BB Gandanghari is happily single

“I am single!”

For a moment, BB Gandanghari seemed to be stumped by my question about her (take note of the pronoun) current civil status during Funfare’s free-wheeling virtual chat with her.

“What kind of question is that!” she laughed as she found her voice. “Basta, I’m single, hahaha!!!”

It was a relief to hear BB’s demure laughter after her recent sentimiento (emotional outpouring) against her family in the Philippines that she thought had forgotten her (that is, not checking how she was). Ruffled feelings had been ironed out after BB’s brother Robin Padilla assured BB that, of course, the family cared for her.

“I’m all alone at wala akong ibang matakbuhan kundi ang pamilya ko,” explained BB. “It was just a simple tampuhan. Mayroon lang konting pinagdaanan. I went through a little tough time.”

BB has been living by her lonesome in L.A. for almost seven years now.

“The first three years were really hard,” she admitted. “Hindi ako magpapanggap na donya ako dito. I came to L.A. to work. Buhay Amerika is really hard, mahirap. I keep a 9-to-5 job as bookkeeper and accountant. That’s my day job.”

What occupies most of her time is auditioning for shows. She has appeared in one episode of the series Glue and Too Old to Die Young on Amazon.

When not working, BB said that she stays home, especially while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and amidst riots erupting across America to protest the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white cop who has been charged with second-degree murder in court.

“I live in the Valley, far from where the gulo is. A 5 p.m. curfew was imposed na Monday last week. Before the riots, of course, there was panic because of COVID-19. I still go out to work at hindi para mag-lakwatsa.”

Between her “day work” and auditioning, BB chats with her followers in her YouTube.com/BBGandanghariOfficial website, giving updates about “buhay Amerika” and answering questions.

“It’s doing very well,” she enthused. “Dumadami ang followers ko.”    If you haven’t yet and you want to subscribe to BB’s YouTube site, make sure you address her in the feminine gender (she, her, etc.). If you make the mistake of using “he or his,” BB will be offended and will tell you straight.

“It’s ‘misgendering’,” she stressed. “And we transgenders are slighted by that. But it’s okay (politically correct) to refer to transgenders as ‘they’ or ‘them’.”

BB confessed that she has been injecting hormones and is in constant close communication with her doctor.

“Actually, I started having hormone injection in the Philippines. That’s also the reason why I left for the States kasi nahihirapan ako mag-transition sa Pilipinas. Not that I am in a hurry, huh. I’m taking it as slowly as possible. The transition doesn’t happen overnight, hindi minamadali. As of now, I am in the middle of transition.”

Asked “transition” to what, what the “transition” will finally lead to (sexual re-arrangement?), BB broke into a lady-like laughter, less demure than her opening laughter.

“What kind of question is that?” she asked. “Hahaha!!!”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)