There are currently so many online advocates fighting for this and that. They want freedom for gays, freedom from the moral tyranny of the church, freedom from religion, freedom from reclamation projects, etc. Lately, there’s this fad on Facebook profile pics being replaced with a red equal sign — said to represent equality for LGBTs (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual). They act based on the idea that LGBT remains a marginalized sector of Philippine society.
However, I believe that many of those who participate in “gay equality” movements belong to a class of people who like going to Starbucks and need to sport their iPhones and designer clothes and bags. Some of them are already members of high society, some the “trying hard” to be high society (as in, they couldn’t afford the iPhone, but get in debt just to have it); but you get what I mean.
Basically, some of the LGBT people live comfortable lives, and it can make one wonder why they are considered marginalized. They probably go to snazzy bars and dance the night away (and do another kind of dance). And from what I heard, they may even be using illegal drugs.
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I want to revisit a controversy which seemed to demonstrate the dysfunctions of Filipino high society. That was in 2008, when Australian Brian Gorrell posted in his blog that a former Filipino boyfriend, DJ Montano, swindled him of $70,000. But what also raised hairs what that the Filipino high society people he mentioned, later called the ‘Gucci Gang,’ were using cocaine. And all that while being freeloaders. And since Gorrell and Montano were gay, what does this mean”¦ perhaps other affluent people in the LGBT community are cocaine users (and freeloaders). There is good reason to believe that illegal drug use is widespread among the “high society” in this country, even to this day.
Some high society bloggers at the time said that freedom of speech should be questioned because of bloggers like Gorrell. Oh? So if someone (especially a foreigner) finally reveals the dust that Filipinos try to sweep under the rug, they cry foul (look no further than this example of another Australian slamming the misguided Filipino reaction after the Bus Hostage Crisis). Filipinos seem so afraid of losing face that they deflect the issue to cover up their own failings.
It would seem that Gorrell’s mistake, for this part, was getting involved with Filipinos. I mean, those who tend to get banned at certain shops in other countries because they are frequently caught shoplifting, or when they increase in number in a certain place, they teach jaywalking to the locals (Hong Kong). But I digress.
Would you put your trust in people who may be using this?
Signs show that this drug use is still prevalent today. Lately, I saw some celebrated social media advocates openly mention wanting a dose of illegal drugs, using the underground drug jargon. So, it seems that some “freedom advocates” are likely demonstrating hypocrisy, by saying they want their way to make the country better followed, but later go to bars at night to “sniff a line” (Benign0 explains what it is, click here). It’s hard to believe that they are part of a marginalized group, when they themselves are “privileged” to have access to cocaine, and likely other illegal drugs.
So that’s what freedom is all about? Freedom to promote wrongdoing? Freedom to live irresponsibly?
These people curse the Church and blame it for oppressing them. But at night, they go to bars to sniff lines? The Church would be right to go after them.
No wonder the Philippines remains Asia’s Sick Man.
The “line-sniffing,” spoiled-brat class needs to get its act together, and get out of its “affluenza.”
Kickout Discrimination?
Another item which is somewhat related is the expulsion of a Filipino transgender student from California Baptist University. Domainlor Cabading (what a name) was expelled after it was discovered that he was actually male at birth. Cabading filed a case claiming discrimination by the school for his expulsion.
I believe this is not discrimination because: 1. The university is Baptist (conservative), don’t expect it to be sympathetic to transgenders, gays, and similar, and it likely considers your gender at birth as your gender for life; 2. Checking “female” when you’re actually “male” (given that there is no sex change or supporting documents) is tantamount to lying. Lying is a strong ground for expulsion.
It’s also not clear what kind of “transgender” Cabading is. The news articles use the female pronoun to refer to Cabading. However, there seems to be no mention of a sex-change operation, and no appropriate papers seem presented to prove that he can be considered female already. It seems he just wants the world to accept him as female. I wonder if that’s another effect of “affluenza.”
I believe, as my cohorts here do, that what Filipinos embrace as their culture is what actually pulls the country down. And those who seem to be anti-dictators, who may also believe themselves to be “heroes,” are the real dictators.
