It was raining hard on the 29th of June in Manila but it didn’t stop the crowd from all parts of the Philippines to come together and raise their rainbow flags high, demanding they be viewed and heard. While pride is a protest, the LGBTQ community is made out of love and acceptance. That’s why you’d visit a lot of people being unapologetically themselves, from people of the identical sex unreluctantly showing affection to one another to people rocking their seven-inch boots in full glam.
Although pride month has ended, the fight for LGBTQ rights is most definitely not. At the march, we asked a number of the attendees why it’s important to go every year and how creating a statement through clothing empowers them.
“Fashion, for me personally, is sort of like armor. Wearing something especially clothing produced by Filipino designers makes me feel very proud because I like supporting Filipino fashion. To be able to wear something creative by these amazing designers is much like wearing art. For me, that’s very empowering since it gives me a sense of fulfillment understanding that I’m supporting a creative process as well as an industry that believes in free expression and creativity.” – André
“Fashion is much like an armor. We are able to create ourselves using the clothes we buy or make. ” –Hopelean
“We obtain to show people who we really are especially the people who don’t understand us. It’s really satisfying that each year, numbers go up. It’s important that we show we are one. Fashion empowers me in a manner that if I know my outfit looks great, Personally i think good and confident. Sometimes we be a defense mechanism, especially for us LGBT. It’s a form of self-expression.” – Renz
“It’s important to go to pride because it’s important there exists a unified effort as a community that for a marginalized group, we still have each other. We’re proud of our identities. I think when they say gender is fluid, it resonates most to me. It manifests in gender expression then when I practice the fluidity of gender, it jogs my memory how certain roles aren’t limited to certain genders. Gender identity is such a complicated thing that must be celebrated and attempted.” – Nico
“Pride is a community. It’s a household. I feel so one using the people here. It’s like a retreat every single year. I have to be here. It’s really like family uniting. Fashion is a way to express yourself. Not only are things like drawing art, but this is also art. We’re out here. We’re queer, we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. Fashion in my experience is my job. It’s things i want to do every single day. It’s my form of expression. I don’t sing. I don’t dance that much. But I love dressing myself. I love dressing other people. It’s the way i present to the world. It means a lot to me to be able to wear things i can. ” – Noel, Fred, Inna, and Clevejan
“I think it’s important that we celebrate diversity. I’m not actually area of the LGBT community, but I just want to support them. Fashion makes me feel confident. It makes me feel like I have control. It’s just something fun which i like to do.” – Abby
“We need to be available. We need to be visible for people to take us seriously and also to take our issues seriously. Because to be honest, sogie bill has not been passed for thus many years now. I also have difficulties with same-sex marriage not being taken seriously. Being visible is important. Fashion is whatever you put on your body. You’re already sending a message to the world with it. It’s picking the right clothes to actually convey a message. ” – Luka
“We rarely have this platform to express ourselves where a lot of individuals will go to. Fashion is a type of self-expression so whenever I dress yourself in clothes that I'm super confident with, I feel more confident and I seem like myself. ” – Gelai
“This is my first pride ever. I believe it's important to go because I have to support my own community and celebrate myself for being me. I'm happy to share it with the remainder of the community whom I'm proud to my family. We are all gay together. Fashion defines what you are as a person. It can project your mood as well as your character. For me, I like gender-bending clothes on a casual day or on a school day. I like to wear skirts, heels, and makeup. It just makes my day better.” – Sebastian
“Pride is much more than just a celebration of being LGBT. It’s a protest for the community. It’s good to show people the number of LGBT people are because these are the people that will be affected if certains laws such as sogie bill and anti-discrimination law are approved by the government. There are a lot of people in the closet because of so many reasons. Hopefully, once they see people who are not afraid to exhibit who they are at pride, they'll one day come out of the closet. Hopefully, they are able to join us in the future. I’m in a position to express myself through fashion. I’m in a position to express what I feel through fashion. I’m capable of being whoever I want to be. Right now, I’m a giant heart because I want to show people that the LGBT community is a community made out of love and love will always win. ” – Gelo
