Blogger’s Note: It’s June once again and New York and other cities in the US will soon be celebrating Pride Weekend. In the Philippines, the Gay Pride March is held sometime in December. I don’t think there’s a worldwide agreed Gay Pride celebration. What we commemorate in June is actually the Stonewall Riots of June 28, 1969. I will be writing a series of Gay Pride posts this month but I want to kick-start it with my post from last year.
It's pride weekend. This year - I decided to stay in. The past year - I have actually found myself being too plump for the night scene. I used to be 150 lbs. Now? I think I am 175 lbs. I don't weigh myself anymore because I know I'm too heavy.
How did I get here? When I was in the closet - I used to go to the gym regularly - sometimes even twice in a day. Now, I'd be lucky if I decide to work out once in a month. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not sedentary. I walk and run my dog everyday. That's equivalent to an hour of physical work. So I still get my cardiovascular workout. I am just not expending as much calories as I used to; which leads to me having some fat depositing on my tummy.
Back to talking about pride weekend. When I first experienced pride weekend, it was all about the party. All about looking good. All about seeing the men that I previously hooked up with and hooking up with new ones. However, as I got older; it actually became about sharing the experience with the community. I admit, I am still shallow; I still want to look good when I share that communal experience of being proud about my sexuality - regardless of what everyone else thinks.
I live in the Philippines, and as much as we actually are a conservative predominantly Catholic country, the community had been open to alternative lifestyles. We can openly be gay, and yet be accepted by our co-workers and the people around us. For me that is important because one of the reasons why I was in the closet for such a long time is that I thought it would matter in my career. I am happy I came out --- and I am happy that people accepted me for who I am when I did.
Happy Pride everyone! Enjoy the festivities and stand proud for being who you are.
Blogger’s Note: A lot has transpired since I wrote this entry. I am now back to the gym – getting fit once again. Ladlad filed for candidacy in the Party List. They were denied by Comelec on grounds of “morality”. The Supreme Court overturned the decision of Comelec and Ladlad was able to run for seats in Congress. It didn’t win but the whole event did awaken a lot of us into realizing that discrimination for LGBT’s still exist in our country.
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