There is a notion of some gay men in the country being swindlers and/or “ATM’s”. I remember one time, I had a friend who asked me a certain amount of money because he has a debt to some guy because this used-to-be friend of mine borrowed money from that man. But I was naive and I didn’t even asked how urgent the payment he has to make. So I gave something to him from my savings.
That was four years ago, and four figures to me is considerably big even up to now. I wouldn’t expect for that person to pay me back, since a lot of our friends have told months after, he doesn’t really pay back the full amount.
Perhaps, the problem with the gays (I don’t know about other non-hetero people) here is the notion that they can’t achieve happiness through love. And it might have something to do with the teachings of major religions here today (as far as I know, there were male babaylans before Spanish colonial Philippines), that homosexual behavior is wrong. Thus, they go into discreet relationships, which they spend a lot on their lovers, or at least flings, which in turn, gets them into debt. They would spend so much on their partner who is probably masculine but is either straight/or discreetly gay which may or may not be also in need of money. Or so at least I think.
The goal of having fair treatment of the law (e.g. same-sex marriage) despite of one’s gender might be a longshot here for the local LGBTQI’s, but as Mathematics would be so wise, there are many ways to solve a problem. And it’s not always easy.
In the Philippines where unemployment is so high, mutual exploitation between gays and straight men (particularly those who are penniless and desperate) may be common. Gays take advantage of these men, and these men, conversely, take advantage of gays—As one gay celebrity said “Walang baklang pangit sa lalaking nagigipit.”
Whether gay people admit it or not, they do struggle with so many emotional issues which tend to cloud their judgement.
> Way
So does a lot of Penay I know.
Parang ikaw hahahaha
The way we personally feel about homosexuality need not necessarily extend to the way we should regard homosexuals. Homosexuality is a condition. A homosexual is a person. A condition and a person are two different concepts and shouldn’t be muddled together into a blanket judgment imposed on other people. The way we personally feel about a condition does not necessarily make justifiable feeling the same way about a person to whom said condition is inherent.
I can’t pretend to be a big fan of male homosexuality for the simple reason that I’d rather not harbour an overly graphic picture in my mind of what male homosexuals do with their partners between the sheets. But I respect homosexuals as people and being such — i.e., people — I believe they are entitled to all the rights that people in a modern society enjoy. Some of them also make very good friends. That does not mean, however, that the reality of our biological or physiological nature should be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. To do so misses the whole point of what it means to respect — and embrace — one another’s unique characters and preferences.
I don’t care about their lifestyle. In US what they are fighting is their civil rights for the most part the same benefits with traditional heterosexual contracts.
Gays, lesbians, drugs are here to stay no matter what.Just enforce the necessary laws applicable to any given condition and let’s hope for the best of society.
Yes, much agree with this.
You people are in a different world. Just because some of the LGBT community live comfortable lives, it doesnt mean that they somehow lose the right to equality. That is so fucking stupid, and what the hell does any of that have to with drugs. You have really revealed your small-mindedness.
“…..that they somehow lose the right to equality.”
LGBTs are treated equally already. They get discriminated exactly the same as straight people in the Philippine society.
Exactly. LGBTs already can experience a life of equality already. They just need to know what to do. And I’m not hitting the LGBTs as a whole. I’m hitting some of their lifestyles. That’s exactly the problem. The “affluenza” lifestyles. It shooting oneself in the foot when you claim to “fight for the poor,” but you are actually poor in your personal conduct.
@Sev
Who are you referring to when you say “You people”? I hope you are not assuming that this article is GRP’s collective stand on LGBT community. This is just one writer’s opinion. Wag ka mang-lahat.
Kilala mo ba si Carlos Celdran? What did he mean by “I need a line” on his Facebook update? I hope he wasn’t talking about his cocaine fix. Bad influence talaga yun sa young kids.
“Basically, some of the LGBT people live comfortable lives, and it can make one wonder why they are considered marginalized. They probably go to snazzy bars and dance the night away (and do another kind of dance). And from what I heard, they may even be using illegal drugs.”
