Your Pride and the Beautiful You

Facebook's shout out to the world for #equality.

Pride is the root of all evil as “they” say.

But the word pride denotes a lot more like a detergent, a 2004 British TV film, a sense of confidence, national upliftment, and of course self-worth. To emphasize, all of these representations are contrary to that common adage.

The month of June is not only for the brides anymore; but also now shared with the celebration of the “Pride Month,” or when the people stand up for the rightful freedom, acceptance (not tolerance), and celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in every nook and cranny of both the real and virtual world.

Earlier this month, the courage of Bruce Jenner, who came out as dazzling Caitlyn –buzzing the social network feeds and gaining support globally –is just one of all the many reasons in celebrating the Pride Month. This is not to mention how local personalities, like Aiza Seguerra, Charice Pempengco, and Rustom Padilla (now Bebe Gandanghari), who braved to face the camera to show their true and genuine self.

More importantly, some of the essential objectives in observing the Pride Month are these societal disabilities that are still hounding this growing community:

• Many are still mute about the everyday struggles of every individual in the LGBT community; 
• Many are still blinded on how these equally beautiful human beings can be a significant asset to the predominantly straight society; and 
• Many are still deaf to the triumphs and sacrifices of the LGBT community, mostly unheard stories, even though these benefit the larger community. 

Very recently, the hullabaloo on the Valkyrie incident came crashing the airwaves and social feeds like a wild fire creating connecting and disconnecting views about sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Let us not go beyond the limits of the topic, with or without the dress code, truth of the matter is there is still suppression of gender identity and expression against the LGBT community in many societies not just here in the country. The LGBT community cannot beg, fight, cry, and cry harder forever for acceptance of the society where they belong. But at least, let them be themselves in terms of their gender identity and how they want to express it without prejudice; just like how the LGBT community tries to understand their own society, including you and I, for being an integral part of it.

In this sense, friends and identified individuals of the LGBT community create activities, in their own little way, to stand firm, heads up and thrust for their right as people who are worthy to be recognized and accepted by the society; who are eager to forget the days of being maligned and maltreated for no reason but being themselves.

This is why I admire the works of LoveYourself, Inc., which is an advocacy group I’m part of that is concerned with HIV testing, counseling and peer education. In celebrating the Pride Month, the group held its LoveYourself Carnivale 2015 last June 20 at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. Many other interest groups have also expressed love and pride through different activities this month, such as the LGBT parade and celebratory parties around the metro among others.

To cap it all, the Pride Month is a celebration of life, loving one’s self despite the odds and imperfections, and being “#ProudtobeMe,” as how Vice Ganda simply put it. Regardless of what you do or can do, what you wear, and what you have, you have to always remember that all are equal no matter who, what, and where you are, because the way you are now is already beautiful and acceptable. ###