AS Cebu City wrapped up its Pride Month festivities, a key event quietly yet significantly underscored the celebration — a symposium aimed at fostering unity and inclusivity among the youth and the LGBTQIA+ community.
On June 23, 2024, 73 youth leaders and community members from various parts of Cebu gathered at the Cebu City Hall for the “Embrace Ko All” symposium. The event, which took place on the ninth floor of the Community Hall, brought together participants from Carcar, Bogo and the mountain barangays of Cebu City, including representatives from the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), university organizations, private institutions and LGBTQIA+ groups.
Organized by the Cebu Pride Movement in collaboration with the SK Federation - Cebu City, USC Junior Jaycees, JJC UC Kampilan and Kauban Cebu, the symposium focused on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, community and academe.
The symposium featured talks from prominent members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including Margo Frasco, chief operating officer of Titay’s Rosquillos and Delicacies, LGBTQIA+ rights advocate Alem Garcia and Mr. Gay World Philippines 2019 runner-up Kevin Garcia. The speakers shared their personal experiences and highlighted the importance of empowerment within the community.
Key discussions during the event included topics such as diversity and inclusion, sexual orientation and gender identity, purposeful marketing and labor rights. The sessions were led by experts like Aris Ambal of Philippine Financial & Inter-Industry Pride, Regi Manabilang of Love Yourself Cebu, Matthew Basabe of Cebu PRIDE Movement and Giovanni Soledad of the United Nations International Labor Organization.
The symposium culminated in a project pitching session, where participants presented proposals aimed at addressing various community issues, including youth development, mental and sexual health, education reform and digital literacy.
Organizers emphasized that the proposals would undergo further evaluation before final selection, with the goal of creating sustainable initiatives that can make a lasting impact on the community. The symposium, now a fixture of Cebu’s Pride Month, aims to continue fostering unity and inclusivity in the years to come.