I don’t agree that just because someone lives a comfortable life means they are not marginalized. I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a chore to look around and try to see how people perceive the LGBT community in the Philippines. In the United States, the term “fag” is highly regarded as disrespectful while in the PH, you actually have the license to call someone bading, etc.
I would much rather see an LGBT person succeeding in his/her field than seeing Filipino guys who are old enough to move out but don’t because they are dependent on their Mommys and Daddys.
To not know what kind of freedom the LGBT community is fighting for is ignorant at best. Chino, you are enough evidence of why they need to be liberated from oppression because of your phrase “they may even be using illegal drugs”. Why generalize that the LGBT community is hooked on illegal drugs? That is a baseless accusation.
This article is such a crappy one and only mirrors ChinoF’s insecurities namely:
1. Not having financial security.
2. Not being able to move out from the parents’ house even if he’s already in his 30s.
3. Being unable to compete financially with the LGBT community since he doesn’t have a job that pays decent money.
You’re totally wrong. Your comment is riddled with EMOTIONS.
Just ask Chino himself, not me. At IKAW ang troll dahil panay personal attacks ka lang and you have nothing to contribute.
Hit him hard. You’re a good sniper bro…
God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Now here comes the flame! 🙂 hehehe
No but seriously, I am for equal rights. I think gays and lesbians should not be discriminated against just like how people should not get discriminated based on race or creed. But is there a huge discrimination against the gays and lesbians in our society such as in jobs or other opportunities? I’m not so sure. The red equal sign flooding Facebook right now, I believe, is about the current US Supreme Court deliberation on same-sex marriage. Supporters of the “equality†movement would like the US Supreme Court to scrap DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), re-define the term “marriageâ€, so that same-sex marriage will be recognized and thus same-sex couples will have the same legal (and tax) rights and benefits granted towards traditional couples. The problem that I see with this is that re-defining “marriage†may open up a whole new can of worms. Where will people draw the line? Should the State then accommodate polygamous marriages? Should the State also accommodate bestiality should a person have a “union†with his or her dog? Why just stop at monogamous hetero and homosexual unions when there are other forms of unions as well? Shouldn’t “equality†cover every forms of unions out there?
I think the State ought to butt out of the marriage issue. Marriage ought to be a private matter that government should not meddle too much on. Government can deal with issue regarding child custody if the marriage gets dissolved but why in the word should government define a matter such as marriage? With regards to equal benefits and taxation.. well… why do we even have to give advantages to “married†folks over single folks? So that everyone and everything gets treated fairly, why not just have a flat tax for everyone? I mean for Chrissakes there are lots of other things the government ought to deal with than to get entangled with something it shouldn’t have any business with in the first place.
Thanks for reading, too, Hector. I’m not really hitting LGBTs for being LGBT, although I agree they’re not acting “naturally.” It’s just that the seeming inequality is no longer evident. We have successful gay people like Ricky Reyes, Fanny Serrano and Vice Ganda who actually use their “gayness” for something that makes them rich. I see that many women like hanging out with gays, obviously because the gay men won’t have any interest in them. Perhaps that’s nature’s way of keeping population growth in check. And Hector highlights where the problem lies – the “economic upbringing” of people. The problems would certainly boil down to economic issues.
In fairness, the CoRRECT formula does address a good deal of the problem here.
The real LOSER here is the one who made useless, vile and disgusting things like… attack the PERSON and not the message.
Pangalan pa lang, BOBO na. 🙂
Sorry, but I’m a different person. IKAW nga diyan ang autistic dahil sa mga troll comments mo.
See that? Ang EMO ay BOB.
Sensya na, ang tunay na autistic ay ung puro personal attacks lang ang ginawa and always resort to emotional outburts than logical thinking.
Sino kaya ang autistic? IKAW lang naman iyon e.
Winter Soldier, could you send me shield points for Marvel Avengers Alliance? At least I’m addicted to that and not illegal drugs. hehe
Whoah, thanks for the removal of the silly comments. hehehe
That was the most useless troll to have ever shown up here.
