of males between the ages of 20 and 24 are still single. For females, the proportion is about 57 percent. Ten years ago, the proportion of men who have never been married is 63.3 percent, whereas for women it is 45.5 percent. The figures are significantly smaller for women, which ind...

Published on Sun.Star Network Online ( http://www.sunstar.com.ph/ ) Cebu Sun Star Newspaper Front Page May 16, 2009 WHILE Ang Ladlad may have been dropped from the official list of party-list candidates for the May 2007 elections for “not having enough members,” it assured that next year will be different. “We now have eight regional chapters,” said Danton Remoto, the group’s chairperson. Ang Ladlad has “enough” for the elections, with the group hoping to establish 12 regional chapters across the country before May 2010. It is a national organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Filipinos. It will file its certificate for accreditation as a party-list organization with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on July 30. In a meeting with local supporters, Remoto appointed Orly Cajegas as Ang Ladlad-Cebu chapter head. “We are aiming, for sure, for one seat in Congress. But I’m personally hoping that we would get three seats,” Remoto said. Under Republic Act 7941, 20 pe...

DANTON REMOTO Chair Ang Ladlad Party-list 2010 Senatorial Candidate Several weekends ago, I visited a college and talked to their students. They usually ask me about communication and the art of writing. If not that, then they ask me to give a talk on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and issues. I always like talking to young people because they are so vibrant. They ask so many questions and that is good, because they want to know the answers as well. I think it is this casual impertinence and insatiable curiosity that are the hallmarks of the young and the restless. And it is these qualities that might fuel the so-called youth vote that all presidentiables are now angling for. This reminds me of a small run-in with a presidential wannabe in 2010, a man who loves to shoot his mouth off without knowing the facts and figures at hand. With imaginary poise, he told me breathlessly: “Professor Remoto, there is no such thing as a youth vote. They would rather go to Starbucks or ...

I really thought that I was not going to comment on this issue; especially since those involved come from showbiz, an industry that is notorious for fabricating stories about its denizens just to keep them in the public eye. This whole “scandal” may very well be just another one of those well-crafted publicity stunts such that commenting on the whole thing might prove futile in the end. But as things stand, the story has now caught the nation’s undivided attention and is being used by various parties including several government agencies and politicians to earn them media mileage as well. Let us not forget that it is an election year after all. What I cannot personally stand are the moralistic and medical discourses being voiced out by these public personages, which are ultimately anti-sex and therefore anti-people, something that I feel we must all guard against. How it all started Not too long ago, rumors started circulating about the existence of a sex tape involving Katrina Halili ...

(photo courtesy of http://midfield.wordpress.com) (photos courtesy of http://gmanews.tv) Apparently a retired colonel, Abner Afuang , driven by a sudden pang of anger, doused water on Hayden Kho amidst the senate hearing yesterday when Kho and Katrina Halili were face to face. Orders to arrest Afuang were immediate. When interviewed, Afuang stated he lost hold of himself, was abruptly irritated upon seeing Kho, and was ANGRY at Kho as he had watched his sex video with Halili, further commenting it was good he did not hit Kho and just poured water instead. Shame on you, Afuang! TOO MUCH FOR HAYDEN As for me, I feel for Kho. He is judged TOO MUCH by practically everybody. His Mom, Irene Kho, recently went on air to express disgust over sensationalizing the scandal, naming Lolit Solis as the primary orchestrator of Katrina's moves to expose the issue. The mother is so affected, and the father has suffered a mild stroke because of the humiliation. Yes, Hayden may be guilty. He is havin...

Here is the second list of new (relatively) Pinoy gay words. The first list may be seen here . And as always, your contribution is greatly appreciated. Enjoy! Noranian - drug addict "Ang payat ni Kim Chiu 'no? Noranian na rin siguro?" Chanda Romero - stomach, especially pot belly "Ang lakas naman ng loob mo mag body fit bakla, tingnan mo nga 'yan, may special participation si Chanda Romero !" Purissima - broke, penniless "Babe, wala muna load this week ha? Purissima ako e." Constructicons - male construction workers, usually willing to have sex with gay men "Bakla, spell tigang? Saan ba ang pinalamalapit na tinatatayong gusali at makipagtagisan ako ng lakas sa mga Constructicons ?" Markova - an old (but still fabulous) drag queen "In ten years, bakla, bilanging mo. Si Mama Ricky Reyes Markova na 'yan!" DVD Commentary - annoying people who have a habit of talking inside movie houses "Grabe siya o! Talagang tinatalak ...

Adam Lambert Kris Allen Much to my frustration, it was Kris Allen who won American Idol Season 8. All the while, I thought Adam Lambert would make it first to the finish line. I'm not saying that Kris Allen does not deserve it. However, I was hoping that some "gay" deserving singer would finally be declared American Idol, for once. The same frustration enveloped me when Cook outshined Archuleta in Season 7. Why is it that American Idol seems to choose the evidently straight guy over the pink guy? JUST ASKING . Here's to hoping that indeed there is no stereotyping involved in this race. Worthy members of the LGBTQ community deserve to dominate the limelight too! My consolation, though, is that the resounding success of Archuleta in his career would imply that Lambert, although only declared runner up, could still also go a long way to make it big. So take it away, Adam! :)

Book Review on American Communication Professor Robert Alan Brookey's book "Reinventing the Male Homosexual: The Rhetoric and Power of the Gay Gene". This post was written by RBP team member line of flight from Sampaloc Toc . Robert Alan Brookey is an American Professor of Communications at Arizona State University. He wrote Reinventing the Male Homosexual: The Rhetoric and Power of the Gay Gene . I was just beginning to blossom when LeVay came out with his theory of neuroendocrinological basis for heterosexual and homosexual difference and when Hamer came out with his theory of the gay gene. As an adolescent, the gay gene theory seemed to fit so perfectly into the idea that homosexuality is inborn and that I had no choice in the matter. Yet, as I went through college and graduate school, it became clear that the gay gene theory would not work. The consequences of it are highly problematic. Is there a gene that predisposes someone to watching May Bukas Pa or Wowowee ? D...

Finally, hear people from all over the world saying how proud they are no matter what their gender identity is. :) You should be proud too! Please watch this video, rate it and comment on youtube, post this to your social network profiles or spread it to all your friends and help support the fight against HOMOPHOBIA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Rp8ep_ezE

Me...a chinito guy...and the elevator.... http://www.vinvinjacla.com/2009/05/mea-chinito-guyand-elevator.html May 13, 2009 I had the weirdest, yet most "kilig", experience inside an elevator last night. And so far...by a country mile...this was my most memorable one. I don't even know if I should be writing something about this. But I just couldn't help it! I know that I need to! Otherwise...I'll get a mental breakdown. I think I've already mentioned before that MCEC "has transferred to the vacant office next to ours." And it's pretty much adjacent to the elevators. I went home a little late last night, at around 7:10 PM or something. As I swiped my ID to the sensor and opened the door, I pulled out my phone and hit the speed dial to inform my driver that I was gonna be descending already. Yes, fine...I know. I wasn't able to keep up to my word. I wasn't able to dispose of my driver. My mama feels like it's a necessity for me. Then, s...