STRAIGHT people do not have a monopoly on goodness.
This was the message of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community in Cebu when its members held the event dubbed “Gaksa Ko Beh (Hug Me)” at the Fuente Osmeña Circle in Cebu City on Sunday night, June 30, 2019.
The activity was the culmination of the Pride Month, which is celebrated every June to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Manhattan—considered as the precursor of the gay liberation movement.
Johanne Saludes, the head organizer, said the event is an avenue for the LGBTQ members of Cebu to show everyone there is goodness in people, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Saludes, the Repos Angels Inc. president, said they experienced discrimination, but this would not prevent them from showing compassion.
“Napuno mi sa tamay ug pagbiay-biay like ‘bayot, nagdala og ulan’ ug uban pa. (We are routinely taunted and ridiculed with insults like “Gay guy, you ruined our day”), when in fact, not all straight men and women do good, and not all gays are bad,” Saludes said.
The event encourages the LGBTQ members to embrace who they are.
Growing
Saludes said the “Gaksa Ko Beh” celebration is getting better each year since its inception in 2017.
“The first celebration was in 2017. We held it in Barangay Parian (Cebu City) with only around 30 participants. The second was in Barangay Lorega with 37 participants. Now, we reached thousands, and it is open to everyone and to our parents,” Saludes said.
Adel Balangegue, a member of the Self-Motivated Rainbow Association of Barangay Luz, said they were able to assert their right to be respected through the event.
“We are 112 in the organization. This feast means our freedom and we exist in the community,” Balangegue said. (WBS)