Another one trick pony just like eduardo.
Ok sure!
I really regard this post as highly offensive to the LGBT community. Why is there a need to link LGBT with posers and drugs? Straight people do them just as much, or even more, than how gay people would. Straight people can also get so addicted to alcohol, multiple sex partners, drugs, gambling, violence and the like. So why concentrate these things with LGBT?
Clearly, the writer of this article is stuck during the times the self righteous Prayles reigned our country.
Why shouldnt there be a need for gender equality? Discrimination is prevalent everywhere, to heterosexuals and the not. But through social awareness, this is being addressed. So please do not ever generalize things. It will just make you sound like a simple minded, weak, insecure person – that you are.
For those religious people pointing out that God only created Man and Woman, maybe you should dig deeper on the difference between sex and gender.
Basically, Catholicism is dominant in the Philippines, being the majority, and thus sets the dominant culture. It sticks to the view that homosexuality is wrong, because it defies nature. It is possible to ask the Church, or some conservatives to act more humanely towards LGBTs. But the declaration that it is wrong will continue, perhaps even until the organization itself meets its end. We can’t ask the Church to go against its own beliefs by asking it to stop declaring homosexuality as wrong. It won’t.
uhmm.. what’s the point of Catholicism in your post? My reply does not evolve around the belief of the Catholic people. I only had.. about 2-3 lines about this and you simply made a reply just for that particular thought. But hey.. Thanks for the reply anyway:D
And oh by the way.. you say it defies nature? Please study how cats and other animals have the tendency to be bisexual. 😀
I’m not a cat or other animals. I’m human and prefer to believe heterosexuality is more “natural”… that would be mine and some others’ reply.
I agree that God only created men and women. I, being gay, am not claiming to be a woman. Gays are still men; lesbians are still women. But God did not create fixed emotions. I’m gay who happens to have found love in another man. What’s the deal? C’mon life is already hard, don’t make it harder just because we are not straight!
God created men and women, but gays created their own complications. hehe
What’s all the fuss about being gay anyway? It’s just like driving a RHD vehicle where generally the other vehicles are LHD. Still the same as other vehicles travelling the road, getting to where they need to go, avoiding accidents and follwing the same set of rules and regulations as the other LHD vehicle drivers. What LGBTs are asking for is their own freaking lane!!!?? Hey it’s not our fault you drive a LHD vehicle, what’s with the special lane?
Nice analogy, Joeld. Exactly. It doesn’t just apply to the LGBT community only, though. There are a lot of sectors who are asking for their own special lane, including the irresponsible poor and communists/socialists. The only ones who aren’t asking for it are the actual working middle class – the ones likely to pay for the special lanes of the others.
Having a special lane for this “marginalized” LGBTs would in fact subject them to more discrimination. Hey, they started discriminating themselves long ago by having their own set of dialect, their own group or circle of friends, their own gimmickan…etc.
The way I see it, if you want to be equal with everybody, then be like everybody else. its just like saying, hey, I’m so poor I cant eat 3 times a day…and then you say your marginalized, even discriminated. Well I say, you better act like you should…do your best, magsikap ka ng umahon ka. It really pisses me off when someone asks to borrow money from my wife for some “urgent need” and I see them some other times just having their sweet time doing nothing or worst just drinking to get drunk. Hey, I’m working my ass off in another country and you have the nerve to ask me for help while you do nothing….?
Same with LGBT’s…I am trying my best to be morally upright, and here you go, trying to act as if the “morally upright” thing I am doing is not applicable to them just because they are driving RHD vehicle.
It would be so unfair to generalize that members of the LGBTQ community are drug users and live “comfortable lives”. Would it be fair to say that all heterosexual individuals are drug users since it has been seen in the news that some members of that community use drugs?
To judge a person, regardless of sexual orientation, based on stereotypes is also unfair. A person’s character isn’t defined by what phone he or she is holding or what drink is he or she sipping. It takes more that those little things.
