Do I Belong Here?: Reflections on the UP Pride March Loud. Celebratory. Political. Social.

It was the atmosphere that I felt when I arrived at the AS Steps for the annual UP Pride March. Students around the campus, L !" or otherwise, can be seen #atherin# and preparin# for the occassion, havin# si#na#es, rainbow fla#s and props and their chants. $ven people from partner or#ani%ations and nearby communities arrived to #ive their support for the people &oinin# the march. It was my first time &oinin# such an event, and I was actually clueless on what to e'pect. Maybe I was e'pectin# it to be over(political similar to those rallies I see around campus once in a while. !ut in reality, the mood is more of festive) more of a social #atherin#, a sort of reunion. *riends #reetin# their friends in bekimon; people shoutin# random words li+e ,Love-,, ,.o /ate-, and so on. People familiar and close to you ( friends, classmates, professors, even campus personalities you never thou#ht to be L !" was there, showin# their support. !ut even if people were celebratin#, it wasn0t that difficult befriendin# the people around since they0re willin# to tal+ and they always have somethin# to say. Such as these #roup of freshmen showin# their support even if they0re &ust new in the university0s liberal and pro#ressive environment, or our colle#e student council president, 1aymond, wearin# pin+ and showin# his love, even if he claims he is strai#ht. !efore the parade, there was a short pro#ram held to entertain the pro#ram and +eep their inspired. A public ,blessin#, was held, almost a weddin# scene, with 2 lesbians in weddin# outfits sharin# their vows to one another. I saw how they were ecstatic about the occassion even if it supposed to be a mere s+it, more so the reality that they wouldn0t be blessed by the #overnment and the church anyway. !ut it does not matter since the people around them are willin# to substitute and #ive them their nods. *ashion icon and internet celebrity 3ivine Lee was also there to #ave a short speech. /ow I wished more personalities li+e her #ave their support. After the ceremonies, the or#ani%ers as+ed the people to prepare bloc+in# a portion of the oval for the parade. 4hile the participants are doin# so, the so(called ,haters, were also there, holdin# their si#na#es and me#aphones, unafraid to be ridiculed and &ud#ed for what they preach ( even if it means havin# couples +issin# in front of them. It0s actually funny and amusin# seein# such a si#ht. I had a chance to interview one of them, and it0s amusin# that we have the same first name, ,Paul,. /e loo+s li+e to be at the same a#e as me. !ut while we both identify ourselves as !orn(A#ain Christian, I do not share his #roup0s sentiments. /ence it was interestin# to tal+

to him about his beliefs. /e e'plained to me their beliefs &ust how traditional Christians would do it ( 5uotin# verses here and there. Leviticus. 1omans. "ellin# me that ,#ay se', is a sin, &ust li+e what I0ve heard so many times for so lon#. "hat the only way to be saved is to repent throu#h Christ, and he would ma#ically remove the ,sic+ness, away. !ut I was not contented and tried to rebut him with deeper 5uestions. /ow about those L !" inside the church6 /e did not offered me a lot of e'planation e'cept tellin# me that they0re ,tempted,. It could be that he0s tal+in# to me this way, more so identifyin# himself in the #roup is because he had no opportunity to be around such people, more so havin# an L !" friend or family member. I found myself to be luc+y. "he march has started, with the media wal+in# ahead of the crowd to #et a #limpse of the action. I wonder if they are present &ust because they have to wor+, or deep inside, they want to support the community in the first place. .evertheless, the celebratory mood still continued, with people ma+in# &o+es and doin# parodies of chants spo+en by activists in the campus durin# rallies. Some too+ their time to #ive out condoms to &eepney drivers, some as+ed passers(by to hon+ their cars, some callin# their friends or ta+in# photos to post on Insta#ram later on. And this mood continued as the crowd reached 7ue%on /all and saw the oblation with butterly win#s attached to it. It was actually a refreshin# si#ht. Sadly, the rains started to pour and everyone was forced to stay for a while. Still, as the rains pour alon# and the crowd started to dissipate, they still attempted to continue wal+in#, usin# the rainbow fla#s as a shiled to the rain. I &ust wonder what the haters are thin+in#) maybe they interpreted the weather as a si#n favorin# their preachin#. !ut while I was observin# the parade in one corner of the oval, I started to felt more out of place. It could be that I cannot move on with my conversation with Paul, him un+nowin# of the pain of stru##lin# with the faith you loved and the se'uality you0re bein# awa+ened to. 8n the other hand, I &ust felt that even in the L !" community, dominant behaviors abound. Is it actually necessary to be loud and act flirty every time you see someone handsome wal+in# around6 8r it is a pre(re5uisite that people must cross(dress or spea+ in swardspeak in a effeminate manner in order to be accepted6 Maybe the ,strai#hter, ones are &ust invisible, or they &ust not bothered to &oin the celebrations.