There are so many issues that the LGBTQ community have to face every day and I hope we just focus on resolving that rather than stirring the pot. The rights they are fighting for are the same rights the heterosexual people are enjoying. We are all human at the end of the day. If we get hurt, we bleed the same blood.
I believe this article is poorly written, arrogant and is biased. It would really help if before writing this article, to research and check the statistics and do some field work because after all, this is a sensitive topic and probing into this with poor judgement will only do harm to you and the community involved.
I suggest you try and live the life of a homosexual and see how difficult it is. Life meaning the actual struggles we have to live with everyday, and not what you perceive as the life we all live. We’ll see how it will change and enlighten your mind about the fight for equality.
You are right to point out that there are heterosexual people who also use illegal drugs. Some of these also associate themselves with the LGBT community as supporters. Frankly, if you have drug use associated with these people at all, it’s like shooting oneself in the foot. It could seriously hamper whatever equality efforts the LGBT people are making. To really remain clean of any suspicion of drug use at the very least would help avoid this.
The recent support of equal rights, depicted by the profile pictures of red and the equal sign, is a due to the subject of gay marriages currently being discussed in the SC of the US.
The lifestyle of a certain group of people does not disqualify them of the right to marriage, just because some homosexuals snort coke doesn’t mean they can’t marry. Hell, there is a long list heterosexual drug abuse, does that mean heterosexuals forfeit the right to marriage?
Your entire article is based on your personal distaste for homosexuals, which is clearly shown by how you point out the shortcomings of a handful of homosexuals and then generalizing it, to use it as an excuse to prohibit them for marriage.
Drug use has got nothing to do with gay marriages.
And by the way, Domainlor Cabading was indeed discriminated. You implying she wasn’t is like saying the inquisition was justified because the victims were non-Catholics in a Catholic rule country.
*Ruled
*is due to the subject of gay marriages currently being discussed in the SC of the US.
The issue is moot after all. They are certainly discussing it in the U.S. But this is the Philippines. What happens in the U.S. doesn’t necessarily have to follow here. But we can try. BTW, on Cabading, the common sense explanation was there. Cabading could have looked for a college that isn’t Baptist.
It being discussed in the US doesn’t mean a Filipino can’t support the advocacy. Besides, the gay community in the US and in the Philippines share the same dilemma. They’re in the same boat.
On Cabading, did it ever cross your mind the reason he attended a baptist college in the first place was because he was a baptist himself? One thing about religion is that it discriminates.
And if she wasn’t a baptist and the school still accepted her application. Then it had everything to do with religion and their prejudice towards homosexuals.
But you see, saying you’re female while you’re biologically male was likely deemed lying or deception, according to Baptist rules. The school’s rules, live with it or take a hike. Cabading might as well finish his course elsewhere, perhaps the credits will not be wiped out.
[But you see, saying you’re female while you’re biologically male was likely deemed lying or deception, according to Baptist rules. The school’s rules, live with it or take a hike. Cabading might as well finish his course elsewhere, perhaps the credits will not be wiped out.]
Cabading had always identified himself as a “she” not for the purpose of lying or deceiving, but because he believed he was female. Clearly you’re just capitalizing on that in a poor attempt to justify their expulsion of Cabading, brought forth by their intolerance and homophobia. What you’re doing is blaming the victim.
I’m just saying that might be the school’s view, even if it wasn’t Cabading’s intention. If Cabading wants to see himself as female, fine, that’s his life. Thing is, that can be seen as a delusion when what one has between the legs tells otherwise. And the school has the right to refuse certain students based on its belief system, because that’s part of what it’s teaching.
So, yes, it’s Cabading’s right to live according to his “delusion,” but it’s also his right to deal with the consequences of such.
Hmmm… while I do not like anyone (including the homosexuals) to be discriminated, I can’t fault the school for kicking out Cabading. If we are talking about a public school, then that’s a different story. But for a religious private school? (it is a religious private school, right?) Well…. we may not like it… but they do have rules and policies. I think Cabading would lose the legal battle for this (if this goes to full trial). Let’s see what happens. Perhaps this will just end up in a settlement to save the school from negative publicity.
Indeed, let us see. We’ll see if authorities will allow some “special treatment” for this special case.
@ Chino F
For somebody who introduces himself as a former TV news producer and writer, aspiring artist and writer, weird and outcast of the highest order, I think your article gives the impression of a writer who is too naive and lost in the 21st century culture. @ Chino F, how was the world in the 1920’s?
Care to explain what’s so 1920s in my view?
There’s nothing wrong with having conservative sensibilities, so long as it is sensible.
If murder was criminalized in the 1920s, does that mean it should be decriminalized in 2020?
The twenties were a different decade. People back then had their own issues to deal with. Not the least of which was the impending stock market crash and the depression.
Attacking the author’s “antiquated” and “naive” point of view instead of tackling the issue only suggests that LA702 doesn’t have any values to speak of.
All I’m saying here is that LGBTs, like anyone else, should not live irresponsibly. That would seriously puncture the idea that they’re “marginalized.”
There are quite a number of media bossses who are gay.
This article and the discussions here got my interest on the relationship between homosexuality and drug use/abuse. Apparently, Chino’s take may have some basis, afterall. What do you guys think?
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drug-use-seven-times-higher-among-gays-8165971.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3266145
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2589133
http://www.michaelshouse.com/featured-articles/drug-abuse-gay-nightlife/
Nice find. Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it before. Just a click on Google with “gays drug use” yields interesting results.
So what does drug among homosexuals got to do with same sex marriage?
What does gay drug use got to do with same-sex marriage? None. But that’s not what my issue was on Chino’s article. My issue was more towards why the government even has to stick it’s nose into something it shouldn’t have any business with in the first place, like marriage. Gays can marry their fellow gays for all I care. The other thing that Chino seemed to imply in his article was drug use amongst the gay community. I think the relationship was (and Chino, correct me if I’m wrong) that many of these gays use drugs… drugs are expensive… if one can have a habit of buying expensive drugs then how can these folks really be marginalized? (In a “money talks society” like ours.) So I thought, like a lot of you pro same-sex marriage folks did, that we can’t say that just because someone is gay it means that they are drug users/abusers. Then I prayed to the omniscient god named “Google†for answers and it gave me the links. Hmmm… that’s why I thought… perhaps Chino’s connection of gays and drug use has basis afterall. The marginalized part? Well…. that’s another angle that I haven’t looked into. Isa-isa lang muna… mahina ang kalaban. 🙂 hehehe
And it’s not just homosexuals who use illegal drugs that I’m hitting. It’s high society basically. The society that believes it can get away with everything.
*Drug use
[So, yes, it’s Cabading’s right to live according to his “delusion,†but it’s also his right to deal with the consequences of such.]
The consequence of being discriminated. You already said it yourself.
In Benign0’s words, “tough luck.”
In my words, arrogance & ignorance are in bed together.
It’s still moot for me whether Cabading’s case is discrimination or not. Only this so far reached the news, no word yet on other cases, if there were any in the same school, or similar.
On Cabading’s case, again, here’s the Baptist Faith and Message page of California Baptist University. It says ” In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography” (paragraph XV). I don’t think the school will compromise its principles.
“However, I believe that many of those who participate in “gay equality†movements belong to a class of people who like going to Starbucks and need to sport their iPhones and designer clothes and bags. Some of them are already members of high society, some the “trying hard†to be high society (as in, they couldn’t afford the iPhone, but get in debt just to have it); but you get what I mean.
Basically, some of the LGBT people live comfortable lives, and it can make one wonder why they are considered marginalized. They probably go to snazzy bars and dance the night away (and do another kind of dance). And from what I heard, they may even be using illegal drugs.” – Wow. This reeks of so much bias and unfair generalizations. For the last two days I’ve been reading and sharing GRP but with this piece, parang nawalan ako ng gana sa site na ito and respeto sa iyo, ChinoF. Anyway, best of luck na lang to you and GRP.